Western Australia Fishing Monthly December 2018

SCHOOL’S OUT • IDEAS FOR CHIRSTMAS GIFTS

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Tried & Tested

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uintrex Trident 650 with Q 200hp Mercury 4-stroke • Extreme 605 Game Fisher with Yamaha F130hp •

Trip to Rowley Shoals • Christmas gift ideas • Surf fishing masterclass •

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December 2018, Vol. 1 No. 04

Contents 10

METRO Perth metro

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Cockburn Sound

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Swan & Canning Rivers

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Metro Offshore

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SOUTH COAST Esperance 24 Bremer Bay

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Albany 25 WEST COAST Augusta 28 Busselton 30 Bunbury 30 Mandurah 31 Lancelin 34 Jurien Bay

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Geraldton 35 Kalbarri 36 GASCOYNE COAST Shark Bay

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From the Editor’s Desk...

Well another year just about over, and if you asked me at the beginning of the year what I would be doing by the end of the year it definitely would not have included being the editor of a fishing magazine again!

But alas here we are and I have to admit it has been a great ride and I really appreciate the opportunity the Fishing Monthly Group has given me. I hope you, the readers, are enjoying the mags as much as I have enjoyed putting them together. Now just to make a bit more time for some fishing!

As we head into summer it is really important that each and every one of us considers the potential consequences of partaking in this sport that we all love so much. The increasing number of deaths occurring in the pursuit of

a fish is really getting a bit overwhelming. It does not matter if you are fishing from the rocks or from a boat, it seems that complacency is setting in. We all have to be vigilante and ensure we are

are going to be forced by government departments with legislation to do things that we really do not want to. I am only guessing but compulsory lifejackets on boats comes to mind, as does compulsory

Wishing you all a Safe and Fishy Christmas Break safe from harm, if that means getting your boat checked out for structural defects or just wearing an inflatable life jacket at all times while on the water, then so be it.

The reality is if we, the fishing community, do not get on top of this issue then we

lifejackets while fishing from rocks. While this sounds reasonable, the downside will be that this will include any rocks, not just dangerous rock fishing locations.

Another that springs to mind will be compulsory vessel sea worthiness inspections. I am

Ian Sewell sure you will agree that the cost of fishing and boating is already high enough. So please let’s all keep it as safe as we can this summer and choose to wear lifejackets by our own choice, not because we have to.

With the fishing taking off around the state I hope everyone gets the opportunity to get out and about and fishing somewhere away from your usual haunts. Get out there on the water and get a feed of crays, crabs and any of the other amazing offerings our state has to offer. If you get into any great captures, remember we are always happy to publish a few readers’ captures every month and if there is no reports in the mag for your area we are always looking for new areas to cover so feel free to get in touch.

Wishing you all a safe and fishy Christmas break.

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Exmouth 41 NORTH COAST Port Hedland

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Broome 42 Dampier 43

42 SINCE 2018

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Recfishwest 27 Tournament News

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Trade and Services Guide

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What’s new fishing

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What’s new boating

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An Ian Sewell image.

AUST

Trip to Rowley Shoals

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Geoff Anderson with a Spanish mackerel caught slow trolling around feeding birds in Cockburn Sound.

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WESTERN AUSTRALIA FISHING MONTHLY

Back to Basics

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REGULAR FEATURES

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Planning the trip of a lifetime: Rowley Shoals PORT HEDLAND

Pete Hodgson

Nothing gets the blood pumping more than planning an epic fishing trip, and when you live in the Pilbara nothing gets more epic than planning a trailer boating trip to the far reaches of the Rowley Shoals or Scott Reef. With aqua water, white sandy beaches and phenomenal drop-offs, these offshore

the most accurate forecasts on wind, swell and water temperature.

Armed with what we had learnt, it was time to attempt to trailer boat the Rowley Shoals, 160nm northwest of Port Hedland. After booking our moorings at Clerk Reef and Imperieuse Reef, we started to prep the boat.

THE BOAT Our vessel was Tas’ 8m Razorline Ragman, with a Volvo D4D 260hp diesel sterndrive. It’s a solid plate

much as quick as you need to go out there, and we have found that this is the best method for catching all our pelagics. We were planning to spend six days out there, so we erred on the side of caution and bought two 180L fuel bladders and two 60L fuel drums.

SPARES We carried replacement hoses and belts, along with a comprehensive tool kit, to carry out any repairs in case of a breakdown. As

The author with an average Clerk Reef dogtooth tuna.

Cunningham Island Lighthouse at Imperieuse Reef is one of only two stainless steel lighthouses in Australia. atolls are definitely a sight to behold. Additionally, because they are so far offshore they don’t get much fishing pressure, so the fishing is amazing.

So when my mate Tas Higgins asked me if I’d be up for the adventure of a lifetime, I said “hell yes!”

Tas had spent a few years

boat that’s great for offshore fishing, but we needed to perform a few modifications and additions before setting off on such a long trip.

First of all, we needed more storage so we extended the hard top to cover two thirds of the deck and allow for more equipment to be strapped to the roof. This

you can imagine, help is a long way away.

We also brought the all-important repair and maintenance manual for the Volvo and leg. This manual has proven very handy when the motor has suffered some minor faults on a couple of our trips. We were back up and running in no time.

SUPPLIES We allowed for 20L of water a day between the three of us. A bit of overkill, but you can never have enough if things go wrong.

The food consisted of some precooked meals, a Webber Q and a fridge full of cryovaced meat. Although it’s great to eat fresh fish, after a couple of days you get tired of it.

All the food was stored in 2 x 80L fridges plus another a 110L fridge. There was no need for ice on the trip, thanks to the boat’s house batteries being continually charged by the 400W solar system on the roof.

Next we had to consider the sleeping arrangements for three blokes. We ended up putting two on the deck and one on the motor housing.

In the past we have used swags, but on our other longrange trips we now use Sea to Summit inflatable mattresses and sleeping bags, and this has greatly increased our storage space. These mattresses and bags end up no bigger than a rum bottle (which we also had a few of!)

THE FISHING Around these remote atolls you can expect to catch

Jurassic-sized pelagics, including yellowfin tuna, wahoo, marlin, sailfish, Spanish mackerel and giant

trevally, just to name a few.

The reef fishing, however, is not the greatest. The main species are coral trout

Tas Higgins with an Imperieuse sailfish that fell victim to a Richter Vixen.

Ragman loaded and ready for the long journey from Port Hedland to the Rowley Shoals Marine Park. watching weather patterns and speaking with various operators, and we decided that September would be the best time to go. The wind and seas are usually at their calmest from August to October in the area, and this is not a place where you want to be caught out in a 8m boat. I would also recommend getting a Buoy Weather subscription and FishTrack subscription, as these websites will give you 8

DECEMBER 2018

equipment included fuel drums, a life raft and various other items not required on the deck.

Additionally, there was only 350L of fuel under the deck, which was not enough.

We calculated that we’d use roughly 240L to travel the 160nm journey, and allowed for 40L a day – which is a lot for this boat, which usually burns 3L an hour on the troll. That’s pretty

SAFETY

We acquired a commercial 6-person lift raft to add to the boat, along with lifejackets fitted with PLBs, a satellite phone and a Find Me Spot tracking device so our families could track our tip.

We also packed a comprehensive first aid kit, with supplies for everything from jellyfish stings to broken bones, hook removal and lacerations.

The team followed the iconic blue highway into Clerk Reef.

(protected throughout the Marine Park), long-nose emperor, Maori seaperch and red bass, so if you’re just after a feed of reefies, this is not the place for you. However, if you love battling big, hard-running pelagics, you’re going to have a great time.

We have been doing these trips for a few years now, and have gained an insight of what tackle is required – and how much.

We didn’t bring enough lures on our first trip,

coming home with less than a dozen between the three of us. People had tried to warn us that the sharks were bad, but we just assumed it was the same as anywhere else in the Pilbara. We were wrong.

The sharks are definitely hungry out there, and ate over half of our lures in the first few days. I once read an article on the Rowley Shoals which said, “think of what you need, and then triple it”, and that sums it up.

Over the following years we armed ourselves with

even more tackle, and used wire leader on all our deep divers and pushers. We fared much better but still lost a small fortune of gear.

We always bring the usual deep divers such as Rapala Magnums, Yozuri Hydro-Magnums and Manns Stretch 30s, and have found that the very deepest diving lures are very productive.

We have added Mann Stretch 40s and Stretch 50s to the kit, along with some River2Sea 340 Killer Vibes, and it has paid off.

This 15kg trout was caught on an Entice Jig in 60m of water.

This GT smashed a West Coast Poppers Delambre thrown into a pressure point along the edge of the atoll.

The bigger the lures, the bigger the fish!

We retrofit all our lures with heavy-duty Owner split rings and Owner S-125 single hooks with crushed barbs. Not only do the crushed barbs make for easy fish release, they are also far easier to remove from an angler.

When it comes to jigs, the cheaper the better, and you should bring as many as you can pack. The hardrunning dogtooth tuna and sharks eat anything that goes past them, so you’ll go through a lot of jigs.

We upgraded our reels this year, leaving all the

small stuff at home. We brought 10000 and 20000 size reels with nothing less than 80lb line, and the trolling gear was also upgraded from 30 wides to 50 wides. The goal is to be prepared for the predation from sharks, and you also want to be able to put the hurt on when required in the shallow water around the atolls.

THE JOURNEY We started our 160nm Rowley Shoal voyage from the Port Hedland boat ramp heading NNW to Clerk at 25 knots. Autopilot is a must for these trips, as driving a boat for 8-9 hours straight

can be quite tiring, and the fuel saving on a trip like this would pretty much pay for the set-up. It’s certainly a long trip out, but the time goes pretty fast when you’re excitedly anticipating what the week might bring.

CLERK REEF Bedwell Island is a sight to be seen, with the famous Blue Highway which directs you into the lagoon. As soon as you tie up to the mooring you know the place is fishy, with schools of big red bass, sharks and black jack trevally just waiting for anything to fall off the boat.

The aqua water is crystal To page 10

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From page 9

clear, and the bottom never seems far away, even in 30m of water.

Just 100m off the atoll you will find yourself in 150m of water, which plunges down to 450m in between the three atolls.

species to target. Armed with this scant knowledge we started to explore Clerk Reef. As soon as we came out of the Blue Highway into the deep blue, the lures were in. In a matter of minutes, we were all hooked up to some solid yellowfin tuna.

the southern tip looking for pressure points and current lines to launch our surfaces lures at. Our lures were smashed by marauding red bass, footballer trout and – our target species – giant trevally, with several 20kg+ fish being boated.

This solid yellowfin was taken on a Rapala X-Rap. From north to south, they are Mermaid (a sanctuary with no fishing), Clerk and Imperieuse reef.

We had limited knowledge of the Rowley Shoals on our first trip – just a rough idea of where and when to fish, and what

Once that box was ticked, we continued down the north side heading to the south tip. We caught wahoo, green jobfish, barracuda, dogtooth tuna and sailfish all on the troll, using skirts and deep divers from 10-40m.

We pushed on down to

Trout well over 10kg didn’t weren’t hard to catch either on surface lures, deep diving lures and slow pitch or flutter jigs. Just remember that they’re a protected species in the Marine Park.

Heading between Clerk and Imperieuse, we have

raised and hooked several big blue marlin over the years, and have been absolutely blown away.

IMPERIEUSE REEF With all the mornings now only on the northwest tip, you need to pick the weather when heading here. However, the fishing at Imperieuse is absolutely exceptional. It’s pretty much the same size as Clerk, but entering into the lagoon requires a lot more caution as it seems to be only achievable on a high spring tide.

Trophy fish have come over the side consistently when we have fished here from the northwestern to southwestern tip. These have included big dogtooth tuna, Goliath Spanish mackerel, some of West Australia’s biggest GTs and sailfish by the dozen. We have found that the best times to fish this area are around sunrise to mid-morning, and late afternoon to sunset. When you combine this with spring tides, the action is non-stop.

The fish have been easy to find here, with concentrations of bait easily marked along the edge of the reef as it drops from 30m-80m with big predators in pursuit. The result is hook-ups on every pass or drop.

Scott Reef was next on

BOWRIDER

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DECEMBER 2018

Tas Higgins with a wahoo trolled up on a Mann’s Stretch 30 from Imperieuse Reef. our list after conquering the Rowley Shoals, but that’s another story!

In summing up, preparation is key on a trip like this. You should only attempt it when you’re confident that you know what to do in any of the

situations that could arise this far from shore, be it a breakdown or a medical emergency. You don’t want to become anyone else’s problem or ruin another crew’s trip to the best fishing destination in Western Australia.

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Sight-fishing thrills NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

In the opinion of many anglers (your columnist included), ‘sight-fishing’ is the most exciting form

delicious anticipation as that target fish closes in on the trap you’ve just set. It matters little whether it’s a golden trevally tailing on a tropical flat, a fat whiting cruising over a sandbar, a mahimahi circling a bluewater FAD, or even a stinky old carp snuffling

for successful sight-fishing are a keen set of eyes, the ability to use them, and (in most scenarios) a pair of quality sunglasses with lightpolarising lenses. These so-called ‘polaroids’ greatly enhance your ability to spot fish by dramatically reducing reflected glare bouncing back from the surface of the water, allowing you to see what lies beneath much more easily.

Trust me, it’s worth spending as much on your sunnies as you would on a new rod or reel, as they’re at least as important to the sight-fishing process as that shiny piece

The author with a gorgeous brown trout he sight-cast a fly to under cloudy skies.

Keep the sun at your back for optimum sight-fishing results. of angling ever devised.

Seeing your prey before you even make a cast and then watching its reactions to your bait, lure or fly lifts fishing to another level altogether, and really ratchets up the ‘hunting’

along the muddy margins of an outback dam. Time seems to slow and stretch as the seconds tick agonisingly by.

Will the fish eat, or will it spook away in alarm at the last moment?

The three key ingredients

Don’t expect fish to always stand out clearly. Can you see the large trout in this image?

A big trout cruises in clear water. What will be the best way to catch it? aspects of our wonderful pastime.

It’s highly addictive!

Whether you prefer to use natural baits, lures or artificial flies there’s simply no bigger thrill in the whole wide world of fishing than sneakily stalking your visible prey, carefully placing your offering in front of it and watching what happens next.

I defy anyone not to hold their breath and tense every muscle in their body with

of tackle. They’ll also protect your eyes from damaging UV rays, not to mention twigs, rod tips and fast moving lures.

I’ve worn Mako Eyewear glasses for many years now and I absolutely swear by them, but there are plenty of other good brands on the market, too. Pick a highprofile maker and steer clear of service station cheapies and the chemist shop bargain bins.

Expect to fork out at least a couple of hundred bucks for a decent set of fishing eyewear and then look after your glasses. (With Christmas fast approaching, quality sunnies also make the perfect gift for keen fishers, so why not start

dropping a few hints?)

Many anglers believe that bright sunlight and clear, blue skies are essential for effective sight-fishing. However, while these conditions are ideal, they don’t occur consistently.

It’s still possible to sight-fish under heavy cloud cover and in low light, you just need to work a little harder at it, move more slowly and look intently for hints like movement and subtle flashes of colour from cruising fish. It can also help to vary your lens selection on duller days by choosing tints from the yellow, rose and brown ends of the spectrum, as well as opting for lenses that allow a higher level of

Don’t be afraid to get into the really skinny stuff when sight-fishing. Your prey will sometimes swim in water barely deep enough to cover their backs.

light transmission.

Don’t expect to always clearly see your target fish swimming about, either.

Wild fish living in natural environments can be extremely hard to spot at first.

Experienced sight fishers become adept at identifying the tiniest clues that often signpost the presence of fish. Subtle movements, suspicious shapes or patterns, dull flashes, ripples and fin tips momentarily breaking the surface are all key indicators of the presence of fish. Often you’ll home in on just a part of the fish rather than the entire animal. This might be the light-coloured mouth of a trout, or a dark V-shape on the trailing edge of a bream’s tail.

Finally, remember that some of the finest sight-fishing opportunities encountered in both fresh and saltwater environments occur at extremely shallow depths, often hard up against the shoreline. Many anglers are surprised to learn that even large fish will swim in water barely deep enough to cover their backs, especially early and late in the day. Don’t be too quick to wade in! Always start by visually scanning the very shallowest margins before gradually turning your attentions to deeper water.

Get out there this summer and give sight-fishing a crack.

I guarantee you’ll be hooked!

Starlo’s website portal www.fishotopia.com offers access to lots of nitty-gritty, how-to information like this, including detailed features on sight-fishing. Jump on, have a look around and consider signing up for the free monthly newsletter.

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ONE MILLION REASONS TO GO FISHING IN THE NT MILLION DOLLAR FI$H IS BACK FOR SEASON 4

Ever experienced the adventure of fishing in the Northern Territory? No? Well now you have a million reasons to go with the Million Dollar Fish now in its fourth year and promising to be even BIGGER than before!

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Metro

Afternoon beach fishing is now in full swing METRO

Kurt Blanksby

There is something comforting about walking through the warm beach sand and having the first cooling surf wash around your legs at the end of a warm summer day.

type of fishing makes it very enjoyable, and the long daylight hours mean that it can be done not only on weekends but during the week as well. The trick is to get to know your local beaches and put in the hours.

Gear can be as simple as a couple of fishing rods, one being a light tackle flick

A decent Perth metro tailor taken on a popper.

Add to that the building excitement as you cast your line, and the whole experience gets even better.

December in Perth means the late afternoon/ early evening beach fishing is now in full swing as the relieving sea breeze stirs up the surf and rings the dinner bell for hunting schools of tailor. And with the tailor there will be other prize species like mulloway and small sharks feeding into the surf zone, especially as darkness falls.

The simplicity of this

Wellcraft 182

rod to prospect for smaller species like sand whiting and herring, and the other rod a bit more serious to fish for tailor, mulloway and small sharks.

Just remember you need to carry everything from the car park down through the dunes to the spot you choose to fish, so keep it simple.

A 20L bucket is not only a good place to carry the bait to the fishing spot, it also can be filled with sea water and used to keep your catch fresh. A small back pack with spare rigs, a knife,

$69,900 Wellcraft 202

This fantastic family runabout is the perfect entry level Wellcraft for simply enjoying our waterways with friends and family. Easy to tow and launch with a standard family sedan, this 182 open boat offers plenty of deck space and seating and also has a toilet onboard. Ideal for family days crabbing, water sports or entertaining but also capable of getting you offshore. Brand new 2019 model with 115Hp Yamaha four stroke available now in stock.

EZ Loader Ali trailer included.

rag and torch will give you most of the necessities for the evening, and you can throw in something to drink and snack on, as well. You can wear this on your back, leaving your hands free to carry the bucket and rods.

It’s very important to bring a couple of PVC tube sand spikes to push into the sand to stick your rods in.

These rod holders not only make it easier to rig and bait up, they keep your reels out of the sand, which is very important if you want them to last.

Bring an old towel that can be used to cover the bait when it is left on the beach.

If you lay the towel over the bait it will keep it insulated and fresher, shielding it from the last of warm sun that will quickly thaw it out and make it deteriorate. The towel will also prevent seagulls from taking the bait. At most Perth beaches, the instant you walk away from your gear the seagulls will be fast over to have a look and steal what they can. Covering your bait confuses them, and they will fly off to annoy someone else.

Bait for the smaller species can be small pieces of cut up coral prawn or squid, which will attract sand and yellowfin whiting, silver bream (tarwhine), herring and the occasional flathead.

Bigger baits of whole pilchards (mulies) on ganged hooks or strip baits of mullet or herring will attract any predatory species like tailor, mulloway and sharks.

If you want the option of fishing into deeper water then any of the metro rock groynes are fantastic spots in December. Once again, it pays to get to your location before dark and familiarise yourself with the area and where you will be casting, standing and landing fish.

Rocks can be dangerous, especially in the dark, so a head lamp is a must and good footwear goes without saying (no thongs).

$89,900 Wellcraft 222

Powered by the new Mercury 175Hp, this 20’2” center console can be a comfortable family cruiser or a serious offshore performer. Featuring bow seating and a toilet for the family along with live bait tanks, rod holders and a T-Top Bimini for fishing with the boys. With an 8’6” beam and a fuel capacity of 212 liters, the 202 will get you out far and wide and is solid and stable at rest while your waiting for a bite. This 2019 model is in stock and available now on EZ Loader Ali trailer.

The most popular method here is to fish with larger baits of pilchards, whole herring or slimy mackerel, mullet fillet or squid on ganged or snelled hooks all weighed down with a decent sinker on a running rig. It also pays to fish with a short length of wire trace. At this time of year means you can encounter toothy species like tailor and sharks, so a bite-off is a real possibility with just mono leaders. It’s a good idea to use heavier rods and reels capable of handling heavier baits and sinkers, and which have good stopping power if you find yourself hooked into a big mulloway.

DECEMBER 2018

will have other anglers there trying their luck, and most will be more than willing to lend a hand to a fellow angler when landing larger species. It’s also a great way to strike up a friendship while you’re there.

On that note, please respect other anglers’ space.

Don’t just push into an already crowded spot and then proceed to cast over other lines, or you will be met with a very cold reception. In any case, I have seen some decent fish caught from spots well away from the crowds that gather at the end of every rock groyne, so don’t think the fish will only be found

The mix of shore reef and surf makes for ideal tailor fishing, and late afternoon is the prime time.

A smaller and lighter spin outfit is another good option as it can be used to cast lures before dark for tailor and bonito that are common from spots like North Mole during summer.

Also, an unweighted pilchard on ganged hooks

somehow land it safely without breaking the line.

For safety reasons as well I suggest you never fish alone, and if you have ever tried to land a decent fish on your own without a gaff you’ll know what I mean. Many of the local rock groynes

$114,900 Wellcraft 242

The most popular size in the Fisherman range, the Wellcraft 22’ is the perfect offshore weapon. At 6.71m in length, they are ideal to tie alongside your mothership at Rottnest and more than capable of making the crossing in comfort. Construction standards are ideal for our rugged conditions and the heavy duty deluxe T-Top is a highly recommended option. Complete with live bait and catch tanks, toilet and family seating packages. Powered by the all new Mercury 225Hp four stroke. Trailer available.

there. If you are fishing into deep water then you are in with a good chance, so give yourself plenty of room and remember that there is more chance of a wandering fish finding your bait first if you’re not fishing in a crowd.

$149,900 Wellcraft 262

Perfect for our conditions, this 2019 model is available for delivery now. Powered by the new Mercury V8 four stroke outboard for 40 knot performance and optioned with bow seating, deluxe T-Top, stereo, anchor winch, live bait tank and a toilet with holding tank. Ideal for family picnics at the islands or fishing and diving up and down our coastline. This brand new vessel by one of the worlds best manufactures is available now.

Optional EZ Loader Ali trailer available.

Ph: 9336 1466 | www.martinboxmarine.com.au | 14

cast and slowly retrieved is dynamite on tailor from rock groynes, providing the wind conditions allow. Using a small green glowstick above the bait not only attracts the attention of tailor, it also helps you keep an eye on where your bait is in the dark. These are cheap and very handy little additions to your rig, or they can be taped to the tip of your rod when setting out bigger baits, so you can see any bites in the dark.

Remember if you are fishing from the rocks it always pays to pack a gaff, as hooking a decent mulloway or small shark will mean you’ll need to

$199,900

This new model is a very large 26 footer with an impressive 9ft beam providing plenty of deck space for entertaining large groups. Highly regarded as a serious offshore performer with all of the required extras like live baitwells, fish box, rod holders and tackle storage all standard. If you don’t want to get in each other’s way then the big 262 is the boat for you. 2019 model in stock now and optioned with twin 225Hp Mercury four stroke outboards, toilet and seating packages for family days out.

