Western Australia Fishing Monthly Magazine June 2019 by Fishing Monthly

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Features Giant silver perch on fly • Score some magic mulloway • More knot knowledge • Land more fish with good rod handling •

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JUNE 2019, Vol. 1 No. 10

Contents 6

METRO Perth Metro/Cockburn Sound

Swan & Canning Rivers

Metro Offshore

SOUTH COAST Esperance 14 Bremer Bay

Albany 15 WEST COAST Augusta 17 Busselton 18 Bunbury 20 Mandurah 22 Lancelin 24 Jurien Bay

Geraldton 28 GASCOYNE COAST Kalbarri 30 Shark Bay

From the Editor’s Desk... With the cooler weather settling in it seems that the fishing around the state is starting to pick up as the fish move closer to shore. While usually not the most comfortable time of the year to fish, savvy anglers know that good wet weather gear and a bit of persistence will usually yield some great results. Salmon fishing in the southern half of the state seems to be still ticking along, with reasonable catches around the usual haunts in the metro area. Remember, if you have been salmon fishing get onto the Recfishwest website and fill in the survey about your salmon fishing experience. If you can make the time to do this it will help benefit all salmon fishers into the future. I am sure you will all agree these iconic sport fish deserves whatever we can do to support great fishing into the future.

ABT came to WA at the end of April and ran the WA ABT rounds as a whirlwind double header, first fishing Albany and then heading to Augusta’s Blackwood River. At both rounds there was exceptional weather during the pre-fish, but then the weather closed in for the competition days. Unfortunately you will have to wait until the July issue to get the full wrap-up on these events. However, you can check out the details

on the national Hobie Kayak Bream series in this issue. If you are one to lay up your boat over winter, consider getting it in for its annual service so that it is all ready and set for the upcoming spring season! You should also try to get all of those other little jobs done now. There’s no point in putting them off until the last minute when spring arrives. Most importantly at this time of the year, keep an eye

Ian Sewell on the sky, watch the weather patterns, keep warm and stay safe, and be sure to get into the fishing during some of the best fishing conditions of the year. If you enjoy your Fishing Monthly fix, why not consider getting a Fishing Monthly T-shirt, jumper, mug or one of the other 44 items available on redbubble.com? Just Google ‘Redbubble Fishing Monthly’ and you will find all of the merchandise available.

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Jacob Crispe shows off a fantastic land-based pink snapper, which are a great option when the sea conditions get rough.

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Boating 54

WESTERN AUSTRALIA FISHING MONTHLY

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Practising good rod handling techniques WHITSUNDAYS

Mick Underwood

As a fishing guide I get no points at all for having people on my boat not catch fish. It’s one thing for me to go out onto the ocean each

boat and clients out to some location and do my best to find a pile of big, active and hungry fish. Once the fish are found, the guiding is finished. From that moment on I am a teacher – continuously talking to and assisting the crew onboard

future angling endeavours. First up, a little bit of history that I feel is highly relevant to this whole subject. I’m sure that you have all heard our magnificent sport being referred to as angling and those of us that indulge in it as ‘anglers’. The term

and that’s the way we want to keep it. By increasing or decreasing pressure to a fish, that hole will quickly transform into a slot or long elongated hole. Once this has happened all an astute fish has to do is create slack line for a brief second and the hook will simply fall out. This can happen in a myriad of ways and normally it’s in the blink of an eye. A fish jumping clear of the water, shaking its head at the side of the boat, and briefly swimming at the boat are just a few examples of how this can happen. The most common cause of these hook-loosening problems is when anglers are pumping and winding a rod in order to retrieve line on a fish. So many anglers rip back on a rod as hard and as far as they can increasing the pressure on a hook immensely and then decreasing pressure by bowing the rod towards the fish as quick as they can, trying to see how many turns of the reel handle they can get in as little time as possible. This is where it all begins to go wrong. Lesson number one is keep your heart in your chest and take your time – stay focussed on maintaining constant pressure to your hook. You don’t have to get 10 turns of your reel handle every time you drop the rod to retrieve line. On a stubborn fish you might only get half a turn of the reel handle, which in most situations is perfectly

Nick demonstrating a good low angle for lifting stubborn fish. Note how the butt section is loaded and doing all the work. To achive this good fighting angle, keep the butt of the rod as high as you can. Up in your armpit like Nick has here is ideal. This may not be possible with some stand up tackle but with modern spin gear that the majority of us use, it’s not a problem. acceptable as long as you stay focussed on maintaining constant line pressure.

If you take the time to watch tournament anglers plying their trade

Nick demonstrating high sticking on a deep fish. You can see that the tip section of the rod is working hard and taking the load. This will allow a fish to bounce around and work the hook loose and the fish can point its head in whatever direction it wants. As much as possible we need to dictate the terms of battle to the fish, not the opposite way around. It may be necessary to shoot a rod this high when striking a fish in order to set the hooks, but it is a fatal mistake to pause and rest at this angle. Straight away wind the rod tip back down to the water, load the butt section and lift the fish’s head. day with a group of keen anglers, find some nice fish and whip them up into a frenzy. But to then have the crew onboard fail to get fish after fish to the boat is obviously not desirable. This can be due to a whole bunch of reasons, but often it’s due to poor rod handling techniques. If this happens I end up with a boat load of frustrated anglers, which isn’t exactly ideal. You can refer to someone in my position as a charter skipper or guide, but I consider my job to be more that of a sportfishing teacher. It is necessary for me to assume this role in order to consistently get good fish to the boat. The guide part to the job is at the beginning of each session where I take the 6

JUNE 2019

on how to firstly hook the targeted fish, keep that fish on the hook, and then to do whatever is necessary to get that particular fish to the side of the boat. These rod handling skills and techniques can be applied when targeting any fish by any means at any water. It doesn’t matter whether you’re throwing a dry fly at a high country trout, dropping a jig down to a kingfish or casting stickbaits at flathead, the basic fundamentals of using a fishing rod don’t change. I am now going to take some time to share with you in print what I share with people verbally every day. I hope that you get something out of it and that it assists you in some way with your

‘angling’ derives from using a rod and line to create and use effective angles in order to get a fish to the net as efficiently as possible. With the exception of the next paragraph or two, the whole guts of this article will be talking about creating and using the correct angles required to fight fish effectively. LINE TENSION One of the first and foremost rules is that you must maintain constant pressure to your fish. Fail to do this and the rest simply doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter whether you’re using a 20/0 circle hook for billfish or a size #16 nymph hook for trout, when a hook is first set into a fish it is set into a small hole

Nick showing us a good angle for fighting a fish that’s out on the horizon somewhere – isn’t it nice when that happens. Note how Nick has the butt section of the rod loaded and taking all the strain. Don’t pull back too far in this situation, you won’t achieve anything trying to fight a fish with the rod tucked back behind your right ear lobe. When working high rod angles keep the butt of the rod low. Jam it in on your chest such as Nick has done here, or even lower down around your stomach/groin areas if that’s more comfortable.

on YouTube or one of the fishing shows on television, you will notice that when these anglers are fighting a fish that the bend in their rod very rarely changes all through an entire fight. This is because these guys

are experts at maintaining constant hook pressure. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be a competition angler to gain this skill; it is a basic skill that we all need to use when we fish to help ensure regular success.

FIGHTING FISH VERTICALLY (DEEP FISH) This is a common scenario for a lot of us, especially boat anglers. With so much coastline around this country and

With the side angle, once again note how the butt section is doing all the work.

Nick showing us how to use side angles.

most of it littered with reefs and other forms of deep structure, a high percentage of Aussie anglers fish out of a boat with their lines dropped vertically over the side. Be it jigging for pelagics mid-water or soaking a bait for a tasty reef fish off the bottom, once a stubborn fish is hooked the technique required to get a fish up from the depths remains the same. In this situation it is imperative to keep the

rod angle low so that the butt section of the rod is taking the majority of the load. Once a deep fish is hooked the tip section of a rod serves little purpose, apart from that of a shock absorber. Raise the angle of your rod too high and load the tip section of your rod on a deep fish and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re handing the odds straight back to the fish. This is for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that when the rod is raised high

with a loaded tip section and you have a fish shaking its head from side to side somewhere in the depths underneath you, every time that fish shakes its head it is increasing and then decreasing pressure to the hook, slowly but surely working it loose. By using a high rod angle on a deep fish you simply lose your ability to maintain that ever-important constant hook pressure. To page 8

JUNE 2019

From page 7

The second reason for not using high rod angles on a deep fish, in particular a fish that you want to keep out of its snaggy home on the bottom, is that once the tip section comes into play the fish has the ability to turn its head whichever way it wants. Naturally a

achieved by using low rod angles and keeping the butt section of the rod loaded as much as possible. You’re possibly sitting and thinking at the moment, well how high should I lift? There are a few variables here. Soft actioned slow taper rods will require a little more lift to bring

jigging gear. A lot of these technique specific rods are very soft actioned and will require a bit more lift to get the butt sections loaded adequately. Another negative with high sticking – as it is sometimes referred to – especially with graphite rods, is that the higher

you have to your hook the easier it is to keep the pressure consistent. Too many times have I seen an angler with a good fish hooked up high in the water column a couple of hundred metres away from the boat and they either drop the rod tip briefly or just don’t maintain enough pressure to the hook and then that’s it, fish gone. Keep a high rod angle and keep it loaded. Whether you’re fishing on a lake, on the flats or out on the wild blue, once a good fish has finished its initial bolt for the horizon that’s when the fun begins. You’ve got to get all that line back onto your reel and keep the hooks in the fish at the same time. As with the deeper fishing, keep your heart rate down, take your time and remain focussed on maintaining constant hook pressure. As opposed to the deeper vertical fishing off a stationary boat, where all we can do is try to muscle the fish up. Fighting fish up in the shallows there are a few more tricks that you

ripped a hundred or more metres of line off your spool, then more than likely there’s going to be an arc of line in the water and you won’t have a straight line pull to your fish. In this situation a little finesse is required. Before I go into angles, another thing to be aware of in this situation is drag pressure. Once a good fish has stripped a couple of hundred metres of line off you and there is a big arc of line in the water, then that line in the water is creating a considerable amount of pressure to the hook all by itself. Too many times have I witnessed people freak out and then wind the drag knob up, increasing the pressure. This will almost always result in a lost fish. Do the opposite; back your drag off a notch or two to compensate for the extra pressure exerted by the line in the water. A lot of the time up in the shallows it is necessary to use side angles with the rod (side sticking). The main thing initially is to work with the fish not against it. If the fish, is

bit and start making the fish work. If the hooked fish is swimming left to right out in front of you then angle your rod over to the left and pull against it. Straight away you will feel through the rod tip the fish start to beat its tail and work harder trying to get away from you. Inevitably, the fish will get annoyed with this caper pretty fast, turn in the opposite direction and come back to the left. When this happens, raise your rod as the fish swims back across in front of you, wind on some easy line and then as the fish starts to move out to the left, angle your rod to the right and pull back against the fish again. By applying pressure against the fish as it swims back and forth in front of you, and taking the easy line in between changing the angles of pull you are literally beating the fish up and halving the length of the fight. I realise that there is a lot more to using a fishing rod than what has been mentioned here, but what

A couple of local lads Dave and young Nate Morris. This cracking longtail tuna was hooked and fought by Nate on a reef flat in less than 3m of water. This young lad caught this fish largely unassisted due to good rod technique and coaching. Catching big fish on light gear has nothing to do with strength or brawn, it is in the technique. fish that lives in bottom structure will want to turn its head in that direction, and once it has you can bet top dollars that the damn thing will do everything in its power to get back down there. It is vital that when pulling structure dwelling fish up vertically that you do everything possible to keep that fish’s head pointed up and that is

the butt section into play adequately, whereas fast actioned rods with a stiff butt section will require a lot less lift to create the desired effect. As a general rule I don’t like to see people lifting past horizontal. This is not a golden rule and there are exceptions, especially with some jigging tackle and in particular micro

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the rod angle you use the greater the chance is that your expensive equipment will make an almighty crack and break in your hands. FIGHTING FISH HORIZONTALLY (SHALLOW FISH) A typical example of this scenario is targeting fish that will, by habit, want to stay up in the more oxygen rich water close to the surface. There are many different species around our country that will want to do this. Two examples here in my home waters of the Whitsundays are the Spanish mackerel and the cobia. Both of these creatures are brilliant sportfish that consistently just want to bolt for the horizon. Other scenarios would include any form of shallow water fishing where the hooked fish can’t go down, and can only swim horizontally away from you. Sight casting on the flats is a prime example of this. As we have already discussed, when the fish are down keep the rod down – now it’s the opposite, when the fish is up high then keep the rod up high. Don’t just keep it up, keep it loaded. Don’t overcook it, but the more pressure

On this particular day the author was on a recreational trip with a couple of mates out in the shipping lanes fishing in 55m of water. The other two lads onboard were fishing with fairly heavy tackle and apart from a few sharks they caught very few fish. By fishing light (20lb line, 30lb leader) the author was constantly hooked up to quality fish and by using working angles with his jig stick the vast majority of the fish made it into the icebox. can employ to help tilt the odds in your favour. If fishing out of a boat, we can use the boat to create effective angles and/or get closer to the fish (more on boat handling to come). If you are fishing shore-based or from a boat and for whatever reason you don’t have the ability to chase your fish then you have to use some different tactics. If you are fortunate enough to have hooked up to that monster you’ve been chasing for eons and it’s

way out in front of you and swimming left to right, then angle the rod across to your right hand side and try to coerce some line back off the fish from there. If the fish turns and starts to swim right to left out in front of you, then alter your rod angle over to your left hand side and pull from there. Once the fish is close enough that most of the arc has gone out of the line and you have a straight line pull to the fish, that’s when you can amp things up a

has been laid out for you in this article are some basic skills that we all need to master in order to catch more and bigger fish on a regular basis. No one likes to come home with tales of the one that got away. We all love to come back to the dock grinning from ear to ear, ready to boast about the one that we did get. I hope that helps you out a little. Now grab your rod, get out there, have some fun and put it into practice.

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Knot knowledge 102 NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

The two most important keys to successful fishing are a strong knot and a sharp hook. Here’s how to make sure every knot you tie is as secure as you can possibly make it. Last month in this column, I stressed the importance of tying strong, reliable knots, and explained that most knot failures occur for two reasons. Firstly, knots will let go if they slip under load. Secondly, those critical connections can fail if one strand of line cuts across another within the knot. In this concluding instalment of my two part examination of good knot tying practices, I want to focus on what makes a strong knot, and set out some simple knot tying habits that should dramatically reduce your incidence of mystery bust-offs and lost fish. Any good knot — whether it’s tied in a multifilament line like braid, or a single strand such as nylon or fluorocarbon — must have sufficient turns or wraps to prevent slippage, and also to help spread the strain. The very best connections work like mini shock absorbers

When you’re hooked up tight to a strong fish, the last thing you need to be worrying about is the integrity of your knots!

Crimps may be a better option than knots in really heavy leaders. There are plenty of good knots for attaching hooks, lures and other items of tackle to both braided and single filament lines. Most tend to fall into one of two distinct knot ‘families’ or systems, being based on either the Blood Knot or the Uni Knot (also called a Clinch Knot in some literature). These two core systems are well covered on the internet and in most

into the realm of specialised connections. This is where knots like the Albright, Slim Beauty, Duck Nose and FG really come into their own. Again, you’ll find all of these demonstrated on-line if you simply type their names into a search engine. Regardless of the knots you choose to use, it’s important to practice them and to have absolute

Even relatively small fish will quickly show up poor knots — especially hard fighters like this skipjack or striped tuna. or springs. Reliable knots also steer well clear of incorporating single strands crossing each other at acute angles, especially at that part of the knot where load levels will peak under strain (this is why an overhand or Granny Knot is so weak). It’s fascinating to watch any knot under extreme load through a magnifying lens. Even well tied-knots tend to slip or creep marginally as they tighten and elongate under intense strain. The best connections tend to be those that change appearance the least under stress. Those are usually knots with multiple turns or wraps that have been correctly tightened and firmly snugged down before use. 10

JUNE 2019

how-to books. Both basic knots also form the basis of strong connections for joining two strands of line together, especially when those strands are fairly similar in thickness (the Full Blood and the Double Uni). Things become a little more complex when joining lines with radically different diameters and characteristics, as is often the case when connecting nylon or fluorocarbon monofilament leaders to braided main lines. Throw in the need for such critical connections to belt smoothly in a out through a set of rod runners hundreds of times a day (often at high speed or under load) and it’s obvious that we’re moving

confidence in all your connections. It’s also vital to follow a handful of simple rules whenever tying knots. RULE 1 Thoroughly lubricate every knot before pulling it tight. You can use water, various oils or other lubricants, but good old-fashioned saliva is just as effective, and always handy! Simply lick or spit on the turns of line as you draw the knot tight. This greatly reduces friction as the knot tightens, saving the line from potential damage. RULE 2 Give yourself plenty of line to work with. Trying to tie a knot with a limited length of line or leader cramps your style and can lead to skipping wraps or turns, as well as ending up with a tag that’s too short and may slip during the tightening/testing phase… or on a fish! RULE 3 Tighten the knot with slow, steady pressure (after lubricating it with saliva, of course). Make sure all of the turns and wraps snug down firmly and neatly. With some knots, it can pay to pull on the tag end as well as the main line, but the greatest pressure should always be applied to the main line. RULE 4 Once the knot is snugged down, give it a serious test by

Every knot needs to be well tied and properly tightened when you hook a decent fish. The author pulled this snapper from reefy offshore waters on a Lucanus octa-jig. really pulling on it. If a knot’s going to fail, now’s the time to find out! Only after this testing process should you

When you’re deep-dropping heavy, complicated and expensive rigs beyond the edge of the continental shelf, you need to know that all your knots are trustworthy!

trim the tag end of the knot. Even then, leave at least a couple of millimetres of tag for safety on most knots (this may not be practical on linejoining connections). RULE 5 Every now and then, test one of your knots to destruction. In other words, keep pulling until it breaks! Doing this teaches us a lot about the real strength (or weakness) of our knots. Destruction testing of different knots is an interesting and highly illuminating activity for a rainy or blown-out day, and it’s something not enough anglers do. If you use proven knots, are able to tie them well under all conditions and follow the five simple rules above, I guarantee you’ll have less ‘one that got away’ stories to tell in future years. Tight lines (and knots)!

Metro

Sampling everything that June has to offer METRO

Kurt Blanksby

The metropolitan scene is now one of mostly dedicated anglers who are not afraid to layer up with warm clothes, protect themselves with quality wet weather gear and take advantage of some good fishing still on offer. Short days, cold conditions and the ‘flu season means many of the usually crowded fishing spots will be vacant, especially if the weather is bad. Winter is time for silver trevally, or ‘skippy’ as they are known locally, and why they have adopted this name is a mystery here in the west, as they are not called this anywhere else in the country. Skippy don’t jump, so this can’t be the reason; it must have origins that started decades ago amongst Perth anglers. Many of the deep rock walls from Woodmans Point in Cockburn Sound up to Two Rocks in the north are prime skippy spots. Areas that have sand leading up

to rocks are great places for skippy to feed. Point Peron is another hotspot over winter near Rockingham, as it has reef holes with sand that can be magnets to schools of skippy. The key is to berley up using a good fish oil and pollard mix to bring the fish into the area and trigger their appetites. Fish into the berley trail with small pieces of cut coral prawn on small hooks, usually with a small sinker to get deeper into the water column. The old favourite paternoster rig is hard to beat, and this can be fitted with a berley cage sinker that really makes this rig effective. Fishing deep also helps to select out skippy, as herring can be a welcome but annoying by-catch at times, quickly snaffling any baits before the skippy get to them. Other by-catch include big silver bream and whiting, and occasionally buff bream (silver drummer) will get in on the act as well. Weed is now a problem along many of the beaches, especially to the north of Perth, so bait fishing can

Whether you’re chasing herring, pilch or larger species like mulloway, the beach is a safe spot to try your luck. be a frustrating exercise. However, there is a chance of a big winter tailor or mulloway around the shore reefs or rock walls. Providing North Mole is open (during really rough weather the gates are closed for public safety) you can get into deeper water without the weed issues that plague

many beach anglers. Depending on rainfall, the Swan River will now be starting to push dirty water out to sea, and this is prime time for big mulloway and pink snapper to move in for a feed. North Mole is a great winter spot for setting out big baits and sitting back and waiting for

a run. South Mole, Coogee, Woodmans Point to the south and Hillaries and Two Rocks Marinas to the north are also producing at the moment. Yellow-eye mullet, or pilch as they are known locally (not to be confused with pilchards that are used for bait), are another

species that will school up and move along the inshore beaches and into estuaries. Any of the surf beaches will produce pilch in winter, and the key is small baits of cut chicken breast, red meat or coral prawn fished on small hooks through the shallow surf zones. Again, berley is a key, and pilch respond well to a mix of fish oil and pollard flicked into the general area you are fishing. Early mornings seem to produce the best results, but again, it will only be the keenest anglers out at this time of day in winter. Pilch are an oily fish and make for good eating if filleted and crumbed, however others like to use them for bait, as they make ideal whole or cut baits for many bigger species like mulloway and pink snapper. Good spots to try will be Long Point, Challenger Beach or South Beach, where winter pilch are often found. Further south, the beaches from Long Point down to Mandurah are pilch hotspots, and big numbers are caught from this area each year.

