Western Australia Fishing Monthly September 2018

COCKBURN SNAPPER • BEST IN SHOW AWARDS

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Boating & Kayaking

Keeping the kids keen • AFTA Best in Show winners • Tickle me pink: Cockburn snapper • Masterclass on mulloway •

Kayaking on the sound • Exploring in a SUP • Boating comfort: seating •

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September 2018, Vol. 1 No. 01

Contents 12

METRO Perth metro

Swan & Canning Rivers

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Cockburn Sound

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Metro Offshore

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SOUTH COAST Esperance 22 22

Albany 23 WEST COAST Augusta 26 Busselton 28 Bunbury 30 Mandurah 32 Lancelin 34 Jurien Bay

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Geraldton 35 Kalbarri 36 GASCOYNE COAST Shark Bay

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22

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Rockingham 16

Bremer Bay

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From the Editor’s Desk...

Well, I can’t tell you how strange it feels to be sitting in the editor’s seat again.

I thought I was finished with publishing but thanks to Steve Morgan and the Fishing Monthly Group, here I am again!

It is a privilege to be offered the position, and to be working alongside Nick Cuccovia again is also the icing on the cake. Fishing Monthly Group is such a big fishing brand on the East Coast I am really looking forward to doing the brand justice here in the West.

Obviously my job is only possible with the help of a team of great writers and first up I really want to thank all of the area report writers who went over and above to get their content in on time for this very first issue. Also a big thanks to the feature writers who also managed to get their articles in on time, it was pretty

short notice and considering that many were not sure if they had what it would take, I think each and every one did a fantastic job. So thank you to all and thanks also to the new writers who have since come on board and will be in the next issue.

Although it is not usual practice I would also like to

make a special thank you to the advertisers who have taken a leap of faith and joined us in this first issue.

Signing up to advertise in a first issue of a magazine is always going to be a big ask and the fact that so many came on board, I think speaks volumes about the Fishing

Ian Sewell Monthly brand name and what they do for businesses on the East Coast.

I will keep it short and sweet for this one so that you can get on with your reading, I hope you all enjoy this first issue, whether it is in the print publication or the digital version, until next issue, stay safe!

Carnarvon 38 Exmouth 38 NORTH COAST Port Hedland

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Broome 40 Derby 41

Dam Levels

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Fun Page

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Phone: (07) 3387 0800 Fax: (07) 3387 0801

Recfishwest 54

Website: www.fishingmonthly.com.au

Tournament News

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Managing Editor: Steve Morgan

Track My Fish

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Editor: Ian Sewell ian@fishingmonthly.com.au

Trade and Services Guide

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Editorial Manager: Jacqui Thomas

What’s new boating

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SPECIAL FEATURES Tickle me pink: Cockburn snapper

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Testing Booth: Siglon PE Braid

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Masterclass on mulloway

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Office Manager: Marie Dykstra Annual Subscriptions: $65 for twelve issues (GST inc.)

Make cheques payable to Queensland Fishing Monthly PO Box 3172 LOGANHOLME QLD 4129

Western Australia Fishing Monthly magazine goes on sale the last week of each preceding month (latest sale date 31st of the month).

Published by:

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Paul Willis with a big dhuie caught off Mandurah on a Saltiga 62s/Certate 4000 with PE3.

A Paul Willis image.

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AFTA Best in Show winners

Publishers: Steve Morgan Matthew Drinkall

Production: Keith Hawley Karen Millward

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Keeping the kids keen

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Advertising Enquiries: Ph: 0417 901 301 Nick Cuccovia nick@fishingmonthly.com.au

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Pink snapper

Time to tickle me pink!

SORRENTO

Andrew Matthews

The sun was kissing the pink horizon and the temperature was slowly dropping as the first cast was made into the darkening sea. Our berley was creating an enticing fishy soup directly below the boat, and it wasn’t long before our offering attracted some interest.

The unweighted mulie was viciously smashed, causing the resting rod to bend over.

