Western Australia Fishing Monthly October 2019 by Fishing Monthly

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October 2019, Vol. 2 No. 2

Contents 6

METRO

Metro 11 SOUTH COAST Esperance 14 Albany 14 Bremer Bay

WEST COAST Augusta 16 Busselton 19 Bunbury 20 Mandurah 21 Lancelin 24 Jurien Bay

Geraldton 26 GASCOYNE COAST Exmouth 29 Kalbarri 30

From the Editor’s Desk... The new snapper rules appear to have come just in time, as the spawning schools were already forming and getting hammered at the end of August. Thankfully they are now free to breed without interruption and the likelihood of being removed from the gene pool. As of 15 October, all demersals in the West Coast Bioregion will be off the catch list, so it is time to start thinking about chasing other scaled ocean treats. There are so many to choose from, you could flick back through the last year’s worth of WA Fishing Monthly issues on issuu. com and read the features for free if you need any inspiration or ideas! In other news we

finally have a bit more protection for the most recreationally sought after species in WA, none other than the blue manna crab! This was a great bit of news and with any luck due to the short life cycle of these tasty crustaceans, we will likely see results in the not so distant future. Combined with other movements in the crab fishing sector we should be fairly confident that recreational crab fishing will see better stocks and a return of the good-sized crabs we remember from our childhoods. Thanks to everyone who filled out the questionnaires and provided input on how to make the crab fishery better. Congratulations also must go to Recfishwest and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional

Development (Fisheries) for making it all happen. In other good news the Government has announced a WA Inland Freshwater Advisory Committee. Hopefully this has been formed due to the Government realising that other states are making a fortune from their freshwater impoundments and that WA has been left floundering. Good to great freshwater fisheries will not only be better for regional communities, it may also help to alleviate some of the pressure put on saltwater fisheries. While the formation of the committee is only the starting point and results will most likely be a couple of years away, at least it is a step in the right direction. It is still such a shame that by the time

Ian Sewell anything comes about from this, we will still be about 10 years or more behind the rest of Australia. I guess better late than never! Hopefully you all get the opportunity to get out on the water this month and enjoy some of the favourable spring weather and spend some time in the sunshine with family and friends. As if you needed any more inspiration have read through the area reports in this issue, you may even want to consider a weekender up or down the coast to get into some of the great fishing spring provides. Summer with its howling easterlies and strong sea breezes is not far away. As always please remember to keep it safe while around the water.

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Whether keeping or releasing, handle with care LANCELIN

Peter Fullarton

I love my seafood and my fishing. I fish for fun, the challenge, the relaxation, for sport and for food. I hunt the fish for the enjoyment of striving to be as skilled as possible; the entire experience does not

finish with the successful landing of the catch. The enjoyment and pleasure of fishing is not only in the successful ‘capture’ of the target species, but to enable a successful release, or to ensure a humane kill and to make the best use of the animal’s death. In fishing for a feed, it is responsible to respect and

treat the catch using best practice methods. In both a humane kill and properly handling the harvested fish to avoid waste and achieve a quality food product. Equally, it is as important when fishing for sport to fish responsibly to minimize any risk to mortality of the target species. By caring for your catch, and unwanted by-catch, you

Know the eating qualities of each species. Wobbegong sharks yield excellent quality meat. The belly flaps seen separated from the trunk are the prime cut. The trunk yields tougher meat more suitable for fish curries or pies.

Avoid directly handling the fish when possible, removing the hooks without boating the fish as seen here.

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will also project a positive image of recreational fishers and make for a more sustainable future fishery for generations to come. I have fished recreationally my whole life. I also spent many years as a commercial fisher, including nearly 20 of them catching live fish for the aquarium trade or for live seafood markets. My commercial fishing taught me a lot about how to handle fish to keep them in a top live condition. I have seen fisheries decline, and heard lots of debate about who is responsible, albeit commercial fishers often bear the sole blame. We need to realise the recreational sector really does have a significant impact these days as well. With bigger boats, many rec anglers can fish pretty much most weather conditions and well out to sea. Fancy electronics enable us to find the fish and return again and again to the exact same spot. It was only a generation ago, as many of us still remember, to locate your favourite fishing reef you had to triangulate from visible landmarks. Hardly accurate compared to the GPS standards of today, and only possible very close to the shore. Some of our fisheries managers have been making some good calls lately, with recreational only areas along our populated Perth coast and other iconic areas such as inside Ningaloo Reef. The protection of breeding stocks of pink snapper have been a real boost to our fishing opportunities, and western rock lobster switching to quota has seen more and bigger crayfish being abundant. Let’s just hope the current government’s near-sighted cash grab thinking to go back to a larger take of lobster is thwarted. What we all must do, however, is the right thing for the future, by not only sticking to the rules, but also

acting responsibly and being aware of the consequences of our own actions to our fisheries future viability. Unwanted species should be returned to the water alive and healthy. It is cruel to leave blowfish gasping their last breaths behind you on the shore or jetty and does nothing to reduce their numbers. It could also lead to the fatal poisoning of pets and portrays our hobby in a bad way. I notice on social media pages people who kill a bag limit of dhufish or pink snapper and hold them up for a camera get lots of ‘likes’, but, some people, or as I like to call them ‘fish snobs’, can be very quick to attack

handful of species every time they go out for a fish and discard everything else. The iconic species like dhufish, red emperor and coral trout are hammered, and this can eventually result in reduced bag limits for all. So let’s not be a ‘fish snob’. Spread the love and eat some of the lesser-rated species and stand up for those people who get picked on by the fish snobs. Far better if you’re fishing for food to keep a range of species. Small sharks such as whalers or wobbegong, when cared for properly, can create the best fish and chips. The brown spotted cod caught off the South and Mid-West Coast is much maligned, yet the larger

The gut cavity of a baldchin groper caught from 15m full of blood clots. other fishers who may post pictures of a shark, wrasse or ray or other fish that may be considered to be of a lesser eating quality. Why attack a fellow fisher who chooses to eat something that maybe considered beneath your own judgments? Perhaps it’s ignorance, because some don’t know how to clean, prepare and cook each fish to its ultimate potential, or have never even tried. Put simply, it is not as sustainable if all fishers always target a

males produce magnificent fillets of beautiful meat that shame a pink snapper and rival a coral trout in juicy tasty textured fillets. Sea mullet, so tasty and healthy, cooked in their crispy skin, certainly doesn’t taste of mud as many would suggest. Even species such as samsonfish or stingrays can make fantastic curries, fish cakes and so on, where it would be waste to use a prime fillet on such dishes. Some people would be very surprized at just

how well some of the fish considered second rate eat when killed, bled and iced immediately on capture. There are only two basic rules you need to follow to obtain the optimum eating quality and storage time. The first is to dispatch quickly,

DISPATCHING METHODS It is important to kill a fish quickly, as much for the eating quality as for the humane aspects. To kill a finfish quickly and humanely, a simple and easy method is the traditional way most

process is to cut the throat and then pull the head upwards till the spine snaps, quickly killing and bleeding the fish. Probably the best method to kill a fish is ikijime. Originating in Japan, the method is now widely used worldwide. Put simply, it

You can use a knife or sharpened screwdriver as a tool for ikijime. You can place a knife through the gill opening to bleed a fish without completely cutting through the throat.

Supporting the body is important, especially with larger fish. humanely and bleed the fish. The second is to chill quickly, maintaining the freshness of your catch and package well to maintain quality and prolong storage time.

Australians would have grown up with while tailor fishing. It works very well, but curiously it was never often applied to other table fish species. Quite simply, the

is putting a spike into the brain cavity of the fish and wiggling it around to destroy the brain. The fish will give a quick shiver and go limp when done well. Each

species has brain the brain in a slightly different position, but as a basic rule if you start above and behind the eye on one side of the fishes’ head and stab towards the eye on the other side, you should be close to the spot. If you are new to ikijime, it is well worth looking at the web site www.ikijime. com and downloading their app that gives the image of each species overlaid with an x-ray of the fishes’ brain to assist in finding the exact location. Another option is use of a pacifier or priest to give

the fish several sharp blows to the top of its head just behind the eyes. This method is very useful to use before bringing a dangerous fish like a mackerel or shark on board a boat. You can buy or make a small baseball like bat or club, even a wooden rolling pin can easily be modified by cutting one handle off. Once a shark is on board, it is best to also stab the shark with the knife blade side on from on top at the base of the head to sever the back bone from the head, then turn the blade and stab down from on top just behind the eyes to pierce the brain.

BLEEDING Once killed, the next step is to immediately bleed the fish. Most people cut completely through the throat. All you really need to do is slide a knife through the gill opening angling forwards towards where the front of the gills are with a little downward pressure. This will cut the artery leading from the heart (ventral aorta). One advantage of this method is your fish will still look good for some later photographs. For sharks, remove the tail, which will sever the caudal To page 8

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artery to bleed it out quickly. Fish are best left to bleed for few minutes in water. The draining of the blood from the fish’s body will help increase the eating quality and storage life on all species. MOLLUSCS AND CRUSTACEANS Squid and octopus can both also be killed by ikijime, but squid are far easier than

tank until you get back to shore. Crabs in a live tank, tub or bucket will attack each other, tearing one another apart with their strong claws. Add the crabs to an ice slurry, and they just give a quick shiver as they hit the slurry and are gone in seconds, and you will have perfect crabs at the end of the day. Australian research has shown there is no reduction of eating quality

Using circle hooks will reduce the number of gut hooked fish. The shape of the hook is designed to pull out of the throat and to catch in the corner of the mouth. octopus. The method is to use a narrow blade at a 45° angle either side of the head, stabbing inwards to the mantle and then a third stab down the centre. There are plenty of videos online to check out before attempting the process. If you are not confidant and competent handling octopus, simply remove the head just below the eyes. Octopus can also be numbed in ice slurry. Lobster and crabs are best dealt with in an ice slurry. It puts them to sleep at the same time as chilling the flesh for best consumption. Lobster can be left in a live

of crustaceans after 18 hours in such a slurry. CHILLING Saltwater ice slurries are the most effective way to quickly chill down a fishes’ temperature. Make up the slurry with two parts crushed or cubed ice to one part sea water in an ice box, adding more ice as necessary through the day. This will chill the fish to around 0°C. It always surprises me how many people still fish without any ice to keep their catch fresh while out in the boat, on the beach or jetty. Once you have caught your catch

the worst thing you can do is to leave your fish suffocating in a bucket of hot water in the sun. Fish chilled to 0°C is good for many days. In a warm bucket of water time is measured in hours and eating quality will be reducing by the minute. If you want to keep the fish in a bucket, change the water regularly and keep it in the shade so the fish stay alive and fresh. If you are not going to be eating all your catch fresh, you can freeze any extra in vacuum seal bags for maximum quality as soon as practicable. It is generally said not to freeze fish for longer than three months, although quality will vary between species. I find tailor, pink snapper and mulloway don’t eat as well after 8-12 weeks, others like dhufish are fine for longer than three months. USING THE REST To make use of the whole fish, there are recipes for stocks and soups for your fish heads. Frames from large fish can be thrown on a barby plate and the meat picked off the bone. Leftovers can also be used to improve your fishing results. Fish heads can be frozen for future use as crab or cray bait. Frames and heads from smaller bread and butter species I chop with a meat cleaver to small chunks and mix with pollard, chook pellets and fish oil. This is a great berley that will bring in everything from offshore snapper, tuna and sharks, to beach mulloway, tailor and bream. Larger heads and frames can be cooked down in a big pot, just add a little water at the start. Don’t do it inside the kitchen, the smell won’t be welcome! Cook and stir till the flesh falls off the bones, turn off the heat and add some fish oil and a little aniseed to give it that extra boost, before freezing into suitable size containers. Once cooled, the gelatinous mix works very well as a strong slow release berley suspended in a berley bag on a boat. Adding pollard before freezing will make it a thicker mix that can last for hours when left in the wash

on the beach. You can put the un-cooked frames and heads through a mulcher and freeze the mix as berley logs. These are effective, but they tend to last only as long as they stay frozen before the currents fully dispersed them, so you

While handling these fish for the photo, support the fish under the body when lifting, don’t just hang it by the tail or head, and try to swim the fish between photographs. Ideally, get in the water with the fish, lifting it out just for

to try eliminate gut hooking undersized fish. If you are releasing fish, flatten the barbs or use barbless hooks and change any trebles on lures to singles. It makes the release easier and reduces damage to the fish.

A tailor with the gillplate cut away to show position and required knife angle to sever the ventral aorta. need a few and they need to be kept frozen until used to last a fishing session. HANDLING FOR RELEASE Finfish need to be handled carefully if they are to be released to prevent removing the protective slime coating. Once the slime coating has been removed the fish is susceptible to bacterial, fungal or disease infection. Landing nets with knotless mesh are very useful for bringing the fish on board a boat and are kind to the

the photos. If the fish is totally exhausted after a fight, you will need to swim it through the water to oxygenate the gills to be sure it has some kick in it before the release. It is best just to support the fish, so when ready it can swim off under its own power. Sometimes, it may be best to make the call to keep the fish if it is bleeding or doesn’t show some strong signs it can swim. Gut hooking fish causes a significant number of

Many fish will suffer from barotrauma when brought up from depths. Mulloway, breaksea cod, baldchin groper, dhufish and pink snapper will all suffer to varying degrees. It is important to understand what depth each species can be caught and released from. The increase in popularity of jigging artificial lures has started a trend where people do fish for sport on many deepsea species. Also, all the popular TV fishing shows promote catch and release for demersal fish without

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fish. Always wet your hands or any towel or rag you are using before handling fish. Preferably put a wet towel down rather than place a fish on a hot dry boat deck or other surface. With larger fish it is always best to remove the hooks with pliers without even removing the fish from the water when possible. We all love to get some pictures of a personal best or trophy-sized fish. Bragging rights do need to be observed.

mortalities. Think about keeping any gut hooked fish if you are planning on taking a feed home. Gut hooking incidences can be halved by using circle hooks instead of ‘J’ hooks. You can buy them in a range of sizes to suit all but the smallest of fish. Also, use hooks of a suitable size for the target species. Large hooks are far less likely to be swallowed by undersize fishes. I use 9/0 hooks while demersal fishing

explaining the consequences to the fishes health, making it seem okay and normal. Everyone needs to make informed decisions on what fish to keep or release from certain depths and when to stop fishing. Personally, I have a rule on my boat to keep every legal size fish when fishing for demersal species and stop fishing for them once a bag limit is met. I have in the past made exceptions when

catching fish in under 10m that are showing no signs of barotrauma. Although, after reading a Fisheries WA paper, probably under the same circumstances, I would pull anchor and move off a school of dhufish. I recommend any serous WA demersal fisher to have a read of this article, which can be found on www. fish.wa.gov.au. The study did some detailed work to look at depths pink snapper and dhufish were caught from and the hook types used. This was done by capturing and keeping the fish in cages at the depths they were caught from to see what the effects of the barotrauma was. The study also did some critical analysis on results from tagging programmes in WA and looked at the mortalities between ‘J’ and circle hook types. Similar studies confirm similar results in other states of Australia on pink snapper. To summarise some of the results, 21% of dhufish died when caught from 0-14m, where 86% died when caught from 45-60m. The study suggested that 13.2% of the mortalities could be entirely due to hook damage alone with a number of strongly bleeding fish dying in a short time frame. Overall, 51% of the captured dhufish died, though clearly if you are catching them in more than

15m more than half can be expected to die. Of the pink snapper taken from 5, 15 and 30m depths, only 3.42% of these fish died. Another two sites fish were taken from of 45 and 65m,

interesting figures from the tagging program in WA. For dhufish, one in every 13 fish tagged has been re-caught. Pink snapper have returned one in every 12 fish tagged. Breaksea cod appear to suffer

from caught fish. Although tagging numbers of baldchin may be small compared to the numbers of dhufish that have been tagged and recovered, but there should have been some seen by now if they

Baldchin groper are known to suffer severe barotrauma at even shallow depths. and 69% of these fish died. The study results indicate a rapid increase in mortalities in fish caught greater than 30m. Sadly, 91% of gut hooked fish died from either depth. There was also some

a more severe barotrauma visually, and not surprisingly, only returned one in every 32 fish tagged. Baldchin groper suffer severe barotrauma at even shallow depths and 0 tags have ever been returned

were surviving. The overwhelming conclusions of the study was fish released in increasing depth results in significantly more mortalities and depth alone is the main factor in fish

survival. A shot line should be used to send the fish back to the depth it came from rather than venting. That is, puncturing the swim bladder with a needle. Using circle hooks will result in less gut hooked fish and a higher survival rate. Some of the other things we do on my boat is to move off the heavy reef or lumps once a boat limit is reached for dhufish. We drift the flats for pink snapper and baldchin groper where it is far less likely to continue catching more dhu. Mortalities are not limited to the release of size fish, and undersize suffer equally. When we do feel that little rattle on the line that feels like a smaller fish we will wind up the fish very slowly allowing the fish to vent and will pause the retrieve to allow the fish to decompress for several minutes half way up. This does not prevent the barotrauma but will reduce the effects. Signs of severe barotrauma are bulging eyes and expelled stomach or intestines that have been displaced by the expanded swim bladder. There is also a lot more going on within the fish you can’t see. Bubbles form in the blood stream and other internal organs and eyes, similar to a diver with the bends. Displaced internal organs can be injured

and there can be significant internal bleeding and clotting of blood, so just sending one back down on a shot line out of sight is by no means a cure. The fish can have severe injuries and may die within hours or days later. Next time you land a baldchin, take the time to have a look within the gut cavity when cleaning your catch. Even from 10m they suffer a massive amount of internal organ haemorrhaging and clotting within the gut cavity, probably explaining the total lack of recaptures. Another issue mainly associated with our northern waters, but it can also be a problem closer to Perth at times, is the shark factor. If the sharks are eating everything you hook it is defintely time to move on. We all have a bag limit for a reason. This is an assessed sustainable take for the species you are targeting. Feeding the sharks 10 for each one landed somewhat cheats the system, not to mention the waste. Sometimes they are just so bad out deep your best to fish some shallow grounds if you can’t find a shark free spot. So there you have it, a basic guide on fish handling and care. Whether you choose to release or keep your catch, it’s worth remembering the little things you can do to either ensure their survival, or the best eating quality.

OCTOBER 2019

Become a citizen scientist NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

Citizen science is one of the latest buzz phrases to sweep the fishing world. It describes a worthwhile trend that a lot more of us need to embrace. Citizen science. Have you ever encountered that

best be defined as: “the collection and analysis of data relating to the natural world by members of the general public, typically as part of a collaborative project with professional scientists”. In other words, it means people like you and me pitching in to help the boffins with their research by gathering information, monitoring various

population dynamics and post-capture survival rates of various marine species. I’ve tagged a reasonable number of fish myself over the years and I’ve always been thrilled to hear of one being recaptured, knowing that the data generated adds to our pool of knowledge. Recently, for example, I was delighted when a big dusky flathead I’d tagged

Tournaments like the annual DIMSC snapper event held out of Coffs Harbour, NSW, require competitors to carefully measure, record and release their fish, thus helping to gather valuable data. term? If not, I suspect you’ll be hearing more about it over the coming months and years. I was first introduced to this concept some years ago by the publisher of this magazine, Steve Morgan. Morgo explained that he believed citizen science may grow to become the strongest argument available to us as anglers when it comes to justifying our activities in the face of increasing criticism from anti-fishing forces. In particular, Steve was thinking about things like competitions or tournament angling and the practice of catch-and-release. In some parts of the world, these activities are becoming increasingly unpopular and losing their ‘social licence’ or public support. Linking them to the collection of valuable scientific information is one way of countering that sort of disapproval. Citizen science is

phenomena, reporting wildlife encounters and so on. Usually, this is unpaid voluntary work that can help to greatly expand the effectiveness of scientific research efforts, and it has plenty of relevance to fishing. The longest running and most significant fishingrelated citizen science project in Australia is the highly successful NSW DPI Game Fish Tagging Program. This impressive research initiative began 46 years ago, in 1973, and is today the largest and oldest continually functioning saltwater tagging program of its kind anywhere on earth. Close to half a million fish have been tagged with NSW Game Fish Program tags by recreational anglers and others across those 46 years, and well over 8,000 tag recoveries have been recorded, providing valuable data on the migration, growth,

OCTOBER 2019

The author was rapt when this flathead he tagged was recaptured a few months later and once again released. Citizen science at work! involvement in citizen science may be one of our best defences against those who seek to shut us down. Direct involvement in valid scientific research is a powerful justification for

Nation-wide competitions like the annual Pirtek Challenge can help to collect important data on recreational fishing activities. in my local estuary on the Far South Coast of NSW was recaptured a few months later, quite a bit further upstream in the same system. Not only had it survived (despite

Save the date for the NRFC! 10

being deeply hooked and bleeding when I landed it), it had also grown a couple of centimetres and put on weight. This kind of positive feedback and irrefutable scientific data is invaluable. Apart from anything else, it provides excellent ammunition for arguments we may have with those who claim that catch-and-release fishing doesn’t work and that “they all die, anyway”. The evidence consistently indicates otherwise. But citizen science in the angling world isn’t only about tagging. Creel or catch surveys, the keeping of logbooks, and the collection of tissue samples or fish frames also provide valuable scientific data, as do organised competitions that collate detailed figures on catch-per-unit-effort and other statistics. In addition, there are organisations such as Redmap that collect, log and map citizen sightings of marine life around Australia to help build a better picture of distribution patterns, stock levels and any localised anomalies (www.redmap.org.au). As valuable as the science generated by all of these citizen-backed

programs is, I agree with Steve Morgan that the credibility they lend to our on-water activities might ultimately prove to be even more important. As antifishing pressures increase,

continuing to fish, and — in the long run — perhaps the only socially acceptable defence of things like catch-and-release or competition fishing. Fortunately, Australian anglers have some wonderful citizen scientist champions in the form of people like Dr Julian Pepperell (the father of the NSW Game Fish Tagging Program), Bill and Stefan Sawynok (Track My Fish, Infofish and the Crystal Bowl) and, of course, Steve Morgan himself through his Fishing Monthly Group titles and ABT competition circuits. These guys and

others like them understand the immense benefits of getting grass roots fishers directly involved in hands-on scientific programs. Their efforts may well help to ‘future proof’ our sport, at least for the next few decades. It’s fitting recognition of the key role citizen science plays in our world that the next biennial National Recreational Fishing Conference (set down for 10 and 11 December this year in Hobart) will be devoted entirely to this subject. I’m looking forward to attending, and I’d strongly urge anyone else who’s passionate about recreational fishing to get along to it if they possibly can. Besides, December is a great month for wetting a line in the Apple Isle, so you can bet I’ll be taking my fishing gear! You can find out more about the Conference by scanning the QR code on this page, going to www. arff.net.au/nrfc/ or visiting the ARFF (Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation) page on Facebook. I hope to see you at this important event! VIDEO

Scan this QR code to find out more about the National Recreational Fishing Conference in Hobart this December.

Metro

Make a plan during the ban METRO

Hon-Su Chin

With the pink snapper ban going into its second month, many boaties and kayakers have been finding plenty of alternate fish to target.

often be found on the same grounds as the whiting. This is why you should have a small squid jig out while fishing for whiting. The offshore reefs are producing tailor, and areas like Mewstones, Rowboat Reef, Stragglers

at first light. Sinking stickbaits or shallow diving minnows such as Storm So-Run Minnows have been producing, but a range of

4” SwimmerZ, Ripple-Ash micro jigs and even sinking stickbaits will catch these little speedsters. Many beach anglers

Solid King George whiting like this can be caught not far from shore during October.

Keen kayaker Jeff Tan with a cracking baldchin groper taken just before the closure. This is a great time of the year for inshore King George whiting fishing, and some quality squid can

and Coventry Reef are all producing at the moment. The key to catching tailor is to be out there fishing

other lures similar to these will work equally well. For those after a bit of light tackle fun, there’s been plenty of good size skippy to nearly 50cm turning up just out from Hillarys Marina. These are great light tackle targets and can be caught with soft plastics and small metal jigs. ZMan 2.5” GrubZ,

are now using drones to drop baits out further than they can cast and are coming up trumps, with samsonfish, pink snapper, mulloway, small sharks and even dhufish turning up in peoples’ catches. Although quite expensive to outlay for the drone and the necessary bait drop system, it is quite rewarding to

Han Yeoh took this pair of good size squid from Fremantle. be able catch the species that are normally caught from boats. Please remember that on 15 October the West Coast Bioregion Demersal Finfish closure comes into effect, so don’t be caught targeting demersals offshore during this time. There are plenty of other

ACTIVE TRANSOM

options to wet a line in and around the Perth metro area, so make the most of the warming weather and get out there! • Drop in and see the team at Tackle West for all your fishing needs and latest reports. Call in at 32 William Street, Beckenham, or call (08) 9350 6278.