Brave the cold weather and score big fish SWAN & CANNING RIVER

Kurt Blanksby

Winter bream fishing continues to dominate the scene on both the Swan and Canning rivers, and anglers

be congregating further down the river systems. A great starting point in the Swan would be around the Narrows Bridge, and although some good fish will still be found further up, the Narrows seems to hold good numbers of large bream

to also help hold the bait in place. Use a short 30cm mono trace up to a small swivel connected to the main line of braid or mono with a small ball or bean sinker, to aid in casting and keeping the bait on the bottom. Soft plastics will also

are ideal bream feeding areas and often the fish will be found patrolling along the edge not far from shore. Some great small boat

tidal flow can make fishing difficult, so planning around the top and bottom of the tide for slack water is best. Some species will only

turned up a few salmon trout in the lower reaches over winter, and there’s even the chance of a full grown specimen, with

The black bream fishing is really productive in the Canning River during June.

Fishing around any jetties or rock walls is the way to target the bigger black bream in the Swan. now have the chance of scoring some really big specimens from both shore and boat. As winter rainfall continues to flow in from the upper reaches, black bream will now

that are targeted with mostly baits or soft plastic lures. Good old frozen packet river prawns bought from tackle shops are hard to beat, and these should be threaded onto the hook, usually one that has the barbs along the back

come into their own at this time of year, and should be fished deep around any structure or along any rocky shoreline, like the one that leads from the Narrows up and past the Old Brewery. These artificial rock walls

options include Claremont Bay, Freshwater Bay and Mosman Park Bay. If you’re fishing these areas, try to keep clear of the private yacht clubs as the members won’t like you fishing in and around their jetties. Instead you should work the steep drop-offs along the shore with soft plastics for best results. In the Canning the best black bream will be concentrated around the bridges, and again baits or soft plastics will be the best way to locate these fish. Canning Bridge is a prime location, but a strong

be an option closer down to the ocean this month, with spots like Rocky Bay, East Fremantle and the harbour being worth a look for herring, chopper tailor, silver bream and the occasional flathead from the deeper water. Silver trevally, or skippy as they are commonly known, will also be in the lower reaches of the Swan, with the harbour and Rocky Bay being productive spots. The most consistent results come when using baits of coral prawn pieces fished with the aid of a berley mix of oil and pollard. Previous years have also

schools of mature 5kg fish having invaded the Swan over early winter the last few years. Finally, the E-Shed in Fremantle Harbour is still worth fishing, as being so close to the ocean you can find a good variety of bread and butter species right through to big mulloway and salmon. This spot is elevated up off the water so you will need a bucket and rope to gather sea water to keep smaller species fresh, and don’t forget a long gaff or rope gaff if you are chasing bigger species like mulloway. JUNE 2019

Metro

Cold snap is productive for snapper fishing METRO OFFSHORE

Allan Bevan

It’s finally winter, and whether it’s global warming or cooling, the one thing that I am finding constant is that things are changing.

The currents have been strange, and I can’t remember when the last good yellowfin tuna, mako or other fun fish could be found busting up the bait. Easter once was the alarm bell for the inshore game fishers and the south side of Rottnest Island would be alive with bait balls and

predators. For the first time in quite a few years, sardines are back at the front of the harbour with shots (nets) of tonnes at a time. Again, no big predators are busting up these schools. It was only in 2012 that I was still targeting mackerel, Spanish and shark, right to into the end of May.

Eric Tai dropped a Gulp soft plastic grub and ended up with this great pink snapper.

Check out this chunky inshore snapper taken just out from Fremantle.

I like these winter months, as what you see is what you get water wise, and with a bit of care good fishing can be had. INSHORE Stragglers, Mewstone, Carnac and down the back of Garden Island has been the bomb for snapper. Take

a bit of berley, get in 10-14m and hang on. Big snapper are on the prowl with the storms knocking crab, weed and fish into disorientation and snapper are not fussy, often eating anything that drifts by. I’ve been fishing light with plastics, but a word of warning, samsonfish and

yellow tail kings can show at any time and they know every piece of reef. Go heavy and nothing will touch, but going light and you leave yourself vulnerable to kind or samson attack. If you’re going to go and set up for this caper, just take plenty of gear. I take my hat off to the

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Metro anglers that are getting these fish on a regular basis. Salmon are fickle, and again the current could have something to play here. The Cockburn Sound temperature has been 18.2°C with 20°C at the reef and just offshore. Move out to the five fathom bank and the temperature is down again. The Middle Ground of the 35-40m area has really been fishing well. Good size dhufish and snapper from just south of the Recfishwest fish

towers have been making up the catch. Again, on the day the drift is good, and berley has been helping those who anchor or spot lock with electric motors, particularly when targeting lumps. Out in the deeper stuff around 80-110m, red snapper have made up the bulk of the captures. Solid 3kg fish are the schooling size at the moment, with a decent big almost coming up every other drop. I’m still fishing the small 5/0 semi circle in a paternoster

with shorter dropper loops. This and very small sinkers for the drift have saved some ordinary days. It’s a long way out to find the fish will not open there mouths. The slow pitch guys are leading this month with 2-3 fish to each to one on bait. We’ve had some very experienced slow jiggers, so it has thrown the moving average out. It’s worth mentioning that the majority of the larger quality fish have come on jigs – just saying !

Rottnest Island has been producing some great dhufish.

This quality fish was caught in the Garden Island area.

Deep water has had its moments. The electric reels or working jigs in 300-500m is not for the fainthearted. Electric reels have dummy spits, and green eye sharks are a pain and if you don’t watch the spikes, but, with planning and teamwork you could travel 40nm and end up with more fish than you

have room in the fridge or freezer. On the safety side of things, remember that no fish is worth you life. It’s been a sad year out of Perth so far this year. Think about PFDs, swell on the inshore reefs, letting someone know the area you’re going. At the end of the day our families

and friends don’t deserve the grief that goes with these tragic accidents. • Shikari Charters is a local Fremantle business running half, and full day and game fishing charters catering to small or family groups for specialised fishing out from Fremantle. To find out more go to www.shikari.com.au.

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South Coast

It’s beach mayhem at the midway mark! ESPERANCE

Jaimen Hudson

June 2019, the midway mark of the year, is here! If June 2018 was anything to go off, we can expect a fantastic start to winter. Last year was definitely one of the best Junes we had on record. Unfortunately, it was no good for the farmers but definitely a nice treat for those wanting to come down to Esperance and enjoy our beautiful white beaches with fewer tourists in town. The days are a little bit shorter now. The sun is still up by 6am and sets at approximately 5:30pm, which still gives you a decent amount of time to spend on the beaches. It also means you can get down to the jetty a little earlier to target squid, as they tend to come on the bite just as dusk settles. Taylor Street jetty is, as always, a beautiful location to go down and have a crack at getting these thumping squid. Standard squid jigs cast out repetitively and slowly wound back in will usually do the trick. If you would like to double your odds, you can always get a squid spike and

When the salmon are this thick in water this clear, they are very easy to spot and cast to. feed it through the body of a herring, then simply have a float attached approximately 1.5-2m above the bait and throw it off the jetty. Allow it to bob around to attract the attention of the squid. If calamari isn’t your thing, you will also be able to get whiting, herring

and small skippy in the same location. If the winds are up I would recommend heading to Bandy Creek Boat Harbour, as the infrastructure around that area allows for good protection. Far east of Esperance on the cliffs or at Alexander Bay

during the evening there is a great chance you should be able to get some mulloway. These are fantastic eating and extremely popular to target. Along Wylie Bay Beach, anglers have been catching Australian salmon, skippy, whiting and flathead. This is a 5km stretch of beach that

leads to the Cape Le Grand National Park. It does take an experienced 4WD operator to make the journey, as the beach can be soft. Look for a gully along the way to cast out into it! We also had large schools of Australian salmon around last year. The image attached

was shot in June 2018 and gives you a real idea of how clear the water is and how easy it is to see the schools! Large schools like this are great fun, as you are almost guaranteed a catch every time you cast out. Use a nice size metal or surface lure for the most exciting results. Heading out on the water, our charters have been yielding some fantastic results. Delicious red snapper, queen snapper, breaksea cod and harlequin fish have been on the menu. We have also been catching some thumping swallowtail, and these are also fantastic to eat. For the game fishers who are out there for the sport, there are some massive samsonfish out there. Unfortunately, due to time restraints with our business becoming increasingly busy, this will be my last fishing report! Thank you all for reading along for nearly a year. I have thoroughly enjoyed doing it! • As always, if you require any fishing gear or advice pop in and see us at Esperance Diving & Fishing at 72 The Esplanade, Esperance WA , 6450.

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Due season for dhufish ALBANY

580

Callum Dowell

The town of Albany has just had its busiest summer and autumn in years. There are reports of local tackle stores making a great trade, with people willing to purchase the better quality products, and that’s just what the local economy needs. It’s now time for the old, wise locals to pull out to their favourite inshore locations with nobody at the boat ramp to sheepishly follow them out. Personally I love to fish the cold weather. It’s good to rug up with high-density jackets and thermal pants, beanies, hoodies zipped up to your nose and hopefully not forgetting the snow gloves for

Soft plastics are a great way to target these fish. to show up on the isolated rock bommies. The 1-fish bag limit has done wonders for this population of fish. Dhufish

Big inshore queen snapper are becoming common for local anglers. those frosty morning runs with the tiller steer outboard motor. The first hook-up for the morning is generally comical as the fingers are still numb! Flathead are starting to come back in our southern inlets. It’s always hard to tell if they’re overfished or just lying dormant and not biting. As our local anchovy schools congregate during the winter months, the flathead move up the drop-offs and are incredibly aggressive. Generally our southern bar-tail don’t sit in shin-deep water like their relatives further up the coast. This is fairly evident on low water levels as you can tell where a flathead has sifted into the ground awaiting its prey. Local waterways such as Emu Point in Oyster Harbour, Wilson Inlet, Nornalup and Walpole Inlet are hotspots for flathead. Once you have determined what the flathead are relating to (with a keen eye on depth, water temperature and wind), you can go around the system and replicate the scenario to find more feeding flathead. Pink lures are a flathead’s biggest undoing. I think they must be slightly colour blind as a hotshot flathead angler seems to favour lures with bizarre colourations. Dhufish just keep turning up for the inshore tinny brigade. Toby and Johnno Matson seem to have them on speed dial at the moment, with fish in excess of 10kg starting

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eating quality is way too good to freeze anyway, and one solid fish is a big meal. Anglers using 7” white paddle-tail plastics on a 1oz jighead had their bag limit in just two drops.

Big queen snapper and harlequin have also been easy pickings for anglers travelling out to the islands in King George Sound and Two Peoples Bay. Expect to see black bream slow down towards the end of autumn into early winter as they start to transition around their system. They can get a little difficult to track, however if you’re able to find little staging areas you will catch them quickly. If you are fishing down a river bank don’t hesitate to cast into the middle of the river every now and then, especially when you arrive at a river corner or the bank that you’re fishing flattens out, as you may find them sitting on a secondary drop-off. Slowly rolling an Ecogear SX48 in colour 303 between 1-2m depth is as good as your chances will come on the south coast.

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Dhufish will be in good numbers this month, showing up on the isolated rock bommies.

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South Coast

Estuary opening is imminent down south BREMER BAY

Kurt Blanksby

From now on many of the beaches will be copping the brunt of the Southern Ocean in winter, and big seas pushed in by strong winds and high tides can see many of the beaches dangerous to travel across in 4WD vehicles. With that said, it pays to just access the beaches where the scrub tracks lead to them and be prepared to fish these locations or walk a short distance, rather than risk any sort of rollover on steep sand or drowned vehicles. Be careful at low tide, as you might find yourself stranded at the other end of a beach several hours later if the tide comes in and it is being pushed by strong winds and waves. Those beaches with enough of a buffer between the dunes and the surf will at least be much easier to drive on now that the crowds have backed off and the rain has compacted the sand. Fosters or Reef beaches will be worth looking at for big skippy, salmon, sharks, mulloway and big winter tailor. Just be prepared to stay warm

with good wet weather gear and layers of clothing, and remember to use more sinker weight to hold bottom out in the surf. Whole mulies (pilchards), mullet fillet, squid or skinned octopus leg fished on snelled or ganged hooks will be the way to target these species. Octopus leg, although rarely used, is a dynamite bait from the beach and has the advantage of resisting many small pickers and stays on the hooks. Just make sure you skin it first, otherwise the skin becomes very waterlogged and soggy, making the bait less appealing to the fish. If you prepare this at home first and lightly salt it and pack it into takeaway containers it will be a quick and reliable bait to use that stays on the hooks and catches plenty of fish. Some of the more sheltered beaches locally are also worth a look, and don’t be put off by shallow or calm conditions, as a little berley in the water will usually bring in some good-sized skippy, herring and possibly a salmon or two. Most of the rock locations are best left alone, as this is not the time to be risking slippery wet rocks and big seas for a

few fish. If you can find the safer and sheltered spots you should see plenty of herring and skippy, and you may also be in with a chance of picking up King George whiting and squid from these spots, but please take care. The rivers are a great option, and bait fishing down near the mouths will

usually see plenty of black bream congregating. Add to this a few King George whiting, herring and salmon trout, and you’ve got a great estuary bag! From a small dinghy or kayak the black bream fishing will be rewarding, especially for bigger fish. As per usual, early mornings

and late afternoons will be the prime times to fish. Try cut baits of river or coral prawn, small pieces of cut up mulie (pilchard) or mullet for best results. If you prefer to lure fish then soft plastics will bring the best results, although fish can still be tempted to take a hardbody lure if you fish it slow with

plenty of pauses. Once enough rain flows into these river systems and water pushes down to break the sand bar at the mouth, be prepared to fish the ocean side, as the dirty water flowing out is a magnet to bigger predators like mulloway, sharks and big tailor.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Sale of Australia’s biggest boat builder BRP, the manufacturer of such iconic brands as Evinrude outboards, Sea-Doo jetskis and Can-Am quad bikes, has announced that it is acquiring 80% of Australian company Telwater. Telwater manufactures the hugely popular Quintrex, Stacer, Savage and Yellowfin Plate boats, and also distributes Evinrude in Australia. Paul Phelan, Telwater’s current owner and Managing Director, will continue to play an important role in the operations of the business, and will hold 20% of the company’s shares.

Telwater’s Coomera factory and its 270 employees will continue to operate business as usual. With a more solidified partnership, the desire to own a Telwater/Evinrude boat-motor-trailer package has never been so strong. Telwater’s 230 dealerships across Australia, Asia Pacific and Europe will

continue to benefit from the organization’s stateof-the-art manufacturing know-how, and add to BRP’s design and innovation track record. “Over 30 years ago, I started as a welder,” said Telwater MD Paul Phelan. “Today I am handing over part of the Telwater organization to BRP, an

expert in every industry it is in. Growing Telwater to what it is today has been an extraordinary journey, and I’m excited to see it join the BRP family.” Mr Phelan said that Telwater’s boat brands will learn from BRP’s innovation, and BRP will be able to leverage Telwater’s competitive advantages, including its stretch forming capabilities and manufacturing expertise. Telwater manufactures over 8000 boats and 5500 trailers annually, with over 60% market share in the Australian boat building industry, and exports to over 20 countries. - Telwater

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West Coast

Cool weather variety AUGUSTA

Anthony Gillam

Winter is here but as always, in Augusta, it doesn’t mean that the fishing is put on hold… well, most of the time it’s not. It’s time to throw on some thermal undies and a beanie, and get out chasing the cold weather crew. We’ve had some strange

weather this autumn, with a few warm, summer days mixed in with the more typical autumn conditions. The mixed up weather was also responsible for some mixed bags of fish hitting the dinner table. The Blackwood River and the Hardy Inlet in particular saw a real change in the fish being caught, with King George whiting really coming to the forefront and

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numbers steadily increasing along with a general increase in the size of those caught. The best catches were in the vicinity of ‘The Sticks’, East Augusta, Hardy Street jetty and Colourpatch. Black bream have been prominent downriver, with some really nice fish being landed as far down as West Bay. Living in the salty water definitely improves the flavour in comparison to those residing in the freshwater upstream. The slow growing nature of this fish means that they are quite old when they are in the 30-40cm range, so it’s always a good idea to only take a couple for a feed and release the rest. River prawns are the best bait, with small hardbodied lures and soft plastics also being very successful. Salmon catches in the river are dwindling as the season wanes, however, when fishing for whiting they have provided a surprise or two as they try to bully their way to freedom against the light lines. Crabs are on the decrease, with an overall disappointing season for those who made the effort. It is expected that with the imminent closing of the

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Another Flinders Bay dhufish. This one was taken on a whole squid in 40m of water. cut, those crabs remaining will breed and build up into the numbers traditionally expected. Those crabs that have been caught have in general been of excellent size and full of meat. The herring migration continues, and with the breeding cycle in full swing it has not been uncommon to bag out on 30cm fish with a round belly and so thick at the shoulder they look like neckless body builders. Just about everywhere along the beaches, rocks, river and ocean has produced a plethora of these pint-sized dynamos. Anywhere that has had a build-up of weed and the resulting maggots was a sure bet for a great session on light gear. Salmon catches along the coast have decreased to just the odd fish here and there as the hospital schools and injured individuals hug the shallows while they try to heal from wounds that you would think were impossible to survive. Despite their injuries, they still have a healthy appetite and won’t hesitate to wolf down anything thrown in front of them. The Ngari Capes Marine Park, which includes most of the southern half of Geographe Bay and extends around Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin to Flinders Bay, came into effect from April 2019 and it is important that people are aware of zones created. The marine park consists of five zone types: ‘no-take’ sanctuary zones, recreation zones, special purpose (shore-based activities) zones, special purpose (surfing) zones and a general use zone. The zones, which include fishing prohibitions, will mean that anyone using the ocean in the southwest must be sure that they are not breaking the law. To learn more about the dos and don’ts involved I suggest that people familiarise themselves with the details at the Department of Primary Industries and

Regional Development website which is found at: www.fish.wa.gov.au. Flinders Bay at this time of the year begins to produce some really nice pink snapper in surprisingly shallow depths; it is not unusual to get a 70-80cm fish in 12m. On a slow drift it really pays to send out a trail of mulie pieces, or if you have some rock lobster shells they are like a magnet, bringing them in from miles away.

are dicey at the best of times, so if there is any chance you could be getting wet then think about somewhere else. Berley with pollard, oil and mulie pieces to bring around the herring and silver trevally, and just keep them there with small amounts frequently. Try a prawn type soft plastic or paddle tail soft plastic slow jigged from the bottom to the surface, or an unweighted mulie piece or coral prawn drifted in the berley trail. Tarwhine will

An 80cm late season salmon on a Richter Clone rounded out a great session for Georgia Gillam. Pink snapper will take soft plastics – the bigger the better. Whole squid, cuttlefish pieces or mulies are good, and those bigger snapper around the metre mark will take just about anything that looks like it can be eaten. They are usually found in the company of dhufish, harlequin and breaksea cod, so it’s not uncommon to reach your boat limit of demersals in quick time and arrive back at the ramp for a late breakfast. Rock fishing is also very good at this time of the year; however, with unpredictable weather affecting the fishing conditions it is very important that you make good decisions. Wet rocks

often turn up to give a bit of variety and will happily join in the action. • If rock fishing, wear a lifejacket and tie off to something solid. You can hire one for free from Augusta 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.

West Coast

Pink in glassy conditions BUSSELTON

Stephen Norman

The South West was graced with some gorgeous pre-winter weather throughout May. The perfect combination of low wind and low swell allowed anglers plenty of opportunities to wet a line. WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING? Salmon numbers remained consistent throughout late April and well into May as they rounded cape Naturaliste and settled in the cool waters of Geographe Bay. Good numbers of fish were pulled from areas in the Dunsbrough region such as Eagle bay, Point PK and Castle Rock. Anglers fishing Geographe Bay picked up some solid pink snapper, which was a great early precursor for the season to come, along with big silver trevally. Most of this action was happening from 16m of water, out to around 20-25m of water, with notably more snapper in the mid 20m range. Many anglers reported a lot of smaller snapper in the bay, which is not something we have seen in a long time. We are familiar with seeing a plethora of baby snapper in and around places such as the Busselton jetty, but fish between 20-40cm range have been in big numbers this year as well, with most of these fish hassling anglers targeting the larger snapper offshore. This is a good sign of things to come. Speaking of the humble jetty, it has been a little quiet over the past few months, with just bread and butter species keeping anglers occupied. Skippy

While they grow a lot bigger, snapper around the 7kg mark are the most common size in Geographe Bay over winter. and herring kept anglers busy while the occasional samsonfish made an appearance as well. UPCOMING As the days become shorter, the water becomes dirtier and the northerly winds kick in, it’s all about the snapper. As we welcome our first day of winter this month, we are sure to see yet another bumper pink snapper fishing season. Solid numbers of snapper have already been accounted for in the South West during May, so heading forward into June and beyond should be very interesting. In 2018, early June produced some of the best snapper fishing of the whole year for us in Geographe Bay. I can recall anchoring in around 25m of water three nights in a row and easily nailing our bag limit of snapper, along with the occasional dhufish and gummy shark. We found that fishing the calm nights between the blows were the most successful, and the technique was pretty easy.

Oily nights such as this one allow for a quick trip out to the snapper grounds!

