Western Australia Fishing Monthly August 2019 by Fishing Monthly

FATHERS’ DAY GIFT GUIDE INSIDE

Features A heads up on sounders • Sporting life of the humble herring • Latest freshwater stocking news •

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Boating & Kayaking Kayaking the shallows • Guide to buying a boat • Stessco Amberjack 520 with Yamaha F90hp •

August, 2019 ISSN: 2209-3354

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August 2019, Vol. 1 No. 12

Contents 6

METRO

Metro 11 Metro Offshore

SOUTH COAST Esperance 14 Bremer Bay

Albany 15 WEST COAST Augusta 16 Busselton 18 Bunbury 20 Mandurah 22 Lancelin 24 Jurien Bay

Geraldton 26 GASCOYNE COAST Kalbarri 29

From the Editor’s Desk... If you thought winter would never end, well we are almost there. As always the winter weather has the fishing around the state going off. As is the case every year, more people are inclined to head north rather than south for obvious reasons. However, the fishing on the South Coast is also going nuts, although the great fishing in Broome sounds like a much more attractive option! That being said, if you are unable to get away, there is still some sensational fishing to be had in the weather breaks in the metro area. Freshwater fishing is getting ready to take off, with plenty of waters already starting to fish pretty well. Redfin perch are easy pickings once you get onto a school and offer great eating as well as some epic scenery while fishing for

them. If you have never given it a go, maybe this year is the year to try! Recfishwest is running their yearly Troutfest on 31 August, which is always a great day out, and also a great way to learn enough about the freshwater to hopefully get you and the kids worked up for a couple of

freshwater fishing sessions! For more info check out the Recfishwest column in the mag or head to their website for up to date info. At this time of the year it is wise to start thinking about the season ahead, so get your boats ready for the warmer weather and get it in for its yearly service now while the

Exmouth 30

Ian Sewell boatyards are still relatively quiet. Leaving it until later will only have you waiting a week or two for servicing. As always, inspect all of your safety gear to be sure it is in serviceable condition and that flares and EPIRBS are in date. Next month is the Perth Boat Show, so start saving now for the great show specials that are always on offer! As always if you missed an issue you can catch up on previous issues for free on www.issuu.com/ fishingmonthly or you can get a digital subscription so that you never miss an issue again at www.isubscribe. com.au and go to the fishing section. As we wear down the last month of winter and welcome spring, I hope you all get a chance to get out on the water and enjoy some of the best fishing of the year.

NORTH COAST Broome 32 Dampier/Karratha 34 36

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Lancelin writer Peter Fullarton nailed this 15kg Spaniard slow trolling a blue mackerel bait.

AUGUST 2019

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OUR OUR COVER COVER

AUST

Herring tips, tricks and rigs

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Production: Keith Hawley Karen Millward

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Herring

The sporting life of the humble WA herring LANCELIN

Peter Fullarton

The Australian herring (Arripis georgianus) is more commonly called herring or ‘hezzas’ in Western Australia, and known as Tommy ruff in other states. Although they grow to a smaller size than their sportfish cousin the Australian salmon, they still have attributes of a sportfish, being an aggressive hunter that readily takes lures.

and head rattling jumps as they attempt to shake free the hooks, often successfully. They are an ideal species to teach children the technical aspects of angling, and help give them a whole lot of fun in the process. Some of the techniques needed to land a hezzas are no different to other more iconic sportfish such as barramundi. Many skilled anglers spent their youth honing their skills on the local jetty with herring. Herring are found nearshore or in protected waters, so they are a perfect

a rock wall, do yourself a favour and go out and buy a appropriate light outfit to chase them with. Light tackle will allow the fish to show you how much fun they can be. On light gear they will use their body side on to make it difficult to pull them in, and if they get their head around they will make lunges, pulling some string before doing some tail-walking head-shaking leaps in an attempt to throw the hooks. A perfect outfit is a 2-4kg rated fishing rod with

large enough to shake the hook free. The soft tip rod makes it less likely to tear a hole and the spring in the tip helps keep the line tight

berley sparingly once you have the herring interested, otherwise they will gorge themselves and go off the bite.

make your own by mincing or boiling up fish frames and mixing them with some fish oil. Another alternative berley is powdered milk. It

Small metal slice lures are very effective when trolled or cast for herring. during those head-shaking jumps. Line of this strength has plenty of guts to handle any herring and gives you a good battle if a larger skippy or tailor takes a bait. A short 2m rod is perfect for fishing from boats and piers. On rock walls you will be better off with a larger

You can buy cage berley mixes in tackle stores that can have extra flavouring, like aniseed and shrimp meal. These are mixed with a little seawater to make a paste consistency that will hold in the cage. I recommend you add some fish oil in the mix as well. Alternatively

keeps the fish interested but gives them nothing to eat, so they don’t lose interest in the bait, which sometimes can happen when the fish start eating the berley. The fine powder is best applied when you have the wind behind you, so it is perfect for sitting on anchor in a boat.

One misconception is that herring are solely surface feeders, but herring will feed off the bottom and can easily be caught from the beach using sinkers. They are quite athletic for their size, putting up a good fight on correctly matched gear. They can be a challenge to land, with strong lunges

target for land-based anglers or the trailer boat community. GEARING UP Whether you fish from boat, beach, pier or

a soft tip and a nice little 2500 spinning reel spooled with some 2-4kg line. Herring have soft mouths and can quickly tear a hole

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Herring are aggressive feeders, and are ideal for lure casting. 3-3.5m rod to help lift fish clear of the rocks and on a surf beach you may need to keep the line clear of the breakers. Using berley is very important for herring fishing. The fish travel in schools, so if you can keep a school interested you should be able to catch a good number of fish. Cages and floats can be used to dispense the berley right where the bait is. Use

you can just use a straight pollard, water and fish oil as your berley. When fishing from a boat you can use a berley basket and hang a rag soaked in fish oil over the side. It saves having to use any berley within the rig, keeps your hands clean and gives a more direct fight with the fish. The best berley for a basket would be storebought pellets, or you can

RIGS Herring mainly feed mid-water, although they will take baits and lures from the surface or off the bottom, so a range of rigs will work depending on the situation. To help stop the fish throwing the hook, I recommend using a no. 2-1 circle style hook. It may look a bit big for the size of the fish, but herring do have a pretty big mouth for their size.

Herring Herring can be very aggressive and active feeders, but at other times they can be frustratingly fussy. This is why I use a light 3kg fluorocarbon leader just in case they decide to be difficult on the day. Rigging the hook with a short length of thin lumo tube will help attract bites, and often the

fish will still take the hook even after the bait is gone. Winding in slowly may help too, as often moving baits will get more bites than stationary ones. In a boat, when the berley is in a basket, a simple swivel from the mainline to a leader of 3kg fluorocarbon direct to the hook is all you

need to get amongst them. You should be able to flick the bait with a little wind assistance 4-5m away from the boat where the fish will be less timid. Just remember to give it enough slack to sink a little, before starting a slow wind of the reel. The swivel should be enough weight, however if the boat is moving

A big eye makes herring an effective low light hunter, so dawn, dusk and moonlit nights are all prime times to chase them.

There are three ways to deliver berley when casting off a surf beach: an unweighted cage, a weighted cage, or a berley blob.

around a lot in the breeze, or if there is some current, you may need to add a little split shot to get it to sink correctly. Alternatively, you can use a float to keep the bait suspended a meter from the surface. When fishing a pier or rock wall I would use a berley float with a 1-1.5m leader to the bait or a berley

cage with a shorter 50cm leader. If using a float, cast out and watch to keep the line with as little slack in it as possible to be ready when the float sinks, indicating a hook up. When using a cage, cast out and allow it to sink a meter or two and start to slowly wind in. If beach fishing, you can use the berley float rig with

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offshore conditions, if there is not too much swell. With an onshore breeze or with lots of shore surge, use a paternoster style rig with a berly cage sinker. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worry about the bait being near the bottom, as the herring will follow the berley down and you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t catch any less fish than a float rig would. To page 8

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Herring From page 7

BAITS AND LURES Herring will readily take a wide range of baits. Prawn, squid, octopus, beef or lamb heart, worms, maggots or even some fresh fish fillet is all great bait to use. Cut the bait to a size the herring can swallow easily and don’t bury the hook point within the bait. Pull it all the way through so the point is free for easy penetration. If the fish are fussy, sometimes a smaller bait and hook may get them bitting. One classic lure that works incredibly well on herring is a 3-4cm piece of drinking straw or lumo tube cut each end at 45° and threaded down the leader so it sits over a small treble hook. Tow this about 1.2m behind a berely float. Small soft plastic baits work very well too. The Berkley Powerbait Minnow 3” in casper clear is a favourite, and small curl tails grubs are also irresistible to herring. On different

A classic rig to fish from a rock wall or jetty. Note the thin lumo tube over the hook shank, which is a very effective way to attract a hezza’s attention. days you will find different retrieves or colours work better. Try a mix of a lift and drop, a fast flat wind or you could even get the rod in a short rolling rhythm as

you wind the bait in giving a wounded baitfish look. If you are not getting many bites, mix up the colour tails you are using to see what is working best.

Sometimes they may only be grabbing the tail of the soft plastic and not engulfing the hooks. When this happens, you can’t go past a 5-10g metal lure.

They find it pretty hard to avoid the small rear treble and your landing rate will dramatically increase. FIGHTING HERRING Have your drag set relatively light so the herring doesn’t tear its mouth, making it easier to shake the hooks free. When one does a strong lunge it should be able to take a little line. Hold rod at right angles to the fish and low to water. This will keep a good bend in the rod to take up any slack during those head-shaking leaps and the low angle of the line will pull the herring back down to the water each leap. Don’t rush it and keep a steady pace on the fish. Tight line and keeping those jumps low right until the end of the fight are the two main things to remember. A landing net is a good idea. Many fish are lost just as you lift them out of the water, as they shake and rattle their heads and flick themselves free. The best technique is to have the front

hoop of the landing net in the water and swim the fish towards the net, scooping it up as it swims into the net. It is quite common to have skippy and other fish turn up in a berley trail intended for herring. The landing net will come in handy if you hook a larger fish by chance with the light line. Herring have an oily flesh and a strong flavour. It makes them very good bait for some larger species like large tailor, mulloway or dhufish. Nothing quite beats a breakfast of fresh caught herring after returning from an early morning fishing trip. Fillets can be battered, crumbed or simply tossed in some seasoned flour before cooking. The oily fillets are also popular for smoking and pickling. I hope this encourages you to go and try your hand at catching one of the most available sportfish in the south! It really is a great way to spend a few hour, especially with the kids.

When fishing from a beach, try using a paternoster rig with two hooks.

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A heads up on sounders NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

Modern, state-of-the-art depth sounders are fantastic tools, and a massive aid to any form of boat fishing, but it pays to remember that they are only one part of the bigger picture. Years ago, when I was working on Rex Hunt’s

Perplexed, I turned to the back of the boat where the transducer was located and peered into the water, which was quite clear for a tropical billabong. I could just make out the muddy bottom below and the edge of the weeds. There were no fish to be seen, but there were a couple of long strands of weed waving about in mid-water. These were no doubt the ‘fish’ our skipper had excitedly

that important lesson. It’s one I’ve seen repeated many, many times in the years since. Modern sonar units or depth sounders are wonderful pieces of kit, and they’ve completely revolutionised much of our fishing. Many anglers (myself included) would be lost without them in some scenarios. That said, I fear that many of today’s anglers

This graphic StructureScan shot from the author’s Lowrance sounder shows a submerged tree in a southern estuary that’s loaded with fish. However, the promising scenario failed to produce a single bite. Real world observation showed many of the targets to be schooling mullet. Some of the deeper ones were possibly bream, estuary perch or blackfish, but seeing them and catching them can be very different things. that could directly impact their fishing success. This may well be a reflection of the ‘device dominated’ era we live in nowadays:

one that sees a lot of people (especially those from younger generations) glued to screens of various types for a huge chunk of

The two finest fish-finders ever created are the pair located on the front of your head… hopefully protected and enhanced by a pair of quality polarised sunglasses. Use them! TV show, we were filming on a Top End billabong. I was in the camera boat and at one stage we’d cut the motor and drifted so the cameraman could shoot some boat-to-boat footage of Rex casting from the other vessel. Our boat had slowly drifted sternfirst toward the bank, and eventually came to rest against a thick weed bed. “Wow! This is where we should be fishing!” our boat driver suddenly announced. I looked at him with one eyebrow raised. “Check out all the fish on the sounder!” he explained, gesturing excitedly at the screen in front of him. I walked back to the console and looked over his shoulder. We were only in a metre or so of water, but sure enough there were a couple of very interesting targets on the screen.

identified. I was still pondering how to gently explain this to him when a shout from the other boat summoned us back to work and the moment was lost. But I never forgot

spend far too much time gazing intently at that magical electronic screen and miss a lot of the other things going on in the real world all around them, including vital information

Birds like this egret can often pinpoint the presence of bait. Study their behaviour carefully and take advantage of the clues offered.

Not so subtle signs! Golden trevally busting up on jelly prawns in a tropical estuary are clearly visible… but only if you look up from that mesmerising screen.

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their waking lives. I would respectfully suggest that they’re missing out on a great deal as a result. The clues, cues and intel’ available to us as fishers runs the full gamut: from glaringly obvious signposts such as wheeling, diving seabirds over a school of feeding fish to far more subtle hints, like a barely perceptible change in the temperature of an aluminium boat hull detected through the soles of bare feet, or the flick of a single jelly prawn hard against a mangrove root caught briefly by our peripheral vision. Unless

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you look up from that screen occasionally and open your senses to the bigger picture, you’ll miss a lot of these subtle inputs. Hand-in-hand with this big picture awareness should go a certain degree of healthy scepticism about what you’re actually seeing on the sounder screen. Social media is full of amazing images revealing various species of fish and other aquatic life displayed in graphic detail on various sounders. I love these spectacular screen shots as much as anyone else, but I also accept that the conditions needed to produce them are the exception rather than the rule. Far more often, we’re working with vague suggestions and tantalising clues rather than hard facts. It pays to remember that a mullet or a blackfish can return a near-identical sonar signal to a bream or a snapper, that a carp looks very much like a golden perch on screen, or that strands of weed can pass as fish to the uninitiated. Interrogate every assumption you’re tempted to jump to, and do your best to validate those assumptions with real-world experience and direct observation. In short, lift your head from time to time and have a look around… There’s a whole world out there beyond those dancing pixels.

Metro

Fishing makes winter more fun METRO

Hon-Su Chin

It’s the middle of winter, it’s cold, wet and miserable. That’s what it feels like if you’re not fishing! Some Tackle West customers are still catching pink snapper from the shore

produced good size pink snapper. Cockburn Sound has also started producing pink snapper for those who know where to look. There are tailor getting caught at Cottesloe, Grant St Reef, Swanbourne, Yanchep, Club Capricorn and Two Rocks. Spinning with surface lures is a great way of targeting

AS SEEN ON

FRANCHISEES WANTED Now is a great time to chase big bream in the metro rivers.

Luke Ryan from Tackle West got this 40cm black bream from the Canning River. He managed to lure this one to bite by using light leader and a 2.5” ZMan GrubZ down deep. along the metro coastline. North Mole has been the best spot but a number of the other beaches have also

fish only feed before the sun is up. Mulloway are also starting to move along the beaches at this time of the year. Good spots to try around Mandurah would be Singleton Beach, Madora Beach, Golden Bay, San Remo and north of Perth would be Swanbourne, Brighton Rd Beach, Quinns Rock, and the beaches north of Two Rocks. It pays to be patient when targeting Mulloway, and it’s best to fish around new moon and leading up to high tide, and make sure

feeding. With all the rainfall lately, the flow of freshwater has pushed the fish deep or hard up against the bank. It will be best to fish any structures with deep water. Good spots are Mt Henry Bridge, Shelly Bridge, Narrows Bridge, Canning Bridge, Freshwater Bay and Claremont Bay. Vibes, blades and soft plastics work very well in this scenario. This is also the time of the year when the

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them. You can cover a lot of ground quicker and the bites are pretty spectacular. Fishing first light is a must, as these

Australian standard fire rating Australian standard slip rating Snapper can also be caught on some of the northern rock platforms. Make the most of any time off and head north!

August is a great month to head up north to Quobba or Steep Point for some land-based gamefishing action.

you’re in a good gutter or around structure. This month is also a great month to head up north and do some land-based game fishing. Quobba and Steep Point are just two of the more popular spots to go to. This month provides some good easterlies for pushing the helium balloons out. Water temperature will still be warm enough for some great pelagic action on Spanish mackerel, longtail tuna, sailfish and cobia, as well as bottom fish like snapper, spangled emperor and baldchin groper. SWAN AND CANNING RIVER With the algal bloom warnings lifted last month, you can now safely take fish home. Black bream have more of less finished spawning and will be

mulloway become active during the day as they move around hunting for baitfish like bony herring, mullet, trumpeters and small bream. They can also be caught on lures. Hardbody lures such as the Daiwa Double Clutch 75sp, Daiwa Spike 53sp and Ecogear SX48sp will work despite their small sizes. You can also use soft plastics such 4 or 5” ZMan PaddlerZ and 4”SwimmerZ rigged on appropriate jigheads. Just work the lures slow with a slow retrieve and a slight twitch every now and then. • Drop in and see the team at Tackle West for all your fishing needs and latest reports. Call in at 32 William Street, Beckenham, or call (08) 9350 6278.

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Find structure for best results METRO OFFSHORE

Hon-Su Chin

The pink snapper have started to congregate in numbers in Cockburn Sound. Bear in mind it is still a large area, and you still need to look for structure.

spot to anchor and berley periodically. Stragglers Reef, Mewstones, Rowboat Reef, Champion Rock and most of Five Fathom bank behind Garden and Carnac Island have been worth heading too if you can make it offshore as well. The key is to fish the right tides for your chosen

Clayton hooked up to a 25kg+ samsonfish on relatively light 30lb gear. out chasing pink snapper early in the morning. They got some good size pink snapper as well as a rather large samsonfish around

25kg, which kept them busy for a while. Offshore North of Rottnest to Mindarie has been producing good size

Brody was pleased with this giant pink snapper taken around Perth. The D9 Wreck is a popular spot and can be a very productive. Other productive snapper spots would be the grounds around Garden Island. Find a good

species and if this coincides with either first light in the morning or last light in the evening, even better. Laith and his brother Clayton had an eventful trip

Mulloway will be a good target during August.

Sambos are a real handful when they eat a snapper rig. pink snapper and dhufish. The pink snapper have been coming from the shallows within and behind 3 Mile Reef. Dhufish have been caught further out to Direction Bank. The crew on Highland Spirits Fishing Charters were on their way back from their Abrolhos Islands stint when they decided to do a spot of night fishing out of Fremantle. Skipper Ryan

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and crewman Brody got into some good size pink snapper and mulloway. They also run an excellent fishing charter in Perth, so if you want to get into some great fishing, look them up and tick off your bucketlist. â&#x20AC;˘ Drop in and see the team at Tackle West for all your fishing needs and latest reports. Call in at 32 William Street, Beckenham, or call (08) 9350 6278.

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South Coast

Making the most of it ESPERANCE

Southern Sports and Tackle

It’s certainly been cold on the South Coast, but that’s done little to stop the locals from getting out to gather a feed or just enjoy some good sport. LOCAL JETTIES In town, the James Street and Taylor Street jetties have been good spots for bull herring, with the best times being early in the morning and later in the afternoon. Those after squid haven’t been disappointed, with locals catching plenty of squid to around a kilo. There have been heaps of good-sized gar getting about in the evening, and those fishing during the day are finding smaller skippy and King George whiting. The best rigs are still float set-ups with a no. 6 long shank and squid pieces for bait, which you can collect at the jetty! This should catch

you plenty of herring. ESTUARY Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has been producing well for those putting in the effort. There’s been a few King George whiting up to 35cm. Black bream have been taking lures and baits around up to about 32cm, and there’s plenty of herring, skippy and flounder around for those wishing to soak some baits for bread and butter species. BEACHES Stockyards Beach has been ticking along nicely, with flathead around 35cm making up the majority of the catches. Herring and salmon trout have been showing up, taking both lures and small baits, with some small skippy around half a kilo mixing in with them. The occasional salmon up to 6kg has been turning up, providing plenty of sport for those prepared to do a bit of searching. After dark the action hasn’t been slowing down,

with a few gummies available for those wanting some tasty flake. Closer to town, Salmon, Fourth and Eleven Mile beaches have had good schools of salmon ranging from about half a kilo to around 6kg – you just never know what size you’re going to get! Mixed in with the salmon are herring and skippy. Out of town at Roses Beach there’s also plenty of salmon, skippy up to 2kg, loads of herring, a few tailor around 1-2kg, and some bronze whalers that are cruising with the salmon schools. East of town at Dunns Rock Beach, once again you can expect salmon, skippy to 2kg, a few gummies and soapy mulloway. There’s plenty of herring to keep the kids entertained if the action on the bigger species doesn’t quite kick off. The reports are much the same over at Alexander Bay. Further east again at Poison Creek there are some

Mitch with a samsonfish caught using a high speed jig. It put up a serious fight. Photo courtesy of @gawn_fishn huge schools of salmon, with some cracking fish as well. Anglers have been reporting getting salmon to 8kg, and if that isn’t good enough, you can also try your hand at the local herring, mulloway, bronzies and skippy to 2kg. BOAT FISHING Anglers choosing good weather windows and getting out offshore are getting good numbers of squid to 1.5kg, about 5km offshore. There’s plenty of gar at night, an abundance of herring

and sand whiting as well, which will be great for the ice box. Around the islands the queen snapper, Bight redfish, swallowtail, and sea sweep are dominating catches. Moving further out again, you can expect Bight redfish to around 2kg. In this same area we’ve been getting reports of breaksea cod, loads of of queen snapper and, if you’re after some sport, samsonfish up to 20kg, and smaller kingfish maxing about 10kg. It’s cold this month, but

as you can see there’s a lot to be excited about. Make the most of August, and before you know it, it’ll be warming up again in spring! • Southern Sports and Tackle specialise in the supply and servicing of fishing equipment. They have an extensive knowledge of the local area and provide all brands, whether you’re fishing from beach, jetty or boat. Drop in for a chat at Shop 16, The Boulevard, Esperance or give them a call on (08) 9071 3022.

days. Mulie or squid are the best baits for both species. Just pick a quieter day in the early morning or early evening, and look for a nice gutter. If you’re chasing sand whiting, it’s even better if the gutter is close to the rocks on the rocky end of the beaches. Squid are being caught at Fisheries Beach on mulie fished under a float, and on squid jigs. The river is starting to fill up, and the bream and mullet are harder to catch because they’re not as hungry; they’re stuffed full of bugs and other morsels. Still, if you persist you should be able to catch a few bream or mullet on baits of mulie or river prawns.

FISHING IN AUGUST This month the weather should start to get better, with the wind and swells dropping a bit. These improved conditions should hopefully continue through to October, allowing more people to get out chasing nannygai, pink snapper and shark. • Bremer Bay Rural & Hardware is your one stop shop in Bremer Bay for all your fishing, camping and hardware needs. To browse the range, stop by 144 Wellstead Rd or give them a call on (08) 9837 4274. You can also find more information at www.bremerbayhardware. com.au.

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With all the wind and big swells there unfortunately haven’t been many boats getting out. Still, the whales have arrived, which is always cool to watch. And during the few good weather windows we’ve had, the offshore guys have been catching nannygai and breaksea cod on squid, either out from the rocky headlands or out at the shelf. The salmon are finishing up, but you can catch skippy and sand whiting along the beach on the nice calmer

Bream have been a bit hard to catch lately, but you can still get a few if you are patient. Photo courtesy of Bremer Bay Rural and Hardware.

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Excellent angling when weather permits have been about to stretch your arms if you are that way inclined. Good weather will be the key to getting out this month, as 4-5m swell is just too much for the smaller

ALBANY

Albany Rods & Tackle Staff

The weather in Albany has been windy and cold, making trips out offshore very difficult. When the weather does come good for a day or two though, the fishing has been great for a range of species, both inshore and offshore. BEACHES Shore-based salmon are a great option at the moment. The fishing in general has been good, without any huge schools getting about. Covering water and being patient is the way to go at the moment. Cheynes Beach and Black Creek have been excellent spots to have a crack, and towards Bremer Bay, Reef Beach and most of the other beaches in that area have produced salmon at times.

boats to handle. • For all the latest reports and local knowledge, drop in to Albany Rocks & Tackle at 40 Stirling Tce, Albany, or call them on (08) 9841 1231.