TRUE SELFDRAINING DECKS

OCTOBER 2019

News

Albany men fined for taking oysters from lease

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Two men were recently were ordered by a magistrate to each pay $1,205.30 in fines and court costs for interference with fishing gear at a shellfish farm in Albany’s Oyster Harbour. On Wednesday 31 July, a 73-year-old Mandurah man and a 45-year-old from Albany were also granted spent convictions and the 80 oysters they had removed from the poles and lines in the aquaculture lease area were

forfeited to the court. In the same way that it’s illegal to interfere with recreational or commercial fishing gear that is not your own, this case is a reminder that aquaculture leases are also protected under law. Section 172 of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 states that “a person must not remove fish from any fishing gear or aquaculture gear.” The Albany Magistrates

Court heard the offenders were in the intertidal area of Oyster Harbour at midday on 13 October last year when they waded out to the lease area and removed the shellfish from the aquaculture infrastructure. As a result of information received from the public, the pair were apprehended by Fisheries officers from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the men admitted to removing the

oysters from the aquaculture equipment, without permission. Following the court case, the department’s Regional Manager South, Russell Adams said aquaculture operations were expanding around Western Australia. “Aquaculture growth is bringing jobs and new opportunities around the state and it’s important to protect the farmers’ infrastructure from interference,” Mr Adams said.

McGowan Government safety initiatives for the abalone fishery are showing promising results, and lifesaving resources aimed at safe fishing on Saturdays over summer are seen to be working. Volunteers and fishers were thanked for making the fishery safer and sustainable, and Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly has praised Surf Life Saving WA (SLSWA), volunteers and recfishers for their work in helping to deliver safer outcomes in the abalone fishery over the past two years.

After coming to Government in 2017 and following a number of tragic deaths, the McGowan Government moved to improve fishing safety for this unique Western Australian recreational fishery. Five people have tragically lost their lives abalone fishing since 2012. New safety measures included: • Moving fishing days from Sunday to Saturday to better reflect the availability of SLSWA resources to monitor fishers. • Moving the season

to summer. • Fishing days can be cancelled and rescheduled, if required, when fishing is unsafe. Rescues are down from an average of 108 in the three years before changes were introduced to an average of nine for the past two years. Similarly, people requiring first aid has dropped from an average of 190 to nine, and preventative actions have dropped from an average of 1,117 to 118. There were no fatalities in the 2018-19 season. SLSWA volunteers carry out beach-based patrols as

well as jet ski, vessel, drone and helicopter patrols to help keep fishers safe on fishing days. SLSWA and Recfishwest have also run intensive safety education campaigns in the past two years. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development continues to meet with SLSWA and Recfishwest to review each season and consider further improvements. Fishers caught almost 20 tonnes of abalone in the 2018-19 season, which was within the sustainable target of 18-22 tonnes. – DPIRD

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“In the same way we also need to continue to educate the community and let them know that interference with any type of fishing gear, commercial or recreational, is unlawful. “It is illegal to remove any fish, including oysters and mussels, from any fishing or aquaculture gear without the authority of the owner and the offence carries a maximum fine of $25,000 and up to one year’s imprisonment.

“Most fishers understand the need to do the right thing, however, if you see something involving fish or fishing that doesn’t look right, then FishWatch provides a quick and easy way to report it 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “Call 1800 815 507 and report what you know, so our Fisheries compliance officers can follow through and investigate.” – DPIRD

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South Coast

It’s time for the southern bluefin tuna to move in ESPERANCE

Murray Johnson

As spring progresses there are plenty of good fishing options. At the Taylor Street jetty anglers are getting good numbers of herring, with the best times still being early in the morning and late in the afternoon.

and black bream averaging 35cm. Anglers have also been catching a few more flounder in there, and at night they’re getting a few garfish. It’s easy to catch gar, you just need a pencil float rigged up with a no. 10 hook, baited with a gent (maggot). Moving to the local beaches, salmon have been fairly consistent at Fourth Beach (2WD access), and

35cm-50cm. There are still plenty of herring at well. At Roses Beach there are good numbers of salmon going 6kg, and cruising around with them have been bronze whalers. You can pick up skippy up to 2kg, around 45-50cm, and there are lots of tailor out there as well, often found with the salmon schools. At Alexander Bay anglers are getting salmon, herring and skippy. There are also reports of gummy sharks up to 6ft (15kg) caught on mulies just after dark. It’s also popular to use a strip of herring or whole herring on a 6/0 gang (e.g. Mustad Tarpon), and 60lb nylon leader. Anglers also often add a second dropper loop and put a 5/0 circle/kahle under that (e.g. Black Magic KL) as a single hook baited with squid or a piece of fish.

At Duke of Orleans (Wharton Beach), big school of salmon are hanging around. Anglers are consistently getting their limit of six salmon in a session, always early in the morning. The occasional herring is mixed in with them. If you’re fishing from a dingy, there are still plenty of squid in the bay, along with consistently good sized sand whiting. Anglers are still trolling for herring and snook. Good lures to troll for herring are small Halco Twisties and 7g blue Tassie Devils, while the snook like gold Halco Twisties and gold Bomber Long As. At night there are still garfish, and you can net them under the lights. In the close in islands around 5-10kg offshore there are still plenty of queen snapper, lots of big

Pound for pound, the blue groper is one of the hardest-pulling fish in the ocean. To catch herring you normally either fish the bottom with a whiting rig or use a green straw and blob rig. The latter consists of a green straw pushed down the shank of a no. 4 longshank hook, a metre of leader, a swivel and a no. 3 berley blob float. Anglers are also getting the occasional King George whiting up to 35cm, smaller skippy to 30cm, and garfish at night. There are still plenty of squid as well, with most around the kilo mark. The best jigs are size 3.5 in white or green/orange. Popular choices include Daiwa Emeraldas in mango shrimp and SureCatch SureSquid in lumo. At Bandy Creek Boat Harbour there are King George whiting to 35cm, plenty of small herring,

they’re still around that 5-6kg mark. The best times are early in the morning, at dusk, and on a rising tide through to high tide, which could occur around midday. They’re taking pilchards on a gang hook, and chrome slices like a Halco Twisty or Spanyid Raider. They’ll also take stickbaits such as a 150mm Shimano Ocea Pencil. You want it to be 60g or so, so that it has enough weight to cast the distance. While you’re doing that you can catch herring, which are plentiful. You can also pick up some skippy around the 0.5kg mark. At 10 Mile Lagoon you can chase salmon inside the reef. A small but increasing number of anglers are doing that on fly. The same location is good for flathead, which have bee averaging around

Customer Beaudi Hill with a big shallow water queenie. There are bronzies out there as well. You can paddle a salmon head out, or use a whole dead salmon or live salmon. Most anglers use a Mustad Tarpon 12/0 on a 250lb nylon-coated wire trace.

sea sweep, and blue groper. Mixed in are some Breaksea cod and the occasional harlequinfish. Boats going out wide around 30-50km, fishing 60-70m of water, are picking up plenty of good nannygai

pushing the 550mm mark, which puts them at around 2-2.5kg. Unfortunately there are a lot of leatherjackets so you may lose a bit of gear. When the jackets are there, you have little choice but to move.

stickbaits on light gear, such as a Halco Max 110 or Nomad Rip Tide. Over summer we can expect the skippy to get smaller and fewer but the mulloway will come in off the beaches, looking for

Kate Johnson slaying the seriolas! There are still plenty of Breaksea cod and samsonfish up to 25kg. The samsons will start coming in closer and be more plentiful from now on. Yellowtail kingfish around 10kg are starting to show up in greater numbers. There are still heaps of cuttlefish out there. When a cuttlefish takes your bait it feels like a dead weight, similar to weed. It might try to swim off but won’t take line. When you suspect you’re hooked up to a cuttlefish, you should commence a slow and steady retrieve to keep the pressure on. FISHING IN OCTOBER This month the squid will slow down a little bit, and the salmon will disappear until around January. We’ll start seeing 2-15kg bluefin tuna in the next couple of mouths. Look for birds working, and troll lures such as a Halco Laser Pro 120/190 in pilchard or red head, a Richter Junior Tornado, or a Black Magic Jet Setter. Rig them with nylon rather than wire. The tuna will also take smaller

warmer water. Mulloway are traditionally caught on a sliding sinker rig (usually a 3-4oz star) because it puts less pressure on the mouth. If you prefer a paternoster rig, loose the drag right off so the fish can run. Mulloway scale their food before swallowing it, so a tight drag will pull the bait out of the fish’s mouth. Must are caught just after dark. As we move towards summer and the water temperatures increase, more bluefin tuna will come in closer. There will also be more dhufish out wider, and the further west you go more chance you have of getting one, (e.g. 30km west of town). Southern Sports and Tackle specialise in the supply and servicing of fishing equipment. They have an extensive knowledge of the local area and provide all brands, whether you’re fishing from beach, jetty or boat. Drop in for a chat at Shop 16, The Boulevard, Esperance, give them a call on 08 9071 3022 or look them up on Facebook.

Better weather allows more opportunities ALBANY

Albany Rods & Tackle Staff

Finally the Albany area has had some decent weather! Conditions have improved in the last few weeks as the mercury has climbed steadily, allowing for more trips offshore. OUT WIDE Quite a few boats have been getting out after the demersals, however most reported that they were working hard for their catches and doing a fair bit of moving. Some crews got out as far as shelf chasing blue eye, and while some caught solid bags, others struggled. It’s mostly been 14

OCTOBER 2019

the bigger vessels getting amongst them. CORAL GROUNDS Coming into what locals call the coral grounds, dhufish, pink snapper, queen snapper and breaksea cod have been the main targets. Again, fishers have had to move around to find a reasonable bag, but the effort has mostly been worth it. While the West Coast Bioregion has its annual demersal ban coming up midway through this month, Albany and the rest of the South Coast remains open to demersal fishing all year. The rough weather and unpredictable conditions seem to give the fish enough of a rest anyway! If you’re after a feed during this closure,

the South Coast might be a good bet if you can get some good weather. Those after a bit of sport have been getting into a few samsons and yellowtail kings around Eclipse Island, and dropping jigs seems to be the way to go. KING GEORGE SOUND King George whiting are a good option close to town, but as usual at this time of year you need to do a bit of scouting to find good numbers. Squid numbers aren’t too bad in the Sound itself, so it always pays to have a squid jig or two handy, especially if fishing for whiting. We’re starting to get flathead in the Sound already, and it’s weird to get them at

this time of year, as they are usually a summer fish. Sand whiting are another god target species, especially for those after a tasty feed. You should be able to pick up some herring and skippy, especially if you use a little berley. With most species in the Sound, deeper water tends to be fishing better than shallow water. RIVERS The two local river systems have been fishing very slow, with small bream dominating the catches while the bigger ones are staying fairly quiet. If you can get bream in the high 30cm range, you’re doing well, as most are in the mid-20s at the moment.

Mulloway seem to have just disappeared! It’s been a weird year for this species, with them being on fire one day and seemingly gone the next. One possibility is that they left the systems with the recent fresh we’ve had, but it’s anyone’s guess. East and west of town better are better options if you want to catch bream or mulloway. SURROUNDS Beach launching at Two Peoples Bay or Cosy Corner, which are both beach launches, has been putting anglers onto better fishing, as these areas are harder to access and get far less pressure than the areas near town. Herring fishing has been good for those getting

out of the way, and skippy are a good options around the beaches and bays surrounding Albany, particularly in the evening There is still the odd salmon getting around along the beaches, but the anglers catching them won’t say where, and it seems it’s sheer luck to find them. If want salmon, Bremer Bay and areas further east are a better options. Cable, Salmon Holes and Normans to chance a salmon, but only expect them as by-catch. • For all the latest reports and local knowledge, drop in to Albany Rods & Tackle at 40 Stirling Tce, Albany, or call them on (08) 9841 1231.

South Coast

More chances to fish the reef BREMER BAY

Bremer Bay Rural Staff

The fishing over the past month has been pretty good, with lots of squid still being caught off the marina. Most are caught on squid jigs baited with strips of squid, usually in the evening. There’s still been the odd salmon around, which is

unusual for this time of year, but they should be gone by the time this magazine hits the shelves. You can find herring and skippy off the beaches, although the skippy are still undersized. Most are being taken around the edge of the rocks and on the beaches with deeper gutters. A mulie under a bobber will usually catch you a few.

The King George whiting have been biting pretty well during the windows of calm conditions. King George whiting don’t like sloppy conditions, and you shouldn’t let the dog or kids splash around either, or the whiting will disappear. The best place is around the edge of the rocks, and the standard rig is a light sliding sinker rig baited with a bit of mulie or

It’s a nice time of year to target herring and skippy off the beaches.

river prawn. If it is a bit sloppy, you might get sand whiting or skippy off the beach. The flatties have quietened down a bit, and anglers fishing from a boat have only been picking up the odd one. There have been huge cuttlefish washing up on the beach but I haven’t heard of anyone catching one in our area. The river is still fairly low but at least it has some fresh run-off in it so it’s not as crystal clear as it was. Anglers heading up the river to fish the deeper parts have been catching a few mullet. All you need to do is drop a handline over the side with a bit of mulie in the deeper sections. A few bream are starting to come back on the bite as well, and you can catch them in the same way. It’s been pretty windy over the past month, but we’ve had a few nice calm days. Anglers made the most of them, with reports of good sessions on nannygai and queen snapper, with the odd groper in the mix. FISHING IN OCTOBER This month the weather should calm down a bit more, which means it’s

A nice feed of queen snapper and dhufish. prime time to get out and catch fish. Although the salmon will be gone, the skippy will still be around, and the King George whiting should start coming on a bit more. Gropers usually starting to come out around now, but to catch them you need to be dedicated, venturing to the hard to get to rocky headlands. These fish are very territorial, and large specimens are loners,

defending their patch from other groper. Although these fish can be trophy size, you’ll typically only catch one from a given spot. • Bremer Bay Rural & Hardware is your one stop shop in Bremer Bay for all your fishing, camping and hardware needs. To browse the range, stop by 144 Wellstead Rd or give them a call on (08) 9837 4274. You can also find more information at www. bremerbayhardware.com.au.

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West Coast

Time to get serious about West Coast fishing AUGUSTA

Anthony Gillam

The weather gods have been good to us this month, with the weather being more akin to late spring or early summer. Clear mornings with no breeze

pushing some large numbers of yellowfin whiting down the Blackwood River. This added to the already large number of King George whiting that have been the mainstay of catches for the last several months. The rainfall was not enough to keep the river

captures have been on coral prawn pieces, bloodworms and glass shrimps, with squid strips also being popular. My preference is for fresh cockles, however, as they are difficult to find alive these days, the frozen ones generally need to be purchased. If you are happy to pick through the smaller King George whiting and

occasionally land some legalsized specimens, then have a try up in the dead water or the channel into Swan Lake. Some anglers report catches in the hundreds in a session, but with as many as 80% being undersized juveniles. This is a great omen and shows that the future of whiting fishing is looking bright. If you are more into As winter changes to spring, the sizes of the skippy get bigger. This one was attracted to a berley slick and took a whole river prawn.

A beautifully coloured horseshoe leatherjacket caught as a welcome by-catch off the rocks near Dead Finish in Augusta. leading into late afternoons with no breeze are just what the fishing doctor ordered! With only a few days of heavy rain to contend with, it was a perfect time to get into the multitude of species that were congregating in the lead up to the breeding season. In fact, the heavy rain was instrumental in

dirty for long, as it was quickly flushed out through the cut at Colourpatch and replaced with incredibly clear saltwater direct from Flinders bay. There have been many reports of large whiting of all species being caught at the jetties from Turner Street right through to Irwin Street. Most

A prime example of an Augusta dhufish caught behind St Alouarn Island on a whole squid.

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OCTOBER 2019

catching less and gaining more, then you’re better off trying around the Sticks or Ellis Street jetty. Some good-sized skippy in the 35-40 cm range have been terrorising whiting fishers, especially in the early mornings around the Ellis Street jetty. Try landing one of those brutes on 4-6lb line around the pylons, it’s great fun! Further upriver in the fresh water, it has been a real hit and miss affair, as the run-off entering the system has made the water murky and fast moving. Bream catches have varied wildly, with some anglers having no luck at all with bait or lures while others have reported

striking sessions where they just couldn’t miss. River prawns have by far been the most successful bait for black bream. Interestingly, there have been quite a few cobbler caught lately, which may suggest that they are either better at picking up baits in dirty water or they are beginning to congregate for breeding. The whale season in Flinders Bay was one of the best on record, with the numbers of humpback and southern right whales increasing each year. This made fishing an interesting and exciting proposition, with plenty of surprise visits occurring when you were least expecting it. This

West Coast really highlights the fact that vigilance is paramount when traversing the bay during this time of year. Southern rights have a habit of slowly swimming along mainly submerged, so they make a horrible speed bump for the unwary. One notable thing about the winter was that many days during the week the water was ridiculously flat, allowing those without work commitments many opportunities to get out wide and deep. Dhufish and pink snapper were by far the most common demersal catches, with some nice bight redfish and harlequin competing for baits and lures. Whole herring, squid and mulies did most of the damage, however, soft plastics were also very successful when bounced close to the bottom. Spring fishing is usually a great experience in Augusta, and as long as the swell is down the rock fishing can be really rewarding. The winter skippy have now merged with the spring skippy, which are much bigger and more aggressive, making for

let the fish take a few metres of line before striking for best results. Another welcome addition to the species list during spring is the underrated

The Ellis Street jetty in Augusta just before dawn is the perfect place to capture 40cm skippy. leatherjacket, of which there are several common varieties. My favourite is the horseshoe leatherjacket, which is commonly caught over areas of weed. A voracious feeder, they usually announce their presence by neatly snipping off your hooks when you are fishing for other species.

Happy customers showing off their demersal haul they caught while taking advantage of the exceptional weather conditions in Flinders Bay. plenty of fun on light gear. Soft plastics are particularly successful, especially those in a prawn or squid pattern. Coral prawns, river prawns and mulie pieces also work very well. Just remember to berley, as it can be the difference between a slow session and one where you leave them biting. If you can, try floating the bait down the water column unweighted or with as little weight as possible, and then

skin is leather-like and very similar to 60 grit sandpaper. There are many tutorials online you can find that show how easy it is to actually skin and gut them, so I won’t go

When this happens, I switch to long shanked hooks and use a tough bait like squid or octopus pieces. Their bite can be deceptively light, as their teeth are razor sharp, but it doesn’t take too long to figure out when to strike. It doesn’t pay to try and finesse them in, as the longer they are hooked the greater the chance they have of biting you off. When it comes to cleaning leatherjackets, it looks quite daunting as their

into it here. Suffice to say that once you have cleaned one, you won’t have any more concerns about it. With very few small bones to contend with they are especially suited to cooking whole, either shallow fried or steamed. When eaten cold the flesh is similar in texture and flavour to rock lobster and is commonly known as poor mans crayfish. As I always point out, Augusta has some really productive rock fishing locations, however, people have died here by being washed off by king waves. Unpredictable weather can quickly affect the fishing conditions and slippery rocks are a recipe for disaster. Please remain vigilant when rock fishing; wear a life jacket and tie off to something solid. • You can hire a life jacket 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.

One of the many whales present in Flinders Bay shows off for anyone who will watch. OCTOBER 2019

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Stephen Norman

Longer days and more sunshine mean more time for fishing! September had its moments, offering anglers some nice weather windows, although fish numbers have been a little hit-and-miss. Boat anglers fishing Geographe Bay have been having some early season luck on the King George whiting, with a lot of these fish coming from shallow water around 5-8m. Fishing fresh squid tentacles over the small to medium sand holes in the bay has been a dynamite method for chasing the KGs. Speaking of squid, there has been no shortages of these suckers around the weed beds in 5-10m of water recently! It’s well worth having a squid jig on hand when fishing for whiting. Try using UV or ‘warm jacket’ enhanced jigs during the day for better results. From the shore, anglers have been having plenty of luck chasing tailor from some of our West Coast beaches. Areas between Canal Rocks and Gracetown have been hot spots. There is an abundance of little areas to hit for a feed of tailor in that region, and as long as you’re fishing some deep water around a little rock structure or a sandbar, you’re in with a shout. Expect some fat herring from these areas too, as well as small mulloway. UPCOMING Looking forward into October, the first thing on every anglers’ mind is the annual demersal fishing ban. This ban will come into effect from 15 October and run for three months. Targeting demersal finfish during this time is prohibited from the shore or a boat, and any demersals taken accidentally must be returned to the water. With this in mind, we are spoilt for tasty options other than our popular demersal fish. Kicking on from September the King George whiting numbers should remain consistent, if not gradually begin to pick up as we see warmer conditions. Targeting KGs is pretty straightforward, but there are a few little things you can do in order to increase your chances of bagging a feed of one of the tastiest fish in our waters. The first tip we would suggest is fresh bait, preferably squid. Fresh squid tentacles send the KG’s nuts and the best part is, it is relatively easy to get. If you are targeting whiting from a tinny like so many anglers in the South West do, you’re likely to be fishing anywhere from 5-12m of water, which is prime territory for squid in our area. So, while you’re drifting around chasing whiting, it is always a good idea to flick a

A chunky KG taken in Geographe Bay. squid jig or two out the back for some fresh bait. The next tip would be to use reasonably large hooks. We’re not talking 8/0-10/0 hooks (although occasionally anglers targeting dhufish do pick up KGs on these hooks), we’re talking more about 1/0-3/0 circle or octopus hooks. These hooks may seem large for chasing whiting, but trust us, KGs have no issues eating a decent bait. The biggest benefit of using these hooks is that you will spend less time shaking off pesky by-catches such as trumpeter and wrasse, which with the introduction of a little berley can become annoyingly abundant. If you prefer the sand between your toes or the stability of dry land, you will have a number of options heading into October. Beaches will be clearing up and yellowfin whiting should be on the chew, along with herring in the evening. King George whiting are also possible to target from the comfort of land, and if you want some KGs, try fishing the sand bar area of the Busselton Jetty in the early to mid-morning. Squid should really begin to gather momentum this time of year as the days become a little warmer and a little

longer. If you’re targeting them from the jetty, then evening and into the night is generally the best time, whereas boat anglers tend to have luck in the morning as well. That’s not to say that the squid are not active from the jetty in the mornings, but evenings certainly seem to be a more productive time. Keep some nice UV enhanced and lumo glow jigs in your bag, along with one or two more natural brown colours to imitate yellowtail, and silver jigs to imitate herring. For those venturing a little further south, October and heading into November is a fantastic time of the year to wet a line for a tailor or small mulloway on the West Coast. Casting mulies from beaches such as Injidup, or casting from the rocks into washy areas such as Canal Rocks or Cape Naturalist area is a productive method for picking up a few tailor and some fat herring too. • 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.

A classic paternoster rig spiced up with small circle hooks and red tubing. This rig works great on the King George whiting. OCTOBER 2019

West Coast

Comfortable temperature for keen anglers BUNBURY

Nathan Crago

At this time of year for our locals, the fishing in the Australind area gets really exciting! The waters are warming and in turn bringing the waves of whiting to our flats to graze. As the water temperature rises, the small vibes and bottom lures are definitely catching more fish, however, when it gets to that prime temperature, the whiting will be slurping surface lures all day. Those of us who have already been walking the flats are noticing a definite increase in the blue swimmer numbers, and sizes are looking even better than last year. There are always crabs to be caught from the jetties in Bunbury or the Koombana Bay areas while you’re waiting for the temperatures of the estuary to rise. There is a boat limit of 10 crab nets, which leaves you plenty of nets to set a good prospecting line through your area of choice. A friendly reminder that there has been changes

in the crabbing rules for our area, with a threemonth ban introduced this year. This should see an increase in numbers and size for the future of our crabbing industry. The boaties have been absolutely killing it offshore from Bunbury, with great size and numbers of King George whiting being reported in the 17-26m area beyond the shipping channel. The artificial reefs have also had their fair share of sambos giving anglers a good run for their money as usual. These hard-fighting low blowers can’t resist a nice fresh squid or a fast paced metal jig and can really be a great sportfish, especially when your gear is matched to the fish you’re catching. With the new concrete modules that were added to the Bunbury Artificial Reef earlier this year, there seems to be a real increase in numbers calling the area home. Bluefin have been in surprisingly close lately, and have made for some great fun. Casting small metals onto a busting ball of tuna is something any angler will enjoy and they

really can give your arms a stretch. A trolling lure between spots d wouldn’t go astray to pick up on a

OCTOBER 2019

they can get back out there and hassle them again. Squid have been around in great size and numbers,

Anthony Sexton caught this whiting casting an O.S.P Dunk. school that’s hiding below the surface. Divers have been bagging out regularly on

97 Park Road, Mandurah WA 6210

Ph: (08) 9581 5020

the crays now the season is open all year round, and they have bee seeing plenty of dhufish and

pink snapper cruising the bottom. Anglers will be waiting for the demersal season closure to end so

and the winter thumpers aren’t all gone yet. Numbers are higher than ever for the boaties who take the time

to target these delicious cephalopods but there are plenty of land-based spots to target them as well. Night sessions on the weed banks through Koombana Bay or from the local jetties will produce a feed. Black bream are a species that we find to be very underrated, and they are an excellent sportfish, especially when targeted on lures. They can be caught all year round no matter the weather, making them a great target for the kids on a quick afternoon flick. The new bridge joining Treendale and Millbridge has held good size and numbers of bream throughout the year. Please be advised that on 15 October the West Coast Bioregion demersal ban comes into effect, so take it as an opportunity to target some of the many other species in this wonderful part of the world. • Any questions on something you have read or to just have a chat, duck into Whiteys Tackle and Camping in Treendale, WA. One of the guys or Whitey himself will be happy to help get you on the right path to that next trophy fish!