They first thing is to find bait, not necessarily rough ground. As the saying goes, fish are never far from their food and although some lumps or rubbly bottom may look attractive on the sounder, finding a solid bat school with some larger fish in the vicinity is what you’re looking for. The great thing about pink snapper fishing in winter is that they can be found from depths as shallow as 6m, so it’s easily accessible for small boats the kids. Once found, drop the anchor, and start berleying. Berley is perhaps the biggest key to catching snapper in Geographe Bay, as it can attract fish from well over half a mile away. We will often use a shredded mulie log. We find that setting baits at different depths is also an effective method of finding out where exactly the fish are. Two baits within 1m of the bottom, and two floaters that generally settle around mid-water. Doing this covers the water column and allows you to understand if the snapper are holding down deep against the bottom or if they are feeding mid-water. Try a mixture of fresh squid, live baits and mullet for baits, again, trying different things can be key. Speaking of fresh squid, late May and early June produced some insane squid fishing last year and we should see simular results this year. Squidding from the Busselton jetty was will be on fire as the cold fronts push larger numbers of squid close to shore. Try hitting the jetty or taking the tinny out around sunset and fish a good hour or two into dark for the best bite. • 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

Berley is the key to success this month BUNBURY

Joshua Stalliano

The prime time to target pink snapper in the Bunbury area is during the winter months. Snapper are frequent in the shallow reefs offshore

in depths ranging from 10-30m. Anchoring on areas of small, low lying ground will provide the best results. Berley is the key ingredient in order to bring the snapper into your area. Using blocks of frozen berley suspended below the

A quality snapper caught locally in Bunbury after the season’s first real blow by Corey Dillon.

boat with cubes of mulies/ pilchards tossed into the trail will help to bring the snapper right up to the back of the boat. The optimum rig to choose when targeting snapper from the boat is a leader around 60lb-100lb with two snelled 6/0-8/0 beak hooks. I use 60lb Varivas mono leader and 6/0 BKK red octopus hooks. A light ball sinker can be added to your rig in order to get your bait down into the optimum feeding zone on nights where the wind and/or current are too strong to get your baits to the bottom. Some of the best baits for targeting snapper include mulies, scalies and herring. During winter months, it is also the prime time to target snapper off the beach. When the northwesterly wind blows, it’s time to grab the beach rods and raincoats and head down to the beach to get stuck into the landbased snapper! Any of the beaches north and south of Bunbury will hold snapper during the winter months. Using similar techniques to the boaters, targeting areas where reef systems are closer to shore and deep gutters, will provide the best results. Berley can be used, although it may also attract undesirable species such as sharks and large stingrays. Typical beach rigs can be used, such as the standard paternoster with either 5/0 gang hooks or 6/0-8/0 snelled hooks to provide better bait presentation. For the beaches, slimmer profile baits like mulies and scalies aid in better casting performance. The same techniques for targeting snapper will also yield mulloway and gummy sharks. The salmon schools are still hitting the southwest

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A stonker salmon caught from the South West by Robert Goodlich. beaches, with frequent schools visiting the Bunbury area. Fishing the more reeflike areas on sunrise will put you in with the best chance of getting stuck into these awesome sportfish. Casting shallow diving hardbodies and surface lures over the shallow reef and around rock groynes is the key technique to target fish holding up overnight in these shallow areas for protection. If braving the storms in search of snapper is not on your agenda, then the dams and rivers are well worth a crack for a redfin or the various trout species. Wellington Dam and the Collie River are two of the most easily accessible spots to target these freshwater species. Targeting deeper water around fallen trees and tree stumps will yield the best results. Typical redfin lures consist of small soft plastics in the 2”-3.5” range, with the Z-Man GrubZ being one of the most popular, along with the various types of spinner lures. Both rainbow and brown trout can be found in many freshwater streams throughout the southwest. Fishing the rapids of these streams will yield trout.

Using Rapala F5, CD5s and Warlocks fished against the flow of water will have your lure in the prime location to be prey for a trout. • The crew at Whiteys Tackle and Camping are always

more than happy to share their knowledge of the South West and fishing techniques, so don’t be shy, come on in and say hi, show off your catch and ask any questions you may have!

Fishing the more reef-like areas on sunrise will give you the best chance of getting stuck into these awesome sportfish.

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JUNE 2019

Jake Atkinson caught this early morning slab of silver using a fresh scalie.

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West Coast

Mix it up in Mandurah MANDURAH

Jesse Choy

It has been an interesting month for those getting out and there seems to be a wide variety of species on offer. While you would traditionally expect the salmon to turn up early April, they only really turned up heading into May, which means that

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reefs are proving good spots to check out. The turbulent water reveals new food sources and quite often you will catch a fish, even if it is not your target species. The lower reaches of the rivers are proving to be rewarding as the rain pushes large quantities of bait downstream, which cannot fight the heavy current. Mulloway are keyed into reading these conditions

Knowing that the waters are continually changing thanks to the winter weather, you are also able to focus your efforts on fishing closer to the ocean if you are just after a bit of fun. Skipjack, herring and tarwhine seem to be fairly active around Dawesville. A simple cube bait of prawn or pilchard is proving deadly and is going to give you a great chance at catching something. It is

Mulloway seem to like taking small lures like this 2.25â&#x20AC;? grub, which was intended for bream.

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they have entertained anglers for a bit longer than in previous years. While these fish seem to have taken their time coming up the coast, there is still the occasional salmon showing up around the reefs. At this time, it becomes difficult to hone in on the fish

and are able to easily adapt as shown in the growing reports of mulloway being captured in the rivers. There are also plenty of reports of black bream being captured in these lower sections of these systems with fish over 40cm being caught on lures and

important to mention that keeping your sinkers as light as light as possible despite the current will produce much more than if using a heavier weight. Using the current to sink your bait naturally down is definitely going to attract more attention than a bait

While the rain and cold can be uncomfortable, you often get treated to a beautiful light show if you are fishing early or late in June.

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JUNE 2019

movements, their schools are not as visible, which makes actively chasing these fish that bit harder. Boaters are lucky at this time of the year, and being able to stay on top of the fish is a massive advantage when salmon fishing. Washy rocks and shallow inshore

bait. Prawn or mullet is a good bait on a light running sinker rig, and if you are to snag up, it is quite easy to re-tie. Those fishing lures are finding that a range of naturally-coloured hardbody lures and small 2-3â&#x20AC;? plastics are doing the job and fooling some of the bigger fish.

plummeting to the bottom at full speed. As we get well and truly into winter, we are moving further and further away from the best tailor fishing around Mandurah. If you are going to try, the beaches that never seem to fail like White Hills or Tims Thicket

West Coast are good places to have a crack, and it is also still well worth having a go up near San Remo. There is still whiting about, with mixed reports of both King George and yellowfin whiting being caught around Mandurah.

start to drop. During this time anglers should alter their mindset to continue giving themselves the best chance at a fish. Not only does shallow water fishing for trout become more viable in this cooler weather, but it also provides an opportunity

Fishing offshore around the Five Fathom Bank and the 20m mark is definitely heating up. There are plenty of fish on the inner reefs, and there seems to be plenty of action as well, particularly for those who are fishing around these sorts of depths

Skippy on light gear are incredibly fun, and fishing a small plastic is definitely a deadly weapon when chasing these guys around rocks. While they are still very much catchable in our estuary, those who are fishing on the ocean side of the estuary and out towards Dawesville are seeing

for the angler to focus on certain areas to increase their chances. Feeder streams or bottle neck areas provide a funnel of turbulent water and are great places to check

Releasing old bream like this one ensures there is plenty for future generations to enjoy. that it is quite productive, particularly with baits. Small paternoster styled rigs with light sinkers are doing the job for bait fishers, while those chasing fish in the estuary are finding that heavily-weighted vibration lures like the Ecogear ZX range are proving effective. Heading into June, we can definitely expect the freshwater fishing to become more relevant on our surrounding dams. Winter rains mean that the air and water temperatures

out, as the fish love cold, well oxygenated water and are well attuned to hunting in these conditions. Depending on the density of the structure, a lightly-weighted plastic or a shallow diving hard body lure is going to do the trick. Baits are not to be overlooked, but artificials, whether or not they are fly, plastic or hardbody, are going to give you a significant advantage, since you are able to be mobile and hunt for the fish.

and structures. Snapper, dhufish, samsonfish and squid are all there for the taking if you are willing to put in a little bit of time and do the yards. If it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t already a focus, land-based snapper fishing will really start to produce through June and July. While it is not necessarily an appealing time to fish, it is well worth heading out in some below average conditions when targeting this species from the shore. With swells pounding the shorelines, a naturally presented bait or plastic is going to imitate something being knocked out of its home in the rocks and that is all too enticing for a predator looking to save some energy. As tempting as it may be to stay warm, you will significantly increase your chances of coming up tight if you are willing to get out of your comfort zone and persist through the cold. General river and bread and butter fishing will be hard to pass by, as it is not only the snapper looking to make the most of the newly available food sources. While there is good fishing during these winter months, there is definitely an increase in risk to be out there and in those conditions. When heading out it is good practice to take a mate with you or at least ensure you are taking measures to keep yourself of harmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s way.

A good haul of King George whiting taken from relatively shallow water. For a small fish they certainly taste great. JUNE 2019

West Coast

Time for some beach chills LANCELIN

Peter Fullarton

In June we get the shortest days of the year, some chilly nights, cold fronts and big swells. It might push your thoughts away from fishing, but don’t be fooled. We also get some absolutely fantastic

so when the Moore River mouth is open, mulloway are always a very good chance there. The swells have been scouring out the beach gutters, offering deep water and big fish right at the shore line. The gutters have been fishing well recently for school size mulloway and larger-thanaverage tailor. Fishing away

The sand whiting are a much better size along the beaches now than they were in summer, and with them is an abundance of herring. The beaches north of Lancelin or south of Ledge Point have been producing the better size sand whiting. After a recent storm there have been some small schools of salmon randomly appearing along our shoreline and in the bay. There is a good chance we will see them for the winter months. Fishing within the bay allows for small boats and kayaks to fish safely when the swell is up, and there are plenty of options. We have had a fantastic run of King George whiting and June is usually when they are most abundant in the bay, and the average size fish can be around 40cm. The King

down near the bottom to try attracting some in. When the swell is running, there is normally a good north push of current inside the bay that will bring the fish to your berley pot. Over the deeper weed beds there are usually plenty of herring, snook, pike, skippy and squid. Blue sardines or white bait fished unweighted in a berley trail work well. Around the rocky bottom areas there are also good size tarwhine, chinaman cod, the odd breaksea cod and some king and brown wrasse. Along the shore line there should be a feed of blue swimmer crabs. Many of the bay species will readily take lures. A lot of visiting anglers travel with kayaks and they make for a perfectly silent fishing platform to work the

herring around the jetty each night, and generally the worse the weather and swell, the better they bite! Once the swells start getting up over 3-3.5m, caution is required entering and exiting the bay. Most boats will use either the ‘hole in the wall’ passage or run the lead lights. Both these passages will break on larger swells. Using ‘hole in the wall’ you run a shorter distance through the break, but the swells will stand up quicker and you do need to know how to navigate the passage. With the lead lights you can see the bigger waves coming ahead and move

Fiona recently managed to pick a fine day between the rough weather and landed this nice tailor on a whole whiting bait she caught earlier. calm days in between the uncomfortable weather, so watch the weather closely for windows of opportunity and plan ahead to make the most of them as they come! The beaches are best fished either very early in the morning or late afternoon and into the evening for mulloway, snapper, sharks and tailor. Being comfortable is one secret to success! You are not likely to put in the hours and persist for a trophy fish if you are cold and miserable. Having warm shoes, warm clothes, a beanie and a pair of warm gloves to keep those fingers from going numb…. There has been a great run of mulloway, with plenty of big fish well over a metre coming from Guilderton right through to Ledge Point. Mulloway like to hunt dirty water and love to eat mullet,

from the gutters adjacent to reefs we have seen some good catches of pink snapper along with some large mulloway and tailor. This is a great time to be chasing a land-based pinkies along the Lancelin coast. Recently, there have been a lot of smaller sized snapper taking the baits, which can at times make it difficult to keep any decent bait out long enough to find one of the larger specimens, and this is a good sign for the future. The pinkies seem to keep getting better and better each year, which suggests the current management arrangement, is working well. Skippy and tarwhine are also frequently caught from the shore near reefs. These can be targeted at a more civilized hour if you are not so keen to be out in the cold at sunrise.

JUNE 2019

Lancelin is lucky to have a volunteer marine rescue base. Log on via VHF channel 22 or 27Mhz channel 91. You’ll need to give them the number of persons on board, litres of fuel, destination and estimated time of return. Please wear a PFD and know where your safety gear is for every trip! Once out the bay there are schools of larger size skippy, pink snapper and samsonfish on the inshore reefs. A berley trail near some good reef country will usually bring them to the boat. From 17-22m we get very good size sand whiting. It pays to have a few drifts

Liam was very happy with his double header of school whiting. George whiting will be along the edge of weed beds and in sand holes. I normally anchor up the boat where I can cast to several likely spots. I don’t initially use berley for fear of bringing in swarms of butterfish, trumpeter and blowfish. If I don’t start catching them within 10-15 minutes, drop a berley pot

Be careful navigating the beaches at this time of year, as they can become narrow, soft and steep as this group found out. 24

On a stormy afternoon this 20.5kg mulloway took a small sand whiting bait.

shallows with lures. Drifting and casting soft plastics or micro jigs it is not at all difficult to catch half a dozen different species in a session. The pike and snook have very sharp teeth and once a fish is hooked they will often attack any swivels along the mainline, so tie any leaders direct to the mainline via a knot like the FG for braid or a double uni knot for mono. Trolling small metal spinners works very well to find the herring. Trolling small hardbody lures will catch you snook to a metre over the deeper weed beds. Most of these species can also be caught from the jetty. June is the best time to chase a feed of King George whiting. They can be caught casting to the sand edges and they bite well into the night under the lights. They find it hard to refuse a fresh caught squid bait. Squid can be caught from the jetty at any time of day, although early mornings and sunset are best. There should be swarms of

There has been a good number of large whiskery and gummy sharks caught recently, with this gummy coming from 27m. around the worst of them. Sit back and watch the swell sets before attempting to leave the bay, and if it is not safe then don’t take any chances. If the swell picks up while you are out there, entering the bay is somewhat easier provided your boat is adequately powered. Just watch the sets and follow behind one of the smaller waves into the bay, watching over your back to make sure you don’t need to power away from any waves from behind.

until you find some better size fish before dropping the anchor. There is still good numbers of cuttlefish over the flats out from 24m. From 24m the demersal fishing starts to improve, with dhufish, pink snapper, break sea cod and baldchin groper the most prolific species. Dhufish are usually in better numbers and size class out around 35-85m, although over the month they should continue to improve inshore.

FUN PAGE AND COMPETITIONS COD SPECIES

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WA JUNE 2019

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GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

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SPOT THE

10 DIFFERENCES

BARRA COUNTRY by Brett Currie

ORIGINAL

FIND-A-WORD

Congratulations to, Kerry Lockwood 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 April is D Myers of Sorrento, who won an E.J. Todd Prize Pack to the value of $300. All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – WAFM

A Honey of Oldbury, G Shute of Claremont, J Bremmell of Brunswick , N Martin of Winthrop, A Hogan of Parmelia, C Carey of Bentley, S Rivers of Canningvale, R Taylor of Rockingham, V De Souza of Duncraig, G Higgins of Eaton, D McGillivray of Moora, D Werder of Dawesville, J Addenbrooke of Maddington, D

Elkerbout of Dunsborough, M Curry of South Guildford, D Culshaw of Banyo, B Jacobs of Safety Bay, B Simmonds of Silversands, P Baskerville of Broome, F Fraser of Bridgetown, C Heslewood of Busselton, and K Lockwood of Rockingham. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – WAFM

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS

FIND THE GAMAKATSU LOGO

GUESS THE FISH?

The answers to Find the Gamakatsu Logo for April were: 6, 10, 15, 16, 24, 26, 29, 34, 39, 46, 49, 53, 56, 61, 63. – WAFM This month’s Guess the Fish Answer: Bonito

The Find the Gamakatsu Logo prize winners for April were:

Answer: JUNE 2019

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Jason Harris

The temperature has dropped significantly, and new fishing opportunities abound. Rug up and get out amongst it! There are a few snapper around and you fish at night with a berley trail of small cubes of mulie or fish flesh, you’re in with a chance. Just keep the berley trail going and use fresh bait. A snapper was caught from the jetty by an angler who used a herring fillet as bait, and hopefully this is the first of many reports. Lots of herring are around in the afternoons. The best bait is prawn, and using berley will always help. Squid are being caught at dawn, in the afternoon and into the night on squid jigs, and there’s also reports of a few flathead being caught as well.

A decent snapper caught jigging on a lump in around 50m of water. day, but dusk and nighttime are working best. The breakwall at the marina has been producing skippy, tailor and samsonfish. Arriving late afternoon, berleying up and fishing through sunset and into the night has been best for the tailor. The fishing inshore has been good, with snapper,

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This is a typical size samsonfish at the moment. Early morning seems to be when they bite, with the fish coming from most structure that’s holding bait. There are tailor, mulloway and whiting coming from the beaches. Island Point and Hill River in particular are producing catches of goodsized whiting. The fish have been on the bite at various times during the day, and sandworms have been the best bait, with squid and oxheart working too. Tailor have been on all the beaches from Hill River to Sandy Cape. They are biting at sunrise, late afternoon, sunset and at night. The bigger tailor will start to move in as it cools off into winter. Don’t forget to keep the berley trail going, as mulloway are still being caught off the beaches at night. Alex from Seasport Tackle says the marina is going great for herring, skippy and some flathead. The herring have been nice, producing some nice fillets. Prawns and squid working best as baits, but don’t forget to berley. Crabs are available too, and while there’s lots of small ones around, the bigger ones are in there amongst them. Fish are being caught throughout the

samsonfish, whiting and large skippy all being caught during the day. The snapper and samsonfish have been caught by anchoring on structure and berleying. Use plenty of mulies in your berley for best results. Whiting have been on the sand, mostly on ox heart, squid and sandworms. There are also lots of squid in the bay at the moment. On the calm nights boats have anchored up in the bay and caught some good

snapper. Use heaps of berley and fresh bait. The north side of the bay has been producing best for those finding lumps around North Tail and over to North Head. Kristin from Seastar Charters says she is catching big mulloway in depths around 20-30m. Big fish up to 15kg are putting up a fight trying to pull clients in, and of course, the fish are preferring nice fresh bait. Snapper catches have been good, with consistent catches up to around 80cm. The smaller snapper have been moving around the sand areas, and Kristin has been experiencing and unusual run of spangled emperor. The weather has cooled and the mackerel have gone off the bite, but anglers are looking forward to bigger yellowfin tuna to start arriving through May. Samsonfish have been biting on lumps in the 40-50m depth, and if you want to find these guys look for structure with lots of bait. Dhufish and snapper up to 10kg have been coming in, with live bait, fresh bait and jigs all working. The great cray run continues, with crays coming in from all the usual spots within the bay. Wire Reef, Pumpkin Hollow and behind Favourite Island are all producing good numbers of reds. Just make sure your pots are well sheltered from the swell, which will be moving into a winter pattern soon.

Bret went wide around the 90m to pick up this very solid dhufish. It nailed the jig on the first drop and then tried everything, including hiding in a cave. JUNE 2019

West Coast

Persist through the conditions GERALDTON

Graham Maunder & Michael Triantopoulos

Fishing the beaches, rock walls and reefs over the last month has had its challenges with cyclone warnings up north bringing strong winds and some larger than usual swells, which tear up the sea grass

and have an offshore reef system that restricts the effects of the rough weather a little more than north of Geraldton, which has made fishing a little more accessible. Flat Rocks Reef, Clinches and behind the ‘S Bend’ have had some large herring, pike, tailor to 50cm and school-sized mulloway from 60cm – 1.2m. No

producing some goodsized whiting, dart and herring. The lighter tackle is proving the better option with a whiting rig set up with a running sinker between two crane swivels, a no. 6 hook on the bottom and a set of no. 4 – 6 gangs with a strip of pilchard or whitebait on a lead off the top swivel. Make sure the distance between the hooks

Barry Fisher with a solid red emperor caught off Dongara – not a common capture that far south. beds leaving weed along many off the best beaches. Tailor catches may not be as consistent or sizeable as earlier in the season, although there are still some 30-40cm models getting around along the harbour rock walls early in the morning (pre-dawn). Herring and whiting can be found in similar areas late in the afternoon until after sunset. Weedy conditions have meant you will probably have to check out a few beaches to find fishable water. North of Sunset Beach and Drummonds through to north of Coronation all have had their fair share of larger tailor, but you will certainly have to decide if pulling more weed than fish is worth the effort. The beaches, reefs and rocks from Cape Burney all the way south to Head Butts have had less weed

spot in particular has been reliably free of weed but as the season has gone on the mulloway catches have been the highlight for anglers prepared to put in the effort. The local breakwater formally known as Back of the Lives has had a really good run of mulloway recently, with most of the fish around 10-14kg. Putting the time and effort into the evening has proved the better results. Live baits such as whiting and small herring have been the preferred bait. The beach north of the Coronation Bay car park, Port Gregory north to Shoal Point and the beach next to Port Gregory jetty are producing some good catches after dark. Most of the tailor are under 40cm but there a few larger fish of 50cm or more. Port Gregory and Coronation are also

is far enough to eliminate the chance of tangles when casting.

BOAT With the weather finally starting to improve it has allowed anglers to get out. There has also been some good weather on weekends too, which gives the people that work a Monday to Friday an opportunity to get out. Greenough River mouth south to African Reef has been producing some nice dhufish to 10kg, pink snapper, baldchin groper and coral trout. The better of the fishing has been in the shallower water inside and between little and big ‘African’. There still has been the occasional Spanish mackerel being caught, although it is starting to get late in the season, making them harder to prospect. South West Bank reports of a consistent mixed bag of demersal fish including dhufish, pink snapper, baldchin groper, sweetlip and the odd red emperor. There have also been reports off pelagic fish including samsonfish, amberjack, striped and yellowfin tuna around the charted lumps and drop offs. West to north west of the Batavia Marina 7-10nm in 30-40m has been producing solid numbers off pink snapper to 6kg, dhufish, sweetlip, baldchin groper, breaksea cod, estuary cod and the

Mark Waters with one of the many nice mulloway he’s been landing along Tarcoola Beach. occasional red emperor. The Lumps further north out from Coronation to Horrocks has accounted for coral trout, pink snapper, sweetlip, baldchin groper, dhufish and Samsonfish, along with the odd Spanish mackerel and cobia. Abrolhos Islands, Southern Group around Wreck Point has

Kate Ottaway scored this massive dhufish right after she caught a tasty coral trout, which was her first ever fish.