There is nothing quiet about the sound of a screaming drag as string surges off the

tale headshake of a good size snapper.

More line slowly came back, the tussle of headshakes and determined rushes back to the bottom subsided, and the rosy silver hues of a nice fish shone before us in the remaining light on the water’s surface. Finally netted and placed on the deck, the first beautiful pink snapper for the evening set the scene for what we hoped was going to be a productive session fishing Cockburn Sound.

COCKBURN’S SNAPPER With the Cockburn and Warnbro Sound Pink Snapper Closed Season kicking off on

these spawning aggregations, requested that the area be closed so the fish could go about their business in peace. Today, the benefits of this conservation-based management change, as well as community funded stock enhancement through Recfishwest’s ‘Snapper Guardians’ program, has helped safeguarded this important fishery for generations to come. Today, anglers can continue to help protect these important breeders by exercising some restraint by only taking one fish per person and moving on once you have one on ice.

Catch and release isn’t really Slow jigging is a popular choice with snapper hunters. Light, flat-shaped jigs fished slowly up and down in the water column are very effective.

Be prepared. Rig rods and reels before getting out on the water so that they are ready to go. spool under extreme pressure.

The well hooked fish ran hard, taking the bait in the direction of the nearby ledge, determined to keep its tasty snack. Resistance was futile, for after only a few moments of uncontrolled excitement its head was turned as pressure was applied with the rod, causing the fish to change direction. A few metres of line were quickly retrieved before the fish gave the tell-

1 October and ending on 31 January (inclusive), a lot of keen anglers will be planning a morning or evening session out on Cockburn Sound hoping to catch a pre-spawning pink snapper.

The snapper fishing ban came about around ten years ago after concerned recreational angler’s lobbied government and fisheries managers.

These thoughtful fishers, knowing the importance of

appropriate during breeding season, as it puts unnecessary stress on the fish who are trying to breed.

With that said, I though that readers would like to learn a few tips on how to land themselves a big Cockburn pink, with only a few weeks left of the season.

There is an endless range of techniques for targeting pink snapper on bait or lures, only limited by your own personal

To have such quality fishing right on the doorstep of a major city and a heavy industrial port is nothing short of amazing.

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SEPTEMBER 2018

choice and imagination. Let’s look at a few of these, with the hope of improving your success rate of taking home a fish for the table.

TIPS To start with, I think berley would be one of the most important factors for success and no doubt everyone has their favourite concoction.

For me, a block of chopped up mulies mixed with some chook pellets and any old cray heads, crabs, prawns or shellfish waste that you may have works extremely well. I tend to make up my berley in a bucket the night before so we don’t make too much mess and noise out on the boat. The importance of stealth is often lost during the excitement of catching fish, but my advice is while anchored up on your spot, keep the noise to a minimum, as I reckon this makes a lot of difference to success rates.

RODS AND REELS A good quality high modulus rod that is between 6-7ft long rated at around 4-8kg with a fast crisp action can be used successfully for both bait and lure fishing.

Something light to handle with a softish tip will help enable you to work soft plastics better, but you should select something with a strong powerful butt section so you can apply enough pressure on a big pink when they push the turbo power button. A matching reel in the 2500-4000 size range that can hold at least 200m of PE 1-3 (8-15kg) with a silky smooth drag capable of applying 5-8kg of pressure will allow you to put the brakes on when needed.

LINES AND LEADERS There are a lot of choices out there when it comes to braided lines. Over the years I have tried many, but have recently gone back to the Australian-made Platypus, as it is smooth and casts and knots well, but whatever you choose will be fine. Most

brands of PE 1-3 braid comes on a 300m spools, so a bit of backing may be required on some reels to ensure that the spool is filled to the top.

I typically use fluorocarbon leader material tied with an Albright knot to my mainline, but there are various other monofilament leader materials out there that will do the job. Obviously, fluorocarbon has the added

extremely reliable, so don’t think you need to be fishing heavy gear to land a big pink.