When the weather is good, the fishing has been great. Close to town, the sand patch is always worth a look for salmon, herring and skippy as well. Albany Salmon Holes is a very reliable spot close to town, so make sure you give this area a good work over if

The estuaries have been productive for bream anglers using lures.

you’re after salmon. A little further west, Shelley Beach is worth drowning a bait or tossing a few lures. Most techniques have been working well, with paternoster-rigged pilchards, poppers and metals the preferred methods. As mentioned before, the salmon fishing at the moment is just a patience game. If you cover the water you’ll eventually find them. In this way it’s been quite a weird year on the salmon. INSHORE If you’re fishing in the sound, good King George whiting have been taken. The key is to keep moving and don’t stay put until you find them. In the same areas, squid are definitely on the chew, and it could even pay to toss a jig around as you fish for squid. Sand whiting are a good option at this time of year and make a great feed, and a few lucky anglers have been getting flathead too. It is rather late in the season to be getting good flatties, but one angler got five nice ones working the sand banks recently, so it could be worth chasing a few flathead.

The rivers have been patchy, but some nice bream are about. Plastics are working, but with all the rain in the system many are using hardbodies, vibes, and surface lures. OFFSHORE Out wide, the weather hasn’t been terrific, and only the bigger boats are heading out. Those getting out are finding a good mix of reefies, such as red snapper, queen snapper, breaksea cod and mulloway In the reefy areas the sambos and yellowtail kings

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West Coast

Cold snap produces pink AUGUSTA

Anthony Gillam

So far this winter it has huffed and puffed and pretty much blown the house down. This was no only the case in Augusta, but across most of the state, as Mother Nature decided to flex her muscles and show us all who was boss. Here we were thinking that winter was this mild

but also with glee, as they contemplated their next foray into the snapper grounds. While most of us fair weather fishers were tucked up with a hot toddy and a block of chocolate watching reruns of the 2018 AFL Grand Final here they were rigging lines and defrosting baits in anticipation. Those who copped a dose of pneumonia or frostbite ended up with some beauties as a reward. Some were out

The Blackwood River had spent the early part of winter providing crystal clear viewing of the numerous whiting and skippy prowling around throughout the Hardy Inlet easily coping with the minor inflow of rainwater. This soon changed with 100mm overnight towards the end of June, creating the dirty dark water that is expected once the combined run-off reaches the ocean. The fish didn’t seem

A great pink snapper caught by Stijn Kuppers in 40m of water during a winter glass out in Flinders Bay. slightly damp interlude during our usual fishing schedule when she came out with a series of cold fronts, storms and some not very nice weather. That being said, however, the pink snapper crazies were rubbing their hands together not only because of the cold,

in the weather off the rock walls, but most waited until there was a break after a storm. You could watch them from the lookouts as they raced to their favourite secret spot, pinged a couple of lump headed monsters and raced back, hoping no one would notice.

Winter snapper of this size are typical from the waters around Augusta. 16

AUGUST 2019

to mind, with bream still a consistent catch around Alexandra Bridge and Molloy Island. Baits of coral and river prawns seemed to take over from hardbodied lures and soft plastics. The fish probably relying more on fragrance to locate a meal due to visibility being much reduced. Whiting catches in the Hardy Inlet have remained very good, with plenty of King George whiting in the 28-30cm range being added to with the odd yellowfin whiting. Prawn, bloodworm and squid strips have been winners, with a slowly moving bait producing a more aggressive strike. Colourpatch boat ramp and the Turner Street jetty have been best for land-based fishing with the Dead Water and Sticks producing for the boaties. Boat fishing in Flinders Bay has been very good when the weather decided it would calm down. There were plenty of calm days with smaller swells during the working weeks that allowed those lucky folk not tied up with work to get out onto the reef where pinkies and dhufish were the main targets. Some days they were switched on and it was an early return for a lot of boats, however, a couple of the best looking fishing days turned out to be unproductive for most. I guess that’s why it’s called fishing, and not catching.

Dhufish catches remain strong in the shallow waters, however many are only just reaching legal size. Although the death rate of returned fish is lower in these depths, it is always a better idea to pick up a bigger one in deeper water rather than putting multiple juveniles back looking for a keeper. Breaksea cod and harlequin are also prominent around the reefy outcrops and will aggressively take a flesh bait or 4” soft plastic fished close to the bottom. Just remember that winter weather is unpredictable and what starts off as a nice flat day can end up like a washing machine if a squall hits. Make sure your safety gear is all up to date, in good condition and readily accessible in an emergency situation. Keep your radios on and make sure you are aware of weather predictions for your area. Large skippy are being caught everywhere, with many of the kilo plus fish coming from floating an unweighted prawn or half a mulie down a berley trail, whether it be off a jetty, rocks or boat. Once you establish that they are around, any soft plastic in a prawn type configuration is deadly. Just keep the berley trail going to

A pair of small dhufish, showing that they will take a big soft plastic. Inlet, as well as off the rock walls and finger jetties at the Augusta Boat Harbour. Prawn style jigs have proven deadly, with glow in the dark and LED flashing lures being very successful at night. If fishing from the marina rock walls or jetties at night, it also pays dividends to use an old style baited squid spike under a float. Some of the

for disaster. If the weather is obligingm however, bring the fish around with a berley of pollard, mashed mulies and fish oil and you should end up with a mixed bag of herring, skippy and tarwhine. • If rock fishing wear a life jacket and tie off to something solid. You can hire one for free from Augusta

One of 20 breaksea cod caught on fish strip baits off the rocks. It’s a pity that they were all small, but it means that the population is healthy. keep them around. As winter moves into spring the skippy numbers will continue to increase, making for some great fights on light gear. Why not try lighter line, you will not only be surprised by how much better they fight but also with the fact that you can still land them. Squid are still everywhere, with many caught as by-catch out in Flinders Bay. Land-based fishers have been scoring on all of the jetties in Hardy

less aggressive squid will tend to be caught by this passive method, where they would normally be spooked off by an actively fished jig. As I always point out, Augusta has some really productive rock fishing locations, however, at this time of the year it is better to stick to something safer if it is going to rain or have a bit of a swell up. Unpredictable weather can quickly affect the fishing conditions and slippery rocks are a recipe

Xtreme Outdoor Sports at 66 Blackwood Avenue Augusta, the local tackle shop and font of all local fishing knowledge. It’s right next to the Better Choice Fuels Service Station. • The locations mentioned are all well-known and are marked on most vehicle GPS units, especially if they have HEMA maps or a list of locations can be obtained from the local tackle store, Augusta X-Treme Outdoor Sports.

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West Coast

Fiery fishing in the South West BUSSELTON

Stephen Norman

Although it’s been a cold winter, the South West has been fiery on the fishing front. As expected, the biggest drawcard has been the consistent number of pink

and feeding back some whole baits! Fresh squid has been a deadly choice of bait, as has large whole herring, which seem to have accounted for many of the larger fish. Landbased fishing for snapper and mulloway has been a little slower than in recent years, but certainly nothing to pass up.

will continue to experience much of the same fishing we have seen over the past few months, with the benefit of the days becoming slightly longer. Squid numbers from the Busselton Jetty will increase during August, as will the presence of samsonfish. We should see larger schools of herring become active late in the day for both land and boat-based anglers. Snapper should continue to remain abundant in the bay, with the exception of them possibly moving into slightly deeper waters, such as 20-30m, weather permitting. August is a great time to target a species that is

seem to be a much rarer catch as opposed to their closely related cousin, the samsonfish. Areas such as Walpole and Albany are lucky enough to see far higher numbers of kingfish captures, but it’s still possible to tangle with one of these tough fish around in the South West. In recent years I have had decent success chasing kings from the rocks along the South West. Cosy Corner is by no means a secret location, but that has been the most productive area by far, and while these aren’t big kingfish by any means, fish up to 1m will give you a fair run for your money!

A gorgeous snapper from Geographe Bay, falling just shy of 13kg.

Light tackle yellowtail kingfish from the stones is tricky business, but the rewards can be worth it. snapper. Several cold fronts mixed with plenty of fine days in between gave both boat and land-based anglers great opportunities to target snapper. In Geographe Bay we saw the most productive fishing come from the boat anglers, with most finding snapper from 15-25m of water. We have found that the evening and into the night has been the most successful time, preferably around a tide change. Even a few locals fishing from their kayaks have hit the mark by creating a berley trail not even 500m offshore

Tobys Inlet, Abbey boat ramp and the rock walls around the marina have all produced fish during the northerly blows. Those seeking something a little more sheltered have had no issue finding a feed of redfin. Capel River, Harvey Brook, Donnelly River and the Warren River along with most freshwater systems have been worth trying, with small natural colours soft plastics and hardbody lures around 3” in size working a treat. WHAT TO EXPECT IN AUGUST As we gradually make our way towards spring we

Big bait, big fish! This whole herring snelled on twin 7/0 Black Magic KL hooks accounted for a solid snapper. far more difficult to come by in the south west, the yellowtail kingfish. While numbers of these fish are by no means dwindling in our region, they just

Early morning has always seemed to be the best time of day to chase a king, with plenty of berley! Kingfish aren’t necessarily always attracted by the

berley as such, but the bait and activity that it can attract will often draw the kings in after them. A steady flow of mulies, and whatever smelly chum you can throw in, is a good place to start. Once set, try a variety of floating dead baits such as squid strips or mulies, as well as a live bait, preferably a herring. Note that some days the Kings can be so finicky that even a small balloon will put them off, so if you’re struggling to get a bite from a seemingly hungry king, try removing your balloon. Also worth noting is that kingfish will often swim right up the berley trail to check out what’s going on, and this makes it very easy to pitch them a bait right at your feet, so

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keep your eyes open. As weather patterns will still be a little unpredictable through August, the best place to take the kids for a fish will still be the jetty, as the beaches may still be a little dirty with seaweed. Herring and squid will be in strong numbers early and late in the day, so grab a bag of berley, a squid jig, and a few bait jigs and you shouldn’t have too much trouble keeping the kids entertained! • 2 Oceans Tackle is the south west’s premium fishing tackle outlet. Drop in and see our friendly staff for professional advice and choose from our massive range of fishing tackle that is sure to keep you fishing for longer. 2 Oceans Tackle 14 Albert St, Busselton WA.

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West Coast

Rainy day breaming options BUNBURY

Grant Teede

Although we are getting to the end of winter, there is still a bit of average weather rolling through and this can make some of your regular types of fishing difficult. Beaches can be washed away and combined with the dirty water and weed they can become nearly impossible to fish, and the boaties will get the advantage of fish being in closer to shore, if it’s blowing 20knots or more, you’ll probably be staying at home. Most passionate anglers start getting an itchy casting arm (I know I do) when kept off the water for an extended amount of time, so let’s start looking into options to get out there. In my books the humble black bream is the ideal target to fill in these rainy days and you can find them in all the estuary and river systems throughout the South West. When the rains are falling and the river is pushing fresh hard, target the downstream spots and if there has been torrential rain, don’t be surprised if

they get pushed completely out of the river. When we get a bunch of cold fronts that bring lots of rain, there is often reports of black bream being landed around

with a nice chunk of mullet (the fresher the better) will give off the required stink to get them over and commit to a nibble. You can even do this type of

Bream really like something that gives off a lot of vibration when the water is murky, such as this vibe. The Cut, which is basically in the ocean. As you would expect, the water becomes super dirty this time of year and you need something to get their attention. A small sinker to hold ground and a small circle hook loaded

fishing without the rods and reels by using the humble handline loaded with 12lb mono and chucked on a stick pegged into the bank. For the more adventurous, you can give the lures a crack, but remember there’s no point

fishing the top part of the water column because the bream will be sulking in the brackish water that sits below the freshwater on top. Better results will come by using deep diving bibbed hardbodies such as OSP Dunks and Daiwa Spikes, but I prefer the sinking variety of lures at this time year. I find getting a lure slowly bumping slowly along the bottom with lots of pauses will get the bream interested enough to pick it up and hopefully that super sticky treble or jighead will find its mark. Plastics are probably the most commonly used lure this time of year, but there is a couple of extra tips to help you get better results. Make sure you use scent on your plastics or a type of plastic that has a lot of built-in scent. The water is dark and murky this time of year, and you need every advantage you can take, so as well as vibration and sound, adding the scent in will trigger the bream and can turn a looker into a biter Another tip I can pass on when using these small plastics is the use of weedless hooks and

The author took this bream on an OSP Dunk. jigheads. I find these invaluable, as they keep you fishing longer by the fact that you are not spending so much time snagged up or busting off lures, in turn costing you valuable time. You can pitch these types of hooks deep into snags and bump and crash them over the timber and rocks and that alone can trigger bream to attack. Keep in mind, though, that nothing is completely snag proof, so I still start out casting to edge of the structure first before getting more courageous and going deep. The local Brawler Baits

Fatboy Swim is a local favourite and is tough to boot, so it will hold up to a day’s fishing (if a bream doesn’t stitch you up on it first). Hopefully you can get out there and give it a go! • The boys down at Whiteys Tackle and Camping in Treendale live and fish locally, so if you have any questions on what you have read, or if you just want to say hi, pop in and the crew will always be happy to chat. Head to Whiteys Tackle and Camping at 1/143 Grand Entrance, Treendale, Australind.

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West Coast

It ‘shore’ is a good time to fish land-based MANDURAH

Jesse Choy

Despite the rainy conditions, there are plenty of reports of success from anglers around Mandurah. Rainy conditions have been prevalent, but there has been a few breaks in the weather that have allowed people to get out and into some quality fish.

shark can all be caught if you are fishing appropriately for each species. The inner reefs have been firing for boat anglers, with plenty of decent-sized dhu, snapper and King George whiting getting caught. Herring are plentiful around the rocks and bridges, so getting a few to use as bait before you head out shouldn’t be an issue. Squid are also available, but you will have to do a

where the fish tend to sulk and reserve their energy in the cooler conditions. While it can be tempting to sleep in, enduring the conditions will produce and learning to fish like this will allow you to become more versatile as an angler. August marks the time to really get excited about inshore pink snapper. It is well worth heading out in the conditions, provided that you are well geared up and

This land-based snapper was caught by Danny after he set a berley trail off the rocks in Mandurah.

Squid in Mandurah aren’t particularly fussy when it comes to colours or patterns. Beaches have been a bit difficult to fish, with the constant weather bringing in plenty of seaweed. This issue tends to naturally resolve itself when there has been a gap in the weather for a few days and tides have run their course. Checking out spots in daylight can often help you combat the

bit of searching for some weed beds out the front of the beaches and slowly drift them to ensure you are covering ground. Once you can locate a squid, work an area thoroughly and don’t hesitate to throw another jig in if you are already hooked up. Squid are great eating, but their tentacles

This bream was caught just down from Ravenswood on a small hardbody lure retrieved slowly. seaweed issue and get you one step closer to catching a fish. Anglers are finding that the beaches both north and south of Mandurah are producing plenty of bread and butter species. Patient anglers sinking larger baits, like whole herring, mullet or fresh squid, are proving that there is an array of species on offer as well. Mulloway, pink snapper, whiting, herring, the odd tailor and 22

AUGUST 2019

make great whiting bait and snapper also find it hard to refuse a fresh ring. The rivers are really firing at the moment, with lightly-weighted mullet strips and soft plastics working extremely well. Pitching your baits into the structure is a sure way to get some action, but when the cooler weather really takes over it is paying to target fish in the deeper water

maintain a safety mindset to ensure you stay out of harm’s way. Our shorelines really get battered in the winter months and it is because of this that the pink snapper hunting becomes possible for land-based anglers. While these fish are available outside of these months, the constant swell and ocean movement that is so common at this time of year offers a great opportunity. Fish that are captured are generally well fed up and are ready to spawn. At this time of the year, the fish quality is generally very good. It is wise to remember when heading out, however, that these fish do need to reproduce in order to provide more fun in the future, and fishing for them at this time should be done responsibly, so take only what you need. Paternoster styled rigs are often effective when trying your hand at snapper fishing, whether that be from the land or a boat. Another rig that is simple yet effective is a running ball sinker down to a larger single hook. Fresh bait is recommended, with herring, squid and mullet strips all worth trying. Downstream locations in the rivers are a good place to start when having a crack in August. While there is fish further up, you will find

that the larger quantities of fish are moving throughout the system according to the seasonal weather patterns. The continual rain and flow from further upstream means that the baitfish are flushed down and they don’t want to fight the current and waste their energy. Following the bait is definitely going to increase your odds of catching a bream or mulloway when on the Murray or Serpentine rivers. Fishing in peak feeding times will certainly increase your chances, so getting out of bed a bit earlier or fishing until a bit later may yield better results. These fish are opportunistic and use these times to their advantage, not knowing when their next meal may come. Lures to 3” in size are ideal, but reducing the size of the lure may increase the quantity of bites you will get. While fish in the river can be aggressive towards bigger lures quite frequently, the smaller presentation acts as something easier to prey upon, which may not put up so much of a struggle. Paying attention to the surroundings and matching the hatch is an important part of selection when it comes to fishing lures. A natural presentation is going to be effective in clear

water, while solid colours will work a lot better in the discoloured water. Freshwater will continue to pick up this month. Earlier in the mornings or later in the afternoon you can expect a noticeable amount

are likely to catch in our local dams. Hardbody lures are also great and effective when it comes to locating fish by covering ground. Natural trout patterns are very effective, as are blacks, reds and translucent greens

While taking a couple is fine, releasing bream is a great way to do your part to ensure future stocks. of surface activity and opportunities to catch trout. Trout baits or small flies are popular when targeting these surfacing fish, as they are able to float and are irresistible to both types you

when the water is quite clear. While the bug activity isn’t very high, it will pick up as we start to see the rainy days become fewer and make our way into the warmer months.

This beautiful rainbow went back to see another day. Who knows, it might be your next catch!

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Reliable, rugged and built to last, the new ultra-quiet Lowrance Ghost freshwater trolling motor helps anglers fish longer, run faster and get in closer without making a sound. Ghost has a newly designed brushless motor with the most thrust and the longest run time of any trolling motor on the market, plus other benefits including integrated Lowrance sonar options, waypoint anchoring and an industry-leading three-year warranty. The combination of reliability, power, efficiency and quiet performance give the Ghost trolling motor a

us a unique opportunity to ask anglers what was most important to them in a trolling motor,” said Lucas Steward, Navico’s Trolling Motor Product Group Owner. “To get the quality we needed, we had to design and build it in-house. That resulted in the production of a trolling motor that delivers exactly what our consumers want: the most power, greatest efficiency and quietest performance – the ultimate trolling motor versatile enough to fit any bass boat.” BRUSHLESS MOTOR Ghost’s unique propulsion technology in its brushless

motor generates thrust that is 25-percent greater than current competitors and delivers 45-percent longer run times on the same charge – equivalent to nearly one additional day of operation. The combination of precision manufacturing, rare earth materials, and a cuttingedge weedless prop design provides high-output thrust with long running efficiency. ZERO SONAR INTERFERENCE Ghost’s brushless motor helps eliminate noisy operation and unlike common brush motors, has no brushes to wear out, ensuring greater reliability and longer life. The brushless motor emits no electromagnetic interference – giving anglers the clearest sonar views possible with zero onscreen interference. INTEGRATION Users can steer, adjust speed, set up route navigation or anchor at a current location with touchscreen control from a Lowrance display using the SmartSteer interface. Ghost pairs easily with HDS LIVE, HDS Carbon and Elite-Ti2 displays via a simple NMEA 2000 connection. PLUG-AND-PLAY LOWRANCE SONAR Ghost offers two integrated sonar nosecone

options, including HDI (CHIRP and DownScan Imaging) and optional Active Imaging 3-in-1 (CHIRP Sonar,

used before, anglers will quickly get comfortable with the innovative Ghost foot pedal, which is completely

SideScan and DownScan Imaging) transducers. All motors ship standard with an HDI transducer, but can be upgraded with a different nosecone at any time. FLY-BY-WIRE STEERING Instant and smooth fly-bywire steering control gives Ghost the feel of a cablesteer motor, but without the mechanical cables that can wear out over time. Regardless of the brand of trolling motor

user-configurable. The pedal can be customized to suit any preferences with programmable shortcut buttons and a Flip Switch that can be moved to allow the trolling motor to be engaged from either side of the pedal. The mode buttons have LED lights and an indicator beep to provide feedback when a mode is engaged. The foot control also features a batterylevel indicator.

RUGGED CONSTRUCTION The 360-degree breakaway mount is designed to take the brunt of any impacts and will automatically realign itself once clear of impacted structure. A composite shaft with lifetime warranty assists in withstanding impacts, and an integrated stabilizer bar reduces bouncing when on plane in rough water. The foot pedal cable is secured to the mount with robust clips, preventing it from moving around on the deck, damaging rods and reels and blocking the view of Lowrance fishfinders installed nearby. Ghost is currently available in a 47-inch shaft model with future shaft-length options coming soon. INSTALLATION VERSATILITY The motor weighs six pounds less than brushedmotor equivalents, making it easier to install, deploy and stow. Ghost is designed to work in either 24 or 36v systems with up to 97 and 120lb of thrust, respectively, and allows for future battery and charger upgrades. The Lowrance Ghost trolling motor is expected to ship in late 2019. – Navico Aisa Pacific

AUGUST 2019

West Coast

Berley hard for bay bruisers LANCELIN

Peter Fullarton

Skippy have been aggregating on the inshore reefs and August is when we see some really big ones, with it not at all uncommon to be catching 50cm+ fish, and some even pushing above 70cm. For their size, they will out pull most other species and their schooling behaviour makes for some frantic fishing sessions. You can get them within Lancelin Bay as well, but the fish will be smaller size than if you set up on the outer fringing reef or any the lumps out to the White Bank where normally plenty of schools can be found. Skippy respond very well to berley and a school will park up residence right at the boat under the berley pot. Once they do, more likely you will tire and leave before the fish move off. All you need to do is float down unweighted baits into the trail. You can use prawns, cut fillets or pilchard cubes. I like to cut the pilchards in halves and add a little split shot, casting out a little past the fish right at the boat, allowing the bait to sink before starting a slow retrieve into to the trail from behind. Larger baits select out out the bigger ones or a pink snapper lurking at the bottom of the school. Skippy will also readily take lures. My preference is soft plastics,

and they are also good spots to try for a land-based pink snapper at this time of year. Berley is always the secret to get these species going, but it can be difficult to use from the beach. A rip current can be used to move your berley scent out

Squid are always a welcome catch. closer to the reef to bring the fish into casting range. That brings up the subject of those big green back tailor. The little choppers can be hard to find along the beaches at this time of year, but the big green backs have been

Skippy have been providing plenty of sport for the inshore anglers on light gear. but micro blade jigs can work well too. The skippy have also been caught from the sand recently. They have been caught from places like Virgin Reef, Dide Point, Narrow Neck and Magic Reef north of town, and Tailor Reef to the south. Those areas have been producing some tarwhine, 24

AUGUST 2019

trick that has worked well for me is to anchor up and start pumping berley in one of the deeper areas adjacent to those fringing bay reef breaks late in the afternoon. Be sure there is plenty of depth under the boat and you are safe from

caught from those reef areas along the coast. If you can find a nice deep beach gutter, they have been producing some solid tailor and school size mulloway as well. The boat fishers have been casting poppers and stickbaits for large tailor to the reef breaks of the nearshore and fringing reefs of Lancelin Bay. One

any larger swell sets that may come through. Most sessions start out with the usual skippy, snook, pike or squid and as it gets dark, the big tailor or samsonfish move in. If you are lucky, the yellowtail kingfish may turn up to the party. Having a live bait out the back under a balloon is a good way to find out when the party crashers have arrived and are ready to play. Demersal fishers have been seeing much better dhufish and breaksea cod numbers in as little as 10m of water. Trailer boat fishers who are limited by the weather and with safety concerns about running long distances know to make the most of the opportunity to catch them while they are in close before the demersal ban kicks in on the 15 October. Most the larger boats still head out to the deeper waters of 30m or much more where there will be more species to be caught like baldchin groper, foxfish and red snapper. The bread and butter species have been really good, with plenty of herring about in the bay and on the beaches. Sand whiting have also been really active, with much better sized ones than the average small summer fish caught from the jetty or off the beaches. If you can get out in a

boat, some of the whiting we have been catching in 20-22m average a very good size. There has also been some tasty by-catch, with a few flathead and flounder taking the whiting baits in these depths. There have also been plenty of garfish this season, but they are mainly the southern garfish that are still protected. You can take storm gars, which can be identified by the spot below the rear dorsal fin and their short lower tail fin lobe. There have been some cracker King George whiting about the bay. There has been a sensational run of them for over a year now. Each weigh in at the fishing club sees plenty of good size fish around the 40cm mark. At times, schools have come into the jetty and there have been some good catches, but they are more reliable in the sand holes a little further out in the bay. You can’t write a fishing report about Lancelin at this time of year and not mention mulloway. They may be tricky and frustrate a lot of people who can’t quite crack the code. Look for good holes or gutters along the beach at the top of the tide or structure like some reef. Overcast days are better than bright sunny ones. The new and full moon is when they start to pop up on social media. So far it has been a great season for big 20kg fish. We saw a great late run of Spanish mackerel, starting with a lot caught during a spearfishing competition held by the WA Under Sea Club. A number

There have been plenty of snook over the weed beds of the bay. have been falling to trolled hardbody lures or slow trolled live baits, despite the low water temperatures of 20°C. Most the macks and a few yellowfin tuna have been caught around schools of pilchards, garfish or blue mackerel. As the old saying goes, find the bait find the fish. If you came across any large baitfish schools it is well worth marking them up on your plotter and giving the area a good going over with a spread of lures that run at different depths. You can also drop a Sabiki bait jig down into the school of baitfish and rig up some live baits for a slow troll. Add some weight to get one of the livies down

deep below the baitfish school, as the mackerel will often be under the bait. The jetty has been a good fallback, as the big swells have been making boating and beach fishing difficult at times. We always get better size sand whiting from the jetty during the cooler months. The trick is to cast towards the shore to get away from the blowfish and other pickers. Dawn and dusk have been the best times to target some squid from the jetty. Nighttime brings in schools of herring, skippy and tailor. Big schools of hardiheads have been using the jetty structure as a refuge that has in turn attracted lots of samsonfish.