1 Capo D’Orlando Drive, Fremantle

Metro

A king’s welcome for whiting COCKBURN SOUND

Kurt Blanksby

Cockburn Sound is a big expanse of water and it can be a bit daunting as to where and what to target now the warmer weather is here and boating and fishing has become a popular activity. With the pink snapper ban still in place, it is a perfect time to perfect your skills at other species.

The first thing to do is jump onto the Department of Transport site for the boating guide and study the maps showing the boating exclusion zones and the closed waters, especially on the eastern side of Garden Island. Once you know

where you are allowed to go with your boat you can then relax and start fishing.

Starting at the bottom of the sound in Rockingham, the rock wall that makes up the causeway out to Garden Island is a great spot, as not only does it give you shelter from the southwesterly sea breeze, but it is also only minutes away from the boat ramp. Casting squid jigs back towards the rocks you can often pick up a few cuttlefish and occasional squid, and both make excellent eating and bait.

Mangles Bay is a good spot to also find sheltered waters should the sea breeze kick in and having some good areas of sea grass and sand beds it produces good numbers of squid,

especially early mornings or late afternoons and into dark. King George whiting and herring are also regular species to target amongst the sand and weed patches.

From here the deeper shipping channels are

in numbers you are better off moving.

The open waters on the eastern side of Garden Island have some really large areas of sea grass, and again these are great shallow locations to target squid and Keep the squid jigs handy, as a feed of squid and cuttlefish is always worth the effort when drifting the weed beds in the sound.

Cut pieces of coral prawn are ideal King George whiting bait, and when fished on the bottom these tasty fish will pounce on such an offering. highways for bigger species like mulloway to make their way up into the shallows after dark, so positioning yourself out of the channel but near a drop off and setting up a good berley trail of chopped pilchards is one way targeting these fish. Just remember that any pink snapper caught must be released quickly, and should you find that they are about

The deeper sand and weed beds in Cockburn Sound are great for decent-sized King George whiting.

the occasional cuttlefish.

Heading over to the mainland side you will be at the mercy of the sea breeze as well as restricted areas around any of the industrial jetties along this strip. Don’t be put off, just be aware where you are allowed to be with your boat and give them a go, as many of the best metro Spanish mackerel spots in summer are just out from the

industrial area where trolling or casting lures can result in a prize fish. Bonito, tailor and the occasional longtail tuna are also attracted to this area, so trolling in the early morning can be a great way to start the day.

Shore-based anglers shouldn’t ignore the sound, as the beaches along the industrial strip are now ideal spots to target chopper tailor in the afternoon and evening.

The usual beach fishing set up of a medium-sized rod and reel that allows you to cast a sinker and pilchard (mulie) on ganged hooks out into the surf is all that is needed. Unlike many of the exposed beaches up and down the coast, the beaches in Cockburn Sound don’t get buffeted with massive waves, and although can be

rough in a good breeze, they are still easily fished.

Tailor are rarely massive, and most fish are just legal and can average about 35cm with a 40cm fish being a prize, however this size tailor makes the best eating, so it’s worth the effort to catch a few. Often small whaler sharks can turn up after dark as well as plenty of eagle rays that can give a good fight but are better off being released.

Not many mulloway come from these beaches, and the rock groynes or public jetties in Cockburn Sound are better locations if you want to target these species.

Just be aware that any pink snapper caught must be released immediately even if caught from the shore or rock groynes until the ban lifts at the end of January.

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Metro

Go crazy for Christmas crabs SWAN & CANNING RIVER

Kurt Blanksby

The Canning River is a good place to put in a serious effort targeting several species now with the warmer weather and clean water making its way upstream. A big problem

like the Swan does and its mostly shallow upstream reaches past Rossmoyne are ideal spots to quietly move about looking for fish.

The Kent Street Weir is a great spot to quietly fish from the shore or by kayak and some surprisingly goodsized black bream can be

good spots to look for black bream and soapy mulloway, as is the reed-lined foreshore along the southern side of the Canning.

Mount Henry Bridge has a reputation for its massive black bream that hold around the pylons and many 40cm+ fish have been hooked and landed (or lost) from this

The deeper water spots like Mosman Bay are prime mulloway locations over summer. with this time of year is caught in this spot. Baits of spot. Further up near the the huge number of people whole river prawns or blood mouth of the Canning where and boats on the water, worms are ideal, or for those it joins the Swan is Canning as this can make fishing a who enjoy chucking lures, Bridge, and this is one spot real challenge. Thankfully, then the bream will be in this that has it all. It has fishing the Canning doesn’t get area all summer. Riverton platforms underneath that STA 16123 Revo 519half FM_Layout 1 1/10/2018 4:13 PM Page 1 the attention of the masses and Shelly bridges are both are a great place to use

prawn or mussel baits for black bream or larger baits for mulloway, tailor and flathead. These species are also eagerly targeted by lure and fly fishers from this spot.

The Swan River has become a hive of activity as we get close to Christmas, and boats of all shapes and sizes will be moving about day and night, but thankfully the large size of this river means you will still be able to find a few fish. Shore anglers are either targeting big mulloway from the banks under the Narrows Bridge or Causeway while those chasing black bream are hunting the small jetties and tree snags upstream of Guildford.

Tailor are showing up from small jetties late in the afternoons from small jetties like the one in Applecross or Claremont and the best method is to cast a small metal lure on a light spin rod late in the afternoon.

Early mornings and into the day are ideal to be wading the shallows casting small lures for flathead and around East Fremantle and Rocky Bay. A small bucktail jig or soft plastic worked along the bottom will also account for

It’s time to set a few drop nets in the Swan to pick up a feed of big blue swimmer crabs. some good flounder.

Boat anglers fishing the deep water at Mosmans after dark will be picking up a few mulloway by anchoring up and getting a good berley trail started with chopped pilchards (mulies) to attract these prize fish into the area.

Just get ready to keep any hooked fish away from the numerous mooring ropes that abound in the area.

Crabbing will be very popular, so getting up early before the masses and setting up to 10 drop nets in the deeper areas will usually provide a good feed of big

Swan River blue mannas.

The problem is that the increase in boat traffic will make it difficult to set your nets without risk of getting some run over and ropes cut by careless boaties. Use big and bright floats and stay near your nets to keep an eye on them. If you don’t mind a wade out into the shallows after dark with a scoop and torch then this is another good way to pick up a feed of crabs. Any of the shallow sandy areas from East Fremantle down to South Perth will be worth a look after dark.

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DECEMBER 2018

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Metro

Expect a month of holiday arm-stretching fun METRO OFFSHORE

Alan Bevan

The summer fishing season has started with a bang! Samsonfish have stretched arms, broken rods, spooled reels and left

many anglers with bruised egos and shaking limbs. It has been great! Some big 150cm+ specimens have been landed so far this season, and with another six weeks or so to go in this season before the schools start to break up, I’m sure

many more great fish will be landed.

All the wrecks that typically hold samsonfish are also holding snapper, queen snapper and mulloway, to name just a few. When you’re on charter not everyone wants to jig all the

Eric Que with a nice dhufish caught on a Halco Madeye before the ban came into force. The ban will end on 15 December.

A decent early samson that measured 155cm, which is the reason many anglers get bitten by the jigging bug.

time, so mixing it up with a bit of bait or using plastics/ small jigs can provide fun fishing – and every now and then some hilarious action as a good samson takes a liking to the live bait.

Sharks are still a pain.

You can either move as soon as you have a bite-off, or take the heavy gear and take on the sharks. When we’re using the Tiagra 80s, we’ve found that 3-4m whalers can be

knocked over in 30 minutes or so of arm-stretching ‘fun’.

Good schools of southern bluefin tuna are showing up, and I’ve been finding them in the 60-100m depth range.

The tuna are easy to find

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DECEMBER 2018

Metro – just look for the birds – and pulling lures is a reliable way to catch them. Some days though, the bluefin can be frustrating the way they can disappear and re-appear hundreds of meters from the spot you set up on.

While you’re chasing southern bluefin, you might be lucky enough to upgrade to a yellowfin tuna. This

species is found in the same area as bluefin, and all the way out to the Rottnest Trench so it is worth having a high speed lure out as you travel. I regularly see the tuna while I’m jigging for samsonfish along the 100m line. One of the better days had a triple hook-up on yellowfin tuna, with other clients casting poppers off

the front deck for more hook-ups. Yellowfin tuna are crazy good fun, and when they’re bled down they are a excellent table fish.

The demersal ban lifts at midnight 15 December, and snapper are still kicking around in the normal spots.

The inshore reef systems and Five Fathom Bank spots that I fish are consistently

producing good snapper, with a mixture of pre and post spawning fish. I personally don’t like the flesh quality of the post-spawn snapper, so if it looks a bit ‘ratty’ for the size you might be better off releasing that fish, as its eating quality won’t be the best.

I’ve been spending a bit of time south of Garden Island before the ban, and working through the 30/40m

ground inside the southwest bank has produced regular dhufish in the 8-10kg size range. When you sound that area you’re not looking for huge lumps and bumps; even the slightest rise can hold a surprising number of fish.

Finally, it’s that time of the year to give thanks for what we have and who we share it with, so with that in mind I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and

the all the best for the New Year. May the beers be cold, friends in fine voice and the next fish be that PB. Tight lines and see you all in 2019.

• Shikari Charters is a local Fremantle business running half and full day fishing charters catering to small or family groups catering for specialised fishing out from Fremantle. To find out more go to www.shikari.com.au.

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Perfect

The best Christmas gifts ideas for 2018 FMG

Peter Jung pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

Christmas is a time for family, friends and fun.

There tends to be a fair bit of cheer involved, and way too much good food. People flock to their favourite holiday destination with unwrapped gifts packed, ready to be used for the first time.

When it comes to fishing tackle, there are plenty of gift options for any level of angler. The hard part is deciding whether the gift should be practical, outside the box or the start of someone’s fishing journey.

Here are some ideas to get you started.

COMBOS

••••••••••••••••••••• Combos fit into the

‘practical gift’ category.

There are fishing combos available for almost all aspects of fishing, from colourful kids’ outfits to heavy rods and overhead reels to target larger pelagic species.

Most combos include appropriate line, and may even come with a few lures or hooks and sinkers.

They also come in many price points (just remember that you tend to get what you pay for).

Combos aren’t for everybody. However, if you’re buying for someone who either doesn’t fish often, is a fishing novice, or who wants to try a new style of fishing, a combo is a great choice.

Entry level Prices for entry level combos range from around $40-$100, and it doesn’t really matter what brand you

choose. These outfits will get you fishing, and with minimal maintenance they should last a couple of years.

Style specific There are so many different ways to catch fish these days that fishing style specific or species appropriate outfits are very popular. Combos to fish with lures or entrylevel bluewater options tend to range from $100$300. There is some real value in these outfits, as manufacturers push the boundaries of product quality. The quality of fishing products, like any other sporting equipment, continues to move forward.

Older technology then filters down into the inexpensive ranges, which is a win for everybody.

In this category, those brands that put a lot of effort into research and

development also offer the best quality for the price.

Daiwa has shown this for many years, and the 2018 TD Black combo is no different. The reel features Daiwa’s latest LT (Light Tough) technology, and the rods are built on their Nanoplus HVF blanks.

They’re super lightweight outfits and are great value for money.

Shimano is the other major brand that makes good combos during these seasonal periods. They ensure that each outfit is balanced, and only the current reel and rod models are used.

SPIN REELS

••••••••••••••••••••• There are a few key things to look for when purchasing spin reels. Reel size relates to line capacity, line strength and castability.

The smaller the reel, the less of each you get. So if the fishing you are doing is finesse-related, where casting distance is not required, you would look at 1000-1500 size reel. As the casting distance, water depth and size of species increases, the reel size increases as well.

When it comes to ball bearings and drag, many people think that more equals better. However, that’s not necessarily the case. With ball bearings it’s important that they are stainless steel, to resist rust. Three good bearings are better than 10 mediocre ones.

Reel drag systems have become much stronger in recent years. There are some very small reels with 4-5kg of drag out there, but a smooth drag is the key.

Unfortunately, price point

tends to dictate this more than anything else.

Entry level Having said all of that, there are some fantastic reels available under $200. The Okuma brand has always offered quality affordable reels, and the new Helios SX range is no exception.

They come in three sizes and are well worth a look.

Another brand I have tested a number of time for the magazines is ATC. I have a number of the ATC Valour reels in my arsenal of outfits, and I cannot fault them 18 months down the track.

Another reel to look out for are the Rapala X-Spin reels. They are solidly built and well priced.

Medium level If I can save a little on a rod, I will spend a little more on a reel. It is this $200 to $350 price

DAI TD B WA LA COM CK BO DAIWA TD SOL III

A UM S K O LIO HE

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20

DECEMBER 2018

SHIMANO STRADIC FK

SHIMANO CURADO DC

Guide point I am talking about.

Most brands include their top line technology in these medium level reels, and you can expect to get some longevity from them with minimal maintenance.

The standouts for me from the 2018 offerings are the Rapala R-Type reels. These reels are great quality for the price; they’re designed to deal with bigger fish and not break the bank.

Shimano’s Stradic reels continue to impress as well, and the Stradic FK is no exception. I have Stradics that are over 10 years old and still going, and the latest version seems to be even more robust and angler friendly.

Finally, I feel that I have to include the Daiwa TD Sol III LT reels, even though they’re a fraction over this price bracket.

LT means Light Tough, and they certainly are. It’s amazing that a reel that feels light as a feather can be so strong. Additionally, like all the Daiwa reels at

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this level and above, it’s packed with features.

BAITCAST REELS

••••••••••••••••••••• Baitcast reels have never been everybody’s cup of tea. Bird nests due to uneducated thumbs have deterred many anglers from using them, but that all changed this year with the introduction of the Shimano Curado DC reel. The DC stands for Digital Control, and without getting too technical, you basically cannot get a bird nest while casting. There is a plenty of other tech in the reel as well. This would be a very special gift for any larger lure casting enthusiast.

RODS

••••••••••••••••••••• Most rods these days are made to preform a specific task within a type of fishing. There is a reason that many anglers have a nest of rods in the house: each has its own task and is

a must-have.

Spin rods I will focus on graphite based rods, as they form a big part of the market these days. Yes, composite rods still have their place, as they can cope with knocks and abuse far better than a graphite rod. However, the power to weight ratio of graphite just can’t be beaten when you’re fishing for extended periods.

When it comes to spin rods, there is fantastic value for money and a broad range of fishing options available.

It is ABSOLUTELY amazing how much bang for your buck you can get.

Here are a few examples: • Samaki Zing Gen II – this series of rods has 18 models ranging from 5’4” to 9’0”.

They look fantastic, have quality components and are very well priced.

• Okuma Helios rods – the ideal match for the Helios spin reels, which I mentioned earlier. Helios rods are built using Toray CT40 blanks with Fuji components, and

would be a great present for that special angler in your life.

• Daiwa TD Hyper rods – these rods showcase what ‘light and tough’ is all about.

I tested the 701LXS earlier in the year and I am still amazed at the technology Daiwa has put into a $130 rod.

• Okuma Pressure Point rods – tailored more towards the heavier end of town. This new range of rods focuses on anglers looking to cast poppers, stickbaits and larger plastics for big bluewater beasties. Highly affordable rods for this type of fishing.

• Rapala Maxwell rods – these caught my eye at this year’s Australian Tackle Trade Show. This solid range of rods looks fantastic, and any angler would be happy to unwrap one on Christmas Day. Baitcast rods Most of the above ranges also have baitcast options, which are well worth looking at, but there are also a couple of others that I would like to mention.

• Dobyns Sierra rods are a new series available in 2018. They complement the Fury, Champion Extreme and Champion XP ranges already available. If you are looking at baitcast rods, you need to check these out.

• Bone rods – A range made up of 21 options, with the majority of them being baitcast. There are several series within the range, including the Voyage series of travel rods. They are some of the best travel rods I have seen.

• Live Fibre Venom – these rods are now well established amongst Murray cod and barramundi anglers. Speak to any angler casting big swimbaits and lures for these species, and they will know and recommend these rods.

Bluewater rods The Australian-made Wilson Live Fibre Game Series is one of the best new game rod ranges for 2018 – and the RLF46FRD model took out the Game Fishing category at the this year’s AFTA Tackle Trade Show.

It’s fully rollered, features premium components, and comes with an interchangeable bent butt.

Another new release worth checking out is the Shimano Tiagra Ultra series. These rods feature braid-friendly guides, and selected models have interchangeable butts.

Jigging rods Jigging, in particular micro-jigging, has really taken off in Australia.

Rapala Australia with their Storm Gomoku range set the standard, and they are now raising the bar even higher with the new 2018 release of the Gomoku Gen 2. The Belize, Azzura and Vanuatu rods come in light, medium and heavy sizes, with overhead and spin options.

LURES

••••••••••••••••••••• The lure styles and brands that anglers’ use are often just personal preference, or simply what people have read about in

ANO SHIM A TIAGR ULTRA

OKU M HELI A OS

E IBR F E LIV AME G F RL

GOMOKU GEN 2

OKUMA PRESSURE POINT

DECEMBER 2018

21

The magazines like this one.

Rupe Gaden and I have both written comprehensive reviews of species-specific lures, and these articles can also help you choose the right Christmas present.

You can read them at wp.fishingmonthly.com.au, and they cover bass, Murray cod, barramundi and trout.

If you’re looking at other species, there are plenty of lures hitting the shelves that will make great additions to anglers’ collections. Here are a few that have caught my eye.

Soft plastics The Halco Madeyes soft plastics are not a new offering, but are hugely popular along the West Coast of Australia. I tested a few of the range earlier in the year, and have since added them to my collection. An increasing number of East Coast anglers are now seeing the quality of the Paddle Prawn, Flick Stick and Flutter Shrimp ranges, and are adding them too.

The ZMan range of plastics is far too massive

for me to cover here. There is a reason why so many people love these plastics: they catch fish! The addition of the midnight oil colour provides an Australian flavour that I am sure will be on many shopping lists over the Christmas period.

Atomic soft plastics have been around for many years.

The name may have changed (they’re now called Plazos) but the lures sizes, shapes and options are up there with the best. You tend to get a few more packets of plastics for your hard earned as well.

Hardbodies – small Strike Pro lures are one of the original finesse baits to hit the lure fishing scene.

Anglers targeting bream, trout, redfin and the like swear by them. The Bass-X, Flatz Minnow and Slinky Minnow are favourites, and the options don’t stop there.

Rapala has released a couple of models this year just in time for Christmas.

The Jack Deep, Shadow Rap 07 and the Rip Stop have already proven themselves

on trout in our alpine lakes, and the Jack Deep in particular has kicked plenty of goals on Australian bass.

Zerek lures have become must-have in many anglers’ tackle boxes. There is a model and style to suit many types of fishing, with the Tango Shad being a standout.

Atomic Cranks, like the Atomic soft plastics range, is full of proven lures at great price points.

Many tournament anglers swear by the lures in the Cranks ranges.

Hardbodies – medium/large Halco is a brand synonymous with producing quality lures designed for Australian species.

There ranges cover the full spectrum of species, from bluewater to barramundi and our iconic native freshwater fish.

Rapala has always produced quality lures, and this was further enhanced a few years ago when they added Australian colours and fitted terminal tackle

suited to our fish. Rapala lures are always worth checking out.

Samaki is another brand that has taken the industry by storm in recent years.

Lures like the Pacemaker are standard fare for anglers targeting our bluewater species.

Home-grown lures Australian lure makers are an amazing group of very talented people. Just go to the Australian Lure Expo each year and you will be amazed at what is available. A number of these lure makers now have products available through select tackle stores.

Matt Fraser launched his Barambah Lures into the commercial sector recently.

His Manic Budgie and Bidjiwong 200 would make epic presents for any avid Murray cod angler.

Aaron Young, the designer of Kuttafurra Lures, is recognised as one of the best of the new wave of Australian lure makers.

From surface crawlers to

Perfect deep divers, his lures are first class and would look great hanging on your Christmas tree.

Spinnerbaits have a big place in the Australian fishing scene, and Raymond Parry from Obsession Spinnerbaits has strived to produce the best spinnerbaits and their variants for native fish.

Look out for them in your local tackle store.

LINE

••••••••••••••••••••• I hadn’t planned to write anything about the various lines available, and but then I realised that 2018 has seen the release of a number of high quality lines that would be a great present for an avid angler.

One of the new releases was Daiwa’s J-Braid Grand.

This Japanese-made, 8-strand PE line is superstrong and has excellent abrasion resistance. It’s set to be very popular amongst the followers of Daiwa products.

Sufix has also released two new braids that have tongues wagging. The first is Sufix 131 braid, which is a little bit different. A single GORE performance fibre is surrounded 12-carrier braided line, producing an incredibly abrasion resistant yet fine line. The second offering is the Sufix X8.

The X8 is a slightly lower price point than the 131 and is well positioned in the 8-carrier braid market.

Finally, I would like to add an Australian flavour to the line market. Platypus has been producing line since the late 1800s, and this company has always been at the forefront of innovation.

Their offering in the 8-carrier market is P8, and it’s accounting for a wide range of Aussie species.

TACKLE STORAGE

••••••••••••••••••••• Looking after your tackle, both on and off the water, is a big part of fishing. Being organised

RAPALA JACK DEEP

HALCO MADEYES

CO HAL D HAR ES I BOD

STRIKEPRO BASS-X ZEREK TANGO SHAD

ZMAN MIDNIGHT OIL

BARAMBAH BIDJIWONG 200

BARAMBAH MANIC BUDGIE 22

DECEMBER 2018

SAMAKI PACEMAKER

Guide means you have more time to actually fish.

Tackle bags have come a long way from the canvas backpack I owned as a kid.

Most tackle bags have multiple pockets, come with tackle trays and have holders for your pliers and other items. Many weigh next to nothing, and are designed to dry quickly. If only they were available when I was fishing the Murrumbidgee River!

Wilson Fishing won the Best Tackle Management category at this year’s AFTA show with their Platinum Tournament Bag. When it comes to complete tackle storage systems, it doesn’t get any better than this. The Tournament Bag has multiple pockets, eight waterproof tackle trays, a couple of handle options and a base designed to reduce water getting into your gear from below.

There is also a backpack option in the same series.

The Plano brand is regarded as having some

of the best tackle storage solutions available. The bags and other items come in a magnitude of sizes and configurations to suit every angling situation, so there’s something for everyone.

SUNGLASSES

••••••••••••••••••••• Quality eyewear is essential for every angler, and the options available have increased dramatically in recent years. The biggest mover and shaker has been the brand Costa, and this is a big win for Australian anglers. Costa spends a huge amount of time and effort in developing their lenses and giving back to the aquatic environment.

Their Untangled range frames are made from discarded fishing nets that otherwise would be drifting in the ocean and creating a hazard for marine life.

This is just one of many positives that the Costa brand offers.

Australia also has some quality producers of

sunglasses, with one of the best being Tonic Eyewear is one of these. Tonic introduced the Tango frame at this year’s Tackle Trade Show, providing anglers with a superior quality lens in a great looking frame.

WATERCRAFT

••••••••••••••••••••• I was going to call this section ‘kayaks’, but the introduction of SUPs (stand up paddleboards) into the fishing market means that a kayak isn’t the only option anymore.

Hobie kayaks and SUPs are some of the most sought-items at every boat show I go to. Hobie does a great job of showcasing what they offer. The last couple of years have seen them introduce a SUP with their Mirage Drive pedal system, and this year they released a new kayak, the Mirage Compass. A lower price point offering, with all of Hobie’s quality components, the Compass has been a hit at the shows

and is sure to be high up on people’s Christmas lists.