TECHNIQUES Fishing baits One of the most reliable methods of catching snapper is with a semi floating whole mulie, presented on a set of three snelled 4/0-6/0 suicide hooks. This is rigged either with no weight, or a tiny

When a snapper wants a soft plastic they will take it with gusto. That’s a 6” soft plastic down there! benefit of being harder for the fish to see, but admittedly that’s just my own personal choice and any good quality leader material will work.

Length and strength varies depending on how and where I’m fishing, but leaders around 2-3m long, ranging from 10-20kg (20-40lb) is often the most appropriate.

Modern fishing lines are

no. 0 or no. 1 sliding ball sinker above the hooks to help the bait slowly work its way down to the depths.

Cockburn Sound is only around 20m at its deepest, so you don’t necessarily need your bait right on the bottom, as this can just attract undesirable pickers like wrasse and gurnards.

Pinkies will swim up a

Pink snapper surprising distance to scoff a floater, so don’t think you always need to get that mulie right on the bottom to find fish.

Using 20-30kg mono leader is generally heavy enough for making snelled rigs, as the sneaky pinkies definitely prefer lighter leaders. I’ll generally cast a fair way from the boat, and once I think the bait has reached the bottom, I wind

in a few metres, repeating this process every now and then, before recasting and doing it all over again.

This technique also limits the amount of rigs you’ll lose to the reef or other structure.

Pinkie plastics If you want a little more of a challenge, fishing with soft plastics works fantastically when targeting pink snapper. They really

aren’t hard to use and once you’ve cast your bait out, why not flick around a plastic as a more active way to fish while you wait for your bait to be found?

There are many different shapes, sizes, colours and styles of soft plastics on the market these days, which can often be confusing for those starting out. Pinkie plastics, particularly in the 5-7” size are perfect, and

Bay Rubber style jigs are very easy to fish and give great results.

Recreational anglers and Recfishwest fought hard to get these spawning fish protected through a Cockburn Snapper closed season.

Remember it is our job to protect them, so limit your catch of prespawn fish and don’t strive to catch your limit. Let them breed!

jerkbaits, shads, minnows and grub style patterns work extremely well.

Colours vary depending on conditions and invariably what’s working on the day, so I’ll always buy a few different colours and sizes.

The most important consideration when fishing soft plastics is matching the lure to the correct hook size and weight jighead. Hook size will depend on what style and size plastic you’re using and the weight will depend on what depth of water your fishing. For most

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5-6” jerkbaits, minnows and grubs, a 4/0-5/0 hook with weights varying from 1/4oz for shallow through to 1/2oz for mid to deeper water is a good stating point. For 7” jerkbaits, minnows, grubs a 5/0-7/0 hook size with weights from 3/4oz to 1.5ozmay be required, again depending on the depth and currents.

It should be noted that when fishing soft plastics, a light leader of 20-30lb is preferred, as it helps give the lure more action and allows you feel the

lure working on the end of your line.

There are many different retrieves that seasoned plastic using anglers use to entice a strike. Try starting with the simple lift and drop technique by casting your plastic out as far as you can, letting it sink until your line goes slack when it hits the bottom. Then, with a jerk or twitch of the rod tip, lift the plastic either once or a few times, and then let it sink again.

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Pink snapper From page 9

It’s worth mixing it up a bit at times, so try working your plastic faster and higher in the

water column if the deeper retrieve isn’t working. Soft plastics have a real lifelike action when twitched on the retrieve or when

It is amazing that heavy industry and pink snapper have survived all of these years sharing the same piece of water.

you give the rod tip a little flick. Dropping the plastic to the bottom, twitching it up a few meters and then dropping the plastic back down to the bottom often triggers a strike.

Another useful technique is dropping the plastic to the bottom, twitching and pausing regularly. If you have a school of fish on the bottom, work your plastic up through them with a twitching retrieve and then drop it back down through them. The plastics flutter on the drop, making them irresistible to hungry snapper.

Jigging Jigging for snapper has been a natural progression for adventurous anglers

who target other species such as samsonfish on metals. There are several different styles and designs out there, but we will focus on a couple of jig types that are easy to use and wellsuited to catching pink snapper in shallow water.