Lachlan Murray and his mates recently spent a few days at Lancelin and managed to get four mackerel over two days, including this one.

West Coast

Waiting out the storms JURIEN BAY

Jason Harris

Shane from Seasport Tackle says that anglers have been doing well in the bay. Whiting are here now and good catches are coming from the usual sand patches and behind Favourite Island, with worms and ox heart the best baits. The winter snapper bite is well under way too. The big swells and storms are bringing them in to the bay. To have success with the snapper you need to get a good berley trail going. Shane suggests putting a frozen blocks of shredded mulies in your berley cage and let it do the work. Mulies

Sam landed this 98cm dhufish after it smashed his jig. Beach anglers have also been getting into some landbased snapper fishing. The fish come in close after the big storms. The best time to try is at night after one of

Dan was deep dropping in around 700m of water when he caught this eightbar cod. and squid have been the best baits. For jiggers, the 5 or 7” Gulp Jerk Shads have been working well in the glow colours. While the weather has not been too kind, those who have taken advantages of the breaks have been seeing some good-sized dhufish. Kristin from Seaestar Charters says that when she has been able to get out, they are seeing good-sized dhufish in shallow around the 20-30m mark. These are biting best around dawn and seem to be preferring red coloured jigs. In between storms they have also been heading right out and fishing in depths of over 500m. They are finding plenty of eightbar cod out there. Fishing for broadbill has been proving a challenge because of all the arrow squid around at the moment. With the storms and cold fronts coming through the pelagic action has died right down, but Kirstin has been seeing a few mahi mahi out in the deep water.

these storms. To have the best chance you need to maintain a berley trail the whole time. The most productive spots have been the southern wall of the marina and down towards Hill River. Mulies and squid are the best bait. The river itself has been filling up with all the rain and there are some good black bream being caught. If this rain continues then at some point in July the river

will break through. Keep on eye out, as this will really kick start the beach fishing down there. Beach fishers have also been getting good catches of whiting and herring. Hill River has been producing the best, but within the bay, Island Point and the beach north of the marina is working well too. The tailor have been here and there, but not in any consistent numbers. The best results are coming for those who fish early with stickbaits and poppers. Find a spot where some of the reef comes close to shore and try your luck there. Off the main jetty they have been getting herring, trevally, squid and cuttlefish. Jigs are working for the squid and cuttlefish. Berleying for the herring with pollard and fish oil is also bringing the trevally in. The trevally have been a range of sizes, with some good ones in the mix. The marina is still fishing well, but with the recent storms it’s starting to fill with weed. This could lead to another die off in the next few months. Meanwhile, plenty of herring and trevally are being caught at the moment, and squid are taking jigs. The best time is usually at night, especially when it is calm. Crayfishing continues to be productive, with the crays coming from within in the bay. There’s need to put your pots any farther out, as they are catching them around Favourite Island, Pumpkin Hollow and Wire Reef.

Berley is the key to night snapper fishing in the bay. AUGUST 2019

West Coast

Look for weather windows to find a feed GERALDTON

Graham Maunder & Michael Triantopoulos

Winter weather has been late arriving, and even though not as many anglers want to fish in the colder, wetter and rougher conditions, there are still seasonal opportunities to put a feed on the table.

and feed closer to shore more often, giving us more opportunities to catch them. Mulloway catches have been improving, with a good range of sizes being caught over a wide area. As usual the anglers putting in the most effort are ones getting the best results. Head Butts and north to Duncans has had plenty

stingrays and small numbers of herring, dart and whiting. Southgate Dunes through to the back beach have been the most consistent beaches for larger mulloway, with most of the fish landed being over 1m and occasionally up to 1.4m. The area is one of our most reliable beaches, with plenty of whiting, some over 30cm and plenty

Jonti Rutherford took this nice pink snapper northwest of the Batavia Marina.

Graeme Hosken with a solid Spanish mackerel caught on a recent trip with his son to the Abrolhos Islands. BEACH The channels and reefs from Port Denison in the south to Lucky Bay in the north change a lot, with the strong southerly currents dragging sand away from the reef edges and deepening many of our beach gutters. Deep water gives more opportunity for bigger fish and different species to hunt

of school-sized mulloway up to 800mm and the occasional better fish up to 120mm, but tailor, herring and whiting catches have been barely pan size and in inconsistent numbers. The S Bend north to West Bank and Cape Burney has produced larger mulloway, tailor, some small whaler sharks, large eagle rays,

A cracking baldchin groper caught northwest of the Batavia Marina by Azman Zaitu.

of smaller live bait-sized fish as well. The weed banks and rock walls from Separation Point to Drummond Cove are easily accessed by car and foot, with this year’s squid season being the best for years. An afternoon or morning fishing the rising tide is regularly producing squid with 30cm hoods. Most squid anglers cast a prawn style jig, but as the blowfish have not been too annoying this season the old style pin jig with a small whiting on the pin has produced some extra big squid if suspended about 1m under a float and cast and slowly retrieve. Blue swimmer crabs are never a reliable catch around our area, but in recent weeks catches of 10 or more large crabs a session have been caught inside the local marinas and fishing harbours. Mullet heads or fish frames wired onto the bottom of the drop net or stuffed into a bit bait and clipped into the net will work well. Beaches north of the Geraldton Marina up to Coronation Beach have had heavy erosion issues and plenty of weed along many of the best fishing spots at St Georges, Drummonds Cove

and even behind the reefs at Buller River and Morning Reef. As usual the anglers making the most effort are finding enough fish to make the effort worthwhile. Recent catches of school mackerel, whiting, tailor, dart, mulloway, sharks, skippy and flathead to 700mm have been on the bite from 4pm until two or three hours after sunset. School mackerel, flathead and skippy are normally daylight captures for us, but recently the mackerel have been biting up to 7:30pm on the tailor and mulloway rigs of pilchards, 4/0 gang hooks and a star sinker heavy enough to hold the bottom. BOAT Cold fronts consisting of swells, winds and rough weather has made fishing quiet difficult lately, with most weekends being unfishable, but there has been breaks in the weather where anglers have made the most of it. Winter is usually dhufish and pink snapper time for us, with the season being so late this year that these fish have only recently started showing up in numbers. South off Geraldton from Greenough River mouth to African Reef has had good numbers off dhufish to 10kg, pink snapper to 6kg, baldchin groper, coral trout and the occasional samsonfish. The shallower

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water from 8-15m has been more consistent. Anglers using plastics have had a lot of success on 6” paddle-tail plastics in white/pearl, pearl and blue and purple with 1.5-3oz jigheads depending on drift and current. Using a ‘floater’ (which is a lightly-weighted pilchard, scalie or yellowtail) while bottom fishing can

Dhufish will take trolled lures, like this one did for Aindal Doley. produce not only your pelagic fish like mackerel and cobia, but it is also very successful for species such as dhufish, pink snapper and spangled emperor. Around 18-25nm southwest of the marina

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AUGUST 2019

in 40-50m has had some large dhufish to 14kg, pink snapper, coral trout, redthroat emperor, baldchin groper and the occasional cobia to 20kg. There are a few striped tuna still around, with most of them being smaller schoolsized fish. The area 8-12nm westnorthwest of the marina in 30-40m has been consistently

producing pink snapper to 6kg, school-sized dhufish, baldchin groper, redthroat emperor and estuary cod to 16kg. A lot off this area is limestone holes and bits off small coral, with no large lumps. Sounding around to

West Coast pick up the smallest of rises holding fish usually pays off. Stopping on the way to your fishing location to catch some live baits will increase you catch rate. Live baits such as yellowtail, scalies, blue mackerel, herring and pike you can find around most pylons and marker buoys. Use a good quality fish skinned Sabiki rigs fished on the bottom for best results when collecting bait.

Anglers putting the effort into chasing pink snapper along Pensioners Bank at night have been rewarded with fish to 4-6kg. Anchoring and using berley and cubing pilchard pieces has been working. Using lightly-weighted pilchards on a snelled or ganged hooks is recommended. Snapper are great fighters, so using relatively light gear is great fun. A 6-7’ 6-10kg rod

with matching 4000-5000 sized reel with 20lb braid and 40lb leader is perfect for this caper. Along with snapper, anglers have been catching the occasional mulloway, dhufish and spangled emperor. At the Southern Group at the Abrolhos Islands, Sharks have been terrible, pushing anglers to fish deeper water to try and move away from them and land

Graeme Hosken with a dhufish that was taken around the Abrolhos Islands.

Judah Baskerville begged his dad Terry to take him for a mulloway session. The result was this solid model he fought to the bank.

something. Anglers fishing in depths around 50-80m have reported pink snapper, dhufish, coral trout and the occasional red emperor. Spanish mackerel, yellowtail kingfish and yellowfin tuna have been semi consistent around Wreck Point if you can get them past the sharks. SMALL BOATS/KAYAKS It has been one of the better years for squid that we’ve seen in a long time. North of the marina to St Georges Beach has been consistent, with good numbers off squid with hoods to 30cm+, and the occasional cuttlefish. Successful jigs have been size 3.0-3.5 in

natural olive/green, orange glow, pink glow, fluoro lime and silver/white. Drifting allows you to cover ground. Once a Squid is hooked keep tension on it, and if fishing with a partner get them to cast behind the hooked squid, as often there will be others sitting behind it. Pages Beach to Separation Point has also been consistent with size and quantities of squid, with most coming from either early morning or late afternoon. Drifting over the sea grass patches and clean sand holes is where you’ll have the most success. Having a pin jag with a whiting or herring on

it underneath a float while drifting will often get the larger squid, but also puts a bit of scent in the water. Not only is there great squid fishing, but species such as herring, whiting, pike, skippy, wrasse and school mackerel can also be found here. • Geraldton Sports Centre is the Mid West’s specialist fishing tackle store. Drop in and see the friendly professional staff for local advise and knowledge and browse the extensive range of fishing equipment on show at 204-208 Marine Terrace Geraldton WA, or call (08) 9921 3664.

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Mulloway on the way KALBARRI

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BIBRA LAKE

Stephen Wiseman

This month I thought I would go into detail on one of our prized beach fishing targets, the much sought-after mulloway.

that measured 1070mm and was a first for the very exited angler. After a brief chat about the tagging program he said that he will be checking all his captures in future, and some tags can be partially concealed with growth that can hide

one of your own tags or another member. With the winter storms now in full swing not many boats are chancing the dash through the washing machine at the mouth, but those who have made the run have been rewarded

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These fish are found on the entire WA coastline from the North Coast, where they are usually black jew or northern mulloway, to the South Coast, where they are more likely to be the more silvercoloured mulloway. WESTAG have been recording data on mulloway and a number of other WA species for over 25 years from all areas, but the info I will go into is around the Kalbarri area. The mulloway in the picture was caught and tagged back on 16 November 2017 by Jamie Waite. This fish was measured at 580mm and had a tag inserted with the number 79,154. This small mulloway was released and swam off with no ill effects. This fish was at large for 538 days, swimming up and down the coast before being recaptured by Lee McLaughlin on 8 May 2019. This fish had grown 330mm and had travelled some 3nm south of its original capture place by the time Lee caught and measured the catch at 910mm. The number of Mulloway now tagged and released in the Kalbarri area from beaches to the north, the river mouth and up to the pens has exceeded 500 and with a recapture rate of close to 10%, there’s still a lot of Mulloway swimming around and growing well. Last week I was lucky enough to see a big female

them very well. WESTAG members take great care when tagging and releasing fish so that the fish has the best chance of survival, and it’s always very rewarding to receive info about a recaptured tagged fish whether it was

with some nice pink snapper and dhufish out to the northwest. No Spanish mackerel have been seen since the latest round of storms and with the water clarity gone, it may well be the end of our mackerel season.

Lee with her recaptured mulloway, which was out for 538 days and grew 330mm. AUGUST 2019

Gascoyne Coast

Getting stuck into sails EXMOUTH

Josh Bruynzeel

Over the past month the water temperatures have cooled quite a bit, down to around 25-26°C, and the current has started from the south. This will see an increase in sailfish inshore, and the juvenile black marlin fishing should remain strong. The best way to tempt the sails and blacks is by slow trolling teasers and presenting

to target them is by trolling large dead baits such as garfish behind the fringe reef. You can also catch a few casting large stickbaits or poppers. Queenfish have definitely been more prevalent in recent weeks along the beaches. Locals are catching them on soft plastics such as McCarthy’s and Samaki Boom Baits. Look for panicked schools of hardiheads showering out of the water, and try to focus your efforts early in the morning or at dusk. Bottom fishing has been

Black marlin will be prevalent in under 200m of water, with some bigger winter fish more likely to start appearing. Spanish mackerel numbers will only continue to improve as the bait moves from up north to Exmouth. And we may even get early signs of sailfish in the Gulf if the baitfish are prolific enough. GTs are consistent at this time of the year on the right tides at the islands, particularly during the spring tides. Casting big poppers and stickbaits in

Captain Ash smacking the bills, with a black marlin and a triple hook-up on sails. August, the spangled emperor will come in closer and be easier to catch off the beach. We can also expect golden trevally to be hunting in the waters of the lagoon on the west side, and you can catch them on smaller poppers or soft plastics in gold or green. While you’re doing this you may also pick up Chinaman, gold-spot trevally and even the occasional mangrove jack.

Cobia will show up more often this month. live or natural dead baits. There are lots of mahimahi around, along with school-size yellowfin tuna, in depths of around 100m. You can catch both species by trolling smaller

Jigging some slobs!

good of late, with red emperor and spangled emperor dominating catches in depths of 50-70m. A lot of fish are being taken on slow pitch jigs, or you can just drop down

You know it’s a big longnose emperor when you’re pulling this face!

Jeff and Sue celebrated their anniversary in style with a trip aboard On Strike Charters. 6” pushers at a faster speed. We are also getting good results trolling the Nomad DTX Minnow in gold. Spanish mackerel have been thick along the back of the reef, and there have been a lot more bigger fish caught over the past month than during the preceding months, ranging from 15kg up to around 25kg. The best way 30

AUGUST 2019

some squid on a paternoster. Local squid is best, and fresh tuna baits work well too. Larger Rankin cod are turning up inshore in depths of as little as 20m, and they’re taking jigs and big soft plastics. FISHING IN AUGUST This month we will see sailfish numbers improve even more offshore, with up to 10 fish tagged per day.

the wash zones around the fringe reefs should get you into a few. Cobia will become a lot more prolific in August along with the bait in the Gulf. We get a lot of cobia hanging around on the surface at this time of year along current lines. You can find them by looking for feeding birds or bait schools, and keeping an eye out for that tell-tale brown colour of the cobia. Casting a 5” soft plastic is deadly. We can also expect northern bluefin tuna to start showing up. You can get them on 40-50g metal slugs, such as the Richter Supersprat. If the water temperature starts to increase at the end of

• On Strike Charters are Western Australia’s premier game, sport and reef fishing adventure specialists, with a host of tournament wins and awards under their belt. Some of the options include casting big poppers and stickbaits to GTs and red bass; jigging for amberjack, trevally and tuna; flyfishing for queenfish and golden trevally; and bottom fishing for species such as red emperor, coral trout, spangled emperor and gold-band snapper. For more information on the different charter options available, head to their website at www.onstrike.com.au, or to see all the latest catch photos and videos visit their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ onstrike.charters). You can also follow them on Instagram (@onstrikecharters).

There has been some good bottom fishing in recent weeks.

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North Coast

From muddies to billfish! BROOME

Troy Honey

The turquoise waters surrounding Broome were certainly the place to be during late June and July, as the winds were reluctant to cause a stir for the thousands of tourists who visit the region at this time

charter boats catching some monster specimens. Spanish Mackerel are in plague proportions currently. Those who have been trolling hardbody lures over bommies and reefs surrounding Broome have scored multiple hook-ups per session. Among the Spaniards there are lots of sailfish, which are schooling

species that can be found here is the beautiful golden snapper. Golden snapper or fingermark bream are a hard fighting fish that are tabled very high not only amongst anglers, but also by the seafood connoisseurs, as their moist flaky flesh is an absolute 5-star delight to eat, especially when enjoyed over a barbeque,

The cooler Broome waters are the perfect hunting grounds for trophy demersals, such as this solid coral trout. The author caught it using a 200g Shimano Squid Head Jig in 35m of water. of year. With temperatures in the mid to high 20s and festivities such as the Matsuri Festival and horse racing season kicking off, Broome has it all and then some. With that, ‘some’ is the sensational fishing on offer! Where else in Western Australia can you catch a barramundi in winter right on the town beach? With that being the iconic Cable Beach, is there anything else you would rather being doing than soaking up some sun while taming the acrobatic barramundi with the locals who have been catching them? That’s right, winter barra on Cable Beach. Both from boat or shore, local anglers have caught barra along the town stretch of beach with sizes in the 400-850mm range. The barra have predominately been caught around structure such as the rocks to the north and are taking bibbed minnows and plastic stickbaits. Reef fishing has been at its finest, resulting in many fine coral trout, red emperor and saddletail snapper being caught in waters from 20-55m. Lots of bluebone are also being landed around the town rocks as well as out deep on the offshore reefs, with a few of the local 32

AUGUST 2019

up in good numbers and attacking hardbody lures and live baits. The game fishing charters are doing exceptionally well for their customers, with three or more anglers being hooked up at any one time, bringing that unforgettable mayhem with it. As we come into August in Broome, it is still generally cool and dry, which is ideal conditions for camping up at Cape Leveque at any of the grounds and creeks that litter the coastline. These are perfect spots for the whole family to enjoy fishing, but never be complacent about the saltwater crocs that are always around, even in the cooler waters. Fish that can be caught shorebased at this time of year here are mangrove jacks, bluebone, Moses perch, trevally, queenfish, Spanish flag, cod, yellowfin bream, threadfin salmon, javelin fish and flathead. For the fly fishers who can make it to the east coast waters of the cape, there are some very big bonefish lurking in the area well worth trying to tame. Fishing from boat in the waters surrounding Cape Leveque is an experience not to be missed if you are lucky enough to find yourself in a position to do so. One of the fish

beverage and sunset in this prestigious part of the world. You will find all the usual fish species in Cape Leveque that are commonly caught around Broome,

but the golden snapper is one caught here that is not often caught in large sizes in Broome. Golden snapper are in the nearshore/estuarine fish category and have a daily bag limit of four per fisher and must be 300mm or larger. They are best recognised by the single black spot on the back of their bodies just above the lateral line, with the balance of body colour being a deep bronzy/red colouration, which gives them a stunning look in the sunlight. Golden snapper grow to as large as about 1m, and live as long as 30 years, reaching sexual maturity at 6-8 years. Golden snapper can be caught with a range of fishing methods, including drift baiting, jigging soft plastics, and both casting and trolling lures. As golden snapper can be caught in creeks as well as waters sometimes deeper than 50m, matching the fishing method to the environment is recommended for best success. For example, finding deeper holes near bends and mouths of creeks by casting soft plastic jigs into them works very well, but out in the deeper waters using drift baits such as squid or live baits is almost guaranteed for success if the goldies are present. Golden snapper are particularly prone to barotrauma, so please take care when fishing in deeper waters to preserve this often sort after species. Mud crabs should certainly be on your list of target species at this time of

Mud crabs are on the menu in Broome at this time of year. Many of the local creeks are full of them. year, with both the smaller brown and larger green mud crabs in great numbers currently. For best results, work the creeks from Eco Beach to the south right around the coast to Derby in the north. If fishing from a tinny, find some of the deeper areas of the creeks for large greens. If hooking for the crabs, the neap tide is best, as it allows you to get into spots where they are commonly buried. Caution must be practised when moving around on these

Blueline emperor are a great fish to target in Broome. They fight hard, taste great, and will strike both baits and jigs! They also provide anglers with memorable battles.

tides, as the creek beds can be deep mud that is almost impossible to get out of if you are by yourself. The tide can fill the creek again can be less than 1-2 hours, which only gives you a very short moment before you are under water. Always crab with a buddy and take a long length of rope with you to use as a winch rope if someone becomes stuck in the mud. Fish species that are worth targeting in Broome before the water temperatures rise are the demersals such as coral trout, blueline and red emperors, bluebone, golden trevally and yellowfin bream. For the sports fishers this is definitely the time of year to be out trolling and switchbaiting for the billfish such as marlin and sailfish. This is prime time for billfish and there are always plenty of boats heading out, with anglers always keen to offer advice at the local fishing clubs. If you don’t have the gear to chase these trophy fish but want the experience, then jump on board one of the many charters that work out of Broome that are currently experiencing a great year of bill fishing. Enjoy the last month or two of cooler weather and fishing that comes with it, because in next to no time Broome waters will be heating up rapidly and the switch to barra, threadfin, trevally and queenfish will be in full swing and the ease of bringing home a feed of tasty demersals or gaining that epic photo with a sailfish will diminish.