I also want to mention Australian made and manufactured kayak brand: Aquayak Kayaks. Based in Melbourne, they produce a great range of recreational and fishing kayaks. I have tested a number of them for the magazines and I’d be stoked if one of the kayaks found its way under my Christmas tree!

ESKIES AND COOLERS

••••••••••••••••••••• Is there anything more Australian than giving somebody an esky for Christmas? Even better if it is one that has every bell and whistle you could ask for.

This summer, I recommend looking out for Otterbox eskies and coolers in stores. We had a number of them delivered to our office and took them out and about with us. We had a chuckle when we read that they were ‘bear-proof’, but we certainly appreciated

how tough and durable they were, and how well they kept our drinks and food cold.

STOCKING FILLERS

••••••••••••••••••••• There is no shortage of smaller items that are practical for any angler. Here are a just few of the options out there.

The ultimate stocking filler is something that I haven’t seen before here in Australia. It’s called the Tackle Club. You just pay X amount per month and get a box of tackle delivered to your door. Pricing starts at $49.99 per month, and you get a minimum of $80 worth of tackle each month. You just tick the box related to which species you chase. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Other ideal stocking fillers are sun protection items, such as head socks and sun gloves, which make a perfect summer gift.

Fishing pliers, split ring pliers and scissors are other items that you just can’t have

enough of. It’s amazing how many of these find their way to the bottom of your local waterway! Something that really caught my eye this year is Samaki’s ceramic braid scissors. They may be a bit more expensive than others, but they stay sharp longer than any other offerings I have seen, and they won’t rust.

Something a little left of centre is packets of pre-rigs.

Species-specific rigs are available, you just tie them on and you are ready to fish.

There are plenty of brands out there that will do the job, but Black Magic and Mustad rigs are at the better end of what is available.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOOD SHOPPING TO YOU ALL I hope that these pages give a bit of an insight into what is available out there and what that special angler in your life may want for Christmas.

Don’t forget to support your local tackle store, and have a safe and Merry Christmas!

HOBIE COMPASS

OTTERBOX ICE BOX

DIAWA J-BRAID GRAND SAMAKI CERAMIC SCISSORS TONIC TANGO

SUFIX 131 BRAID

COSTA UNTANGLED

WILSON TOURNAMENT BAG

TACKLE CLUB DECEMBER 2018

23

South Coast

Start stocking up for the Christmas BBQ ESPERANCE

Jaimen Hudson

The festive season is upon us and the time to start stocking up the freezer with fresh fish for the Christmas barbecue is now! Whether you jump on a fishing charter, a mates boat or cast a line off the mainland, there are several locations sure to yield good results!

The summer weather is upon us as well, so spending a long day out on the water or standing on the beach with a rod in your hand as the pleasant sun beams down on you is a joy and not a task!

Out on the water, fishing between 40-70m on the granite we are getting red snapper, Queen snapper, breaksea cod and harlequin fish. We also encounter yellowtail kingfish and sambos.

If specifically targeting species like the red snapper and breaksea cod, you are sure to keep everyone at the

Pink snapper are a great addition to the Christmas BBQ. barbecue happy, as they taste delicious.

We commonly get pink snapper on the limestone at this time of year! Pink snapper is without a doubt my favourite fish.

Turning to the mainland, and the Taylor Street jetty is continuing to deliver squid to just about anyone keen to cast a $4 squid jig. I was down there at 9am recently and a gentleman reeled two

in while I waited for our cruise to depart. This is a good sign, as the regular hot time for squid is usually just on light in the morning or as the sun goes down in the evening.

They are also attracted to light during the evening, so if you get down under a lamp or have a head torch on this will help your chances.

If calamari isn’t your cup of tea then try using

a small hook with coral prawns as bait and some premixed berley to attract the smaller but still tasty species like herring, whiting and skippy.

If you have a 4x4 and are feeling a little more adventurous then Wylie Bay beach is worth a drive. It is a 25km stretch that ends up in the Cape Le Grand National Park. Along the way keep an eye out for gutters, as casting into these will be your best bet to get a catch.

A paternoster rig is a simple and effective beach set up. This is a sinker on the bottom, then approximately 50cm above the sinker a loop with a single hook, then about another 50cm another loop with either a single hook or gang hook. On the bottom hook I recommend squid bait, as it is tough and will stay on well. On the gang hook try salted pilchards.

These have been salted in a brine, which makes them much tougher and less likely to go mushy and fall off.

If you aren’t an experienced beach driver than keep an eye on a tide chart, as tackling this beach on low tide is the easiest way.

If you don’t have a 4x4, then the majority of beaches around the Esperance Tourist loop can be accessed by regular vehicles. Salmon Beach and Fourth Beach are good examples of this. Park in the carpark and then it is

just a short stroll down to the fishing area.

If you are wanting to try some freshwater land-based fishing, then Woody Lake is the place for you! Relatively close to the town centre it is teaming with bream!

• If you need any supplies or have any questions, pop in and say g’day at Esperance Diving and Fishing at 72 The Esplanade, Esperance.

Kingfish will be available in around 40-70m of water.

I’m dreaming of a white sandy Christmas BREMER BAY

Kurt Blanksby

The beach fishing scene is well and truly hotting up around Bremer, with lots of anglers moving into their favourite haunts for their holiday break. A good 4WD is pretty much a necessity, as many of the best spots are only reached along winding tracks through the scrub and then down into the soft white sand and along the beach.

Fosters and Reef beaches are two such spots that attract plenty of attention from anglers looking to spend some time soaking baits in the deeper gutters and holes. Medium to heavy surf fishing gear is the norm, and if you time a rising or high tide just after

dark you will no doubt find a few good fish.

Most anglers put out pilchards (mulies) on ganged hooks, and this will account for most species. However, a fillet of fresh squid or cuttlefish is dynamite bait, and has the advantage of staying on better in the turbulent surf, or during those times when pickers are a problem. Cast these baits out and anchor them down with a decent sinker and wait for the fish to arrive.

Most common species can be encountered, and even a few salmon can often be found sniffing about, despite the fact that most of their numbers are much further east towards Esperance. Big tailor are a regular catch, with fish around the 3-4kg size appearing, and they are often mistaken as a salmon until landed. Skippy or silver trevally are also up

there in bragging size; 3-4kg specimens also show up in the surf usually after dark.

Gummy sharks and mulloway are also encountered after dark, and both are a welcome catch from the surf.

Bigger sharks will also show up (mostly bronze whalers), and they are usually too big to land unless you are using heavy gear and wire trace.

The daylight hours are also very entertaining off these beaches with the everreliable herring, sand whiting and occasional salmon about to make flicking a bait or lure worthwhile.

Boat anglers are also in for some good fishing over the Christmas break, as the waters out from Bremer are not as hard hit as other areas.

Breaksea cod are a welcome catch from boats or the deeper rock ledges around Bremer Bay.

Mixed bags of red, pink and queen snapper, dhufish, breaksea cod, harlequin fish, samsonfish and yellowtail kingfish are common.

Most anglers still drop baits down, but the surge in demersal jigging has a keen following now, and more and more anglers are catching onto its success on these species. Closer in, King George and sand whiting as well as squid can contribute to a very rewarding trip out from Bremer.

Rock anglers are having to pick the conditions to safely fish. The strong winds associated with summer mean that many platforms will be too dangerous to risk fishing.

Look for the sheltered side of headlands and do the leg work to reach the safer platforms that will let you fish into the deeper water. Groper, dhufish,

pink and queen snapper, samsonfish and yellowtail kingfish will still turn up at this time of year from the stones.

Just remember that safety comes first. Find the sheltered ledges, never fish alone, always watch the ocean, wear a PFD and don’t walk on any wet rocks as a precaution. No fish is worth injuring or killing yourself for, and if in doubt just stay on the beach and enjoy the excellent fishing from a safe location.

• Are you a local angler who wants to share your fishing knowledge? We are looking for a regular writer to cover the Bremer Bay area in future issues.

No previous writing experience required, please contact Ian Sewell at ian@ fishingmonthly.com.au.

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South Coast

There will be top conditions for summer fishing ALBANY

Callum Dowell

The storms have been through and summer’s glassy conditions are upon us. Calm mornings with minimal swell have had boat ramp car parks half full most weekends. The southeasterly afternoon winds have been a blessing in disguise, as the anglers have come in close to bag out on squid.

Anglers out deep who have worked out the harsh spring currents have yielded big hauls of hapuka, pink and queen snapper, and nannygai.

Nannygai congregate in huge numbers, as Ben and Henry Harriss recently found out.

They scored some donkey nannies in 70m of water.

Fresh fish has been the best reported bait, and this is easily accessible from the Emu Point Marina concrete jetty an hour after dark. A small float attached to 30cm of line and a small bait will eliminate a lot of by-catch, and make sure you bring some berley along if they are not there initially.

The plan would be to use them fresh, so catching

This Jackson Lures Ebi Panic was life-like enough to fool a wily old black bream. your bait the night before is a great option. Just be aware of the juvenile salmon that look like herring. It’s easily mistaken to the untrained eye and can land you a fine if you keep a salmon under 30cm.

If weekends are the only option and it’s looking borderline on heading out, give the mussel farm a go in Oyster Harbour. Its popularity has diminished in recent years, as a lot of people don’t know that it’s a very seasonal area. This time of year big schools of skippy move into the underwater structure. You’re also in with a chance at a school size pink snapper, and small

hammerhead sharks have also been known to move in. With a depth varying from 3-10m, sometimes you have to move around to find where the bait is.

Skippy are known for their fighting abilities, so bumping up the fluorocarbon leaders to 12lb should be enough to knock over a standard 40cm fish.

A floating dead bait out the back can yield results if a small shark is lurking around. You shouldn’t have any issues putting together a mixed bag of fish!

Expect the bream to start becoming hit and miss during their spawning

patterns. All winter they have fed, and the spawn is hard yakker for the fish as they scrap between themselves, and are often left dinged up. Once recovered, we should start to see some activity on the local flats around the region.

It’s the time of year you can start to get creative with your presentations. One technique that has proved its worth is a deep diving hardbody in shallow water.

Slowly winding the lure as it digs into the sand will capture the attention of some big bream. As a local gun angler once told me, ‘no mud no thud’!

If you’re a crack of dawn angler you cannot go past fishing surface lures at dawn.

It’s a great way to wake up as Steven Morrison and I

rediscovered on a recent trip into the bush.

Crabs and prawns in our local harbours are on the horizon. Slinking around the warm shallows on a balmy summer’s evening scooping up a big Sunday feed is incredibly satisfying.

There must be some caution addressed before you take the kids out in knee depth water scooping. The abundance of cobbler is worrying when little feet are stomping around the weed lines. People react differently to their poison,

but after hearing a tale of my great grandfather’s 48-hour horror after being stung, I make sure that I always have good quality waders.

Cobbler are fantastic to eat, just make sure if you have never cleaned them before you seek advice first. Their multiple venomous spines covering their head will still affect you even when they’re dead.

I hope you can all get out and enjoy what our amazing coastline can offer during one of our best months of the year!

School size pink snapper come into Oyster Harbour during December and are great fun on light gear.

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recfishwest

MAKE YOUR DREA Chasing future for crabs MAKE YOUR DREA A REALITY A REALITY

Recreational fishing surveys since 2011 have consistently shown blue swimmer crabs are far and away the most caught species by fishers around Western Australia.

A discussion paper released by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) on 25 October has called into question the suitability of current management arrangements for blue swimmer crabs on the lower west coast and highlighted an urgent need to better protect breeding stocks.

The discussion paper highlights a particular concern about the current level of protection provided to mated, pre-spawn female crabs which become highly vulnerable to capture in late autumn, winter and spring. Recfishwest has voiced concerns about the level of protection provided to mated pre-spawn crabs for over a decade.

DPIRD’s discussion paper has considered the following five options for better protecting crab breeding stocks on the lower west coast: 1. Male-only fishery 2. Increase in the Minimum Legal Size (MLS) 3. Reducing fishing effort for all sectors when female crabs are vulnerable to capture 4. Patchwork closures for where female crabs aggregate

Blue swimmers are the most targeted and caught species in WA. caught species in WA by rec fishers, so it’s important to balance protection of the stock with great community fishing experiences with access to highv abundances of crabs.”

In weighing up the options, the Department has identified broad scale seasonal closures (May to Nov) as the most balanced option to achieve the desired objective.

Recfishwest developed an online survey asking people how they want their crab fisheries managed and protected into the future and we will continue to represent the communities’ views about how they want this important public resource managed.

Given that these fisheries account for around 90% of the state’s recreational crab catch, it was important for people to

commercial barra netting for King Sound South.

Recfishwest, the local community, WAFIC (Western Australian Fishing Industry Council) and the local commercial barramundi licence holder have worked together to present this package to Government, which resolves conflict between the recreational and commercial fishing sectors.

The issue was not one of sustainability, but rather how the sustainable catch close to town was shared.

High abundance of barramundi close to the town of Derby is critical for ensuring high value fishing experiences for this iconic Kimberley species.

In an effort to find an outcome that best meets the needs and aspirations of recreational and commercial interests, Recfishwest and WAFIC conducted a formal mediation process involving community representatives and the commercial fisher in February of this year.

In May, as an outcome of this mediation, Recfishwest and WAFIC finalised a joint proposal to the Minister for Fisheries that proposed a set of agreed principles, which included spatial separation between commercial and recreational fishing sectors as a suitable solution.

An important part of this proposal was that the agreed set of principles would be used for determining compensation for any loss incurred by the commercial licence holder, based on historic catch efforts.

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland praised all parties involved in negotiating this outcome. “Today we are pleased to announce that this matter has been resolved in a manner that satisfied all parties, with the use of compensatory funding from the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund,” Dr Rowland said.

This decision sets a precedent for the representational arms of WAFIC and Recfishwest to work with government towards agreed solutions for resource sharing issues.

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5. Broad-scale area closures when females are more vulnerable to capture Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said attention is being focussed across the entire lower west coast crab resource to ensure all areas of breeding stock vulnerability are addressed and this includes all estuaries and ocean fishing for crabs from Perth to Geographe Bay. “Our priority here are the crabs and looking after important breeding stock,” Dr Rowland said. “Blue swimmer crabs are the most

Ability to finance accessories Ability to finance accessorie and approved insurances

have their say. We’ll keep you updated with the results and outcomes of this review.

See the discussion paper summary here: http://www. fish.wa.gov.au/Documents/ other/public_comment/ fmp288-summary.pdf.

SOLUTION FOR DERBY BARRAMUNDI RESOURCE SHARING We welcome the announcement from Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly, providing improved recreational fishing opportunities off the Derby coast, after the Minister approved the removal of

and approved insurances

Simple and Simple and convenient convenient

Available to your local Available to your local Yamaha Dealer Yamaha DealerDECEMBER 2018

27

West Coast E TS ILBA

Plenty of settled conditions and steady bites 1 9 YRUBNUB 67 S DEH

day is probably not advisable, as boats and vehicles are sometimes quite active there.

Whenever fishing at the As the season progresses marina for the usual bread we have seen a change and butter species I have found that any type of berley neefrom b sathe h ecold nirawet msweather tropS 6791 ecniS to the warmer sunny containing pollard and fish oil a htperiods. iw eneAlthough cs gnitaitobhasnailartsuA tseW eht gnicivres will soon bring herring and been punctuated with the .ecivres pohskrow taerg dna seirossecca ,staob ytilauq fo egnar edskippy iw around. As always, a odd day or so of violent little bit often will pay greater storms, everyone you speak dividends than bombing a heap with agrees a corner has in all at once. A steady slick of been turned. tasty goodness will stimulate As the warming rays of the the interest of many species sun imperceptibly increased from much further distances the water temperature in the than an isolated bomb.

Blackwood River, the effect on Jetty fishing is another the black bream and yellowfin popular method in the hours yb detset sA whiting has been significantly early morning and evening ylhtnoM gnihsiF AW more obvious. Both species when you are looking for ways have become much more to keep the kids occupied with 57aggressive 7,89$ weover n llAthe last few tfarcesiurC 063 hsiF 799,57$ wen llA gnisomething K emaG emore mertxconstructive E 506 weeks and captures have been than levelling up on taob ssalg/f taerg sailartsua morf elosnoc ertnec exuled wen llA repiw neercsdniW • leek gnidoolF • roolf etalprekcehc delaeS more impressive than during Candy Crush. hsawkced • pot/t • raeg ytefas erohsffO • sredliub reliart decnecil mednaT • raeg ytefas erohsffO • fhV • hsawkceD the winter months.

Augusta is lucky enough reliart msettled ednat exuleD • ekorts 4 ahamaY ph051 ekorseveral ts 4 ahampublic aY ph031jetties The more to have conditions have resulted in that provide a safe place to impressive captures of hapuku, take the kids, and with a little Glenn Barber shows the spoils of deep nannygai and dhufish with the perseverance they will provide dropping off Augusta with a brace of eightever-present harlequin and a mixed bag of whiting, bar cod and some nice nannygai. queen snapper greeting those skippy, tailor and tarwhine on who fish shallower depths. a regular basis.

One of the more but some nice sized King The service wharf at the At this time of the year the popular places for safe and George whiting have been southern end of the marina Ellis Street jetty and Old Town productive fishing has been showing up from the area is another spot that can be jetty are alive with assorted the inner rock wall at the in front of the finger jetties; surprisingly productive during baitfish that are attracted by Augusta Marina. Not only which is also the domain the early evening and into the excellent lighting. The have there been plenty of of the occasional meal- the night. As it is a working marauding schools of tailor wharf, fishing there during the are generally only 20-30m wskippy, en lla 9herring 99,23$and ylntarwhine, o ta won evaSsized 0flathead.

561 XF nosraL fromnothe 5 78,36$ wen llA isiVjetty yajaand eS 0you 95 can seldnaH • taob elyts ssab taerG • detropmi ylluf ssalg/f emosewA hear and see them harassing m o o r k c e d f o s e s s a M • p a r w e u l b g n i n n u t S • p o t e e t g n i d loF edurnivE ph09 • raeg ytefaS • inimiB • oeretS • llew retaw hguor the baitfish, earning them their ekorts 4 ahamaY ph031 • reliart mednaT • raeg ytefas erohsffO reliart decneciL nickname of ‘choppers’.

Try using small chrome or hardbodied lures cast out into the dark and quickly retrieved near the surface and you will find out if they are there pretty quickly. This will also be effective on the ever-present herring as well and often result in a busy little session.

The Turner Street jetty near Colourpatch is also a good place to try for herring and King George whiting with 999,51$ raelc ot yalpsid xE reearly siurcymorning aB egavand aS 5an 14 hour 999,12$ wen llA resiurcyaB egavaS 534 reliart decneciL • tlit & miror T • so tratbefore S .tcele edark durnivbeing e ph03 best. raeg ytefaS • reliart decneciL • tlit & mirT • trats tcele edurnive ph04 yGlass tnarraw shrimps, wen llA • rariver eg ytefprawns aS and sand worms are the best baits. Don’t forget to use a bit of berley frequently.

The Caravan Park Bream Competition was held recently and the size and numbers of fish recorded is a good indicator that now is the ft a r c Poly you time to be having a crack at s e wish rry trying for a PB. a Me AUGUSTA

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If you have access to a boat or kayak then the Blackwood River beckons, with ample opportunity to try from Molloy Island to Alexandra Bridge.

Put in at the end of Fisher Road or at Alexandra Bridge camp grounds and work the numerous snags on both sides of the river. You need to get in amongst the timber, so be prepared to lose rigs not only from snagging but also from some of the bigger bream in the 40cm range who are experts at throwing a hook.

Many fish are caught on river prawns when they are available (and not banned due yb detspot set sA to white disease affecting ylhtnoM gnihsiF AW

thing to do, how many times have we tripped, fallen, forgotten sunscreen or even a drink of water when traipsing around the coast?

In Augusta some of the best rock fishing locations such as Elephant Rock, Cosy Corner, Knobbies Point and Skippy Rock are easy to access but present some of the biggest dangers to the unprepared or blasé.

Wear appropriate footwear, a lifejacket and if possible tie off to a secure location such as the stainless rings installed at Skippy Rock.

Make yourself familiar with the location of the life rings

999,63$ wen lla..ekorts 4 ahamaY ph06 htiW yajaeS 0.5 005,93$ wen lla..rednuos & ekorts 4 ph07 htiW etaM hguoT taes deddap/xob ecI • knat leuf L 08 • roolf etalp rekcehc delaes llA egakcap raeg ytefaS • reliart decneciL

057,99$ wen lla/taob poT

najorT yajaeS 036

hsawkceD • roolf etalprekcehc/kced delaeS • potdrah hguot giB raeg ytefas erohsffO • yrettab lauD • reliart mednat yollA ekorts 4 ahamaY ph051

Young Leo wrangled this feisty herring when fishing with his dad off the Turner Street jetty at Colourpatch.

our friends in the eastern (Angel Rings) and whenever states) but also the ever- possible, avoid fishing alone. changing soft and hardbodied Although the dangers are lures that fall in and out of always not far away, as long favour with the fish. Drop into as you keep an active look out Augusta X-treme Outdoor you will be able to fish safely Sports to find out which ones and take advantage of the are currently hot! kingfish and samsonfish at this There is no such thing as time of the year. Live herring en lla 999safe ,34rock $ ylnfishing o ta wonor evsquid aS 0are 581exceptional XF nosraLbaits aw completely location ni gnidin ir tWestern naillirB • tAustralia, uo tif exuleD • from ssalg/f dthe etroprocks, mi ylluf ewith mosewslide A as the nature cet eof ph0fishing 51 • raegfrom ytefaS •baiting inimiB •oroeballooning retS • retaw the hguomost r rocks dictates that there will effective techniques. reliart decneciL always be something that Large skippy can also be can hurt you. King waves found in the same area and are what first that comes to are especially fond of small mind, however, throw snakes, squid heads or slices of squid dehydration and sunburn body presented on a 2/0 circle into the mix and you have a or suicide hook. Spend a bit cocktail of things to harm you. of time creating an oil slick Danger mitigation is all with a good quality berley about prior preparation and such as tuna or shark oil and although it seems a simple you will find that a plethora of species will be attracted to your location.

• If you are fishing from the rocks at any time of the year it is important to take advantage of the free lifejackets available from Augusta X-treme Outdoor Sports. It is also the best place to obtain a mud map and list of locations where they are currently biting. The locations mentioned are all well-known and are marked on most vehicle GPS units, 75 especially if they have HEMA maps or a list of locations can be obtained from the local tackle store, Augusta X-Treme Alexandra Bridge on a spring afternoon is a popular area for targeting large black bream.

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Likely catches for landlubbers BUNBURY

Grant Teede

The Bunbury area has been fishing quite well, and land-based anglers have been reporting some excellent captures.

Finer weather has made for some ripping flats fishing in the estuary, with the water being super clean and crystal clear. Chasing the yellowfin whiting is still all the rage, with baits and lures working extremely well. If you’re going to stick to bait, then bloodworms on a no. 6 long shank hook is the go. Just remember that even though the whiting love the bait, so do the blowfish! If the blowies are too dominant, switching

to a lure will help target the whiting specifically and greatly reduce your blowie by-catch.

The estuary has also been producing some exceptional tailor sessions on the inside of The Cut, and casting small metal lures is definitely proving to be the more effective method.

The crabbing has been getting better and better in recent weeks, and good numbers can be found outside in the harbour and just inside The Cut. The crabs move in fast at this time of the year, so don’t be afraid to have a walk in the estuary with a scoop net. Just on dark or early mornings are always best.

The warmer weather also means great things for our river bream fishery, and the

main event is definitely the surface action! Fishing for bream on topwater has to be my most favourite techniques to target them, and the OSP Bent Minnow and Bassday Sugapen are my go-to lures.