For some years, Japanese tackle manufactures have been designing jigs for red sea bream, a very close cousin of our pink snapper.

Commonly referred to as

falling to the bottom. If the jig doesn’t immediately start moving back upwards, the fish don’t appear to be as interested. Instead of jerking or rapidly bouncing the rod tip as you would with a knife style jig, you should keep the rod perfectly still at the top of the lift or retrieve. This is because a bay rubber entices bites with the wobbling motion of the head and the fluttering of the trailing skirt and

seeking good snapper ground in the sound is areas with some sort of structure such as broken ground, shallow reef ledges and drop offs. Look for sudden changes on the bottom, the changes don’t have to be much at all. Otherwise try some hard flat bottom areas with scattered bits of rubble, which also produce a large number of fish if you prospect around.

GET AFTER ‘EM! Hopefully there

Cockburn might be a protected water, but stay safe, wear a life jacket and dress for the conditions and you can safely catch quality fish like this.

Bay Rubbers, these metal lures have got lot of anglers excited about a whole new way to think about luring these fish. There are heaps of different brands and types out there, with some looking like a metal head baby octopus with assist hooks buried amongst the trailing latex legs.

I must admit that the first fish I ever caught on one these types of lures was when the rod was sitting in the rod-holder. Just the boat rolling with the wind and swell was enough to get the lure working.

Experimenting suggests that these jigs seem to work best when they are dropped and then retrieved quickly the instant they hit bottom.

This is because most strikes seem to occur after the fish watches the lure

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streamer legs.

Butterfly jigs are also becoming very popular for catching snapper, but require a different sort of retrieve to the Bay Rubber.

This style of jigging is referred to as ‘slow jerk’ or pitching, where you basically teabag your jig in a slow and steady manner, letting the lure flutter as it falls before lifting the rod tip again. Both the Bay Rubbers and Butterfly jigs come in a range of weights depending on the depth of water you intend to fish.

I find jigs ranging from 40-80g are very useful for snapper fishing, and I keep a couple of each size in the tackle box when the fish are on the chew.

IMPORTANCE OF STRUCTURE My preference when

is enough information here to help you catch a Cockburn Sound snapper on a lure. Sure the standard paternoster rig with a chunk of octopus dropped to the bottom will catch snapper, but the soft plastics and demersal jigging craze is a lot of fun, so why not give it a shot.

Just remember that Cockburn Sound is one of the best trophy pink snapper fisheries in Australia and an important breeding area that needs to be looked after.

Environmental pressures from industry and the constant dredging of the seagrass meadows is having an indirect impact of the snapper population, but if we all treat it with respect, it will keep rewarding us with spectacular fishing for years to come.

The Recfishwest Snapper Guardians project stocks tank reared juevenile snapper hatched from wild caught eggs, in the hope that we can sustain our Cockburn snapper fishery, if not make it bigger and better!

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Developing your own friendly fishing network NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.starlofishing.com

We all need a ‘network,’ right? But in this modern age of social media and increasingly impersonal online interactions, how do you build a reliable

Traditionally, at least in my day, a lot of us learnt how to fish from our parents, grandparents or other family members.

However, as life became busier and fishing less ingrained in the matrix of our culture, that knowledge and know-how skipped entire generations. Today

melded families. Budding anglers in this brave new world often don’t have an obvious Obi-Wan Kenobi or Yoda to turn to for wisdom and instruction.

For a big chunk of my own development as an angler, books, magazines, videos and television shows filled this mentoring void.

Fishotopia.com produces a free monthly newsletter, with lots of great info and links. brains trust that can help you grow your fishing and enhance your on-water experiences?

No matter what hobby, sport, craft or passion you’re into – from football to gardening to motor racing – you really need a strong support group or network to nurture your development and offer a helping hand when the learning curve gets steep and slippery.