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unfortunately had a shark problem, so landing fish is extremely hard work in areas. Reports of yellowfin tuna to 20kg, Spanish mackerel, shark mackerel and the occasional yellowtail kingfish have all accounted for the anglers who are tolling. There have been reports of some quality bags of demersal species on the move, although you will have to keep moving as it’s senseless to be sitting on a spot hooking and killing fish for the sake of possibly getting one past the sharks and also becomes expensive with the amount of tackle lost. SMALL BOATS Squid numbers have improved, with anglers reporting some great catches. Pages Beach around to Separation Point being the productive areas. Herring, whiting, skippy, pike and wrasse captures have been reported too. Seal Rocks has had good numbers of herring, pike, skippy and whiting. There has still been captures of mulloway to 15kg and pink snapper for those prepared to put the time in fishing into the evening.

West Coast There has been also the odd small Spanish mackerel and school mackerel caught, which makes for some great fun on light tackle meant for herring. • Geraldton Sports Centre is the Mid Wests 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. 204-208 Marine Terrace Geraldton WA,

Phone; 08 99213664. • If you are staying in Geraldton or passing through, don’t be afraid to call in to Geraldton Sports Centre for a chat. They are located at 204-208 Marine Terrace, Geraldton.

CREATE YOUR ADVENTURES

Justin Hopper with a healthy dhufish caught on a local charter out from Geraldton. PORT DENISON SPOTLIGHT Over the last couple of months I have been exploring the area from Port Denison south to Carsons Beach, mostly with smaller tackle more suited to herring, Yellowtail, whiting and other bread and butter species. My rigs vary a fair bit depending on conditions, the type of structure and, of course, the species I want to catch. As usual, even though I might be targeting yellowtail with small hooks and tiny pieces of bait, the variety and quality of species is outstanding. My usual tackle for yellowtail is 10lb braid of a colour I can see, 12lb leader and a rig of two number 8 Mustad 8260D or number 12 Daichi 2171-B rigged on 6lb fluorocarbon with one lead 40cm long and the other 30cm, so there is a noticeable gap between the baits. Yellowtail will take most baits, but pieces of pilchard fillet or fish flesh no more than 4-5mm wide with the hook pushed through the middle of the bait works well. As the water is only a few meters deep and the fish hang around close to the jetties, a short cast, and shallow drop (1m) is all that is needed. The marina is full of juvenile pink snapper and other species, so don’t let the bait sink too deep, as catching unwanted other species is a nuisance. Even with these small hooks and light tackle I have landed skippy to 35cm, bull herring, legal tailor, small mulloway, estuary cod to 60cm, and my PB black bream of 48cm. The Port Denison Marina has easy access by cars, three jetties and plenty of accessible rock walls. The Yellowtail are predominantly near the ends of the jetties, which is convenient, as the wind will usually be from behind you, and as they become active and on the bite around 5pm and less prolific not long after dark, you can catch a good quantity of small yellowtail for bait, or if you’re lucky, bigger fish up to 30cm to eat and still be home at a reasonable time. The beaches south of Port Denison do have issues with weed movement at this time of the year due to the huge sea grass beds along the coast, but with protective reef a couple of miles offshore and shallow water the waves are generally not too big to manage and a rod of 3m is usually sufficient. When you first see the area it looks a bit shallow to hold large fish, but with plenty of both school and yellowfin whiting, herring, garfish and small baitfish, surprisingly larger tailor, mulloway, sharks and Spanish mackerel are caught off the beach from late summer into early autumn. A recent evening and night spent at the southern end of 10 Mile Beach fishing with an old 9’ 6W Synder Glass rod made 30 years ago and light tackle meant for whiting or herring turned out to be harder work than I had planned for. I think most anglers plan their fishing and tackle around what they dream of catching not what they do catch, and so I also packed a couple of heavier duty surf outfits just in case they might be needed. I started fishing with the light rod at about 5pm, hoping to catch a nice small live bait or something I could get a fillet off for the big rod I had already set up just in case. Catching a small fish for bait is usually not too much trouble, but whiting no more than 10cm long was not what I had in mind. After about an hour or so and nothing suitable being caught, I resorted to mullet strips and pilchards. Both are usually great baits, but unfortunately not tough enough to stop the sand crabs and whiting from stripping the hooks bare. At about 7pm the fish got a bit larger and I made the decision to keep fishing with the light rod and at least go home with a good feed of whiting. The next couple of hours got a bit hectic, with dart to 45cm, tarwhine to about 1kg and school mulloway up to 60cm taking the peeled coral prawn bait on number 6 Limerick hooks, and not a single fish on the big rod and larger baits. I lost count of how many mulloway and tarwhine I put back it, and it sure was fun! After a break for a cup of tea and a bite to eat, I decided to pack up and take a very nice feed of whiting and Tarwhine home. I’ll be back to the beaches south of Port Denison another day soon! – Graham Maunder

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West Coast

Muddy Murchison waters means mulloway KALBARRI

Stephen Wiseman

Thunder storms 800km East of Kalbarri have given the Murchison River a nice chocolate tinge, and muddy brown it may be, but the mulloway have got the scent of a river in minor flood.

Activity at the mouth of the river has drawn in many anglers, and those in small boats have been doing very well, with many fish around the 800mm mark. The best baits and rigs have been strip mullet salted or fresh on snelled 4/0 circle hooks, or the old faithful gang of tarpons.

Some interesting information has been gathered from tagging of mulloway around the Kalbarri, and that is the growth rate and movement patterns of this iconic species. Most of the fish seem to travel south along the coast and recaptures have been recorded from

Left: Ashley Van Vierson with one of the many good-sized mulloway from the beach. Right: Chinamans Beach has been looking more like porcupine quills in the sand.

The author managed this great mulloway and kept it for dinner.

Whitticara and Wagoe to Port Gregory and further South. Growth is in the range of 70-80mm per year after leaving the river system. Following floods of the past, juvenile mulloway have filled the river system, with dozens in the 300mm size range

being caught and released near the pens in the river. Some unfortunately have being mistaken for large whiting and been taken for a feed, which is very sad, but this is nothing a bit of awareness and education on fish ID can’t fix. Offshore activity has been slow, and many boats

are trying and having little success with pelagics as the water temperatures continue to drop. The macs may have have gone for this season, but it shouldn’t be long before we see some nice yellowfin tuna turn up with the first whale being sighted of the coast recently.

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Gascoyne Coast

Cool relief for local anglers and visitors alike EXMOUTH

Jeni Gates

The colder weather hit rather early this year, with cooler temperatures giving great relief to locals and visitors in the Exmouth area. Last year

Red was the favourite colour of many anglers, with loads of reports coming in of coral trout, red emperor, ruby jobfish, red rock lobster and other tasty delights that we have in this region. The charter boats were busy with mahi mahi,

Red emperor have been coming aboard in the lead up to winter, and should continue in June. it was really hot right through May and into June, but this year the Easter holiday revellers enjoyed the great camping conditions and some hot fishing action.

wahoo and tuna, while the run of small blacks continued in the shallow waters west of the reef along with the sailfish. Autumn is one of the busiest times of the year

for visitors, and this year certainly had high numbers both on the water and land, however, it is still very easy to find a secluded beach to have a walk and throw a popper or metal slice in search of a fish or two. The Strada spoons in the 28g size were one of the most used lures for anglers chasing the queenfish that were in the marina and along the gulf beaches. This lure also worked well on the west side for trevally and we even had a customer catch a shark mackerel at the tip of the cape on one. June is a cool month in Exmouth, with much colder conditions for this latitude than Sarina in Central Queensland. It is also the similar latitude as Cabo San Lucas in the northern hemisphere, which is another fishing Mecca. Conditions in June can be favourable for boating and shore-based fishing, so perhaps it is just the locals who find it cold after the long summer months! June is usually the time when the crabs in the gulf start to fire up and we hope that the recent rains will bring some prawns to various lower gulf haunts. The throw net option for these delicious crustaceans is your best bet for catching a meal or two.

Red has been the colour of the month, with some tasty feeds coming in from offshore.

Trevally are always fun between more tasty pelagic species. Just make sure you have an up-to-date netting license and know the rules for bag limits. A bit of practise at throwing the net is advised too, and we recommend that you have a good look at the weather to ensure you are not stuck in a small boat a long way from the ramp if the winds pick up in those lower bays. One of the bays is called Gales Bay, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no prize for guessing why it has that name! Fly fishing can be incredible at times in Exmouth. The summer walking the beaches can be rather hot and tiring, with temperatures reaching the 40s and higher, but winter is a lovely time to walk the secluded beaches with a fly rod in hand to target various species. These days the super dry bum bags and back packs from companies such as Yeti and Overboard give you the chance to really get stuck in to some interesting areas for targeting fish. We recommend using good reef walking boots and making

sure you take plenty of drinking water and food for energy to bring in all those fish! â&#x20AC;˘ For more up to the minute information on what is biting and where, drop into

Wahoo have been available for those heading offshore.

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Gascoyne Coast

Bluff your way to a decent feed SHARK BAY

Kurt Blanksby

The shore-based scene has really slowed down with the cooler conditions, however for those prepared to put in the time, especially at high tide, there is some good fishing to be had. The pick of the spots is the Bluffs to the south of Denham, especially in the early evenings. By heading down during daylight hours and fishing into the evening, you can orientate yourself with the best locations. Remember where the snaggy ground is so you don’t lose too many rigs, and get ready for some tailor, mulloway and pink snapper action. Keep the fishing simple and just arm yourself with a medium surf rod and reel loaded with 30lb braid and a rig made up of a sliding star sinker down to a swivel, a 40cm length of 40-50lb mono trace line and a set of ganged hooks. Whole pilchard baits bought frozen and allowed to thaw a little are then threaded onto the hooks and cast out into any likely looking channels or holes.

After dark things usually start to get exciting, and many of the bigger fish will now be moving into the shallows to feed. Keep an eye on your size and bag limits, as undersize pinkies and tailor can sometimes be a problem, but perseverance usually pays off, with better-sized

fish eventually turning up. Small sharks will also be about, and you will suffer the occasional bite off. If this becomes too common, then add a short section of multi-strand wire just above the hooks and then attach it to the leader. These smaller ones actually make quite good eating if bled and

The Shark Bay Bluffs are great fishing spots, especially afternoon and into the night.

filleted or cut into cutlets, so don’t just write them off as pesky sharks. Over on the Monkey Mia side the deep channel running south of the jetty at the sand spit is another good spot to use the same techniques. Again, tailor and mulloway with a few small sharks and rays thrown in will be the reward for a bit of effort. Boat anglers will be taking advantage of some good mixed bags of cod, mulloway and black and pink snapper in the deeper channels out from Denham or Monkey Mia. Conditions will be hit and miss, as this is winter and although you’re much further north than Perth, the cold fronts moving through can still cause some lumpy conditions out in boats. The beach and reef area to the north of False Entrance will be worth spinning with metal lures or surface poppers for big tailor, which will be hunting in the white wash and gutters. Further north at Steep Point the winds will not be as favourable for ballooning on most days, so spinning again with lures from the high rocks or bait fishing will be

The sand spit to the south of the jetty at Monkey Mia has been producing some good fish lately. the most reliable methods for mixed species. With any big winter fronts moving through further south, take extra care out on the high rocks as big oceanic swells pushing in can make many of these locations extremely dangerous. If conditions are too dangerous on the western

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side then fish lighter into one of the many sheltered and safe bays and beaches on the eastern side of the peninsula. Don’t forget to have a go off the Denham public jetty with light line for yellowfin bream, pike, black snapper (mostly undersize so please return to the water quickly) and of course, squid.

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North Coast

Are too many fishing options really a problem? BROOME

Troy Honey

The biggest problem with fishing in Broome at the moment is where you will concentrate your time. The fishing is nothing short of sensational this tourist season, from bottom bouncing or jigging over the reefs, trolling for the

Targeting demersals in the Broome region can be exceptional right through to very frustrating. The water temperature is on the money right now to find them close to shore, so the long trips out may not necessarily be required to find good fish. The frustration that can come with that is escaping the ever-hungry sharks. There is a lot of very good

When sharks are encountered while fishing, my preferred option is to use metal jigs, as I find them less prone to being attacked versus soft plastics or baits, which are shark delicacies. Using stronger gear with them enables you to retrieve the hooked fish at a much faster rate. Sharks suffer barotrauma as much as demersals, so retrieving

Mel Murphy and husband James regularly fish the waters of the Fitzroy River. Recently on the incoming tide in about half a metre of water, they experienced a memorable bite window that lasted about an hour and 20 minutes before shutting down. big specimens off the coast, fishing with the kids off the jetty right through to exploring what the bay and creeks are still offering. Starting with the demersals, the abundance of good fish being landed has been fantastic. The deckies on the charter boats have had their work cut out for them, with tourist bringing big numbers of fish of all

ground only a short trip off the coast around the Broome town, but with the numbers of fishers the tourist season brings, the sharks have learnt how to bag an easy feed, especially in the depth range of 15-40m. Picking the right weather and tides (which is calm weather and neap tides) enables boats to travel faster with ease and search for less

your fish as fast as practical will result in a higher rate of landing your fish whole. You need to bear in mind the opportunity to release your catch successfully reduces dramatically with a fast retrieve. Knowing this, the best course of action to fish for the future is to put in the time to find ground with a lower shark population. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also much more fun.

both switchbaits and lures doing the damage. Altering speeds is recommended if the sails are raising but failing to strike. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re after live baits such as garfish, they can be found in protected waters such as in Gantheaume Bay just past the racecourse right around to Town Beach. Using small pieces of shelled prawns on very small hooks works well, and berleying is recommended for best results. The Broome jetty is holding bluebone, Spanish flag and Moses perch, with the incoming tide providing the best chance. Queenies and GTs are also being caught on the high tide change. There are some large mangrove jack holding up around the pylons that divers have successfully speared, but they are very finicky and hard to tempt with baits. This is most likely due to the weight needed to get down to where they are in the strong tides. It is recommended to try from standing underneath the jetty at low tide with small bibbed minnow or something similar. Cast out past the pylons and retrieve in the direction the tide is running and you may be lucky enough to fool one into a strike. These resident

Another solid Fitzroy barra for Mel. good numbers. The cooler water temperature at this time of year can slow them down a bit, so presenting baits in the shallow murky waters of the incoming tide that can be detected by the whiskers of the threadies is a recommended method. Barramundi are still about, but enticing them can be frustrating in the cooler waters of the creeks around

with the crabs being of good size. If chasing the larger green mud crab, Willie Creek is producing a few massive models, with Barred and Crab creeks holding more of the smaller brown mud crabs. To summarize, there is some exceptional fishing in Broome right now, and if you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make a decision on where to fish, let the tides make it for you. On

A prized tripletail caught by Mel Murphy in Roebuck Bay around the moorings using cooked prawns for bait. The aggressive tripletail smashed her bait first cast; sight casting at its finest. Liam Di-Mascia had a great day offshore out from Barred Creek landing some beast Spanish mackerel from his tinny. species aboard. Red emperor, coral trout, blueline and bluespot emperor, bluebone, crimson and golden snapper, Spanish flags, cobia, golden trevally and Chinaman fish have all featured. I am sure I have missed few, as I have seen just about every local demersal come aboard last month.

commonly fished grounds either further south or north. My most successful days have always been fishing the low tide change on neap tides 20 nautical miles or more north and south, and 5-10 nautical miles to the west. These grounds are less fished and I am yet to encounter a shark.

The good ground around Broome is not just for the demersals, and right now we are in the middle of the gamefish season. Some exceptional catches have been recorded already of sailfish both in size and numbers. The area off Barred and Willie creeks has been producing most sails, with

jacks are very smart and have seen it all before, so you will have your work cut out for you. They feed on the crustaceans growing on the pylons, similar to the large black bream found much further south, and floating down unweighted mussels and oyster meat is definitely worth a try on these jacks. Across the bay to Crab Creek and the Fingers further south, the threadfin salmon are still in very

Broome. Making the trek out to the Fitzroy River and searching for snags in the deeper waters exposed to full sun during the day has proven to be a way to spur them into action. Mud crabs are in huge numbers in all of the creeks right now, especially the brown mud crab. Anglers using drop nets from boats in Crab and Willie creeks have been scoring their bag limit in less than one round of pulls,

neap tides you should head out chasing the demersals on either the high or low tide change. On spring tides you should head up the creeks or into the bay to chase some threadies on the incoming tide, followed by some mud crabs on the high tide change. Just make sure you are on your way home before the water beneath you becomes mud, or you could find yourself in for a long night! JUNE 2019

North Coast

Mid-year madness when fishing up north DAMPIER/KARRATHA

Troy Honey

Having to wear a jacket in the cool mornings here in the Pilbara hasn’t deterred anglers from making the most of their days off work to chase the local sports fish.

cover and not feeding for a couple of days, but the slow moving nature of Veronica changed everything. Now with all of that long behind us the waters have cleared up and everything returned to normal and May saw the demersal fishing being nothing short of exceptional. Jigs of various shapes and

Chinaman fish have long suffered a stigma here in the west due to nothing more than the ciguatera poison they commonly possess in the eastern parts of Australia. There has never been a reported case of ciguatera poisoning in fish in Western Australia. Chinaman fish are in

Chinaman are in abundance in the Karratha region, and can be found near shore or out wide. The author had a challenge set for him when fishing light gear west of Enderby Island as this goodsized chinaman took his Madeye’s soft plastic in 15m of water.

Blueline emperor are known to punch well above their weight and this model was caught by Nigel Bray on a recent trip to Karratha. There have been wide ranging reports of sailfish and marlin tagged and released in the waters off Dampier and Point Samson from experienced anglers armed with the top end equipment specifically targeting sails and marlin right through to the anglers just out to troll a lure for a Spanish mackerel. The weather has been mixed in regards to wind and the key over the next few months if wind is about is to find the side of the archipelago shielded for a cleaner run if fishing from smaller vessels. June and July always offer fantastic game fishing in Karratha and with a chance to escape the southern winter there is no better time to give the area a try if you are looking for somewhere different to holiday than the more traditional tourist towns on the North West coast. It was a good three weeks from the time cyclone Veronica passed through Karratha and battered the seabeds and coral reefs, leaving seaweed drifting and fish scattered far from their favourite haunts in close to the Archipelago. Demersals were very difficult to find during those weeks and only anglers who persisted in their search were rewarded. More commonly after a cyclone the fishing really fires due to the fish taking 34

JUNE 2019

weights have been doing the most damage, especially on the red emperors and rankin cod. Another species that has certainly tested even the best on market rods and reels is the chinaman fish.

big numbers both near shore and offshore in the Karratha/Dampier region at the moment, so you can certainly expect to hook up to one if you are chasing demersals over the next

couple of months. They are a hard fighting fish that do not co-operate when it comes to getting them off the bottom, and they are sometimes mistaken for sharks. They do not give up right to the surface and even the smaller specimens in the 2-3kg range will leave you wanting a short break before dropping your jig back down.

The islands of the Dampier Archipelago are surrounded by a myriad of reef systems and are home to some of the most prized fish in Western Australian waters, such as this hard fighting blackspot tuskfish recently caught by Matthew Biluta.

Baits of squid and fresh fish fillets work well, but I find brightly coloured soft plastics and metal jigs in red, pink or fluoro green really work well. My usual choice of tackle is a spin reel in the 8000 size range and a PE4 rod with 50lb braid and 80-100lb leader, but if you are fishing in an area with little sign of sharks you can have great fun battling chinaman on smaller gear in the 4000 reel size and PE2 rods. Chinaman release well as they are often brought up slower than similar size demersals, but if your are partial to a feed of tasty fillets it is hard to go past a feed of fresh chinaman. Weekends in Karratha have seen the back beach boat ramp car park full of trailers while everyone is out chasing a feed of blue swimmer crabs. Nickol Bay and further north to Cleaverville is full of crabs at this time of year so you should have no problem bring a few home. If you are not finding them, try different depths from the 2m right through to 10m. For bait my preference is chicken wings. The blue swimmers will be around in size for another couple of months and if you aren’t having any luck you can always head for one of the local creeks and try your luck with the mud crabs. We are still a while away from the good barramundi and threadfin

salmon fishing, with the water too cool, but they are still about. Fishing the creeks in the Karratha region at this time of year you can find mangrove jack, various cod, trevally, mullet, bream and school mackerel. Closer to the creek mouths there are plenty of whiting and flathead that can be caught using baits such as prawns or by casting small lures and poppers of the sand flats. Fishing for whiting and flathead is a great way to spend a few days while camping in the area and it is something the whole family can easily enjoy and they are sensational straight off the barbeque hotplate. June and July are peak months for fishing in Karratha, especially if you have a boat and head out around the Dampier Archipelago, which offers some of Western Australia best reef fishing at different depths. Spanish mackerel are in abundance, so trolling a lure or two around while you are searching for bottom fishing ground is highly recommended. Likewise, if you are seeking a bit of shelter on a windy day or just enjoying the sights the islands have to offer, there is always squid to be found over the weed banks between the islands. Now is the time to get out and enjoy it all, as the winds will start to gain traction by September making fishing that bit more difficult. Good luck and I hope to see you out there.

recfishwest

Gascoyne snapper management update Pink snapper are the lifeblood of recreational fishing in the Gascoyne. These highly-revered

spawning closure north of Bernier Island, located offshore from Carnarvon as well as a reduction in

The spawning closure north of Bernier Island had over 96% support from the local community.