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North Coast

Clear water fishing in Karratha DAMPIER/KARRATHA

Troy Honey

What a month it has been, with magic weather allowing land-based and boat fishers to get amongst it. With the lack of wind through June and the

of weight on the line and thought I must have picked up a bit of seaweed. When the rig surfaced, to my surprise there was a monster of a blue swimmer crab that was very reluctant to let go of an easy feed. This certainly highlights how widespread the blues are and it’s always

in shallower water, and sized red emperors being landed in waters as shallow as 10m. Coral trout are being found around the rocky structure, both in close to the islands and the deeper water towards the 40m mark. Fishing behind Enderby Island we found good trout in less than 3m.

days I prefer the shine of gold or blue lures, but for those rare dry season Pilbara overcast days, the white and red lures always manage to find the fish. The sails is of course a different story, and using a good spread, which includes teasers and surface garfish lures, and then enticing the hook-up strike with a switch bait is certainly the way to go. Everyone in this area has their secrets or methods and spending some time at the local yacht club in Dampier you will find plenty of locals who are always willing to offer advice on what is working best at the time. As we head into August we still enjoy ideal day and night time temperatures in Karratha, but we are starting to enter the period where the winds can put a dampener on a planned day out fishing in the boat. I actually quite enjoy this, as it forces me to look for other options which are either involve the creeks or leaving the boat at home and heading out in search of land-based options, which include protection from the wind behind one of the many

Mangrove jack love to take lures and stickbaits in the Archipelago. Dylan Munn enticed this good-sized jack over structure on a recent trip out amongst the islands. both suitable locations as well as access tracks to them. It is highly recommended that you speak with locals first before heading off to some of these areas and be well prepared with a suitable vehicle, food and water supplies, recovery gear and EPIRB. Phone reception is limited once you head out of town and if no one

fun way to take home a feed of solid whiting. Try poppers and stickbaits around rocky outcrops for the trevally and queenfish. This will also entice the spangled emperor that lurk in these areas. Plenty of mangrove jacks and cod along with some very good-sized bream can be found by trolling bibbed

Dylan has been targeting coral trout throughout the Dampier Archipelago and was rewarded with this beautiful example recently. cooler water temperature the waters have cleared up, providing ideal conditions for everyone from those diving for crays and spearfishing right through to game anglers chasing billfish such as marlin and sailfish.

worth dropping a net or two over the sandy areas in the archipelago. Staying on the crab topic, there have been some exceptional green mud crab catches coming from the creeks around 40 Mile to the south of Karratha as

There are several species of cod that call Dampier home. They can grow to a decent size and put up a feisty battle for anglers. Blue swimmer crabs have started to slow, but they can still be found in Nickol Bay, King Bay and the Dampier Harbour. I was recently fishing between Enderby Island and West Lewis Island looking for coral trout in 6m of water, and I decided to switch from lures to bait over a bit of ground and on one of the retrieves I felt a bit 34

AUGUST 2019

well as the creeks from Point Sampson to Balla Balla. They seem to be a bit lower in numbers, but the ones that are caught are of very good size. Demersal fishing has really turned it up a notch around the archipelago throughout July, with reports of good reds such as coral trout, red emperor and saddletail snapper turning up

Big bluebone are hooking up right through the archipelago at the moment and after some very feisty battles, I lost three that I estimated to well over the 700mm mark. It was frustrating to not land one of the beasts, but the fight they provide only spurs me on for another round. One of the brutes on 150lb handline even managed to burn a couple of holes through the fingers of my leather gloves as it turned and headed for its favourite hiding place amongst the rocks in less than 5m of water. Sailfish are being tagged in big numbers right now, with those heading out to enjoy the thrill that these lightening fast billfish being rewarded with multiple hook-ups in each session. They can be found right around the outside of the archipelago over the nearshore reefs, as well as out wide between the ships that anchor waiting for their slot in the ports. Amongst the sails there are plenty of Spanish mackerel and yellowfin tuna to be found. The tuna will come from the deeper water off the archipelago, but you can find the Spaniards in less than 5m in close around structure and breaking waves. Try a mix of both deep and shallow diving lures and stickbaits for all three fish. A good mix of colours is recommended until you can work out what is working best on the day. For sunny

Spangled emperor are in good numbers at the moment in the Karratha region. They can be found in both deep and shallow water and are very susceptible to the soft plastics in the 100-150mm range. This spangley was caught in 5m deep water. picture perfect hills that line the Pilbara coastline. Usually the first thing I think about when scoping out a land-based option on windy days at this time of year is the wind direction. Fishing with the wind at your back makes life very easy, especially when casting lures is the chosen method for the day. The Karratha region from 40 Mile to right up past Cossack could not be any better for this, as it offers a multi-directional facing coastline. There are ample spots to explore that face different directions, and by using tools such as Google Earth you can find

knows where you are and you become stuck in the many salt pans around the region it could not only be costly to your time and equipment, but also to your life. If you choose this method for a day out fishing, you will find plenty of good fish at this time of year. Those can be bluebone, trevally and queenfish, spangled emperor, cod, mangrove jack, bream, whiting and perch. It is still a bit early for the barramundi to fire up, as water temperatures need to be above 28°C. Throwing very small poppers over the sandy backs from the many beaches is a

minnows and soft plastics in the creeks or where they meet the ocean. All of these types of fishing are great ways to spend a day fishing when conditions don’t permit the use of a boat and can be enjoyed by the whole family. If you research the most suitable area and put in the time, including trying different baits or lures, you are sure to find the fish. Some of the fish can be absolute trophies that when cast against the magic landscapes this area of the Pilbara has on offer, make for photos that many anglers in the country dream of.

recfishwest

Save the date for Troutfest As we write this in late June, the winter storms over the preceding weeks have turned our thoughts to bubbling streams and cold, foggy mornings spent chasing trout in our state’s South West.

Trout are stocked each year in WA to provide anglers a unique opportunity to chase this prized fish amongst some of nature’s finest backdrops in our southern forests. This year’s stocking will include 685,000

rainbow fry, 6,500 advanced rainbow yearlings, 11,100 rainbow yearlings, 2,500 ex-broodstock rainbows, 500 ex-broodstock browns and 6,000 brown yearlings. That brings the grand total to over 700,000 trout for all of us to catch. We’re excited to hear that this year’s freshwater fishing season will see a greater number of larger trout stocked in our South West waterways than in previous years, allowing fishers greater opportunities to land one of these special fish! These hatchery-reared trout are grown using money from freshwater fishing licences and will be released over winter and spring.

the column each month. Peter is also one of the avid freshwater fishers that make up Recfishwest’s Freshwater Fishing Reference Group along with WAFM editor Ian Sewell. The valuable members of this group help to advise Recfishwest on freshwater fishing matters, including recommending stocking numbers and locations to the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. If you would like to get your hands dirty and help us to stock some trout this year, you can come along to our annual Troutfest event at Drakesbrook Weir at 10am on Saturday 31 August. Joshua Stroud with a nice trout caught at one of the stocked locations. fish (>40cm). Troutfest also gives people the chance to try their hand at freshwater angling, as it coincides with the annual license-free weekend. This is a great opportunity to give freshwater fishing a go for free while celebrating Father’s Day. There will be freshwater tackle and rigging information, casting demonstrations, as well

Recfishwest needs a hand to release thousands of trout at Drakesbrook in August. 2019 FRY STOCKING LOCATIONS AND NUMBER OF FISH Rainbow Fry Location Blackwood River Balingup Brook Barlee Brook Beedulup Brook Below the Collie River Dam Big Brook Big Hill Brook Brunswick River Carlotta Brook Cypress Form Dampier Gully Dombakup Brook Donnelly River Drakesbrook Dam East Brook Falls Brook Harvey River Hesters Brook Lefroy Brook (upper) Lefroy Brook (lower) Logue Brooke Dam Logue Brook Manjimup Brook Marrinup Brook Maranup Brook McKnoes Brook Mokerdillup Brook Murray River Nanga Brook Nannup Brook Norolup Dam Oakley Dam Pine Creek Quinninup Brook Record Brook Serpentine RiverZ Smith Brook St Johns Brook St Pauls Brook Treen Brook Warren River Wilgarup Brook Total

No. Trout 35 000 10 000 10 000 10 000 40 000 20 000 10 000 10 000 15 000 20 000 5000 10 000 60 000 18 000 10 000 10 000 10 000 10 000 20 000 40 000 20 000 20 000 10 000 5 000 5000 5000 15 000 60 000 25 000 10 000 10 000 2000 10 000 5000 5000 20 000 20 000 15 000 5000 15 000 20 000 10 000 685 000

as fly casting lessons and demonstrations, a kids fishing clinic and casting challenge at the event on the Saturday. For many, this fishery is clouded in mystery, where in reality it is all about getting into the bush, having a cast and enjoying some of the best parts of WA. So why not bring the family along and be a part of something special!

Try your hand at freshwater fishing for free on the licence free weekend, which coincides with Father’s Day. There is no better time to get out with your friends or family and enjoy fishing the beautiful streams and rivers or dams in the South West. Regular readers of Fishing Monthly’s freshwater section will no doubt have picked up plenty of fishing tips and trick from Peter Fragomeni, who pens

This event celebrates the traditional start of the freshwater fishing season by providing the community the opportunity to hand-release a few thousand trout into the waterway. The day will include the release of both rainbow and brown trout in sizes from fry (5cm) right up to ex-brood stock

RAINBOW YEARLINGS Location No. Trout Big Brook Dam 1000 (advanced yearlings) Blackwood River 2000 Collie Gorge 1500 Donnelly River 1000 Drakesbrook Dam 500 (advanced yearlings) Glen Mervyn Dam 500 (advanced yearlings) Harvey Dam 3000 (2000 advanced yearlings included) King River 500 Lefroy Brook 1500 (500 advanced yearlings included) Logue Brooke Dam 500 Murray River 1400 Norolup Dam 200 Serpentine River 500 Advanced yearlings Waroona Dam Advanced yearlings 1500 Warren River 2000 Total 6500 advanced yearlings & 11100 yearlings EX-BROOD RAINBOW Location No. Trout Big Brook 200 Drakesbrook Dam 200 Harvey Dam 1700 Lefroy Brook 200 Waroona Dam 200 Total 2500

Troutfest will include a fish release and plenty of other activities for all ages. EX-BROOD BROWN Location No. Trout Big Brook Dam 50 Collie Gorge 50 Drakesbrook Dam 50 Harvey Dam 200 Lefroy Brook 50 Waroona Dam 100 Total 500 BROWN YEARLINGS Location No. Trout Collie Gorge 1000 Donnelly River 1000 Drakesbrook Dam 500 Harvey Dam 500 Lefroy Brook 1000 Treen Brook 300 Warren River 1700 Total 6000 AUGUST 2019

A fresh sprinkling of trout for local dams FRESHWATER

Peter Fragomeni

After a very dry start to the season, winter really set in with fantastic rain in June, resulting in good stream flows and rising dam levels in the SW of the state.

Some of the yearlings are placed in tanks at low density and fed at higher rates and these are what are referred to as advanced yearlings. Around 3000 standard yearlings are kept and later in the year around 2500 are selected to be used in the breeding

producer, stocking better size fish that not only have a better survival rate but offer great sport soon after they are released. The success of this strategy can be measured by the amount of trout caught last season and I can say it was the best year I’ve recorded since

Approximately 250 brown trout this size will be stocked this year. These are not the normal ex-brood stock but purposegrown 2-year-old specimens that offer immediate sport.

Circular concrete ponds are used in most trout hatcheries and the Pemberton establishment is no different. STOCKING SUCCESS Most have put their fishing gear away on those cold and blustery winter days, but spare a thought for the employees down at our trout hatchery that were in full swing stripping the two thousand odd trout that make up the base of our stock that go into our inland waters every year. For those are unaware of what it takes to complete this task, I can tell you from experience that it’s not fun when your hands are aching from the freezing conditions they experience down at Pemberton in June and July. The trout are kept in circular tanks through the year with flowing water drawn from the town weir by gravity, and at the age of two years are hand stripped of eggs (from females) and milt (from males) then incubated in trays with flowing water of approximately 12°C until they hatch. They are then kept in long trays until they get stocked in September/ October as fry or kept until May/June/July the following year and stocked as yearlings.

program the following year, and they become known as broodstock. After these Broodstock are stripped of eggs they are then recovered for a period, fed a high protein pellet diet then released in good condition at around 40-50 cm in length into selected locations for licensed anglers to catch. Good numbers of advanced yearlings have been stocked this year with a record 6500 (approximately 30cm in length) going out for all to enjoy immediately. Another 10,000 standard yearlings of approximately 20cm have also been stocked. Brown trout yearlings total 6000 this year, but unfortunately with the slow growth rates they are only barely 15cm in length, making them susceptible to predation by small cormorants and redfin when stocked. Rainbow ex-brood stock total 2500 plus a record 500 large browns averaging 40-60 cm are also proposed to be stocked. It’s great that the hatchery is now becoming a grower as well as a

the 1980s, with 276 trout from public waters on my official WATFAA (Trout Club) record card lodged back in June. Although

most were released, the 479 redfin perch also recorded provided some of the best quality fillets available. DAMS Waroona Dam A few trout have been caught lately, but August sees the start of the stocking of large trout, with 200 ex-brood rainbows and 100 large browns going in. Advanced yearlings totalling 1500 are also being stocked. Please remember although not law, it’s advised to release the brown trout, as they are known to predate on the redfin and are also harder to produce. Drakesbrook Weir I spent a few days

at the weir recently but unfortunately the fishing was poor, with redfin hard to locate. This water is the location once again of the Recfishwest Troutfest on 31 August (see their website for details) so come down and see some of the 200 ex-brood rainbows, 50 large browns, 500 advanced rainbow yearlings and the 500 brown trout yearlings being released. It’s a great day with lots of activities for the kids including fly casting lessons and more. Logue Brook Dam Things have slowed down lately, with the occasional nice rainbow trout getting

Pemberton Fisheries staff stocking ex-brood trout into Harvey Dam. The same 1000L tank running oxygen through the water is used to stock yearling trout. They use plastic bags full of water charged with oxygen holding 1000 fry for spring stocking.

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caught, but mostly trolling from a boat or kayak. I managed some off the shore flyfishing with beadhead nymphs in black and brown over winter. Only 500 standard yearlings are being stocked again this year, which is a good thing, as over stocking a water can have a negative effect on growth rates. Harvey Dam Reports have come in of a few trout being caught along with some nice size redfin as well. One well-known angler managed over 100 redfin fishing soft plastics over a school. This is my favourite method if you want a feed, and pulling up three at a time is not uncommon when using a dropshot rig. Other news has been the capture of another bass around 40cm, but unfortunately it was killed and gutted; a sad end to a truly superb sportfish. This dam is the venue for a well run event by Didier Blanquart called the Redfin Yak Bash on 1 September, so if you’re interested in competition fishing and great prizes, then search w w w. r e d f i n b a s h . c o m for details. Around 1700 ex-brood rainbows, 200 large browns and for the first time 2000 advanced yearlings plus 1000 standard rainbow yearlings are being stocked this year. Also 500 brown yearlings will be stocked, but these are very small and survival will be questionable. Wellington Dam It’s been hard going, with long periods between

any decent size redfin unfortunately. Again, they refuse to stock this water and no clear reason is given, so the mind wonders as to why this is the case.

forest on the other. Please be careful when wading, as it has an area that drops off into deep water where it was mined before it flooded. Turn right at Greenbushes to

RIVERS Serpentine River There’s no reports of late, but it’s receiving 500 advanced rainbow yearlings this season.

This well-conditioned rainbow trout was caught when the moon rose on a cloudy night around 1am at Logue Brook Dam. The fly of choice was a Craig’s Night Time.

Redfin perch are great eating, but in most cases offer little fighting capability. WA needs to introduce a predatory species to control their overpopulated numbers, as they have done on the East Coast. Glen Mervyn Dam Lots of little rainbows have been caught, but size is a concern. Nice redfin have come out on occasions for those who

find this dam, but it can be hard to find. Big Brook Dam A few rainbows are getting caught with a couple of large browns being

Murray River Water levels have been high with lots of dirty water coming down. I would wait until September when it normally clears up. Around

brown yearlings and 50 large browns as a bonus. Collie River above Wellington Dam There’s no reports this time, but redfin are always available. Blackwood River Not many fish this river, and returns can be disappointing. It fishes best from late September and it’s again receiving 2000 standard yearlings this year. Warren River The Warren is hard to fish in August, so wait until it settles down in spring. This system has received 2000 standard rainbow yearlings

to fish in August if the water is high, and most wait until it recedes in spring. The stocking this year consists of 1000 standard rainbow yearlings and 1000 brown yearlings. AUSSIE NATIVES A few Aussie natives have been caught, but the bass caught at Harvey Dam would suggest that there’s a few in that water. The rumours of them breeding are false, as they require salty water downstream in winter. Still, it’s disappointing that our neighbouring state of South Australia is stocking species not native to that state and

also moving Murray cod away from their natural range (The Murray River itself), yet our authorities hide behind a translocation law that has been brought to my attention as having no legal ground. If they don’t take charge then illegal stocking will only escalate and these species could end up in places that even myself and many like me would not want to see! So with good rains on us and a good stocking of larger trout this year, go grab yourself a license and explore the beautiful scenery our south has to offer!

A nice size bass caught at Harvey Dam recently. Despite its reputation as a superb sport fish, it is recommended that illegally introduced species are not to be returned to the water.

One of the ex-brood rainbows caught at the annual Redfin Yak Bash. Ben Kelly is the lucky angler. put in the time. Again, 500 advanced rainbow yearlings have gone in this year. Norolup Dam This is a new addition to my area report, and it gets little attention even though it’s stocked every year with 200 standard yearlings. It’s only a small dam, with farmland on one side and

spotted, but they are being hard to entice. Redfin are getting caught but are on the small side recently, although this can change with every visit. Around 200 ex-brood rainbows, 50 large browns and 1000 advanced rainbow yearlings have gone in this year.

1400 standard rainbow yearlings went in this winter. Collie River below Wellington Dam The bottom end would be worth a fish, but this river fishes best when they are irrigating and letting out a steady flow. This year it will receive 1000 standard rainbow yearlings, 1000

and 1700 brown yearlings this season. Lefroy Brook Some nice trout were caught in June, but it can be hard if the water is running hard in August. It is getting a nice stocking of 1000 standard yearlings, 500 advance yearlings, 11,000 brown yearlings plus a bonus 200 ex-brood rainbows as well as 50 large browns, so it may be a interesting place to fish this season Donnelly River Again this river is hard

DAM LEVEL PREDICTIONS FOR AUGUST Our irrigation dams are rising nicely with rain finally arriving in June. Some of our dams should exceed last year’s levels, flooding new ground and offering an abundant source of food in spring. Again, it’s hard to predict levels, as they could vary significantly with winter rainfall but this is the author’s prediction for August. WAROONA DAM 70% DRAKESBROOK WEIR 85% LOGUE BROOK DAM 66% HARVEY DAM 43% WELLINGTON DAM 65% GLEN MERVYN DAM 45% BIG BROOK DAM 58% AUGUST 2019

WHAT’S NEW FISHING ZEREK ABSOLUTE SHRIMP

Pre-rigged on a weighted hook and designed to be retrieved like a fleeing shrimp, the Zerek Absolute Shrimp features a tough TPE body that has a one-piece tail that is tear and puncture resistant, yet still supple enough to provide an enticing action. Able to be swum with a fish-attracting pulse of the rod tip, or sunk through the water column into the fish’s face, the Absolute Shrimp responds equally well to subtle rod work or stronger rips and shakes. This lure even performs on a straight retrieve, with its legs and tail swaying and pulsing throughout the retrieve. There are three sizes in the range, a 3”, 3.5” and a 4.5” model, covering a very broad list of target species. The 3” version weighs in at 9g and features a 1/0 hook, while the 3.5” weighs 11g and has a 2/0 hook. The 4.5” Absolute Shrimp weighs an easy casting 20g and features a 3/0 hook. There are 10 colour patterns in the range, including bright UV-enhanced colours along with some ultra-realistic patterns, and they are ready to be fished straight from the box! www.wilsonfishing.com

DAIWA AIRD LT

Proving that gold medal performance doesn’t have to cost the world, the Aird LT will have you on the path to angling glory. Combining many of Daiwa best designs, including LT Concept and Tough Digigear, the Aird LT performs as well as it looks, and looks as good as it’s designed. Ultimate line control is delivered by two of Daiwa’s best technologies, with Twistbuster and Long Cast ABS combining for unequalled casting performance and line control on the retrieve, while Daiwa’s innovative Air Rotor adds high level design and performance with its precision engineered construction enhancing rotor balance, strength and sensitivity. A Carbon Light Body, EVA Knob, and ATD drag complete the long list of features and prove that you can indeed get superior performance without the premium price tag. The Daiwa Aird LT is available in six sizes from 2000 to 6000. www.daiwafishing.com.au

NEW STRIKE PRO VIBE COLOURS

Strike Pro has released three new colours in its popular range of Cyber Vibe 35 and 40 lures, and two new colours in the Micro Vibe range. The new Cyber Vibe has three tow points and two rear hook points, giving the lure up to six different actions! This gives the Cyber Vibe more diversity than its competitors. The Cyber Vibe comes in 35mm (4.6g) and 40mm (6.6g) sizes, and these lures have become highly popular with competition and recreational anglers alike. They are very easy to use and create a great vibration on a small lift and hop retrieve. They are deadly on bream, mulloway, flathead, estuary perch, bass and redfin. The Micro Vibe is a miniature vibe lure that has become a favourite amongst bream anglers, in particular when fishing around structure such as piers, jetties, boat moorings and boat hulls. It is perfectly weight balanced and has a shimmy action on drop and lift and sits head down, tail up on the bottom. It is particularly effective when the fish have shut down or become fickle. www.jurofishing.com 38

AUGUST 2019

PRODUCT GUIDE

NEW SAMURAI REACTION RODS

The Samurai Reaction is where it all started – a premium rod range combined all the best components with new, cutting-edge build techniques. Multiple successful rod ranges later, and Samurai have circled back to their eponymous rod range. The Reaction stable has been expanded with two new models that fill those little gaps within the range. The first is the RE-151 (7’4”, 2-6lb Extra Fast), and the other is the RE-212 (6’5”, 3-8lb Fast Action), which is perfectly suited to working light surface lures. Both models feature a triple layer, machinerolled carbon blank, hot press baked to deliver a precise rod with no imperfections along its length. It is combined with totally new Carbon/ Duralon grip assembly called CD6 Grip Control that stiffens the butt end of the rod, providing enhanced sensitivity and exceptional balance. The carbon quad Axial integrated blank wrap reduces torsion twist and results in a greater strength to weight ratio. It provides a crisp feel where the slightest flick of the line is transferred down the rod to the angler. The rods employ class-leading Fuji Titanium Silicon Carbide guides, and the matt black finish provides an understated premium appearance. www.samurairods.com.au

JIG STAR BAGS AND GLOVES

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

The Jig Star brand evolved after its founder and acclaimed jigging expert Chris Wong in NZ had spent many years jigging with some of the most renowned big fish anglers from all over the world. Hundreds of hours were spent testing products to the absolute limit. Two of the latest releases from Jig Star are the Jig Bag and Jigging Gloves. The Jig Bag is the ideal way to transport deepwater jigs. This easy to carry briefcase-style bag is marine proof, and easy to clean and rinse. It has 17 long pockets for jigs up to 38cm, 10 short pockets for jigs up to 21cm, and two front accessories pockets. Jig Star Fishing Gloves have been designed by jigging and topwater experts. These gloves feature fast-drying synthetic microfibre materials which deliver outstanding wear, comfort and protection. Special attention is paid to reinforcement to thumb, forefinger and palm areas. Available sizes are M, L, XL, XXL in blue/ black or red/black. www.jurofishing.com

STORM TRICK TAIL MINNOW

A great choice for classic, soft jerkbaitstyle fishing, the Storm 360GT° Coastal Trick Tail Minnow rigged on a worm hook will glide and change direction like a fleeing baitfish. On the pause, the Trick Tail’s whole body rocks and its tail wiggles as it descends. You can remove the tail webbing to increase the amount of tail wiggle on the fall. Rigged on a jighead, the Trick Tail Minnow works particularly well for probing the bottom and fishing with a lift-and-drop technique. The Storm 360GT° Trick Tail Minnow is 5” long and comes in a pack of seven. It is currently available in eight colour patterns: chartreuse pearl pepper, cayenne gold, electric chicken, gold glow, kickin’ chicken, pilchard, pearl and silver mullet. It has back and belly slots for easy rigging and maximising the hook gap. www.stormfishing.com.au

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PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

ZEREK AWAKE

Wilson Fishing has announced the release of the Zerek Awake, a double-jointed swimbait measuring 160mm and is an easy casting 42g. This floating swimbait can be worked in the surface, or retrieved a little faster to get it to dive to approximately 0.5m. This ability to be worked at two levels gives the angler a versatility that is difficult to find in other wakebaits, allowing real coverage of the water in multiple ways. Equipped with 4x strong trebles and with a body constructed from tough ABS plastic, the Awake forms part of the new Zerek Evolution series of lures – the next step for Zerek. Check out Zerek Australia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ZerekAustralia) to see all the latest releases, catch photos and videos. You can also find more information on the Wilson Fishing website. www.wilsonfishing.com