Typically, this network is a loose collection of friends, family, fellow fans, mentors and even total strangers who share your love for that particular pursuit, and who are willing to offer advice, or act as sounding boards for your ideas. Without such a network of supportive peers, it’s very easy to lose your way, and with it your love of the hobby in question. Fishing is certainly no exception.

we live in a time-poor, information-overloaded world of single parents and

I owe those instruments of ‘old media’ an immense debt of gratitude, as I do

the various fishing clubs and associations I’ve been a part of over the years.

None can replace a sage old grandpa or a sharp-tongued relative standing by your shoulder and pointing out – gently or otherwise – the errors of your way, but they do guide you in the right direction.

For better or worse, the hard copy pages of old media are gradually vanishing (with rare and welcome exceptions like the wonderful publication you’re holding in your hands), and less than 5% of fishers choose to join clubs these days, while most TV shows and DVDs have been forced to become blatant marketing vehicles in order to survive. It’s increasingly hard to get the good oil from a trustworthy source.

Many of us have turned to social media to replace traditional support networks, and that’s understandable. But Facebook and Snapchat and Instagram and YouTube are indiscriminate platforms, with little in the way of inherent quality control, which is my polite way of saying that there’s an awful lot of rubbish out there! You need to have your BS filter cranked to max and your scepticism drive firmly engaged when

Fishing is a wonderful pursuit for the whole family, and you’ll be hardpressed to find a better support group than your nearest and dearest.

We all need to start somewhere, and then learn more.

But who should we rely on for getting good advice? diving into the crowded pool of social media.

It also seems that much of what goes on in the realm of social media involves the dynamics of envy. The underlying message is: ‘I have a better life than you, with a betterlooking partner, brighter kids and a much funnier cat than yours… and I catch huge fish that look like this… and this… and this.’

The way things have been heading over recent years was making me sad.

Fortunately, I’m married to a marketing guru 10 years my junior who has a wealth of ideas about ways to improve things.

It was Jo who cooked up the concept of Fishotopia. com, which is our latest attempt to provide a safe, reliable platform for fellow fishers seeking to grow their support networks. I’m not going to do a hard sell on Fishotopia here, and I know it’s not going to appeal to everyone. But if

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it tickles your interest, scan the QR code here or go to www.fishotopia.com and have a look.

Meanwhile, if you already have a reliable fishing network, I suggest that you value it, nurture it and never, ever take it for granted. In closing I’ll give you the most important tip I’ve learnt about networks in my six decades on this planet: you will get out of them exactly as much as you’re willing to put in.

Tight lines!

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You’re an Angler, and no matter how many times you go fishing you’ll want to go again and no matter how many fish you catch (or nearly catch) it will never be enough.

There will be days when the fishing is better than one’s most optimistic forecast, others when it is far worse.

Either is a gain over just staying home.

You’re hooked, along with us.

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Metro

Plenty of metro mulloway there for the taking METRO

Kurt Blanksby

Another winter has kept all but the keenest anglers inside waiting for things to improve. For those who braved the cold, strong winds and rain, the rewards have been there for the taking.

several days afterwards.

Large dead baits of scaly or slimy mackerel, whole herring, mullet fillets, squid or cuttlefish strips were dynamite, but even the popular pilchard (or mulie) on a set of snelled or ganged hooks accounted for many fish. Live baits also proved popular if they could be caught, especially

Mulloway are worth chasing as the spring weather improves.

Some impressive big pink snapper have again shown themselves from the prominent rock walls around Perth. Woodmans Point, Coogee, South Mole, North Mole, Mindarie and Two Rocks all recorded goodsized pink snapper around the 80cm mark. Fish of this size generally moved into casting range during the roughest of conditions and remained a viable option for

squid and herring, which had the added advantage of avoiding the smaller pickers who can plague those using dead baits.

An added bonus has been the by-catch of big mulloway and smaller sharks. Hooking bigger sharks generally resulted in bust offs or, worse still, getting spooled. Most anglers fishing the rock walls tend to favour the longer and heavier rods to keep the line

well clear of the turbulence at their feet during rough weather, and these are usually matched up with big threadline reels loaded with heavier braided lines.