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West Coast

Plenty to do during annual demersal closure MANDURAH

Jesse Choy

September has been full of anglers attempting to get out before the demersal ban takes over the West Coast Bioregion on 15 October. While demersal finfish are not the only species you can chase at this time of the year, it certainly becomes a focus for many anglers and this can be seen at the boat ramps or on social media reports around this time every year.

great bream being captured and the odd mulloway starting to show further upstream. While there are plenty of fish being extracted on baits, there is a noticeable amount of good quality fish being picked up on lures, indicating that an active approach is well worth trying. Both creature and baitfish imitation type lures are proving effective, but ensuring you get them tight into the structure will definitely increase your odds of coming up tight. Freshwater fishing has been going great, especially

hopefully end the season well. Fishing depths from 10-60m is ideal at this time of the year and as previously mentioned, lure or baits are both working well at the moment, and will work well in early October.

quite typical as rain becomes less present. During this time, both bream and mulloway are able to find an environment that supports their needs, but is also less contended by species that require a lot more salt to thrive. Schools

temperature slowly creeps up, it is definitely worth running some skirts and bibbed divers, and having some metals handy can really pay off as you search for birds, ground or signs of fish. There are continual reports that tuna are chasing smaller bait schools and rumours of the odd Spanish, so trolling dead or live baits can be very effective if you are confident in the area you are fishing. Livies are also a deadly way

whiting activity on the Mandurah flats. As many anticipate, we can also look forward to the blue swimmer crab seasonal closure coming to an end later in the month. While crab numbers are not particularly thick following the lifting of the closure, there is certainly a few about and it pays to get onto them when they arrive rather than after. We are certainly getting to the time of the year where

Redfin have incredibly beautiful colours, regardless of the size.

A nice chunky bream the author pulled from under a boat hull casting lures. LAST MONTH Reports around Mandurah indicate that there are plenty of smaller flathead, pink snapper, dhufish and reef species around with some anglers releasing as many as a dozen smaller pan size fish. If you are chasing that bigger fish, a bit more of

following Troutfest. Naturally, this time of the year is a great time to be out having a crack, but the event has definitely reinvigorated the waters and anglers who like to get out to target these hungry fish. Stocked dams are fishing particularly well, with some anglers reporting

If fishing with bait or lures, bringing on a bite with a good berley trail is worth the effort and at times can make all the difference between success and failure. Dropping berley back into these structures can really be a big help when it comes to landing the fish, since they are often drawn off the structure to investigate further into the berley trail. Lightly-weighted plastics worked parallel to the structure are hard for the fish to resist and provide an active approach to enticing a reaction strike from species that are not so easy to convince. Some of these fish are a bit lazy or uninterested at this time of the year, so making it harder for them

of bony herring, mullet, shrimp and other bait are a good indication that you are fishing where the predators are, regardless of what you are using to try tempt them. The freshwater should continue to fish well, particularly in those recently stocked systems. Smaller presentations that cover 3-5m beneath the surface will be ideal, since the fish are starting to become more active, rising to slurp bugs off the surface. Even when fishing in deeper water, it pays to persist with this method whether you troll or cast, as you will find that even in those deeper sections of places like Waroona, the fish are quite happy coming in to investigate your lure and sometimes they will cross paths with it as they are rising to feed. Heading into the back end of October, anglers will start to begin focusing on inshore species such as squid, and even some pelagic fish out wider. While the water

Offshore crews have been having a bit of luck with mixed bags! to tempt up fish that will not take a lure. Heading into November, we can look forward to spending some warmer days out on the water. With the increase in water temperatures, we should see tailor start to turn up in the lower reaches of the estuary and there should certainly be an increase of yellowfin

there is a lot happening around Mandurah, so when you are heading out be sure to ask for some information from your local tackle store and see what is biting in the area. Make sure to drink plenty of water when you head out too, as the weather will be beginning to heat up and hopefully the fishing does for you too!

Brendon caught this awesome hen while out kayaking on a local dam. a refined approach has been seeing results in depths of up to 60m and on a mix of presentations. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arguable whether or not lures or baits have been producing more results, but one thing that can be said is that if you are dropping your presentation close enough to these fish, they will generally bite whatever you have to offer. Plenty of fish are being caught in the rivers, with some

catching plenty of redfin, and mixed bags of both brood and yearling stock. Lures appear to be working well, with a number of anglers catching good quality fish on diving hardbody lures. THIS MONTH October marks the final stretch for anglers before the demersal finfish ban, meaning that anglers are using the last of the fine weather to get out and

to ignore your offering can certainly have its benefits and bring on a bite. The key to making sure fish see your plastic is selecting the right jighead to suit the depth youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re fishing, and this will allow the fish to take a look at your presentation a bit longer before committing. Those fishing the rivers will find that the fish are definitely starting to make their way upstream, which is

A chilly but beautiful morning on the upper Serpentine River. Views like this are well worth getting out of bed to see! OCTOBER 2019

BLACK MAGIC

MASTER CLASS

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

Fishing unweighted baits for big snapper When it comes to catching snapper in the shallows, one of the most deadly techniques known to anglers is the old unweighted bait down a berley trail trick. Often referred to as floating baits or stray lining, this way of fishing is about as simple as it gets, to the point where many anglers, especially beginners, fall into the trap of thinking it’s not complicated or fancy enough to be effective! Before we get into the nitty gritty, it’s important to have good base knowledge of the areas this type of fishing works best at. As

away by the majority of the bigger fish you hook. It’s important to find an outfit that falls right in the middle of too light or too heavy category. I’ve found this to be a rod around 7ft rated at 8-12kg, matched with a 4000-size reel. On this I spool

The author with a couple of solid early morning reds caught on unweighted baits. what to look for before picking the best of these, and your judgement should be based on the amount of baitfish holding there. Once you’ve found a spot, the next most important

thing is to fish it during the prime time. About 90% of snapper caught in the shallows will come from the first two hours of the morning and the last two hours of the afternoon, as this

Larger baits like this whole squid are better snelled.

Hooked up and in the closing stages of a battle with a big snapper. a general rule, reefy, hardbottomed areas from 5-30m would be the first thing I would be looking for. Theses reefs can be the size of a house, or in some cases cover several square kilometres. Smaller isolated reefs are always high potential areas and a good place to start looking, as they take much of the guesswork out of the equation.

Baitfish love to congregate around these areas and snapper generally aren’t too far away. On larger reef systems it takes a bit more experience to find where is going to fish best. Before you fish these places, have a sound around and look for features on the larger reef that will attract and concentrate baitfish. Things like bommies, gutters or drop offs are prime examples of

The author took this better quality fish around the 7kg mark.

Sending out a good berley trail is the key to this style of fishing. 22

OCTOBER 2019

whole on a snell rig with two 6/0s while larger squid with 20cm plus hoods are best too cut into heads and strips to suit a single hook. The same goes for other top snapper baits like pilchards, garfish, fillets of slimy mackerel and bonito.

is when snapper will move in and hunt in the shallows. Outside of this window you’re better off chasing snapper on the deeper reefs using paternoster or ledger style rigs such as the deadly Black Magic Snapper Snatchers and Snapper Snacks. This is something I will go into in an upcoming Masterclass, but for now, back to the shallow water stuff. Once you know where you are going to fish and when you are going be there, it’s time to think about your equipment. You’ll be casting unweighted baits, but you’ll still require distance, so it’s important to have the right set up for the job. Too heavy and you won’t be able to cast, but too light and you will be blown

up with 20lb Black Magic Rainbow Braid, which has tremendous knot strength and casts like a dream. I like to run a 2m length of 20-30lb Black Magic Fluorocarbon leader for a trace. Then it’s just a matter of tying on your hook on and you’re ready to catch some reds! On some occasions when the current is running, you may need to add a smaller pea sized sinker to your rig, but only do it if you need to. I always use Black Magic C-Points for snapper fishing in 5/0-8/0 depending on bait sizes. These hooks are super strong and sharp and have never let me down. For small to medium sized-squid I prefer to rig

Now that you know when where and what to do, there’s still a couple of things you can do to improve your success. Berley is a big one of these that no doubt will catch you more snapper. Before each trip, I like to mash up a few blocks of pilchards into a 20L bucket along with a packet or two of chicken pellets and a few capfuls of tuna oil. When you first arrive at the spot you are going to fish, the first thing you should do is throw in a dozen or so handfuls into the water to get things going. After this, one or two is all that’s required every ten minutes or so. If there’s any snapper around, it won’t take long and they will start stiffing out the berley. Sometimes they can be so revved up by it that your bait has barley had time to sink and your reel is screaming. I usually fish two rods if I’m by myself. One I cast out as far as I can and place in gear in the rod holder and the other I hold onto, ready to strike. That’s all there is to it, so why not get out and give it a crack it? Please be advised that on 15 October the West Coast Bioregion demersal ban comes into effect, while the Cockburn and Warnbro sounds currently have their annual snapper ban in place, so if you plan to target snapper with these techniques in these areas, please wait until you can legally do so.

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West Coast

A busy start to the month LANCELIN

Peter Fullarton

October always has a busy start to the month, with lots of boats heading out to bag some of the quality demersal fillets before the demersal ban kicks in mid-month. Lancelin is beach launching only, so you do need a 4WD, but advantages do come in that the busy weekend boat ramp queues don’t happen. Everyone has their own little bit of beach

hard at all to find some good lumps, so long as you have a sounder. Be sure to mark up any lumps that produce fish, as the same lumps will likely to produce fish on your next visit. The White Bank itself is also within small boat range at just under 2nm from shore, where the water shelves up to an average of about 10m. It holds the same fish species and there is always an outside chance of a baldchin groper. The water is generally clear enough to see the bottom features and dropping to the

north to south in this depth range, but they will take a bit of digging around to find. Unless you have some plots marked, there is plenty of distance between them. Look out for cray pot floats, as these may indicate one of these spots, and often there will be several pots in a tight

more likely to be encountered in this area as well. Over the next 3nm you are fishing along Direction Bank, falling down to the 45s, with some of the best fishing to be had on offer. Another 3nm sees you at the shelf and some new species as you reach the deep

Robert Hayward used a drone to drop baits near Lancelin, and this 9kg pink snapper was the result!

The southern section of Lancelin Bay has been a good place to work soft plastics over the shallow flats for flathead.

Josh Nowicki made the most of the new moon tides and scored this chunky mulloway. to launch from and parking is free! If you’re unsure about the best way to beach launch, ask a local for some advice before attempting it. If you only have a small boat, now is a great time to visit Lancelin, with the dhufish in close to shore. Let me give a quick rundown for fishers not familiar with chasing demersals at Lancelin. The waters out to the White Bank hold lots of reef areas and numerous small lumps. Dhufish, pink snapper and breaksea cod can all be targeted in this area. It is a great option for those fishing from a dinghy, as you don’t need to be too familiar with the area because there is so much good ground. It is not

sand edges with bait or soft plastics is a good way to find some dhufish. You can also anchor and berley for some snapper. Trolling with some deep diving hard body lures along the bank is also an option for snapper, dhufish and breaksea cod, with dusk being the best time for this method. From the White Bank out to 24m is not a great distance and mainly sandy bottom. The stretch from 24-27m starts to add a few more species to the list, with baldchin more common and you can start to see a few foxfish and harlequin fish in the mix too. There are quite a few small reefs if you travel

bunch rather than a line of professional pots. From here, you are moving away from the average dinghy fishing range and getting into the larger boat territory. It is around 5.5nm to the 30m mark, and the fishing as a general rule gets better the further out you go. Areas of flat coral or reef will produce more fish and may be indicated by cray pots, so if you find yourself on a good patch catching fish, be sure to mark it up for future reference. Along this area you can just set up for a blind drift and expect to find fish as you drift, with baldchin being the main catch. Past the 35m mark is where most of the larger boats are heading to, and things start to mix up again, with changing depths and more heavy reef areas that can hold better numbers of dhufish. Queen snapper are

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drop zone. Around the 80s, red snapper become more common. At 150m plus, you can start to drop for hapuka and blue eye trevalla. There have been some

Cuttlefish have been somewhat disappointing this season. Fishers who have been dropping baits around the 45s have been managing to score a few on demersal baits, but inshore they have been very difficult to find. It’s time to start saving those fish heads and frames and getting pots repaired and ready to go, with the white crayfish run not too far away now, and we can expect some to start walking late next month. When traveling out to the fishing grounds, keep an

Good size whiskery and gummy sharks have been a regular by-catch when chasing demersals. interesting by-catch while demersal fishing lately. Plenty of sharks have been caught, with some really solid gummy and whiskery sharks along with small whalers. These are all excellent eating and well worth adding to the esky. We had rarely been seeing any sergeant baker since the 2010-11 marine heat wave until recent months. Now they have been an almost daily occurrence. These are a fish that’s eating quality has mixed rating, but although the fillets may be bony, it is quite easy to fillet the larger ones and run a knife along the pin bones to discard them for some nice white flesh. I find them much like a king wrasse, that tastes good when cooked in a nice crispy batter or crumbed rather than baked. Be sure to chill the fish on capture or the flesh will go mushy, and they are best eaten fresh. If you have a slow day on the target species, give one a try!

eye out for birds that may indicate some of the first bluefin tuna schools that we would normally expect to start becoming more abundant during October. Skippy have been going crazy the past few months, and they are a great sport fish on light line. Schools should still be about the inshore reefs this month before they move out deeper to sea again.

Where you find skippy, you normally expect to see some sambos not too far away. They will be moving out to spawn on the offshore reefs next month. At the moment, there are lot of 6-10kg fish schooled up on the reefs in 24-27m. They always rise to check out any passing boat, so a trolled deep-diving lure or dropped live bait will usually find one. October is great time to be chasing fish with the sand between your toes, and the fishing starts to improve dramatically this month. We expect to see more school size mulloway along the beach gutters about now. There have already been some nice fish caught both north and south of town in recent weeks. It is also time for snapper to be in close to the beaches and our last chance to sneak in a land-based pink snapper. After 15 October you will have to throw them back. Small whaler sharks should be turning out in increasing numbers, just add berley and they should come to you. They come into the beach shallows at sunset and can be caught until sunrise. As usual, there have been scores of herring caught from the jetty each night. Casting unweighted pilchards from the northern end with assistance from the the sea breeze should see plenty of tailor caught as well. Early mornings and sunset have been the best time to throw a squid jig off the jetty, and some people have been managing to half fill a bucket per session.

Sergeant baker are great dhufish bait and can also eat well when fried up fresh.

West Coast

Boaters bag last feeds JURIEN BAY

Jason Harris

The fishing has been great lately, with consistent catches from the beaches and boats. Mulloway and whiting have been the main catches from the beaches. There are plenty of whiting around for the boaties too, as well as squid around the weed banks near the islands. Mulloway and samsonfish are biting well for those who want to catch something a bit bigger. The jetty continues to produce good catches of squid. The squid are being caught through out the day, but mid-afternoon and into the evening is the best time. Squid jigs in the 2.5 or 3.5” size in green and yellow have been the best producers. Herring have been schooling around the jetty from just on sunset and into the night. Try the shallow end of the jetty, as the herring sometimes prefer to bite there. Squid and prawns are the best bait, and work even better when coupled with plenty of berley. Mulloway have been around the beaches, so it’s worth a go from the jetty at night. Keep your berley going and try a live herring or yellowtail. Beaches down south towards Hill River have been producing mulloway as well as good-sized whiting. The mulloway are biting at night and it pays to keep a good berley trail going. There has been the occasional tailor going through, and there are good-sized whiting and herring around as well. Your berley trail could attract any of those species. Use a bigger bait for the mulloway if that’s what you’re after. Flesh bait like a fillet of mullet, or even a whole herring or whiting is a god bet for mulloway. For whiting, bloodworm and sandworm seem to be

the favourite, but ox heart works well too. Prawns or squid are the best bait for the herring. The whiting and mulloway are biting throughout the bay and all the way north to Sandy Cape. Island Point in Jurien Bay is

temperature offshore has dropped and there has not been much pelagic activity. Later in the month we hope the water gets a little warmer. If this happens, keep on the lookout for birds and schools of bait as there could be yellowfin tuna mixed in.

Shane caught this mulloway on a 7” Gulp Shrimp in the late afternoon. one of the better spots, and the beaches around Sandy Cape are producing some really good-sized whiting. Boaties have enjoyed some great days out in between the winter weather. With the demersal ban coming into effect, it’s time to give the snapper and dhuies a rest on concentrate on other species. There are plenty of whiting, trevally and squid in the bay. Drifting over the sandy and weedy areas around the islands has been producing both squid and whiting. Anchoring up on a bommie or other lump in the bay and berleying is the way to catch the trevally. While some sambos are being caught in the bay, they seem to have moved away from the reef. The water

Anglers are still getting good numbers of crays in the bay and around the islands. Coming into spring the crays will go into their breeding cycle, but until then there have been plenty of keepers. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and the swell. The marina was producing blue manna crabs, herring, trevally and some tailor, but it is filling with seaweed and may suffer a fish kill. In the meantime, the crabs have been mostly coming from the middle of the marina and down towards the boat lifters. Crabbers from the jetty have only seen the odd one. Herring and squid are being caught from the jetties, and the best time is at night when it is calm.

Many anglers have squeezed in one last dhufish before the closure. OCTOBER 2019

West Coast

Changing it up with the changing seasons GERALDTON

Graham Maunder & Michael Triantopoulos

Sometimes when the fishing gets tough and the usual results don’t come, a change in target species, tackle and location can keep the challenge alive.

them up onto rock walls, platforms or walkways. Picking the right colour for any particular session can be a bit of trial and error. Locally, Yo-Zuri Aurie Q in colour AT-86, PataPata Q and Yamashita Q Live in orange and pink have been consistently successful,

fish. Most rigs are variations of a paternoster or running sinker rig, used with peeled Coral Prawns, sand or bloodworm, ox heart, mullet fillet and small pieces of chicken breast. Pages Beach, Point Moore Beach the sand holes around and in the reefs at

Brendan Hughes with a coral trout caught on a stickbait from a recent trip to the Abrolhos Islands. BEACH It’s been a late start to the tailor season, herring catches have been dropping off over the last year or two, and bigger mulloway are not being caught in the old faithful spots. This has meant anglers are taking advantage of this year’s improved squid and whiting season, as well as a late run of skippy. Most of the land-based squidding has been around the local rock walls, jetties and marinas where lighting attracts baitfish and the things that feast on them.

but as always with lures, a few extra options in sizes and colours don’t go astray when old reliables aren’t preforming. A system not used as much in recent years is the squid spike with a small fish impaled head down and suspended about a metre under a bobber. The general technique is to cast the rig out over shallow weed beds (1-2m deep) and retrieve slowly. The use of natural baits is very successful, but if a small whiting or pilchard is not available to put on the pin,

Dylan Welsh took this amberjack gas ballooning north of Geraldton. Squid sizes have been variable, but tubes of 30cm or better don’t take long to make a good meal and there are enough squid to make up a few packs for later. Most anglers are using jigs in 2.0-3.0 size, but large jigs have bigger crowns that hold the larger squid when lifting 26

OCTOBER 2019

a suitable sized soft plastic works OK as well. Just a note of caution, blowfish eat everything, and can be a pest when using this technique. Whiting catches have been very good all season, but as usual the larger fish are not as easy to find as the medium to smaller size

Explosives, South Gates, north of Drummonds Cove, Morning Reef, Oakajee and Coronation have all been reliable, but as usual weed build up has made some spots difficult to fish. The best fishing times have been different from north to south, with early morning best around town, and the southern areas and mid-afternoon and evening for the north. Skippy of up to about 1kg or so are still around the reefs south of Flat Rocks, Clinches, Port Denison Marina and Explosives Beach and are coming on the bite in the early to late afternoon. Skippy will take a wide range of baits, but the most consistent ones have been white bait, blue sardines, pilchard fillets and chunks, and coral prawns. Small soft plastics in pearl and white pearl or small jigs work as well. Rigs don’t need to vary much for trevally, with a lightly-weighted baitcast rig good for close in spots and heavier weighted paternoster rigs good if you need to get out a bit further. Berley will certainly help, but if you’re in a blowfish prone I wouldn’t recommend using it. BOAT FISHING With the West Coast demersal closure fast approaching, anglers have been trying to make the most of the limited good weather periods. Dhufish reports have still been consistent south of town. The Greenough River mouth to African Reef

has still been reliable, but some of the regular anglers have been saying there regular spots have not been productive, so they’ve been having to move around a bit and find them. pink snapper catches have slowed down a bit, but there has still been the odd fish in the mix, along with coral trout. Port Denison to African Reef has had consistent catches of skippy to 1.5kg, dhufish, pink snapper, baldchin groper and coral trout, with the shallower water in 10-18m being the most productive areas. ZMan and McCarthy’s 5 and 6” paddle-tail soft plastics in pearl, white/pearl and orca colours with jigheads in the 1.5-3oz have been working well. South West of town, 15-20nm (40-50m) although reports have been mixed, and with strong currents screaming from the north some anglers have been finding some pink snapper, dhufish, coral trout and samsonfish, but most are finding the bite window very short. Fishing the area both north and south of the Outer Knoll Buoy (26-30m) has still been producing the occasional dhufish, baldchin groper, gold spot estuary cod and dusky morwong. There has been lots off bait around the area, and dropping a good quality fish skin sabiki down to gather some fresh baits is always a winner. Bait schools have

or 5” plastic on light tackle is rewarding but challenging at times. Trolling deep diving minnows like Nomad DTX Minnow, Halco Laser Pro 160XDD, RMG 125XDD

Having a light spin outfit rigged with a small minnow or small stickbait around 60-70mm ready for when they turn up is great fun and are even better eating.

Gun angler Nick Branwell and son-in-law Dylan Welsh with a pair of nice mulloway caught north of town. Scorpion and Rapala X-Rap 20 has been working for coral trout and some have been lucky enough to land a dhufish doing this. These lures are best trolled at around 4-6 knots. SMALL BOATS AND KAYAKS Squid have still been around in reasonable numbers, and the lighthouse

Explosives and Pages beaches have seen larger squid, but they are fairly spread out. Fishing the sea grass beds adjacent to sand holes in 2-4m using a squid jig with a faster sink rate is necessary, especially if the drift is quick. Proven jigs have been Breaden 3.0 and 3.5 Deep in natural colours, Harimitsu 3.0 in natural and

This spangled emperor was caught on a stickbait around the Abrolhos Islands. consisted of slimy mackerel, yellowtail, big eye pilchards, pike and whiting. Schools of small striped tuna have hung around, but the fish are extremely flighty, and long casts with small profiled heavy lures is a must. Pensioners Bank in 9-15m and north towards Drummonds Cove has seen smaller pink snapper, samsonfish, coral trout and skippy. Fishing with a lightlyweighted pilchard, fillet bait

around to Separation Point has been more consistent with numbers, but sizes have been generally smaller. The sea grass beds closer to the back of the surf breaks seem to be holding the majority of them, where the deeper water has produced better models, just not in any quantity, so moving around a lot is necessary. Schools of Queensland school mackerel have been frequent and making a mess of squid jigs.

red colours, Yo-Zuri in 3.0 size and 3.5 in olive/red and Yamashitas in 3.0 and darker natural colours. • Geraldton Sports Centre is the Mid West’s specialist fishing tackle store. Drop in and see the friendly professional staff for local advise and knowledge and browse the extensive range of fishing equipment on show at 204-208 Marine Terrace Geraldton WA, or phone (08) 9921 3664.