Fishing the shallow banks at first light should see some unbelievable adrenalin pumping action and surface boils to drop your jaw.

The local beaches have also been steadily producing.

Belvidere and Buffalo beaches have produced great numbers of tailor, although none of those northern monsters have shown up, just plenty of numbers.

Further north towards Binningup and Myalup, we have had a couple of reports of metre plus mulloway. Fishing for the

mulloway can be very time consuming and patience does eventually pay off.

Setting a live bait in a gutter or near a small patch of reef just after dark will give you the best chance.

Bunbury Back Beach and Dayellup Beach have been producing some good herring, and constant berley is the key to attracting them to you and keeping them feeding.

Small amounts at a time will also ensure you’re not over feeding the fish and leaving them uninterested in the baits your presenting.

With the demersal ban almost coming to an end, boaties will be eager to get out to the favourite spots. Our local fishing club in Bunbury will run an epic competition for the second time with some

Nathan Hutchinson nailed this solid tailor on a local beach. fish having $1000 hanging over their heads!

• If you have any questions about something you have read or just want to have a chat, duck into Whiteys

Tackle and Camping at 1/143 Grand Entrance, Treendale, Australind. One of the staff or Whitey himself will be happy to help get you on the right path to that next trophy fish.

Southern summer sessions BUSSELTON

Stephen Norman

It took its sweet time, but the warm weather is finally upon us! Anglers have rejoiced by getting stuck into a plethora of species from the boat and the beach.

Whiting catches have been on fire over the past month or so, with many boat and land-based anglers managing to get a tasty feed of these prized table fish.

Anglers from the shore have seen no shortage of yellowfin whiting moving in large schools close to shore on the warmer days all along the Geographe Bay waterfront. They have been taking a liking to fresh prawn and bloodworms, lightlyweighted and presented on small a long shank hook.

Small diving minnows and poppers (no larger than 50mm) have also been effective, but the humble bait option seems to be the most productive offering.

To the delight of anglers fishing from a boat, King George whiting have become more prolific over the last month. Anglers hopping from sand hole to sand hole have been picking up a feed without hassle. Depths as shallow as 5m have been holding fish while anglers

scouting around the 14-15m mark have also had success.

Squid, while not in huge numbers, have remained consistent from the Busselton Jetty, with evenings fishing the best. Large samsonfish have been in big numbers around the jetty, bullying the resident squid and stretching the arms of anglers in search of a challenge. Catch yourself a fresh squid, stick a big hook in it on a 200lb handline and throw it back to where it came from, it’s that simple.

Tailor catches from Injidup, Willyabrup and Moses Rock have been steady, with fish averaging 45-50cm.

Mulies and fresh whiting have been the picks for bait, and fishing late into the night rather than just sunset has yielded the best results.

UPCOMING With the all-important demersal ban lifting on 15 December, anglers have been chafing at the bit to get back into these sought-after species.

Solid numbers of dhufish and snapper have been found throughout the outer reaches of Geographe Bay and north of Cape Naturalist. Slow pitch jigging with slow fall metal jigs is a deadly method for all demersal species. Colours and sizes vary immensely, but we find that 150-180g jigs are the most effective for fishing 30-50m of water.

Come in and see us at

2 Oceans Tackle Busselton for a full run down on everything you need to know about jigging.

Alternatively, if you’re looking to spice up your standard 2-hook bait rig, try doing away with one of your baits and replacing it with a soft plastic. Large curl-tail plastics are perfect for this, as they create plenty of natural action with little help needed from the angler and they will attract the attention of all demersal fish, even when your bait has been stolen.

With demersal numbers looking consistent, a great

alternative to your bag is to chase yellowtail kingfish.

These fish are prolific right along our coastline at this time of year, especially on the outer reefs. Casting poppers and stickbaits around shallow reef and large bommies can produce some exciting topwater action.

Some of our favourite artillery to use on topwater Kingfish is the Shimano Coltsniper 140mm stickbaits, Halco Roosta Poppers and Nomad Chug-Norris poppers. While fish around the 6kg mark are more common, fish upwards of 20kg are never far away and with the looming presence of

Even smaller rat kingfish are a handful on light gear, and this one fell to a Halco Roosta Popper.

Big samsonfish are a common by-catch when demersal fishing, but to tangle with one on topwater is a whole other experience! big samsonfish, things can get hectic! Try areas such as South West Bank, Wrights Bank and Naturaliste Reef.

Closer to home, whiting numbers will remain consistent all throughout December and into the new year, so this is a great way to get the kids started. Simple lightweight running sinker rigs are most effective. Yellowfin whiting can be found along almost the entirety of Geographe Bay’s beach front, but any sand flat areas will be your best option, as whiting love cruising the shallow warm waters this time of year. Try Wonnerup beach, Toby’s inlet and Dunsbrough town beach.

We’re having a bumper season on the crabs this summer with both shore-based and boat anglers often managing their quota. Dropping a line of nets from the boat in 2-5m of water makes getting a feed of crabs

and easy option. Walking the shallows in the evening and after dark with a scoop is also a productive way to gather a feed of crabs. Remember to always check for female crabs carrying eggs, as these must be released, and please ensure your catches measure over the 127mm minimum carapace width.

Crayfish have been a little hit and miss for anglers choosing to drop pots. Inshore areas around Kilcarnup and Gnarabup have been hotspots for those dropping pots and diving.

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Festive fun in fresh and salt MANDURAH

Jesse Choy

Mandurah has been busy month during November.

As the warmer weather has become more constant, so too have fish captures.

to capture, as they head into the deeper water seeking cooler temperatures.

A great way to enhance your odds at securing a memorable catch during this warmer weather is to fish the peak times. First and last light are the best times to try your

Boat anglers are seeing good numbers of squid being captured from the small weed banks quite close to the Mandurah shoreline.

Good spots to try are around the inner reefs, particularly with natural patterned jigs.

Samsonfish continue to

will greatly enhance your odds at putting one into the net.

Faster moving water seems to be a trend when targeting ghosts, but they often show up when and where you are least expecting them. Whether it be right up the Murray, Serpentine or off one of the ocean rock walls, a line in the water is certainly a good start.

Going forward, it really is the prime time to be fishing for blue swimmer crabs and whiting since the water has warmed up considerably.

Contrary to the fresh, our estuary really begins to fire up with this change, as both of these species frequent the flats in the Peel-Harvey Estuary.

Flats are not the only option, but they certainly are prime

Warmer water means it is easier to get stuck into some of the bigger bream that live in the Murray and Serpentine. is popular for the boat and kayak fishers.

If you are going to be fishing around the area, remember that the heat is good for the fish but not necessarily you. Remember

Heading into January, boat anglers should well and truly have started up their engines for their dose of demersal fun on the dhufish and pink snapper. The lifting of the ban means anglers can target and

Jonah holding up his first sizeable rainbow from his little sit on top kayak.

Out on the freshwater surrounding Mandurah, some of the kayak anglers have been having great success on the trout and redfin perch. When you are out targeting these fish on the dams, whether it be from land or kayak, it is proving advantageous to fish on a windblown bank.

Wind blown banks provide cover for the fish and help loosen their inhibitions.

Surface disturbance means that these fish find it a little bit harder to focus on your presentation, which ultimately encourages more bites. Not only are windblown banks

luck in most cases, but the saying still stands that a line is better in the water than not.

Not only are these times peak feeding times, but they mark a change in ambient and water temperatures, which results in more active fish.

Some great places to fish try your luck before the going gets hard are the Waroona and Harvey dams. Not only do they make for great camping away from the busy streets, but they also provide excellent fishing and deep water. Deep water is going to increase your chances when chasing these fish through

keep the local thrill seekers entertained, with jigs being the weapon of choice when it comes to targeting these speed demons. Jigs are great, not only because they are effective, but also because they can be worked a multitude of ways for many different species. Metal jigs are such an effective way of fishing for the hard-fighting samsons, as they are quick to sink through the water column, can be worked quickly to cover more ground and best of all they provide an action that triggers these fish as well as many others into feeding.

Setting up camp at the dams is a fun way to spend a night. You can pull your kayak up after fishing, have a feed and some drinks before getting out of bed to do it all again with your mates! hunting grounds. The weeds around the estuary, which are quite abundant, offer the fish and crabs a tool to ambush, as well as a way to be sheltered from the bigger fish and birds overhead. As the fish and crabs come up onto the flats, they are quite active, providing endless fun to all types of people who enjoy Mandurah and the beautiful estuary we have. Scooping for crabs is a great way of catching a feed of these tasty crustaceans and dropping nets

your typical day out gear, but don’t neglect extra water and sun protection, as you might just get that into the fish that you also end up burnt or worse.

Remember too that during December it is a peak time for boat traffic. The waters in general will be a lot busier around this time of the year, so being extra cautious and in a preventative mindset will ensure that you get to have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

keep their catch provided they stay within the rules. Whiting and crabbing will continue to provide fun as well as full stomachs and the river systems should really start to produce some great size bream and even giant herring.

Always remember your bag limits when heading into Mandurah chasing these species as well as any other, as time has shown many times before, if you do not look after the ocean then the ocean will not look after you.

Big trevally are available for anglers dropping knife jigs off Mandurah. beneficial for this, but they are always a great spot to prospect, as the bait can often get pushed in to the edges that are directly in the wind, making easy pickings for predators.

With the insect activity increasing in the warmer weather, if you really want to enhance your odds of being successful out on the fresh, it is best to give it a crack before we head into the New Year. Typically, during consecutive warmer months, you will find that the fish become much more difficult 32

DECEMBER 2018

the warmer months, as it grants you the ability to troll deeper divers and also work heavy structures with plastics for some of the bigger fish.

There is no shortage of submerged trees and rock structures that provide good cover for smaller prey and great hunting grounds for predators.

Offshore anglers are still prohibited from targeting demersal finfish until 15 December, which means people are forced to do some other types of fishing during this time.

When it comes to things to do on the water in December, there is really is no shortage of options right here in Mandurah itself.

Mulloway fishing has picked up considerably, with land-based captures popping up more frequently as anglers set lines out patiently and wait in the warmer weather.

Fresh baits are key if you want to increase your odds at capturing a silver ghost.

Where you can, collecting a few herring, whiting, squid and or mullet ahead of a session chasing mulloway

The mulloway are really starting to heat up. This one took a liking to fresh mullet pinned by a 5/0 and a small running ball sinker.

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West Coast

The seasons are a-changin’ LANCELIN

Peter Fullarton

December heralds a few changes in the fishing season. It is when the warming water begins to make some species more active and new arrivals travel down from our north on the warmer currents.

Over winter, most of the larger blue swimmer crabs move to deeper water and hibernate, but as the water warms and they become active, some can be caught in the shallows of Lancelin Bay. The abundance varies from year to year, but it is always worth a test run with a few drop nets from December to May to see just how many are in the bay. You don’t always get a lot, but the quality of the meat is usually superb in comparison to estuarine caught crabs. Drop netting from the jetty or along the shoreline of the bay where the weed meets the sand is the most productive area.

When the demersal ban ends on 15 December, warmer water means we can expect some good numbers of the semi-tropical baldchin groper to be caught. They are caught throughout the year in deeper waters, but they become reliable to target in waters as shallow as 24m over the summer months.

Look for rubble, coral or reef bottom. You can anchor and berley for them or drift over the right type of bottom, but keep in mind that there is generally only one large male to a group of smaller female fish and perhaps a few smaller subordinate males. So if you get the big one, it is worth moving location.

Use a good size hook of 7/0 or larger to try avoid hooking smaller specimens.

Even from relatively shallow water baldchin have an abysmal survival rate after release. They suffer severe barotrauma in depths greater than 15m. Legal size is 40cm and you really should keep all legal fish, because of the poor survival rates, and you should stop fishing once you reach your bag limit or feel you have enough.

Fishing the same type of bottom you are also likely to encounter some

Flathead and flounder will be more active in the shallow areas of the bay and off some of the beaches, especially on warm days when the shallow water heats up from the sun.

One of the most exciting prospects about the warm water is the pelagic species it brings with it.

February to April is when the season climaxes. They are most actively feeding when water temperatures should be around 23-24°C, although any water over 21°C and you are in with

Scott McDonald has been getting into the southern bluefin tuna by sight casting soft plastics to the schools. pink snapper, which also have been turning up on the inshore reefs after dark.

Dhufish normally prefer heavier ground, and with the white cray run on they head out after dark looking for some white walkers, so fishing from dusk and into the evening can be most productive as this is when the dhufish start to move out from their ledges.

a chance for a Spanish or shark mackerel. Schools of southern bluefin tuna have been around for a while, with some regular captures caught in recent time casting soft plastics and metals to schools. During December we would hope to start to see some longtail, striped and yellowfin tuna all turning up as the water continues to warm.

Well offshore, samsonfish are schooled up in breeding aggregations, although a few big ones can still be encountered around the inshore hot spots like the jetty, and there have been schools of small fish around 3-4kg on some of the inshore lumps.

For some classic summer fishing, think tailor! What better way than to spend a warm summer sunset or sunrise than casting pilchards into the surf as they get smashed every cast as soon as they hit the water. Tailor can provide a good chance of a hectic ‘fish a cast’ session over the summer months, and recently they have been going off, with plenty of fish above 50cm caught, with some to 80cm!

At the end of one of these hectic sessions is a good time to look for a mulloway or shark. They can be attracted to the frenzy of activity and scraps of bait, so it is well worth getting a smaller whole or live tailor out just behind the wave break before heading home. The mulloway have been showing up regularly in catches from the beach.

People who have been putting in the hard work to sort out a pattern as to when and where to find them have been getting the best results.

They don’t normally come easy and there is usually some hard work and long hours spent chasing them, but this is what makes them so special when you finally crack one.

There have been plenty of school whiting caught up to 25cm along the 20m isobath. During summer, bigger school whiting can be difficult to find along

Mitchell Palmer wrestled in this solid samsonfish, which is a sensational catch on a popper off the jetty. the beaches, with plagues of smaller fish taking baits.

Fishing early morning before the full sun hits the water you will find more of the bigger fish bitting.

There is also the possibility of some large yellowfin whiting. They are often caught in the shallow gutters of the beaches at the edge of the stirred up sand.

The northern beaches have produced fish to 40cm, and smaller specimens are also caught at the north point of Lancelin Bay and at times schools can be found along the shallows within the bay.

Use polarized sunglasses with the morning sun behind you and look for the giveaway flashes from their silver sides. Use a light running sinker and a no. 6 hook on a short leader to a prawn bait. Stealth will help, as the fish can spook easily in the shallow water. Using light line helps get a light sinker out that won’t make a big splash and spook them.

It has been a great year for King George whiting within the bay, and plenty of fish have been caught from the jetty and by dinghy

fishers around the sand holes and rubble areas. It is still worth a try now, but as summer progresses they will become harder to find in the shallows.

Quite a few small whaler sharks have also been coming from the beaches, and those using berley are catching the majority of them around dusk or after dark. They are being caught from most of the open beaches with clean water. They don’t like to come into the sandy, stirred up gutters. Places like Didie Bay or Horseshoe, Taylor and Fence reefs are where they have been caught.

Offshore, the concentration of boats has attracted sharks around the areas where there are lots of lobster pots, as they feed on the scraps of discarded bait.

The white lobsters have been providing a bounty for the pot fishers along the white cray bank, as they move further out, and you can keep moving your pots along with them. Talk to other fishers on the beach while launching and retrieving to get an idea on what depths they are currently being found.

December delights deliver JURIEN BAY

Jason Harris

The start of summer has seen all the usual catches with best reports coming from sessions in the afternoon and evening.

School mackerel have been sighted in the bay, and a couple have been caught from the jetty on mulies. Reports of goodsized squid are being caught from the jetty, with the green and yellow squid jigs working best. Plenty of

There have been some great squid taken from the jetty. This is a fantastic way to kill a few hours in beautiful weather.

34

DECEMBER 2018

herring around, with larger whiting, skippy and the occasional tailor making up the numbers.

Fishing the jetty at night has also been productive with reports of gummy sharks coming in.

They are being caught on whole squid or whole fish, such as herring. Make sure when you start, to get a good berley trail going that includes some pilchard or tuna oil, as well as chopped up fish like mulies.

The beaches are producing good size tailor, whiting and mulloway. The best of the beach fishing has been south of town towards Hill River – the tailor and mulloway fishing has been good down there.

Mulies or poddy mullet on gangs are catching the tailor, and the mulloway are taking mulies, as well

as fish flesh baits.

Good numbers of herring and some whiting are being caught off the beaches. The whiting have been taken on worms, while the herring are after prawn or squid. Make sure you fill up a berley cage or float for the herring, and it will also help bring the whiting in. The best times to fish the beach have been late afternoon and into the night.

The marina has finally recovered from the fish kill of several months ago. The dead seaweed has flushed out and the water is clear again. Herring are already being caught in there and expect the crabs to start moving back in soon too.

Make sure you use plenty of berley, with squid or peeled prawns as bait.

The demersal closure

Cooper caught this samsonfish on a piece of fresh bonito while bottom fishing. is still in effect until the 15 December, so most fishers have been staying in the bay. Inside they have concentrated on crays, whiting and skippy. There has been a good run of reds in the bay, with plenty of crays at Pumpkin Hollow, behind Favourite Island and Wire Reef.

Sand whiting are being caught in the sand patches and behind Favourite

Island.

They have been caught drifting or anchoring. If you can set up a drift along a good patch of sand you will usually find some. If you hit a good patch it might be worth anchoring. Best bait is ox heart, but squid and prawns also work.

Out at Sandy Cape they have been catching skippy in the afternoon on squid and prawns.

West Coast

All set for a solid summer of land-based fishing GERALDTON

Graham Maunder & Michael Triantopoulos

This summer’s land-based fishing has started strongly, with most of the regular spots north and south of Geraldton holding good quantities of bread and butter species as well as species usually found a lot further north.

BEACHES Flat Rocks, Clinches, the back of the S Bend and Lucies Beach (although a bit of a challenge at this time of the year due to the seasonal southerly winds and weed movement) has enough beach channels and reefs to hold numbers of tailor, mulloway, whiting and herring.

Reports of tailor around 35-60cm and school-sized mulloway around 50cm70cm have been reasonably consistent, with a few fish over that metre mark being caught by the locals.

Pilchards are the most common bait, but fresh striped sea pike or mullet fillet seem to catch the larger fish. The beaches from Westbank, Cape Burney to Tarcoola are having the same weed issues, but with the southerly currents pushing strongly at the moment

Jack Baker with a yellowfin tuna caught trolling at the Abrolhos Islands. fish being caught, but the kids still generally don’t mind what they catch and the boardwalks and jetties provide a safe and easy area to improve their fishing and conservation skills.

Drummonds Cove, approximately 10km north of Geraldton has an external reef system, internal shallow bays, sea grass beds and an unusually wide range of fish species all year round. Even

For us to catch them in our home waters, while using standard whiting or tailor tackle, has been extremely exciting. The common rig used by most consists of ganged hooks matched to the size of pilchard (1/04/0), a star sinker (2-4oz), 3-way crane swivel and a 50lb-60lb leader. A long 10-12’ surf rod matched to a suitable size reel (around 4500-5000) with 30lb-

In town behind Seal Rock anglers have been anchoring of an evening and berleying up with cut up or squashed pilchards, resulting in some very nice mulloway, and they have been around the 10-20kg mark. There has also been large numbers of striped sea pike, tailor and even the occasional snapper, which due to the ban must be released. Lightly-weighted pilchards and fresh striped sea pike fillets have produced most of these fish.

Pages Beach to Separation Point over the sea grass beds has still been producing squid, herring, striped sea pike, skippy and the occasional school mackerel. Using berley for these species seems to be the most productive way to keep the fish active and attracted to you. Samsonfish often patrol these areas as well, which makes things very interesting and often they are a challenge to land on light tackle.

The north side of the Marina Boat entry is a good place for anchoring and berleying amongst the sea grass and sand holes for herring, striped sea pike, whiting, tailor and school mackerel.

With the water temperature starting to warm up the Spanish mackerel are not too far away. Trolling deep diving lures such as Halco Laser Pro 160-190s, Rapala X-Rap 20-30s and Nomad DTX 140-165s is productive. Pensioners Bank heading towards Drummonds Cove sticking to the 14-16m edge has produced the best results.

SUCCESS STORY Here is a little story submitted along with photos of a recent trip (before the ban) from one of our customers Jack Baker.

Over the long weekend, the conditions were perfect to head over to the Abrolhos Islands in Jack’s new Surtees 610 Game Fisher for a series of day trips. Jack and crew started the trip off at the Southern Group where they began trolling and managed to reel in two yellowfin tuna, smashed on a doubleheader.

The next few days they

Jack didn’t think the trip could get any better, until the last day, where he hooked his personal best dhufish at 91cm and 15kg. He was extremely impressed with the Surtees, and it rode incredibly well through the water. Jack can’t wait to get out in it again, especially over summer, and with all the information that the Geraldton Sports Centre

A lovely pair of baldchin groper. Local anglers will look forward to chasing these tasty critters once the demersal ban is lifted. continued to head over to the Abrolhos Islands and tried their luck trolling again, but the odds weren’t as good, however they still managed to catch a snapper, and shark mackerel on the troll.

The team also bottom bashed, producing some great catches of coral trout, baldchin groper, and dhufish.

has given him about trolling he is eager to give it another go and hopefully hook up some even bigger fish.

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

Local angler Nat Gedero with a 75cm bonefish that came as a welcome surprise fishing for tailor at Drummonds Cove. beaches and holes can be difficult to fish in the mornings, however they are quiet fishable in the evening or the next day. Tarcoola Beach at the southern entry to Geraldton has always had weed movement issues, but is also one of the most consistent producers for larger mulloway, tailor, herring, whiting and dart for the anglers willing to get up for the dawn to mid-morning bite.

The rock walls around Geraldton Port and Marina have been a bit patchy, with mostly smaller-sized

though the snapper season is closed until 16 December, there still has been plenty of tailor, large herring, whiting, striped sea pike and the occasional mulloway most evenings.

I mentioned earlier that fish species usually caught much further north are slowly finding their way south, and Drummonds Cove over the last couple of weeks has been a place to find them. Bonefish are a special fish to catch and many anglers will travel big distances to fly fish for such a spectacular sportfish.

40lb braid and you’re all geared up.

The beaches north of Drummonds and Coronation and all the way to Horrocks have all settled into their summer fishing patterns with tailor, mulloway, school sharks and bread and butter species not too difficult to find.

BOAT With the demersal ban still in place until 15 December most boats have stayed dormant for the 3-month closure, but the anglers putting in the effort have been getting results.

Boris Ioannidis with a superb land-based dhufish caught before the ban at Flat Rocks. These great fish will be back on the target list midway through this month.

DECEMBER 2018

35

West Coast

Back to business as usual KALBARRI

Robbie Leck

With the lifting of the demersal ban on 15 December, anglers will be ready to hit the ground running, chasing the many species that have had a two-month break.

The warm waters coursing through the Murchison River over the past few weeks have

make an appearance on the dinner plate. Anglers, myself included, targeting whiting have found success on the flats inside of Oyster Reef along with the extremely tidal upriver flats, with a low tide being preferable, as it makes spotting the fish far easier. These fired up little powerhouse sportfish are most commonly targeted on small peeled prawn baits, however small stickbaits and poppers

making their presence felt in the upper reaches of the river, with fish being caught from popular areas such as Gregory Rock, Paradise Flats and the Dance Floor. Fishos finding success on the big blacks have found a rising tide preferable, with cut mullet baits being dynamite but finding success on mulies and river prawns as well. Small grub style soft plastics fished on light jigheads have also proven effective around the snags, although hooking a fish in the snags and landing a fish are two very different things.