Rigs are pretty simple: snelled 6/0-8/0 or ganged hooks that resulted in better hook-ups on pink snapper.

Bigger hooks, although great for mulloway, often can’t be swallowed as easily by pinkies which have much smaller mouths. A leader of 40-50lb mono or fluorocarbon around 60cm up to a swivel to the main line is perfect. From here, a sliding clip is used to clip on a star sinker or snapper lead heavy enough to hold in the conditions. Another good rig is to use a sinker as a dropper with a length of mono line up to a three way swivel, which has the leader and hooks coming off from there. The length of the sinker dropper can be varied to keep baits a bit higher up off the bottom where they are less likely to be picked, and more easily spotted by predators moving close by.

SPRING AT LAST Finally a break in the weather along with longer days is enough to get many of us out and about and keen to break the fishless drought of the last few months. The pink snapper are still a great option, however the best locations will now be more popular, and getting a good spot can mean getting there early. Late season storms churning up the inshore waters combined with any rivers emptying the winter run-off can make for some exciting fishing.

Places like Guilderton at Moore River are well known for firing up with mulloway from the beach, and the same goes for North and South Moles. As the darker-stained river waters push their way

Herring will be easier to catch with the use of berley from metro shore locations. out into the salt, it attracts the bigger predators in for an easy feed. Big numbers of large mulloway also congregate at the mouth of the Swan, not only to feed, but to start their migration up into the river for the summer months.

Although most anglers put their efforts in from late

and both bait and lure will account for some good catches once you have the fish interested with berley.

Baits of cut pieces of coral prawn or small pieces of squid will easily bring results and can be fished under a float. If you are mostly after herring, they can be lightly-weighted to get

Beach anglers now have the chance to finally target a few species now the seaweed clogging many spots is starting to move away with the tides. Again, mulloway are a real possibility from any of the northern beaches and a big mullet fillet as bait will rarely be ignored by these fish in the surf.

Local pink snapper will continue to turn up as the weather warms.

Cockburn Sound closure is in place from 1 October.

Beach fishing north of Perth is very productive in September for mulloway, and there is also a good chance of decent-sized tailor.

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SEPTEMBER 2018

afternoon to evening, the chance of hooking decent fish during the daylight hours is very good. It comes down to having a bait in the water at the right time. Many big mulloway and pink snapper are hauled up the rocks or beached during daylight hours, so don’t be put off or have it set in your mind that it must be dark to catch them.

Other species also worth targeting as spring arrives are skippy and herring, which are both responding to a good berley trail from beach, jetty and rock locations. Lighter rods and reels are preferred,

down a bit deeper where the bigger skippy will be lurking under the herring. Small soft plastic lures on light jigheads also come into their own in this situation, as both herring and skippy will eagerly take a jigged soft plastic.

Don’t forget to keep another rod handy rigged with a squid jig, as nothing fires up squid like a mass of smaller fish feeding in a berley trail. Every now and then, put a few casts out with the squid jig just to prospect the area for any hunting squid attracted to all the commotion.

The added bonus is the occasional big tailor that can be found in the same area. Look for spots that have a deep section of water, especially if it’s near any inshore reef.

Yellow-eye mullet can still be caught on small baits like prawn, red meat or squid from the beaches, and along with the mullet you will also start to pick up early season sand whiting and tarwhine.

Small hooks fished with a paternoster rig will be your best option, and again, use a bit of berley to get the fish interested.

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Metro

Time to go shallow for success ROCKINGHAM

Phil Gee

It was a pretty wet winter, but the fishing was still fairly productive.

The snapper seemed to never move on and hung

around our inshore reefs in good numbers for the whole of winter.

This made great light line sport in the shallows out to about 10m, with 5-7” soft plastics with lightweight jigheads producing results.

The old anchor and berley

technique works extremely well with soft plastics. An array of by-catch such as skippy, dhufish and the odd rampaging sambo are also available.