Pink snapper are the lifeblood of recreational fishing in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. fish provide fantastic opportunity for both local and visiting fishers to tussle with a hard-fighting, yet accessible sportfish that

the allowable catch for the commercial fishing sector. Prior to changes being made, the community were asked for comment, after a

Management of our states fisheries is a challenging but exciting task that takes place in an ever-changing environment affected by

Recfishwest recently met with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development along with representatives from the commercial fishing sector to further discuss and develop the recovery plan for the

enabling the snapper to recover at the desired rate. Currently, all sectors are pleased with the current management of the fishery and eagerly look forward to seeing positive changes in the following stock assessment (due

of this valuable fish stock with the opportunity to visit Carnarvon and fish in other places, or for different species. Through our positive community engagement and consultation, this balance was achieved.

It’s vital to check-in on a regular basis on how management changes are affecting both our fish stocks and our fishing experiences. oceanic pink snapper stock in the Gascoyne region. Developing this recovery plan meant revising current research and management actions, approving appropriate catch levels and establishing timelines for future stock assessments along with discussing future management options to stimulate the fishery,

2022) as a result of recent management action. Continuing to work with all involved stakeholders to rebuild this snapper stock as soon as possible is something that Recfishwest is extremely proud of. Recreational fishing has great social benefits for the community of Carnarvon, so it’s extremely important that we balance the protection

If you are planning a fishing trip to Carnarvon, it is worth noting that the spawning closure is in effect from the 1 June-31 August. However, this doesn’t affect fishing for other species such as coral trout or red emperor. We look forward to hearing from you about your future Carnarvon fishing escapades.

Shark Bay is a great area to fish for snapper. is also rated highly on the plate. Last year there were changes in management for oceanic stocks of pink snapper, this included a

stock assessment indicated a risk to snapper stocks in the region, and agreed that these were appropriate measures to try and recover the snapper stock as quickly as possible.

many influences. It’s vital to check-in on a regular basis on how management changes are affecting both our fish stocks and fishing experiences.

Last year there were changes in management for oceanic stocks of pink snapper, this included a spawning closure north of Bernier Island, located offshore from Carnarvon as well as a reduction in the allowable catch for the commercial fishing sector. JUNE 2019

The West Australian trout season is in full swing FRESHWATER

Peter Fragomeni

Trout season is in full swing, with some nice reports of trout being

brown trout numbers well up as well. There will be 2500 brood rainbow and around 500 large browns available this year, so a great effort by the hatchery and the guys on our stocking committee.

to land up to 20 fish from dusk until midnight on small flies like Mrs Simpsons, Fuzzy Wuzzies or my favourite still today the Craig’s Night Time. You would position yourself in a quiet bay and

as it still works to this day! The fishing hasn’t matched the glory days, but after the recent stocking it

a nice campsite you can stay for $10 each per night payable to the Caravan Park, and the ski boats

a few reports of some good condition fish have come in lately. Try any area adjacent to the deep water with lures

The South West offers some great stream fishing if you know where to look. Always start downstream casting up into the fast water.

Some trout survived the summer at Harvey Dam, and this one was caught on a 5wt fly rod using a brown nymph. caught in our northern dams and also down in our beautiful South West around Pemberton. It seems that with another mild summer our trout have again faired better in our dams despite the presence of redfin. It’s interesting to note that in other cooler areas in Australia and New Zealand, trout do quite well in redfin waters. This is because they don’t have to seek out the

Aussie natives have been a bit quiet with the cooler weather, but the occasional ones are still being caught by those that know where to go. Of note is the recent capture of a large 1.3m Murray cod, this being the largest one recorded in WA to my knowledge! DAMS Waroona Dam This water was the focal point of many West

let the fish come to you in the pitch black night casting to small rises only visible by starlight. If all went to plan, the fish would take your offering and explode out of the water peeling line through the guides at a rapid rate. Some of the best fishing would be had as the moon rose after midnight shadowed by broken clouds. This seemed to sound the

has once again put this water on the radar, with some nice trout being landed as the water cools in late April at places like the Fishtail, Cosy Corner, The Rock and the first leg of McNeil Marsh. Redfin have been more consistent, with nice size

are less active at this time of the year. Drakesbrook Weir Reports are still coming in of some trout being caught, so it’s worth a go as the advanced yearling rainbows will be active and redfin are always willing

like the Tassie Devils that cast long distances and get down fast, or a popular fly pattern will normally entice these nicely marked rainbows. Harvey Dam My recent visit was more productive that the prior one, with a couple of

Redfin predate heavily on marron, some of which are quite large. This one was regurgitated soon after capture. fish taken in the deeper water. Look for the schools on your sounder if you happen to have one on your boat, or walk the bank casting until you find where they are holding. There’s

to take lures in the cooler months. A few big browns have been spotted but are hard to entice. Logue Brook Dam Only rainbow trout are available in this water and

nice rainbows caught on fly both evening and morning fishing a floating line on my 5wt rod. I had success on brown seals fur nymphs in the day and larger streamer flies at night.

Wendy Jane with a 42cm redfin caught on a dropshot rig at Wellington Dam. deeper water in the summer months where food is less available than the shallow water, as they do here in WA Other great news is that Pemberton hatchery has again reported mild summer water temperatures in their ponds, resulting in better growth rates and survival of their trout. Advanced yearlings number have been boosted from 3500 to 6500 rainbows this year with larger 36

JUNE 2019

Australians trout fishers from the 1970s to the mid 1980s before the redfin infestation destroyed the once abundant food supply on offer in this water. Like many before me, I cut my flyfishing teeth at this dam and still have memories of schools of rainbow trout cruising in from the depths as the sun went down in late autumn and spring. It was common for some

dinner bell with every trout in the area joining in to feed on mudeyes hatching in the moonlight. I still find myself fishing in these conditions walking the banks after midnight looking for rises to cast at, although noises in the nearby forest bring thoughts of big cats that are known to reside in the area. I would suggest that if you can handle a flyline in the dark, then give this technique a go

Flows are reduced to the Collie River as irrigation comes to a standstill, making the fishing challenging.

Trolling was less effective on the trout despite covering nearly 30km in the few days using shallow diving hardbody lures. Redfin

Greater salt levels would be down deeper, which why they draw water from the bottom in the winter when irrigation isn’t required,

Big Murray cod are becoming more common in WA waters and the smile says it all. numbers varied depending on location, and the better schools were found at the end of the cattle yards flats around the timber. The dam wall area including Quarry Bay, Nicholson Point and Summer Brook Bay were quieter than normal, but that might change as winter approaches. Wellington Dam Only redfin are consistent, although trout have been caught on occasions. This dam has a smaller population of redfin, with some suggesting the salt content is a factor, although my recent testing showed the surface was 2g/1L.

sending the salt water down to the ocean. We covered a lot of water in the time I was there, with only a handfulof fish taken, although some were in the 40cm class, with deep diving lure doing the damage. Some nice fish were caught on live gambusia from the shore, as was reported to me on my visit. I’m of the opinion that this water is wasted and needs to be stocked with both trout and East Coast native species for all to benefit. We are still waiting on the official decision from the authorities if any of the above will take place.

Glen Mervyn Dam Again, there’s no reports of late, but trout are stocked annually and redfin are always willing to take any type of lure if presented right. Big Brook Dam, Pemberton This dam is very low as of May due to the wall upgrade in January, however it fills fast if good rains come. It’s been on the quiet side so hopefully some of the browns survived in the low water and it’s always worth a go as good redfin are taken this time of the year. RIVERS Serpentine River There’s been no reports of late, but it gets a good stocking of trout annually. Murray River Redfin have been caught in the vicinity of Dwellingup and a few trout have come from private property below the scarp, if you are lucky enough to get permission to fish of the landholders. Collie River above Wellington Dam Some nice redfin have been caught from the small Weir below Collie all the way up to where the two rivers meet in Collie. Casting soft plastics or hardbodies lure off a kayak or boat is the preferred method. Collie River below Wellington Dam Water is very low as the irrigation season is over, so I would give it a miss. Blackwood River No reports of trout at the moment, but it’s worth a look if you are in the area. I would try down around Nannup and further down.

A good photo of Big Brook Dam showing just how low the water got after the dam wall works in January. Donnelly River The only place to try is Boat Landing, and as the name applies you need a boat or kayak. I always had success trolling close to the structure with lures, but if heavy rains occur then the trout head upstream. Warren River Some surprisingly wellconditioned trout have been caught lately upstream, but I

and it always is a pleasure to fish at the right water level. Aussie Natives Things have been a bit quiet, but Murray cod are still getting caught in secret locations, and as I mentioned earlier, a 1.3m cod was caught. I can confirm this, as a live video was posted on Aussie Native Freshwater Anglers WA Facebook Group.

has got behind RecfishSA and has realised the benefits the country towns get out by us fishers that spend good money to pursue our sport. I just wish our government would do the same here, but so far they have not been as keen as our neighbouring states at this stage. So if you find the winter winds have stopped you from fishing the saltwater, then get

A nice scene on a cold winter’s night by the campfire.

With a decent solar panel feeding the twin 105 AH batteries, you can troll all day and still have fully charged batteries when you complete your session.

like to fish the lower sections close to the sea this time of the year, however heavy rain will change the situation, as they always head up with the fresh water coming down. Redfin have been caught and this river always turns up some nice size specimens in the deep pools. Try casting soft plastics in around the logs, but any lure will work if it’s presented right. Lefroy Brook Good trout numbers are being seen between the main road bridge and the hatchery, but they are easily spooked by a careless approach. The Cascades is another spot worth a try, and so is the mouth down at the Warren,

FREE PHONE

(07)

It’s good to see that South Australia has opened up some of their drinking water dams to fishing and have stocked Aussie native species into them with great success. Their government

yourself a freshwater licence, head down and explore some of the best scenery the South West has to offer. There’s always a quiet bay out of the wind or a river protected by towering trees to have a flick!

PREDICTED DAM LEVELS All our Irrigation Dams are well up on this time last year so it’s great for our newly stocked trout as they have more water to find a feed. WAROONA DAM 64% DRAKESBROOK WEIR 80% LOGUE BROOK DAM 61% HARVEY DAM 37% WELLINGTON DAM 53% GLEN MERVYN DAM 38% BIG BROOK DAM 41%

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anglerswarehouse.com.au JUNE 2019

Catching big silvers – a fishing secret revealed PERTH

Nick Hocking

What would you say if someone told you one of WA’s best freshwater fishing experiences existed out in the middle of our dry, barren wheat belt?

in itself. Now throw in the challenge of presenting an artificial offering to them, and suddenly you have yourself one of the most visually spectacular and physically challenging angling experiences you are ever likely to encounter in WA’s freshwater scene.

record silver perch stands at 4.23kg, and I personally believe there are bigger silver perch in Lake Bidyanus right now. And yes, we do have the facilities to cater for anyone interested in having a crack at the state or Australian silver perch record. This is strictly a catch and release

You can get into some great surface action at dawn and dusk. Braided main lines of around 8-10lb are recommended, and fluorocarbon leaders of the same breaking strain around 1.5-2m long are a must. Silver perch are notorious for their ultra-small mouths, which can make fishing for larger specimens quite

large, powerful tails that are capable of some serious power, making them extremely hard to stop when hooked close to cover. The silver perch at Lake Bidyanus have never been hand fed. Instead, they feed on a variety of prey items that abound in this unique and

silver perch prey items, while also being strong enough to hold onto a big perch. Small, unweighted soft plastics are ideal for casting into tight structure, and have proven to be deadly when rigged in a weedless fashion. It’s a great technique when the fish are shut down in the middle of

The author displays a big Lake Bidyanus silver. Situated approximately 1.5 hours northeast of Perth is Lake Bidyanus, a privately-owned lake fishery full of some seriously big silver perch. Fishing this lake is a unique and rewarding experience. Lake Bidyanus covers around six acres, and is spring fed and totally pristine. The fish that live here are very well conditioned to their environment, and represent a truly challenging angling proposition. Simply being on the lake and watching these beautiful, big silvers cruising around in 1m of crystalclear water is an experience

This lake has unique features and provides the perfect environment for these monsters to call home. Full of plant material, crustaceans, miniature minnows and aged timber, Lake Bidyanus provides copious amounts of food and shelter for the big silvers that live there. These fish average around 50-65cm, can weigh up to 4.5kg, and are surrounded by some of the nastiest timber you are ever likely to find. The water is crystal clear and extremely shallow, tipping the odds in favour of the fish for the majority of the time. The current Australian

only fishery, so any potential record fish will be released back into the lake after weighing and measuring to grow even bigger for the next lucky angler. In this waterway you have to strike a balance between fishing light enough for the big perch to not to see your leaders and main lines, yet heavy enough to stop these rampaging brutes from burying you in the weed or timber. Silver perch can be extremely dirty fighters, and have an uncanny knack of diving down into heavy weed and burying themselves in deep with their own unique style of sideways kicking.

SOFT PLASTICS AND HARDBODIES Rod: light 8-10lb graphite spin around 6’ Reel: 2500 class spin reel Line: 8-10lb braid Leader: 10lb fluorocarbon The best plastics are 35-45mm insect or yabby imitations in natural colours, fished unweighted and weedless on a size 4-6 hook. Fishing soft plastics is a deadly technique when the fish are shut down and sulking around heavy structure. Simply cast the plastic deep into the cover and allow it to slowly sink down to the water level you think the fish may be lurking. If you don’t hook up, try tapping the butt of the rod a few times to impart a short, sharp vibrating action into the plastic and then pause. If the plastic makes it to the bottom, slowly work it back and repeat the process until successful. Remember to hold on as these fish can really go! The best hardbodies are 35-45mm shallow divers in natural colours, and 35-45mm surface poppers in dark or clear colours. Using hardbodies is great fun and extremely challenging when the big perch cruise the shallows. Cast the lure around a metre or so in front of the cruising fish, and work it as close to the fish as you can without spooking it. A suspending or neutrally buoyant lure works best. Sit the lure in the face of the fish and give it a couple of small twitches if you have to. Stealth is important, so try not to make any unnecessary movements, and always try to approach and cast at fish from behind. Low light periods such as dawn or dusk allow anglers to get closer. The fish will also travel great distances to boof down surface lures after hearing them from far away. Remember to use a stop-start blooping styled retrieve when working surface poppers. 38

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A healthy silver perch revived and ready for release. challenging. Once they grow to over 50cm in length, silver perch begin to dramatically change in body shape. Their shoulders widen, and the body begins to rise at the base of the head, enabling them to bulk up to a size that looks disproportionate to their head. They have

rare sub-climate – anything from dragonflies and mud eyes to minnows, yabbies, frogs, and even algae and other plant material. As you can imagine, choosing an artificial offering to do the job can be a little tricky. Lures or flies have to be small enough to represent

Hooked up on the fly.

the day, and sulking under heavy structure. When the big perch are cruising around the perimeter of the lake patrolling for food they become extremely finicky. The water is ridiculously clear and very shallow, making it practically impossible to get

close enough to the fish and cast without spooking them. This unique and challenging experience will test your angling skills to the limit!

10lb fluorocarbon tippet, this has proven to be the most effective technique by far. Sight casting to these big, beautiful silvers in such a

the day. This makes for some exceptionally exciting fishing as they enthusiastically slurp down surface offerings. Small, 35-45mm floating

Check out the timber in the background. Nasty stuff!

The author’s favourite choice of fly, shown wet and dry. Although the big silvers of Lake Bidyanus will take small 35-45mm shallow running hardbodies, these fish seem to have a particular craving for the good old Woolly Bugger fly. Fished from a 5-6wt fly outfit rigged with floating or clear intermediate line and

pristine environment often has me dreaming that I’m in a totally different part of the world. During low light periods such as dawn and dusk, the big perch feed from the surface on a variety of insects that have blown onto the lake during the course of

flies and poppers are highly recommended for this visually explosive style of fishing, and seem to really get the big perch fired up. The cupped-shaped head of the popper emits a popping or booming sound, similar to that of a fish when it ‘boofs’ something from the

water’s surface. The fish in the area hear that there is a feed on, and they head straight for the source of all the commotion: your fly or lure. Small popper flies are also exceptionally effective in this situation, and not only

eastern states’ fisheries, it lacks the diversity and size of species on offer over there. So what are we WA anglers to do when it’s too windy or the demersal ban is on? At the moment there unfortunately aren’t many

However, for the time being, your best bet for a trophy-sized silver perch is to fish Lake Bidyanus. All fish are released for other anglers to enjoy catching another day, so all hooks on all lures and flies are kept barbless

Single, barbless hooks not only equate to better hookup rates but are also much kinder to fish. produce a far better hook-up rate but are also kinder to the fish, due to the fly having one single hook only. Western Australia’s freshwater fishing scene has largely been ignored by most of the angling fraternity. Unlike the well managed

opportunities to catch silver perch in WA, as most of them are in private farm dams. There are some reports of these fish turning up in public waterways though, and there is also some talk of legally stocking them in impoundments here in future.

to maintain the quality and health of this fishery. • Author Nick Hocking is the guide at Lake Bidyanus. This lake has no public access, and can only be fished on a guided trip with Nick. For pricing visit www. fish-on.com.au.

This big perch was caught in crystal clear water. FLY FISHING Rod: 5-6wt, 9’ 2-piece Reel: 5-6wt Line: 5-6wt floating or clear intermediate line Tippet: ‘9, 10lb fluorocarbon tippet. Flies: size 6-8 Woolly Buggers in natural colours, and size 6-8 popper flies. Fly fishing is the most effective technique by far, as it lets anglers make a stealthy approach and presentation to the fish. Cast the fly around a metre or so in front of the fish, and slowly strip the fly as close to the head of the fish as you can. Pause and impart a couple of twitches if needed. Low light periods such as dawn or dusk allow you to get closer, and the perch will travel great distances to boof down popping flies after hearing them from far away. Remember to use a stop-start blooping styled retrieve when working popper flies. A high rod angle helps considerably when fish dive for the weedy bottom. Wherever possible, approach and cast at fish from behind.

Another solid perch falls victim to the fly. This fish took a multi-coloured Woolly Bugger. JUNE 2019

WHAT’S NEW FISHING LUMICA UFO DEEPWATER LIGHTS 1 Lumica Japan are the developers and inventors of the chemical light stick, and have now developed an excellent range of LED Deepwater Lights for anglers targeting fish at great depths. The UFO version is the top-of-the-range model in Lumica’s leading contingent of Deepwater Lights. The UFO is depth tested to an impressive 1200m and is pressure rated to 85kg. The UFO comes in three different versions. The first version is the Multi, which offers five different light functions. Simply turning it at the base can change it from green to blue to red to multi-strobe, in two different flash functions. The UV and Blue models offer three different light functions so you can change your colour schemes or strobe functions to your own desired effect on each of the models. The UFO requires 1 x AA alkaline battery. The Deepwater Lights will be highly effective for anglers targeting swordfish, hapuka, trevalla, Tasmanian trumpeter and all deepwater species, helping to attract their attention and bring them to your baits. www.jurofishing.com

DAIWA BAITCASTER 2 BLITZ Baitcaster fans are in for treat, with three new pint-sized, hyper performance baitcasters from Daiwa: the new Steez CT SV TW, Morethan PE TW, and Alphas CT SV. The Steez and Alphas CT SV models introduce a new 70 size model to the line-ups, with the Steez featuring an Air Metal frame and gear side plate, Digigear, Zero Adjuster, Magforce Z, UTD, Swept Handle, ratcheted star drag, T-Wing, and SV G1 Duraluminium speed shaft spool. It weighs only 150g. The Alphas has finesse fishing written all over it, and weighs just 170g. It has an alloy frame, Magforce Air brake system, clicking star drag, 80mm Swept Handle, and a machined G1 aircraft grade Duraluminium spool, making it suitable for fresh and saltwater angling. The new Morethan 1000-size model provides a more compact offering with no reduction in strength, due its new low-profile alloy body and the addition of Hyper Digigear. It features Daiwa’s latest technology, including Hyper Digigear, T-Wing, Magforce Z, ATD, Air Rotation, and CRBB and MagSealed bearings, this reel punches well above its weight. It is the perfect choice for cod and barra anglers seeking a compact reel that won’t let them down. www.daiwafishing.com.au

WILDFISH WAIST BELT

The new Wildfish Waist Belt, distributed by JM Gillies, keeps all your frequently used gear in easy reach. This cleverly designed waist belt features zippered main and front compartments, which hold your boxes and small accessories. There is also an open front pocket for easy access. Leader loops are fitted so you can quickly and easily access your leader, and there are side pockets for added storage. For maximum comfort during a day’s fishing walking the banks, rocks, surf or flats, there’s an adjustable padded waist strap and handle. Other products in the Wildfish range include fly packs (each pack suited to different species or locations), waders (available in thigh and chest styles in seven sizes), stainless steel smokers, and smoker dust (available in apple,

JUNE 2019

PRODUCT GUIDE hickory, peach, sheoak and wine flavours). You can find more information on the range at the JM Gillies website, or for the latest news, catch photos and competitions, check them out on Facebook. www.jmgillies.com.au

HALCO WIRE TRACES

The Fin-Nor Offshore Spinning Reel is built for frontline battles with the toughest fish in the sea. Equipped with hardware and features that enable anglers to perform at the highest level in the most challenging environments, the Fin-Nor Offshore is the workhorse reel that fishing guides and dedicated anglers depend on. The Fin-Nor Offshore is packed with fishstopping features. From the tough aluminium body, side plate, rotor, and spool, to the stainless steel drive and pinion gear, these hardwearing reels redefine durability. Armed with an extra-strong bail wire, metal handle, four double-shielded stainless steel ball bearings, and an incredible 11-disc stainless and carbon fibre drag system, the Fin-Nor Offshore is built to stop serious fish. Whether you’re chasing mulloway and snapper from the rocks, dropping baits on reefs, or trolling for tuna and mackerel, the FinNor Offshore is built to help anglers across the globe land the trophy fish of a lifetime. www.finnorfishing.com.au