The Storm 360GT° Coastal Manta Tail has a baitfish profile with a lively tapered tail, and it has a slow rocking action on the fall. You can rig the 360GT Coastal Manta Tail with a weighted worm hook and give it some twitches to make it change direction like a panicked baitfish. Stop the retrieve and let the Manta Tail glide to the bottom as the body rocks and the tail wiggles as it falls. When targeting deep weed pockets you can rig a Manta Tail on a jighead and let it rest on the bottom, where the quivering tail action will entice even the most cautious of fish. 360GT Manta Tails are available in two sizes (4” and 5”) in packs of seven. There are eight colour patterns currently available: chartreuse pearl pepper, cayenne gold, electric chicken, gold glow, kickin’ chicken, pilchard, pearl and silver mullet. The body features belly and back slots for easy rigging, and to maximise the hook gap. www.stormfishing.com.au

SAMAKI RED EMPEROR SHIRT

DAIWA 5000 CERTATE LT

Samaki’s Red Emperor shirt stands out from the crowd. The rich colours throughout the reef are saturated in natural light, which enhances the detail of the fish. You can clearly see the red emperor’s detailed fins, wide mouth and watchful eye as it waits atop the coral, ready to inhale the Ecooda Live Shrimp as it travels by. The lightweight fabric is perfect for all outdoor elements, protecting you from the harsh sun with Samaki’s UPF50+ resistant technology. The soft touch 100% polyester material is comfortable on the body, and has the added feature of being breathable, keeping you cool and dry. Samaki designs are brought to you by Australian anglers who love to design Australian species. Red Emperor shirts are available in adult, youth and kids sizes, from a size 2 through to a 5XL, allowing the whole family to get in on the action and out onto the water. Price: SRP $59.95 (adults), $49.95 (kids) www.samaki.com.au

PLANO BRIGHT SERIES 11

STORM COASTAL MANTA TAIL

Plano’s new trio of brightly coloured tackle boxes can help any angler to organise their gear in a big way. These classic tray tackle boxes feature your choice of one, two or three shelves with a cantilever tray design that extends when opened to showcase the contents. A sturdy fold-down handle simplifies transport and storage while the brass-bailed latch tightly secures the lid, keeping items protected and organised. The smallest model is the 6211, which has one tray with 7-13 compartments. It’s idea for the novice angler storing an assortment of floats, hooks, sinkers and a few artificial lures. The bulk storage in the bottom can handle items such as soft plastics, sunscreen and pliers. The next size up is the 6221, which has two cantilever trays that feature 14-25 adjustable compartments, plus bulk storage at the bottom. The largest model, the 6231, has three trays with 22-34 adjustable compartments. www.jmgillies.com.au

The Certate LT line-up welcomes a new top dog to the family with the release of a 5000-sized model. Combining Daiwa’s most advanced technologies and designs to deliver anglers a reel with few peers, the foundation of the new Certate is its rock solid Monocoque body housing the Certate LT’s new super sized, ultra tough, machine-cut gears. Big on power and performance, the new 5000 Certate features 10 CRBBs, 12kg of drag, a large EVA knob for optimum cranking comfort and control, while its 295g weight keeps things light and nimble for a reel of its size to minimise angler fatigue and maximise rod and reel balance and performance. Daiwa’s new Long Cast ABS spool, Mag Seal, ATD drag, one-piece Air Bail, new Drag Knob, Perfect Line Stopper, Machined Aluminium Air Handle, and Air Rotor further enhances the reel’s list of features and combine to make the new 5000 Certate LT the ultimate lightweight, strong and precise workhorse. www.daiwafishing.com.au

BASSDAY BUN

The Bassday Bun is the latest addition to the expanding range of Bassday lures in Australia. Bassday’s surface lure collection features some of the finest fish catchers available, and now the team have added this sub-surface wakebait to the range. The Bun is a realistic beetle imitation. It is a floating, shallow running wakebait, designed to imitate a beetle in distress on top or just under the water’s surface. It has a wide wobble action and creates a large wake. This new lure will be dynamite on fish like bass, bream, estuary perch, jungle perch, sooty grunter, trout and anything else that eats a beetle. The Bassday Bun comes in eight colours, measures 30mm in length and weighs 4.5g. It casts well and accurately due to the tungsten weight, and will prove irresistible when beetles and abundant. To see more information on this and other new lures from Bassday, as well as catch photos, head to www.facebook.com/ BassdayAus. www.bassday.com.au

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

FATHERS DAY GUIDE NEW ATOMIC METALZ SIZES

HALCO 1 MAX 220

Atomic Metalz were launched years ago in a 35 and 40mm size. They became a hit with bream and bass anglers, and were used effectively by some teams to win events where the fish were holding deep. The lure’s effectiveness is down to the careful design and the speed at which the blade works, sending out a vibration that attracts nearby fish. The designers have also worked hard to ensure action at slow speeds. Across the entire range, all sizes swim confidently and perform with that fish-attracting vibration. With feedback from ambassadors, Atomic have added new larger sizes – 55mm, 80mm and 110mm – to cover the full breadth of inshore and offshore fishing as well as impoundments. Team ambassadors have caught bass, bream and threadfin salmon on the 55mm versions during testing, and coral trout and sweetlip when fished deep off the reefs. The models are 35mm (1/8oz), 40mm (1/4oz), 55mm (1/2oz), 80mm (1oz), 110mm (1.5oz), and they’re available in a slew of natural and striking colours. Price: from SRP $15.95 www.atomiclures.com.au

HOBIE LIFEJACKETS

If you love the sound of a reel screaming in agony as line pours off the spool, then Halco Tackle has developed the perfect lure for you in the Max 220. Halco has developed an ultra tough, sinking, bibless minnow that will get the attention of any XOS Wahoo and Mackerel, huge Tuna and other massive predators that lurk out in the deep blue. Capable of being trolled at very high speed (up to 20kt) like its smaller brothers, the lure features heavily reinforced side walls to resist punctures by the toothy brigade and able to withstand the incredible crushing pressure inflicted by the jaws of its intended victims. Halco rounded out the package by included their legendary ultra tough 7xx fish rings and Mustad 9/0 inline singles for great hook sets and the ultimate in holding potential. The lure is 220mm long, weighs 175g, and is designed for heavy trolling and jigging applications. If you are into fishing for the brutes of the ocean, look for the all new Max 220 at all good tackle outlets. Price: approx. $15 www.halcotackle.com

SHIMANO TRAVEL STORAGE

AUGUST 2019

EGILICIOUS SQUID JIGS

TACKLE CLUB

Shimano’s latest tackle storage range includes two new releases for anglers on the go – the Travel Wrap and Soft Back Pack. The Travel Wrap comes with a hard tackle tray and additional sleeves for soft plastic storage. This lightweight, minimal travel wrap can be filled in a variety of useful ways depending on the situation. The travel wrap also doubles as a minimal soft plastic wallet – the tray is removable and the mesh pocket can be used to store braid cutters, catch scent, leader, or any other tools essential for fishing. The Soft Tackle Back Pack has a versatile range of applications and features, which make it ideal for both diehard fishos and weekend warriors. With added benefits such as four included tackle trays, a heavy-duty mesh front compartment, hard sunglasses case, an elastic tool holder and drink pocket, this bag is sure to impress even the fussiest of anglers. Price: approx. $27-$99 www.shimanofish.com.au

Tackle Club is Australia’s favourite fishing subscription box, sending subscribers the best lures from the best brands from around the world. It’s a fun way to discover new lures while saving money. Each month you will get a variety of quality fishing products, with prices starting from $49.99 a month for over $80 worth of gear. There is also the option to purchase a gift subscription, with prices starting from $149.97 for a 3-month subscription. Tackle Club currently offers four boxes: an Estuary Box, Freshwater Bass & Yellowbelly Box, Cod Box, and a Freshwater Trout & Redfin box. Each box comes with 5-7 fishing products curated by experts, and contains 40%-60% more value than you pay, so you know you are getting a great deal. For all subscriptions there is free shipping, no lock-in contract and you can cancel at any time. You can also save 10% if you enter FISH10 at the checkout! To see our unboxing videos, search for ‘Fishing Monthly Tackle Club’ on YouTube. Price: from SRP $49.99 www.tackleclub.com.au

Why should Dad have to leave his best mate at home while he enjoys a day on the water? With the Hobie Pet PFD he can take his dog with him safely. Features include added flotation, grab handles, adjustable fit, leash attachment, side pockets, grab handles and soft foam undercarriage support. It’s available in a range of sizes, from XS (12lb, 8”-12” collar, 13”-17” body girth) right through to XL (90lb-120lb, 22”30” collar, 30”-42” body girth). And for Dad himself, there’s the Hobie Manual Inflatable 150 Vest (Yoke), which is rated for offshore use while wearing foul weather clothing. It’s very lightweight and cool, and the collar folds down the back of your neck and shoulders, eliminating pressure on the neck and lower head. The yoke is manually inflated by pulling a cord that activates a replaceable CO2 cylinder. The vest fits up to 5XL, has an easy access storage pocket (great for keys, phone etc.); whistle; headphone port hole; D-ring for switch killer tether; UML Pro Sensor; self service; and more. Price: approx. $60-$120 www.hobie.com

Gift

The Fish Inc. Egilicious features a unique take on popular colour patterns, a tail design that is 3° higher than standard jigs to minimize snagging and fouling, and its fine Japanese Owner hooks. These super sharp and ultra-thin stainless steel hooks not only mean a better catch rate but also fewer jigs lost. They open with less force, so if you get snagged you just apply slow and steady pressure until the hook opens and the jig pops off the structure. Then you can straighten the hook and you’re good to go. These squid jigs are designed with the perfect weight for long casts, while maintaining a slow sink and realistic swimming action. Other features include 3D eyes, side feathers, tightly-wrapped cloth covers and a buoyant tail-up action. Many jigs sink flat to the bottom, reducing strikes and hook sets while increasing snagging, but Egilicious instead comes alive in the water. It’s available in 3.0 and 3.5 sizes and 12 colours. Price: SRP $11.95 www.tackletactics.com.au

Guide

FATHERS DAY GUIDE

8. 9.

11.

RAPALA SPLIT RING PLIERS

Maria have an extensive range of floating and sinking stickbaits, but the new Rerise adds another dimension to the line-up. This new concept lure measures 130mm long, weighs 70g and can search deep areas normal minnows can’t reach. It sinks at one second per metre, allowing the angler to fish any level of the water column with the appeal of a tuned Japanese stickbait. The heavy weight enables lets you drop the lure to the bottom, and the swimming action imitates a wound baitfish, resulting in explosive strikes. Fitted with Owner ST-66 trebles and a strong wire through construction, the Rerise is ready to battle any pelagic you can target. It is available now in eight colours. Price: approx. $35 www.ejtodd.com.au

MARIA RERISE

The new Rapala RCD 4” Mag Spring Split Ring Pliers offer easy to use, single-handed operation. Unlike conventional split ring pliers, the new Rapala RCD series are built with two internally opposing magnets to hold the pliers open. The patent pending Mag Spring mechanism cannot fail, even in the harshest of conditions. The split ring nose opens rings up to size 0, while the built-in cutter cuts all lines or tag ends with ease. Other features include stainless steel jaws with a gun metal finish, and ergonomic co-moulded Soft Grip handles for a comfortable hold. In a nutshell, the RCD Split Ring Pliers are one of the easiest, quickest and toughest built split rings pliers on the market. Keep an eye out for them at your local tackle store. Price: approx. $35 www.rapala.com.au

SAMAKI BIG GRIP DIGITAL SCALE

The Samaki Big Grip Digital Scale has so many features that it’s hard to name them all. For starters, the ergonomic big grip handle is ideal for weighing big fish, with the scale catering up to 50kg or 100lb. It’s very comfortable to hold in the hand while you ready your catch for the weighing process. The casing is completely waterproof and holds a 100cm measuring tape for you to document your catch with ease. The Samaki Big Grip Digital Scale also has a backlit LED screen to give you readings in low light environments, plus a built-in thermometer in both Celsius and Fahrenheit. For more information and stockists just visit the Samaki website, or you can follow them on Instagram (@samakifishing) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/samakifishing). Price: approx. $50 www.samaki.com.au

12.

EUREKA GLIDE BLADE KNIVES

Eureka Glide Blade knives offer an exceptional range of knives with outstanding features at affordable pricing.

The Eureka Glide Blades currently are available in a Straight Fillet 6” and 8” model. Each knife features a 3CR13 stainless steel Satin blade that is strong, flexible and holds great edge retention. The textured soft grip handles are comprised of nylon and rubber, enabling the handle to fit comfortably in your hand while also reducing the chance of slippage and injury. Each handle also features a finger guard for added safety. The Eureka Glide Blades come complete with a leather sheath with a belt clip to protect the knife and keep it within reach if required. For more information on this and other products in the Eureka range, visit the Juro OzPro Tackle website. You can also check out the latest catch photos, tips and videos on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ JuroOzProTackle), and YouTube (www. youtube.com/user/JuroOzPro). Price: from approx. $30 www.jurofishing.com

WILSON PLATINUM FISHING CHAIR

The new Wilson Platinum Fishing Chair is rated to 150kg and built with a wider base to ensure anyone can comfortably sit in it. This folding chair also has some clever additions for anglers. For starters there is a rod holder that can be easily attached to the left hand side of the chair on the legs, setting your rod at an easy angle. If you plan on getting up from your chair, the designers have included a peg for the leg to ensure the chair is secured to the ground, and a massive strike won’t tip the chair over. There is also a drink holder and a lined cooler bag in the arms, and a small bottle opener attached to the arm on a lanyard. On the right arm there is also a mobile phone holder pouch, to ensure your phone doesn’t get damaged when the action heats up. The comfy and strong Platinum Fishing Chair is available now in your choice of blue or purple. Price: SRP $62 www.wilsonfishing.com

DUO ROUGH TRAIL HYDRA

Long and lean and designed as the ultimate sinking stickbait for large predators, the new Duo Rough Trail Hydra 220 is the lure to pack for your next offshore adventure. Slim-profiled and with a fixed weight in the tail to maximise casting performance and enhance its action, the Hydra 220 features a dynamic skipping action when worked across the surface, while a twitch and jerk retrieve will see it move from side to side to enhance strikes. A hyper realistic garfish imitation when worked across the surface, the Hydra is ultra long (220mm) in length to reduce fishing swallowing and biting off the lure, while its tail-heavy, 58.2g body weight allows for long, tangle free casting on the water. If you’re looking to call up the predators to the surface the new Duo Rough Trail Hydra 220 is the lure to reach for. Price: approx. $40 www.duo-international.com.au AUGUST 2019

FUN PAGE AND COMPETITIONS THINGS TO PACK FOR FISHING

CAMERA BRAGMAT FISHING ROD LURES BAIT SCISSORS SNACKS WATER TOWEL NET TACKLE BAG

DTD - REAL FISH OITA

BUCKET PLIERS A SMILE FACE BUFF INSECT REPELLENT THE BUNG LIP GRIPS EXTRA TACKLE SAFETY GEAR ICEBOX

Name: Address:

P/Code:

The first correct entry at the end of each month will win the prize pack. SEND ENTRIES TO: WA Find-a-word Competition, PO box 3172, Loganholme Qld 4129

WA AUGUST 2019

Phone (day):

GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

The ‘Real Fish Oita’ is an incredible, award winning squid jig manufactured in Europe by leading Croatian company - DTD. Taking out the coveted ‘best new product’ in its class at the EFTTEX 2015 Expo in Warsaw, this wonderful range is now available in Australia through Dogtooth Distribution. The product imitates real fish species. This coupled with DTD’s use of only the highest grade materials available, ensures great balance and results in superior catching ability. With the unique ‘fish parasite’ feature, aimed at luring predators in for an ‘easy kill’, these truly unique jigs are set to explode into the Australian market. FEATURES - Double weight system with inner weight designed to produce sound while squid jig is in action. COLOURS - 7 different designs representing popular fish species. ADDITIONAL - Luminous body, fish parasite, great balance, sound effect, quality stainless steel hooks SIZES - 5 Sizes available www.dogtoothdistribution.com.au

SPOT THE

10 DIFFERENCES

BARRA COUNTRY by Brett Currie

ORIGINAL

FIND-A-WORD

Congratulations to Greg Uren, who was last month’s winner of the Find-a-Word Competition! Monthly winners receive a Fishing Monthly prize pack. Prize delivery can take 8 weeks. – WAFM

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE

The subscriber prize winner for June is D Myers of Sorrento, who won an Tackle Club 4 month gift subscription valued at $320. All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – WAFM

S Cameron of Tyndale, D McGillivray of Moora, J Curley of Halls Head, F Fraser of Bridgetown, N Bombak of Kardinya, J Benson of Oakford, R Cambly of Woodlands, S Atkins of Mandurah, P Baskerville of Glenfield, I Smith of Bayonet Head, L Gibbs of Boulder, J Ainslie of Warnbro, L Felsch of Bicton, J Vasiliauskas of Port Kennedy, J Cammell of East Fremantle, C Carey of

Bentley, P Dunlop of Capel, C Ramage of Willetton, B Jacobs of Safety Bay, D Klenner of Boulder, G Uren of Ballajura, R Crossingham of Secret Harbour, D Werder of Dawesville, K Greenway of Bibra Lake, J Hislop of Yokine, J Addenbrooke of Maddington, P Walker of Albany, A Hogan of Parmelia. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – WAFM

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS

FIND THE DAIWA LOGO

AUGUST 2019

This month’s Guess the Fish Answer: Brown Trout

The answers to Find the Daiwa Logo for June were: 7, 11, 14, 20, 22, 24, 28, 31, 35, 37, 39, 47, 49, 51, 55. – WAFM The Find the Daiwa Logo prize winners for June were: C Walker of Canning Vale, R Taylor of Rockingham, C Warren of Wagin, B Culshaw of Banyo, D Elkerbout of Dunsborough, Y Hwangbo of Ballajura, A Honey of Oldbury,

GUESS THE FISH?

Answer:

Greisdorf and Dawson break Mandurah record The JML Round two of the 2019 Getaway Outdoors and Hobie Polarized WA Bream Classics Boat Series got underway in Mandurah on a typical winter day, with 25 teams facing cold and blustery

groove it was lights out for the rest of the competitors. The choice to head to the Mandurah town canals was a suitable move given the conditions, and they got off on the right foot from the word go. Team Lowrance/

Team Lowrance/Tackle Tactics’ Alex Greisdorf and Jack Dawson broke a Mandurah record to win the tournament. conditions. In actual fact, the forecast during the week predicted a lot more rain and stronger winds than what eventuated, so the anglers were lucky in that regard. The competitors also got lucky with the fishing gods, as the wintery weather created some ideal conditions for the bream to be on the chew and the anglers took full advantage of this. This was reflected on the stat sheet in that 71 were caught amongst the 25 teams for a total weight of 43kg. This year’s kayak and boat series events up until now have been very tough events, where simply catching a full limit was going to ensure you placed well. So it was a refreshing change for the anglers to do battle with the bream when they were hungry and in the mood to come out and play. The bream didn’t just want to play, they meant business, and in the end it was going to be a battle of who could catch the most trophy size bream to take out the second round! LOWRANCE/ TTS TAKE LEAD Normally a team is happy to catch just one trophy size fish during an event. Alex Greisdorf and Jack Dawson from Team Lowrance/Tackle Tactics thought they would catch themselves not one, but four trophy size bream to weigh in a record Mandurah bag of 4.56kg to claim victory! The scintillating performance didn’t get off to the perfect start for the two, as they tried a number of spots without any luck. However, their next change of location is what got the ball rolling for the victors and once they found their

Tackle Tactics threw an assortment of soft plastics under the jetties and other artificial structures that litter the town canals. These lures included, ZMan GrubZ in bloodworm and gudgeon colours, ZMan Slim SwimZ in bloodworm colour and Gulp Shrimps in camo. Once their soft plastics were cast under the structure, they would then impart small hops to the lures while they worked them back to the boat. Given the water clarity was clear despite the inclement weather, they found that getting their lure in tight against the structure was key to drawing the fish into biting. The hardest spots to cast the lure is where the biggest fish were lying and being able to cast accurately is what gave them the upper hand in this situation. This also ensured that Alex and Jack had some almighty battles in trying to extract these cracking fish from their homes, but thankfully all but one fish was successfully landed. Apparently, the one they lost was the one they wanted most, estimated to be up towards 45cm! But nonetheless, the boys pretty much had the perfect day on the water and for their efforts they not only took home $1300 in cash for winning the event but also $500 in cash for catching the events biggest fish, which weighed in at 1.28kg. Alex and Jack couldn’t go beast hunting the way they did without using some quality tackle. Alex carved the bream up using a 6’10 2-4 kg custom made Duffrod, which was equipped with a Daiwa 2500 Exist. Spooled onto his Daiwa Exist was

10lb Daiwa Evo 8 Braid and connected to his braid Alex ran a few meters of 4 or 6lb Chinu fluorocarbon leader. Jack also used a Duffrod but his was a 6”10 1-3kg, X820 DS X Series rod. Mounted on his rod was a 2500 Daiwa Sol and spooled onto his Daiwa Sol was 10lb Daiwa Evo 8 braid. Jack also used 4 or 6lb Chinu fluorocarbon leader. At the events presentation Alex and Jack firstly thanked the series sponsors, the organisers and lastly Alex’s own sponsors, Lowrance, Tackle Tactics and Getaway Outdoors. GLADIATOR/TACKLE HQ BRIDESMAIDS Threatening to repeat their stunning 4.29kg bag in last years’ second round in Mandurah was Shane Owens and Graeme Kovacevich from Team Gladiator/Tackle HQ, who still weighed in a very impressive bag that tipped the scales to 3.8kg. Proving that last year’s performance wasn’t a fluke, they set their sights on the same set of canals where they were very confident in fishing. Like Alex and Jack, their day got off to a slow start. What worked so well for them last year wasn’t doing the trick and this forced them to change tactics. For the next half an hour they tried a few different types of lures in order to find what the fish were responding to. Despite catching a 40cm bream on a 2.5”Gulp Crabby in camo, the two anglers felt like this

still wasn’t the key lure for the conditions in order to compile a decent bag. This is when they went right out of their comfort zone and tied on 50mm Ecogearaqua Bream Prawns in salt and pepper colour. Once they made the switch, their day took a drastic turn for the better and within 45 minutes they went from searching for their second fish to upgrading their smallest. The boys made the bream react to the Bream Prawns by making sure they threw their lures right up against or under the artificial

Thankfully they did, because it resulted in a very handy upgrade that came in the last hour. This fish measured 41cm and capped off a fantastic day for Graeme and Shane. The two anglers may have been denied the win, but they weren’t going to be denied a handful of fantastic prizes. Shane and Graeme took home $300 cash, a prize pack of sponsor provided products, a couple of vouchers from Duffrods and Tackle HQ, and an Okuma Cerros rod each. This all couldn’t have been achieved without their

Second place getters Shane Owens and Graeme Kovacevich from Team Gladiator/Tackle HQ also had a cracker day out on the water. structures. From there they let the Prawns sink very slowly on an unweighted size 2 Decoy Worm Hook. The windy conditions made this tactic difficult, but because the bream in this area were not in the mood to eat much else, they had to stick with the tactic for the rest of the day.