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recfishwest

Scoop up new crab rules before summer Blue swimmer crabs are the most popular recreationally-fished inshore species in Perth and WA’s South West and the new changes to the management of these crabs will secure the future of the fishery, ensuring more large crabs and a better crabbing experience. In August, Recfishwest CEO Andrew Roland joined the Minister for Fisheries Dave Kelly in Mandurah and commercial fishing sector representatives to announce a series of fishery management changes that represented a watershed moment in the management of the crab fisheries in Perth and the South West. The new measures now in effect offer much more protection for the female crab breeding stocks and should secure a more resilient recreational crab fishery with better numbers, bigger crabs and a better crabbing experience for everyone. The crab rule changes are: • A reduction in the bag limit of crabs in the Swan to five while the boat limit remains at 20. All other areas remain at 10, except Geographe Bay, which now has a maximum of five females in your bag of 10 crabs. • There is also crabbing closure from 1 September to 30 November extending from The swan river to 15km south of Bunbury, including all waters in between, for recreational and commercial fishers (Geographe Bay remains open all-year-round). These rule changes aim to improve the sustainability of crabs by protecting spawning stocks, but still see the season opening before Christmas. The three-month closure should give crabs the chance to breed and moult, allowing fishers to target the larger and fuller crabs for their family to enjoy on Christmas Day. For many years Recfishwest has been seeking changes to the way lower West Coast crab fisheries are managed in order to protect this important resource, which is part of our WA culture – and it has been a long road to get to where we are now. Following our community survey on the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) management discussion paper in October last 28

OCTOBER 2019

year that saw over 4, 000 passionate fishers tell us their thoughts on crab fishing and potential rule changes, Recfishwest engaged in constructive negotiations with the Western Australian Fishing Industry Council (WAFIC) and the Southern Seafood Producers WA (SSPWA). We reached a point of agreement that has secured the best outcome for recreational fishers given the very real sustainability issues the fishery was facing. One of the key management changes announced by the Minister that will underpin the crab breeding stocks’ sustainability is a buy-back of commercial fishing licences from oceanic crab fisheries in Cockburn and Warnbro Sounds and from Mandurah to Bunbury, leading to their permanent closure. In addition, the Minister indicated that this would happen swiftly as a matter of priority. The buy-back opens the door to the very real possibility of Cockburn Sound opening for recreational crab fishing soon. As crabs have a very quick lifespan, the buy-back, combined with the other management measures, should result in better crabbing and bigger crabs, while re-establishing the Swan/Canning system as a trophy crab fishery on Perth’s doorstep. THE STARK ALTERNATIVE Before we got to these rules, we were potentially looking down the barrel of a broad-scale five-month closure from the Swan/ Canning to Geographe Bay (inclusive) and a night curfew on crab fishing between 11pm-4am. This blunt proposal by DPIRD galvanised ourselves, WAFIC and the SSPWA to sit down and hammer out a joint response that would ensure we could get a sensible, better outcome by working together. Had we ended up in a Mexican stand-off with the commercial sector and DPIRD, we could have seen the process painfully drag out – possibly for years – which would have been in no one’s interests and yet again delayed vital management intervention. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Following the management changes, we received some great

feedback from the rec fishing community, along with several questions that are being commonly asked. Here are answers to some of your questions – don’t hesitate to contact us if there’s anything else you want to know or if you have any feedback for us. Q: I fish in the Peel-Harvey region, how’s it going to affect me? A: The seasonal closure will be extended by a month and will now run from 1 September to 30 November, but with no changes to the bag limit of 10 and boat limit of 20. These changes should ensure the crabs have longer to grow and moult before they can be caught. This means there will be more size crabs for once the season starts in the summer, whereas in recent seasons there has been large numbers of crabs caught early in the season that are under the 127mm minimum size limit. We reckon with more protection given for breeding female crabs, we will see more abundant and bigger crabs around in the next two to three years making for a better crabbing experience for everyone. Q: Why has the Swan now got a special limit of five crabs?

A: Over the last few years there has been an explosion in the popularity in crabbing in the Swan and Canning rivers placing considerable pressure on crab stocks in the system. The introduction of a special five-crab limit for the Swan recognises the trophy nature of the fishery, which includes bigger sized crabs that were typical in this fishery but have been in decline in recent years. The new limit and the introduction of a seasonal closure should ensure bigger, better quality crabs will be ready to crab for when the season opens in the summer. In the next two to three years, these changes should see the re-establishment of the Swan/Canning as a crab fishery famed for its quality-sized crabs. The boat limit of 20 still applies, but you will now need four RFBLs (recreational boat fishing licences) to take your boat limit. Q: Do I now need four RFBLs if I am boat fishing for crabs if we want to take our 20-crab boat limit in the Swan/Canning rivers? A: Yes – the bag limit is now five crabs per fisher. In order to take a boat

limit of 20 crabs, you will need at least four people on board who have a recreational fishing from boat licence. Q: Tell me more about this commercial licence buy-back scheme. A: As part of the package announced by the Minister for Fisheries, and following an agreed proposal to the Minister and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) between us and the commercial sector, 15 oceanic commercial fishing licences in waters from Cockburn Sound to Bunbury will be bought out by the government and permanently closed to commercial fishing. This will result in the protection of the female breeding stock underpinning the stocks’ sustainability. This announcement is particularly important for protecting female breeding stock when they leave the estuaries and use the nearshore oceanic areas to spawn each winter. These female crabs traditionally made up a significant proportion of the commercial catch during winter. Q: Does the spring closure apply to Geographe Bay?

A: No, Geographe Bay will remain open all yearround. The only change in Geographe Bay will be that from 1 December, you will only be able have a maximum of five female crabs within your bag limit of 10 crabs. Q: Does the closure apply to commercial fishers as well as recreational crabbers? A: Yes – the three-month spring closure (1 September to 30 November inclusive) applies to both recreational and commercial crab fishing in oceanic and estuarine waters from the Swan/Canning down to just south of Bunbury. Q: You say Cockburn Sound might be reopening for recreational crabbing. When is this likely to happen? A: We have long had an interest in reopening Cockburn Sound for recreational crabbing. Now with the buy-back of the commercial crab fishing licences in Cockburn Sound, there is no reason why the Sound shouldn’t reopen to recreational crabbing by next summer. To read more about these crab changes and the history of crab management visit our website at www. recfishwest.org.au.

Gascoyne Coast

Hungry predators following bait into the gulf EXMOUTH

Josh Bruynzeel

What a month it has been, with good weather coinciding with large amounts of bait arriving inshore and offshore.

been providing anglers with multiple shots per day, trolling small skirts like Pulsators has been deadly. The 10” size has been producing the bites. Skipping garfish or switching with bait to a teased up billfish usually returns a higher conversion rate on bites.

300m. Having a jig capable of reaching the bottom is crucial, with 320g or heavier being the best. Using a jig with strong assist hooks is the only way to wrestle these beasts in (we use BKK), and having a glowing jig also helps the fish to locate them.

There have been good catches of Spanish mackerel over the past month. Spanish mackerel have been thick along the back of the fringe reef in depths of 25-35m. Trolling for them seems to be the preferred method, with the larger Nomad DTX Minnows being the standout winners. Gold and natural baitfish patterns have been working best, and can also trigger bites from wahoo and yellowfin tuna.

In the lagoon and gulf the queenfish have been prevalent, along with the usual golden trevally and spangled emperor. Small sinking stickbaits like the Nomad Madscad and Riptide have consistent attractors. Yellowfin whiting, bream and flathead have dominated the captures along

FISHING IN OCTOBER With the bait starting to move into the gulf, the sailfish will be in close pursuit. A deadly technique is to jig a live bait rigged on an inline circle hook ready to cast at feeding fish. Watching the birds aggregate and seeing a tunastyle bust-up will help you to locate feeding sailfish. As you

first jump from a billfish so close to the boat will have you well and truly hooked. It is a phenomenon that only happens in certain places in the world, and we are very lucky to have it happen on our very own doorstep. The larger blue marlin start appearing offshore also with large lures like the Pulsator Marlin Magnet and Bonito Smoker being favourites. Finding good, clean and warm water is paramount in locating these beast and they usually prefer depths of over 300m deep. The deep water is not far offshore and it is great to see small trailer boats mixed in with some game boats all targeting these spectacular fish. Mahi mahi, wahoo and big yellowfin tuna are also common by catches, with some of the tuna getting up to 100kg. Trolling at speeds of 7 knots is commonplace and be ready to turn and chase the bigger blue marlin, they are capable of pulling 400m of line in their initial first run. 37kg and 60kg breaking strain is recommended with Stren IGFA-rated gamefishing line being a high quality and consistent line to use. On Strike Charters are WA’s premier game, sport and reef fishing adventure specialists, with a host of tournament wins and awards under their belt. Options include casting poppers and stickbaits to GTs and red bass; jigging for amberjack, trevally and tuna; flyfishing for queenfish and golden trevally; and bottom fishing for species such as red emperor, coral trout, spangled emperor and gold-band snapper. For more info on the charter options available, visit www.onstrike. com.au, or to see all the latest catch photos and videos visit their Facebook page (www. facebook.com/onstrike. charters). You can also follow them on Instagram (@ onstrikecharters).

Some quality mahimahi have been showing up in catches.

This Bass groper was deep jigged in 270m on a 230g Nomad Buffalo Jig.

Penny turning up the heat in Exmouth. Having some run in the tide will help you locate more feeding fish, as these predators seem less likely to bite on a slack tide. Further offshore, the black marlin and sailfish have

the shoreline in the gulf, and simple bait fishing is the way to go. Deep jigging for amberjack, bass groper and ruby snapper has been really consistent in depths of over

make your way over to the commotion, keep an eye out for the tell-tale dark shape of a sailfish, and simply cast your bait in front of the marauding fish. It is truly an amazing way to fish, and having the

A thug GT – if it was easy it wouldn’t be fun! OCTOBER 2019

Gascoyne Coast

Windy days no deterrent to eager anglers KALBARRI

Stephen Wiseman

The fishing around the Murchison River mouth quietened down a bit through the end of winter, with decent blows and some very impressive surf keeping anglers on shore.

Chainmans has been the go for mulloway, with several nice specimens falling to a well prepared strip of mullet on a standard paternoster rig. Another tagged mulloway that had been at large for 129 days and had grown 100mm was in the bag of fish kept. Boat fishers well to the north of town have had some

success with dhufish and red emperor, along with some very nice redthroat going well above the average at close to 5kg. These sorts of fish don’t come up often. Baldchin groper to 6kg have been picked up in the same area, so there’s plenty of fish around. Pink snapper are still on the chew along the cliffs

Jade caught this great pink snapper on a mulie before the ban.

south of town, all the big fish have come from close in with water depths of 10-15m and most of these have been taken on jigs. Remember that the area around and south of town falls in the West Coast Bioregion, and will therefore have the demersal ban in place from 15 October. Local Jade was lucky to bag a nice pink on a floating mulie bait while at anchor up near the Sand Patch. Its initial run had her stretched to the limit, but it was eventually brought to the boat and tossed in the esky with plenty of ice. The grey nomads have been doing well on sand whiting in the river, all along the foreshore from the boat hire to the sand flats in front of the IGA. The best baits range from the good old river prawns to mullet pieces. Small plastics have been used effectively in the same area, but mostly on smaller fish that are a little small to put on toast. With the warmer weather finally here we are seeing the very elusive mangrove jacks smash a few baits around the pens, but they are very skittish at the moment. Tailor are making a hit at the regular spots like Oyster

Kalbarri is synonymous with big tailor, as Peter can attest with this chunky specimen. Reef, Chainmans and down at the Bluff. The first place that Peter Verhay tried just out from Chainmans was an instant success, and shortly after the popper hit the water it was smashed by one very

angry and quite large tailor. Fish of this size are a prize and the acrobatics these fish can perform are often sensational. Pete tossed this fish back to give someone else a thrill.

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OCTOBER 2019

MANDURAH

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News

National Park created Premier Mark McGowan today announced the official creation of the Houtman Abrolhos Islands National Park, located about 80km west of Geraldton. The creation of the Houtman Abrolhos Islands National Park coincides with the 400-year anniversary of the European sighting of the islands by Dutch explorer Frederik de Houtman. The Abrolhos is the site of the notorious Batavia mutiny and a popular destination for fishing and nature appreciation.

The national park will be vested with the Conservation and Parks Commission and managed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. The national park will extend to the highwater mark with curtilages around the jetties at East Wallabi and Beacon islands. Airstrips on North, East Wallabi and Rat islands are included in the national park. It covers lands outside of areas leased to rock lobster and aquaculture fisheries. Over the next two years, the McGowan Government is investing $10 million into tourism and

management infrastructure at the national park, including the construction of new jetties, toilets, shade shelters, walk trails and visitor interpretation on East Wallabi and Beacon islands. The airstrip on East Wallabi will also be upgraded. A further operational budget has been allocated for the ongoing management of the islands, including for the employment of rangers. Plan for Our Parks aims to create five million hectares of new national and marine parks and conservation reserves over the next five years. – WA Government

Improved wave information Commercial fishermen and the recreational boating community operating out of Tantabiddi near Exmouth have access to improved information about ocean conditions following the deployment of a new directional wave buoy off the coast. Department of Transport (DoT) Manager Oceanographic Services Tony Lamberto said the new buoy, which records the direction of waves as well as the height, had been deployed approximately three nautical miles west of the Tantabiddi boat ramp. The buoy, easily identified as a large yellow sphere surrounded by a steel frame and fitted with a two-metre antenna, will provide fishermen, boat owners and the wider community with comprehensive information about coastal conditions.

Mr Lamberto said skippers navigating in the area need to take extra care and no fishing was allowed within 100m of the buoy due to the risk of damage that could jeopardise the Tantabiddi wave data collection program. He said the information from the buoy would significantly benefit the safety of those going to sea and provide long-term data to assist in the management of the coastline and also in the planning and design of coastal infrastructure. “The initiative represents a significant improvement in the information available to skippers operating out of Tantabiddi. Now skippers can log on to DoT’s website at any time and immediately access near real time wave height and direction to better assess conditions off the coast,” Mr Lamberto said. DoT introduced its first directional wave buoy off Rottnest in 2004 to provide

more detailed information about conditions off the metropolitan coast. Mr Lamberto said information from the new buoy off Tantabiddi would add to data already being received from DoT’s network of directional wave buoys located at Esperance, Albany, Cape Naturaliste, Mandurah, Cottesloe, Rottnest and Jurien. “The quality and detail of the coastal data collected by the network is a valuable resource as it is used for coastal infrastructure planning and design, improved marine safety and maritime commercial and recreational activities,” Mr Lamberto said. “The information adds to the understanding of the wave climate off the coast to better manage the resource.” People wanting to access near real time wave information can do so by visiting the tide and wave data page on the Department of Transport website. – DoT

485 Apache Pro

To see review go to: For full range see your local dealer Dinghy World

252 Canning Highway Como 6152 Perth City, WA Phone: (08) 9367 6555 Mathew Wilson nailed this solid beach tailor right after sunset on a piece of mullet north of Coronation Beach, Geraldton.

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OCTOBER 2019

North Coast

Tourists leaving, rain starting, fish chomping BROOME

Troy Honey

You can smell it in the air, but the feeling through your bones of the shift in atmosphere amongst local fishers as wet season looms is even better.

has been nothing short of spectacular this dry season, especially over the last four to six weeks, the wet season, as testing as it can be, to me is the best time to fish this iconic region. Before we delve into the upcoming fishing month, we cannot go past the epic

continue to be caught, with the size increasing from those caught in previous months. Trolling hard body lures at around 6 knots has worked best and those using their sounders to find good structure have had the most success. The ground northwest of Broome is where most Spaniard reports have been coming from with plenty of great structure to bottom bounce for demersals on in the area after a couple of nice mackies are in the esky. Both red and blueline emperors have shown up on most days and those venturing out to the 40 Mile have been rewarded with their bag limit of reds, including emperors and saddletail snapper, as well as rankin and estuary cod. The trip out to 40 Mile is around two hours, so selection of the right day for weather and tides is paramount for a successful trip. At this time of year you will pass many pods of whales, so always use caution such as a spotter to reduce the risk of a collision. Closer in there have been healthy coral trout landed and many bluebone along with a few black jewfish. Try Roebuck Bay for the jewfish by searching for holes on your sounder and dropping mulies on a paternoster rig down into them. Trevally and fingermark are two other species that have turned up in the bay and caught from both boats and land-based.

structure such as mangrove roots or fallen logs with your lures to entice the barra out. They will be hungry and need to gain weight ahead of the spawning season, which

also be said that with the rise in water temperature the croc activity rises with it, so always be vigilant in the Fitzroy or other rivers surrounding Broome, as

William Burns landed this beautiful silver barramundi in one of the local creeks recently after a long trek. runs from October through to March. Barramundi prefer to spawn at night when the water temperature is between 28-33°C, so it is also this time of year to ensure you have a couple of live baits out when camped by the river.

there’s plenty of crocs that like to come in and have a look at what you are up to. The threadfin salmon run, which has barely slowed since last season, will also be firing up in the warmer water of October, and working the beaches

Local Bradey Paini fought and beat this massive coral trout on one of the local Broome fishing charters recently. It’s that time of year when the barra lures are dragged out and a trip to the local tackle shops to purchase new split rings and singles to replace the corroded ones from last season. The water temperature is rising and you have already heard of the odd hearty barra being landed, so the race is on to get the tinnie’s motor and wheel bearings serviced and get out to see if those snags from last season that produced solid fish are still there. It is by far my favourite time of year to fish Broome. While the fishing for pelagic and demersal fish species 32

OCTOBER 2019

fishing experienced by locals and tourists over the last month. First off, I must mention the mighty cobia that have been caught in both big numbers and size. Many anglers have hooked up on what can only be called beasts while dropping baits over structure off the Broome coast in both shallow and deeper waters up to 40m or more. Cobia provide an excellent fillet for the table and fish over the metre mark leave the angler’s arms spent for a while. They will run multiple times right to the surface and put even the heaviest of gear to the test. Spanish mackerel

When it comes to Spanish mackerel they don’t come much bigger than D’Artagnan Leak’s 30kg 1.5m monster mack. The fish was caught in waters just off the Broome township and highlights just how big these pelagics can get in the turquoise waters of the West Kimberley. Looking forward things will really start to heat up. October is the month where Broome and the mighty Fitzroy River around Langis Crossing can see daytime temperatures of 40°C or more, and with that comes the rise is water temperature. Now is the time to set out and work areas with

the rocks north to Coconut Wells. Many threadfin have been caught along this stunning section of beach and when synchronised with either a sunrise or

The local fishing clubs in Broome and Derby have their annual barramundi competitions in the Fitzroy River in October and although the competition is fierce to say the least, there are always plenty of competitors to offer advice if you haven’t fished for barramundi before. It should

from Broome to Crab Creek and further south along the entrances of the Fingers with either prawns, live bait or bright soft plastics is sure to earn you a five-star dinner. If you cannot get out to Roebuck Bay, then head down to Cable Beach and fish the last three hours of the incoming spring tides from

sunset the experience is one to remember. The queenies and trevally are more prevalent around Broome in the warmer months and working either the low or high tide change with fast retrieve lures such as metal slugs is a great way to cool off. There is still another month or more before the stingers start to show up, but always be mindful when standing in the water casting lures after a decent westerly wind. Cast from the rocks when you can, as this is also better for seeing the fish. These fish are not commonly soughtafter table fish, but when combined with quality soy sauce and wasabi they make some of the best sashimi one will ever experience. Bleed the fish soon after landing and chill in an ice box for 30 minutes or so, then fillet up and enjoy it on the beach! I am lucky enough to enjoy some of the best table fish in the country, but having an entrée of sashimi queenies and golden trevally is something I argue is the best our ocean serves up. Not only is there lots of fishing options at this time of year, there’s also big numbers or sand flies and mosquitoes will also be making their presence known, especially when camping along areas such as the Fitzroy River. Take plenty of insect and sun protection with you to ensure you have a good trip.

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SPOT THE

10 DIFFERENCES

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ORIGINAL

FIND-A-WORD

Congratulations to Peter Williams, 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 August is G Stalker of East Carnarvon, who won an E.J. Todd prize pack valued at $300. All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – WAFM

Rockingham, P Baskerville of Glenfield, K Campbell of Piara Waters, G Uren of Ballajura, A Tierney of Kununurra, J Addenbrooke of Maddington, C Robinson of Dowerin, J Meuleners of Shoalwater, C Walker of Canning Vale, J Curley of Halls Head, D Culshaw of Banyo, C Carey of Bentley, G Gervosi of West Busselton, S Bastick of Two Rocks, A Hogan of

Parmelia, L Gibbs of Boulder, G Jeanes of Coodanup, J Benson of Oakford, G Howard of Roclands, R Stoddart of Denmark, D Werder of Dawesville, G Higgins of Eaton, J Tootill of Waikiki, D McGillivray of Moora, G Duncan of Duncraig, R Adamczyk of Spalding. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – WAFM

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS

GUESS THE FISH?

FIND THE DAIWA LOGO

This month’s Guess the Fish Answer: Australian Herring

The answers to Find the Daiwa Logo for August were: 6, 11, 15, 16, 22, 25, 29, 30, 35, 37, 43, 47, 51, 53, 55, 59. – WAFM The Find the Daiwa Logo prize winners for August were: Y Hwango of Ballajura, C Warren of Wagin, D Elkerbout of Dunsborough, J Tootill of Waikiki, K Lockwood of

Answer: OCTOBER 2019

North Coast

Shallow or deep, the demersals never sleep DAMPIER/KARRATHA

Troy Honey

In humans the transition to sleep (or even closing the eyes) involves specified changes in the pattern of brain waves in the area of the brain called the neocortex. Fish don’t have the same degree of neocortical development as mammals and thus don’t display these brainwave patterns associated with sleep. So, as far as

brain-wave patterns go, fish don’t sleep. If, however, you define sleep as a combination of a reduced metabolic rate, slowed physical activity, lowered response to stimuli and the assumption of a resting posture, then many fish do sleep. Some of the best-known sleepers are bluebone. Bluebone find a suitable spot on the seafloor and secrete a mucus envelope in which they spend the night. But as the title may

suggest, this is not the sleep, or lack of, I am referring too. The demersal fishing in Karratha over the last month has been nothing short of exceptional. We have had a few windy days preventing boat trips out afar, but overall the weather has been on our side, allowing even the smaller vessels to explore the deeper waters. Those who have ventured out for a day of bottom bashing, albeit in shallow or deep waters surrounding the

archipelago, have been regularly rewarded with their bag limit of very goodsized demersal trophies. Red and blueline emperor, rankin cod, saddletail snapper and coral

success, with good numbers of coral trout, Chinaman and red emperor. Bottom baits of squid and fish fillets have worked best, but there have been great catches reported on

demersals, and working the hour either side over good ground is sure to produce results. Cobia, Spanish mackerel, golden trevally and queenfish have

One of the best sportfish to target in this area would have to be the queenfish, and it’s fantastic to experience these fish under the stunning landscapes of the Dampier Archipelago, where angler Mathew Howard landed this prime example.

Red emperor are one of the most highly-prized demersals in Australian waters, with Karratha being one of the hidden gems when it comes to locations holding good numbers.

trout have been the most prolific species caught, with the larger emperor and cod coming from waters in 35m or more. These grounds are generally out around the ships and northwest of Legendre Island. Those heading west out past Cod Bank have also had great

metal jigs and soft plastics. When using jigs or soft plastics, the key is always matching the weight to the tide or fishing the change if fishing on larger tides. I have always found the low tide change to fish more successfully over the high tide change when targeting

been coming from the reefs surrounding the archipelago, with the odd bluebone thrown in. Spanish flag and Moses perch have been thick at times in the same areas, and although they are an exceptional feed on the dinner table, they have

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North Coast been stealing baits from more highly-prized fish. As we head into October the annual westerly winds start to build, creating less than favourable conditions for fishing the deeper, unprotected waters, and as luck always has it, this usually lines up with your days off. Options to consider when this occurs is to head up one of the many creeks that surround Karratha and nearby towns

surround the creek mouths. Using either weighted live baits or cooked prawns as well as trolling brightly coloured lures, soft plastics and vibes through the creek mouths on the outgoing tide is always a great way to entice a hook up. The threadfin will be working these areas for bait as it is flushed out of the creek. Mud crabs are also in very good numbers around Karratha now, and with the

powerful claws and tear off bait such as chicken wings and fish frames with ease or crush bait cages, making them unusable for the next session and it can become costly. I always put my lamb necks on the clips and then place them in a bucket for a couple of days before I head out. By leaving the closed bucket in the sun it sets the bait up nicely to attract mud crabs to the nets from a distance.

N O I P R O 485 SC Mathew Howard has been enjoying the perfect conditions in Karratha recently and with it he has been catching some beautiful fish such as this decent longtail tuna. to gain protection from the headlands and mangroves. With the warmer waters also approaching, the creeks offer an array of fish species that provide both light gear battles and an opportunity for a fivestar meal. If you’re keen to experience threadfin salmon in the Karratha region, then October is a great month to start targeting them. For best results, work the dirty water on the last couple of hours of the incoming tide over the flats that

warmer weather coming up this will certainly continue. Try the creeks south around 40 Mile and north around Cossack. We are coming to end of the tourist season in Karratha, so the creeks have endured a lot of pressure over the last five months, but on a couple of recent land-based crabbing sessions we managed to achieve our bag limit comfortably in a short time. Try lamb necks with a bait clip pushed through the centre bone where the marrow is. Mud crabs have

October will continue to be a great month for demersals and pelagics alike, and choosing the right day in regards to tide and wind certainly will give you the edge. Reports of barra and threadfin salmon should start trickling in from the creeks, and the queenie activity should pick up as well. Fingers crossed the annual westerlies are on working days and you manage to enjoy the best of what this iconic fishing region brings!