Mulloway and tailor have

been turning up in numbers along many of Kalbarri’s beaches, with fish being landed from spots such as Wittecarra Creek, Frustrations, Red Bluff and Oyster Reef. Anglers have found the most success during the sunset and sunrise hours, with a rising tide being favourable. Large mullet strips and cut tailor baits have been the go to when chasing the silver slabs although gardies and poppers are preferable when chasing tailor.

Over the past couple of weeks there have been reports of something a bit out of the ordinary, and that’s bonefish.

A beautiful parrotfish caught from the surf.

Bonefish have been turning up in numbers along our coast in large numbers recently, with fish to a metre being reported and plenty in the 70-80cm

With demersal fishing back on the cards midway through the month, many anglers will be champing at the bit to hit the reefs in search of tasty reef fish. brought more than just an abundance of swimmers, but a flurry of hungry yellowfin whiting that are rearing to

have proven to be dynamite when worked at slow speeds around the schools.

Blue nose black bream are

Bree took this lovely golden trevally from the beach.

range being caught. It presents an interesting prospect for anglers wanting to target a premier sportfish from the shore. Anglers report that these fish are being landed on small squid and mulie baits fished from spots such as Wittecarra and Wagoe Beach.

It will be an interesting month ahead, as anglers slowly get back into the swing of reef fishing, while also enjoying the many other options available around Kalbarri during December.

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West Coast

Festive family fishing fun SHARK BAY

Kurt Blanksby

Christmas holiday season is here! Shark Bay is one of the most popular destinations for fishing families and there are several options available from shore and by boat. The weather will now be a typical summer pattern so it pays to

time to spin up pelagic species, like Spanish mackerel and tuna. Those at Tamala Station will also do well targeting pink snapper and bluebone from small boats or kayaks, or just wading the shallows looking for yellowfin whiting and bream.

The mornings are a good time to head out in the boat if you are at Denham, with calm

One of the prizes of fishing Shark Bay is the black snapper. These hard-fighting fish also taste great on the plate. get the family up early and make the most of the calm conditions before the wind picks up each day.

Anglers should be making the most of the western side of the peninsulas at first light, especially if you are out at Steep Point as this is the prime

conditions allowing you the option to head to Dirk Hartog Island or fish the channels closer in. Pink and black snapper (blue-lined emperor) will be the main targets but be prepared to also pick up a few fish like mackerel by trolling lures. From the shore

around Denham, you can wade the shallow flats fishing for yellowfin whiting and flathead.

Further north you enter the National Park and this opens up numerous spots starting with Big Lagoon where light tackle fun can be had with whiting, bream, flathead and the chance of a cod or mulloway. The boggy and corrugated track up the Peron Peninsula to spots like Gregories will open up so many fishing options.

Once the breeze starts to swing west it changes everything and can turn the calm conditions into a white capped, sloppy mess that makes fishing from a boat or shore on the western side very difficult and unpleasant.

Shark Bay being so flat, means you will have trouble finding anywhere sheltered unless you head over to the eastern sides of the peninsulas, like at Monkey Mia. The wind will still restrict your boating capabilities but you should still be able to find some good fishing out from Monkey Mia for pink snapper, black snapper, mulloway and cod. Other northern species can turn up, so be prepared for several species of trevally, numerous sharks and cobia.

Monkey Mia is still the place where the world record cobia

was caught by Peter Goulding over 25 years ago.

The trick is to anchor in the deeper channels and set up a good berley trail then cast lightly-weighted baits like pilchards (mulies), mullet fillets or whiting heads to drift back down the trail. It also pays to cast soft plastic lures on jigheads and work them back down deep through the berley trail as this technique will account for most species.

Shore fishing at night from the sand spit at Monkey Mia will give you an excellent chance of picking up a mulloway on baits like pilchards or small live baits, like lizard fish that are easily caught on small jigs bounced across the bottom.

If the sea breeze is not too strong and you are staying in

This tasty northern calamari couldn’t resist a jig fished along the pylons of the Denham Jetty after dark.

Denham then head on down to the jetty after dark with a few squid jigs and try your luck. This jetty has a good deep channel dredged out from it and it is well known for producing plenty of squid at night. A big rod set out with a fresh squid on it, anchored to the bottom, has also been

Walking the shallows casting small lures early in the mornings before the wind picks up is a great way of catching a feed of yellowfin whiting.

a popular way of picking up a mulloway or two from this location once darkness falls.

If you are motivated to put in the time and be prepared for strong sea breezes then Shark Bay will turn on the fish for you, too many people sit at camp or in their accommodation complaining about the wind. You are better off going to Shark Bay expecting strong winds, and be versatile and ready to fish some of the options.

• Are you a local angler who wants to share your fishing knowledge? We are looking for a regular writer to cover the Bremer Bay area in future issues.

No previous writing experience required, please contact Ian Sewell at ian@ fishingmonthly.com.au.

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News

Rollout increases safety A successful trial of CCTV at the Belmont boat ramp has reduced risky behaviour on the Swan River, prompting a wider rollout of CCTV in popular Perth boating locations.

Department of Transport cameras have been installed at the south Perth personal water craft (PWC) freestyle area, Deepwater Point and Point Walter after the trial of CCTV at the Belmont water ski area.

During the six months from January to June 2018, 64 infringements

and 267 cautions were issued at Belmont. In the same period in 2017, only four infringements and 16 cautions were issued.

The trial also reduced risky boating behaviour with evidence of self-regulation, safer waterway use and a decline in non-compliance at Belmont. There were very few instances of repeat offending after infringements were issued.

In recent years there have been a concerning amount of injuries and fatalities on Western Australian waters, with 25 lives lost due to

recreational boating accidents in the past four years.

The $1.5 million, fiveyear contract provides access to other government agencies for real time monitoring and increased public safety. State-ofthe-art analytics programs are used to filter the footage, which can also be used in marine incident investigations.

Potential for a mobile CCTV unit is under consideration for use at other key locations, and for monitoring large on-water events such as Australia Day.

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For more information visit

www.horizonboats.com.au or call your nearest dealer

DINGHY WORLD 252 Canning Highway Como 6152 Perth City, WA (08) 9367 6555 david@dinghyworld.com.au

DECEMBER 2018

39

STYLE

WITH

EASE

www.daiwafishing.com.au

Gascoyne Coast

Exmouth options aplenty EXMOUTH

Jenni Gates

Wow, December already!

Here’s a quick wrap up of 2018.

The year in Exmouth started with a cracker fish when Captain Eddy Lawler and deckhand Wes Jones teased up a 1089lb blue marlin on New Year’s Day. Angler Clay Hilbert was the lucky man who made history that day, with the first official blue marlin over 1000lb landed in Australia to GFAA rules. The excitement spurred on international interest to this world-class fishery for recreational game fishing.

The Heavy Tackle Tournament on the Australia Day weekend was well supported and is increasing in participation each year.

This is then followed by a three-day billfish event in early March, which was closely followed by GAMEX, Western Australia’s premier game fishing event.

The 2018 year was great on the weather front and luckily we had no cyclones and very little rain though the July holiday period.

The usual bait schools of

The fly fishing enthusiasts have plenty of options and USA resident Katie Knick came to Exmouth to work for a year to purely fly fish as much as possible. Her partner soon joined her in her travels and the pair have

580

SEAHAWK

Blue-lined emperor are great fun on fly. been enjoying the laid-back community and isolation in this amazing fishery.

Reef fishing can give some varied results in Exmouth and there’s no doubt that the deep dropping has been popular with lots of ruby snapper and the odd

A chunky pair of queenfish caught land-based. hardiheads and garfish close to shore made for some great fishing, along with loads of squid. The prawns were quieter than previous years, as were the blue swimmer crabs.

The full year open season for rock lobster certainly kept dinner plates covered and it was not a cold winter.

April through to September is a busy time for visitors, but the season was steady for fishing.

The Billfish Bonanza in October was another success for the Exmouth Game Fishing Club and one boat managed to tag 16 fish in one day, with six of those during the last 15 minutes of radio silence. The baitfish in the gulf have continued to be active and we expect this to be a hot spot for those days when it blows hard around the west side of the cape.

The shoreline has been sensational for big fat whiting this year, and large schools of milkfish.

sensational fishing. Last year’s summer saw a record day of raising 14 blue marlin, hooking 13, and tagging 11 in one day to one vessel!

However, it is not just the billfishing that is great, as boats ramps are less

big amberjack. The large cod are thick in some areas and certainly fill the bag limit easily.

Despite the very hot days (sometimes weeks of top temperatures over 45°C) and the threat of cyclone season or some days of strong southerly winds, summer in Exmouth has some

cluttered and many shorebased hotspots are only frequented by few. The camping on the west side is noticeably at least 10°C cooler and there isn’t a fish you catch in winter that you can’t get in summer.

In fact, you can get more options in summer. From whiting on the beach to crabs in the gulf, there’s so much on offer. If diving is your preferred option, then there’s plenty to see under the water without the threat or summer stingers or crocodiles like other areas of this latitude. An avid angler can have great fun combing the shoreline.

Make sure that wherever you go, wear a hat, gloves, buff, sun protection pants and top, sunnies and lots of water.

Yes it’s hot, but so is the fishing!

• For more up to the minute information on what is biting and where, drop into Bluewater Tackle World Exmouth and have a chat to the friendly and informative staff. They are located at 3 Maley St Exmouth and can be contacted at (08) 9949 1315.

CALL YOUR LOCAL DEALER TODAY Dinghy World 252 Canning Highway Como 6152 Perth City, WA Phone: (08) 9367 6555

Scott and Lochlan Turrell with Lochy’s marlin.

For more information visit www.stessl.com.au DECEMBER 2018

41

North Coast

Cram into creeks this Chrissy PORT HEDLAND

Pete Hodgson

With water temperatures up over 25°C and the howling westerly winds, the creeks are the place to venture, with the barramundi firing right up along the Pilbara coast.

lures, vibes and soft plastics, so now’s the time to get out and amongst them if you can bear the wet season temperatures. The best times to fish have been on the neap tides and low tides on the springs.

Large threadfin salmon are also on the chew, with the jacks and the odd

Mulloway are a great option around the Port Hedland area during December.

Plenty of reports are coming in of fish up and over the magic metre mark.

Barramundi have been caught on live bait, hardbody

black jewfish being pulled up as well.

Good catches of mud crabs are still coming in from the local creeks and the blue

mannas are about around the Spoilbank.

The Spoilbank has been producing flathead, queenfish, trevally and the odd barramundi for the most patient of anglers, with the high spring tides being the best time to fish, as always in this location.

Due to the winds experienced at this time of year along the Pilbara coast, it’s been difficult to get offshore, but for the early risers keen for some offshore sportfishing action, they have been getting into the cobia, grey mackerel, queenfish and trevally around the channel and barges on the running spring tides.

Here’s a few of my tips for landing your first pilbara barra. I have found trolling lures on neap tides through water 2-4m is quite successful, with my go-to lures being Reidy’s Little Lucifers, B52s, Rapala XXX-Raps and Halco Scorpions. Another good

method is to head up into to the creeks you want to fish on an outgoing tide and fish the deeper holes left behind on the low tide, and fish them by casting lures into 1-3m of water, and this is where using soft vibes is very effective.

Live baiting with mullet at these times and in these areas is also very effective, with my go-to set up being a Shimano 4000 Baitrunner loaded with 20lb braid and 40lb fluorocarbon leader connected by FG Knot down to a 10/0 Gamakatsu Saltwater Fly hook. I find these hooks hook up more often than not on these crafty fish due to their thin gauge and ultra-sharp point. For weight I use a size 4 running sinker, but sinker size will need to vary depending on tidal flow, remembering it’s imperative that the fish feels no resistance when taking off with his prey. When you feel the fish running freely, allow it 5-10 seconds before

As always, trevally should be there to keep anglers entertained. locking over the Baitrunner and setting the hook.

In saying all this, I have been fortunate enough to catch barramundi on all tides and various times of the day or night. With the technology available to us

like structure scan and 3D imaging sounders it makes it easier to know if you’re in the right spot or not, so use it to your advantage and find the fish. Waiting for them will more often than not will leave you with donuts.

The great barra build up!

BROOME

Troy Honey

If you were to ask anyone around Broome about the fishing lately, they would all start with the same word, barramundi.

With the last two wet seasons delivering fantastic rainfall, the Broome region is now reaping the rewards, with reports coming in of big barra. They are being caught in big numbers, with many of that perfect size of 60-80cm with a few over the magic 1m mark. The bigger ones are

as the tide recedes have had excellent results.

The Broome Jetty has also been producing good barra on the high tides at night. Try working the pylons with deep diving lures or soft plastics as well as live poddy mullet caught with cast nets in the creeks during the day. As the jetty is quite high up from the water, you will need a rope gaff to land the fish. Another method can be lowering a crab drop net, which although difficult, does protect the fish more for release if it is not in the size range to keep. The only other way is to work the

Alex Petett landed this magnificent pennant trevally from the Broome Jetty while fast jigging a 10g Raider near the pylons. proving to be elusive but are still being found if you spend the time to search amongst the snags.

The local creeks such as Dampier and Crab creeks are producing good barra that are responding well to trolled hardbody lures on both the rising and falling tides. Those working the creek mouths 42

DECEMBER 2018

fish along the jetty and around the pylons to the waters edge, but this can be very tricky if the fish has not tired.

When releasing the fish it is recommended not to drop the fish from the jetty, as this can cause too much harm and result in an unsuccessful release.

Further east in the Fitzroy River around Langis Crossing

the reports of barra are coming in thick and fast. The Broome North Fishing Club held their Barra Away Competition in late October and it was a comp that challenged the best of anglers. With very low water levels at this end of the dry season from Langis Crossing to the Fitzroy River mouth and neap tides at the time of the comp, anglers fishing from a tinny or land-based certainly had their work cut out for them finding the right pools to tackle in search of that competitionwinning barra. There were 38 competitors and 36 barra captures recorded during the comp.

One competitor, Ty Corpus, pulled out all stops and was rewarded with the biggest barra of the comp measuring a thumping 117cm.

It was his first barra over the 1m mark and he certainly did it in style with this fish. The caught this fish by trolling a 5” Rapala X-Rap hardbody lure in hot head colour at 6am on the first morning of the comp.

It was the second troll run of the morning. On the first run he caught a rat barra then went back over the same snag on the second run and hooked the big girl. Ty fought it for about 4 minutes out in the open before she ran straight into a snag where he battled it for 25 more minutes. There was 200mm of leader still above water, but he couldn’t see fish and with his deck hands trying to blind net the barra numerous times with no luck, Ty thought he had lost it. Devastated but wanting the lure back, they used the lure retrieval for a few minutes but couldn’t feel fish at all and as he was about to cut his line so

they could keep fishing, but he decided to try one more time.

The lure retrieval got stuck on a snag and when his deck hand Brad pulled it up they both saw that lovely chrome colour come with it! Four attempts later he finally netted his own fish! Being Ty’s first metery, you can imagine the excitement on the boat. After a couple of glory photos they got her straight back in the water where it took 15 minutes to swim her. One last kick and she gracefully swam off.

A few early morning celebratory beverages in the warm Kimberley weather were had, and he retired the Rapala X-Rap with bent and broken trebles and then the lines were back in the water.

That barra single-handedly won Ty three categories, being Biggest Barra, Male Champ Angler and Overall Champion Angler in the Broome North Fishing Club competition.

If that’s not what fishing for barramundi in the majestic surrounds of the Kimberley is about I don’t know what

Mathew Biluta travelled a round trip of over 2500km to compete in the BNFC Barra Away comp and got onto a few good barra in the pools of the Fitzroy River. is. It is something that is so addictive, so frustrating and challenging, but that is why we love the barramundi so much. I have no doubt Ty will cherish that moment for the rest of his life.

Back in the blue water the action has been just as thrilling, with an array of fish species being caught. There has been a bit of interest at the Broome jetty, with a rather large squid coming in as a by-catch. Squid do turn up at the jetty from time to time, but not often do anglers target them there, and this is usually because of the strong current that rips

A Cable Beach cobia dream came true for angler Jessy Harold while casting stickbaits over a manta ray cruising past.

through and makes jigging difficult. For chasing squid, try a heavily-weighted squid jig at night under the lights and cast into the current, let it sink and start jigging it off the bottom working it up to the top, then repeat.

Diamond and pennant trevally along with great size queenfish are being caught at the Broome Jetty by using silver metal lures on the run up to the high tide change.

Soft plastics will also work in this area. Silver, white, gold and blue lures all work well, just bear in mind that the pylons are shellfishencrusted, so always use good leader of 50lb or more and at least 1-2m long to avoid being busted off.

The cobia are making themselves known in the area, with captures from both land and boat. Local angler Jessy Harold was lucky enough to hook up to a good specimen while fishing on Cable Beach. Jessy was casting a stickbait into the surf when he noticed a manta ray cruising past and begun focusing his casts around it. Within no time at all he was on and was rewarded To page 43

North Coast

That magic water temperature DAMPIER/KARRATHA

Troy Honey

The water temperature is rising and with it lingering on the 26-27°C mark in the creeks during October and early November, we are looking forward to heading into December

starting to subside, with many good mornings of fishing on offer. Anglers have been making the most of them, with early starts when the tide levels permit by heading out through the archipelago to chase a varied mixed bag of fish.

Pelagics such as Spanish mackerel and sailfish have been caught in places such as

behind Legendre Island with trolled hardbodied lures for the mackerel and switch baiting for the sailfish. We have been getting onto some very healthy Spanish mackerel recently using light spinning outfits for the challenge, which we rigged with JM Gillies Classic Bluewater F18 hardbody lures in the 200mm range in yellowtail and skipjack colours. I always remove the trebles from my lures and replace them with high quality singles and new split rings.

I find you get a much better hook up and when removing the lure from a lively fish in the boat I feel it is much safer without a few treble hooks being flung around the boat.

Trolling behind Legendre Island in 10m of water with the lures kitted with 5m+ bibs, we set two lures out at approximately 20m and 40m respectively, and vary our troll between 5-7 knots. All the

while we’re watching the 3D side scan closely for signs of fish. It hasn’t been all that hard, with hook-ups often within five minutes of setting the lures out and sailfish displaying their aerobatic abilities not far from the boat to get out hearts pumping.

Healthy Spaniards in the 120-160cm are consistently being caught by many anglers in this area.

Queenfish and trevally are being caught in places such as the reefs around Legendre Island and through Flying Foam Passage, with the larger specimens being found right in the thick of the whitewash.

The flats around many of the islands in the archipelago are holding trevally, which are being caught on fly as well as poppers. When targeting pelagics in the crystal clear shallows, I find fishing with the sun in my back has provided more success, as the fish struggles to see clearly past the water surface and there’s less chance of them spooking.

Coral trout are proving to be popular with anglers and there has been a great number of good size specimens caught, with most coming in on trolled lures or stick baits around the shallow reefs in the archipelago. The waters around Legendre Island and through Flying Foam Passage have produced plenty of trout while slowly trolling deepdiving hardbody lures. Brightcoloured lures in orange and yellow seem to be the best for a chance of a hook up in the waters as shallow as 1m through to the 15m mark.

This method for trout can be a more successful than dropping at times, as there is less chance of the grey taxmen having time to move in for an easy feed.

Out in Nichol Bay the blue swimmer crabs are just about gone, with only a handful of boats reporting a few catches.

Deeper water would be the key to finding them, but the water

temperature is above their preferred comfort zone now. If a feed of crabs is what you are chasing, then mud crabs would certainly be the best to target.

All of the local creeks are full of mud crabs at the moment, and we have not found one full of water for some time. That being said, if you find the mud crabs are clean with a shine to their shell, there is a good chance they have recently malted and not had a chance to fill their body cavity with flesh.

If you find them like this, you can try pressing firmly on the abdomen plates adjacent to the third legs. If the shell flexes at all, the crab is not full of meat and best returned to the water to prevent the waste of a good crab. Just watch you don’t lose your thumbs at the same time! Being on the receiving end of a mud crab claw nip myself once, trust me, it is not a recommended experience on your Pilbara holiday!

Mangrove jack and cod are plentiful in the Karratha creeks at the moment, with local angler Dylan Munn enjoying a great session out on his new boat during a run-in tide in late October. Flicking an Infish

especially if you are using jigs and soft plastics. The low tides seem to fire better than the high tides. If using baits, all

the usuals such as squid, occy, mullet and fresh fish fillets will result in hook ups. Berleying up an area does work well, but

tends to bring the sharks in, so if you are planning this type of bottom fishing, try heading out far south or north from Broome and away from the common fishing ground where the sharks have learned they can score an easy feed.

With the water temperature rising with the wet season, the reef fishing has a tendency to quieten off slightly, so there is no better time to focus on the creeks and Roebuck Bay for barramundi and threadfin salmon. If all else fails, take a walk with a bucket and the family on the low spring tide out from Gantheaume Beach on the rocks and search the rock pools for octopus. They are prolific in the wet season and it is not too difficult to return home with a great feed to BBQ or marinade up, or even to use as bait. Always wear thick-soled shoes when

Angler Mathew Biluta got onto some nice Spaniards on a recent trip to Dampier. Having travelled all the way from South West WA to enjoy some trolling for big pelagics, his efforts paid off with this healthy 125cm specimen caught behind Legendre Island. as it rises above 28°C and the barramundi activity rising with it.

There has been plenty of sightings and a few captures, but generally the barra have not been fired up enough to start attacking lures. Live baits of poddy mullet have achieved the best early results, with the odd trolled lure also getting a hook up. Further north in the Port Hedland area where the water temperature is a couple of degrees higher, already there have been a few very big barra caught. It’s shaping up to be a great season and with the strong westerly afternoon winds still lingering, chasing barramundi, threadfin salmon and mangrove jacks will be a preferred pastime for many anglers leading into the wet season.

The windy westerly conditions that visit the Dampier Archipelago at the end of the dry season are From page 42

with a beautiful cobia well over a metre in length that was feeding underneath the manta ray. There have been many prize fish caught over the years on Cable Beach, so it is always a place to try your luck casting lures or using baits. This time of year the threadfin salmon will be turning up and it is highly recommended to cast out a cooked prawn with a running sinker if you are sitting down there enjoying a swim or a bit of northern sunshine.

Out deeper the charters and boats are returning to shore with eskies full of Spanish mackerel, red and blueline emperors, rankin, blue and black spotted cods as well as saddletails and blue bones. The neap tides make it easier to find bottom when fishing the deeper water,

Ty Corpus with his monster 117cm Fitzroy River barramundi caught on a Rapala X-Rap near Langis Crossing.

The author with a nice blue-lined emperor from the pipeline, which fell victim to a Chasebaits Ultimate Squid in ‘glow ink’ colour.

Predator Prawn in pumpkin colour around the mangroves the jacks and black-spotted cod could not resist the temptation.

With his G Loomis 12-20lb rod and Daiwa Zillion HD reel kitted with 20lb J Braid and 30lb fluorocarbon leader, Dylan landed over 12 cod and four jacks, and got smoked many times in the single

The black-spotted rock cod were testing Dylan Munn’s light gear out in the mangroves, with big runs straight for the snags. doing this, as the stone fish and blue ringed octopus are found in Broome and I have seen many myself while fishing for octopus.

There are plenty of fishing

session, which highlights just how well the creeks are fishing at the moment. Top off the day by putting a few mud crab drop nets out over the wet season and it is definitely an enjoyable way to spend some time exploring the beauty of this part of the Pilbara.

On the land-based front the blue bones are around and if you take the time to explore the many tracks off the main roads around Karratha, you can find headlands with rocky outcrops where they will be holding.