BAD OLD BLOKE SHIRTS

Halco’s new Single Strand Wire Traces are based around American Fishing Wires premium American-made stainless steel, pre-straightened wire. These new traces come in two lengths and three different breaking strains, giving you plenty of options for a quick, easy trace that you can count on at short notice. There are short 25cm traces for all your shore and boat-based casting needs and longer 50cm traces that should get the trolling crew in the water quickly and with a minimum of fuss, should the toothy brigade turn up. Available in breaking strains of 58lb, 86lb and 105lb, these packs of five individual traces also feature a premium rolling swivel at one end, and Halco’s popular cross lock snaps at the other. They are all beautifully finished with tight and precise haywire twist connections. For more information check out the new Single Strand Wire video on Halco’s YouTube channel. www.halcotackle.com

FIN-NOR OFFSHORE SPINNING REEL

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BOB (Bad Old Bloke) is an Australian brand, designed and printed in Australia, and with every purchase you’ll be donating to mental health initiatives. BOB came about through mates enjoying their spare time, knowing a place that brings them happiness away from the day to day grind. As a Bad Old Bloke you know what its like, work, life, everything but then you get those moments doing what you really love – fishing, boating, camping, surfing, or working on your car or bike. They say we get grumpier as we get older, but at BOB we just think its about getting less time doing what makes us really happy. We are all about reclaiming those times and letting everyone know our passion. www.bobbadoldbloke.com.au

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

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PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

TD SOL/TD BLACK COMPACT

SHIMANO STELLA SWC 2019

BIWAA SUBMISSION

The new TD Sol and TD Black Compact (2500S-C) spin reels are the two newest members to join the Daiwa TD reel line-up. These reels feature the LT (Light Tough) Concept, and a rap sheet of technologies that include Long Cast ABS spool, Zaion body, ATD drag, Air Bail, MagSeal, Perfect Line Stopper, aluminium Air Handle, and Air Rotor. What sets the two new TD Compact models apart from the other reels in their range is their new compact size. Light and strong, and designed with the finesse angler in mind, they feature a solid 1000 size body matched with a shallow capacity, 2500 size spool. A 5kg finesse drag further enhances their light tackle capability, while their LT Concept design ensures power, strength and precision for years to come. A welcome addition to the TD Sol and TD Black families, the shallow spool, finesse LT Compact models are destined to become a hit with Aussie light tackle anglers. For more information visit the Daiwa Australia website. www.daiwafishing.com.au

Black Magic’s continual growth and development in freshwater lures sees yet another original addition to their already strong line-up of freshwater lure options. As the name suggests, the ‘Rattle Snack’ rattles with its built in, harmonically tuned tungsten rattle. With six proven colours to suit australian fishing conditions it is sure to become a favourite for those who appreciate consistent results. There are two weights available, 7g and 14g. These lures have quality hardware ensure your target species is landed, not lost, and an aggressive shape which ensures a very enticing swimming action. Whether you are trolling from a boat or casting to your favourite lie in a river, estuary canal or lake, Black Magic’s new Rattle Snack’s superior action and harmonics will deliver results. These new lures are available now from leading tackle stores throughout Australia. www.blackmagictackle.com

LUMICA PUNI IKA SQUID X-WING

For 2019, the Stella SWC has been released with upgrades across four models – 8000HG, 8000PG, 10000PG and 14000XG. Infinity drive has been introduced to complement the existing X-Ship system to deliver light and powerful winding. Handle rotation torque is reduced by 30% when compared to the conventional system, so winding, even under extreme load, is now even easier. The Heat Sink Drag in the 10000 and 14000 sizes enhances the existing X-Tough Drag and Rigid Support Drag system, for consistent and smooth drag pressure. The X-Protect seal and labyrinth structure repels water intrusion throughout the reel. This now features in the line roller, making this mechanism ten times more durable than the previous model. The 8000 size weighs 50g less than the previous model, and its new rotor has reduced rotational inertia by 23%, making winding effortless. Features still built-in from the previous Stella SWB include Hagane Body, Hagane Gear, X-Rigid Rotor, AR-C spool, EI Surface Treatment, and 13+1 SA-RB bearings and 25kg of drag power. The HG models are designed for both casting and jigging, whereas PG is geared for jigging applications and XG for saltwater casting. Price: SRP $1559.95 www.shimanofish.com.au

The Lumica Puni Ika X-Wing Squid is an ultra-realistic soft plastic squid, designed, developed and made in Japan. The X-Wing 90 features an ultra-tough 10X material that is strong and stretchy. One of the X-Wing’s key features is that it has a secondary slot that allows the angler to insert a Kemihotaru 25mm light inside the body to allow the squid to glow for added attraction. The X-Wing has a rigging slot to make rigging a breeze, and it can be rigged with a lead weighted system with a treble, Carolina or Texas rigged with a worm hook or on a weighted jighead. The X-Wing is 90mm in length, is scent impregnated and comes with three pieces per packet. The X-Wing has a tantalising action that any predatory fish that feed on squid, cuttlefish or octopus find irresistible and appealing. To find out more visit the Juro website. www.jurofishing.com

BLACK MAGIC JIGGING ROD

BLACK MAGIC RATTLE SNACK

The popular Black Magic Light Jigging 173 rod has been upgraded this season, and it is now called the Light Jigging Rod 173-2. The new version features an extended butt section for more comfort and support. High performance was a paramount objective in the design of this one-piece rod. It has been manufactured with the best Fuji componentry and is rated to 8-18kg with a maximum drag of 6kg and a maximum jig weight of 160g, the Light Jigging 173-2 rod is ready for action. Plus, for every rod sold, Black Magic will make a donation to ‘Legasea – Fish For The People’ to help rebuild our fisheries for the benefit of all. Ask to see them at your local Black Magic stockist today, or head to the Black Magic website to find out more. You can also find more information, news and catch photos on their Facebook page (www. facebook.com/blackmagictackle), check them out on Instagram (@blackmagictackle) or subscribe to the Black Magic YouTube channel. www.blackmagictackle.com

The Submission from Biwaa is a lure for anglers who want the highest quality soft baits. The unique design of the Biwaa SubMission, with its thick boot tail, gives it a lazy, tail kicking action, regardless of how it is rigged. The addition of 3D eyes, along with hand painted and lifelike colour schemes, give Biwaa products the most natural looking finish available. These natural colorings, when paired with the SubMissions enticing tail action, make for an extremely effective combination, catching fish in even the clearest of water. The Biwaa SubMission is available unrigged in the following sizes: 4” (four per pack), 5” (three per pack) and 8” (two per pack). There is also a rigged 8” SubMission with a super strong wire through harness (one per pack). The Submission is available in six proven colours – pearl white, aurora gold, gold perch, roach, hitch and sexy shad. www.ejtodd.com.au

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

WHAT’S NEW FISHING SAMAKI WINGMAN

Samaki brings you your newest wingman – the guy you want by your side for all your fishing adventures… the jig that has got your back! Wingman’s unique rear grooves create an erratic action when dropped. This, combined with its enlarged attractive eye, entices the most elusive bites from a huge variety of reef and pelagic species such as kingfish, amberjack, samsonfish, tuna and coral trout. It comes in six fish-catching colours (including rainbow stylin, glow ‘n silver, lemon splice and the all-natural pilly), and is available in seven different weights, ranging from 20g to 200g. The Wingman also offers the highest UV properties, enticing the most elusive of fish to attack. This centre balanced jig comes pre-rigged with a premium assist hook and Japanese Kevlar. For more information and stockists visit the Samaki website, or like them on Facebook and Instagram. Price: from SRP $7.95 www.samaki.com.au

WESTIN SALTY THE 14 SHRIMP

The Westin Salty the Shrimp R ‘N R (Rigged ‘N Ready) looks incredibly lifelike, and the reason is because it’s made from a 3D scan of a live shrimp. The Salty’s fluttering legs, natural whiskers and multi-jointed tail section all seem to move independently as this slow-sinking lure makes it way down in the water. This is a versatile lure, working on a range of saltwater and freshwater predators. You can cast and retrieve it close to the bottom with the occasional rod twitch to get it dancing, and pretty soon some hungry predators will come to investigate. This lure has a soft body with an internal weight, with an ultra-sharp and strong Japanese style sea fishing hook. To maximise attraction there’s a glass/steel rattle stick inside for great acoustics. Other features include natural feelers, optimized flexibility, multi-jointed for an enticing, lively action, internal mesh for maximum durability, and hand-painted detailing. The Salty the Shrimp R ‘N R comes in two sizes, 7.5cm (9g) and 10cm (18g), in a selection of proven colours, and comes in a pack of three. www.jmlaa.com

SEA TO SUMMIT SIGMA POT

Engineered with premium marine grade stainless steel, the SigmaPot range from Sea To Summit is strong, lightweight and offers a durable, abrasion-resistant and easy-to-clean cooking surface for your outdoor camp kitchen needs. Designed for compact packing and convenient handling, the SigmaPot’s unique patent-pending Pivot-Lock handle rotates horizontally, locking in place for a secure and ergonomic grip when in use, and folds away keeping the lid locked to the pot for low-profile storage. The compact nesting SigmaPots are compatible with Sea To Summit’s SigmaPans, DeltaLight range of camp dinnerware, and AlphaPots and AlphaPans. Features include: premium grade stainless steel cooking surface; patent-pending PivotLock handle with ergonomic silicone grip for secure easy operation; large internal radius to allow easy cleaning (and matches the Delta cutlery profile); graded volumetric scale for accurate measurement; and a textured base for stability on camp stoves. Price: SRP $59.99-$79.99 www.seatosummitdistribution.com.au 42

JUNE 2019

PRODUCT GUIDE

YAMASHITA EGI OH K

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

The new Yamashita Egi Oh K glow and keimura (UV glow) colours have arrived in Australia. The Egi Oh K jigs include the patented warm jacket technology, which turns light into heat, plus the following industryleading features: Hydro Fin (unique to the market and acts as a stabiliser to reduce movement when sinking); pentagon hydro body (also unique to the market, its 5-sided body with flat bottom aids stability); tin sinker (made from environmentally-friendly tin, its tuning holes give the angler the ability to tune weight and sink rate); and G-Flash (a reflective lateral line which is also included in the larger Egi Oh GX jigs, and which creates increased flash and squid appeal). These new jigs also feature Hydro Eyes, which lie flat against the body and help to give the jig a smooth darting action. Their UV glow pupil and glow edge are unique to the market, and create an additional appeal to attract squid. To maximise hook-up rates, the double crown hooks have been tuned with the rear crown opened slightly wider. For more information on the Egi Oh K, or to find your nearest stockist, visit the EJ Todd website or look up ‘Yamashita Australia’ on Facebook. www.ejtodd.com.au

SOLAR MOTION SENSOR LIGHT

The Solar Motion Sensor light from Perfect Image is a very useful item to pack when you next go camping. We all know what it’s like to trip over guy ropes in the dark, and with the Motion Sensor light you don’t have to keep a light going all the time. This unit turns on automatically at dusk with 5% lighting, and the unit remains on at 5% until its radar sensor detects movement. When that happens, the Sensor light will switch to 100% light, making it easy for you to find your tent, or to find your way out at night. The Solar Motion Sensor light measures 100mm x 138mm x 69mm, and the operating distance is 5-7m at an angle of 180°. It is powered by a lithium battery (DC 3.2VDC 1500 mAh). www.pii.net.au

SAMAKI DIGITAL GT SHIRT

Sporting an aggressive GT attacking a stickbait, the Digital GT Shirt is different from a lot of other shirts in the Samaki range. It features bold geometric shapes in blues and greys, setting it apart from all the other fishing shirts on the market. The lightweight fabric is perfect for all outdoor elements, protecting you from the harsh sun with Samaki’s UV50+ resistant technology. The soft touch 100% polyester material is comfortable on the body, plus it 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. Digital GT 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

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

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New Release

Fun with the new Hobie kayak Introducing the all new Mirage Passport, the newest member of the Hobie pedal kayak family. Equipped with Hobie’s tried and true MirageDrive Classic, the pedal drive that started it all. You will be cruising through the water in no time. Built for adventure, a simplified rudder that

accessories help you build your dream boat: Sail Kits, Bimini sunshades, dry bags and coolers. CREATE YOUR ULTIMATE SETUP WITH THE MIRAGE PASSPORT The new Passport has just the right number of

of course the Classic Drive can also be upgraded with Turbo Fins. • Seat: aluminium frame with suspended-mesh seating area. The Passport seat is easy to install, breathable, comfortable, and is a fully-functional beach chair on land! • Rudder system features a simplified adaptation of our Twist ‘n’ Stow® rudder. The Passport rudder is manually raised and lowered and held in those positions

obstacle, the bungee will automatically lower the rudder back into position. • Steering: all-new push-pull rod for a simple and easyto-use steering system. BUILT-IN STORAGE • Bow storage well with crisscross bungees. • Rear cargo well with cart scuppers and crisscross bungees can be easily customised with the all-new pad eye/hook combo fittings. • 8” centre hatch • Accessory mount for great accessorizing opportunities from the Bimini to the Sail Kit and more. • Side-mounted rail tracks provide plenty of

A U S T R A L I A

Margay 2017

$52,990 • 17’7” • Single axle Basscat trailer • 115 hp Mercury 4 stroke • 24v electric motor (Minn Kota or Motor Guide) • 2 x sounders (Humminbird 597cxi HD Di or Lowrance HDS 5 or Garmin 6”)

kicks up on impact and a replaceable rudder skeg prepares the Passport for even the most rugged adventures. Bow bungees stand ready for securing gear or a dry bag, even the Hobie Soft Cooler (small) will fit. Also included is the Forward Accessory Mount, perfect for rigging the Hobie Bimini or a Sail Kit. Outfitted for kayak fishing, the Hobie Mirage Passport features two molded-in rod holders,

Pantera II 2017 features to be versatile, yet with a pure simplicity: • Colours: two great options, Seagrass or Slate Decks, on a Light Grey Hull for stunning contrast. • Hull Design provides a stable platform that tracks well and stacks like a dream for storage and car-topping. • Injection-moulded MirageDrive®. The

automatically by an in-line shock-cord. If the rudder encounters an underwater object, it will kick up and after it has cleared the

additional accessorizing and personalisation opportunities for anglers and recreational kayakers alike. • Two rod holders! – Hobie

$74,990

• 19’1” • Single axle Basscat trailer • 200 hp Mercury Optimax • 24v electric motor (Minn Kota or Motor Guide) • 2 x sounders (Humminbird 698cxi HD Si or Lowrance HDS 7 GEN2 or Garmin 6”)

Pantera Classic 2018

two H-Track accessory mounts and plenty of cargo space to stash all your gear. Compact yet stable, this kayak can easily be car-topped while still being steady enough to stand on. Make it your own. Plenty of

MirageDrive Classic is standard equipment. The Classic Drive is our non-GT drive with ST fins. Both of our newer MirageDrive versions, the GT and the MD180, fit in the well if you want to upgrade, and

SPECIFICATIONS Hull Length �� 3.2m (10’6”) Width ��0.86m (34”) Capacity ��147kg (325lb) Fitted Weight ��29kg (65lb) Full Rigged Weight ��34kg (75lb)

$65,990

• 19’6” • Single Axel Bass Cat Trailer • 150 hp Mercury Pro-XS • 24v electric motor (Minn Kota or Motor Guide) • 2 x sounders (Humminbird 597cxi HD Di or Lowrance HDS 5 or Garmin 6”)

Sabre FTD 2017

$61,990

• 18’1” • Single axle Basscat trailer • 115 hp Mercury 4 stroke • 24v electric motor (Minn Kota or Motor Guide) • 2 x sounders (Humminbird 698cxi HD Si or Lowrance HDS 7 GEN2 or Garmin 6”)

We Build Dreams... It’s a Family Tradition

A U S T R A L I A

Phone: 0410 173 060 www.basscataustralia.com JUNE 2019

Bagging the bream at Blackwood Round four of the Hobie Kayak Bream Series 11 saw 31 keen anglers make their way to the Blackwood River in Augusta. The weather conditions over the two days were perfect for kayak fishing. Moderate southwesterly winds ranging from 5-10 knots ensured that each angler had a comfortable experience on the water, no matter which region of the Blackwood River they chose to fish.

the anglers. It was during these last few hours in the day that the anglers were able to find those ever so important kicker fish. John Sorrell led the way at the close of day one weighing in three fish for 2.10kg, which consisted of a 1.05kg bream that he caught during the end of the session and it won him the Atomic Big Bream. John fished the lower reaches of the Blackwood River and he concentrated on the banks that surrounded Malloy Island.

On the second day, 83 legal sized bream were weighed in for a total weight of 36.58kg with the average size bream weighing 441g. Paul Burton was the last angler to weigh in his bag. He needed 1.51kg to win the event and he waited nervously for the scales to reveal the final reading. He had good reason to be nervous because this was going to be a very tight finish. The reading on the scales rose to 1.7-1.8kg and the crowd started clapping. However, the reading of the weight started to plummet and the clapping temporarily stopped before resuming when the weight settled on 1.55kg. Paul Burton took out the fourth round of the Hobie Kayak Bream Series 11 by 50g with a combined two-day total of 3.55kg. Joseph Gardner climbed a couple of places to finish in second place by weighing in 1.57kg, which gave him a combined two-day total of 3.50kg.

Kayak Bream Series in perfect fashion showed the field of 31 anglers why he is a force to be reckoned with wherever he goes. Paul almost took out the 2018 Australian Championship in Forster, NSW, finishing in fourth and his form leading into 2019 suggests he will once again be one to watch when the 2019 Australian Championship commences. On day one, Paul travelled upriver to the ski area on the Blackwood River and his day got off to a good start with his first legal measuring 31cm to the fork. From there onwards, Paul could only manage to catch undersized bream so he made a move of about 3km upriver to fish his next spot, which consisted of shallow sand banks on the edges of deep drop-offs. This proved to be a successful decision and because of the Power-Pole on the back of his Hobie Pro Angler kayak, he was able to anchor himself in a

Paul Burton snagged his win by only 50g! WINNER’S GEAR Rod MajorCraft GO Emotion 4-8lb Reel Shimano 2500 Stradic Ci4 Line Gosen Casting 14lb Leader 6lb Sunline VHard Lure Jackall Chubby, Deep, Suji Shrimp Although it may have been comfortable for the anglers, the lack of wind over most of the weekend didn’t encourage the larger bream to feed readily. It was going to be those who were able to catch a kicker fish or two each day who would take out the fourth round of the Hobie Kayak Bream Series 11. The conditions at the start of the first day (Saturday, 6 April) were not suitable for the Blackwood River and the day started off slowly for many of the anglers. Sunny skies and next to no wind created a mirror like sheen over the water and this sent the bream into hiding. Anglers had to throw their lures deep into the thick snags in order to draw a bite but this resulted in many bustoffs that the Blackwood River bream are renowned for. Yet as the day went on, the clouds rolled in and a breeze followed, which got the ball rolling for many of RESULTS Place Angler 1 Paul Burton 2 Joseph Gardner 3 Fred Fraser 4 Sean Higgins 5 John Sorrell 6 Joshua Phillips 7 Rene Van Doorn 8 Matthew Mccarthy 9 Brodie Hommel 10 Travis Newland 44

JUNE 2019

Fred Fraser closely followed in second place with a full bag weighing in at 2.04kg and Paul Burton rounded out the top three on day one with a full bag weighing in at 2kg. Day two (Sunday, 7 April) started off with ideal conditions for chasing black bream. Anglers took advantage of the overcast skies and a moderate southwesterly breeze, which resulted in plenty of the field bagging out in the morning. Many of the larger fish that were caught on the first day weren’t taking a liking to many of the same offerings. As a result, the majority of the field weighed in lighter bags on the second day and because of this, there was a tight finish on the leader board. On the first day, 86 legals were brought back to the scales for a total weight of 40.89kg. The average size bream on this day was 475g. Total Fish 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6

John Sorrell landed the Big Bream winning fish at the end of day one, with a cracker that weighed in at 1.05kg. It was a photo finish ending in the race to claim victory in the fourth round of the Hobie Kayak Bream Series 11. Third placed angler, Fred Fraser was able to catch enough quality sized bream to remain on the podium by weighing in a full bag for 1.45kg, which gave him a combined two-day total of 3.49kg. PAUL BURTON POWERPOLES HIS WAY TO VICTORY The 2017 Australian Champion, Paul Burton, started the 2019 Hobie

Total Weight (kg) Penalty (kg) 3.55 3.50 3.49 3.44 3.17 -0.05 3.10 3.10 3.04 3.04 2.71

prime position to work the spot just the way he wanted to. It was in this spot that he caught many legal sized bream, which including two of his three kicker fish for the day. His day one bag tipped the scales to a dead even 2kg, which set him up for his day two assault. Day two started off well for Paul Burton. Paul

Joseph Gardner is no stranger to the podium, and his combined weight of 3.50kg scored him second place. SECOND PLACE GEAR Rod 6’8”, 2-6lb, JML Perfection Series Accurate Presentation Reel Daiwa 2500 Luvias Line Yamatoyo Jigging Braid 0.6 PE 12lb Leader Yamatoyo Harris Fighter Lure 50mm salt and pepper Ecogear Aqua Prawns returned to the same spot that he fished on the first day and by doing so he caught a bag very quickly. He fished this spot for the next two and a half hours, but hadn’t found the same size fish as he did on the first day. Paul decided to move further downriver to fish similar looking spots in the same fashion as he did on the first day by using his Power-Pole to anchor him on the shallow sand banks. Once again, the decision payed off and he was able to make a couple of upgrades including a final upgrade in the last five minutes of the day. This final upgrade would perhaps be Paul’s most important catch of the event, as his narrow margin of victory suggests. GARDNER UNLEASHES BREAM PRAWN MAYHEM Joseph Gardner is one of Western Australia’s young guns and he backed up his reputation with another fantastic performance during this event. After coming in third place in the 2018 WA Bream Classics Boat Series Grand Final, which was also held on the Blackwood River, Joseph used his knowledge of the system to good effect and rounded out another podium finish.