FISHING NEWS

Cooper Reef recognised in awards for excellence Throughout our great state there are plenty of stories of community champions rolling up their sleeves to make fishing better in their local area. One such story is that of the Esperance Deep Sea Angling Club lead by local stalwart Graham Cooper and their work on the Esperance Artificial Reef, named Cooper Reef in Graham’s honour. Their fantastic efforts were recognised when

the club took out the ‘Best Project’ in the small clubs category of the Clubs WA Awards for Excellence. Recfishwest attended the awards event with Graham and fellow club member Nigel Worth. Part of what made the recognition extra special was the fact that many club members literally built the reef with their own hands when they helped to pour dozens of the 128 concrete modules that now make up the reef.

Artificial reefs from Esperance to Exmouth continue to provide great fishing experiences for local communities. All of these projects were born out of dedicated local fishers who had a vision to improve fishing and the drive to make it happen. Recfishwest are extremely proud to have been able to assist Graham and his team in delivering this exciting project for their local community. – Recfishwest

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OCTOBER 2019

Get out with your fishing buddy FRESHWATER

Peter Fragomeni

I would like to start this report by mentioning how special and important it is to have a good fishing buddy, and how without them the experience would not be quite the same.

conditions. He never showed any signs of discontent. He saved me on one occasion by pointing out a tiger snake in the long grass at Harvey Dam, and warned me of potential approaching danger while fly fishing until late on moonlit nights around the shores of our inland dams. He would be by my side

around our streams and dams, especially if you aren’t wearing adequate footwear and clothing. Unfortunately some of our dams are very low, with Harvey, Wellington and Glen Mervyn suffering the most from low winter rains in those particular catchments. The rest are doing OK,

Good fishing buddies are important. A nice Harvey rainbow taken trolling by Bretton Stitfold with Chester looking on. When you think of a fishing buddy, your thoughts may turn to a particular person like a mate or a family member, but in this case I am referring to what is often called a man’s best friend. Yes, a dog. Some of you may have seen my mate Chester on previous photos and many

in every situation travelling from York to Mandurah and out to the nearby fishing destinations, staying with me in my camper by the waters edge on many occasions. It is with great sadness that he was killed while I was writing this report by a car on the gravel road that is rarely used leading to

and the fishing has been quite good with everything considered. The other bad news was the loss of around 2500 yearling trout down at the hatchery in late August caused by a failure of one of the inlet pipes feeding the particular pond the fish were housed in. I was notified

environmental issues, so it will be interesting to see how the application proceeds. The annual Troutfest held at Drakesbrook Weir on 31 August was another success, and although it was predicted to be a wet weekend that didn’t deter the crowds, with a good turnout recorded. It’s always fun watching the youngsters releasing the trout that the hatchery produce throughout the year. It was a license free weekend, although all the rules like size and bag limits had to be abided by. The other great news announced at the event was the newly formed Inland Freshwater Advisory Committee that will work along side the Freshwater Fisheries Reference Group to manage infrastructure and explore better fishing options for our freshwater fishery. I’m hoping that this will include the stocking of East Coast native freshwater species to combat the drying warming climate that the experts warn will only get worse. The following day was meant to be the next round of the Redfin Yak Bash held at Harvey Dam, but it had to be moved to a later date due to severe weather conditions predicted for the Sunday. AUSSIE NATIVES Unfortunately the proposal to stock Aussie Natives into Wellington Dam has been rejected by Fisheries WA. Myself and many more passionate anglers worked hard to transform this water into the first truly fantastic mixed freshwater sport fishery in the south of WA. It seems that the local minister (and others) are fearful of the marron, redfin and native finfish being impacted by introducing a new species into this waterway. I question this, as I have witnessed redfin destroying the ecology of a number of waterways like Waroona Dam, the Murray River, Glen Mervyn Dam and the Warren River to name a few, so them being present in Wellington Dam is a poor argument. I feel this is not fair on Western Australian

A double hook-up on reddies. David Nye was one of the many anglers made welcome by Chester, who was always happy to give up his favourite seat. freshwater fishers that don’t fish for marron and are not keen on catching redfin that in most cases offer poor fighting capabilities. To lock this water up to a short marron season and to a few local redfin fishers is counterproductive,

a recreational hub to include fishing in Wellington Dam! On the positive there are a few more waters being considered for stocking that won’t impact any other users or species and with the formation of the new group I will be fighting hard to

Rainbow trout are stocked annually at Drakesbrook Weir, but you don’t need a boat to have a good time. Jonah Chiera is the lucky angler here. considering the amount of mines closing down in the area shortly and local government trying to promote tourism to the area. It’s sad that 10 million dollars is being spent on a mountain bike trail in the area yet we were promised

bring to West Australians the quality of freshwater fishing our neighbours on the East Coast experience in their waters! DAMS Waroona Dam With the water levels being very low in Harvey

Trolling in the dams can be a very productive technique, as it gets you to areas like Nicholson Point at Harvey Dam that are hard to access by road. have fished with me when he was aboard and were taken away by his nature and ability to make everyone welcome, with his favourite position being the front of the boat. He travelled with me on a long distance fishing trip to the eastern states to fish some of the best freshwater destinations and spent countless days over here fishing with me on some extremely cold, wet days and also hot summer 36

OCTOBER 2019

my farm in York. I dedicate this report to Chester and many canine fishing buddies like him around our great country. Rest in peace, my best buddy. Now on to the report. Spring is here and October is arguably one of the best months to be out trout fishing in our beautiful South West region, but unfortunately it is the peak time of the year when snakes are active, so be aware if you venture

of this by Recfishwest Stocking Committee and we had to rally the stocking list to make sure all waters received a revised stocking, so hopefully the impact will be minimal as a good head of stock are already in most waters. The proposed dam on Record Brook next to the Donnelly River has been highly debated on social media, with some fishers opposing it due to

Ready for a day out on the boat trolling Harvey Dam.

Dam it is hoped that an extra 200 brood rainbows will be stocked from the 1700 allocated, bringing the total to 400 brood rainbows for this water. This will make it a water worth fishing, as it already has a good head of fish from last year. Drakesbrook Weir Good stocks have gone into this water but unfortunately as a trout fishery it relies on a stocking from the hatchery in spring to make it viable, although redfin are always available all year round. Logue Brook Dam I fished this water more this year than in previous

years and was surprised at the quality of fish available. It is worth a visit, but ski boats make it unpleasant in the warmer months. Trolling and shore fishing using heavy lures to get the distance is the preferred method, although I did well flyfishing the banks early morning and evenings on some occasions. Harvey Dam Again this was the location for the Redfin Yak Bash in September and again in October, but the latter is open to boats with electric motors only, see www. redfinbash.com for details. Some great trout have been caught on shallow

Redfin can be aggressive, with two attacking the same lure commonplace. Wendy Jane was happy with this pair.

Chester was loyal to the end, and will be sorely missed by the author. minnow style lure, with places like Quarry Bay, Summer Brook Bay, The first causeway and over at the Cattle Yards being the best areas. Shore anglers are doing OK, but try a lure that cast a long way out like a Tassie Devil or similar and vary your depth to find where they are sitting. This water received 200 brown trout and if you’re lucky enough to land one of these great looking specimens then please return them, as they are known to predate on the tiny redfin, are harder to produce that the versatile rainbow trout.

Wellington Dam A report came to me of a very big fish that was hooked and unfortunately lost in one of the many arms that abound in this water. I personally know this angler and he has caught a number of large bass, cod, silver perch, redfin and countless trout, with one trout being over 8lb in WA, so he’s no stranger to a decent size fish. It was hooked trolling using a deep diving lure and an overhead reel spooled with 20lb braided line. The powerful runs that he couldn’t stop resulted in it being snagged for some time, before the fight resumed, only

to have the line snap close to the boat. Apparently it fought harder than any redfin or trout he had hooked before. There have been some good redfin caught and now that this water is open to electric motors over the whole dam it’s well worth a look, although you can go a long time between drinks on occasions. Glen Mervyn Dam Although the water is lower than most years, a few good trout are turning up and redfin are getting caught in small numbers. Norolup Dam Although only a small dam in Greenbushes, it is a interesting place to fish, even if only as a stop in on the way down to Pemberton. Trout and redfin are always available, with some good

catches on occasions. Big Brook Dam Some big ex-brood rainbows and brown trout have been stocked lately, so they are providing some excellent sport, with fly fishing and lure casting off the bank or kayaks being the preferred method. RIVERS Unfortunately due to the misfortune of losing my much loved canine fishing buddy, I have not be able to provide a report this month, but this October is one of the best months to explore our rivers and streams, so get out there and enjoy our great SW waters. Just a warning, be very careful if you are with your canine fishing buddy, as snakes are active at this time of the year

DAM LEVEL PREDICTIONS FOR OCTOBER WAROONA DAM

87%

DRAKESBROOK WEIR

100%

LOGUE BROOK DAM

79%

HARVEY DAM

58%

WELLINGTON DAM

59%

GLEN MERVYN DAM

68%

BIG BROOK DAM

104%

With winter rains being below average along the escarpment, interestingly I recorded above average winter rains out at York despite a record low summer/autumn period. Some of the dams did well this year, with good rain, but Harvey, Glen Mervyn and Wellington Dam are still very low.

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AFTA FISHING TACKLE, MARINE AND OUTDOOR TRADE SHOW

BEST OF SHOW AWARDS

2019 AFTA Tackle Trade Show

AFTA FISHING TACKLE WRAP UP : 15TH - 17TH AUGUST 2019 The biggest event on the Australian tackle industry’s calendar is without a doubt the AFTA Tackle Trade Show. The biggest brand names in the tackle industry descend on the Gold Coast each year, mingling with innovative up-and-coming enterprises hoping to be the next big thing. It’s a time when new products are unveiled and new fishing trends begin, and for the first time this year the public got to experience it first-hand. Like all trade shows, the AFTA show has never been open to the general public, but AFTA decided it was time for a change. It was decided that the final day of the show should be a Public Day, so that any angler could see the latest and greatest gear from their favourite brands. No one in the trade was sure how popular this experiment would be, but the 2019 Public Day turned out to be a great success. Due to its popularity, it's likely that AFTA will run it again in 2020. If you missed the 2019 Public Day, there are a number of reasons to check it out next year.

• Unlike a boat show, the AFTA Show is purely for tackle and outdoor products, which means that brands can exhibit a much larger range of gear; • Exhibitors have pro staff and tackle designers on-hand to chat and answer your questions; • Because the event is used by many companies to unveil their new releases, it’s the perfect place to be if you love seeing the latest gear; • Well-known fishing personalities attend each year, so you might have the chance to meet your favourite presenter or tournament pro; • There are interactive attractions for both adults and children to enjoy, including fishing simulators, the Supertank and personalising your own lure; and • There’s a variety of free branded merchandise to bring home in your sample bag. The fact that the average visitor stuck around for 3-4 hours is testament to how much fun the day was! BEST NEW PRODUCTS For members of the tackle trade, one

of the most exciting things about the show is the Best of Show Awards. Each year the exhibitors enter their new releases in the Best Of Show, and the retailers and media then judge the products based on criteria such as innovation, quality and practicality. There are 20 categories, covering tackle, accessories and apparel, and the competition is fierce – especially in the rod, reel and lure categories. Tackle retailers are always hungry for

something different, so those product entries that are particularly ingenious or unique are often the ones that come out on top. You can see the evidence of this in some of the most popular entries this year, which included a spider, a lure tray full of spikes, a rod butt with interchangeable tips, a hard rod tube that conveniently folds out flat, a waterproof bag sealed with magnets, and an octopus that releases its own ink. Read on to see which products were voted the best of 2019!

WHAT IS AFTA? The Australian Fishing Trade Association does a lot of important work behind the scenes that most anglers don’t know about. As well as supporting its wholesale and retail members, it also lobbies governments to protect angler access. In today’s political climate, our fishing rights are increasingly under threat, and for this reason it’s vital to maintain pressure on governments to protect our right to fish. If you work in the tackle, boating or outdoor trade and would like to know more about AFTA, visit www.afta.net.au.

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BEST OF SHOW AWARDS

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Humminbird Mega 360 Imaging

Yeti Rambler R12 Bottle

Humminbird MEGA 360 Imaging sweeps up to 125ft (38m) in every direction around your boat to deliver incredibly clear images of structure, bottom and fish, even while you’re sitting still, allowing you to make more accurate casts. This new release brings Humminbird’s unmatched coverage of 360 Imaging technology into the megahertz range for nextlevel detail. Like underwater radar, the MEGA 360 Imaging beam rotates, giving you a 360° view of the water that’s constantly updating, with your boat at the centre. Fish won’t ever see you coming, allowing you to cast and hook fish before they even know you’re there. MEGA 360 Imaging is compatible with Solix Series and Helix Series fishfinders equipped with MEGA Imaging+. In addition to superior detail and coverage, Humminbird provides built-in mapping, impressive screen resolution, intuitive control and more. For a full list of features, plus photos and videos, visit the BLA website. www.bla.com.au

On-the-go coffee enthusiasts, meet the ultimate drinking vessel for filling up and hitting the road. While this 12oz (354mL) bottle is conveniently light and fits in standard cup holders, it holds more than enough coffee to jump-start your day, whether you’re gearing up for an early morning trip or need an energy boost before a full day on the water. Even better, this Rambler is topped with a unique, 360°, 100% leakproof HotShot Cap that lives up to its name by letting you sip from any side while locking in piping-hot temperatures for hours on end. With just a half twist and a click, you can sip from any side and enjoy that perfect, piping-hot temp. And as an added bonus, you can put the Hot Shot Cap on any of Yeti’s Rambler Bottles, because it’s compatible with all of them (although not the Tumblers). The 1” thick lid keeps the heat in, and it’s also shatter resistant and dishwasher safe. Price: SRP $39.95 au.yeti.com

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CLOTHING ACCESSORY WINNER

Yeti Rambler R12 Bottle

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Gorilla Grip Rhinoflex A5 Cut Gloves

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Atomic Casting Gloves

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Gorilla Grip Rhinoflex A5 Cut Gloves

Atomic Casting Gloves

For many fishing applications, to light tasks and heavy-duty work, the Gorilla Grip patented gloves are the go-to for anglers and tinkerers alike. With maximum durability, dexterity and a trusted neverslip grip, Gorilla Grip guarantees superior grip every time. On the boat or at the cleaning table, Gorilla Grips A5 Cut gloves are a must for every tackle box, and landing big fish by hand or cutting through tough hides can be done with complete safety. This glove features a highly breathable, flexible design with an ANSI level 5 industrial cut protection rating featuring proprietary polymer technology on the palm that pulls moisture away from the surface and provides maximum grip in wet and oily conditions. The formfitting design, breathable nylon shell, fitted elastic cuff, patented non-slip technology and stain resistant finish make these gloves the ultimate clothing accessories for a range of fishing applications. www.jmgillies.com.au

So many of us like to work hard, and play hard, especially when it comes to fishing. It’s for this reason that anglers like to take care of their hands, especially since most of us aren’t battle-hardened warriors with leather hands! The Atomic Casting Gloves offer your hands protection at a reasonable price for thousands and thousands of casts, meaning you can fish hard and not have to pay the price for it! Atomic Casting Gloves are designed for anglers by anglers, and offer more than just protection from heavy tackle. The fingered gloves also offer great sun protection and make for safer fish handling when dealing with spiky and toothy predators. The gloves come in standard Australian sizing. Your hands are a valuable fishing tool, so why not give them the best protection you can? www.frogleysoffshore.com.au

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Daiwa Tatula 150/702MHB

Abu Garcia’s Salty Stage KR-X Jigging rod and Light Jigging Reel have slid in as runner up in the Best Combo category, and this truly is a match made in heaven for those who like this bare-knuckled form of fishy fun! The KR-X Jigging rods have been designed using the latest in jigging technology fresh from Japan and come packed with highquality components and special features, including a crisp 80% carbon + 20% glass construction, cork and EVA slit handle, butt joint, Fuji reel seat, Fuji K-Guide Alconite guides and X-Wrap blank design. They come in medium, medium light, and medium heavy (PE 2.0-3.0, PE 1.0-4.0 and PE 2.0-4.0) in 6’3”, 6’3” and 7’0” respectively. The Salty Stage Light Jigging reel is its perfect match, and features 7.3:1 gear ratio, Powerstack Drag System, Oversize Powerknob handle, 8 bearings system including two salt shielded bearings, Infini Brake system and Duraclutch. With a maximum drag of 14kg and a weight of 254g, this reel will sit beautifully on any of the three KR-X Jigging rods. www.purefishing.com.au

Taking out the Best Combo category at the 2019 AFTA show was Daiwa’s Tatula 702MHB rod and Tatula 150 reel combo. The iconic Tatula series of rods has been upgraded with new components, new actions and enhanced performance, making them Daiwa’s best Tatula rods ever. The 702MHB is one of 11 models (eight baitcast and three swimbait models), and features an SVF blank with 3DX carbon, Fuji’s brand-new LKW frame guides, Fuji PLS Palming Support reel seat and Spiral Palming grip. The Tatula 150 is a fantastic casting reel, and is tailor made for those looking for a midsized workhorse. It features an aluminium frame and gear side plate, Daiwa’s famous Digigear gear system, TWS, Magforce Z, UTD drag, 100mm Swept Handle and large paddle knobs. The 150 comes in 5.4:1, 6.3:1 and 7.3:1 gear ratios. These two combine to make a perfect casting set-up for fresh and saltwater predators that has the ultimate balance between price and performance. Price: from RRP $249.99 (rod) and RRP $289 (reel) www.daiwafishing.com.au

Abu Garcia Salty Stage Light Jigging Low Profile / KRX

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BEST FLY LINE WINNER

Abu Garcia Salty Stage Light Jigging Low Profile / KRX

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Snobee XS-Plus Thistledown 5-7

Rio DC Flats Line

Based in Plymouth in the far South West of England, the team at Snowbee are spoilt for choice with their fly fishing options, and understand the need for quality products. Snowbee’s XS-Plus Thistledown weight forward floating line is no exception, and the addition of the new 5-7wt model will be welcomed by the fly fishing community. Following the success of the 2-5wt model, the introduction of the 5-7wt was a no-brainer. The Thistledown is a unique flyline, and is the ultimate in fly fishing finesse, and perfect for small stream trout fishing. Sometimes however, the trout aren’t always small, which is where the new 5-7wt comes into play. The new and improved braided core means a finer and stronger core, and a more supple line over all, which also means less memory issues than before. The XS-Plus is 90ft long, and comes in olive and buckskin colours, which blend in beautifully to the countryside of a trout stream. www.ejtodd.com.au

Rio is known for producing a wide selection of flylines for anglers of all abilities in all conditions, and Rio’s Direct Core Flats Pro is one of their specialty flylines. Whether fishing flats for bones and permit, peppering the mangroves or jacks and barra, sinking flies for schooled bass of presenting small dries to finicky stream trout, it’s important to have the right flyline, and Rio always have you covered. The DC Flats Pro flyline is built with sophisticated tapers and the latest technology for the modern flats angler, and has easy annealing, and a low-memory core that lays perfectly straight on the water, which is perfect when trying to convince that trophy permit or bonefish to eat your fly! The DC Flats Pro comes in 7, 8, 9 and 10wt in floating, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12wt in intermediate, and 8, 9 and 10wt in sink tip. www.jmgillies.com.au

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Snobee XS-Plus Thistledown 5-7

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Rio DC Flats Line

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Sage Trout 4/5/6

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Alvey Saltwater Fly Reel

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Alvey Saltwater Fly Reel

The new Sage Trout 4/5/6 mixes classic aesthetics with modern performance. Drawing inspiration from the historic Sage 500 series reels, the Modern Classics collection introduces reels designed for the angler longing for a nod to the past. This reel has a romantic appeal to designs and colours that reflect a classic feel of old yet packed with performance features that will assure you’ll never lose that fish of a lifetime. While honouring their heritage with a fullframe design, narrow profile, and classic styling, the backbone of the Trout is Sage’s proven One Revolution, Sealed Carbon System (SCS) drag. The 4/5/6 is the heart of the series, which will balance perfectly with the majority of all-around trout rods. The Trout 4/5/6 also features a large and concave arbor for fast line pick-up and greater strength and capacity, easy conversion from left to right-hand retrieve, and a Neoprene and embroidered ballistic nylon reel case. If you want to fish with a classic Sage design but have all the benefits of their modern cutting edge technology, the Sage Trout is the perfect reel for you. www.jmgillies.com.au

Alvey Saltwater Fly Reels are renowned for their performance, catching small marlin, swordfish, tuna and more with their smooth, powerful drag. Uniquely, these reels don’t require the hours of maintenance most other fly reels do. A rinse in saltwater while fishing will keep you going, and when you get home you just give it a rinse out in a bucket of fresh water, put a couple of drops of oil on the moving parts, and you’re ready for the next trip. The reel features a strong metal foot, stainless steel line guides, and metal pins in the clutch housing that protect the metal clutch washers from overheating and damaging the spool. The fixed handle plate makes handling a big fish a lot safer, allowing the spool to turn backwards under clutch pressure. Alvey Managing Director Bruce Alvey says their customers have had great success with this reel, and the new version is even stronger and lighter, with the use of carbon and titanium to ensure this reel keeps on catching large fish. It will be released in the coming months, so keep an eye out for it at your favourite tackle store. www.alvey.com.au

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TryCD AllFly

BEST FLY ROD RUNNER UP

Sage Trout LL Series

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Sage Trout LL Series

TryCD AllFly

With a delicate touch and medium action, the Trout LL family has been designed with the trout angler and dry flies in mind. Through blank taper optimisation and specialised length offerings, the Trout LL is perfected for wade fishing, closer casts, small flies, and light tippets. A relatively supple tip maximizes light tippet protection and gives way to a smooth, easy-loading mid-section that increases feel and feedback throughout the casting stroke. When the hatch is on, the Trout LL is an angler’s best friend. Drawing inspiration from historic Sage rods of the past, the Trout LL is a nod toward tradition with a classic appearance and a smooth casting taper, yet adds modern performance features in accuracy and loop control through the backbone of Konnetic HD blank material. The Trout LL series is available in a combination of classic dry fly line weights and lengths 7’9” though 9’0” while beautiful wood inserts and premium componentry add an elegant touch to these high performance rods. www.jmgillies.com.au

A complete Allfly set lets you fish most freshwater fly fishing conditions with one package. When waterway conditions change, anglers need to change rods, which is frustrating to do with a conventional rod tube. The Allfly makes the process much easier. The first step is to start with the universal Allfly base, and then you attach the 3-piece TryCD rod that suits your fishing needs – either the 5/6 or the 7/8. There’s also the option to include the 1ft Extender, to extend the rod from 9ft to 10ft. Allfly rods are made using the best Japanese high-modulus materials. Each blank is handmade with precise amounts of laser-cut 40T carbon and constructed in a unique helix formation. The blanks are light, crisp and very strong. The rods come in a unique case that folds out horizontally, and it has soft holders to push the pieces onto, so they don’t touch each other. This case makes it much quicker and easier to access your rods, as you don’t have to slowly feed the sections into a tube. www.trycd.com / www.facebook.com/ Trycd

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Chasebaits Ultimate Squid 300mm

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Bluewater Speed Skirt

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BEST GAME FISHING LURE RUNNER UP

The Bluewater series was developed for the hard-core saltwater and game anglers. Every model in the Bluewater series has been rigorously tested and engineered to ensure that they are up to the task of doing battle with some of the oceans largest predators. The new Bluewater Speed Skirt fits into that way of thinking perfectly! The Bluewater Speed Skirts are a highspeed trolling skirt, and as such they are capable of being trolled at speeds of up to 18 knots. With their tolerance to such high speeds, they are absolutely perfect for species such as wahoo, tuna and other high speed pelagics that don’t mind a fast chase! The Speed Skirts come in four great colours, including purple black, lumo green, lumo, an pink. At 240mm and 115g they are a perfect snack size for many offshore predators, and the realistic pattern on the head and skirt itself will fool any hungry offshore predator into striking! www.jmgillies.com.au

Bluewater Speed Skirt

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Following on from the runaway success of the Ultimate Squid, Chasebaits has released a 300mm version. The upsized model has the same ultrarealistic, rolling wing action as the smaller 150mm and 200mm versions, and boasts an incredibly durable TPE construction (10X strong). It can be slow trolled or jigged to great effect on large reef fish, kingfish, tuna and more. Chasebaits recommends matching the 300mm Ultimate Squid with the Ultimate Squid

Rig, whose weight range now covers everything from 3/4oz right through to 9oz. The Ultimate Squid Rig is custom made to suit the Squid perfectly, balancing it so that the wings give off that true squid action. These custom jigheads have offset twin assist hooks and a flash blade (which can be swapped out for a treble or extra assist hook). The heavier models have 9/0 hooks, and the attachment snap is rated to 82kg. Other features include custom 3D squid eyes, custom scent, contracting tentacles and extended candles that flutter with any movement. Price: SRP $19.95 www.chasebaits.com.au