Crab legs is by far my bait of choice and we have been having some good sessions using crab on 150lb handlines with a 5oz running sinker. It is always an enjoyable day setting the awning up on the 4WD with some tasty snacks and a swim to cool off after the high tide has turned, which is when we tend to stop chasing the blue bone.

The season change always brings on another level of fishing and this change is looking better than ever to have success on the water, with multiple options on offer in such a magnificent part of the world. options over the wet season and with good travel deals to be had I hope to see some of you out there chasing that trophy metre plus barra or thready!

DECEMBER 2018

43

Time to get out and explore FRESHWATER

Peter Fragomeni

With the warmer weather setting in most trout have headed for the deeper water in our dams and flows have slowed in most of our rivers, the exception being the ones that are fed by irrigation water.

Redfin are active in all waters at this time of the year. A few Aussie native species are being caught by those in the know, but mainly in private locations, or if they are from public waters anglers are keeping tight-lipped about it. I will report on areas that I would try at this time of the year, although any water is worth a go if there is a cool change in December

sinking flyline to get down.

The trout here are shrimp feeders and with the aid of a good sounder you can look for fish sitting near the stumps or in the creek bed itself.

I position my boat upwind of my chosen spot and drift over it with the aid of the breeze, feeding out line as I go and don’t stop until most of the flyline is out, before stripping in line for about a metre then feeding it out again slowly until my beat is complete. If the breeze is stronger than about 8 knots, then I look for a more sheltered area, as I won’t achieve the depth required in strong wind.

I use a long leader of about 9ft and small flies no bigger than size 10. I prefer nymphs in all colours and

The advanced yearling stocking has proved to be a success. This was one of 13 caught in an afternoon at Waroona Dam. DAMS Waroona Dam This dam is worth a go if you fish deep with a fast sinking fly line or lures and soft plastics capable of getting down deep. Early morning is the only time the trout venture into the shallows, so a 4am start is a good idea. Remember, big browns lurk in this water so you may be rewarded for your efforts.

Redfin are showing up as usual, but you may need to move around until you find them. A boat or kayak is handy and all the better if you have a sounder to assist you. I managed eight in around 15 minutes on fly off the bank, but the size of them was a concern.

Remember, ski boats are active right now, so try to get down midweek or keep to the back where they should be less active.

Logue Brook Dam This dam is our only water that is free of redfin and the water is so clean it was nearly taken off us in a short-sighted effort to gain more drinking water for our growing city. Luckily, a stance by all the stakeholders with the aid of a promise by the incoming government put a stop to it and it is still enjoyed by thousands of recreational users each year.

The secret to successfully fishing this water is to find the creek bed and use a fast44

DECEMBER 2018

Killer patterns like the small Mrs Simpson is a favourite.

It pays to grease your leader with a fly floatant to keep it off the bottom, but be prepared to lose a few flies with this method!

It takes time to master the technique and once you do it can produce trout that are out of range of the normal fishing methods.

The other option is to use soft plastics on a dropshot rig with a small sinker on the bottom and two or three hooks above about 30cm apart. Try a shrimp pattern and keep changing until you find what works.

Harvey Dam This dam didn’t fish as well as expected this spring but is worth a go in December, but only if we haven’t had a hot start to summer. It only sits at a elevation of around 80m above sea level, so can heat up faster than the others that sit up at around 200m.

The same technique that I describe for other waters will work here, but a few anglers have been using down riggers to get down to depths below where any of the deep diving lures are capable of achieving. Some nice redfin are turning up and they should still be on the bite through the summer months.

Look for the deeper water in amongst the timber and avoid the shallow areas

unless you are chasing trout and the water is less than 24°C. This dam was the site for the annual Harvey Dam Kayak Bash run by Didier Blanquart in October, with nearly 40 anglers braving the windy conditions. Around 20 trout and over 100 redfin were caught in the two day event and in my opinion that was a good achievement, as I know first hand how tough this water can be in calm conditions.

Wellington Dam If you are chasing redfin I would give this dam a good go, but unfortunately most of the reports are coming from those with boats and kayaks covering lots of water, and although fish size can be good numbers have been low.

Big Brook Dam Pemberton One of our prettiest dams to visit, this dam was built to provide the trout hatchery with a reliable water supply all year. It receives a large stocking every year and can fish well in the warmer months with fly lure or bait.

It’s popular with kayak anglers that either slowly troll the open area or cast up in the back reaches with hardbodies or soft plastics.

Flyfishing is a delight as the sun goes down and the dam wall is a favourite, with some nice size redfin and trout being taken lately. It received a late stocking of two-year-old brown trout, so they will offer some fun on light gear.

Please remember although not law, it is recommended that brown trout are released, as they are well known to prey on the small redfin that seem to overrun most of our waterways these days. Only a few hundred brown trout are available for stocking each year, as they are harder to breed and are slower growing than rainbow trout.

This dam suffered the curse of the redfin when they appeared in the dam around the early stages of it being completed, so the trout boom was short-lived.

RIVERS Serpentine River Below the falls is fed by a environmental flow released from the Serpentine Pipehead Dam, so it’s worth a look, as it’s so close to the metro area. It is overgrown and tight, but a few fish come out of this water every season.

Murray River Flows have dropped, so I would fish the top end of the pools if you’re targeting trout early in the morning or the still pools for redfin. Soft plastics have worked well, and casting to logs and rock bars and letting them sink then twitching them back to your feet is a great technique.

I like the idea of using them in risky areas, as they don’t hurt the hip pocket if you happen to lose a few.

I fished the runs recently and caught a few small trout

Didier Blanquart with a nice redfin from Drakesbrook Weir. from the water coming out of Wellington Dam. Some rate this water as our best summer fishery we have, but sometimes you will wonder if trout are even in there.

The secret is to fish it in a medium flow, as in full flow it become very fast and hard

Sunset can be the most productive time to be on the water, with the bonus of capturing some truly magnificent photos. on flies such as the large Woolly Buggers and Red Setters, but we put the leg work in to find the more secluded spots away from the popular areas.

Collie River below Wellington Dam The irrigation season is on, so this river is in full flow

Scott Middlebosch with a nice rainbow caught at the Harvey Dam Kayak Bash.

to get down to where the fish that tend to hang down in the current.

Heavily-weighted flies are preferred, but a lure that will get down fast to where these trout sit will also work. Like most of our rivers, it’s hard going unless you keep to the easy to get to places where everyone seems to fish.

Just a warning: the rocks are very slippery, so take care. I’ve ended up with a free ride down the river like many before me!

Brown trout were stocked last year so it will be interesting to see how big these will grow over the next few years.

Collie River above Wellington Dam This stretch of river is redfin water and is arguably one of the best waters for this species in the state. Most fish the area around the town that the river was named after, but other areas produce fish for people in the know. I think I would consider the area from the small weir all the way up to where the east branch meets the south branch a few kilometres upstream.

Like elsewhere, a boat or kayak is a benefit but not a necessity in this water, and lots of good redfin are caught by casting into likely looking water, with lures and bait being the preferred method.

Just keep changing lures and locations until you find where they are.

Blackwood River This water can be too low to fish in December, but a few good trout are caught each year by those prepared to put the effort in. It receives a staggering amount of fish each spring, so the mortality rate must be very high. I would try the area below Nannup and look for likely looking spots, targeting the faster water using Rapala style lures or large streamer style flies.

Warren River The Warren was the home of our trophy size trout back in its heyday, with just its name conjuring thoughts of huge brown trout that would lurk in the tea coloured waters that are shaded by the majestic towering Karri trees. Some of us would leave Perth at 5pm Friday and arrive to a secluded wilderness spot at midnight, fish for a few hours then get a broken sleep before the dawn start, only stopping when the sun went down.

A preferred area known as the Colonel’s downstream was famous for its big browns that held in the fast runs, although larger fish including the state record of 10lb were caught further upstream above Pemberton in those early years.

Still, these days some nice trout are caught in this river and good reports are coming in of both rainbows and brown trout, but anything over 5lb is a rarity, mainly because of the redfin moving into the once prime trout water. Add a drying climate with the greedy need to dam creeks on private land for the ever popular avocado crops and this may spell disaster for decent trout stocks in this river.

Redfin are widely targeted and in my opinion would rate equally with the Collie River as a top water for this tasty specimen, with some nice size fish being taken lately on hardbodied lures and soft plastics. Using a kayak or small tinny in the long pools is producing some large redfin and the occasional trout by the dedicated anglers.

Lefroy Brook Meandering through the town of Pemberton is one of the nicest little streams we have in the south of the state.

I had the rare opportunity to fish this stretch known as Thompson Flat with the late John Sautelle senior back in the ‘80s.

John taught me a method of retrieving the flyline with a figure-of-eight retrieve, a technique I still use today.

It involves a cast upstream and knitting the line back in

The Murray River near Dwellingup has some nice rapids for those willing to put the leg work in. your palm straight off the rod without any of the line hitting the water. You then cast and open your palm to feed line out only on the forward cast.

Some 20ft of line can be stored in your palm, but I wouldn’t recommend this technique if large fish are a chance, as you can end up in a mess if you get fish that take off in a hurry!

The section between the

DAM LEVELS WAROONA DAM 97% DRAKES BROOK WEIR 93% LOGUE BROOK DAM 71% HARVEY DAM 79% GLEN MERVYN 97% WELLINGTON DAM 76% BIG BROOK DAM 97% All the dams levels are well up compared to this time last year due to the good late rains we experienced in 2018. Rivers are still flowing, although a dry summer could affect their flow.

highway and the hatchery is a delight to fish and it might be on the cards as a ‘Blue Ribbon’ catch and release water if the authorities can agree that we need to move forward like other states to value add our limited trout fishing opportunities we have in this state.

Another area that is producing a few nice rainbows are the lower Lefroy at the mouth.

Rainbow Trail is a good piece of water, although you need to leg it above the town weir these days, and also the Water Corporation keep putting up signs saying ‘No Fishing’, but they have been challenged and ordered to remove them, so it’s their way to try and exclude us from areas they refer to as ‘drinking water’. The Pemberton Weir is treated, as is the Murray over east,

where millions of people draw their water from without any ill effect!

I would put a day pack on and walk all the way to Big Brook Dam and maybe have someone pick you up at sundown. You will be blessed with some of the nicest scenery this country can offer and a chance of landing a few nice trout on the journey.

Donnelly River As I mentioned on one of the earlier reports, unfortunately redfin have turned up in this river lately, so reports are hard to come by, but brown trout are now present, so hopefully they will compete with the redfin.

A good GPS that tracks the satellites is a must if you want to get into the best spots above the highway bridge and upstream to Wheatley, but without one you could get very lost!

There’s some nice runs in this section, but the rewards can dampen the beauty of this river on occasions. My prediction is that some truly large redfin will be caught in the vicinity of Boat Landing in the coming years if history repeats itself, as was the case in the Murray, Waroona Dam, Warren and other waters when they first appeared.

A few trout are being reported, but they normally

drop back downstream towards Christmas, so a boat trip down to the mouth some 12km downstream from Boat Landing would be good trip.

Fish by casting into the small streams that flow into this river with lures or flies of your choice.

That just about sums up this report, so if you want to chase trout I would pick the

time that coincides with the cooler conditions, and chase the redfin in the warmer stage of the trip. Fish deep in the day and shallow early in the morning. If you have a photo of a freshwater fish you caught in WA and would like it to appear in this section, then send me a message or contact the editor!

Some nice trout can be caught in our rivers around Pemberton. This one fell to Dani Zamani’s well-presented lure in a fast run.

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BLACK MAGIC

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MASTER CLASS

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

Achieving success in the surf Catching fish from the surf beaches is one of the most basic and relaxing styles of fishing there is. While it can be an extremely productive way to fish, it also requires quite a bit of knowledge of what to look for, and how best to approach your target species.

Without a doubt the most important element to catching fish from the surf beaches is knowing how to read the beach.

Many anglers think beach fishing is a lucky dip, and that it doesn’t really matter where along a beach you choose to fish. The truth is though that 90% of fish you catch from the surf will be caught from the deeper gutters and

Whiting are one of the easiest species to target from the beach. the full brunt of the waves.

Fish like bream, whiting, dart, flathead and rays take full advantage of this, and they in turn start attracting other smaller predators

This whiting fell victim to a live worm on sunset. troughs. Sometimes these high percentage zones can be quite large and spaced closely together, while at other times they can be as little as 30m wide and kilometres apart.

Fish are attracted and concentrated into gutters for a few reasons. First of all, the deeper water provides refuge from the turbulent surf zones, and it’s also where food like pipis, worms and crabs will wash into after being dislodged from the adjacent banks, which take

like tailor and salmon. The food chain continues all the way up to apex predators like sharks. And then there’s the ultimate beach prize, mulloway, which are also drawn to these areas, especially after dark.

When you break it down like this you start to get an idea of how important it is to chose the right area to fish. Your decision will usually be the difference between catching something or nothing.

Identifying these areas is not that difficult, and the

best way to look for them is from a high vantage point on low tide. You can spot a gutter between two banks, with darker coloured water funnelling out to sea, and where the waves roll through rather then breaking. A trough is a deeper stretch of water running parallel to the beach with a shallow bank behind it. Sometimes you can have a series of troughs behind each other, which require large casts to make it into the zone.

Once you can identify where you should be fishing, the next thing is to employ the right methods for your target species. This is another factor that many anglers get wrong when fishing from the beaches, especially when it comes to bait selection. Fish on the beaches can be quite fussy and switched onto their present food sources, which is why baits like squid, prawns and chicken gut will often perform poorly.

For bread-and-butter species like bream and whiting on the ocean beaches you just can’t beat live worms or pipis for bait. You will also get plenty of welcome by-catch using either of these baits; the likes of salmon, dart, flathead and mulloway all find them hard to resist.

Setting up for this style of fishing is super simple,

especially using some of the Black Magic pre-made rigs. The Whiting Whacker, Whiting Snatcher and Sandy Snatcher are perfect for this style of fishing. The Whiting Whacker and Snatcher run small KL circle hooks, which are better suited to pipi baits.

The Sandy Snatcher uses long-shank hooks, ideally sized for live worms. Both are a double paternoster rig ready to go out the packet.

Black Magic also make what they call a Longreach rig which, as the name suggests, gives you significantly extra distance when casting. These are best suited to using half pilchard baits to target the likes of salmon, tailor or even mulloway. While the rig looks a bit complicated, once you tie it to the rod you’ll see that it’s very simple and great for reaching that far-out trough that is out of reach of standard rigs.

Beach fishing is great for kids.

Longreach rigs use larger hooks, with a 3/0 suicide and 5/0KL combination with a float on the arms of the dropper to

Black Magic Sandy Snatchers are the perfect beach rig for bread-and-butter species.

keep your bait slightly off the bottom, away from the likes of crabs and rays. To cast it, the bottom hook clips into a plastic shield near the sinker to give a aerodynamic, super long cast, and once it hits the water the hook disengages from the plastic shield.

OUTFITS The good thing about beach fishing is that unless you’re targeting mulloway with large baits, you can have one rod that virtually covers everything else.

Something around 10-12ft with a softish tip that quickly locks up two thirds of the way down the rod is a really good compromise.

Spin reels in the 40006000 size, or smaller Alveys, are perfect for this style of fishing, and I always spool them with monofilament line. While I probably use braid for 90% of my fishing, mono is far superior from the surf beaches. Mono seems to resist tangles when rigs get thrown around in the surf, whereas braid will catch on just about anything.

A good 6kg mono such as Black Magic Velocity Surf will handle just about anything from the beaches.

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DECEMBER 2018

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FUN PAGE AND COMPETITIONS FISHY CHRISTMAS CAROLS

AWAY IN A TINNY DECK THE LURES JIGGING BELLS DRUMMER FISH JOY TO THE PERCH O FISHY NIGHT DAYS OF CARPMAS SANTA COD LAST CODMAS

DTD - REAL FISH OITA

LET EM CHEW SNAPPER BABY SALMON TELL ME FLATTY THE SNOWMAN WAHOO WONDERLAND BOAT RIDE FELIZ NANNYGAI ANGLERS SING SHALLOWLUJAH

Name: Address:

P/Code:

The first correct entry at the end of each month will win the prize pack.

SEND ENTRIES TO: WA Find-a-word Competition, PO box 3172, Loganholme Qld 4129

WA DECEMBER 2018

Phone (day):

FINS SCALES & TALES by A. Both

The ‘Real Fish Oita’ is an incredible, award winning squid jig manufactured in Europe by leading Croatian company - DTD. Taking out the coveted ‘best new product’ in its class at the EFTTEX 2015 Expo in Warsaw, this wonderful range is now available in Australia through Dogtooth Distribution.

The product imitates real fish species. This coupled with DTD’s use of only the highest grade materials available, ensures great balance and results in superior catching ability. With the unique ‘fish parasite’ feature, aimed at luring predators in for an ‘easy kill’, these truly unique jigs are set to explode into the Australian market.

FEATURES - Double weight system with inner weight designed to produce sound while squid jig is in action.

COLOURS - 7 different designs representing popular fish species.

ADDITIONAL - Luminous body, fish parasite, great balance, sound effect, quality stainless steel hooks SIZES - 5 Sizes available www.dogtoothdistribution.com.au

SPOT THE

10 DIFFERENCES

GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

ORIGINAL

FIND-A-WORD

Congratulations to, Riley De Souza who was last month’s winner of the Find-aWord Competition!

Monthly winners receive a Fishing Monthly prize pack. Prize delivery can take 8 weeks. – WAFM

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE

The subscriber prize winner for October is B Martin of Yangebup, who won a Wilson Fishing Pack valued at $300.

All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – WAFM

Brunswick, W Rosevear of Cowaramup, Z Lord of Goomalling, V De Souza of Duncraig, N O’Meagher of Augusta, J Waddingham of Exmouth, L Rojahn of Banyo, E Britto of Scarborough, S Ellis of Attadale, D Elkerbout of Dunsborough, L Nagy of Mullaloo, J Addenbrooke of Maddington, P Buszan of Bunbury.

Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – WAFM

MAJOR FIND THE PRIZE

The Daiwa Major prize winners were: 1st J Laseczyk of Newborough who won $1000 Daiwa products, 2nd D Spinks of Scone who won $500 Daiwa products, 3rd R Taskis of Ashmore who won $200 Daiwa products All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – WAFM

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS

FIND THE DAIWA LOGO

The answers to Find the Daiwa Logo for October were: 10, 12, 16, 18, 24, 28, 31, 32, 35, 38, 40, 42, 45, 53, 61. – WAFM

GUESS THE FISH?

This month’s Guess the Fish Answer: Snapper

The Find the Daiwa Logo prize winners for October were: The Find the Daiwa Logo prize winners for October were: B Piercey of Eaton, D Gibb of Huntingdale, R Warren of Wagin, G Uren of Ballajura, B Bizjak of Boddington, C Bowling of West Pinjarra, R Adamczyk of Spalding, A Nicholls of Augusta, J Gibsone of Busselton, B Stubenrach of Yokine, A Hogan of Parmelia, D Hanley of Esperance, P Dunlop of Capel, M Freeman of Ocean Reef, J Bremmell of

© A Cordelia Adams original artwork.

Answer: DECEMBER 2018

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING DAIWA TD BLACK RODS

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An evolution of the popular Generation Black rod series (HVF blanks), the new TD Black series has taken a leap forward in blank design and now features HVF (High Volume Fibre) Nanoplus blanks.

With higher graphite density able to be achieved through Nanoplus technology, the result is a lighter, crisper, more powerful rod, while the addition of Braiding X technology further enhances rod performance by increasing wall strength and reducing blank twist.

Optimum casting and fighting performance is elevated courtesy of the TD Black’s Fuji Alconite K guides, with their lightweight construction and tangle-free design made for braided line, while the TD Black’s neoprene grips and ergonomically designed reel seats ensure ultimate angler comfort and in hand balance and control.

The new TD Black series is available in single and multi-piece offerings, with a multitude of lengths, weights, and powers. Whether it’s finesse fishing for trout in Tassie, or muscling XOS thugs from the reefs and mangroves in the tropics, the new TD Black series has you covered. www.daiwafishing.com.au

NEW ATOMIC METALZ SIZES

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Atomic Metalz were launched many years ago in a 35 and 40mm size. They immediately became a hit with bream and bass anglers, and were used effectively by some teams to win events where the fish were holding deep.

The lure’s effectiveness is down to the careful design and the speed at which the blade works, sending out a vibration that attracts nearby fish.

The designers have also worked hard to ensure action at slow speeds. Across the entire range, all sizes swim confidently and perform with that fish-attracting vibration.

With feedback from ambassadors, Atomic have added new larger sizes – 55mm, 80mm and 110mm – to cover the full breadth of inshore and offshore fishing as well as impoundments.

Team ambassadors have caught bass, bream and threadfin salmon on the 55mm versions during testing, and coral trout and sweetlip have been caught while being fished deep off the reefs.

The models are 35mm (1/8oz), 40mm (1/4oz), 55mm (1/2oz), 80mm (1oz), 110mm (1.5oz), and they’re available in a slew of natural and striking colours.

Price: from RRP $15.95 www.atomiclures.com.au

NEW LASER PRO 190XDD BIB

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Do you want to troll fast and deep but on line classes that still allow you to enjoy the fight, rather than drag it in on heavy gear? Halco have the answer: the new Laser Pro 190XDD Crazy Deep bib, which trolls faster and is far more stable than its predecessor, while reducing the amount of drag required to hold the lure in place.

The new 6m+ diver has been trolled to 13kt in calm conditions but it’s the rough, choppy stuff that can get most lures into trouble. Troll at anything like normal bibbed trolling lure speeds in these conditions and the new Laser Pro 190XDD will eat it up. It has already racked up some impressive captures including XOS tuna, wahoo and mackerel.

“We had the bib regularly hitting bottom in 6.5m of water during testing on a 50lb outfit with 80lb leader,” said Halco MD Ben Patrick.

“You can run it on 10kg line at 6-8kt in just about any conditions that you are likely to fish, and have very few issues.” www.halcotackle.com 48

DECEMBER 2018

PRODUCT GUIDE

OTTERBOX TROOPER 4 COOLERS Equipped with innovative mounting systems, Duraflex tie-downs, 2” wide padded shoulder straps, and unique backpack conversion for Trooper LT 30, Trooper soft coolers are perfect for fishing and camping.

The Troopers’ wide openings allow for easy loading and quick access to cold food and drinks. Exterior pockets with water-resistant zippers provide added storage.

The coated nylon exterior is water, puncture, UV and chemical resistant, and the heavy-duty base protects the bottom from abrasion. IT’s rated IP-65 to protect against rushing rapids and pounding waves, and is backed by a Limited Lifetime Warranty. Features include: 19L or 28L capacity with food-grade liner; quickly convert from shoulder carry to backpack; leakproof seal; accessory mounting system; waterresistant exterior pockets, and premium grade insulation (keeps ice up to 3+ days).

Price: from SRP $369.99 www.otterbox.com.au

OKUMA EPIXOR XT SPINNING REEL

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The award-winning Okuma Epixor XT offers a quality build and a load of features at a very affordable price.

The build includes Okuma’s C-40X long strand carbon fibre technology, which is substantially stronger than standard graphite.

At 25% lighter, 50% stronger and 100% anticorrosive, the Epixor’s body, frame and side plate are extremely lightweight and durable.

Other features include rigid metal handle design, machined aluminium, 2-tone anodized spool with LCS lip, heavy-duty solid aluminium bail wire and TCA (Torsion Control Armor), a C-40X double arm design that encases the body of the reel, offering higher torsion and flex resistance under heavy pressure.

Smooth performance is based on 7BB+1RB stainless steel bearings, quickset anti-reverse bearing, RESII: Computer Balanced Rotor Equalizing System, CFR: Cyclonic Flow Rotor and slow oscillation for improved line lay.