Our winter squid have also been biting when the water has cleaned up, with

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some great catches both land-based and from the boats. As spring progresses, we should see the size of the squid improving, with some good ones that will pull string. A soft gentle retrieve of your jig, with the odd flick of the rod tip works well. A length of fluorocarbon leader, for a stealthier approach, attached to a tiny but strong quick clip is also a good idea.

Cockburn Sound’s weed beds with sand holes would be the place to hunt. Don’t be afraid to fish slightly deeper water around 6m+. Land-based anglers wading Mangles Bay and hitting the various rock walls and jetties may want to use slightly lighter and smaller jigs.

Continuously changing jig colour or profile will help find their daily preference.

In- and offshore, jigging is always productive in spring for dhufish.

Slightly flatter and stubbier profile jigs that give off a fluttering action would be the design of choice. Just a slow twitching motion is all that’s needed. Once you’ve twitched around 5m off the bottom, drop it

The author caught this great southern calamari fishing a shallow weed bed.

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Metro back down and start again.

Beware, snapper like the jig on the fall too!

King George whiting also school up on some of the weedier areas with a little bit of structure.

Fresh skinned occy or squid tentacle on a snelled Mustad Hoodlum 1/0 rig is deadly. Leave a portion of bait to wiggle approximately 1cm off the end hook as you’re drifting

to give them something to suck on. The King George bite is quite aggressive, and a red bead or length of red tube adds a nice dressing above the hooks.

Land-based fishers should continue to see good catches of pink snapper from the popular beaches and rock groynes. Grapnel sinkers are a must for slide baiting, and when fishing conditions are a bit lumpy

or the current is running on the beach.

Flicking a lure around and gathering some fresh herring gives the kids a reason to hit the water too.

Some nice sand whiting and herring will start to appear on our southern beaches in the next few weeks. Look for some deeper gutters along the shore.

It’s also time to start thinking about dusting off

Blake Peters was chuffed with this solid pink snapper.

the craypots and doing any repairs, as it will not be long until the white run will be on again.

• For more up to date information on what’s biting and where, drop into Compleat Angler & Camping World Rockingham and have a chat to the friendly staff. You can find them at 81A Dixon Rd, Rockingham, and you can also like them on Facebook.

A fantastic squid for Lozzy Carr.

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SEPTEMBER 2018

17

Metro

Fresh flush brings on the bream SWAN & CANNING RIVER

Kurt Blanksby

The tea-coloured water from the heavy winter rains along with low water temperatures have made fishing very difficult of late, with many species now being almost impossible to find.

Thankfully black bream thrive in these conditions and providing you are prepared to put in the effort, you should still be able to find fish. The best locations are more downstream of the Narrows Bridge in the Swan, and Canning Bridge in the Canning, as from here on the combination of tides and deeper water will keep enough salt there to hold good numbers of fish.

Baits of whole river prawn seem to be a good producer, but some of the bigger bream will fall to small cut fillets of mullet and can be fished with a small sinker in the deeper sections around drop offs, jetty or bridge pylons. Lure anglers who’ve perfected using soft plastics are also getting results on some decent fish in the dirty water, so don’t be put off by the colour of the water.

Surprisingly there have still been some really big crabs showing up from the deeper sections of the river for those with long ropes on their drop nets. The deeper water is still very salty and the crabs will hold up for weeks in these locations until the spring flush gets them moving about again.

September is when the Swan and Canning rivers

really kick back into life as the winter flows slow and warmer, longer days begin to trigger several species to move back into the system.

Mulloway will now be about for those who are prepared to put in the time to fish for them, and the E-Shed at Fremantle is usually the first place land-based anglers can expect to find them.

Mulloway fishing is usually

done after dark when the harbour is a much quieter place. Pick a good incoming tide and fish large dead baits like whole scaly mackerel, pilchards (mulies) or skinned octopus legs if pickers are a problem.

As the current usually rips past this spot with a fair bit of force, you will need enough weight to hold the bottom, and ideally you

Crab imitation lures have been proving very effective downstream with the flush of freshwater coming down.