RESULTS Place Team Name 1 Lowrance Tackle Tactics 2 Gladiator Tackle HQ 3 Good Vibes 4 Bush Chook 5 Prime Time 6 Team B1 and B2 7 Sexual Chocolate 8 Absolutely Crabulas 9 Ecogear JML 10 One Fast, One Furious

weaponry, which for Shane was a 7”2 Gladiator Pysborg rod matched with a 2000 Daiwa Freams LT. Spooled onto his Daiwa Freams was 14lb 8-ply Gosen Casting Braid and connected to his braid, Shane ran a few meters of 3lb Nitlon Fluorocarbon leader material. Graeme used a 7”2 Nordic Stage

Anglers Alex Griesdorf, Jack Dawson Shane Owens, Steve Owens Peter Degroot, Oliver Seear Paul Burton, Tom Schuiling Josh McAlindon, Dom Cera Joseph Gardner, Jenny Gardner Jeremy Jasinski, Kris Vigar Travis Newland, Josh Phillips Kim McIntyre, Ben Scott Graham Lauderdale, Cameron Lauderdale

rod matched with a 2500 Daiwa Luvias. Graeme ran a straight through set up on his Daiwa Luvias by spooling his reel entirely with 3lb Sunline FC Sniper. At the presentation Shane and Graeme thanked the organisers, the series sponsors and everyone for taking part. Shane also thanked his own sponsors, Gladiator and Tackle HQ. So that wraps up the JML second round of the 2019 Getaway Outdoors and Hobie Polarized WA Bream Classics Boat Series. WATA thanks everyone for turning up and showing their support for this event. The determination to show up to an event when the weather is far from pleasant is testament to the support, so we appreciate it a lot. We would also like to thank the series sponsors who are of equal importance to making these events happen. We’d like to thank Getaway Outdoors, Hobie Polarized, Compleat Angler, JML, Gladiator, Razor Edge, Daiwa, Tackle HQ, Pure Fishing, Albany Rods & Tackle, Challenge Batteries, Lowrance and Tackle Tactics. The next round on the 2019 tournament calendar is a Hobie kayak qualifier on 21-22 September in Albany. Spring time is a great time to fish Albany because the big bream are spawning and rarely refuse a well presented lure! We hope to see you down there for what will be a great weekend away! No. Fish 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 3/4

Weight 4.560kg 3.800kg 3.420kg 2.700kg 2.700kg 2.320kg 2.160kg 2.060kg 2.010kg 2.000kg

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR 2019

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

Oct 6

WA Bream Classic Kayak Series Round 3 – Moore River

watournamentanglers.com.au

Oct 20

WA Bream Classic Boat Series Round 3 – Blackwood River

watournamentanglers.com.au

Nov 9-10

WA Bream Classic Kayak Series GF – Swan River

watournamentanglers.com.au

Nov 23-24

WA Bream Classic Boat Series GF – Oyster Harbour

watournamentanglers.com.au

Add your tournament or competition to this list by emailing jthomas@fishingmonthly.com.au or calling 07 3387 0800 in office hours. Just supply a date, venue, tournament name and a telephone number and contact name. AUGUST 2019

Taylor chutes to victory in the Bribie Round Brisbane-based dentist Tristan Taylor managed to take out the Nu Look Floors Bribie Island qualifier in the 2019 Costa ABT BREAM Series with a total bag weight of 5.14kg, an impressive score for this arena. Taylor has his fair share of finishes up the pointy end of the scoreboard, and after a short hiatus from tournaments, he’s come back with a bang! Taylor said he’d found spawning fish in the Caloundra area on the pre-fish day, where three weeks before he couldn’t find any bream at all! This would prove to be the key for his win. Taylor started his efforts at the Bribie Island Bridge on day one for just one fish, and after a bit of consideration, he decided to make the run through Pumicestone Passage to Caloundra in his Phoenix at low tide. Taylor took care to make sure he didn’t get stuck on a sand bank, as some other boaters had unfortunately done. Upon arrival, Taylor and his non-boater found the same school of spawning fish he found on the pre-fish day near the Caloundra Bar

TRISTAN TAYLOR’S WINNING TCKLE Rod: Reel: Line:

Samurai Infinite 4-10lb Megabass Idaten Racing Condition 2506 10lb Unitika Aorika PE and 6lb Unitika Aiger fluorocarbon leader Lures: 2.5” ZMan GrubZ in motor oil rigged on Atomic Seekerz jigheads (1/11, 1/8 and 1/6oz) and 35mm Cranka Crab in olive

Champion boater and non-boater, Tristan Taylor and Stephen Maas, celebrate their respective victories. in around 15ft of water. He went to work fishing a ZMan GrubZ in motor oil. “They came on for a one-hour window,” Taylor said. “The key was to keep tight with the lure and feel every little touch of the lure to set hooks.” “This was difficult in the strong wind and current,

so I varied the jighead size accordingly. “ Taylor said he landed around 20 fish for the day, and ended up with a day one bag of 2.23kg. Day two saw Taylor come up with a different plan, and he decided to make the run to the Brisbane River mouth in horrendous conditions.

“I got in behind Shane Wolhuter’s boat [the biggest boat in the field] and it made for a great shield!” Taylor said. “I thanked him for his camaraderie and sportsmanship.” Taylor managed to catch fish tight to structure initially, but then found spawning fish spread across a nearby flat

in 10-20ft out the front of the Luggage Point Sewage Treatment Plant, known locally as the ‘poo chute’. Obviously, there’s no actual human excrement flowing into the bay here… Taylor caught all his day two fish on ZMan GrubZ, bar one, which ate a Cranka Crab, and weighed in a bag of 2.91kg for day two. “I didn’t think I had enough to take the win – I thought I would have needed one more kicker fish,” Taylor said. “So I was pleasantly surprised to take the win.” “My non-boater Michael Maas slayed them too, and we would have caught at least 60

Scan the QR code to see the Bribie day one highlights.

fish between us on day two.” Taylor thanked ABT and the other competitors and took home $2500 for his efforts.

BOATER RESULTS Place Name 1 Tristan Taylor 2 John Siggs 3 Peter Cashman 4 Denis Metzdorf 5 Kristoffer Hickson 6 William Lee 7 Scott Wilson 8 Jamie McKeown 9 Mark Crompton 10 Charlie Saykao

Total Fish Total Weight (kg) Prize 10/10 5.14 $2500 10/10 4.97 $1500 + $500 Mercury Bonus 10/10 4.95 $1000 10/10 4.83 $750 + $300 Mercury Bonus 10/10 4.69 $500 + $200 Mercury Bonus 8/10 4.17 8/10 3.92 8/10 3.72 $500 Daiwa J Braid Big Bream 8/10 3.47 8/10 3.37

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888 44

AUGUST 2019

It was Shane Wolhuter’s big boat that provided the weather shield Taylor needed to make the run south. Clearly there was big bream to be caught there!

Siggs lights up Caloundra canal fish Gold Coast local John Siggs had never fished Bribie before, so his pre-fish was based around what he knows best, fishing artificial structure in canals!

He started his pre-fish by making a quick run to the Caloundra canals and caught six decent fish in fairly quick succession. He left them, knowing

that was his spot for day one. Day one saw Siggs heading to the Bribie canals for a quick prospect, where he managed one keeper fish, waiting for the tide to come

in so he could make his way through the Passage to the Caloundra canals. By 9am there was enough water to make his run north. Once at Caloundra, he stayed there all day throwing a Gulp Crabby on a 1/50oz hidden weight jighead, skipping it under boats, jetties, ropes and any artificial structure he thought would hold fish. He caught his limit and even upgraded a few times. That gave him a day one total of 2.31kg, and had him sitting in 5th place. On day two Siggs had a plan to go back to the Caloundra canals, but on

BREAM SERIES

Scan the QR code to see the Bribie day two highlights. his way he noticed that only Kris Hickson had gone into the Bribie canals. With the bay being opened, most of the anglers had made their

JOHN SIGGS’S TACKLE Rod: Reel: Line: Lure: Siggs did what he does best for the Bribie Island round, fish hard around artificial structure for big angry bream!

Samurai Reaction 101 Daiwa SOL 2000 Major Craft 6lb and 3lb FC Rock leader 2.5” Gulb Crabby in camo rigged on a 1/50oz TT Lures Hidden Weight System jighead

Stephen finds critical ‘Maas’ Stephen Maas and his cousin Michael Maas took out 1st and 2nd in the non-boater division respectively, proving that bream fishing must run in the family. Stephen Maas knew he was in for a great Bribie Qualifier when he got paired with two reasonably local guys to the Bribie area, with Steve Morgan on day one and and Denis Metzdorf on day two. Day one saw Maas fishing with Steve Morgan. Unfortunately, the bay was closed due to strong winds. With the arena being reduced by virtually half, they went straight to the canals, fishing boat hulls and jetties. Before Maas would cast he was mindful of the areas Morgan would fish, trying to put his lure in places that Morgan had not hit, usually hitting the back jetty poles with a Gulp Crabby. By doing this he managed to box two legal fish. He also tried a Cranka Crab and a popper with no result. Once they fished the canals, Morgan took them to the Ningi Flats, where Maas

picked up one more legal bream on a Cranka Crank Shallow in ghost bluegill, which saw him finish day one with a bag of three fish for a weight of 1.24kg. Day two had Maas fishing with his good mate Denis Metzdorf, and the pair were happy to find out that the bay was open. This meant they could make the run straight to Redcliffe’s North Reef, which

took about 40 minutes. It was still a little rough making the journey south, but they realised the effort was worth it when Metzdorf caught three keepers straight away. Maas didn’t catch a legal fish until about 10:30am, when they made a move further south. Maas had noticed there were no baitfish on the shallow reefs, so he switched

way there, leaving the canals nearly free of angling pressure. He stayed there all day, mirroring his day one pattern using his Gulp Crabbies and casting at pontoons, poles and boat hulls. Once again, he got his limit of bream with a few upgrades and ended up weighing a day two bag of 2.66kg. For his 2nd place finish, Siggs took home $1500, plus a $500 Mercury Bonus. He also congratulated Tristan Taylor for his win, and thanked ABT and the other competitors.

STEPHEN MASS’S WINNING TACKLE Rod: Reel: Line: Lures:

G Loomis DL/SR 7ft Okuma Helios SX 30 Platypus P8 6lb and FC Rock 3lb leader Gulb Crabby in camo, 2.5” ZMan GrubZ in motor oil, Cranka Crank Shallow in ghost bluegill

Sandstone Point, where he got a few needed upgrades on his Cranka Crank Shallow. This had him bringing a limit of bream to the scales with a weight of 3kg, and combined with his day one bag gave him enough to win!

Maas went away from the event with a Daiwa Prize pack and a $200 Hobie Bonus. Maas was grateful to both his boaters, Steve Morgan and Denis Metzdorf, and thanked ABT and the other competitors.

DAIWA J BRAID BIG BREAM Jamie McKeown managed to weigh a 1.3kg stonker, which he caught on a Cranka Crab. He took home $500 for his efforts.

Stephen Maas had a great weekend on the water at the back of the boat.

NON-BOATER RESULTS

Place Name

Total Fish Total Weight (kg) Prize

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

8/10 8/10 10/10 9/10 7/10 5/10 7/10 7/10 5/10 5/10

Stephen Maas Michael Maas Aaron Sarna Justin Reeves Jordan Armstrong Darren Murphy Sam Peck Grant Oliver Neil Kelly Glen Sturrock

to a ZMan GrubZ in motor oil rigged on a 1/12oz jighead, and begun casting at the reef drop-offs and letting his grub slowly sink down the reef face. Doing this saw the bream shoot out from cover to eat his lure. Filling his limit on the first drift, he sat so his boater could do the same. He did not fish again until they got to Cooks Rocks at

BREAM Series presented by

4.24 3.81 3.67 3.43 3.21 2.90 2.57 2.51 2.22 1.87

Daiwa Prize Pack + $200 Hobie Bonus Fishtec Solutions Prize Pack Cranka Prize Pack + $100 Hobie Bonus Tackle Tactics Prize Pack $75 Hobie Bonus Sufix Prize Pack Ecogear Prize Pack Shimano Prize Pack Lucky Craft Prize Pack Keitech Prize Pack Sunline Prize Pack

Jamie McKeown managed this stonker 1.3kg bream to take out the Daiwa J Braid Big Bream prize. AUGUST 2019

Tech Tricks

Pimp up your jig rigs with some assist hooks BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

Jig rigs, or assist rigs as they are more correctly known, are added to numerous metal free-fall and flat-fall jigs when

targeting a host of pelagic and demersal species. These kinds of jigs really come into their own in deep water, especially when currents are fairly strong and hamper getting other offerings into the zone. The enticing action of

these jigs helps to solicit a strike. Good technique is the key to successful jigging. Put simply, assist rigs are basically a single hook on a short length of tough cord that are designed to hook a fish when it attacks the jig. Why is the hook on a cord, I hear you ask! It is

Assist cords are commonly made out of Kevlar, Spectra, Dyneema or a combination of these fibres. Although available in breaking strains between 30-400lb, the more common sizes are 150-300lb for use with deep water metal jigs. Assist cord is relatively flexible yet has very abrasive resistant properties. Most specialist tackle stores should have at least one brand available.

Choose the appropriately sized assist cord based on the application. Obviously it needs to be heavier than the main line used. For most deep water jigs I will use a minimum of 150lb and a maximum of 300lb. Once you have cut your assist cord, use a heat gun or naked flame to melt and seal the end and eliminate the chance of fraying. 46

AUGUST 2019

mainly to minimize fouling on the leader. Even if the hook does catch on the leader, the suppleness of the rig allows it to easily fall back in position. When you are fishing depths in excess of 50m the last thing you want is for the hook to foul and make the jig

inoperable. A lot of time would be wasted and fishing opportunity lost if you needed to retrieve to sort the problem out. Having the hook on an abrasion resistant cord means that it will waft and bounce around as the jig is worked. Adding a little

flash or colour to the hook will increase its appeal. The extra movement the material adds is also an enticement. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s look at a simple way to make your own assist rigs plus some ways to pimp them up, which increases their appeal to a host of fish species.

Most major hook manufacturers will have a jigging hook pattern suitable for this application. The Mustad Hoodlum is probably the easiest to find, however, the Mustad 10881 Jigging Single, the Owner SJ-41 and SJ-51, the BKK 8090 and 8070, Shout Kudako and Ijika, and Gamakatsu Single 60 are some of the more readily used patterns. Jigging hooks are inline, eliminating the possibility of them twisting during the descent or ascent and subsequently fouling. Hook size will depend on the size of the jig, but I recommend that the gape of the hook is wider than the jig at the position where the hook will hang. This means that when the fish grabs the jig, the hook will find its mark and not be impeded by the jigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s width.

Pass the assist cord through the eye of the hook and then tie a simple overhand knot (granny knot) close to the end you sealed with heat. Pull this knot up as tight as possible. This is the start of the Japanese jigging knot, the easiest knot to make this assist rig with.

Tech Tricks

Using this knotted end, make another overhand knot around the main portion of assist cord so the knotted tag end is facing away from the hook as shown. As you can see, the Japanese jigging knot is simply one knot locked against another.

Repeat the process with the other end of your cord, however, this time secure it to a suitably-sized solid ring, or a heavy duty swivel if you wish. You can add some heat shrink over the knots if you want a professional look but this is not integral to the overall strength of the rig.

However, if you want to add more appeal, there are several options when it comes to pimping your assist rig. There are many types of flash materials (as you would use when fly tying), ones with glowâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;in-the-dark or UV properties are ideal. Small octopus skirts will also exhibit a lot of movement and most of these have glow-in-the-dark eyes. Hookem Fish Skin has an iridescent Mylar reflection to it and will glow in low light conditions. This is the type of material that is on many bait jigs. I have also seen assist rigs adorned with marabou (fluffy feather), soft furs and many other materials.

Snug the second knot tight around the main portion of cord so that the initial knot in the end stops it coming undone. Snug this up as tight as possible. You can pass the hook over the handle of your pliers to provide some purchase and apply extreme pressure to ensure the knot is locked together tightly against the eye of the hook.

Attaching the assist rig to your jig is done using a heavy duty split ring. The leader is then attached directly to the solid ring using a sliding uni or similar. With this configuration, you are not relying on the split ring for any strength once you hook-up. You are now connected directly to the fish and the jig is hanging to the side. The solid ring is quite thick so that the leader will not suffer abrasion where it is attached. You are now ready to go jigging.

The whole purpose of pimping your assist hooks is to add more movement, visibility and appeal to the jig. There is a myriad of material types, colours and combinations that you can use. You can make them to match the jig or contrast it. Some will even put two assist hooks on the one jig, each with a different adornment. The main hook on any jig is attached to the top eyelet, as this limits snagging on the bottom and hook fouling yet offers great hook-up potential. Extra hooks could be added to other eyelets if fishing it mid water, although this can increase fouling. Making your own assist rigs allows you to customize it for any jig you own and is a fairly cost effective exercise. AUGUST 2019

Constructing a plan to be competitive SUNTAG

Stefan Sawynok

On my last visit to Rockhampton I had an engrossing conversation on planning for a competition. I love those sorts of conversations, I learn a lot about the way fishers solve problems, but also I get insights on what the problems are. Now it’s true, I have insights from my own time on the water but from my years spent in sports science and human performance a sample size of one is not a great sample size. The problem with using your own experiences as a baseline is that you don’t know what you don’t know. The fortunate part about travelling around to competitions all over the country is you get a much bigger sample size than one. What I am always trying to do is separate of the process of fishing, from the magic of the angler – what are the important habits that other fishers should have? I think planning for competitions is one of the most important parts of a competition. That said, there is a huge gap between the preparation that happens with fishing and other more

professionalised sports. Fishing like all sports has a genetic component, and some people are naturally gifted, but the core attribute that defines professional sport is the system of athlete development. In the US basketball for example they have whole teams of people dedicated to analysing every micro element of a basketballers performance to provide the athlete with the insights they need to maximise their performance. It’s not just a case of maximising physical fitness, decision making is every bit as critical to getting the most out of a fisher. What they have learned in professional sports is that the better the system, the less effect natural talent has on final results. Genetics still have a big say, but modern professional sports get the most out an athlete regardless. In fishing, talent does tend to stand out because there are no athlete development programs. Motivated people with skill have a natural advantage that can be hard to catch. While this article does not provide the system for development of a fishing athlete, it does provide the key elements for one. FIRST THINGS FIRST If you want to compete in an event and win, there is no excuses for not investing the time on the water. You

Russell Conway is a well-travelled man with a lifetime of fishing knowledge. 48

AUGUST 2019

get out what you put in, and there is no excuse for not putting in the time on the water, not work, family – nothing. Now it may sound like I am being harsh, but really I am helping you make a decision. If you can’t get around those things, if there is absolutely 100% no way you can get the time on the water you need, then you need to change your goals. There is no shame in competing, learning, enjoying, being midfield with the odd shot at glory where the stars line up. However, if you want to be successful or more importantly, successful over a long time you need to be on the water, no ifs buts of maybes. Having said that, how you spend your time on the water is critical. TIMELINES It’s important to set timelines in your planning and that isn’t just for the events coming up, but also the longer term cycle. Wherever you are in your own fishing progress, it takes time to become the fisher you need to be for success, so it’s important to set meaningful goalposts on progress and that shouldn’t be wins. MENTAL PREPARATION I am going to ask a question that is probably best not answered in front of partners. Do you sleep with a fishing rod beside your bed? I am being deadly serious. The brain is a crazy thing that doesn’t really operate on logic, and that’s coming from a person driven by logic. Your brain is a bit like a puppy, it likes to give you what you want, and that can be a conscious thing, but more often what we want is driven subconsciously. There is a process in the brain that is often cited by motivational speakers called the Reticular Activation System. Now, I don’t think the terminology is being used correctly but the concept is sound. What the RAS does is it acts as a filter, deleting unimportant information and if you think about it in an evolutionary sense, that is a really important function. The world is one giant explosion of data, if you really took in everything that was going on all the time then you wouldn’t be able to function, because one, your brain is not that big, and two, if everything is important nothing is important. One of the challenges of the modern world is it’s good at giving us ‘important’ things to think about. Pretty much every social media system is designed to give you a small dopamine hit every time you visit, because that makes it addictive, keeping you focused on checking in. What they are

Steve Morgan is a busy guy, but he is a fishing tragic, which helps keep him sharp when he’s on the water. trying to do is to drug you into bypassing your brain’s prioritisation processing. The brain has a way of prioritising what is ‘important’ and high performing sports people are really good at focusing this prioritisation. Partly that is a feeling, things we like we tend to be prioritised, but we also need reinforcement. That is where the RAS filter comes into play, once you have identified something that is important, information on that subject bypasses the filter. By focusing on something, your brain will take in everything it can on that subject. Remember when you took No-Doz at school to study? This is the drug free version – so how do you do kick in this natural process? You think about fishing all the time. Got a five-minute break? Read a fishing article. Stop off at the tackle store on the way home from work. Get home, forget the dog, get a fishing rod in your hand or open the tacklebox. What’s the last thing you should think of before you go to sleep? You guessed it… Immersing yourself in fishing culture when you aren’t fishing helps to point your brain in the right direction – to let it know that fishing is the most important thing to focus on. Before you know it you will be picking up things about fishing you never dreamed of because that filter will be working in your favour, filtering out the non-fishing facts and letting the fishing facts through.

One small note, if immersing yourself in fishing becomes a chore that’s not a good thing. At that point, backing off and taking time for something else is important to refresh yourself. PLAN FOR THE THINGS THAT DON’T HAPPEN It pays to set the scene for planning. Part of that is clearly defining the outcome you are looking for – is that to improve your placing, win, get a PB? Problem is, that goal won’t fulfil itself, the real world has a way of throwing all sorts of road blocks in the way. Here are the things you can’t assume will go your way. • You will have less time than you think you will. • That conditions will be just as good as they were in practice. • The first lure in your tacklebox will do the job. • That magic spot will be available. • The best fishers will have a crap day. Think of these things as obstacles to be overcome to achieve your goal and it’s important to think about them if you want to focus your energy. Your brain is a problem-solving machine, if you focus on the right problems, success will be closer than you imagine. PROBLEM SOLVING Defining the problem is the first step to progress. The first hurdle all fishers will need to overcome is to catch a certain number of fish and potentially a certain number of fish at a certain size.

Catching fish is the first and biggest hurdle to overcome and to illustrate I will reference one of my favourite fishers to see in action – Craig Griffiths. Craig led teams to wins at the Barra Nationals two years in a row and has a stack of barra comps to his name. He is one of the most consistent performers, and has a brilliant process that has been refined over years. Craig fishes a very mobile style, using his Humminbird sounder to detect fish and the finely tuned skills of his team to pick them up fast. I have chatted to fishers who have fished with Craig and it’s not unusual for him to spend long periods of time just sounding up fish. Now it’s easy to think what’s going on is Craig collecting GPS marks, but that is only a small part. What he’s mostly doing is studying the fish behaviour. As Sun Tzu observed – know your enemy. This is the most fundamental part of fishing, but as I go around I see a lot of fishers focusing on techniques to catch fish while not really knowing all that much about fish behaviour. They know how to catch them when conditions line up, without knowing how to read the conditions, or understanding how fish respond to them. Personally, I think this is the defining difference between the best and the rest. The rest may know how to catch fish but the best know what the fish wants.