With models to suit everything from bream and bass to barra, mackerel and snapper, the Epixor XT is backed by Okuma’s 10 Year Warranty.

Price: SRP $99.90-$119.90 www.okuma.com.au

BLACK MAGIC MAGGOT

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The Black Magic Maggot has been off the market for a couple of seasons, but due to high consumer demand it’s back and better than ever.

Now with 10 exciting colour choices and the same weighted head used in the original range, these lures are going to be an excellent choice in most sea conditions.

They are available unrigged or you can have them pre-rigged and ready to troll on 200lb Black Magic Tough Trace and an 8/0 closed gape game hook.

These lures are length 7.9” (200mm) in length, and available colours are: Dr Evil; Flaming Squid; Flying Fish; Fruity; Hot Rocker; Jack Mack; Lumo; Psycho Kriller; Skippy and UV Squid.

For more information on these and other lures in Black Magic’s range of skirted pushers, visit the Black Magic Tackle website. For all the latest news and catch photos, follow them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/blackmagictackle) or Instagram (@blackmagictackle). www.blackmagictackle.com

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

SCAN THE QR CODE!

PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING EAGLE CREEK CARGO HAULER

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The Eagle Creek Cargo Hauler duffel is tough, lightweight and functional. Crafted from an extra durable, water-repellent coated Bi-Tech Armor Lite fabric, it has a fusion of technologies that merge optimum abrasion resistance with ultralight carry technology.

With a custom bartack reinforcement on all high stress points for efficient schlepping, one can simply lift and carry it by the unit’s removable backpack straps, padded lop haul handles, or convenient side-grab handles.

The foam padded bottom helps keep your gear intact while on the road.

Access your gear easily via the u-shaped lid and sizeable, zippered end pockets, which are easy to open even if you’re wearing gloves. The unit has 10 lockable zippers and the ability to be packed down into its own front-end zippered compartment.

To cap it all off, the Eagle Creek Cargo Hauler duffel features six heavy-duty lash points for attachment to a roof rack. It has a storm-flap shield zipper, made to protect your cargo from the rain.

Price: SRP $139.99-$179.99 www.escape2.com.au

OCEAN BORN FLYING SERIES 9 10

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Renowned tackle innovator Patrick Sébile has created a new company called A Band of Anglers, and the range includes some truly unique topwater lures.

The Ocean Born Flying Series of Poppers and Pencills dramatically increase casting distance without sacrificing action or fish catching ability.

Each model features side wings and low air friction ribs that allow them to seemingly ‘fly’ through the air, even under windy conditions.

Roughly 85% of air flow passes underneath the belly of any lure when casting, and the Flying Series lures’ ribs significantly disrupt this air flow and cause less resistance/turbulence.

Both lures come in Floating (FL), Sinking (SK) and Super Long Distance (SLD) versions, as well as a range of colours. These lures are versatile and easy to master; all you have to do is change or alternate the retrieve speed and rod action to make the lures pop, spit, walk or create a bubble trail. The FL and SK models come with 4X trebles, and the SLD model comes with 6X trebles. www.blackmagictackle.com

EUREKA 3D BAITFISH 9 AND OCTANE

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Two of the latest releases from Juro Oz Pro Tackle are the Eureka 3D Baitfish and Eureka Octane Jig. The Eureka 3D Baitfish has an extraordinarily realistic baitfish finish. These lures can be used as a micro-jig or as a casting/trolling lure, and have a superb action. The 3D Baitfish comes with a wire through the entire body, and is rigged with a quality in-line single hook, making it harder for fish to throw the lure. It weighs 40g and comes in six fish-catching colours.

The Eureka Octane Jig is an ultra-realistic squid/octopus imitations designed for slow pitch jigging. They have exceptional realism and a tantalizing action.

Each Octane Jig features a solid ring with quality Dacron running to twin assist hooks that feature ultra-sharp points that have the fish hooking themselves.

Octane Jigs weigh 50g and come in six proven colours that imitate a squid perfectly.

Five of those colours also feature a highly luminous underbody for maximum attraction. www.jurofishing.com

WILSON GRAPHWRAP RODS 10 The Wilson Graphwrap is a new series of rods designed to be durable and go the distance.

Designed on a graphite composite core with a solid glass tip, the Graphwrap series leaps beyond normal expectations with its custom designed, power-giving graphite outer spiral wrap. This unique spiral wrap gives these rods incredible strength, which adds to the durability of these tough, ocean thug busting rods.

Designed in Australia to meet the demands of our harsh fishing environment, the Wilson Graphwrap series brings toughness, durability and user-friendliness together in the one package.

For more information on this and other new releases from Wilson Fishing, head to their website. For the latest news, helpful tips and catch photos you can follow Wilsons on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ LWilsonAndCo, or Instagram (@wilson_ fishing). www.wilsonfishing.com

SHIMANO LURE STORAGE

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Shimano have expanded their successful tackle storage range to include five new releases, with two of them are targeted squarely at lure anglers: the Game Lure Wrap and Soft Plastic Wallet.

Large lures are often the hardest to organise, and any seasoned angler knows that proper tackle storage saves precious time when on the water. Six large Velcro-sealed sleeves ensure your lures don’t tangle, and the breathable, fast drying, heavy-duty mesh makes the Shimano Game lure wrap battle-ready and designed to hold all manner of lures. Whether you’re trolling your biggest skirts for XL black marlin, stickbaiting monster GTs or throwing swimbaits at Murray cod, the Game Lure Wrap has all bases covered for your XL lure storage needs.

For any prepared angler, soft plastics are often the most difficult lures to organize.

Featuring 10 Velcro removable sleeves and internal zippered mesh pockets, the Shimano Soft Plastic wallet is the perfect storage solution for all soft plastic lures, scent, tools and leader.

Price: SRP $39.95 (Game Lure Wrap), $39.95 (Soft Plastic Wallet) www.shimanofish.com.au

SQUIDGY BIO TOUGH CRAWLER

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Since their launch in 2017, the Squidgies Bio Tough range of durable, stretchy and more environmentally-friendly bioplastics have made a big impact. From the sweet waters of the high country to our estuaries, bays and offshore, Bio Toughs are the goto choice of many tournament and social fishers.

This season, three new families of tails join the growing Squidgies Bio Tough lineup, expanding its appeal to finesse fishers targeting finicky adversaries: from trout, redfin and bass to bream, flatties, whiting and more.

One of the new models is the Crawler, which is available in 40mm and 45mm lengths. The Crawlers perfectly imitate bottom-dwelling critters including yabbies, crabs, nippers and shrimp, as well as all manner of other fresh- and saltwater creepy crawlies. Designed to be fished with standard jigheads, the Bio Tough Crawlers have already been accounting for a range of species, including bream, trevally, flathead, whiting, bass, and more. www.shimanofish.com.au

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au DECEMBER 2018

49

WHAT’S NEW FISHING NEW MUSTAD RELEASES

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Two of the latest releases from Mustad are the 10881 Jigging Single and Mustad TG77 3x Treble.

The Jigging Single is a super strong, super sharp hook designed for jig fishers. Featuring a large eye for ease of connection, it has a short shank and a wickedly sharp UltraPoint hook point that is up to 30% stronger than traditional chemically sharpened hooks.

Available in sizes from 1/0-11/0, the Jigging Single can be used to make assist rigs, or you can use them back-to-back on large lures like poppers and stickbaits, tied together with cable ties.

The TG77 3x Jawlock Triple Grip Treble features an opti-angle, chemically sharpened needle point for ultimate hook-ups and connections that never let you down.

Designed with a standard shaft length and a three extra strong build, these trebles are perfect for retrofitting lures. The build is Nor-tempered for 30% more strength, and the specialised wide bend means that when the hook point bites in, the fish stays hooked. www.wilsonfishing.com

ABU GARCIA ROXANI

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Following its release in the Japanese domestic market, Roxani spinning reels exemplify sleek reel design and performance in a compact package.

Based on high quality components and a lightweight design, the Roxani incorporates new technology including a one-piece Durametal body that houses an AMGearing system with Computer Optimised (COG) gear design and Salt Shield bearing technology for smoothness and durability.

SSC (Salt Shield Concept) bearing employs newly-developed ball bearings that are coated with a water-repelling shield which greatly reduces rotation noise caused by salt adhesion.

The AMGearing System combines a precision-machined aluminium gear with Abu’s COG (Computer Optimized Gear) gear design, resulting in a gear system that delivers the ultimate in smoothness and durability.

The Rocket Line Management System – a combination of bail angle, spool lip design and slow oscillation – lets you cast further and manage line more effectively.

Dedicated to light to medium lure fishing, the Roxani is available in 2000, 2500, 3000 and 4000 sizes.

Price: SRP $249 www.abugarcia-fishing.com.au

NORMAN LURES SPEED CLIP

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Great for saving time and hassle, the Norman Lures Speed Clip is the quickest and easiest way for you to attach a lure to your line.

You can basically think of Speed Clips as split rings that open. Equipped with a circular design that gives lures the freedom to run true, these Speed Clips are stronger than other snaps and work well with braided lines. In addition to this, it takes only one hand to attach these Speed Clips to your lure. Just tie it to the end of your leader and you won’t have to worry about retying your lure again. Just squeeze both sides of the clip together to open the jaw, slip one arm completely through the eyelet of your lure until the jaw can freely close, and you are ready to go.

Made of stainless steel, Norman Lures Speed Clips can be used in both fresh and saltwater. They are available in two versions 50

DECEMBER 2018

PRODUCT GUIDE

– 25mm/23kg (pack of five) and 15mm/10kg (pack of 10). www.jmgillies.com.au

DAIWA SALTIST X

13 16

Rigorously designed and tested, and loaded with the pedigree and features that have made the Saltist name famous, the new Saltist X series has it all.

Featuring HVF graphite and Braiding X technology, the result is a blank with maximum graphite density and a high resistance to twisting and distorting when under load. Saltist X blanks are slim, lightweight and sensitive, yet immensely powerful and strong, making sure you’re prepared for when that fish of a lifetime comes along.

Fuji’s new Fazlite Anti-Tangle K-Series guides ensure trouble and tangle free time on the water, while EVA Grips, and Fuji reel seats and butt caps make sure the comfort and control boxes are ticked.

There are 12 models in the range, so whether you’re jigging for snapper on the reefs, popping for GTs on the bommies, or casting for tuna and mackerel on the rocky headlands, the Saltist X range has you covered. www.daiwafishig.com.au

EUREKA GLIDE BLADE KNIVES

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

The Eureka Glide Blades currently are available in a Straight Fillet 6” and 8” model.

Each knife features a 3CR13 stainless steel Satin blade that is strong, flexible and holds great edge retention. The textured soft grip handles are comprised of nylon and rubber, enabling the handle to fit comfortably in your hand while also reducing the chance of slippage and injury. Each handle also features a finger guard for added safety.

The Eureka Glide Blades come complete with a leather sheath with a belt clip to protect the knife and keep it within reach if required.

For more information on this and other products in the Eureka range, visit the Juro OzPro Tackle website. You can also check out the latest catch photos, tips and videos on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ JuroOzProTackle), and YouTube (www.youtube. com/user/JuroOzPro). www.jurofishing.com

SAMAKI ARCHER ROD SERIES

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The Samaki Archer series of rods hits the nail on the head with design and componentry. They are built on crisp matte black blanks which transmit the slightest of bites, and features include carbon locking rings with gold trim detail, composite AA Cork and Ultra Hard EVA grips plus the new Fuji Fazlite guides. The soft yet firm cork is chiselled perfectly for your grip, and turns the rod into an extension of your body.

The first model is the extra light 6’9 2-6lb spin, designed for finesse anglers targeting the likes of bream and trout. Then there’s the light 6’11 4-8lb spin model – the ultimate all-round estuary rod for bream and flathead, as well as freshwater species like bass and yellowbelly.

The medium, heavy and extra heavy 7’0” spin models are designed for inshore plastics or throwing slugs at pelagics, with a model to suit your lure choice.

Casting options range from the new 7’0” medium-heavy 10-17lb suited to big rubbers and vibes, to the 6’0” medium-heavy and heavy models designed for Murray cod, barra and jacks. www.samaki.com.au

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Hobie Kayak Bream Series on the Swan River Strike Pro round 8 of Hobie Kayak Bream Series 10 was contested on the Swan River in Western Australia on the October 6 and 7 weekend.

On both days anglers pedalled off from the power-pole starting line in comfortable conditions, a lack of breeze made fishing a little tougher than some anglers would have liked, although 70% of the competitors caught legal size fish.

A total of 30 fish weighing 15.24kg were brought back to the scales on day one and on day two 27 bream were brought back for 15.18kg, accumulating a two-day total of 57 fish for 30.42kg. The average weight of the Swan bream to hit the scales was an excellent 530g.

PHILLIPS FINDS THE FISH First place in the final WA round of the series went to Western Australian Joshua Phillips who pocketed $810

Jenny Gardner won the Women’s Division, coming in 9th for the competition. for his six fish, which weighed in at 4.24kg. Phillips was leading at the finish of day one after he had his bag of three bream in the well between 8:30-9:00am.

On day two he employed the same strategy used on day one heading upstream, but Phillips coved a little more water than he had done on the previous day. He hit every snag he came across and threw at every likely looking

WINNER’S GEAR Rod Pflueger Trion Reel Daiwa 2000 Exceler Line 3lb FC Sniper Leader Sunline 6lb and 4lb Nitlon DFC Lure ZMan 2.4” Grubz in motor oil and midnight oil with 1/20 TT tournament painted red

piece of bank throughout the day. Phillips found that day two catches were a little more spread out than on day one, with his total legal, fish catches limited to just three (enough to fill his bag) and coming on board about every hour or so from 8:00-11:00am.

He had dropped a couple of big fish in the snags in that period and was worried those misfortunes had lost him the tournament. Nevertheless, in the end he was glad to get the three in his live well, and they were fat enough to win him the round.

GRIESDORF GETS SECOND Second place went to Alex Greisdorf from WA, winning $480 for his six fish with a two-day total weight

of 4.17kg. Griesdorf had a slow start to the tournament on day one, bringing three for 1.23kg to the scales, after finding plenty of fish but struggling to pull them aboard. However, his bag did set him up to take out the Mortgage Corp Monster Mover prize pack with an excellent improvement on day two with three for 2.94kg after catching around 30 legals throughout the session.

Among his catch was the largest fish of the tournament, the $100 Atomic Big Bream, a 1.33kg bruiser caught on day two and that saw Greisdorf take nearly five (heart stopping) minutes to land using a ZMan Slim Swimz in motor oil with a 1/12TT Headlox TOP 10 RESULTS Place Angler 1 Joshua Phillips 2 Alex Greisdorf 3 Ben Oakes 4 Robert Sgambelluri 5 Shane Owens 6 Joseph Gardner 7 Bradley Grange 8 Steven Owens 9 Jenny Gardner 10 Jesse Choy

jighead on 3lb FC straight through and one of his custom Duff rods.

Third Place went to Ben Oakes. He won $290 with six fish for 4.13kg. Day one had a weight of 1.83kg and

day two 2.30kg.

The Women’s Division winner was Jenny Gardner with a bag total of three for 1.41kg and the Master’s went to Steven Owens with three for 1.48kg.

Steven Owens won the Master’s Division with three fish and a total weight of 1.48kg.

Division Open Open Open Open Open Open Open Master’s (60-64) Women’s Open

Fish 6 6 6 6 6 5 3 3 3 2

Weight (kg) 4.24 4.17 4.13 2.92 2.80 2.47 1.50 1.48 1.41 0.88

Prize $810 $480 $290 $190 $140

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YALLINGUP – DUNSBOROUGH Caves Caravan Park Yallingup (08) 9755 2196 Yallingup Beach Holiday Park 1800 220 002 Dunsborough Lakes Holiday Resort (08) 9756 8300 Dunsborough Beach Cottages (08) 9756 8885

BUSSELTON RAC Busselton Holiday Park Busselton (08) 9755 4241 Busselton Villas & Caravan Park Busselton (08) 9752 1175 Geographe Bay Holiday Park Busselton (08) 9752 4396 Lazy Days Holiday Park Busselton (08) 9752 1780 Amblin Holiday Park Busselton (08) 9755 4079 Four Seasons Holiday Park Busselton (08) 9755 4082 Busselton Holiday Village Busselton (08) 9752 4499 Sandy Bay Holiday Park Busselton (08) 9752 2003 Fourseasons Holiday Park Busselton (08) 9755 4082 Busselton Beachfron Busselton (08) 9755 2607 Busselton Jetty Chalets Busselton (08) 9752 3893

BUNBURY Bunbury Glade Caravan Park Bunbury 1800 113 800 Discovery Parks - Bunbury (08) 9795 7100 Binningup Beach Caravan Park Bunbury (08) 9720 1057 Riverside Cabin Park Bunbury (08) 9725 1234 Leschenault Caravan Park Bunbury (08) 9797 1095 Waterloo Village Caravan Park Bunbury (08) 9725 4434 Brunswick Junction Caravan Park Bunbury (08) 9726 1544 Taralea Farm Bunbury (08) 9728 1252 Australind Tourist Park Bunbury (08) 9725 1206

MANDURAH Pinjarra Caravan Park Mandurah (08) 9531 1374 Mandurah Caravan & Tourist Park Mandurah (08) 9535 1171 Belvedere Caravan Park Mandurah (08) 9535 1213 The Dwellingup Chalet and Caravan Park (08) 9538 1157 Waroona Caravan Village (08) 9733 1518 Timber Top Caravan Park (08) 9535 1292 Lake Clifton Caravan Park (08) 9739 1255 Miami Holiday Park (08) 9534 2127 Tathams Caravan Park (08) 9537 6844 Peel Caravan Park (08) 9535 4343 Lake Navarino Holiday Park (08) 9733 3000 Estuary Hideaway Holiday Park 0407 838 061 Pinjarrah Holiday Park (08) 9531 1604 Waters Edge Caravan Park 0427 281 622 Mandurah Ocean Marina Chalets (08) 9535 8173 Murray River Caravan Park (08) 9537 6140 Footprints Preston Beach (08) 9739 1111

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.

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DECEMBER 2018

Boats & Guided Fishing Tours Directory MOORE RIVER – LANCELIN – CERVANTES Guilderton Caravan Park (08) 9577 1021 Branchys Holiday Homes Guilderton (08) 9577 1321

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

DONGARA – GERALDTON Seaspray Beach Holiday Park Dongara (08) 9927 1165 Dongara Tourist Park Port Denison (08) 9927 1210 Leander Reef Holiday Park Port Denison (08) 9927 1840 Port Denison Holiday Units (08) 9927 1104 Double Beach Caravan Park (08) 9921 5845 Batavia Coast Caravan Park (08) 9938 1222 Drummond Cove Holiday Park (08) 9938 2524 Horrocks Beach Caravan Park (08) 9934 3039

KALBARRI

Chandlers Marine Service Wangara (08) 9303 9366

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

Mobile Marine WA Osborne Park 0428 225 877 GP Marine Cockburn Central 0408 913 104 Hitech Marine Wangara (08) 9309 2888

KUNUNURRA Town Caravan Park (08) 9168 1763 Wyndham Caravan Park (08) 9161 1064 Lake Argyle Caravan Park (08) 9168 7777 Discovery Parks - Lake Kununurra (08) 9168 1031 Kimberleyland Waterfront Holiday Park | Kununurra (08) 9168 1280 Ivanhoe Village Caravan Resort (08) 9169 1995 Lake Argyle Resort (08) 9168 7777 Hidden Valley Caravan Park (08) 9168 1790 Kununurra Lakeside Resort (08) 9169 1092 El Questro Wilderness Park 1800 837 168 Kona Lakeside Caravan Park (08) 9161 1139

BOATS Aquasports Marine Midvale (08) 9250 3339

Bravo Marine Services Bayswater (08) 9272 9300 Seasport Marine Kelmscott (08) 9498 1799 The Boat Business Henderson (08) 9437 5144 Total Marine Repairs Mandurah (08) 9582 7211 West Coast Boat Works Perth Landsdale 0439 969 459 Boat Lifters Blue HQ Perth (08) 9239 9333 Bravo Marine Services Bayswater (08) 9272 9300 Perth Boat Mechanics Huntingdale 0405 593 786 GP Marine Cockburn Central 0408 913 104 Platinum Boating Maintenance Wangara 0402 477 656 Parker Marine Fremantle (08) 9336 6979 Westmarine Boating Services Fremantle WA 0425 177 700

MARINE ACCESSORIES

Murchison River Caravan Park Kalbarri (08) 9937 1005 Kalbarri Anchorage Caravan Park Kalbarri (08) 9937 1181 Kalbarri Tudor Holiday Park Kalbarri (08) 9937 1077 Murchison House Station Kalbarri (08) 9937 1998 Kalbarri Beach Bungalows A & B Kalbarri (08) 9937 0400 Murchison caravan park Kalbarri (08) 9937 0400 Kalbarri Blue Ocean Villas Kalbarri (08) 9937 2442

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

SHARK BAY Denham Seaside Caravan Park, (08) 9948 1242 Shark Bay Caravan Park (08) 9948 1387 Blue Dolphin Caravan Park and Holiday Village Denham (08) 9948 1385 Oceanside Village Denham Shark Bay (08) 9948 3003 Bay Lodge Denham Shark Bay WA (08) 9948 1278 RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort (08) 9948 1320

$449 USD

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

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

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All Boats and Caravans Kingsley (08) 9309 4200

MARINE TRIMMERS

John’s Motor Trimmers Auto & Marine Upholstery Welshpool (08) 9470 5531 G.K. Trimmers Canning Vale (08) 9455 7144 Prestige Marine Trimmers Perth (08) 9303 9536 McCarroll Motor & Marine Trimmers Osborne Park (08) 9244 1449 Exclusive Marine Trimming & Upholstery O’Connor (08) 9314 6882 Universal Marine & Automotive Upholstery O’Connor 08) 9314 1770

DAMPIER

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

Searano Marine Malaga (08) 9248 2242

Waters Edge Marine Trimmers Leeming 0412 204 085

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

BROOME

Whitworths Marine & Leisure - Mosman Park (08) 9385 5877

Mason Marine Trimmers O’Connor 0418 923 787

ONSLOW

PORT HEDLAND

Offshore Marine Guildford (08) 6278 1299

The Trim Shop (08) 9430 5332

Ningaloo Lighthouse Holiday Park (08) 9949 1478 Yardie Homestead Caravan Park (08) 9949 1389 Ningaloo Caravan and Holiday Resort (08) 9949 2377 RAC Exmouth Cape Holiday Park 1800 871 570 Exmouth Escape Resort (08) 9949 4800 Mantarays Ningaloo Beach Resort, Exmouth (08) 9949 0000

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

www.hydrowaveaustralia.com

Bluewater Marine (08) 9791 1499

EXMOUTH

Dampier Transit Caravan Park (08) 9183 1109 Discovery Parks - Pilbara, Karratha (08) 9185 1855 Karratha Caravan Park (08) 9185 1012 Discovery Parks - Balmoral, Karratha (08) 9185 3628 Harding River Caravan Park (08) 9182 1063 Aspen Karratha Village Baynton (08) 9185 2726 Karratha Apartments Karratha (08) 9143 9222 Searipple Village Karratha Bulgarra (08) 9158 7400 Karratha Village Karratha 1300 321 669

(includes shipping)

John’s mobile trimmers Jandakot (08) 9417 4414 Cutting Edge Marine Trimming O’Connor 0432 062 834 Mandurah Motor Trimmers Greenfields (08) 9581 8180

WELDING & MANUFACTURING 18 HAWKINS ST, EAST BUNBURY, WA 6230

(08)

9791 1499

CSD Designs Bayswater 0407 772 010 XFactor Signs 0413 113 828

Northbank Fibreglass Boats @northbankboats MARINE MECHANICS Falcon Services Australia Midvale 0458 852 591 Bay Marine Maintenance Crawley (08) 9386 7059 Pleisure Marine Maintenance O’Connor (08) 9337 9569 Boat Fix Balcatta (08) 9240 8778 Parker Marine Fremantle (08) 9336 6979 Matich Marine East Fremantle (08) 9339 7722

Boat Wrap Specialist www.xfactorsigns.com

Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call 0417 901 301 or email nick@fishingmonthly.com.au DECEMBER 2018

55

Just one of those days…

BRISBANE

Justin Willmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

I caught up with my mate Baz recently and we ended up talking fishing and it

wasn’t long before a plan was hatched to kayak fish early the next morning.