In stark contrast to Paul Burton, Joseph ventured downriver on both days to fish the rocky points, teatree snags and artificial structures that are dotted throughout the region. The tactic Joseph employed was very similar in most of the types of structure that he fished. The tactic was to cast 50mm salt and pepper coloured Ecogear Aqua Prawns deep enough into the structure to draw a bite, but not too deep so that he couldn’t wrestle the fish out of their homes. Due to the unforgiving structure in these areas, this was a critical element to his success on both days, but it didn’t come without its fair share of bust-offs. Unfortunately for Joseph’s sake, the majority of bust-offs occurred on the second day including a couple of missed opportunities that he feels could’ve given him the win. Any disappointment that he may have been feeling was quickly replaced with the satisfaction of qualifying for the 2019 Australian Championship. ATOMIC BIG BREAM John Sorrell caught the Atomic Big Bream for the event by catching a 1.05kg black bream in the dying stages of day one. What a way to end the day! – Hobie

Prize $930 $560 $330 $220 $170

The top three anglers, Joseph Gardner (second place), Paul Burton (first place) and Fred Faser (third place).

WA Shimano open turns it on The WA Shimano Open was held in Jurien Bay on 13-14 April. This is the 37th time the comp has been held, and the 7th time it has been in Jurien Bay. Nine boats competed, which included boats from Perth, Jurien Bay and Leeman with a total of 39 anglers taking part, including juniors.

the sail past and shotgun start. The fleet then belted enthusiastically towards the north passage and offshore where a low sea environment remained all day. Plenty of tuna were caught and released, with fish up to 8kg being caught on 3, 4 and 6kg tackle. The highlight of the day was a

water around 25°, a good sign for billfish. They saw one blue marlin but it did not hook-up. They raised a second, and fought it to the side of the boat before the hooks pulled out. The third time was a charm, and angler Matt Podmore managed to tag a blue marlin estimated at 120kg on 60kg tackle.

and very uncomfortable conditions. Most boasts opted to stick in the 40-90m depth. Plenty still caught fish, and catches included snapper, Spanish mackerel, and southern blurefin tuna. But by 3pm it was lines out, and most anglers were ready to get off the water. Bottom Line caught a further eight scoring fish, Dream Catcher gained species points by adding a Spanish mackerel to their catch, and Eureka and Jalomi also added to their score.

Bret with a samsonfish, tagged and ready for release. Bottom Line won the tournament champion boat award, with angler Warren Jolly winning Champion

Male Angler. Sunride tagged the only marlin and won the billfish catgeory. – WA Shimano Open

SHIMANO WA OPEN AWARD WINNERS BILLFISH CATEGORY SHIMANO Champion Boat Sunride – Skipper Rob Pommersbach First Boat to Catch a Billfish Sunride – Skipper Rob Pommersbach SPECIES CATEGORY SHIMANO Champion Boat Bottom Line – Skipper Mark Jamieson – 2619 points Runner-up Champion Boat Dream Catcher – Skipper Johan Oosthuizen – 1950 points

Bret, Mark, Warren and Shane, the winning crew from Bottom Line, with their invitation to the Offshore World Championship. Total prizes for the event were about $8,000 with a list of sponsors including Shimano, Bluewater Tackle and On Strike Charters. The winning boat also got an invitation to complete in the Offshore World Championship in Costa Rica. For a fish to score points, its weight must be larger that the braking strain of the line used to catch it. For example, a

14.85kg yellowtail kingfish on 6kg by Warren Jolley. This is a potential new state record. The days total was 17 scoring fish, with Dream Chaser on six fish, Eureka on four, and Short Black and Bottom Line on three each. DAY 2 The second day conditions looked good, with winds of 10-15 knots and

The fish was hooked on a Bonze Violator lure in blue and black. It took about 30 minutes to land. This also won Matt a cheque for $1,000 for the first marlin tagged in the competition. A total of 24 scoring fish were also landed on the day including samsonfish, mulloway, amberjack and mahimahi and throngs of skipjack tuna. Bottom Line scored seven, Short Black six and Dreamcatcher to three. Warren Jolley, by now taking an obvious leadership position on the board, was presented with the Hotel’s Trophy for the highest point scoring angler for day two. DAY 3 The day’s forecast was for increasing swell

COMBINED CATEGORY (INCLUDES BILLFISH AND SPECIES) SHIMANO Champion Boat Tournament Bottom Line – Skipper Mark Jamieson – 2619 points BLUEWATER TACKLE Runner-up Champion Boat Tournament Dream Catcher – Skipper Johan Oosthuizen – 1950 points SHIMANO Champion Male Angler Warren Jolley – 1652 points – Bottom Line ON STRIKE CHARTERS Runner-up Champion Male Angler Derek Baxter – 1194 points – Short Black SHIMANO Champion Junior/Small Fry Angler Kim DeVries – 1419 points – Dream Catcher ON STRIKE CHARTERS Runner-up Champion Junior/Small Fry Angler Zandri Oosthuizen – 755 points – Dream Catcher SPECIAL AWARDS CATEGORY Jack Clugston Medal Matt Podmore – Sunride Ivan Erceg Medal Kim DeVries – Dream Catcher Highest point scoring mahi mahi Jacob Whyte – Short Black – 6.59 on 3kg Highest point scoring mackerel Kim DeVries – 3.71 on 3kg Jurien Bay Hotel Trophy Warren Jolley Richter Lure Award Alex Smith – Jelomi Halco Lure Award Marcel Lesniak – No Brains

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR JUNE OCTOBER Warren Jolly with a mulloway that helped him to take out champion angler. 3.7kg Spanish mackerel on 3kg would score points. Anglers have the option of releasing fish by first getting a picture and length measurement, then tagging and releasing the fish. The length measurement is compared to a table to estimate weights. DAY 1 Saturday morning’s conditions were ideal for

the swell increasing later in the day. Lots of boats opted for an early start to catch the bite. Fishing was good early, and following a lull during late morning it picked up again around midday. Sunride, loaded with heavy tackle headed northwest to find warmer water. It was way out around the 900m that they found

NOVEMBER

2019

Jun 9

WA Bream Classic Boat Series Round 2 – Murray River

watournamentanglers.com.au

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 Grand Final – Swan River

watournamentanglers.com.au

Nov 23-24

WA Bream Classic Boat Series Grand Final – 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. JUNE 2019

BLACK MAGIC

/ W I T H PA U L L E N N O N

MASTER CLASS

Score some magic mulloway There’s no doubt when it comes to fishing the estuary the mulloway is the ultimate prize, especially those trophysized fish over 20kg. While there are many different habitats inside an estuary that can produce mulloway, the best areas for these big fish are the deep holes and channels that are scattered throughout most systems. These deep-water estuary environments can be 15-40m depending on what

places creates eddies where baitfish will congregate. The tides affect these areas, with some areas becoming virtually unfishable outside of tide changes. This is why all planned fishing sessions in these parts needs to revolve around tide changes with around an hour before to an hour after being the prime time. Fishing times can be longer or shorter depending on tide variances, as neap tides give you more fishing time and spring tides much less.

for this, which is still only relatively new but already has a cult following for mulloway due to its lethal conversion rate, is the 8/0 Black Magic KLT pattern. The good thing about these hooks is the hook-up rate doesn’t change whether you’re getting harassed by small school class mulloway or hooked-up to a 30kg monster. For squid I use another the Black Magic C-Point suicide pattern in 6/0-8/0, depending on bait size. While the paternoster rig is popular for this type of

of the rod. Reels can be either spin or over head suited to hold around 300m of 30lb braid. Mulloway are not typically dirty fighters, especially when fishing straight up and down in deep water, so there is no need to go any heavier then 30lb braid. I’ve been using the Black Magic rainbow braid for both my personal and charter boat work and I find it to be the best stuff I’ve come across. It’s colour coded, which lets you know exactly where your bait is situated in the water column. While most of the time the rule of thumb is to drop your bait down to hit the bottom and then wind up a metre or two, sometimes you will spot markings on your sounder higher up in the water column. These can often be feeding mulloway attacking bait balls and this is where the colour coded line can come in handy, as you know exactly how much you’ve dropped down or wound up.

A deep water estuary mulloway about to be brought onboard.

Three large mulloway show up well on the sounder, so it pays to have a look around in various spots before you commit to fishing there. estuary system you’re fishing. They are the darkest, quietest places in the system, which has a lot to do with why mulloway often lurk in them, especially during daylight hours. They offer not only refuge from the disco going on above but also a place holding plenty of food. This is particularly the case on those holes with steep sudden drops, as the tidal flow going over the top of these

Because of depth and tidal flow, lure fishing in theses parts can be difficult, so the best way is to drift right on the slack water period tea-bagging large plastics on 1oz jigheads. However, the best way to fish here is to live bait using slimy mackerel, yellowtail, pike tailor or freshly caught whole squid. For live baiting, a single large circle hook pinned just behind the fish’s shoulder will give the best hook-up rate. By far the best circle

fishing, I prefer a heavy duty swivel with a large no. 8 barrel sinker above it. Between the swivel and the hook I run a short length of 40lb Black Magic fluorocarbon leader. I find with the abrasion resistance this leader has I don’t need to go heavier, even on jumbo class mulloway. For mulloway outfits, I would go with something around 7ft rated to around 15kg with a forgiving tip that quickly locks up in the bottom two thirds

The KLT hook has a good hook-up rate for deep water mulloway.

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EXPRESS SHIPPING *For orders over $125.00 (conditions apply)

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JUNE 2019

Cooking

Tempura whiting with chips and tartare sauce SYDNEY

Andrew Humphries

Very finely chop the pickle, capers and dill and mix through the mayonnaise. Wrap and set aside in the fridge for later. Preheat deep fryer to 150ºC. For the hand cut chips, you

can either wash the potatoes really well to remove the dirt or peel them. Once peeled or washed cut the potatoes into 1.5cm pieces. Blanch the chips in the oil for approximately 5-7minutes. It is important not to over load the fryer basket. You may have to blanch the chips in two batches. Combine 1/2 cup self-

INGREDIENTS 4 whiting fillets skinned and deboned 1/2 cup self-raising flour + 1/4 cup to coat fish 1/2 cup corn flour + 2tbsp to coat fish 200mL chilled soda water 1 medium size pickle

Finely chopped capers, pickled gherkin and dill.

Hand cut chips ready to be blanched.

Skinned and boned whiting fillets.

raising flour and 1/2 cup cornflour in a bowl and mix in some salt. Whisk in soda water to form the tempura batter. The batter can be made up to 1 hour in advance and kept in the fridge until needed. Turn deep fryer up to 180ºC for later use. Prepare the whiting fillets by skinning and trimming out

the centre bones. Mix the remaining corn flour and self-raising flour and season with salt and pepper. Finish cooking the chips for 2-3 mins or until crisp. Drain and place into a bowl and season. Meanwhile, coat whiting fillets in the flour then into the tempura batter.

Salt and pepper to season with 2tsp capers 1 sprig of dill 1/3 cup mayonnaise 800g golden delight or Sebago potatoes 2-3L vegetable oil for the deep fryer 1 lemon cut in wedges to serve

and serve! Depending on the size of your fryer, you may need to cook the fish in two batches. If this is the case, cook for 1-2 minutes to set the batter. Take out and set aside then repeat again until all fish has been blanched. Cook again for two minutes until fish is golden and crisp.

• You will also need a 2-3L deep fryer – I wouldn’t recommend attempting this recipe using a pot of oil as it is too hard to control the oil temperature on the stove top and there is a far greater chance of injury. It is also important to set up your fryer in a well-ventilated area or under an exhaust fan on a stable surface.

Tartare sauce ready to be set aside.

Blanching or par cooking the chips.

Whiting fillets after being floured sitting in the tempura batter.

Generously coat whiting in the tempura batter and allow excess to drip off before placing into deep fryer, ensuring that when you gently release the fish that you let it go away from you so you avoid the hot oil splashing towards you. Cook for 3-4 minutes, drain oil then place onto paper towel. Season

Peeled Sebago potatoes for the hand cut chips.

Two nice whiting before being filleted, skinned and boned.

Tempura whiting and hand cut chips with tartare sauce.

JUNE 2019

Trades, Services, Charter BAIT & TACKLE METRO

KALBARRI

DENMARK

Kalbarri Sports & Dive (08) 9937 1126

EXMOUTH

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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 Guildford (08) 6161 0044 Baitmate-Bricap Wangara (08) 9309 5474 Compleat Angler Nedlands (08) 9389 1337 Anglers Anonymous Fishing Tackle Supplies Canning Vale (08) 9455 2521 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

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

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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 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

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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 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. 48

JUNE 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

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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

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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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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

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

Saved by the stinkers BRISBANE

Justin Willmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

I’ve always been a big believer in the saying ‘no run, no fun’ when it comes to fishing, so when I was recently confronted with

just seem disinterested, with no drive to actively hunt or feed. These tides with little flow are sometimes welcomed in different areas, such as when chasing barra in some areas up north or targeting structure in deep water, however in my local estuary and river systems it

With the wind forecast to blow up, the plan was to get on the water early. those tides that seem to just sit there all day, with a low high tide, high low tide and very little tidal movement, I had to come up with a plan. To make matters worse, my wife’s grandmother was visiting from interstate and the pressure was on to put together a couple of packs of fish for her to take home for a feed. I had tried all sorts of rigs and techniques to get the fish to feed on these tides in the past, and they

can definitely make for a lot of casts and a slow bite. After lots of trial and error on these types of tides, I have now learnt to grab my confidence lures, fish the techniques that I know produce, hit a few favourite spots and just work hard, stay alert to bait and activity in the area and persist. So, on this particular morning I ignored my own advice, rigged up a whole bunch of weedless, experimental presentations and headed

off across a section of flats that I rarely even fish on the good tides… and you can probably guess the result. After an hour of nothing I was still working an area that wasn’t feeling fishy, on a tide that was realistically too low, with lures that I wasn’t confident in. It’s important to make the call and change things up if it’s not working, so I changed to a few of my go-to lures, turned the kayak around and spent about thirty minutes pedalling against the tide to the area of flats that I had originally intended to fish… before coming up with my great alternative plan. Luckily the tide wasn’t running hard and that was about the only positive for a kayak angler, as I could physically make the move to this area. When I arrived on the flat I had already lost some of the small high tide, so I looked for deeper areas on the flat, where the water depth dropped from about 2ft to around 3ft. This additional foot of water is all that it takes to give fish the confidence to hold on the flat and feed. I also focussed on areas where there was weed and rubble that would hold food, rather than the flat open areas of sand. First cast and I was on to what I hoped was a nice bream, however after a few fast changes of direction and some crazy head shakes I realised it was a small trevally. We had recently had a couple of sessions on this flat, landing plenty of these trevally and I was still yet to identify them officially. They were great fun on light gear, as most trevally are, and a cool looking fish, however they had a slime coat on them that was quite smelly, so my wife and I had nicknamed them stinkers. “Oh no, not another stinker” was the call as we chased bream on the flats during

Not the most highly regarded table fish, but a feed for the author’s visitor. 50

JUNE 2019

After a false start to the morning these trevally were a welcome rod bender. a previous session and she landed seven in a row. Today though, I was grateful for the stinkers and after an hour and a half without a bump I now had

lost, it was time to get back to the job at hand and fish for a feed for nan. I’m not sure if these trevally were edible or legal to keep, however it didn’t really matter, as my

catching a bream or flathead on the channel drop off. Here I set up a slow drift along the edge, allowing me to cast a few metres onto the flat and then retrieve fairly

The trevally put up a good fight on light gear. Note how shallow the water is. a bent rod and a smile on my face. I was casting and slow rolling a 2.5” paddletail plastic on a 1/8oz 1/0 jighead. The hits were fierce and the runs had the drag singing. After an hour or so and eight landed and a few

wife and I never keep any trevally for the table as they are too cool a fish and too much fun to take out of the system, when they could be left for a kid to catch one day. I moved to the edge of the flat in the hope of

quickly for the first couple of metres to avoid fouling in the weed. I then allowed the plastic to fall down the drop off. After a couple more stinkers, I hooked a different breed of stinker, a yellowtail pike. The difference with

Another flathead to finish the session.

these slimy, smelly and oily fish is that I knew they are okay eating, especially in the smoker. They are quite messy to handle and fillet,

on the tough conditions. It was this little flatty’s unlucky day and he joined nan’s yellowtail pike in the icebox.

A decent size yellowtail pike went into the icebox for nan. with their slime and scales left everywhere, however this one went into the icebox for nan. I was beginning to curse the tides when I had a solid hit and then that familiar run of a bream surging across the flats. Eventually

Seeing that yellowtail pike in the icebox made me decide to head to an area where I knew there would be more pike holding on a weed flat. They would be feeding regardless of the tide and I was confident that I could attract a few bites

be all that’s needed when the bite is tough. After paddling to the area that I was going to fish, I stopped to see whether I was going to drift with the slow tide or the breeze and then set up a drift across the weed flat. When targeting yellowtail pike it’s just a matter of getting the retrieve right and it can vary depending on water depth and how aggressively they are feeding. After a few straight winds and follows without strikes, I included a few pauses and shakes of the rod tip. Fish on! Then the fish were shaking the plastic and I was losing more than I was catching. I changed strategy and as soon as the fish was hooked, I didn’t give them an inch, keeping the pressure on to the point of skipping the smaller ones across the surface. This kept the hook in and ensured the fish made it to the kayak. I released a few smaller fish and kept the ones that were worth filleting, adding a dozen to the icebox. The stinkers had saved the day, with the trevally providing plenty of action on the flat and the pike making up a nice feed for nan. This would give her one pack of flathead and a couple of packs of yellowtail pike, to go with a few packs of crab that were already in the freezer. Not a bad seafood feast for someone that lives in regional NSW! The wind was forecast to blow up and it didn’t disappoint, as it now had

Fish on! Although maybe not the desired species, a bent rod means a smile on the face. tail and 3/8oz 3/0 jighead and cast toward the edge of the weed, working the plastic down the channel edge and into water that was a few metres deep. With the slow current I would have normally used a 1/4oz jighead, however the heavier jighead made it easier to get the casting distance and stay in contact with the plastic in the wind. The first cast settled on the bottom and was eaten immediately by a bar-tailed flathead, that was probably just legal but quickly returned to the water, as they are less common in the area that I fish. Two casts later and the plastic was eaten in more aggressive fashion by what felt like a reasonable flathead. A few solid runs on the light gear and plenty of headshakes and I had a mid-40s flathead in the net. Not a monster, but a good meal size fish for nan’s icebox. With the wind now gusting hard, my session was over. Despite the poor tides and false start, I had managed to hunt and gather a feed for our interstate visitor. I

had a couple flathead meals and couple of yellowtail pike meals to go with her crab and squid caught earlier. It had been the stinkers that had made the session enjoyable

forget those species that we loved to catch as kids, whether it be for fun, for bait or as a feed. They still put a bend in the rod, can be great fun to target and they

The ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ are a good all rounder in the estuaries. by providing the most action though, with a couple of dozen trevally and yellowtail pike landed over a few hours. When the tides aren’t great or the bite isn’t going to plan in your area, don’t

are often readily available. You never know, you too could find yourself having a much more enjoyable and action-packed session thanks to the stinkers. See you on the water.