Having said that there are a bunch of other problems that need to be solved, but without this knowledge, the tools to solve them will inevitably be very limited. KNOW THE CONDITIONS Weather is a variable that is beyond your control, but knowledge of the longer term cycles is not. Australia has long-term cycles of wet and dry that affects things like fish populations and bait loads, and make impoundments go up and down. Longer-term fishers will have fished in many of these conditions, but relatively new fishers will only have recent conditions to work with. There is nothing wrong with that, especially if you have spent plenty of time on the water, but if the fishing season includes a lot of away trips it pays to get some local intelligence on the longer term patterns in the fishery and where current conditions sit in that pattern. The harder the conditions, generally the bigger advantage to local tactics – which just means an obstacle to be planned for and thought put into how to overcome it. Note, there will be days where conditions don’t suit you and that is just how it is. It’s important not to just abandon the plan just because things aren’t happening – instead focus on how to refine your game, and make it up when conditions do work. TIME IS EVERYTHING No matter if the competition is a month away or year away, time is the most important resource you have at your disposal. Time is your also your most limited resource – you will never have enough so maximising use of time is critical. There are two phases of time that will make all the difference: time in prep, working out how to find the fish/what turns them on, and time in the comp, maximising the bite period. The relationship between these is important. In my experience of competitions, which includes a lot of post data review, the winners are most often the ones that maximised the bite period. By maximising the bite period, I am not necessarily thinking the period where the biggest fish are present, more that the best fishers have more time in the fishing day where catching fish is possible. Some achieve this with knowledge and GPS marks, more and more achieve this through mobility, targeting a wider range of areas that produce fish either following the tide or targeting a range of areas that are productive across the tide. In the end, it’s not the number of casts you make but the number of casts that

are likely to catch fish that make all the difference. If you can increase time in front of fish in a day, you will make progress in competitions. STRATEGY I once had a fascinating conversation with Russell Conway, a Victorian legend and long-time advocate for fishing on the topic of competitions and strategy. Russell is a guy who

suggest that the focus of your practice, not the amount, is what determines success. AWAY FROM HOME When it comes to practice, there is a world of difference on the approach to fishing away vs fishing home. By that I mean multiple venues verses a single. If the target event is single location, most likely close by, the focus of practice will be to know where the

Craig Griffiths is one of the best at using technology to work out fish behaviour. in his time dominated competitions, and how he went about it is instructional on how strategy is more than what you do on the day. Russell fished with a wide array of other fishers in his formative years, targeting different species and in the process picked up a lot of skills that came from a variety of sources. Learning a wide array of skills, he became a much more adaptable fisher, able to find success in a wide range of species and conditions. In his prime, Russell was very successful, taking on a tour that would have him on the road regularly with lots of results required away from home. Russell is a great guy to talk to when it comes to the strategy of how you build yourself into the fisher you need to be. The lesson – how you go about building your skillset is every bit as important as how you fish on the day. There are lots of fishing resources out there, make use of them. PRACTICE There are three purposes for practice and none of them are strictly about catching fish. They are tightening techniques and refining skills, learning fish patterns and behaviour, and adapting to pressure. Never underestimate the importance of practice, and practice is what you are doing every time you put in on the water whether intended or not. There is a mountain of long-term evidence to

fish will be at different times and what turns them on. If there are a lot of venues, then the focus of practice needs to be on adaptability – how do you assess a fishery fast and work out where the fish will be. Most fisheries will have common elements, but every now and again there will be a fishery that doesn’t hit your zone. Steve Morgan for example doesn’t generally do well down in some of the Victorian venues, where his shallow water techniques don’t deliver the same results. That’s okay if you can make up the numbers, but in general if there are a larger number of arenas, it’s the most adaptable, that is those that can modify their approach to the conditions, who take home the glory. USE DATA WISELY Data plays an important role in fishing and we don’t record enough. It’s important to always record as much as possible about practice, the simple things – the fish caught, times and length, but also fishing conditions and technique. The purpose of collecting the data is not to get marks, so much as better understand where you are weaker and stronger and to see long-term patterns in your performance that may not be obvious on the day. Generating a spreadsheet is not too hard, and the more elements you record the easier it is to then filter the data based on time of tide, weather or technique. It also pays to plot simple charts – bar or pie that show

the differences graphically so it’s clear how the results differ and to see how things have changed. One of the elements we don’t track that most professional sports do is our own performance. I did some ground work on this a couple of years ago, tracking Steve Morgan through the video of his livestreams and there was a definite measurable difference on things like cast counts throughout the day and that pattern was relatively consistent. In Steve’s case his cast rate was typically highest at beginning and end of day. Steve likes to get fish in the box early, so that is not a surprise but my suggestion is that if your personal performance is in a drop off phase coming into the peak periods, you might need to tweak things up. DIRECTED PRACTICE I have always advocated for directed practice – that is practice with a measurable goal. Dedicated practice means you are focused on continuous improvement, changing focus when you hit a plateau. Include casting sessions where you practice casting into difficult situations like low hanging trees. Allow a maximum four hours on the water to get your bag. Don’t do all day

sessions, focus instead on perfecting the different parts of the fishing day. Mix up practice for the first half of the day and second half of the day sessions, different tides, all the conditions you will see in competition. Practice a single technique/lure each time on the water with only the odd session where you swap between all methods. Compare results of each of your techniques and focus on the weakest ones until you get improved results. Then rotate back to improving your favoured method. Practice across the tidal range and record success. Where possible, focus on improving outcomes during the worst part of the tide and cashing in on the best part. Practice first and last hour only sessions to be clear on how you want to start and finish. INDIVIDUAL VS TEAM EVENTS Team events are a special category that has taken me time to get enough data to make a judgement on. I have come to the conclusion that team selection is vital, as are the roles. If everyone on the team is good at the same thing, then when the stars line up you will be hard to beat, but the downside will be erratic

results otherwise. In general the results bear out that teams that have a combination of skills that complement each other – particularly specialisation in different parts of the water column, are most successful overall. Why? Simply put, they provide the most chances to catch fish by maximising coverage. In general, if you are forming a team, dividing the tasks and maximising coverage of the water column is critical. If the fish are on, you can always tag team on the same technique, but when the fish have to be worked for, that’s when having more than one option brings the biggest benefit. YOU WON’T ALWAYS WIN My last observation is that the best fishers always want to win, but more than that they want to execute their plans well. Sometimes you can execute flawlessly and still loose, and sometimes you can balls it up and win. The important part is not to make winning the goal, but the execution. If you execute well, there will be satisfaction no matter what the placing. Do that long enough and the results will take care of themselves. Now – get out on the water, the fish won’t catch themselves!

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AUGUST 2019

Trades, Services, Charter BAIT & TACKLE METRO

KALBARRI

DENMARK

Kalbarri Sports & Dive (08) 9937 1126

EXMOUTH

TackleHQ Kingsley (08) 9309 4200 WA Bait Supply O’Connor (08) 9314 1755 Castaway Tackle Malaga (08) 9248 3800 Gun-Mart & Tackle Midvale (08) 9274 5699 Earlybird Bait Rockingham (08) 9527 3333 Tackle West Beckenham (08) 9350 6278

Tackle World Exmouth (08) 9949 1315 Exmouth Tackle & Camping Supplies (08) 9949 1179

BUSSELTON 2 Oceans Tackle (08) 9752 4924 Geographe Camping & Tackle World (08) 9754 2909

BOAT HIRE BlueSun2 Boat Charters Ardross 0405 353 353 Boating West O’Connor 0429 887 798 Boat Hire Perth Mindarie 0403 095 868

FISHING GUIDES/CHARTERS

Bluewater Tackle World Morley (08) 9375 9800 Bluewater Tackle World Myaree (08) 9330 7766 Bluewater Tackle World Joondalup (08) 6244 0344 Bluewater Tackle Mindarie (08) 9407 9766 Tim’s Tackle Plus Bassendean (08) 6161 0044 Baitmate-Bricap Wangara (08) 9309 5474 Compleat Angler Nedlands (08) 9389 1337 Tackle World Miami (08) 9534 5533 Dawe’s Bait & Tackle Mandurah (08) 9534 6661 Fishing WA Pro Tackle Wangara (08) 9409 2253 Hillarys Boat & Tackle Hillarys (08) 9401 4331 Sportsmarine Bunbury (08) 9721 4961 Anglers Fishing World South Fremantle (08) 9433 4768

Anglers Fishing World

Apache Charters South Fremantle (08) 9339 2432 West End Charters Winthrop WA 6150 (08) 9332 4303 Blue Juice Charters (08) 9401 4666 Mills Charters Hillarys (08) 9246 5334 Achievement Charters Fremantle 0418 655 188 Port Bouvard Charters Wannanup 0477 347 465 Blue Horizon Fishing Charters Exmouth 08) 9949 1620 Fly Fishing Frontiers Exmouth 0427 366 142 Top Gun Charters EXMOUTH 0418 925 131 Diversity Bluewater Adventures Exmouth Exmouth 0488 009 989 Set The Hook Exmouth 0433 049 988 Esperance Diving And Fishing Esperance (08) 9071 5111 Duke Charters Condingup (08) 9076 6223 Black Jack Charters Bandy Creek 0429 106 960 Spinners Charters Emu Point (08) 9844 1906 Great Southern Discovery Albany 0455 105 127 SHIKARI Charters Fremantle 0412 131 958 Evolution Fishing Charters 0477 901 445 Kalbarri land Based fishing Carters 0418930695 Tailored Treks - Lancelin 0427 941 126 Perth Fishing Safaris 0422 686 363

ONLINE TACKLE PRODUCTS FG Wizz www.fgwizz.com.au

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(08) 9433 4768 www.anglersfishingworld.com.au Tackle World & Outdoors Mandurah (08) 9581 6953 Getaway Outdoors Balcatta (08) 9344 7343 Getaway Outdoors Cockburn (08) 9417 4644 Getaway Outdoors Joondalup (08) 9300 1330 Getaway Outdoors Kelmscott (08) 9495 4444 Getaway Outdoors Mandurah (08) 9581 8877 Jet Cycles & Compleat Angler Gosnells (08) 9398 2359

ROCKINGHAM Compleat Angler & Camping World -Rockingham (08) 9528 5255 Port Kennedy Cycles and Fishing (08) 9524 6774 Whitey’s Tackle & Camping Australind (08) 9797 0762

ALBANY Albany Rods & Tackle (08) 9841 1231 Trailblazers Albany (08) 9841 7859

ESPERANCE Tatey’s Bait ‘n’ Tackle Castletown (08) 9071 5003 Southern Sports & Tackle (08) 9071 3022 Esperance Camping & Workwear Esperance (08) 9071 2142

DONGARA & GERALDTON Dongara Sport & Tackle Dongara (08) 9927 1196 Geraldton Sports Centre (08) 9921 3664 Getaway Outdoors Geraldton (08) 9965 3766

CARNARVON Carnarvon Tackle & Marine (08) 9941 4161

Denmark Rivermouth Caravan Park Denmark (08) 9848 1262 Karri Aura Caravan Park & Motel Suites Shadforth (08) 9848 2200 Denmark Waterfront Denmark (08) 9848 1147

WALPOLE – MANJIMUP – PEMBERTON Peaceful Bay Chalets Peaceful Bay (08) 9840 8169 Rest Point Holiday Village Walpole (08) 9840 1032 Coalmine Beach Holiday Park Walpole (08) 9840 1026 Riverside Retreat Walpole, (08) 9840 1255 Nornalup Riverside Chalets Nornalup (08) 9840 1107 Warren Way Caravan Park Balbarrup (08) 9771 1060 Manjimup Central Caravan Park & Deli Manjimup (08) 9777 2355 Big Brook Arboretum Pemberton (08) 9776 1207 One Tree Bridge Chalets Manjimup (08) 9777 1196

AUGUSTA Flinders Bay Caravan Park Augusta (08) 9780 5636 Molloy Caravan Park Kudardup (08) 9758 4515 Hamelin Bay Holiday Park Hamelin Bay (08) 9758 5540 Sheoak Chalets Augusta Augusta (08) 9758 1958

MARGARET RIVER Prevelly Caravan Park Prevelly Park (08) 9757 2374 Gracetown Caravan Park Gracetown (08) 9755 5301 Riverview Tourist Park Margaret River (08) 9757 2270 Margaret River Tourist Park (08) 9757 2180

YALLINGUP – DUNSBOROUGH Caves Caravan Park Yallingup (08) 9755 2196 Yallingup Beach Holiday Park 1800 220 002 Dunsborough Beach Cottages (08) 9756 8885

BUSSELTON Busselton Villas & Caravan Park Busselton (08) 9752 1175 Geographe Bay Holiday Park Busselton (08) 9752 4396 Lazy Days Holiday Park Busselton (08) 9752 1780 Amblin Holiday Park Busselton (08) 9755 4079 Busselton Holiday Village Busselton (08) 9752 4499 Sandy Bay Holiday Park Busselton (08) 9752 2003 Fourseasons Holiday Park Busselton (08) 9755 4082 Busselton Beachfron Busselton (08) 9755 2607

BUNBURY Bunbury Glade Caravan Park Bunbury 1800 113 800 Discovery Parks - Bunbury (08) 9795 7100 Binningup Beach Caravan Park Bunbury (08) 9720 1057 Riverside Cabin Park Bunbury (08) 9725 1234 Waterloo Village Caravan Park Bunbury (08) 9725 4434 Brunswick Junction Caravan Park Bunbury (08) 9726 1544 Taralea Farm Bunbury (08) 9728 1252

MANDURAH

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SEE IT! .. BUY IT! .. www.fgwizz.com.au HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION ESPERANCE Bathers Paradise Caravan Park Esperance (08) 9071 1014 Pine Grove Holiday Park Esperance (08) 9071 4100 Pink Lake Tourist Park Nulsen (08) 9071 2424 Ocean Beach Holiday Units Esperance (08) 9071 5942 Esperance Chalet Village Bandy Creek (08) 9071 1861 Munglinup Beach Holiday Park Munglinup (08) 9075 1155

HOPETOUN – BREMER BAY Wavecrest Village & Tourist Park Hopetoun (08) 9838 3888 Hopetoun Caravan Park Hopetoun (08) 9838 3096 Bremer Bay Beaches Resort & Tourist Park Bremer Bay (08) 9837 4290

ALBANY Cheynes Beach Caravan Park Cheynes (08) 9846 1247 Albany Happy Days Caravan Park King River (08) 9844 3267 Albany Holiday Park Albany (08) 9841 7800 King River Palms Caravan Park Willyung (08) 98443232 Two Peoples Caravan Park Kalgan (08) 9846 4024 Emu Beach Chalets Emu Point (08) 9844 8889 Albany Holiday Units Middleton Beach (08) 9841 7817 Havana Villas Albany (08) 9844 1085 Lilacs Waterfront villas & cottages Robinson (08) 9841 2390

Pinjarra Caravan Park Mandurah (08) 9531 1374 Belvedere Caravan Park Mandurah (08) 9535 1213 The Dwellingup Chalet and Caravan Park (08) 9538 1157 Waroona Caravan Village (08) 9733 1518 Timber Top Caravan Park (08) 9535 1292 Lake Clifton Caravan Park (08) 9739 1255 Miami Holiday Park (08) 9534 2127 Peel Caravan Park (08) 9535 4343 Lake Navarino Holiday Park (08) 9733 3000 Estuary Hideaway Holiday Park 0407 838 061 Pinjarrah Holiday Park (08) 9531 1604 Waters Edge Caravan Park 0427 281 622 Mandurah Ocean Marina Chalets (08) 9535 8173 Footprints Preston Beach (08) 9739 1111

MOORE RIVER – LANCELIN – CERVANTES Guilderton Caravan Park (08) 9577 1021 Experience Lancelin Holiday Park (08) 9655 1056 Branchys Holiday Homes Guilderton (08) 9577 1321

JURIEN BAY – GREEN HEAD – LEEMAN Jurien Bay Tourist Park Jurien Bay (08) 9652 1595 Green Head Caravan Park Green Head (08) 9953 1131 Leeman Caravan Park Leeman (08) 9953 1080

DONGARA – GERALDTON Seaspray Beach Holiday Park Dongara (08) 9927 1165 Leander Reef Holiday Park Port Denison (08) 9927 1840 Port Denison Holiday Units (08) 9927 1104 Double Beach Caravan Park (08) 9921 5845 Batavia Coast Caravan Park (08) 9938 1222 Horrocks Beach Caravan Park (08) 9934 3039

This section in WA Fishing Monthly consolidates the trades and services in your area that are relevant to your fishing and boating. Whether you’re a local looking for more options or a travelling angler fishing around the state, this guide will direct you to reputable businesses in the area you’re searching. 50

AUGUST 2019

Boats & Guided Fishing Tours Directory KALBARRI Murchison River Caravan Park Kalbarri (08) 9937 1005 Kalbarri Anchorage Caravan Park Kalbarri (08) 9937 1181 Murchison House Station Kalbarri (08) 9937 1998 Kalbarri Beach Bungalows A & B Kalbarri (08) 9937 0400 Murchison caravan park Kalbarri (08) 9937 0400 Kalbarri Blue Ocean Villas Kalbarri (08) 9937 2442

BOATS Aquasports Marine Midvale (08) 9250 3339

SHARK BAY Denham Seaside Caravan Park, (08) 9948 1242 Shark Bay Caravan Park (08) 9948 1387 Oceanside Village Denham Shark Bay (08) 9948 3003 Bay Lodge Denham Shark Bay WA (08) 9948 1278 RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort (08) 9948 1320

CARNARVON Wintersun Caravan and Tourist Park (08) 9941 8150 Capricorn Holiday Park (08) 9941 8153 Outback Oasis Caravan Park (08) 9941 1439 Carnarvon Caravan Park (08) 9941 8101 Norwesta Lifestyle Park (08) 9941 1277 Coral Coast Tourist Park (08) 9941 1438

CORAL BAY Peoples Park (08) 9942 5933 Bayview Coral Bay (08) 9385 6655 Ningaloo Club (08) 9948 5100 Ningaloo Reef Resort (08) 9942 5934

EXMOUTH

WA DEALER OF THE YEAR

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

WHY DEAL WITH ANYONE ELSE? 331 Great Eastern Hwy, Midvale, WA 6056

Ph: (08) 9250 3339

Midway Marine (08) 9527 6963

MARINE MECHANICS Falcon Services Australia Midvale 0458 852 591 Bay Marine Maintenance Crawley (08) 9386 7059 Pleisure Marine Maintenance O’Connor (08) 9337 9569 Boat Fix Balcatta (08) 9240 8778 Parker Marine Fremantle (08) 9336 6979 Matich Marine East Fremantle (08) 9339 7722 Chandlers Marine Service Wangara (08) 9303 9366 Mobile Marine WA Osborne Park 0428 225 877 GP Marine Cockburn Central 0408 913 104 Hitech Marine Wangara (08) 9309 2888 Bravo Marine Services Bayswater (08) 9272 9300 Seasport Marine Kelmscott (08) 9498 1799 The Boat Business Henderson (08) 9437 5144 Total Marine Repairs Mandurah (08) 9582 7211 West Coast Boat Works Perth Landsdale 0439 969 459 Boat Lifters Blue HQ Perth (08) 9239 9333 Bravo Marine Services Bayswater (08) 9272 9300 Perth Boat Mechanics Huntingdale 0405 593 786 GP Marine Cockburn Central 0408 913 104 Platinum Boating Maintenance Wangara 0402 477 656 Parker Marine Fremantle (08) 9336 6979 Westmarine Boating Services Fremantle WA 0425 177 700

MARINE ACCESSORIES Challenge Batteries Osborne Park (08) 9446 6122 JPW Marine Wholesale Distributors Perth (08) 6253 3000 Whitworths Marine & Leisure - Leerderville (08) 9381 1442 Crackpots Marine Supplies O’Connor (08) 9337 2211 Hydrowave – www.hydrowaveaustralia.com

Ningaloo Lighthouse Holiday Park (08) 9949 1478 Yardie Homestead Caravan Park (08) 9949 1389 Ningaloo Caravan and Holiday Resort (08) 9949 2377 Exmouth Escape Resort (08) 9949 4800 Mantarays Ningaloo Beach Resort, Exmouth (08) 9949 0000

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ONSLOW Discovery Parks - Onslow (08) 9184 6007 Ocean View Caravan Park (08) 9184 6053

(includes shipping)

DAMPIER Dampier Transit Caravan Park (08) 9183 1109 Discovery Parks - Pilbara, Karratha (08) 9185 1855 Karratha Caravan Park (08) 9185 1012 Discovery Parks - Balmoral, Karratha (08) 9185 3628 Aspen Karratha Village Baynton (08) 9185 2726 Karratha Apartments Karratha (08) 9143 9222 Searipple Village Karratha Bulgarra (08) 9158 7400 Karratha Village Karratha 1300 321 669

PORT HEDLAND Discovery Parks Port Hedland (08) 9173 1271 Port Tourist Park Port Hedland (08) 9172 4111 Blackrock Tourist Park South Hedland (08) 9172 3444 Landing Resort Port Hedland (08) 9172 4111

www.hydrowaveaustralia.com Offshore Marine Guildford (08) 6278 1299 Whitworths Marine & Leisure - Mosman Park (08) 9385 5877 Searano Marine Malaga (08) 9248 2242 All Boats and Caravans Kingsley (08) 9309 4200

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43 Hurrell Way, Rockingham www.midwaymarine.net.au Bluewater Marine (08) 9791 1499

BROOME

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Broome Caravan Park (08) 9192 1776 Discovery Parks - Broome (08) 9192 1366 Broome Vacation Village Caravan Park Broome (08) 9192 1057 Cable Beach Caravan Park Broome (08) 9192 2066 Tarangau Caravan Park Broome (08) 9193 5084

MARINE TRIMMERS The Trim Shop (08) 9430 5332 Mason Marine Trimmers O’Connor 0418 923 787 John’s Motor Trimmers Auto & Marine Upholstery Welshpool (08) 9470 5531 Waters Edge Marine Trimmers Leeming 0412 204 085 G.K. Trimmers Canning Vale (08) 9455 7144 Prestige Marine Trimmers Perth (08) 9303 9536 McCarroll Motor & Marine Trimmers Osborne Park (08) 9244 1449 Exclusive Marine Trimming & Upholstery O’Connor (08) 9314 6882 Universal Marine & Automotive Upholstery O’Connor 08) 9314 1770 John’s mobile trimmers Jandakot (08) 9417 4414 Cutting Edge Marine Trimming O’Connor 0432 062 834 Mandurah Motor Trimmers Greenfields (08) 9581 8180

WELDING & MANUFACTURING

DERBY

CSD Designs Bayswater 0407 772 010 XFactor Signs 0413 113 828

Kimberley Entrance Caravan Park (08) 9193 1055 West Kimberley Lodge & Caravan Park (08) 9191 1031

KUNUNURRA Town Caravan Park (08) 9168 1763 Wyndham Caravan Park (08) 9161 1064 Lake Argyle Caravan Park (08) 9168 7777 Discovery Parks - Lake Kununurra (08) 9168 1031 Ivanhoe Village Caravan Resort (08) 9169 1995 Lake Argyle Resort (08) 9168 7777 Hidden Valley Caravan Park (08) 9168 1790 Kununurra Lakeside Resort (08) 9169 1092 El Questro Wilderness Park 1800 837 168 Kona Lakeside Caravan Park (08) 9161 1139

18 HAWKINS ST, EAST BUNBURY, WA 6230

(08)

9791 1499

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Boat Wrap Specialist www.xfactorsigns.com

Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call 0417 901 301 or email nick@fishingmonthly.com.au AUGUST 2019

How to kayak fish the super shallow stuff products, and I was excited to give this little creature bait a swim. Two casts into the drain, hop, hop, and the plastic was nailed by a nice bream that bolted

BRISBANE

Justin Willmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

With the cooler weather we’ve had, I hope you’ve all been making good use of your wet weather gear and layering your clothing to effectively manage your body temperature while out fishing from the kayaks. I also hope you’ve been making the most of some of the glamorous, glassy winter days that we’ve had to get out and chase a few fish. Before we get into it this month and hit the super shallow stuff that is often reserved for those in paddle craft, I just wanted

Celebrating the life of a wonderful and adventurous woman. build this country and the practical skills they taught us, as we built tree houses, made billy carts, built and repaired bicycles, and rigged and repaired crab pots, fishing gear and boats in our quest to explore the world and catch a fish. It’s our turn now to ensure that we are instilling in the next generation that same spirit, sense of adventure, ability to overcome hurdles and the love of the sport of fishing and all the challenges, rewards and joys that it brings us all. In

short… take a kid fishing! After a big cook up with family there was no better way to clear the head and remember the good times than to get out and join Mardi on the water, experience a truly magical winter day and chase a few fish. I had planned to work a weed edge on the last of the run-out tide, however being such a magnificent day on the water, the edge was crowded with boats and the last thing I needed was to battle the crowds. I opted to do my own thing

Flathead from clear water often have very pretty markings.

Fishing the super shallow stuff requires stealth, which the kayak is made for. to tip my hat to a lady that we recently farewelled, my grandma Lillian May Jeppesen who passed away aged 97. We made the most of one of these beautiful winter days to hit the water in our kayaks to pay tribute to her and scatter her ashes and rose petals across the waters where she enjoyed many a family gathering and feed of freshlycaught seafood. Mardi, as she was known to us, instilled in us a sense of adventure from when we were young, taking us on bus and train trips, to the movies, museum, the city, shopping, and loading us in her little car to visit relatives who lived hours from home. She taught me to get out there and experience things, make the most out of life and overcome the hurdles along the way. Her generation were pioneers that were continually problem solving and creating solutions to everyday issues. Although Mardi didn’t teach me to fish, I did embrace her spirit and her sense of adventure and I’m sure that this led me to attach a primitive sounder, anchor running rig and rod holders to a kayak in the 52

AUGUST 2019

fact, there is often an influx of bait into the system and the shallows encouraging larger predators to move into the shallows for an easy feed, as the bait has

early ‘90s and set off on my kayak fishing adventures… shrugging off the strange looks and comments at the ramp, before returning with a feed of fish. We had a gathering of family and friends at our house to celebrate Mardi’s life. The following morning, we dragged a mixed bag of half a dozen kayaks out of the shed and were joined by two boats on the water, where a tribute was read and her ashes and rose petals were scattered on the water. I would like to thank Mardi and all of her generation for the work they did to

A beautiful day and a beautifully marked fish.