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Mustad 6.5” Pliers

BEST GAME FISHING ACCESSORY RUNNER UP

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The Mustad Titanium Plier is Mustad’s newest plier that fits into the elite level Black Line of tools. Built with rugged performance for the toughest conditions, these pliers exude excellence at every turn, especially when chasing trophy fish. With high-quality titanium, an ergonomic design and carbon inserts that support the heavy-duty construction, the pliers allow you to get a strong grip on anything you encounter, and will be a handy addition. On the side of the pliers there is a scissor-style clipper to cut lines without the need to change tools, giving anglers a more complete plier that will serve them for years both on and off the water. Each set of 6.5” Titanium Pliers comes with a premium moulded leather sheath with a lanyard attached, so you will always have your pliers safe and secure when on the water. www.wilsonfishing.com

Black Magic Equalizer Twin Pin Pro

Mustad 6.5” Pliers

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The best just got better, with Black Magic’s new Equalizer Twin Pin Pro. Whether you’re using a bent butt or straight butt rod, it gives you maximum leverage and no restrictions. As the name suggests, the patent pending Twin Pin Pro has two pins, one in the traditional recessed position, and a new pin in the front of the rod bucket. This gives you maximum leverage whether you’re using a straight butt or a bent butt rod, without the need for an adaptor. Simply choose the best pin for your style of rod, and you are fishing without restrictions. To make it even easier to battle that dream fish, you can match the Twin Pin Pro with ever-popular Equalizer harness. The lightweight harness/webbing can be worn all day, then you simply slip on the gimbal in seconds when the fish strikes. It allows you to apply greater pressure on the fish without increasing strain on your back, arms and legs, and it’s also lighter and less bulky than other harnesses, without sacrificing strength. www.blackmagictackle.com

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AFTA FISHING TACKLE, MARINE AND OUTDOOR TRADE SHOW

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Venom Ocean Gladiator

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Venom Ocean Gladiator

Daiwa Spartan S74-4/5

The team at Venom Rods has designed a series of rods to take on the biggest predators in the ocean – the Ocean Gladiator series. Within the range are four rods: a 15kg slick butt stroker, 24kg slick butt stroker, 37kg slick butt stroker and a 60kg bent butt stand up rod for when things are getting serious! All rods in the range feature ALPS Zirconium guides that are constructed from SS316 anti-rust stainless in a one-stamp finish to increase strength and reduce weight. The rods also make use of the ALPS CAH reel seat, a reel seat that is built from marine grade aluminium and presents with a locking centre hood and a newly designed hexagon locking nut for the ultimate in reel security. Of course, the Venom Ocean Gladiator series is built on the high modulus Venom blank, a blank that provides incredible lightness and unparalleled strength. This ensures that while fighting a fish, the angler is not unnecessarily fatigued from fighting the weight of the outfit and can concentrate on using the strength in the Venom blank to dictate terms to the most stubborn of fish. www.wilsonfishing.com

The Spartan rod series brings X45 Cobrashield technology to offshore saltwater rods for the first time, delivering a range of technique specific actions that outcast, outperform ad outclass all others. X45 Cobrashield is 25% more efficient than standard X45 technology, significantly reducing blank twist and distortion. With increased torsional stiffness, Spartan is able to resist blank twist during casting and jigging. The Spartan series also features HVF Nanoplus graphite blanks, 3DX carbon to increase lifting power and V-Joint to increase joint strength. Equipped with Fuji stainless steel SiC guides and reel seats, this battler is offshore ready! There’s 13 rods in the range (10 spin, 3 overhead), and it was the S74-4/6 model that was runner up for Best Game Fishing Rod at the 2019 AFTA show. This model is perfect for many lure casting and jigging scenarios offshore, from GT popping, stickbaiting on reef flats, and even jigging. This model is 224cm long, has a heavy action, breaks down at the butt, and will cast weights from 50-100g! www.daiwafishing.com.au

Daiwa Spartan S74-4/5

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Chasebaits Smuggler

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Barambah Lures Bony Shad

The Smuggler is a water blooping, rattling walker with a very life-like swimming bird action. This new lure has a long tail to simulate tail feathers, a matching head feather, and colours to imitate the most common birds that big fish feed on. As The Smuggler walks, its wings splash and make a very noticeable blooping noise while the wide body action attracts the attention of nearby fish. Designer Grainger Mayfield said the lure took a long time to perfect. “A good walker must have perfect balance and sit well in the water,” he explained, “and the challenge was to combine those qualities with a lifelike bird shape. The Smuggler definitely isn’t your typical rattling walker; we’ve designed it to provide maximum attraction, including a blooping noise that predators can’t resist.” The Smuggler is available now in 65mm and 90mm sizes, and has ultra-strong BKK hooks and an extremely robust body. It comes in six colours, including budgie, black cockatoo and sparrow. To see it in action search for ‘Chasebaits Smuggler’ on YouTube. Price: SRP $26.95 www.chasebaits.com.au

RUNNER UP Barambah Lures Bony Shad

The swimbait craze is still well and truly alive in Australia, and Barambah Lures have continues to push the envelope for innovation and originality! The Barambah Lures Bony Shad is no exception, and is the perfect bait to imitate a bony bream or other herring found in many fresh and saltwater bodies around Australia. The Bony Shad is irresistible on the sink, the lift and the slow wind, making it incredibly versatile, and not just a bait for specific conditions. The Barambah Lures’ original Interchangeable Weight System allows the angler to change up the weight (35 or 48g) and therefore the sink rate of this incredibly life-like swimbait, making it easy to adapt to different situations. At a length of 120mm, or 4.7”, this is the perfect snack size for a hungry Murray cod, barramundi, mulloway, or other big predator that enjoys a decent meal, and it has the hardware to handle it! The six eye-catching lures make it easy to match the baitfish in a variety of areas all over the country. This is an Aussie swimbait for Aussie fish! www.barambahlures.com

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To meet the demands of anglers and the hard-fighting species they target, the pull strength of the new Ocea 8 is up to 25% greater than the previous Ocea EX8 for the same diameter. A premium quality braided line manufactured in Japan, the new Ocea 8 has been designed to match Shimano’s flagship Stella SW and Ocea Jigger series. This line uses Shimano’s exclusive Izansas X-Filament Fibres and ‘Tough Cross’ braiding technology, so it is more manageable in the water and on a reel, and also has increased abrasion resistance. Shimano Exclusive Heat Sink Coating also means any heat build-up from guide friction and drag pressure is evenly distributed to maintain line performance. Ocea 8 is multi-coloured, and available in eight breaking strains from PE 1.5 (30lb) through to PE 10 (139lb), in 300m spools from 30-41lb, 400m spools from 58-137lb) and 500m in 139lb. Price RRP from $139 www.shimanofish.com.au

FINS Fighter PRT Braid RA

When going after big game fish, there’s no replacement for quality, and having quality braid will put you in a much better position to land that fish of a lifetime. Daiwa’s new Saltiga 12 Braid UVF (Ultra Volume Fibre) brings quality to the table and covers just about every casting and jigging situation you can think of, coming in poundages from 13-130lb. Made from UVF and Evo silicone, Saltiga 12 is the ultimate high-density braid, exhibiting supreme abrasion residence and superior strength. A reduced diameter provides an ultra-

smooth surface for less friction/resistance on the guides and spool rim, allowing for longer, smoother casting, less noise, minimal water penetration and incredible sensitivity. Saltiga 12 is the ultimate heavy duty jigging and casting line for big game fish. It’s colour-coded in 10, 5 and 1m increments to allow you full line control, and come in 200m spools from 13-31lb, 300m spools from 36-130lb, ad 44m spools from 100-118lb. Price: RRP from $99 www.daiwafishing.com.au

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FINS Fighter PRT Braid differs from the original PRT in that they have improved the resin system that is applied, as well as the method to apply it. This results in a rounder, more abrasion resistant product that has a better strength to weight ratio than the original PRT. Fighter PRT is also somewhat firmer than its predecessor, without being stiff, and this allows for better performance in regards to casting distance and reduces the chances of rod tip wrapping. Features include 100% Spectre Fibre, high strength durability and is a 4-carrier braid. This line is ideal for all tough, predatory fish. Fighter PRT Braid comes in poundages from 10-60lb, in spools of 150yrds (1060lb), 300yrds (20-60lb), 600yrds (20-60lb), 1200yrds (20-60lbs) and 4000yrds (20-60lb). www.jmgillies.com.au

FINS Fighter PRT Braid

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Barambah Lure Fastening System

JOHN DUNPHY AWARD FOR INNOVATION RUNNER UP

Mustad InkVader

AUST

Matt Fraser from Barambah Lures is well known for his timber lures, but he recently made the crossover to production ABS hardbody Lures, all featuring the new Lure Fastening System. “I couldn’t keep up with demand in timber lures,” he explained. “So I went to production lures that are more affordable and can incorporate a heap of innovative features.” Using a built-in stainless steel threaded nut and screw, the Lure Fastening System allows bibs, weights and claws to be easily attached or changed, to quickly adjust a lure’s action, buoyancy or appearance. Topwater lures can be changed from a paddler to a wakebait. The divers can be changed from shallow to deep, and the soft claws of the Hectic Yabbie can be swapped out if damaged, or to change claw colours. The swimbaits have a hidden weight chamber, so you can adjust buoyancy, giving them a depth range from 2-30ft plus! All this is done using a phillips head screwdriver, which comes supplied in the pack. There are nine hardbait models in a range of proven colours. Price: from $34.95 www.barambahlures.com

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Barambah Lure Fastening System

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The 2019 AFTA show was once again oozing with originality and innovation, but Mustad have really taken it to the next level with the amazing new InkVader! The Mustad InkVader is a revolutionary TPE octopus soft bait that is built to look and move like a live octopus. The InkVader even squirts non-toxic and soluble scented ink from tablets that can be added to the head cavity! Whether you’re bouncing the lure off the bottom, slow trolling or slow pitch jigging this lure, the InkVader is the closest thing you’ll ever get to the real thing. The deception is real! The InkVader comes pre-rigged with wickedly sharp Mustad Assist hooks that are forged for extra strength and feature a needlesharp point for ease of penetration. Available in three sizes and 10 weight configurations from 60g through to 340g, the InkVader comes to the market in nine brilliantly natural colours that represent real octopus from around the world! www.wilsonfishing.com

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Skypoint Link-Micro Camera

Yeti Tundra Haul

The Link-Micro from Spypoint is the easiest-to-use, most affordable, and smallest cellular trail camera available on the market. It’s the answer for everyone who said cellular trail camera technology was too expensive and too complicated. The Link-Micro is a photo-mode only camera, with multi-shot mode capabilities. Given its small size, there is no menu screen for setup, all camera settings are managed in the Spypoint app, where you can also view images. A simple, three-step process activates the Link-Micro using the free app. The app also allows the user to change settings, monitor camera status, and view images from virtually anywhere in the world. The Spypoint Link-Micro uses the 4G network, has a trigger speed of 0.5s, and has a flash range of 80ft. It’s powered by eight AA batteries (not included) and is compatible with the 12V battery kit and the range extending antenna. It’s also backed by Spypoint’s ‘Know you’re covered’ 2-year warranty. For a full list of specifications visit www.spypoint.com. www.jmgillies.com.au

In response to customer demand, Yeti has released a new cooler on wheels, the Tundra Haul, which Yeti says is the toughest cooler on two wheels. The NeverFlat Wheels feature a solid, single-piece tyre construction that is impact- and puncture-resistant. The StrongArm Handle is a durable welded aluminium arm with comfortable grips. The curved design tracks left or right for heel-friendly towing. With rotomoulded construction, this cooler is armoured to the core and virtually indestructible. It has Permafrost Insulation, consisting of pressure-injected commercial-grade polyurethane foam in the walls and lid, so your ice lasts longer. Other features include heavy-duty rubber T-Rex lid latches, robust NeverFail hinge system, and recessed LipGrip handles moulded into the side of the cooler. It measures around 28.5 x 18.5 x 19.5” (72 x 47 x 50cm) and is available in three colours – white, tan and blue. Price: SRP $599.95 au.yeti.com

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Daiwa 19 Certate LT 5000 ARK

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Daiwa 19 Certate LT 5000 ARK

Shimano Stradic FL 2500 HG

The release of the 19 Certate LT combines Daiwa’s most advanced technologies an designs and elevates those traits to a whole new level, with their Light & Tough (LT) concept, reducing reel size while at the same time increasing strength and power. Made in Japan, the foundation of the 19 Certate LT is its aluminium MQ Monocoque body, which eliminates the need for a side plate and allows for a more rigid body and larger gears, for improved winding power and torque. The new super-sized, ultra-strong machine-cut forged Tough Digigear is 2mm larger in diameter than its closest competitor and rotation efficiency is up to 15%, creating an effortless feel when retrieving. Additional feature like a super-rigid stainless steel main shaft, Log Cast Abs spool, Magseal, ATD drag, One-piece Air Bail, new Drag Knob, Perfect Line Stopper, machined Aluminium Air Handle, and Air Rotor make the 19 Certate LT Daiwa’s most advanced Certate ever. Price: RRP from $629 www.daiwafishing.com.au

The new Stradic FL will carry forward most of the Shimano technologies that have made the Stradic series so strong, durable and uncompromising. The Micromodule Gear II ensures that the gears can align and perform with minimal resistance, and SilentDrive technology educes the smallest of clearance gaps and tolerances within the gearing system. The Hagane Gear has been upgraded for added strength and smoothness. On top of all this, X-Protect has also been added to the Stradic FL. The internal labyrinth-type structure gives the reel a superior level of water-resistant performance without impeding the rotation or lightness of the reel. The new Long Stroke Spool has been incorporated to improve casting distance, giving you the ability to cover more water when fishing. The 1000, 2500 and 4000 models have felt washer drags whilst the C3000 and C5000 models have upgraded cross carbon drags. With 6+1 ARC ball bearings, the new Stradic is sure to impress anyone who picks it up. Price: SRP $339.95-$389.95 www.shimanofish.com.au

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Shimano Terez Spin 69MH

TD Commander is a name forged from the beginning of the ‘Team Daiwa’ movement in Japan. The new TD Commander rod series debuts brand new Daiwa X45 Cobrashield technology, bringing this series to the forefront of Australian angling and rod design. X45 Cobrashield takes everything to the next level, and is 25% more efficient than standard X45 technology, significantly reducing blank twist and distortion. Featuring HVF Nanoplus blanks, TD Commander rods feel like nothing in the hand. 3DX further stiffens up the base of the rods near the handle, eliminating unwanted flex. Daiwa’s newest and most advanced Air Sensor reel seats are made from a lightweight carbon infused resin, and represent the pinnacle of reel seat design.Daiwa’s innovative AGS and Fuji TiSic guide train is unique and unparalleled in performance. Titanium framed Fuji SiC guides on the lower section of the rod with AGS guides above, control the line out through the tip, and deliver unmatched sensitivity. Price: RRP from $499 www.daiwfishing.com.au

The legend continues, the new Terez series of rods built on Spiral-X and Hi-Power X blanks are the ultimate saltwater enforcer. This is the most advanced Terez Shimano has built to date. The Terez series of rods has built up tough as nails reputation amongst Aussie anglers. For 2019, the Terez series has been upgraded by the engineers at Shimano and now features the exclusive Spiral-X and Hi-Power X blank technology. Extremely lightweight and powerful, the 23-model line-up features models based on the original Terez series, with additional models based on the actions of the TCurve and Deep Jig models. Shaped EVA grips and custom Shimano reel seats have been incorporated and the blanks are fitted with Fuji BKW Alconite framed guides to ensure durability and performance in saltwater conditions. If you’re serious about offshore fishing, be sure to check out this range of awardwinning and proven saltwater rods from Shimano. Price: RRP from $319.95 www.shimanofish.com.au

Daiwa TD Commander 742 LXS

Shimano Terez Spin 69MH

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The Phantom Spider looks as good as it fishes. Just like the rest of the Lunkerhunt range, it is incredibly lifelike and a proven performer. It features a hollow body weedless design and walking legs that stride, glide, and twitch as the spider is worked across the water surface. The Phantom Spider features a self-righting ballast in its sternum to ensure a consistent natural action that aligns with the realism of the design. It comes in six colours, which are modelled on real spider patterns, and is sure to draw some curiosity from opportunistic predators. At a length of 2 inches (main torso) and a weigh of 1/4oz, this bait can be comfortably cast on light tackle and is a great snack for bass, bream, trout, sooties and jungle perch. Make sure you grab one and see what all the hype is about! www.ejtodd.com.au

Lunkerhunt Phantom Spider

The Zerek Weedless Fish Trap is a brilliant adaptation to the already amazingly successful Fish Trap! This lure features all the same swimming characteristics as the Fish Trap, but has been uniquely designed to give a weedless presentation. The features include a replaceable single worm hook that is positioned point down to provide exceptional hooking in the bottom jaw, a built-in hook trap to keep the worm hook in place while fishing, the innovative and Zerek-owned crush slits that expose the hook point when fish strike and a construction from the tough TPE material that gives strength and movement to the lure! This means you can fish this lure in exactly the same places and in exactly the same way as you fish your existing Fish Traps, but you can now explore the most snag-ridden places for the most wary and cautious fish that are usually the largest! It means the days of worrying where the snags are in case you lose your lure are finished, and it means that the Fish Trap is still many steps ahead of the competition. 13 colours will be initially available and the

Zerek Weedless Fish Trap

weedless Fish Trap will be available only in the 95mm version for the time being. Brilliance rarely strikes more than once, but here it is! www.wilsonfishing.com

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Spotters Zane Carbon

Costa Del Mar Rinconcito

The award-winning Spotters Zane is built for performance and style. This is one model that can take you from fishing to fashion in no time at all. The lightweight frame coupled with Spotters’ signature Crown glass lens options combine to create the ultimate pair of sunglasses for both males and females. The Zane is currently available in the following lenses: Photochromic Halide, Photochromic Carbon Grey, Ice (blue mirror), Nexus (green mirror) and CR-39 Grey. Photochromic Carbon Grey is a new option in Spotters’ photochromic range, which includes four lenses that automatically go lighter or darker in response to a combination of UV, general light and temperature. To browse the Spotters range or find your nearest stockist, head to www. spotters.com.au. You can also look them up on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ SpottersSunglasses), follow them on Instagram (@spotterssunglasses) or check them out on YouTube (SpottersTV). www.spotters.com.au

Almost 30 years ago, a group of anglers in Florida had a goal: to design a pair of sunglasses to help them better See What’s Out There. Costa Del Mar have come a long way since those days, but the fact is, their passion hasn’t changed at all. They’re still in Florida, and still happiest when the sun is up and they’re fishing out on the water, just like Australian – and they’re still obsessed with making the best lenses on the planet. Now Costa would like to introduce the little brother to Costa’s Rincon frame, Rinconcito blends West Coast style lines and edgy curved temples. This medium style, named for the iconic Southern California right point break, features bio-resin construction, polarized 100% UV Protection Lenses, integral spring hinges, and Hydrolite nose and temple pads. As anglers, we devote our lives to chasing the most remote places that bring us to life. That’s why Costa developed the best sunglasses in the world to help us reach these soughtafter locales. Because Costas are more than sunglasses, they’re the badge of the explorer. www.rapala.com.au

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Plano Edge Stowaway 500

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Wilson Tackle Backpack

Plano have once again stolen the show for tackle management, with their new Edge Master series, and specifically the Crankbait SM taking out top honours. This amazing new concept will change the way people think about lure storage. The Edge Master series has all the same features as the Professional series, along with tackle specific designs. The Edge Master Terminal has unique liftout trays for weights, hooks and small parts. The Crankbait SM and XL have silicone fingers hat protect lures, hooks and finishes. This is the concept that stole the Show at AFTA 2019, and helped them to take out the Best Tackle Management category at the show. These are available in both shallow and deep models. The Jig and Spinnerbait models feature adjustable, removable dividers and side moulded handles. For ultimate protection and longevity for your expensive lures, there’s nothing better than the Edge Master series from Plano! www.jmgillies.com.au

Designed specifically for fishing, the Wilson Digital Camo Backpack offers a host of features to anglers that will make their day fishing just that little bit easier. At the heart of the new system is the side access to the internal cargo area. The side access allows anglers to easily keep the backpack over one shoulder while accessing the internal cargo area. This is great as there is no longer any need to completely remove the backpack while you’re on the water fishing. Other features that excite in this backpack include three tackle trays inside the main cargo area. There are two standard large trays and one large tray that has no dividers for bigger lures such as swimbaits and surface lures. Combined these boxes allow a mountain of tackle to be taken with you. An external sunglass holder and a retractable tool lanyard are also included to make life as simple as it can be on the water. There are also four external zippered pockets for accessories such as leader, fishing gloves and more, as well as two Velcro secured tool holders and a massive front flap with even more storage for things such as plastics, spare hooks and more. The Wilson Digital Camo Backpack really is a complete tackle kit and while it can easily be used while hiking and fishing, this backpack will also serve as a complete kit for your boat or when you’re jumping on someone else’s boat. www.wilsonfishing.com

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energy leakage. It’s fully adaptable to all marine batteries, and installation is easy and Yeti SideKick Dry can be completed in less than 15 minutes. ANBI also provides a theft deterrent waterproof gear case by virtually immobilising the vehicle when The SideKick Dry is designed to keep activated. This can result in significant your most important items accessible, savings on insurance premiums. secure, and 100% dry. This waterproof The ANBI Switch is designed and gear case is the worry-free way to carry manufactured in Australia, is anti-corrosive, your keys, wallet and phone safe. and exceeds international standards for salt Some waterproof cases can be fiddly to and sea spray. open and close, but not the SideKick Dry. Its Price: SRP $39.99 Hydroshield Closure uses powerful magnets www.afn.com.au to create a 100% waterproof shield, and it opens and closes quickly and easily. Its tough-as-nails DryHide Shell uses similar materials and construction as high RUNNER UP TIED performance whitewater rafts. It’s completely Scotty Kayak Fishing waterproof and resistant to puncture and UV Starter Pack rays, ensuring Mother Nature won’t touch your valuables, and the RF-welded seams Scotty is recognised as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of rod holder repel any sign of wetness. The SideKick Dry Gear Case Measures mounts. With innovative designs and 18.1cm x 29.8cm x 8.3cm, and is available many versatile mounting options, you’ll in three colours. It’s designed to be secured be able to find the exact combination to any model Yeti Hopper Two, Hopper Flip, you’re looking for. Hopper BackFlip, Camino Carryall or Panga Scotty also caters to beginners. The Kayak Fishing Starter Pack includes a 282 Backpack using the HitchPoint Grid. Baitcaster Spinning Rod Holder with Gear Price: SRP $69.94 Head and Track-Holds a baitcaster reel au.yeti.com securely in the cushioned cradle. RUNNER UP TIED 438 Gear Head Track Adapter-slide the Gear Head into any of our 440 series ANBI Battery Switch track, just twist the gear head clockwise to Even when your ignition key is off, there securely lock. are still components that draw current 440-4 4” Low Profile Track-top load and continue to drain your battery. That’s design allows for quick and easy setup. why it’s common to find it flat when you 311 Drink Holder-fits cans, coffee mugs to go to start a boat or ride-on mower and insulated sleeves mean you can enjoy a after it has been sitting for an extended refreshment while out in the kayak. period. This is both inconvenient and 136 Paddle Clip-holds your paddle, net, costly, as a completely flat dead battery gaff and boat hook. 455 Baitboard and can often become damaged if left Accessory Tray-Exterior tray walls lets you cut bait and prep lures. Also included are uncharged for too long. The ANBI Battery Switch is a simple, your Stainless steel fasteners. high quality, robust solution to solve this If you’re thinking of getting into kayak problem. The Switch eliminates drainage of fishing, make sure you check out the Scotty stored power by isolating the battery from Kayak Fishing Starter pack! power-hungry components, and general www.jmgillies.com.au

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Halco Single Strand Wire Traces

Many anglers consider the eye of the baitfish to be a strike trigger to predators, and the eyes on TT Lures’ Big EyeZ make for a big trigger! These premium hand-painted jigheads were created in response to customer requests, and feature a realistic sculptured fish head profile and bulging 3D eyes, as well as the proven ‘head lock’ grub keeper system to make rigging easy, and lock your soft plastic in place. These jigheads are built on brutally strong Mustad black nickel chemically-sharpened hooks for solid hook sets and holding power. These new jigheads are available in a variety of colours, including versions with glow eyes, to complement your favourite soft plastics and match the hatch. Big EyeZ jigheads are available in the following models: 1/4oz 3/0, 3/8oz 3/0, 3/8oz 5/0, 1/2oz 5/0, 3/4oz 7/0, 1oz 7/0. www.tackletactics.com.au

TTs Big EyeZ Jigheads

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

Scotty Kayak Fishing Starter Pack

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WHAT’S NEW BOATING HIRE OUT YOUR BOAT