One of the stinkers landed fishing the shallow flats. I had the fish close enough to the kayak to watch it shake the jighead and swim away… yep, they weren’t going to make it easy for me. Soon after, a cast into a sandy patch was soon rewarded with a solid take and the headshakes of a flathead. When I slid the net under this fish there was a sense of relief, along with a sense of achievement based

on the little 2.5” paddle tail. Many anglers consider species like yellowtail pike, mullet, gar and salmon to be nothing more than bait or a less desirable species to target. It’s important to remember though that these species are also often more prolific, can be good eating if looked after and prepared correctly and they also put a bend in your rod, which can

become stronger than the weak tide, pushing me away from my final destination. It was time to head for home, with just one last spot to have a few casts before putting the kayak back on its trolley and calling it a day. Upon reaching the last spot I positioned the kayak a cast distance from the bank, grabbed the rod that was rigged with a 3” paddle-

It doesn’t take much water depth to hold a flathead. JUNE 2019

WHAT’S NEW BOATING RAYMARINE LIGHTHOUSE UPDATE 1

RAILBLAZA TRACWEDGE

New LightHouse Annapolis 3.9 operating system unlocks new features and functionality for Raymarine MFDs. As with every Raymarine LightHouse operating system update, downloads are free and easy at http://www.raymarine. com/multifunction-displays/lighthouse3/. ClearCruise Augmented Reality (AR) is now supported on FLIR M132 and M232 thermal camera systems. Day or night, AR shows you valuable identification data for navigation aids, AIS contacts and waypoints. The AR display even updates automatically to work with the pan and digital zoom capabilities of the M232 for true 360° viewing. ClearCruise AR is only available on Axiom MFDs. The RealBathy feature lets you build detailed bathymetric charts in real-time, and Annapolis 3.9 now supports intuitive pinch-to-zoom touchscreen control as well as touch-and-drag range shift. There’s also Yamaha Command Link Plus Integration. www.raymarine.com

The Railblaza TracWedge enables the easy installation of StarPorts and SidePorts into the gunwale tracks on most aluminium boat brands in Australia under 4m. There is no drilling of holes required, and ports can be moved easily. The TracWedge fits gunwale channels on Quintrex, Stacer, Savage, Stessl, Stessco and Sea Jay open boats. There are two models available, the StarPort (#03-4127-11) and SidePort (#03-4126-11). They receive all Railblaza accessories, including rod holders, drink holders, navigation lights, fish finders and baitboards. It keeps your boat tidy and free of clutter, and are easily moved to a new position along the gunwale. For more information on these and other boat/kayak mounting products, visit the Railblaza website. www.railblaza.com

ROKK WIRELESS CHARGER

Scanstrut has released the world’s first 12/24V waterproof wireless charger range – the ROKK Wireless. The IPX6 waterproof 12/24V Qi certified waterproof wireless charging range enables charging for the outdoor environment, without the need for phone charging cables. Designed from the ground up, this is the world’s first waterproof wireless charge system created specifically for use on board, with the unique technology housed in an IPX6, fully encapsulated and sealed unit. Working directly with 12/24V systems, ROKK Wireless is ideal for life on the move and is perfect for boats and caravans. It’s easy to install anywhere you need your phone, either indoors or outdoors. No more wires. Exceeding the latest and highest standards of the Qi wireless protocol, ROKK Wireless is independently certified to deliver ultra-safe charging anywhere on board. www.scanstrut.com

NEW FUSION AMPLIFIERS

Fusion has released two new additions to its industry-leading range of marine audio entertainment products, the Signature Series 6-channel and 8-channel class-D marine amplifiers. These new 6-channel 1500W and 8-channel 2000 W amplifiers deliver an impressive power rating and are designed to suit all audio installation requirements. These powerful amplifiers are built with Class-D amplification for higher efficiency and output, a rigid aluminium heat sink, a subsonic filter, variable low and high pass crossover filters, and are 2 Ohm stereo stable and include variable bass boost, behind a stainless-steel front panel with a mirror finish. Ensuring low current draw from the battery while delivering increased power, the efficient design makes it suit any boating environment. Carrying Fusion’s True-Marine accreditation, these amplifiers are protected by a 3-year warranty. Fusion has also laughed a high quality, corrosion-resistant range of RCA cables and connectors. www.fusionentertainment.com 52

JUNE 2019

MASTERVOLT MAC PLUS SERIES

PRODUCT GUIDE

Charging the service batteries on your boat can be challenging. Recharging tends to take a long time and batteries may not receive a full charge. Smart alternators and start/stop systems make the problem even worse. Traditionally, a service battery is linked to the starter battery by means of a charge relay. The starter battery is located close to the alternator and receives most of the charge current. However, the service battery is usually further away. Long cables cause voltage drop, leading to slow charging, failing appliances and reduced battery life. Modern engines have smart alternators which provide a variable voltage; after a brief charging period, voltage is reduced and the charging stops. Furthermore, the energy produced by regenerative braking leads to voltage peaks. Service batteries coupled in the traditional way will receive hardly any charge and may be damaged by the peak voltages. Mastervolt Mac Plus DC-DC chargers, available in 12V or 24V, monitor the service battery and compensate the voltage loss. The 3-step charge method ensures a quick and safe charge. Moreover, by stabilising the charge voltage, the service battery and sensitive equipment are protected. Price: SRP $1079 www.bla.com.au

HUTCHWILCO 170N PFD

The new Hutchwilco 170N inflatable lifejacket (#BASC0170) features ARS technology (Advanced Roll Over System) with a 170N asymmetric bladder for superior self-righting and head-up support. The new higher spec version of the inflatable which has a 170N interlock bladder partnered with a UML Pro-Sensor indicator inflator mechanism. It has a indicator window to show you that your jacket is good to go. The 170N lifejacket somes with stainless steel adjustment system and D ring. The outer cover has a soft neoprene neck for more comfort, plus a mesh back for improved fit and comfort, and an integral crotch strap with stowage pouch. It also features a spray hood in both models, a burst zip closure and quality 50mm webbing. One size fits most adults, and it comes in navy/black. Price: SRP $149 www.hutchwilco.co.nz

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Success with small craft storage BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Safe storage of priority items and tackle is one of the major challenges that owners of small fishing craft face. While it’s generally accepted that

equipment first, then those items we need for our own comfort, which includes apparel and tucker, and then the all-important fishing gear. What about the catch? We can’t just throw our fish into the engine well aft, so keeping fish fresh is a necessity. With safety first, it’s easy to assess that life

certainly take care of fish coming home. Then we come to fishing gear. The last thing any sensible angler wants is for valuable rods and reels to be bouncing about on the floor as a boat navigates choppy conditions, so some means of securing tackle in transit must be prioritised.

Even though things were pretty rough, the author and his wife managed to keep valuable fly rods safe. Note the sheep skin cushioning for those long runs, and the green tub to contain fly line while casting. storage space within small craft – say under 5m – is always going to be a test of ingenuity, most anglers seem to enjoy the challenge

jackets need to be kept as accessible as possible, so they must be within easy reach at all times. Personal comfort items are of a lesser

There’s some useful storage here, but some rubber padding glued on the bottom and sides would make it that bit better. of getting their boat set up to their satisfaction. WHAT DO YOU NEED? Let’s consider what needs to be stored in that small trailer boat. My view is that it comes down to safety

priority and can be tucked away where they won’t affect the fishing work area; soft bags will take care of clothes, a waterproof box for the tucker, and an insulated fish bag will

THE LARGER THE BOAT THE BETTER THE STORAGE Obviously, if the boat has come off a tandem trailer there will be a lot of really useful storage space on hand. Larger boats are like that, but inevitably even the largest storage areas will eventually be taken up with gear. Storage under seats, within a cabin, or in cockpit length side pockets are a blessing while some larger craft even have storage racks for rods or gaffs built into T tops over the helm area. No question: bigger is better for storage but it is not always a feasible option. Small craft owners just need to get more creative. Trying to store everything in a small boat is going to involve some compromises, and it comes down to doing the best with what’s on hand to make things work. SETTING UP THE TINNY

This roomy looking alloy craft features lots of work room and flexible seating. There is even room for a set of rod holders to be horizontally mounted to port just under the gunwale deck. 54

JUNE 2019

We all are familiar with the common little 3.65m tinny, the 12ft. I used to use a craft this size to fish freshwater impoundments and the ‘Pin estuary. The only storage within this handy little outboard craft was the under deck area up front that I’d set up with an off floor shelf plus a marine ply floor bulwark adjacent this shelf area. The allowed necessary safety gear to be stored under the fore deck while the anchor and rope were down lower at floor level. This worked and nothing ever moved from its designated place, no matter how rough the water was. We’d travel fair distances within Monduran Dam looking for big barra, so cushions were always on hand to ease the discomfort of sitting on hard metal during long trips. Next came the issue of rod storage, which was challenging given that we were doing a lot of fly fishing with 3m fly rods. The little tinny had no rod holders or rod racks of any kind, so I installed a basic set of horizontal rod holders with the aft one set-up on the rear thwart to port and another set-up on the front seat also to port. It looked a bit rough, but the system worked and was able to safely hold spin and fly rods while powering along to a chosen fishing spot. Everything else was packed in tackle boxes or other containers with lids, with fish to be eaten going into an insulated and iced down fish bag. Fish from the ‘Pin or bass dams were easily stored, larger barra posed real problems so we usually let them go after some lens time. If it rained some things got wet, when the boat was unattended on its trailer everything of value was removed for safe keeping, but our systems worked and we enjoyed fishing out of that little craft immensely. YOUR CHALLENGES For most small boat owners there are similar solutions that can assist with storage. Side and centre console rigs can usually be set up with a series of upright rod holders up front or along the sides of the console to carry rods while on the water. Never carry rods there when the boat is being towed behind the car. If there is sufficient uncluttered room along interior sides of the craft, budget style rod holders can be installed. Take care not to go screwing things through the side of the boat unnecessarily; you can do this by using appropriately sized self-tappers. If you do need to bolt right through the side, simply put plenty of silicon on the job.

There’s the potential to set up a set of side mounted rod holders here, as those well-spaced ribs would be an ideal spot to mount them. Many boats can also be set up with the flexible rod holders spaced out on corresponding flat surfaces, so that rods are safely stored while on the water. A rod holder set

These days a lot of smaller craft are set-up with side pockets and while these are often too small to be useful for rod storage, they can assist by holding a gaff, folded landing nets, wallets of plastics or

A typical smaller side pocket, best suited for smaller items that might need to be kept handy. horizontally on the lid of an aft compartment, another set-up on the front deck or on a seat will see a couple of rods stored easily and within reach. If the craft is tiller steered, set them up away from the skipper’s helm area.

other tackle that might need to be kept close by. DOWN SIZE THOSE TACKLE BOXES Tackle boxes need to be of just the right size to readily accommodate the tackle for the trip. When fishing from a

Very long rod lockers come in handy on small craft.

small craft you simply don’t have the luxury of taking everything that might or might not be of use. Anglers do tend to specialise these days, so it’s not unusual to see a couple of smaller boxes, maybe a roll or two of plastics plus matching jigheads stored within a small craft as it leaves the ramp. Compact tackle is good tackle that does not obstruct fishing room. If you get a new tackle box, it might be wise to gently

turn the hose on it at home to simulate light rain and see how the box shapes up. Some will leak and it can be very annoying to open a tackle box and see valuable chemically sharpened hooks sitting in water that’s discoloured by their corrosion. SOFTEN UP THOSE METAL COMPARTMENTS Lastly, quite a few of today’s alloy boats are set-up with some storage, with punt style rigs with

their handy up front hatch covered compartments coming immediately to mind. Unfortunately, bare metal compartments are not very tackle friendly, so it’s wise to visit a cheap shop and secure a few metres of soft rubber matting to line these compartments. Contact cement will keep the soft liners in place and it’s surprising just how efficient this system is in both keeping the noise down and valuable items undamaged.

Innovation wins again, the owner of this craft has worked out a perfect way to store that rod.

One of the things that make bow rider crafts so attractive is the great storage under the front seating.

LAST THOUGHTS Storage in small craft can present a few challenges but it is quite satisfying finding innovative ways to create storage space. Just remember that some parts of the boat must stay as they are. I recently saw a small tinny with a battery sitting mid thwart where a big hole had been cut in the top of the middle seat to accommodate the battery. Exchanging in-built flotation for a sure method of sinking the craft in the event of a mishap is definitely taking storage just a bit too far!

When rod tips are going to contact hard and unyielding surfaces, a section of soft material prevents damage.

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www.tacklejunkie.fish JUNE 2019

Bar Crusher 615BR with Suzuki 150HP 4-stroke - SC

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Main: Is there anything better than a brilliant day on Port Phillip Bay, a Bar Crusher and 150 Suzuki horses pushing you along? Above: The 615BR is Bar Crusher’s first foray into a multi-purpose craft, although Matt Urzia will always find a way to fish in it. At rest the Gen 2 hull’s ballast tank takes on hundreds of litres of water and sinks the chines deeper to offer improved stability at rest. extra weight around. “A lot of our customers want to go out or come home in rough conditions, and the Gen 2 hull lets them do that with maximum levels of comfort,” Pete explained. If you’re thinking that the 615BR lacks some of its siblings’ fishing chops, you’d be mistaken. The bow riding section has removable cushions and a drop-in deck infill that makes the whole

RPM........ Speed.(km/h)....... Economy.(km/L) 1000 ........................... 3 ............................ 4.0 2000........................... 7 ............................ 2.8 3000......................... 11 ............................ 1.9 3700 ......................... 34 ............................ 2.3 4000......................... 38 ............................ 2.1 5000......................... 53 ............................ 1.6 6000......................... 66 ............................ 1.2 JUNE 2019

coupled with their BarCatch system, it’s a foolproof as possible to launch and retrieve these rigs, even if you’re boating alone. Packages with the 615BR start from high $60K, and as tested, this rig weighed in around the mid $80K mark. For more information, get in touch with your nearest Bar

SPECIFICATIONS

PERFORMANCE

s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

It’s not often you get the head of a company to come out on a boat test, but Bar Crusher’s Peter Cleland showed up at the Launching Way ramp with their first foray into a multi-purpose boat in tow, the 615 BR (bow rider). When questioned about the genesis of the craft, Peter said they wanted to design a fishing weapon that the family could also go out on, to enjoy a bit of fun with some towsports. “We stand at a lot of boat shows talking to people, and this design came from that,” he said. Built on Bar Crusher’s well proven Gen 2 hull, it features a ‘delta flare’, which is like an old style planing plank on a glass boat that gets the boat onto the plane quickly. The chines are wider than their original hulls to deflect more water downwards and the passive water ballast system reduces buoyancy at rest, dropping the chines further into the water and improving stability. When the boat takes off, this water dumps out quickly and you’re not carrying the

ride for when conditions get a little nasty. Performance-wise, the 150hp Suzuki displayed the economy that they’re known for, delivering 2.3km/L at 3,700rpm and 34km/h. Drop the hammers and she got up to 66km/h at 6,000rpm at nearly half the economy, 1.2km/L. This rig

Steve Morgan

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for’ard section a flat casting deck. You can easily add a bow-mounted trolling motor to make this a boat that can easily sneak around any part of the country to cast lures in. The rear cockpit is similarly transformable. Pull out the ski pole and add a bait board to turn this into a classic snapper rig – complete with the windlass up front to pull the anchor for you. Importantly, there’s family-friendly shade, places to sit, and the ability to get in and out of this boat while on the water, which is all that most of us need to have a good time. Well, maybe that, and a donut to tow the kids around on. We particularly like the generous dash space in Bar Crushers that allow flush

mounting of electronics, and that these are viewable from the cockpit easily. With the addition of the soft top, bow cover and clears you get a pseudo-cabin style feel and

Length...................................................... 6.15m Beam........................................................2.25m Bottom.sheet ............................................4mm Side.sheets................................................4mm Fuel ............................................................ 140L Min.HP ......................................................... 115 Max.HP ........................................................ 150 Height.on.trailer ...................................... 2.15m Fuel ............................................................ 140L demonstrably likes cruising economically at the lower end of the planing speeds. Finally, Bar Crushers supplied from the factory are matched with Victorian built EasyTow trailers and,

Crusher dealer. You can find where your local dealer is by visiting www.barcrusher. com.au or contact Aquasports Marine on 9250 3339 or check out their website www. aquasportsmarine.com.au.

Suzukis are notoriously economical. This 150hp and 6m+ boat delivered 2.3km/L at 34km/h and 3,700rpm, and a 66km/h top end speed.

Inset and above: The Bar Crusher team is always looking at clever ways of using space. The under seat tackle storage here is just one of their additions.

Top: The bait board is simple with a removable Teflon insert. You can swap it out for a ski pole for the watersports days. Above: There’s always plenty of space on a Bar Crusher helm for all of your electronics, so size isn’t an issue.

Bar Crusher’s solution to a rear bench is solid and reliable. It’s simple to deploy and has a smooth finish while stowed.

There is a distinct separation between the front deck and the anchor well, and hopefully no salt water makes its way into your cocktails.

With a bow area covered and locked down, the cockpit is quite sheltered. There are plenty of places to hang onto, which your passengers will appreciate.

If you’re headed off for a weekend of camping there’s plenty of space under the bow cover to stow camping gear.

All of these deck cushions remove to turn the 615 into a fishing platform. Leave the cushions in and remove the centre infill and it’s a lounge.

The 140L fuel tank gives a theoretical range at best economy of over 250km.

Add a bow-mounted electric motor here to really take advantage of the for’ard casting deck.

The slide-in transom door is as simple is it gets.

All this bait tank needs to work is a functioning water pump. It self levels and drains straight onto the duckboard. JUNE 2019

Stessco Skipper 449 with Yamaha F50hp 4-stroke - SC

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it on one of the Stessco trailers built by Dunbier, the warranty is extended to two years. Obviously, the Stessco guys recommend sitting these boats on these purpose-built trailers, and anyone who’s owned a boat for a long time will preach the benefits of having a trailer that’s actually built for the vessel it supports. WALKTHROUGH Before we dropped this rig in the water and pounded it through some Pumicestone Passage chop, I did the usual preliminary walkthrough to see

SPECIFICATIONS Length..................................................... 4620mm Beam ...................................................... 2100mm Depth ........................................................ 925mm Bottom Sides ............................................... 3mm Top Sides ...................................................... 3mm Max hp .............................................................. 50 Max transom weight...................................165kg Transom Height............................................... 20” Max people......................................................... 4 Base boat hull weight .................................308kg 58

JUNE 2019

what we were looking at. Even though I am someone who fishes very specifically, this general boating and fishing rig really impressed me with little pieces of convenience that would add up to a more comfortable day on the water. The transom was an open design, meaning access to tanks, fuel filters and batteries would be very easy, but despite being open it stayed very dry, even in the lumpy conditions we experienced later on. The enormous splash well also helped to keep everything dry and comfortable for those sitting at the back of the boat. There was a mountain of workspace behind the cockpit, which would be perfect for restless kids (or adults) waiting for their next bite, and a drop-in style bench seat in the rear of the work space is a great piece of ingenuity. A user can go from seating two people to four people comfortabley by just dropping this apparatus in; of course without it there is even more storage space

behind the cockpit! The high windscreen ensured the ride was incredibly dry, and neatly mounted electronics kept everything simple and clean. The soft top bimini is just another way to make it more comfortable for those on-board, without complicating the design in

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Main: The smooth, dry ride was a huge plus in the Skipper, especially with a little chop around. Above: The F50hp delivered excellent economy and Yamaha’s trademark quietness.

Stessco have always been a dominant name in the boating scene in Australia, and it’s easy to see why. Their range of hulls alone makes them stand out from the pack, and their application-specific designs really endear them to anglers. What tends to be forgotten about is the fantastic range of runabouts for general boating and fishing that Stessco also produces, and when powered by a reliable engine and sat on a trailer from a trusted brand, they’re perfect for entry-level boaters. On this blustery autumn day in South East Queensland, we met up with The team from Stessco and Will Lee from Yamaha to test out a few boats, and here we will examine the 449 Skipper, powered by a Yamaha F50hp. SOME INFO The 449 is the second largest of the four boats in the Skipper series, and being a ‘standard’ or ‘entrylevel’ boat within the Stessco range, it comes with a 12 month structural warranty. If the buyer chooses to sit

any way, and definitely a plus when relaxing on a boat in the skin cancer capital of the world! ON THE WATER Climbing into the boat was easy, and users of all ages and abilities will appreciate having the luxury to enter this boat from both the rear by the platform via a ladder on the transom or by the split windscreen over the front. On the water this boat performed exactly as promised: a dry and comfortable ride, with the smooth purr of a 4-stroke at the rear. Even in 10-15 knot southeasterly winds the ride never got uncomfortable, even with four adults aboard, three of whom were holding expensive camera gear! As the performance statistics show, the economy you can get from the Yamaha’s F50hp is nothing short of exceptional, but as with most boats, WOT isn’t the best way to save on fuel. The sweet spot of 4,500rpm delivered great economy at 3.9km/L, and a comfortable speed of 37km/h,

Bob Thornton

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which would get you across any dam or bay in no time. Needless to say, this rig could get offshore on the right day if fitted out correctly, however this boat is much more at home in sheltered waters like dams, bays, rivers and creeks. There are better boats for offshore fishing in the Stessco range. FINAL THOUGHTS As I mentioned before, I look for boats designed for a specific purpose, but despite this bias, I really appreciated how simple and easy to use everything in this boat was. Any entry-level boater would be looking for a boat/motor/ trailer package that is simple, comfortable and user-friendly, and the Skipper 449 ticks all these boxes. With a price around the mid-$20K mark, this is another reason why the Skipper is the perfect way to get into boating. For mor info about any boats in the Stessco range, visit www.stessco.com.au, or find them on Facebook or Instagram at ‘Stessco’.

Simple, but not unattractive. The 449 is a great-looking boat that isn’t going to strain your bank account too much.

The 449 manages to provide an incredible amount of storage space without heaps of hatches, while still managing to keep everything dry for the most part.

The Yamaha F50hp is as economic as it is attractive.

A basic sounder mounted in a simple fashion was very much in tune with the rest of the boat.

A simple anchor well up the front is accessible, and uncomplicated, just like everything else in the boat.

The drop-in style bench seat was a great feature for this simple rig, and means it can go from seating two to four people very easily.

The 449 had no worries getting onto the plane, and even with four aboard and equipment, you could still cruise economically to your fishing/relaxation spot.

The battery box in the rear corner stayed dry, but was also within easy reach should anything need attention while out on the water.

Having the right trailer for the job can only be a good thing, and in this case, it doubles the structural warranty!

Once again, a simple transom makes for easy maintenance and entry to the boat without compromising the finish of the boat. JUNE 2019

UNBEATABLE 150hp FourStroke

The Mercury 150hp FourStroke is the largest displacement and lowest weight outboard in its class. The perfect partner for powering trailer boats.

UNEXPECTEDLY COMPACT MERCURY

HONDA

YAMAHA

DISPLACEMENT COMPARISON SUZUKI

3000

2500

3000cc

206kg 217kg

2867cc

2000

223kg

2670cc 2354cc

232kg MERCURY

THE MERCURY 150HP FOURSTROKE COMES IN AT AN INCREDIBLY LIGHT 206KG* MAKING IT THE LIGHTEST IN ITS HORSEPOWER CLASS.

YAMAHA

HONDA

THE MERCURY 150HP FOURSTROKE IS THE LARGEST DISPLACEMENT, HELPING OUT GUN OTHER 4-STROKES IN THE CATEGORY.

*Based on Mercury’s 150hp (L) model. Information based on all manufacturers’ claimed horsepower and weight figures.

mercurymarine.com.au

SUZUKI