A flathead safely in the net. and head to an area of extremely shallow flats, including a shallow drain that drained a large expanse of weed beds. By extremely shallow, I am talking a kayak blade-deep at one point when I landed a nice flathead, so I’m guessing water between 30-60cm. As it was so shallow, I selected a light 1/10oz NedlockZ jighead and rigged it with a soon-tobe-released ZMan plastic, the 2.75” TRD BugZ. One of the opportunities when working in the industry is to test drive and R&D new

across the flats. Man, I love shallow water fishing! The kayak is perfect for working the shallow stuff and there was no way the boats were going to be interested in getting in here and crowding me out. After a short tussle, I had the fish in the net and was stoked that the little plastic had been inhaled to the jighead, showing the bream was keen to eat it. During winter the water often becomes superclear, however this doesn’t stop the fish feeding in extremely shallow water. In

such a small column of water to move in, making it more difficult to escape. Species encountered in my region often include bream, whiting, tailor, trevally and some quality flathead. When the water is clear and shallow though, fish can also be easily spooked, especially from a boat, so make the most of the low profile and small shadow of the kayak, along with the lack of noise. Try not to bang around in the kayak, as this noise transfers through the water. If you are quiet and use the wind or tide to carry you along, you will often see fish shoot off when you are almost on top of them. Make note of the tide and wind direction so that you can utilise this to fish the areas and structure that you wish to target. I often fish natural colours, make long casts, fish light leaders and jigheads, and fish with smaller movements of the lure, especially in very shallow water, as aggressive movements will seem unnatural in such a narrow column of water. As so often is the case, bait, structure, or even better, both, is the key to success. Find plenty of bait in the area and there likely are predators lurking. You may not think there is much structure in a foot or two of

water, however a patch of weed or rubble, clear patch in the weed or a pocket of water that is 10cm deeper are all worth a few casts. As I drifted into the drain, a perfect piece of structure lay ahead of me. It was a sandy patch in the weed that looked slightly deeper, and there was no doubt in my mind that there would be a flathead in this pocket. Always try to position yourself a cast away from the structure so that you have plenty of time to make a few casts, rather than drifting onto the structure and spooking the fish. This also allows you multiple drifts of the area if you believe the water looks and feels productive. As I approached the pocket, I made a long cast right to the edge of the weed at the back of the

leaping from the water, so another cast and another almost instantaneous hook up. This was a more serious opponent and after a few

beautiful winter glass out and I was really enjoying the serenity, so I slowed the kayak up near a moored boat and made a cast about

and released. Further on I fished a spot that holds yellowtail pike, landing a few quality models before calling

A bream pinned on a ZMan TRD BugZ rigged on a TT NedlockZ jighead. depth was still around the 30-60cm range and I was running a 1/4oz jighead, which many would feel is too heavy. However, my

predator before it had too much time to process what my lure actually was. The first couple of casts came and went before a cast

The kayak crew who helped scatter Mardi’s ashes. solid runs I had another quality flathead yak side in a foot of water. I admired this beautifully marked fish that had snuck up onto the weed to hunt in the super

hallway along the hull, right on the waterline. Almost as if scripted, as the lure passed the rear corner of the vessel the line went tight and drag peeled

The last flathead came out of just a paddle blade of water. sand pocket, giving my plastic maximum time in the strike zone. Hop, hop, pause, hop, hop, pause, now approaching the deeper section at the front of the pocket and fish on! I love it when a plan comes together and after a couple of solid runs and plenty of aggressive head shakes in the shallows, I had a decent flathead in the net. The shallow drain produced a couple more flathead and another bream, with the lure test deemed a success, before I switched to my go-to 2.5” paddle-tail just to mix things up. Moving out of the drain, I pushed up onto a large weed flat and made note of pilchard size bait being chased out of the water from time to time. With very little water movement and an extremely slow drift, my plan was to move the kayak into the area where the bait was flicking and make casts directly to the disturbances. The water

plan was a quick reaction, long, fast cast to the disturbances and then rod tip up and a rapid shake and retrieve to keep the plastic out of the weed to imitate a fleeing baitfish, hopefully triggering a reaction strike from the

landed on point. A second after the disturbance the plastic was crunched within a couple of shakes of the rod tip and a turn of the handle. A short tussle and another bream was in the net. This was followed moments later by another baitfish

This fish definitely wanted that little soft plastic creature bait.

it a day and heading for home. Yellowtail pike are readily available around weed beds, jetties and boat ramps in many areas during the winter months, and by the end of the season fish around 50cm can be common. They are great fun, especially for kids, and are an oily fish that smoke extremely well. Back at the ramp, I reflected on the day as I watched the sun melt behind the mountains. I farewelled Mardi, grateful that I had her in my life for so many wonderful years. I was also grateful for the life that we have thanks to her generation, and the opportunities that are available to us to kayak and fish this magnificent country. I had a feed of fresh fish in the icebox, and after loading the kayak on the trolley, it was a short wheel home.

shallow water. It was time to turn the kayak and head for home, however it was such a

It doesn’t take much water to hold a flathead.

Contemplating a wonderful life on a beautiful glassy day.

off as the hook found its mark. It had the signature head shakes and runs of a bream and sure enough another bream was landed

Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that really are the most special. Hug your family and take a kid fishing. AUGUST 2019

In the market for a new boat? BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Whenever you go to a boat show you’re presented with a whole lot of beautiful shiny new boats on display to tempt potential buyers. Which is the best one? Which one will give best value for money and be able to perform in complete safety and with as much comfort as possible?

ASSESS WITH CARE: ENJOY AT LEISURE It takes years of experience to really understand all the things a buyer should look for when choosing the right craft for their needs. However, I will take things step by step in this article to fast track your knowledge. In this article we can look at some of the most important things to consider when buying that new boat. First of all, you need to consider whether the boat

So get out that pen and paper and jot down a few notes on what you’ll mainly be using the boat for, and then buy the smallest boat that will suit your needs, rather than the largest. The idea is to decide on a size range rather than an exact size as this will give a lot more flexibility to the project. Don’t forget there will be compromises. Boating always involves some! If you’re planning to fish in more sheltered waters,

can have intricate shapes moulded into their final form, and that extra weight can improve ride quality, which is why many boats over 4.5m are fibreglass. Ultimately though, it’s the buyer’s choice. Just remember that neither style of boat will be entirely maintenance-free in the long term. Next, let’s consider the style of boat to choose. Most people have a certain style of fishing in mind, such as fishing impoundments, rivers, estuaries or dedicated offshore work. Open punt style boats, with their total fishing work area and immense stability, are great for sheltered water work. Fishing from transom to bow is what punt ownership is about. However, they’re not suitable for bluewater due to their lack of freeboard and their design as totally open boats. On the other hand, a half cabin craft is good offshore due to the protection of the cabin and their overall larger size. However, they don’t have as much fishing room in proportion to their size, as the cabin takes up a significant amount of space. The configuration and size of a half cabin boat also makes it a somewhat clumsy when

An electric motor plate is essential for most small boat fishing, yet not all small craft are set up with them. Naturally, if you want to do shallow stealth style work with fly or plastics, the boat must have an electric motor pad up front. Not all small boats have one. THE FINER POINTS With the overall design and size range of the new

of passengers on board. A smaller capacity engine will save you money and put less weight on the transom. Whether your chosen boat will be tiller steer or helmed from upfront, there is one essential criteria: the driving position must suit the

Glass hulls provide a quality ride plus enough freeboard to make offshore work a possibility. Life is full of big decisions that you really don’t want to get wrong. Buying a brand new boat is one of the major ones to fall into that category. There’s just so much to consider, and for many prospective boat owners it can be difficult to understand just what will make their choice the correct one. After the purchase, time on the water will soon show whether your judgment was sound or not. Nobody wants buyer’s remorse.

you’re looking at will be too big for the family car to tow with ease. You are buying a boat, not a boat and a car to tow it! In any case, it’s easier to start off with a smaller craft in which to learn what boating is all about. Your goal is to tow it and launch/retrieve it with as little stress as possible, and that’s easier when there’s less boat to handle. And you’ll want to store the rig out of the weather to keep it in as good a condition as possible, and this is less of a hassle with a smaller boat.

a smaller rig will be fine. However, if you’re heading offshore there are different considerations. There needs to be freeboard (plenty of side height), plus sea keeping ability (riding well in unfavourable conditions) while keeping occupants dry. You’ll also have to make a choice between alloy or glass. Each material offers certain advantages and disadvantages. Smaller boats (say, under 4.5m) are usually alloy while larger rigs tend to be fibreglass. Glass hulls A common complaint about glass hulls is that you need to take extra care around the ramp. The inbuilt rubbing strip, shown here, provides peace of mind and is something a lot of manufacturers can provide.

Put yourself in the picture: a new boat coming off its trailer. 54

AUGUST 2019

it comes to ghosting into less than a metre of water in search of a flathead or bream along a sand bank, or an impoundment barra warming itself on a shallow flat. Conventional style open boats, whether tiller steered or helmed from a wheel up front, are more versatile. They can be equipped with an electric motor for stealthy shallow water work, and larger rigs might well manage an offshore run in suitable conditions. There are some very capable 4.2-4.5m craft on the market today that will fish up to four in comfort yet can cover a huge range of fishing requirements.

acquisition firmly in mind, it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty and start looking at finer points that can make or break your decision to buy a particular boat. The choice of motor could not be easier – it’s either 4-stroke or fuelinjected 2-stroke (following the banning of conventional carby style 2-stroke engines as of July this year). Note though, that every boat has a minimum and maximum engine rating as a guide to the safest performance. It’s usually fine to go with a smaller capacity engine (but not necessarily the minimum) unless you’ll regularly have a full compliment

prospective owner. The only way of making sure is to get aboard the boat, either on the stand at the boat show, or maybe later on the water. You want to see if things will be comfortable, perhaps for long stints on the water. If you’re considering a tiller steer rig, you want to determine whether the throttle grip is in an ergonomically suitable position, or if it’s necessary to sit off to one side to steer the boat. Consider how things might be after 30 minutes in a driving situation, especially if you’re on a fixed seat! Will it be necessary to actually lean back a little to keep

your hand on the throttle, or have the end of the tiller arm slightly ahead of your position? These factors can influence long-term comfort. If you’re driving from up front, have a look at where the ignition switch and forward controls are in relation to any fixed seat. I’ve sat in skipper’s seats which, while

at eye level that cannot be moved may well be an issue. Then we might consider the crew. The first mate might need somewhere to store personal items, plus have a hand-hold for rough going. The needs of other regular passengers should be considered as well. It’s good when the weight aboard

especially as these seats can be swivelled to face in a chosen direction for ease of fishing. Just make sure that the seat can actually swivel without bumping into another. LASTLY, THE LIST Finally, remember that although a boat is a serious purchase, if you choose

When considering a smaller alloy rig, consider the general size range rather than actual size, as a lot of excellent smaller rigs are available today. The 435 Bay Cruiser transports four people with ease. comfortable, placed my right knee virtually on the forward controls on the side of the craft. On some other boats, the ignition key was up against my knee. Either situation is not good. You also need to consider all round visibility when you’re at the helm. Anything

the rig can be adjusted via flexible seating from in-floor spigots. Fully flexible seating is also a great asset when you expect fishing to be full on; you can opt to leave a seat at home to free up more fishing space. Pedestal bucket-style seats are popular today,

wisely it will provide a vast amount of entertainment and recreation. Boating is very enjoyable, and choosing the right rig for the job will add to the fun factor considerably. Make The List, tick off the must-haves, and live with the decision to scrap the might-haves.

An alloy hull around the 4.2-4.5m range is a great fishing boat for a lot of different situations.

An example of a versatile boat. This hull offers plenty of freeboard on all sides (plus the transom) for offshore work, and it’s fitted with an electric motor plate so you can go stealth fishing in the shallows. AUGUST 2019

WHAT’S NEW BOATING PURSUIT OFFSHORE 1 BOATS American premium fishing and family boat brand Pursuit will be launched in Australia this coming summer (2019), with Cobalt’s Boats of Australia partnering with the US brand. General Manager of Cobalt Boats of Australia Andy Clayton says his team are excited to be bringing these boats to Australia. “The Pursuit boat is a premium offshore fishing boat that has crossed over into a versatile family boat while also offering pure sportfishing models in its range,” Andy says. The brand evolved from its start 42 years ago into a high-end brand in the vein of Boston Whaler and Grady White. The range is an award-winning product line of Centre Console, Offshore, Sport and Dual Console models, and extends from 23ft to over 40ft, with dual console family runabouts, enclosed cockpit models and hard top sportfish offerings. The first Pursuit models to arrive in Australia in November will be the 235 DC, S288 and OS 325. www.pursuitboats.com

RAYMARINE ELEMENT 2 HV SONAR/GPS The Raymarine Element HV sonar/GPS delivers seven distinct sonar channels including three ultra-high frequency 1.2MHz HyperVision channels (SideVision, DownVision and RealVision 3D). RealVision 3D combines with precision GPS to construct the most accurate 3D model of the underwater world, and updates it in realtime. All three models (7”, 9” and 12”) feature quad-core processors for instantaneous chart redraws, seamless menu/page transitions and smooth sonar rendering. Element HV supports charts from Navionics and C-Map, and users can create maps while underway with Navionics SonarChart Live and Raymarine RealBathyTM personal sonar map recording. The ultra-bright screens are easily viewed in all lighting conditions, even when wearing polarised glasses. All models are powered by Raymarine’s LightHouse Sport operating system, and all seven sonar channels are delivered via a single, all-in-one transducer. Element HV features NMEA2000 connectivity, and comes with a 3-year warranty. Price: from SRP $1149 (incl. transducer) www.raymarine.com.au

GARMIN FORCE ELECTRIC MOTOR

Thanks to its unique brushless motor, the Garmin Force electric motor operates with almost undetectable levels of sonar and steering noise both below and above the water. It’s also the first trolling motor to include built-in Garmin CHIRP traditional and Ultra High-Definition ClearVu and SideVu scanning sonars. The Force is 30% more powerful than other freshwater trolling motors. It can move you from one structure to the next more quickly, throttle back with ease when you need to fish slow, and stand up better to winds and currents. It’s also the most efficient trolling motor available, so you can count on it to fish all day. It operates at either 36V or 24V, and when running at 24V, delivers comparable thrust to competitors’ 36V motors. Other features include wireless integration with a Garmin chartplotter and built-in autopilot functionality, and a wireless foot pedal that provides instant responsiveness yet feels and steers like a cable-steered pedal. The pedal’s resistance is adjustable, and it has buttons to control speed, heading and anchor lock. It can also be wired. Alternatively, you can use the 56

AUGUST 2019

PRODUCT GUIDE

included wireless remote, which also floats. Force is available with a 50” or 57” adjustable shaft. Price: from SRP $4999 www.garmin.com/force

QUINTREX FISHABOUT PRO

The new Quintrex Fishabout Pro is offered in three sizes, the 430, 450 and 470. Each has a max capacity of five people and ratings of 60hp, 60hp and 75hp respectively. The new Fishabout Pro features the current Blade Hull with a new and improved Flared Bow. The stretch-formed aluminium side sheets have more curve that runs further down the length of the boat to deflect spray. It has a wider beam and more space between the dash and the transom. Instead of a motor well that intrudes into the rear lounge area, there’s a pod transom that allows the outboard to be mounted further back with duckboards on either side. The Lean Through Dash and Step separates the captain and navigator panels, allowing for easy access to the bow anchor or optional drum winch. Every Fishabout Pro now has a bimini, fullywelded side decks, two transducer brackets and Premium Hookless carpet as standard in addition to current features like rod holders, folding rear lounge, and side pockets. www.quintrex.com.au

SIMRAD RS40-B

3 5

Simrad has announced the release of the new RS40-B, the first VHF marine radio with AIS transmit and receive capability. Featuring a sleek design with wireless handset capability, removable fist microphone, Class D DSC functionality, built-in GPS and a Class B AISTransceiver, the Simrad RS40-B takes VHF marine performance to another level. The integrated Class B AIS transceiver in the RS40-B can receive position data from other vessels like the original RS40, but is the first VHF marine radio capable of sharing its position with nearby AIS-equipped vessels, improving collision avoidance in crowded waterways. Position data of other vessels is clearly viewable on the Simrad RS40-B screen or can be overlaid on top of a chart or radar through a compatible multifunction display over NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000. Price: SRP $1335 www.simrad-yachting.com

STACER 589 SEA MASTER

With the addition of the 589 Sea Master, Stacer’s runabout range now has six models: 429, 449, 469, 499, 519 and 589. The 589 boasts a massive 2.35m beam and 5.96m length, and was created in response to consumer demand for a good open fishing boat that could handle offshore conditions. The cockpit space measures 2.3m from the back of the helm chairs to the transom, and 1.8m of internal beam from the inside of the port and starboard rolled side decks. To make it the ultimate offshore runabout, the 589 Sea Master has 0.67m of freeboard, and has a transom that is fit for an XL outboard engine shaft. The comfortable helm and dash area make it easy to control the vessel, and there’s a drop-down floor in front of the seat positions for maximum comfort. The 589 is equipped with the soft riding Revolution hull as well as a comfortable rear lounge and Maritime Seats as standard. Popular options include a transom door and electric drum winch. www.stacer.com.au

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

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Stessco Amberjack 520 with Yamaha F90hp - SC

TENT -

RE ONLINE MO

RPM......Speed.(km/h)...........Economy.(km/L) 1000 .........................7 ................................3.9 1500 .........................9 ................................3.1 2000....................... 12 ................................2.8 2500 ....................... 13 ................................2.1 3000....................... 26 ................................3.2 3500 ....................... 33 ................................3.4 4000....................... 39 ................................3.3 4500 ....................... 47 ................................3.1 5000....................... 53 ................................2.8 5500 ....................... 60 ................................2.2 5900 ....................... 65 ................................1.7 58

AUGUST 2019

DE FOR EX

PERFORMANCE

us up to 65km/h, and a fuel economy of 1.7L/km, and this is a fair clip for a family boat. To conserve fuel but also get where you need to on time, the best cruising speed was around that 3500rpm, which delivered

I was recently told that South East Queensland is the largest boating market in Australia, and Brisbanebased boat manufacturer Stessco definitely take advantage of that. This may not sound very important or interesting to you, but to me it means that by buying a Stessco you’re buying a boat that’s made for people who love boating! That’s exactly how I would describe the Amberjack 520. The 520 represents a line of high-quality boats, and is the middle size of three models, the others being the 490 and 550. The Amberjack is one of Stessco’s ‘premium’ runabouts, and is perfect for a more experienced boater who likes mixing fishing, water sports and time with friends and family. TRAILER A premium boat needs a premium trailer, and if the buyer chooses to sit the boat on one of the propose-built Stessco trailers (built by Dunbier) there’s a structural warranty of five years. The 520 sits on a single-axle braked trailer, meaning despite it’s large size it could still be fairly easily manoeuvred in a garage

for storage. It also makes sense to sit a boat on a trailer that is built specifically for that boat, as this will contribute to the boat’s longevity. ALL-ROUND SPECIALIST All-round specialist is the only way I can describe the boat’s intended purpose, with everything to accommodate the skier, fisher, camper, crabber, or someone who just like to lounge around on other peoples’ boats. The bow is kept clean and simple, with a tidy anchor well and grab rails either side to guide the boat in shallow water. The windscreen door means quick and safe access to the anchor well, and also allows people to enter from the bow. Behind the windscreen, the cockpit is laid out logically, and also provides relative comfort for the skipper and mate. Stessco’s Bolster seats are incredibly comfortable, and will be hugely appreciated on slightly longer trips. Flushmounted gadgets are always going to be much easier to look after, and it means you don’t have to worry about brackets and other annoying protrusions. The 520 will flush-mount a sounder up to nine inches, which is perfect if you want to download maps of your chosen hunting ground. There’s also a dry lockable glove box on the passenger

Bob Thornton

CON

AN THE

BRISBANE

you certainly don’t want your prized craft spending more time in the shop than out on the water. Although perfectly capable of heading offshore, weather permitting, these boats

SPECIFICATIONS

Main: A little bit of chop didn’t worry the Amberjack out on Pumicestone Passage. Above: The Softride hull ensured that anyone aboard would be comfortable when underway and at rest. side for phones, wallets, maps, watches and so on, and storage for larger items, such as camping gear, under the bow. The bimini is an excellent addition, especially in sunny states where sun protection is a priority. The bimini covers the skipper and mate comfortably, while leaving the work area open. The work area behind the cockpit is left open deliberately to allow room for extra passengers, gear and somewhere to enjoy being out on the water. If you want to keep smaller items out of the way, the side pockets are a handy addition, and the only under floor storage – the kill box – means there’s no need to bring extra ice boxes or eskies on board. There is a padded block for two to sit comfortably, which opens up for extra dry storage, and the added back rest makes the ride comfortable for passengers. The block can be tilted forward to expose two hatches built into the stern. The high sides, transom and splash well means that passengers in the rear will stay very dry, even in choppy conditions, and the positioning of the seating at the very back

of the work area ensures that the already very soft ride is even softer. The transom offers access to the craft via a small ladder and door, and the shallow draft of this boat allows a user to spin it around easily and climb in without difficulty. YAMAHA F90HP Powering this craft was a Yamaha F90hp. These engines are known for their quietness, reliability and fuel economy, and on the day, in around 10-15 knots of breeze on SEQ’s Pumicestone Passage, the engine lived up to that reputation. Full tilt into the breeze got

Length.(mm) ..............................................5420 Beam.(mm) ................................................2290 Depth.(mm)................................................ 1210 Bottom.sides.(mm) .........................................4 Top.sides.(mm) ................................................3 Max.hp ......................................................... 115 Max.Transom.weight.(kg) ...........................270 Transom.height.(“) ........................................20 Max.people......................................................5 Base.boat.hull.weight.(kg) .........................485 3.4L/km /h at 33km. Of course, the ride was comfortable for skipper, mate and rear passengers in the les than ideal conditions, and everyone stayed dry… until it rained while I was in the rear. FINAL THOUGHTS This tough contender offers everything you need for a general-purpose boat. The ease of use and logical layout makes it perfect for those who just love being on the water, without going all out on a more expensive fibreglass boat. With the simple layout comes the ease of maintenance, and

are designed for bays, lakes and rivers, and Stessco have other boats in the range that better suit offshore work. Coming in at around the $40,000 mark (as tested) this is very reasonable considering the top quality gadgets and design, and will no doubt last you many years of enjoyable boating, with added peace of mind when you have a 5-year structural warranty. For more info about any boats in the Stessco range, visit www.stessco.com.au, or find them on Facebook or Instagram at ‘Stessco’.

The Yamaha F90hp delivered excellent speed and economy, and the quietness at idle will be appreciated on those fun ‘non-fishing’ trips.

Flush-mounted electronics means that there’s no annoying protruding brackets that often just get in the way. Left: Stessco trailers (built by Dunbier) come in both aluminium and galvanised steel models. Right: Although capable of taking up to 115hp, the F90hp seems adequate for the craft’s intended use.

Driving this craft on and off was a breeze, and could easily be done solo if need be. The cockpit was simple yet comfortable, and the uncomplicated finish means there’s far less to go wrong.

Sitting a boat on a trailer designed specially for it makes sense, and extends the structural warranty to 5 years, or 60 months.

Boats of this size will tend to need a braked trailer, but that’s not to say the Amberjack 520 is difficult to trail.

The underfloor kill box is a great alternative to an external esky or icebox, which usually only gets in the way.

A drained anchor well up front, accessible by the door in the windscreen, makes parking up and enjoying the sunshine much easier.

Rear seating is not only comfortable, it also doubles as extra storage for anything you may want to keep dry.

The cranking battery sits out of the way but not out of sight, meaning any field work can be done quickly and easily.

Padded rear seating will be appreciated by those relegated to the back of the craft on longer journeys. AUGUST 2019

A NEW ERA in FourStroke

mercurymarine.com.au