National trailerboat hire company has bought into tech start-up Book My Boat. This Airbnb-style marketplace connects boat owners with prospective boat hire customers. Boab Boats managing director Anthony Gelfius said it was an exciting time for the company, which operates a number of franchises around Australia. “Our experience in the boat hire industry and our extensive franchise network really complements the offerings of Book My Boat,” Gelfius said. “This partnership allows our franchise operators to generate some additional income operating as regional dealers for Book My Boat.” As an online peer-to-peer marketplace, Book My Boat allows people with suitablyregistered boats to list them for hire on days when they’re not using them. Listing a boat on www.bookmyboat.com.au is free, and the platform provides comprehensive insurance to cover both parties during the rental period. While Book My Boat’s core business is providing an online marketplace, it also provides support services to boat owners wishing to commercially register their underutilised boats for recreational use through ‘hire and drive’ registration. bookmyboat.com.au

KOMS ELECTRIC MOTOR LOCK

Secure your Minn Kota electric motor and prevent it from theft with the high quality KOMS Electric Motor Lock from Kovix. This lock features a plastic cap to provide maximum water and dust resistance, and a 5.5mm cylinder locking pin secures the quick release mounting base, shielding it from cutting and hammering. It has a stainless steel body for durability, and can also be used with the Kovix Hitch Pin. Kovix also makes locks for outboards, as well as a range of alarmed locks (trailers, cables, bolt locks and padlocks). For more information visit the Kovix Australia website. Price: SRP: $34.95 www.kovixaustralia.com.au

EVOLUTION COASTAL 3 CLASSIC The Evolution 360 rod holder is the brainchild of angler Jim McQuade. One day he was bottom fishing in 70m of water with his rod in a plastic flush-mount rod holder, and the direction of the current created an awkward bend of the rod. The direction the line was running was also not ideal. Jim realised that a rotating rod holder would solve his problem, and the rest is history. The first models released were the 30°, 15° and 0°, all rated to 60kg/135lb tackle. They cover most fishing needs for a regular straight stock rod and curve butt rod to allow finetuning of a position for trolling under outriggers or live bait and bottom fishing. Now Evolution has added the Coastal Classic fixed rod holders to the range, with the same quality as the rotating models. The footprint is the same, so you can easily change the configuration. Evolution rod holders are installed the same way as any other flush-mount rod holder. They’re made of marine-grade 316 stainless steel, and are backed by a 5-year warranty. Price: SRP $107-$236 explodingfish.com.au

YELLOWFIN FHT 5800

PRODUCT GUIDE

The new Yellowfin Plate Folding Hard Top is easy to fit in most garages, and comes in 5800, 6200 and 6500 versions. The FHT can be changed on the fly. If unruly weather hits, put the clears up. When it’s sunny, put the top up. Lastly, fold the FHT and windscreen down and the highest point will be just 212cm. The captain and navigator chairs are large, comfortable and placed on top of an aluminium tackle box storage, sealed storage box or esky. There is a wide walkthrough from the cockpit to the cabin, and the dash has plenty of space for controls and a fishfinder up to 16” fishfinder, which is large enough to see from anywhere in the cockpit. Serious anglers will choose the Platinum Pack and fit their boats up with a berley bucket, transom cutting board, deck wash, cabin cushions and more. The durable Offshore HD hull delivers a soft, stable and dry ride. The 5800, 6200 and 6500 FHT have fuel capacities of 190L, 240L and 260L respectively, and a maximum hp of 140, 175 and 200 respectively. www.yellowfinplateboats.com.au

244CM GLOMEX VHF 5 ANTENNA The RA1225HP 244cm Classic HighPerformance VHF Antenna from Glomex Marine Antennas features innovative engineering and robust construction that provide years of trouble-free service. It’s backed by a limited lifetime warranty. With a frequency range of 156/162 MHz, the RA1225HP collinear-phased antenna has a gain average of 6dB, maximum input power of 100W and 50 ohms impedance. Vertically polarized to minimize signal reflection on the water, it’s ideal for inland, coastal and offshore vessels. The internal elements are made of spiral copper wires inserted into brass radiator tubes. This is what provides its superior range, clarity and power to enhance the radio’s overall performance. Weighing only 742g, the double-thick fibreglass tube has a smooth polyurethane finish with five layers of anti-yellowing paint. The 25mm ferrule on the RA1225HP is cast 316 stainless steel with an integrated feedthru. It comes with 6m of RG-8X low loss, twin screen coax cable with a pre-wired FME connector and PL-259 adapter for simple connection. www.glomex.it

NAVIONICS SONARCHART

Navionics Australia has announced that all Platinum+ Australian Charts now include SonarChart Shading. SonarChart shading is included across the Platinum+ XL and XL3 chart range, and enhances the satellite overlay layer with new shading created by high definition contour data. The new feature displays seafloor structures in varying shades of blue, making ideal fishing locations visible at a glance. Users can now clearly see channels, dropoffs and other underwater structures over a wide area, while using the chart on a broad selection of compatible plotters. Platinum+ charts also incorporate many other exclusive features for greater situational awareness, including panoramic photos of marinas and ports, 3D view and satellite overlay layer. For more information on Sonar Chart Shading visit the Navionics Australia website. www.navionics.com.au

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

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OCTOBER 2019

Eighth Hobie Worlds another huge success On Friday 26 July, 2019, on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, Andrew Death (pronounced Deeth) from New South Wales, Australia, was crowned the 2019 Hobie Fishing World Champion. Death was the seventh angler to claim the world title after Scott Baker (AUS) 2011, Marty Mood (USA) 2012, Richard Somerton (AUS) 2013, Steve Lessard (USA) 2014 and 2016, Xiaohong Ma (CHN) 2015 and Salah el Barbouchi (GER) 2018. For the tournament, 43 anglers had qualified and travelled to Australia from

14, which were provided brand new and decked out by the Hobie Asia Pacific factory located a lure’s throw from the waters of Jervis Bay in New South Wales, 1000km south of the event location. All kayaks were equipped with a MirageDrive 180 (forward and reverse) pedal system, Lowrance Hook2 7” Triple Shot sounders and a Power-Pole Micro anchor, as well as other accessories including the Hobie V2 Livewell, which recirculated fresh saltwater to keep the fish healthy. The fishing arena

had planned their trips to arrive early, and to adjust to the new species by fishing in alternative systems to the championship arena where a pre-fish ban was not in place. To the delight of competitors across the arena, not only were there plenty of bream about but also anglers from all continents were catching fish! Another surprise to competitors was how awesome the fish were to catch on light tackle. The first angler to pull a fish on board in the event was Joe Komyati (USA). As he held a nice 35cm yellowfin

Hobie Worlds 8 was a great event, with smiles and camaraderie all around.

The trawlers provided some great bream fishing and gave up many legal bream for the competitors. 16 countries to compete in Hobie Fishing Worlds 8 presented by Daiwa. Most international anglers had not previously fished for the target species, yellowfin bream. They were given two pre-fish days to acclimatise themselves to the arena and to the species. All had researched bream, the techniques, and the lures and tackle required to bring home the three fish they aimed for each day. The championship was a catch, weigh and release tournament. Anglers brought their fish back in Hobie V2 Livewells for a live weigh-in at the event site. The fish were placed on scales, their weights recorded and then the fish were released to swim away. Each angler competed in exactly the same type of kayak, a Hobie Pro Angler

basked in amazing weather throughout the world championship, with mid-winter temperature maximums ranging from 22-26°C. Light breezes persisted daily and there was no rain in sight. Never in eight championships has a Worlds seen such perfect conditions. After registration and the mandatory briefing on Sunday afternoon, competitors and their guests partied on, cruising around the affluent mansions that line one of the world’s largest artificial canal systems. PRE-FISH The next morning, 43 excited anglers pedalled off from the Power-Pole Starting Line on Lowrance Pre-Fish day one, which was the first chance for many international anglers to fish in Australian waters. Others

bream in his hands he commented, “It’s my first bream ever. I watched some videos the Australian Hobie guys put up, and I used what they told me to use, and it definitely worked!” Power-Pole Pre-Fish day two saw a similar pattern, with anglers getting a taste of alternative locations. The Sundale Bridge pylons were hit hard by up to 15 international anglers, but they did not have a lot of success because their timing was wrong and the tide was not suited for that type of strategy. Nevertheless, many persisted in the area, a mistake a few would continue to make over the championship days. The big story, however, was at the line-up of trawlers, which were closer to the event site. As their decks were washed down, prawns fell off into

BIG BREAM WINNERS Day Angler Country Weight Day 1........... Felix Frey.............................. Sweden............................. 1.06 kg Day 2........... Lars Lundberg...................... Sweden............................. 0.91 kg Day 3........... Richard Benson.................... Australia............................ 1.01 kg 50

OCTOBER 2019

the surrounding water, attracting plenty of goodsized hungry bream. Like a flock of seagulls, more than a quarter of the competitors headed straight there from the start. Despite being hit hard the day before, the location held up with some quick bites. Nate Gloria (USA) was onto his first bream in just a few casts. That first fish was in his Hobie Livewell just on twenty minutes after the start, fifteen of which were spent travelling to the location. Most of the people that hit the trawler fleet were sensible enough to leave the area after half an hour, not wanting to sting the honey hole,

anticipation, as anglers prepared for the start of the world championship. The sun rose and reflected off the high-rise buildings around the Gold Coast, as the world’s best kayak anglers massed for the official start. As anglers respectfully stood in their Hobie PA14 kayaks, the Australian National Anthem was played. A countdown began and off the fleet blasted – Worlds 8 was on! The action at the start was fast and furious, with a lot of barging and contact around the turning buoys. The intensity was well up from the two pre-fish days and shouts echoed across the water as the field

much closer to the start an Australian had already bagged two. Many of the anglers from across the world who had never previously targeted bream did quite well, with just two days of pre-fish to learn to adapt to the new species and the unfamiliar light tackle. Seven anglers from outside of Australia managed to get a full bag of three bream, while all of the Australian team had full bags. Seven unfortunate anglers battled it out for the Lowrance Donut Award for catching no fish. A heavy concentration of Chinese and Brazilian anglers got amongst the donuts. Most of those anglers caught bream

Simon Morley, Andrew Death and Jack Gammie (L to R) display some of their better fish for the tournament. however some persisted for too long. Fortunately, they caught no fish, so the damage to the bite during the championship days was minimal. DAY ONE Well before daylight on Wednesday 24 July, the vibe around the event site was one of excitement and

split evenly to the north and south. Once again, the trawler fleet was the early target for 10-12 anglers. Finn Sloth (DEN) was among that group, and twenty minutes in he became the first international angler to land a yellowfin bream in the championship, while

but disappointingly they were under the competition legal length of 26cm. The dubious honour and first recipient of the award was Patrice Gotti from France. Gotti had caught plenty of fish, but they just didn’t measure up to size. There were a number of large bream caught

weighing over a kilo, and it was just a matter of grams that separated them. In the final countdown, the largest fish landed weighed in at 1.06kg and was caught by Felix Frey from Sweden. Frey, a pike specialist, was thrilled to receive the Power-Pole Big Bream trophy, which was presented to him at the Hobie Kayak Europe Dinner that evening after the haunting sounds of the didgeridoo had reverberated around the room. At the close of the day one session, Jack Gammie (AUS) led the championship on 2.16kg, followed by Andrew Death (AUS) on 2.08kg and Edi Brader (AUT) on 1.99kg. Australians Tyson Hayes, Richard Somerton (2013 world champion), Simon Morley and Kris Hickson made up the next places. Two USA anglers followed, Nate Gloria in 8th and Tyson Peterson in 9th, with Danish angler Finn Sloth

where two fish were caught by Nate Gloria (USA) and Eric Seddiqi (USA), once again within 20 minutes of the start. The rest of the anglers had little luck, most leaving within 15-20 minutes. By mid-morning a large slice of competitors had fish. Anglers who had struggled the day before, such as France’s Patrice Gotti, had more luck on day two, while four others in the same area still had no fish, including 2015 world champion Xiaohong Ma from China. At the end of the day, it was another impressive performance by the Australians. However, the Americans showed a great ability to adapt to the new species, making up a quarter of the top twenty. Nate Gloria flew the highest flag for the USA, sitting in 6th place, equal with 2013 world champion Richard Somerton (AUS). Gloria bagged 1.78kg on

close to the bottom. Tim Percy (CAN) received the Lowrance Donut Dough Award to rousing cheers and hugs of jubilation, at the Power-Pole dinner that evening. To the delight of all in the room, the idea of a police officer winning a donut award set off the USA team into raptures. It was a great moment. Once again, the class acts were by the Australians, with eight in the top ten. Jack Gammie increased his lead from the previous day with another 2.02kg, giving him a leading bag total of 4.18kg. Andrew Death maintained his second place, with 1.86kg for 3.94kg overall, 249g behind Gammie. Simon Morley (AUS) moved up into third place, knocking Austrian Edi Brader back a position. Morley added 1.97kg for a total of 3.79kg, 150g behind Death, and 399g short of Gammie. 90 fish were caught on the day, weighing in

to head on the same reef to the north of the event site. Their reels were screaming and each bagged out around the same time. On the turn of the tide, they both began to upgrade fish after fish after fish. In the meantime, Edi Brader was one short of a bag and fishing well

were hoping so. Gloria was on 1.77kg for the day and sitting on a total of 5.32kg. Simon Morley handed over his bag to the tournament director and it was placed on the scales, weighing 1.97kg for a total of 5.75kg. Nate Gloria was 430g short (almost a whole fish). Morley took

bag went on the scales, and boom! It weighed 1.43kg and was 150g short! Andrew Death fistpumped the air and turned away in disbelief of his unforeseen fortune – the new 2019 Hobie Fishing World Champion was shocked! A disappointed Jack Gammie dropped to

Kris Hickson shares some wisdom on camera at day three of the event.

Winner Andrew Death explains how he secured his winning bag. (3rd in China in 2015) in 10th place. Overall, 37 anglers brought a total of 84 fish back to the scales on day one of the world championship. Their accumulated weight was 44.35kg at an average of 530g, which is an impressive average for the species in any waterway. DAY TWO As the sun rose on Thursday, competitors once again took off in superb conditions for the second day of the world championship. With late threatening winds predicted to blow from the south, the majority of anglers headed in a southerly direction, while only a small group of nine or ten pedalled to the north. Fortunately, the wind didn’t blow up as forecasted. Like each day prior, a group of ten plus anglers headed for the trawlers

day one and 1.77kg on day two, giving him a two-day total weight of 3.55kg. Edi Brader from Austria, who sat in third position at the close of day one, dropped back a place but remained the best-placed European. Brader had a day two bag of 1.59kg, giving him a total of 3.58kg. Finn Sloth (DEN), the next best European, was in 11th place followed by Felix Frey (SWE) back in 19th. Lars Lundberg became the second Swede to catch the Power-Pole Big Bream, which weighed 910g. The Chinese were having a difficult time adapting to the new species. Lai Wang, their highest placed competitor, was in 16th, while the remainder of the team sat among the bottom ten anglers. Rafael Renzetti led the Brazilians in 23rd, with the rest of the team languishing

at 44.02kg at an average of 489g, slightly down from day one. The field was tight at the top and anyone in the top ten could take out the championship if luck went their way. The final day of the Worlds was set to be intense and full of excitement. DAY THREE When the action started on day three, reports kept coming in that Death and Morley were going head

to the south under the skyscrapers around Surfers Paradise, where he had been quietly bagging out over the two previous days of competition. The leader on the first two days and the favourite to maintain his lead, Jack Gammie, also went south, much further than Brader, and was hard to find among the canals along the Nerang River. Then, a report came through late in the day that Gammie only had an average size bag. Nobody had sighted Gloria from the USA or Somerton from Australia. The weigh-in was going to be insane! At 2:30pm, anglers began walking up on stage to the scales and the lead changed continually. When Gloria got up, he hit the lead with a day three bag weighing 1.77kg and the USA contingent went bananas. Gloria remained on stage at the top of the table, with just three anglers to follow – Morley, then Death and finally Gammie. Could this be a huge upset? The Americans watching online and at the event site

the lead, but what a brilliant performance by Gloria. Up stepped Death with his bag, needing 1.81kg to take out Morley. The scales rolled over, settled and stopped. At 1.85kg, he was just 40g more than Simon Morley. Death became the new leader. Morley stepped off the stage and Death stayed, hoping his 5.79kg was enough. He nervously waited while a tense Jack Gammie was interviewed in front of the live audience and those watching the broadcast. Gammie walked up the steps with a nervous smile and handed his bag to tournament director Steve Fields. Fields played with Death and Gammie’s emotions for a few seconds, building the intensity of the moment before Death called out, “Just put it on!” and the audience laughed. Gammie only needed 1.62kg to win the championship. Andrew Death (AUS), who had sat in second on both previous days, was now the current leader and waited in anticipation. Gammie’s

a commendable third after a brilliant performance, and Simon Morley took a well-deserved second. Australia had its third 1st-2nd-3rd from three world championships held in the country. Richard Benson (AUS) caught the Power-Pole Big Bream for the day, Marco Pasquini (ITA) won the Donut Dough Award, and Felix Frey won a PowerPole Micro Anchor for the biggest fish of the championship. An incredible 265 bream were brought to the scales during the three days of the championship. They weighed a total of 133.32kg, at an average weight of 500g, and every single one of them got to swim away to live another day. Andrew Death (The Reaper) became the new Hobie Fishing World Champion. It was a great performance by a humble winner. With another fantastic Hobie Worlds done, anglers are now super excited for HFW9. We can’t wait! – Hobie Cat Australasia

RESULTS Place Angler Country Total Fish Total Weight (kg) 1..................Andrew Death......................Australia............................ 9/9....................................5.79 2..................Simon Morley......................Australia............................ 9/9....................................5.75 3..................Jack Gammie......................Australia............................ 9/9....................................5.61 4..................Nate Gloria..........................USA................................... 9/9....................................5.32 5..................Richard Somerton...............Australia............................ 9/9....................................5.30 6..................Tyson Hayes........................Australia............................ 9/9....................................5.28 7..................David Shanahan..................Australia............................ 9/9....................................5.03 8..................Tyson Peterson....................USA................................... 9/9....................................4.87 9..................Kris Hickson........................Australia............................ 9/9....................................4.87 10.................Richard Benson...................Australia............................ 9/9....................................4.78 OCTOBER 2019

Gearing up for SUP camping BRISBANE

Justin Willmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

After a couple of years of paddling and fishing from the SUP (stand-up paddle board) I have landed

it and make sure that she was confident with the paddling and control, stand-up paddling, fishing and then the camping adventure when she was ready. We weren’t just looking for any SUP though – we needed enough width,

and thickness of the board and in turn its payload capacity, ease of paddling, speed, tracking and so on. You may be able to test paddle or hire the board you are interested in, otherwise check the reviews on the board to find its strengths

a different model. However, this model will better suit her once she is more confident. Her board is 3.8m long, 71cm wide, weighs just 15.5kg and has a payload of 125kg. It is designed for touring, traveling longer distances, and hence it tracks well, and has a rounded nose and rails to glide through the water with minimal resistance. It is much like her kayak in that it is longer and narrower for speed and tracking, while also being lighter for both carrying and manoeuvrability. Time for a test run! I loaded the gear onto my board, which was on wheels, while Sheri attached her carry strap and carried her board over the road. So

Ready for dinner. Everything packs inside the bowl and plate for each kit.

Speed and glide on the left, payload and increased stability on the right. a bunch of quality fish, including bream, grunter, flathead and trevally. I’ve also had a great time on the water exploring, observing

length and buoyancy to handle longer adventures with additional gear on board, along with decent

and weaknesses. The SUP I paddle is designed for fishing. It’s 3.6m long, 80cm wide and 20cm thick, weighing just over 20kg, while supporting a payload of almost 160kg. It is a brilliant craft, easily floating myself and my gear, with a dry deck and a single fin to ensure it tracks well. Unfortunately the brand is currently unavailable in Australia and I purchased the last available board from the store that brought them into the country. Still, I’m sure you will be able to find a suitable model out there, and there are even some quality inflatable models available that have a large capacity. In the end we had a tip-off from a mate that there was a board like mine in a second-hand store. Sheri and I visited the shop, made an offer and scored a bargain that included what looked like a brand new travel bag and paddle. It was the same brand as mine, in a similar colour design, however in

Tentative first steps but it didn’t take long for Sheri to have sit down paddle confidence. far so good. We slid the boards into the water and Sheri put one foot onto her board and sat onto the icebox, which we have strapped to the board for when you feel like sit down paddling or chilling and fishing. By the time I was on my board Sheri was on her way, sit down paddling. Instantly I could see how fast her board was through the water, as I was flat out catching up with her for a photo. Our plan was a simple paddle from home, along the waterfront, out around a mangrove island and back,

First attempt at standing up, and still dry.

Sheri is kayak confident and the SUP is the next challenge. wildlife from the elevated position, and sneaking into shallow pockets of water and flats that are not accessible for boats. My wife Sheri showed some interest in getting a SUP for herself and before we knew it we were planning not only to fish from the SUPs but to load our ultralight camping gear and actually go on an overnight or multi-day camping and fishing adventure from them. First though, we had to find a suitable SUP, get Sheri onto 52

OCTOBER 2019

speed and tracking to cover the distances we were planning. As the sport has grown in popularity there are more and more options available, and the boards have become more affordable. It’s important to select a board that suits your needs, and this may be recreational paddling, surfing, touring, fishing or even racing. Do some research and find out what suits your requirements, remembering to take into account the length, width

a bit over a kilometre. This would be a good test for both Sheri and her craft, because we would need to paddle into, across and with the breeze. Along the way we chatted, took some photos, saw a few fish and a big school of stingrays, while only throwing a few casts due to the wind. Sheri attempted standing up a few times, however it was mainly sit down paddling as she got a feel for the SUP. Her verdict at the end? Great fun – and she felt as stable as on the kayak when seated. Our next mission will be on a day without the wind

In this shot you can clearly see the different board shapes.

and we’ll focus on standing up and fishing from the SUP. Who knows, we may even christen it with a fish. Then will come our SUP camping and fishing adventure, so stay tuned. In the meantime though we have been planning and sorting our SUP camping kit, as outlined below. STORAGE When it comes to storing gear on the SUP we will use iceboxes strapped to the board, a 35L on my board and a 20L on Sheri’s board. One box will be used for food, stored in plastic clip lock containers, and any freshly caught fish. The

other box will be used to store items that need to be kept secure. Anything that needs to be kept dry can be stored in dry bags and then inside other containers. Plastic water drums with a larger opening and screw top lid with a rubber seal are ideal for strapping to the back of the icebox to carry a tent, bedding, lighting,

consider the pack size and fit size, temperature rating and whether or not you require a hood. You will also find small colour tags or swatches to let you know the colour of the bag and an ‘L’ or ‘R’ or ‘Left’ or ‘Right’ to let you know which side the zip is on. If you select a hooded bag then it is especially important which

Time on the water builds confidence. Relax and move with the board.

Cooking made light and simple, including a fire steel knife for lighting the stove. cooking, safety and other gear. With an icebox and drum on each SUP it’s easy to split the gear to minimise the weight being carried on each. To balance the weight on the SUP, a dry bag containing clothes and other items can be strapped under the webbing toward the front of the board, however it is likely to get wet, so ensure that the dry bag is waterproof and in good order. We will load more onto my kayak as it has the larger payload. SHELTER Modern materials have reduced the 2-person hiking tent to less than 2kg in weight, and compact enough to fit easily in a water drum or medium size dry bag with other gear. When selecting a tent consider erected and packed dimensions, weight, configuration, waterproof rating, the climate and environment that you will be camping in, bug screens and ventilation. There may also be additional features that may be important to you, such as internal storage pockets and a gear hammock inside the top of the tent. One configuration option that some lightweight campers prefer is a door on either side that allows each person to exit the tent without climbing over or waking up the other. BEDDING We will use ultralight air beds and air pumps from Sea to Summit, as their air beds pack down to fit in your hand and yet inflate to provide both comfort and insulation. Adding one of their ultralight fitted sheets is a good idea as it adds further insulation, while reducing noise and slippage when your sleeping bag meets your air mattress. When selecting a lightweight sleeping bag,

side the zip is on as you may wish to select a zip that is on the side that will make zipping easy, across your chest with your dominant hand. You may also want the zip to open on the side where you enter and exit the tent, and most importantly if you are zipping two compatible sleeping bags together to

also carry a small battery area lantern that can be used to light an area when cooking, chilling out where you can’t have a fire and for use inside the tent. COOKING There are a variety of lightweight cooking options, including hexamine tablet stoves, methylated spirit stoves and more. We will be using a micro butane cooker that runs on a canister as this is quick, easy and instant heat, that can be regulated and a number of canisters carried as required. To light this stove we carry a Swedish fire steel that can be

FOOD When it comes to food, some people choose to eat survival style with dehydrated meals, while

bacon and egg breakfast, and a dehydrated meal each to test over the journey. WATER We always calculate

water bottle on the deck between our feet for easy access when on the move, and the remainder stored in containers in the iceboxes, drums, dry bags and other storage. TOILET AND SHOWER The elephant in the room… there will need to be a plan in terms of toilet and shower, so we will be carrying a compact folding shovel, small container of wood shavings and a toilet roll in a small dry bag. When it comes to showering we are only doing a one nighter, and could probably get away without one or with a container of wipes. However, we will include a micro shower bag and warm water on our butane cooker, so that we can freshen up before bed and feel good for the next day of paddling and fishing our way home.