The water wasn’t a great colour after some recent rain, the moon wasn’t ideal and the breeze was supposed to blow from

Ready to launch and get stuck into a few fish.

a direction that isn’t favourable… but you know what, we had the time and the morning was supposed to be fine and calm.

A 5am arrival and we were pushing the yaks off not long after, making our first casts for the day. I let Baz drift ahead of me to get first shot at the fish.

Three casts in and my little 2.5” paddle-tail soft plastic was nailed by what felt like a solid flathead. A few spirited runs and I had a mid 50s flatty beside the kayak and slid the net under it for easy handling. Once on the lip grips Baz snapped a couple of pictures and I decided to keep this one for a meal after releasing the bulk of the fish landed of late.

The lip grips make it easy to transfer the fish securely to the icebox, minimizing the chance of ‘the one that got away’ stories.

As we were only doing a short session we just had the one icebox, stowed in the back of Baz’s kayak, as there was no need for a second icebox to keep our lunch separate from the catch. A couple of ice bricks in a large zip lock bag would ensure the catch was kept in good condition, for a feed of fresh

What a cracking morning. flathead fillets and salad.

So often when you catch a fish straight up you get pumped for a hot bite and then that’s it… and this was one of those days. We made plenty of casts to good water for hardly a rattle. All of the usual structure failed to produce until finally I hooked another smaller flathead. This was followed by a couple of rattles and then another flathead in my net that was soon released.

We were enjoying the cracker morning on the water, drifting close enough to have a chat, but I could sense that Baz was getting a bit frustrated that he hadn’t

Even small flathead are good fun. This one ate a midnight oil coloured ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ.

A solid flathead to start the day, landed on a ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ.

Ultralight Outboard Motors For kayaks, canoes and very light boats With a total weight of 8.9kg including battery, the Torqeedo Ultralight won’t limit your paddling performance, but when called on it can give you the right push against the current, against the wind, or be called on to save your tired arms.

Technology that is clean and state-of-the-art Find your closest dealer: email: web: phone:

56

DECEMBER 2018

torqeedo@powerequipment.com.au www.powerequipment.com.au 1800 069 469

hooked up. The last couple of times we had fished were in my boat and Baz had landed some nice bream, flathead and trevally.

Just as the tide was starting to turn to take us back toward our launch point Baz cast to the edge of a nice drop off, the plastic sank to the bottom and he started a slow hop and wind retrieve that resulted in a solid hit!

Unfortunately, that’s where the strike ended, resulting in a few muttered words.

Baz was suffering from ‘one of those days’, including no bites, catching loads of weed and other random structure and even scoring a nice loose loop of line that took some sorting.

Just when we thought it couldn’t get worse I looked over to see Baz stretching his back a bit and then he was in the drink! He leant

too far to one side, the yak had tipped and he ended up taking a dip. Fortunately, the kayak had remained upright so no gear was lost… well, almost no gear. Baz noticed

the rod and reel I had let him borrow were nowhere to be seen and as we were drifting quite quickly, so it was long gone.

I blame myself for this

A mouth built to terrorise baitfish.

incident as my pedal kayak needs the broken rudder cable replaced and my seat inside is leaking, so I took

is easy to handle – but it does have a reduced payload and is slightly narrower and less stable. I jokingly said

combo it won’t be a big deal.

Good thing I carried a spare combo for him in my kayak.

Being a surfer Baz had

A fish on the third cast of the day usually means it is going to be a good day. my small kayak and he used my wife Sheri’s kayak.

This kayak is specifically designed for female paddlers and is light, tracks well and

to Baz before we launched that I was lending him an inexpensive rod and reel combo so that when he falls out of the yak and loses the

A fun size trevally in the net after a spirited fight on light gear.

no problem getting back onto the kayak and I struggled not to take a photo of him laying flat with his face in the seat and his feet hanging over the nose. I opted instead to take one when he was safely back in the seat. There were no smiles, well other than mine, when I paddles over and passed him the spare combo I was carrying with me. I assured him that losing the rod and reel was worth every cent after witnessing the priceless display of acrobatics, but I couldn’t get much of a laugh out of him.

To follow this up I landed another small flathead and then hooked onto something that ran hard and the head shakes told me that it wasn’t a flathead. A couple of solid runs and then I saw silver, confirming my

belief that I had hooked a trevally. Trevally are great fun on light gear, but this little bloke had punched well above his weight and it was nice to get a few pictures and then send him on his way.

There have been quite a few trevally caught of late and these fish are too good to catch just once, so I always return them to the water.

By this time we had reached our launch point and Baz had still not landed a fish, only the one bite.

The three hour session had produced only four flathead and one trevally, not terrible, but definitely not a hot bite. I was ready to head for home, however, Baz was looking for redemption and I was happy to tag along.

We paddled a few hundred metres and drifted a long flat that normally produces a few fish. The problem was we were now well into a big run-in tide and it wasn’t feeling very fishy, with a breeze from the north, strong current and not much bait around. I had one bream rattle on the flats, with no hook up.

It was then onto a weedy drain that has produced in the past and again Baz was landing plenty of weed but neither of us hooked a fish.

We persisted for an hour or so, flogging the water to foam for nothing and with a long paddle back to our launch point against the tide, we instead pulled into the bank, loaded our kayaks onto the trolleys and rolled them back to our launch point with just one quick stop on the way to pick up a feed of hot chips.

Baz gearing up for an early morning session. them sitting at home. It was good to catch up, go on an adventure, see some turtles and dolphins, and still end up with one in the icebox for a feed.

If the rod was leashed on we would still have it, however, I find leashes often get in the way and make fishing more difficult.

Instead I now opt to run entry-level rods and reels on the SUP and in the kayak, leaving the high-end gear for boat adventures. You can pick up a reasonable

kayak behind your seat as I have heard of at least half a dozen being lifted out with the paddle stroke and lost.

In hindsight, when faced with the tough bite, we could have paddled back to the launch site and moved spots, changed up lures more often or tried something completely out of the box.

At the end of the day these tougher days on the water make the good ones even better and at some point we are all going to have ‘one of those days’. The best thing

Baz working a plastic down a weed edge.

Rather than fight the current back, the guys paddled to the bank and loaded the yaks onto the C-Tug trolleys for an easy roll back.

Baz was angry with himself for falling in, losing the rod and reel and not catching any fish… but you know what, that’s fishing and I’m sure it won’t be long until we are both sharing a laugh about the that time we had a bit of a shocker and he went for a swim.

Some days you catch them and some days you don’t, but guarantee you won’t catch

combo from $80-$200 that will handle bream, whiting, flathead, trevally and so on, and it’s less of a worry in terms of it getting splashed or potentially lost. We have only lost a couple of combos over the years, however, if you want to be safe leash it.

Also, the number one rule for me is don’t put the combo in the flush mounted rod holders on the sides of the

you can do is get back on the horse and now that Baz has had a couple of days to lick his wounds we are already planning our next adventure. How sweet the feeling will be when his rod loads up on the next fish that he hooks and who knows, we might even share a laugh about this not so perfect day out.

See you on the water.

DECEMBER 2018

57

WHAT’S NEW BOATING STEFAN LAUNCHES NEW REFLEX RANGE 1

SAVAGE RAPTOR EXTREME

Stefan Boating World has launched a new range of Reflex Boats, delivering affordable family boating.

The Reflex Marine Division has been designing and building Reflex fibreglass boats since the 1970s, and their Chianti models exceed International CE requirements and are certified for stability and floatation compliance.

They have outstanding build quality and fit-out, with zero timber.

There are six models available: the Chianti 485, 530, 585, 635, 655 Hard Top, 705 Hard Top, powered by Yamaha. The 485-635 models are small enough to launch and retrieve on your own, yet big enough to handle the rough stuff and carry four to seven people in comfort.

The 655 and 705 models are aimed squarely at anglers. They have uniquely designed cockpits, a large uncluttered working area, easy walkaround access to the bow, and ample seating for long trips offshore. www.stefanboatingworld.com.au

The Savage Raptor Extreme is a v-nose punt dinghy with increased internal freeboard thanks to the higher sides and greater beam. Suited for river, creek and estuary fishing, boaties of all ages will find enjoyment out of this boat.

Available in two models, 355 and 375 with 15hp and 20hp ratings respectively, the Raptor Extreme is a great choice for off-road and camping adventures. Trailerable or a cartopper, this dinghy is designed to add excitement in the most remote areas.

This boat comes standard with grab rails for loading, anchor storage and a deep floor for comfort while on the water. There are also large front and rear bench seats with plenty of room in the centre for fishing and crabbing.

The Raptor family consists of the Savage Raptor, Raptor Extreme and Raptor Pro, ranging from 3.5m to 4.4m. They have been created to take anglers on adventures all over the country, from the rainforests in Northern Queensland, to the lakes across Western Australia. www.savageboats.com.au

CLUB MARINE’S SUMMER REWARDS 2 Club Marine is giving away $25,000 worth of prizes in its ‘Summer of Rewards’ promotion.

All participants need to do to be in the running is to have a Club Marine Pleasure Craft Insurance policy and a Club Marine Magazine subscription in either Australia or New Zealand at the time of each draw between November 1, 2018, and March 31, 2019.

Each month during the promotion period, five Club Marine members will each win $1000 to spend at Club Marine Member Rewards partners (listed on the Club Marine website).

Club Marine members enjoy a wide variety of exclusive benefits from a ever-growing group of prominent marine businesses. With Summer of Rewards, 25 winning members will each receive $1000 to spend with up to three Member Rewards partners, including Henri Lloyd, Hamilton Island, Musto, Big4 Holiday Parks, Australian Marine Wholesale, Barz Optics, Boat Shoes Online and JSW Powersports, among others.

Prize winners will be contacted and announced on the Club Marine website after each monthly draw. www.clubmarine.com.au/ SummerOfRewards

NEW LOWRANCE ELITE TI2

3

The Lowrance Elite Ti2 gives anglers access to features previously reserved for Lowrance’s premium HDS family of displays.

One of the main features is Active Imaging Sonar, which combines Lowrance CHIRP sonar, with Side and DownScan Imaging to allow anglers to quickly search fish-holding structure, and enhances FishReveal with higherlevel clarity and target separation. Simple to use, without the need to change frequencies while fishing in most conditions, the Active Imaging 800kHz setting provides crystal-clear detail with uncompromised range. For anglers needing to see farther than 120ft (36m), Active Imaging can also operate at the 455kHz frequency.

Elite Ti2 also lets you wirelessly share sonar and charting between two displays, as well as sync waypoint data. Additionally, it provides Bluetooth notifications so you can keep their phone stored in a safe location while still receiving incoming call and text notifications.

Lowrance Elite Ti2 is available in 7”, 9”, and 12” display sizes, and various charting and transducer bundles.

Price: SRP $1299-$3599 www.lowrance.com 58

DECEMBER 2018

C-MAP EMBARK APP

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1

5

C-Map Embark is a navigation app that simplifies planning, cruising and fishing.

It shows you the most important info at any given time, so you can discover new places safely and confidently — just like a local. There is helpful info about local marinas, harbours, beaches, shops and more, and you can also share exciting new places and routes with friends.

Embark is powered by map data from official hydrographic offices, and it’s continuously updated and augmented to help fill gaps in coastal and inland water bodies. Updated monthly, the maps ensure users always have the most current charts on smartphone, tablet or PC. The charts show all the info needed to navigate safely, and Contour Mode offers a hires bathymetry view, helping you target the best fishing spots.

Users travelling to an area without internet or cellular data coverage can upgrade to Premium and download off-line maps and weather.

C-Map Embark is now offering users a free twoweek trial on Google Play and the App Store. lightmarine.c-map.com/mobile/cmap-embark-app

C-MAP GENESIS SOCIAL MAP

PRODUCT GUIDE

2 3

4

5 6

C-Map Genesis subscribers can now select and follow Favourite Waterbodies in Social Map and get weekly updates about increased acres mapped on them.

Selecting a Favourite Waterbody will provide both free account and Genesis Edge subscribers with: an up-to-date accounting of how much of the waterbody’s total acreage has been publicly mapped by the C-Map Genesis community, and quicklinks to view and/or download for use on a compatible Lowrance, Simrad or B&G sonar/GPS unit updated charts for your Favourite Waterbodies.

After selecting one or more Favourite Waterbody, you will receive a weekly email that announces how many acres of new mapping was added in the previous week to the chart of your Favourite Waterbodies (provided the waterbodies were updated that past week).

Social Map is a free online collection of inland and coastal charts generated by fishing, cruising, and sailing enthusiasts. Anyone with a C-Map Genesis account can download Social Map charts to an SD card for use in a compatible chartplotter. insightgenesis.wordpress.com

6

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Quintrex Trident 650 with 200hp Mercury 4 Stroke - SC

TENT -

RE ONLINE MO

T

SPECIFICATIONS Length................ 6.69m Beam.................. 2.48m Main motor ........ 300kg Min HP ................... 150 Max HP .................. 200 Bottom sheet ...... 5mm Transom ............... 5mm Top sheet ............. 3mm Capacity ...... 8 persons Hull weight .......1020kg 60

DECEMBER 2018

DE FOR EX

For all of the Telwater Yellowfins I’ve tested over time, I’d never done a Quintrex Trident, so we were pretty excited when Mandurah Marine arrived with a 650 Quintrex Trident Hard Top loaded with one of the new Mercury V-6 3.4L 200HP four strokes.

There’s no denying that it’s a good looking package – with the Australian built hull and trailer matched at the factory, complemented by a dark factory installed wrap that matches the jet black and futuristically styled outboard, but it’s in the water where a boat really needs to impress.

So, we launched the rig at the public ramp at Mandurah and took her out to sea.

First impressions are strong. This is a plate boat with a full, unpainted, aluminium chequer plate deck that would be well suited to some serious

CO

s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

R

Steve Morgan

Q

RA

CON

AN THE

twin-axled aluminium I-beam trailer, the rig weighs in at under 2,500kg fuelled and loaded. This means that it can be towed behind nearly all twin-cab 4WDs with relative ease. A fold down boarding ladder and transom door lets your

FMG

taking up side pocket space – even though they’re accessible for maintenance and inspection.

I was a fan, however, of the tiltable rocket launcher rod tubes. I’m 5’10” and often have trouble loading the higher launchers and I

PERFORMANCE RPM Speed (km/h) Economy (km/L) 600 ............. 4 ............................1.60 1000 ........... 8 ............................2.05 2000 ........... 15 ..........................1.55 3000 ........... 24 ..........................1.20 4000 ........... 48 ..........................1.65 5000 ........... 60 ..........................1.20 5575............ 74 ..........................1.05 Main: There’s no doubting that the Trident/Mercury combination brings the goods. The Quintrex factory wrap offsets the jet black motor and the angular lines complement each other.

Above: This Trident took the option of extra fuel capacity instead of underfloor kill tanks, giving the rig 250L in total and over 400km of theoretical range. fishing mates doing some serious miles in their search for fish.

A pleasant day on the water with no real chop or wind swell didn’t really give us the chance to put the Trident through its paces on a lumpy ocean, but it did allow us to complete a full set of performance statistics.

As expected, economy with the new Mercury peaked at 1.65km/L at a cruising speed of 48km/h at 4,000rpm. The V-6 was very quiet at cruising speeds and travelling was pleasant on the calm seas.

The motor revved out to 5,750rpm while achieving a top speed of 74km/h.

Notably, economy tanks at the top of the rev range and delivers around 1km/L.

The whole idea of a hard top is to offer a part of the boat that’s right out of the elements for when things get hot, rough or nasty, while still leaving ample cockpit room for activities like fishing. The Trident gets this balance right.

High gunwales and a 2.48m beam combine to make the Trident a great compromise between comfort on the go and stability at rest.

The test boat didn’t have an underfloor kill tank as is popular in east coast boats. Instead, it’s fitted with extra fuel capacity.

This Trident carries 250L underfloor to allow a theoretical range of around 400km. The compromise is that you need to bring an icebox for the fish. That’s not uncommon for WA,

where anglers are used to traveling distances to access spectacular fishing.

Supplied on a Quintrex

mates or family easily load while at the ramp.

The transom mounted bait board and port-side livewell allow you to get the job done down back when you reach your destination.

I wasn’t a big fan of the deckwash and fuel filter

appreciate the ease of which these are loaded.

As tested, the Trident weighed in at $105,536. Visit www.mandurahoutboards. com.au for details and Like their Facebook page (Mandurah Outboards) for specials and updates.

The Mercury 3.4L platform has the reputation for providing increased midrange torque and the rig definitely packed a punch getting out of the hole.

Carpet-free checker plate floors look practical and they are – you can clean up with a power washer or a garden hose.

A pair of comfortable helm seats with storage underneath them is all a serious angler needs.

The rear bench seat folds away when you’re fishing and the transom bait station features a second shelf to hold the gear you use all of the time.

Plenty of room to stretch out here. Not so sure I’d want to share the space with a couple of mates for an overnighter.

Top: There’s plenty of freeboard to keep you confidently fishing in open waters. On water transom access for swimmers is easy with the duckboard, transom door and fold down ladder.

Left:The test boat came with a berley pot built into the transom.

Right: Supplied on a twin-axle Quintrex trailer with electric hydraulic brakes, the Trident will tow behind most twin cab 4WDs quite easily.

Top: The Trident cruised most economically at 4,000rpm where it delivered 1.65km/L and just under 50km/h.

Above: You know that this rig will turn heads at the ramp and on the water.

DECEMBER 2018

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Extreme 605 Game Fisher with Yamaha F130 - SC

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Main: The New Zealand built Extreme Game King 605 is a great looking and beautifully built boat that performs surprisingly well with the Yamaha 130HP. Above: The test boat featured a combination of traditionally painted and raw-aluminium with Nyalic covered surfaces. These look like they’re painted silver, but are far more durable than paint. great looks. Indeed, at first glance, you’d think that the surfaces were painted silver.

Standard in the Extreme boats are a central flooding hull ballast tank to aid stability at rest and fully welded buoyancy chambers.

All visible welding is first class and there’s an efficiency in design and attention to detail in the finishing that’s a class above many boats on the market.

It was a little disappointing that the calm seas on offer on the test day

Length......................................................6.07m Beam........................................................2.34m Bottom.sheet ............................................5mm Transom.sheet ..........................................5mm Side.sheet..................................................4mm Transom.deadrise ....................................... 21° Max.HP ........................................................ 150 Tow.weight ............................................ 1500kg Capacity ............................................ 5 persons DECEMBER 2018

anything about the Extreme and how it was set up. The Sportsmarine crew know their boats and set them up well. As tested, the test rig weighed in at $81,575 with the 130HP Yamaha. You

PERFORMANCE

SPECIFICATIONS

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My first visit to Bunbury’s Sportsmarine was impressive for a number of reasons. Firstly, the dealership is as neat and well stocked as any I’ve seen around Australia.

They sell plenty of boat brands – mostly powered

by Yamaha outboards.

Secondly, the New Zealand built Extreme boat we had for testing was an impressive rig.

Dealer principal Greg Collett had it hooked to the back of his Landcruiser and we wasted no time getting down to the ramp to get it wet.

Sportsmarine imports the hulls from across the ditch and matches them locally with Dunbier trailers. They then head to the dealership to get fitted with Yamaha outboards before being water tested and offered for sale.

Boarding the boat, you immediately notice the Nyalic finish that coats all of the bare aluminium surfaces.

I’ve seen this on McLay boats before and it has proved to be a durable way of coating high workload surfaces while retaining

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s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

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Steve Morgan

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coatings doing their best to separate dissimilar metals all adds to the longevity of the hull.

We also liked the novel seat bases, attached to the gunwales rather

FMG

didn’t let us fully experience this boat’s rough water abilities. Typically, NZ built boats excel when the water looks like the inside of a washing machine.

Also, I thought that a 130 on a 6+ metre hull was a little under-gunned, however, Sportsmarine reported that 80% of these rigs are sold with that power plant instead of the heavier and more expensive F150.

Economy was excellent with the 130, delivering around 2.2km/L between 4,000rpm and 4,500rpm. As usual, if you run the boat at wideopen throttle, you’ll get 59km/h at 5,900rpm, but economy will drop to 1.3km/L. Complementing the build quality, the Extreme is beautifully finished.

Carpet lining on the cabin walls, practical covering of the dash wiring and custom

built hinges are obvious, but the attention to detail with bushes and anti-corrosive

RPM................... km/h.................... km/L 650 ...........................4 ....................... 3.9 1000 ...................... 6.5 ....................... 3.3 2000....................... 11 ....................... 2.4 3000....................... 16 ....................... 1.2 4000....................... 37 ....................... 2.2 4200 ....................... 41 ....................... 2.2 5000....................... 46 ....................... 1.4 5900 ....................... 59 ....................... 1.3 *As tested with a 17” S/S propeller than the floor. This adds to cockpit space and allows flexibility in where you store your coolers and other large items.

It was hard to dislike

can get more information at www.sportsmarine. com.au or you can Like ‘Sportsmarine Boat Centre – Bunbury’ for specials and dealer updates.

The F130 Yamaha delivered superb economy of up to 2.2km/L at cruising speeds between 4,000 and 4,500rpm.

Extreme boats are shipped on a cradle to Fremantle, WA and then loaded onto Australian built Dunbier trailers.

It looks like silver paint, but it’s bare aluminium coated in a Nyalic finish. This is very popular in New Zealand built alloy boats and looks great. The Extreme guys have been very restrained in their use of carpet on the console. Most Kiwi builders love it.

With 21 degrees of transom deadrise, the Game King promises to ride well in conditions much more challenging than we encountered on the test day out of Bunbury.

Check out those glove box hinges (and the sneaky carpet inside). All fittings are protected with bushes and coated in duralac to help prevent the problems with saltwater and dissimilar metals.

We loved these seat bases – complete with footrest they were well built and extended the cockpit space immensely.

There’s the carpet – covering and insulating the walls of the cabin.

Weather protected side pockets are ample for storage of important gear that shouldn’t really live in the open pockets.

Relatively new, the Yamaha F130 has been a hit with dealers and customers since it was launched. We’d opt for the hydraulic steering upgrade every time.

Top marks for covering the helm wiring seamlessly.

It’s still accessible with some knurled bolts.

Chequer plate floors with hidden underfloor compartments let you get important things – like your catch – out of the way.

With the transom bench seat folded down, there’s plenty of room up against the transom, letting you stand at the rigging station.

That’s what some beautifully welded and finished aluminium looks like. Maintenance with a hose.

UNBEATABLE 150hp FourStroke

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

UNEXPECTEDLY COMPACT MERCURY

HONDA

YAMAHA

DISPLACEMENT COMPARISON SUZUKI

3000

2500

3000cc

206kg 217kg

2867cc

2000

223kg

2670cc 2354cc

232kg MERCURY

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

YAMAHA

HONDA

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

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

mercurymarine.com.au

SUZUKI