The SUP has produced some nice fish over a couple of years. others go all out and carry meat, vegetables and other foods you would normally prepare at home. We will opt for simple meals, and will carry wraps to which we will add some basic salad and hopefully some fresh fish, sauce and seasoning, or our back-up tin of tuna. We will also carry a selection of snacks,

the amount of water that we will need, and then carry more. One tip when it comes to transporting water for any type of camping is to split your water into multiple containers to avoid one single large water container being punctured, lost or contaminated. We generally keep one doublewalled, vacuum-insulated

The camping gear will all fit in a water drum that’s bungy strapped behind the icebox. make a double then you will need one right and one left hand zip bag otherwise one person will have a hood on their face! LIGHTING When it comes to lighting, we will each carry a quality, lightweight and powerful headlamp, opting for battery over rechargeable so that we can include spare batteries in our kit. We will

used to throw a spark, even when wet, along with a tin of tinder that can be used with the fire steel to light a fire if required. A small pot and fry pan are included in our cooking kit, along with ultralight tongs, cutlery, plate, bowl, cups and paper towel. Also included will be a small container of oil and a spice box.

Cruising and making the most of a section of water sheltered by the island.

SAFETY Always remember: safety first. Carry a first-aid kit to suit the number of paddlers, the time away, distance from help and the environment that you are going into. We always carry phones in dry bags, a powerbank for charging them and an EPIRB or PLB in case of emergency. I also carry a MacGyver kit that includes zip ties, tape, waterproof matches, survival blanket and a stack of other bits and pieces. Do some research on lightweight safety gear and you will find some really cool kit available. So that’s it from us, the new SUP has been tested and given the thumbs up, and the camping trip is in the planning stages. It will probably take one or two more paddles, with a bit of SUP fishing, before we are ready to roll. Hopefully you get some time out on the water soon, and make sure you stay tuned for the next stage of Sheri’s SUP journey. See you on the water. OCTOBER 2019

Trades, Services, Charter BAIT & TACKLE METRO

KALBARRI

DENMARK

Kalbarri Sports & Dive (08) 9937 1126

EXMOUTH

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

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

Anglers Fishing World South Fremantle (08) 9433 4768 Baitmate-Bricap Wangara (08) 9309 5474 Bluewater Tackle Mindarie (08) 9407 9766 Bluewater Tackle World Joondalup (08) 6244 0344 Bluewater Tackle World Morley (08) 9375 9800 Bluewater Tackle World Myaree (08) 9330 7766 Compleat Angler Nedlands (08) 9389 1337 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 Tackle World Miami (08) 9534 5533 Tim’s Tackle Plus Bassendean (08) 6161 0044

Anglers Fishing World

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

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(08) 9433 4768 www.anglersfishingworld.com.au 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 Tackle World & Outdoors Mandurah (08) 9581 6953

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

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

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HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION ESPERANCE Bathers Paradise Caravan Park Esperance (08) 9071 1014 Esperance Chalet Village Bandy Creek (08) 9071 1861 Munglinup Beach Holiday Park Munglinup (08) 9075 1155 Ocean Beach Holiday Units Esperance (08) 9071 5942 Pine Grove Holiday Park Esperance (08) 9071 4100 Pink Lake Tourist Park Nulsen (08) 9071 2424

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. 54

OCTOBER 2019

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

BOATS Aquasports Marine Midvale (08) 9250 3339

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

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

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

EXMOUTH

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

Why we should turn fishing into a sport I find the term ‘sportfishing’ confusing. Why? After all, ‘sportfishing’ comes with rules, scoring systems and all the basic trappings of a sport, why would you not call it a sport? Rules are of course an important part of sport, they define the boundaries and responsibilities of those involved. There is a key missing ingredient though to fishing transcending to being a true sport and that is the regulations. Regulations differ from rules in that they act to define the objectives of the sport, including the pathways into the sport, progression, responsibilities of administrators and umpires and how events become part of the sporting environment. Regulations also define important limitations on key elements such as scoring and equipment and seek to provide a balance between skill, luck and technology. Fishing has overall done a good job and the rules but has been far less successful at the regulations. In the heyday of the club scene there was progress made with national affiliations, rules that provided the foundation for competition as well as state championships that were hard fought and meaningful. At it’s peak the Australian National Sportfishing Association (ANSA) embodied the push to take fishing seriously while recognising the need to balance that with conservation of the resource. It was a powerful combination that defined a generation of fishers. The club structure provided much of the same regulatory structure of other sports. Unfortunately, as time wore on the thing that had been the strength of ANSA, its passionate base of volunteer members became its greatest weakness as the baby boomers aged, lost their competitive drive and slowly drifted away. ANSA is still an important part of the fishing scene and is a foundation member of ARFF but as a base for competition it only enjoys a stronghold in a single state and is a shadow of its glorious heyday. The Game Fishing Association of Australia (GFAA) is even older, hailing back to 1938. GFAA is based on the rules developed by the International Game Fishing Association and has probably enjoyed a lesser decline due to its niche of game fishing, a high octane form of fishing that requires big investments and even bigger fish to match. Australia currently holds 538 world records through the IGFA, a good many of them by GFAA members, many standing for decades. While taking big fish has become 56

OCTOBER 2019

less acceptable to the wider community there is little doubt that the skill and tenacity required to master a massive shark or marlin should be recognised amongst the greatest sporting feats. After all, strip away the trappings of modern technology, drop a person in their territory and let’s see who takes home who for dinner. That is not to say that I am an advocate for the mass slaughter of big fish in the name of sport, but the reality is that the game fishing community have fished responsibly for decades and the hugely successful fish tagging program based in NSW stands as testimony. I am not going to admonish someone who has secured victory in the battle of man over beast and bought his prize home for all to see. Nature loves a winner. Rightly so, it’s not called survival of the fittest for nothing. During the decline of the club scene a new set of tournaments sprung up based on the American BASS rules. This new competitive format revolved around live weigh-ins and limited bags as an ethical alternative to the traditional weigh-in. This format combines all the flash of fish on the podium while ensuring they all get to fight another day, provided they are handled with care. The biggest exponent of this new format the Australian Bass Tournaments (ABT) became the dominant format in the post ANSA/ club universe, hoovering up competition fishers with a combination of showmanship, press coverage and rules unencumbered by decades of amendments. With its ‘who shares wins’ philosophy ABT in particular defined itself to stand out in a fishing world dominated by secrecy. The GFC however seemed to mark another point of change but may also just be a generational shift as well. As the 2000s rolled on into the 2010s though the competition market started to fracture more and more as the dominant monoliths of the industry gave way to a myriad of one-off events and series, each seeking to differentiate itself in the market. With the decline of the of the bigger players, out went standards and now we are faced with an ever-increasing array of competition formats, driving the fishing pastime further and further from being a true sport. If there’s one thing ABT should have bought forward, but only did in a limited way, it’s competitor profiles. Despite a decade of data, there is still far less real data available on fishers performance than their should be. With each new arena, you would think a decade of data would see nominated favourites, yet at best favouritism is defined

by a loose combination of scuttlebutt on performances during the year intersecting with the collective memory of who won in the past. There are few real metrics to guide us. ANSA and GFAA run a set of state and national records that stretch back decades and form the closest thing fishing has to Cricinfo, but if there is one area the fishing lets down a sports tragic like me it’s definitely in the stats department. One of the things that defines modern sports is the multitude of measures used to define and separate competitors. This comes at two levels, information to the public that seeks to best describe the performances of players and the even more detailed layer the forms the tactical foundation of the modern sports team. Mathematicians have had a field day in the past decade, commanding ever more luscious salaries as the data pumping devices that track athletes demand ever more nuanced analysis. We are no longer in the game of gaining percentage performance improvements, we are in the era of a matrix of performance indicators, from personal history to elite performance markers that now defines a players role. Fishing has taken an abominably long time to define the most basic of metrics. Sure, most fishers would have a sense of what they need to do in terms of bags, but short of time on the water, there are no real tools to assess let alone define a performance. That might not seem like much of a problem, but when it comes to accessibility to a wider world you need the language of maths to make sense of things. How good is Steve Smith? While the likes of Warney and company can wax lyrical about the poetry of his shot making, it’s two numbers that truly define him as a player. First is one of the most beautifully flawed numbers this side of pi, Don Bradman’s batting average of 99.94, a single boundary short of perfection, but probably more memorable due to its imperfection. The second is Smith’s current average of 64.81, the second best in the history of test cricket. If Bradman’s figure is forever marked by his inability play one ball, it’s still the mark by which all others are measured. It’s not how good you are that defines you, but how others are measured against you. Why make the transistion to a sport? First up I should address the key reason why being a sport is even important at all and here is a simple reason – it’s time to complete what the clubs started. The disadvantage of

the current system, first and foremost, is it entrenches the unfairness of fishing. To be competitive in any circuit is hard work, but fishing conspires in many ways to make that even worse, from home ground advantages to differences in equipment, to points systems. Moreover, the diversity of systems makes assessment of performance impossible. What defines a true sport? ‘Sport’ seeks to minimise the differences in the environment and equipment such that the skill and ability of the competitor is maximised. If you equalise the playing variables, all the unfairness accumulates in the heady mix of genetics, brains and brawn that is the competitor. All sport is unfair, we just want it to be unfair because one team or person is better than the others, not because they had better equipment or because the rules suit their fishing method. A few years back swimming tried out an exercise with flirting with unfairness beyond muscle and sinew with disastrous effect. A number of companies started a technological war producing swimsuits that resulted in drastic improvements in times, sending long-standing world records tumbling. Needless to say, it didn’t last. Unlike most sports there is no clean progression. There is no joining the E grade team and working your way up the ladder. There is no weekend tournament series leading to a final. For parents who don’t fish, there is no easy way to get their kids into the sport where they can learn skills, receive training and learn the tactical and time management side of competing. Everyone has to learn on the run. In other words, where most sports have an organised ecosystem that supports players, in fishing you are on your own. While I admire the strength of character this leads to, in reality this is the greatest limiter in terms of growth in the ‘sport’. WHAT DOES FISHING AS A SPORT LOOK LIKE I have spent a lot of time analysing data on competition different systems to get a sense of how they all work, and their relative merits as a sport. The traditional measure of fishers is the biggest fish, but I think catch rates are every bit as important particularly if you are aiming to build an audience. Cricket compressed its format more than once to limit the resources, increase the risks and maximise the rewards from taking risks. This in turn created more excitement for the audience. I have used fish/minute as a yardstick for events for some time and increasingly discussed using time as a key part of the format by limiting more and more the time

available. Reducing the time, increases the risk taking which in turn increases the innovation and excitement. This is a lesson fishing could learn. Is there an existing system that works, or do we start again? The objective is to equalise the outcomes as much as possible and statistically the bag system is the one that equalises outcomes the most, because the bag acts as a limiter on the best fishers. Bags of five work best because this acts both as a target and separator. As a target, a five bag takes some skill to obtain while motiving fishers to keep fishing for upgrades. I did an analysis of the ABT data around three years ago, which established that the combination of ‘who shares wins’ and bag limits have all but eliminated the home field advantage for boaters. While the same can’t be said for non-boaters, that is an artefact of the way non-boaters typically only compete in events in locations nearer to where they live. The five bag is also a good indicator of the quality of the fishing arena, in general the greater the proportion of fishers complete their bag, the better the arena. In other words the five bag provides data that is relatable to the lay person on more than one measure. As such, I think that the ABT is the closest series we have as a sport, not least because it uses weight, not length as a foundation. While I know that length is considered the modern measure, especially with the ever-growing importance of catch and release fishing, weight is still an easier measure for non-fishers to follow. We run a number of length-weight events on the Track My Fish app, so there is no impediment to using weight as a measure. I’m an advocate for the mix of live weigh-in and app or photo-based entries. Both offer different experiences to fishers and audience alike, but with a common measurement system both can be deployed allowing fishers flexibility in competing all the while ensuring consistent standards are enforced. WHAT SPECIES? Every fisher is going to have a favourite species or an opinion on targets, but in this case I am just looking at equalisation. Which species have the potential to sustain a large organised sports version of fishing? Here my main consideration is access in terms of location, universal spread and craft (eg kayaks). I have three species on my list, bream, bass and barramundi. Bream are a logical choice, because they are found in one form or another in almost all locations. Bass are an inland/impoundment

alternative, while barramundi are key competition species across the northern half of Australia and cover areas where bream are not as common or widely targeted. All three are relatively hardy and with good handling have excellent survival rates on release. EVENING THE PLAYING FIELD There are some things that definitely need to be clearly defined, such as tackle and technology standards. Bass boats with big motors have a huge advantage, especially in barra comps where mobility is key. Similarly, expensive sidescan units can reduce the time taken to locate fish by a significant measure and provide an edge over other competitors. This has to be addressed, but I don’t think that banning technology will work. Ultimately, a handicap system will probably be required with some objective data collected on how much of a real difference these technologies make. In this case I don’t think that a weight-based handicap is appropriate so much as a time penalty. Most of these innovations provide time/ efficiency benefits and thus a time penalty in the form of a later start or earlier finish would compensate for that. In other words you want the fast motor and best electronics, you get less time to fish and then if you can make up the time – good on you. BRINGING IT TOGETHER This is the trickiest but most necessary step. The transition to a sport doesn’t require the creation of new events, so much as the myriad of existing events to aggregate under a national platform, rules set and regulations, much as cricket, soccer and other sports have. This aggregation would need to provide a national register of competitors and a national tracking process so that competitors can easily carry their results with them. This is a big challenge when egos are involved. One of the key elements of that aggregation would be a national body with five key responsibilities – tracking and managing competitors, establishing formal recognition for fishing as a sport, providing state and national championships, coaching and athlete recognition, developing a sponsorship funding base and of course promoting the new sports option. Of course, this is a lot of work, but I think it’s about time fishing takes itself seriously enough to go through the growing pains that come with offering a true sport option. It won’t come without compromise, but most sports that have made that leap have never looked back.

The inside of a used boat BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Last month I opened a discussion on the purchase of a used boat. Buying a pre-loved boat can make a lot of sense when life’s timing just does not suit the acquisition of a shiny brand new one. A used craft is definitely better than life without a boat! For the record, my first brand new boat did not come home until I had owned about four used ones, and to

Things look good here: everything is neat, clean and tidy. allowing for some normal signs of usage such as a few scuff marks here and there on a fibreglass rig, or a scratch or two on an alloy craft. If modifications are evident, you need to ascertain their origin or the

standard without too many marks, scratches or other signs of wear and tear, the chances of the rest of the boat being similarly well cared for are certainly looking good. Conversely, if fittings are tarnished, corroded, or generally looking shabby, you can tell that the owner hasn’t given the boat much TLC. When it comes to upholstery, it’s OK to cut it a little slack. The fact of the matter is that most boat seating does live a hard life. The seats get wet with saltwater, they can be easily overlooked in a clean up, and if they’re put away salted they can become damp in wet weather. A bit of stitching coming apart is no big deal. However, whole sections coming apart are a different matter – that’s sheer neglect.

When we see the transom area looking like this there’s probably not much point in checking out the interior! be fair I had quite a good run from those pre-loved boats. That is because I took time to consider exactly what I was buying before parting with my money, and you should do the same. COME ABOARD! In the previous issue I centred the discussion on the exterior of a boat, along with

environment than any road, whether it’s smooth bitumen or gut busting gravel. While misuse of a watercraft might be somewhat difficult to detect, neglect is often obvious to those who know what to look for. The clues will be there, the trick is to recognize them. More on that later.

These seats are fairly worn and the battery case has some corrosion, but the engine looks like it hasn’t been on the transom for long. Be sure to check that it’s within the rated horsepower specs.

There are quite a few under floor compartments set up in this rig. It’s a good idea to inspect them to see if they’re free of debris. the all-important trailer, but now it’s time to have a look around inside the rig. When you cast a critical eye over the interior, you will glean some information as to what sort of life the boat has had. Remember first off that used boats are not like used cars, as a boat’s working life involves a far more hostile

MODIFICATIONS First of all, consider the brand of the boat under consideration. Is it a well known brand, built by a company that enjoys a good reputation for seaworthiness, ride and easy handling? If so, things to consider here might be whether the rig is in original ex-factory layout,

reason they were done. An engine replacement can be regarded as par for the course, but you should ensure that any new engine does not exceed factory specs. The maker’s plate in the boat will confirm the maximum horsepower it is built for. If this is exceeded, it can have very serious ramifications regarding ease of use, handling and, in a worse case scenario, it can void insurance claims. LOOK FOR THE SIGNS Metal and other fittings on any boat can reveal a lot. Boat fittings start life in a brilliant shiny condition but will usually only stay that way if they are cared for. Naturally, if fittings and other items within a boat are of a general high

Half cabin boats have seating up front and storage below them, so it’s a good idea to lift up a seat top to have a look at the storage compartment beneath. This might provide some clues regarding how the boat has been treated. There’s no doubt that a clean, mildew free, storage area is a good sign. Dash instruments, if fitted, should have clear, uncrazed and uncracked faces and must work as intended, and an engine start up might reveal some information in this regard. If the boat has a steering wheel, it should turn freely without any binding. Hydraulic steering systems are common on larger boats, and if one is fitted you

With small open boats, what you see is exactly what you get. should look for any signs of hydraulic oil residue on either the hydraulic arm at the engine or up near the steering wheel. It’s not a bad idea to lift any flooring, if possible, to have a glance at what’s happening under it. Sinkers, swivels or other tackle in the bottom of a tinny are sure warning signs that the owner hasn’t looked after the boat as well as they could have, and these items are also an invitation for electrolysis to occur. Bilge areas in any boat are also places where things can accumulate or gather to cause mischief at a later time. Giving consideration to bilge areas in a boat might also involve assessing how accessible that bilge is as regards to cleaning and maintenance of a pump. THE BIG PICTURE Open, tiller-steer boats, especially tinnies or dingies, are very much an open book: what you see is what you get. In an entirely open boat there’s not much to hide apart from what’s under any flooring or areas which have a cover over them. Most of the potential issues I’ve already discussed will be easily assessed in an open boat.

In different styles of craft, such as half cabins, runabouts or centre consoles, you need to go a step further and suss out the available storage, particularly storage compartments. You should be looking for ease of access and overall convenience, and also think about what items you’ll want to store, how well they will fit and whether they will get wet. TEST DRIVE Putting a boat in the water for a test run is something that a dealer would hardly hesitate to do: a private seller perhaps not so readily so the usual thing is to pay a deposit to show bona fides interest and good faith. Distance from a ramp is the key and my view is that if a ramp is handy an owner should at least offer to put the rig in the water for a test run. As a buyer it pays to be reasonable here but the more money changing hands the more essential it is to be sure that all is well with the boat. And naturally, once aboard it’s very easy to assess ride and handling and have the opportunity to sit in the skipper’s seat and review the driving position. All going well, that used boat might just be the one for you.

It’s OK for seats to have a bit of wear, as they usually do it pretty tough in boats, but these seats are in pretty poor shape. This can indicate that the boat had a hard life. OCTOBER 2019

Bar Crusher WR615 with Mercury 4-stroke

- SC

TENT -

RE ONLINE MO

DE FOR EX

Main: Although not in the Bar Crusher’s natural environment, this Aussie built boat looked great in the metro reaches of the Swan River with the AquaSports Marine team. Above: There’s something sweet about a glossy black boat and motor polished to within an inch of its life. This rig will turn heads at the ramp and on the water. override brakes, this rig weighs in at about 1,500kg on a trailer (1,600kg fuelled) meaning that most large family cars and twin cab utes will tow it with ease. The trailer was fitted with Bar Crusher’s Bar Catch system, which automatically deploys or catches the boat during launch and retrieve. Once you’ve experienced it, you won’t want a boat

RPM................... km/h.................... km/L 650 ...........................3 ....................... 1.7 1000 .........................7 ....................... 2.0 2000....................... 12 ....................... 1.3 3000....................... 36 ....................... 2.3 3500 ....................... 46 ....................... 2.4 4000....................... 55 ....................... 1.9 5000....................... 71 ....................... 1.4 5400 ....................... 77 ....................... 1.3 OCTOBER 2019

a saltwater deck wash, which means that the deckie can clean up the mess on the return trip and leaves just a freshwater wash when you get home. It’s also got a folding T-Top that stashes away to give this rig a much better chance of fitting into your garage. As tested, this boat sold not long afterwards for

SPECIFICATIONS

PERFORMANCE

s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

When Nick DiToro and his team rolled into the Maylands ramp with this Bar Crusher, I had to admit that it was the best looking one I’d ever tested. That’s saying something as I’ve tested quite a few over the years, from the pocketsized 480s through to the enormous 780 hard tops. There’s always something special about a new aluminium boat on a new trailer. You know it’s the best it’s ever going to look and the Aquasports team had this one polished to within an inch of its life. There’s no doubting that this centre console (or ‘walk around’ as Bar Crusher labels it) is a serious fishing machine. If you’re looking for a fluffy, family boat, there are better boats to investigate. This boat is built tough for anglers that like to fish hard and it’s quite fitting of Bar Crusher’s trademarked phrase, ‘Fishing Weapon’. The Australian built Easytow trailer it sits on is perfectly matched to the boat in both looks and function. Aided by simple mechanical

10s and 20s because we know that any boat that can take this motor, we’ll put it on,” he said. “We have a commercial boat up north that’s just finished putting 5,000 hours on these motors.” To put that into perspective, that’s around 50 years of standard recreational use. The rig delivered 77km/h

Steve Morgan

CON

AN THE

FMG

without it. Measuring in at 6.15m and fitted with Mercury’s 3.0L 4-stroke outboard, the real sweet spot for this boat is for sportfishers that love casting lures 360 degrees around the boat. The no-nonsense chequer plate floor is designed to be maintained with a hose and take all of the punishment that you can dish out. With a 4mm bottom sheet and 4mm side sheets, the hull is rigid and entirely capable of supporting the alloy hard top that sits on top of the console. This hard top also anchors the rocket launcher rod holders that keep your tackle up and out of the way. A neat little lip at the rear of the hard top diverts the water to the sides of the top so that it doesn’t drip down the back of your neck as

you drive along. Nick DiToro is a great fan of the 3.0L 150hp platform that’s powering the test boat. “We don’t buy ones or twos of this outboard, we buy them in

Length........................................................ 6.15m Beam..........................................................2.25m Bottom.sheet ..............................................4mm Side.sheet....................................................4mm Fuel .............................................................. 130L Dry.tow.weight ........................................ 1450kg Min..hp ....................................................... 115hp Max.hp ....................................................... 150hp Tailer.height.(folded.roof) .........................2.35M Capacity .............................................. 6 persons at 5,400rpm but best economy of 2.4km/L was at 3,500rpm. At that efficiency it cruised at 46km/h and gave a theoretical range of over 300km. The test boat has a few optional extras fitted such as

$79,300, however packages start at around $70,000 from Aquasports Marine. Check out the full boat test video on the Fishing Monthly YouTube channel or scan the QR code hereabouts.

The WR was quick out of the hole with the Mercury 3.0L 150hp. The maximum speed was 77km/h at 5,400rpm but the best economy of 2.4km/L was at 3,500rpm. At that efficiency, it cruised at 46km/h.

With 130L of underfloor fuel, at maximum efficiency this boat has a theoretical range of over 300km.

This rig will definitely turn heads at the ramp. The Bar Crusher is an Aussie made boat on an Aussie made Easytow trailer. Both come out of Melbourne.

Up on the front casting deck, the WR is all business with tough, chequer plate floors and plenty of storage room underneath.

With lots of flat aluminium sheet, there’s ample opportunity to flush mount your favourite electronics. The console is wide enough to shelter two anglers from the elements.

One of the good things about a hard top is that you can bolt a rocket launcher to it. Note the splash lip at the back of the top – it channels water away from the seat so that it drips out the side and not down your back.

Bar Crusher’s unique Gen2 hull features a centrally mounted water ballast tank. The test model had a Bar Flap, which can be deployed to hold the water in and add weight for a smoother ride in rougher water.

Now that’s a lot of under console storage! A couple of plastic bins under here would keep a lot of your spare clothes and electronic gear dry.

There’s no space wasted in a Bar Crusher. The console seat is fitted with a seat back that flips from for’ard to stern facing and there’s some sneaky storage space inside it.

Here’s the sneaky storage space. It’s a great place to keep the tackle you need at hand.

Bar Crusher are great at a simple, sturdy folding rear bench. They definitely build them for utility over comfort and we expect nothing less of a serious fishing boat like this. OCTOBER 2019

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