A winter boat shed bream on fly. Light leaders and bright colours are the key for the dirty water. want a baitcasting set up that can be retrieved really slow, but it can be very physically demanding as you might need to do this for several hours. It’s much easier to put out a couple of baits, set

and heading upstream, congregating in the deeper sections like Mosman Bay, which is a well known and a productive boat fishing spot.

The best method from the boat is to anchor up and start a decent berley trail of chopped pilchards before dark, then drift baits down with light sinkers that are just heavy enough to get your offering down near the bottom. Due to the number of moorings in this area, you need to be quick to control any hooked fish or have someone ready to lift the anchor and drive the boat so you can clear the line should a decent mulloway knit its way through them.

Tailor will now start to show up in big numbers in the Swan and Canning systems, and although most are undersize fish that follow the masses of migrating baitfish, there are enough

a lone diving tern or a few hovering seagulls usually means there are a few tailor pushing the baitfish about.

Spinning from jetties just on dark is also very productive in spring for tailor.

Many of the bigger fish are usually dark in colouration, meaning they have been in the stained water for some time. Light spinning rods and small metal lures with plenty of flash that allow a long cast are the best choices of presentation for choppers, but remember to measure them as they need to be over 30cm to be legally kept.

Black bream will now be very active as the water clears and catches will start to be more common further up the system. In the Canning, it is a good time to target the shore reed beds, as hungry bream will now be hunting along the edges of these as more crustaceans

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Fishing the bottom end of the river in the deeper water should see some reasonable bream captures. them on the bottom and wait.

Usually heavy gear is an advantage, as when you’re fishing from a shore location you need to be able to control any hooked fish, especially when they are near the base of the pylons along the harbour. The mulloway will now be entering the system

good ones about to make it very worthwhile targeting them. Most anglers fish for them from boats by trolling small lures out the back at slow speed, and this way you can cover plenty of ground and locate any schools of fish with ease. Keep an eye out for any bird activity, as

start to move about with the warmer water. Shrimp style soft plastics or crab imitation lures are the go and are very effective at this time of year. Small minnow style lures will also start to attract more hits from bream as the numbers of baitfish swell along the shallows.

Metro

Action about to pick up COCKBURN SOUND

Kurt Blanksby

The main focus for the Cockburn Sound has been the pink snapper, although it’s been a slow start, with fish being very hard to find.

There has been some good-sized fish coming from the mainland side and quite close in. The rock walls that protect the ASI ship building industries have been hot spots with 8-10kg fish being hooked by the kayak anglers

where the fish are holding is the best method. Although, working soft plastic lures down deep in the same area is also very productive.

Be ready for by-catch of mulloway, especially near the channel, and also if using baits then a few gummy sharks have also been showing up after dark.

As we move into spring the fishing in the sound will pick up dramatically, and again the pink snapper should be a very popular and viable target, with bigger

Stuart Gordon shows off a reasonable winter Woodmans Point squid. in the know. Trick is to sit on the calm, eastern side and position yourself out from the rocks but within casting range, then work the lure deep down the face to the silt bottom below and back. The advantage of the kayak is it keeps noise to a minimum and probably the reason this is so successful.

Boat anglers venturing further out into Cockburn Sound have also been catching some bragging rights class pinks. However, finding the fish has not been easy, as scattered small schools are very mobile, which has meant fish will be there one day but gone the next. A good quality sounder is the key for searching along the shipping channels or known hot spots like the D9 wreck or Limestone Lumps for any signs of fish. Then it’s a matter of positioning the boat upcurrent and anchoring quietly. Berley is a good way to get the fish interested, but too much of it soon attracts unwanted rays, so just feed a steady stream of chopped pilchards out the back of the boat.

Lightly-weighted pilchards, squid, scaly or slimy mackerel on a couple of snelled hooks cast back to

schools now a possibility.

They will be easy to locate, just look for the boats! The approaching ban on targeting them on the 1 October means there will be plenty of anglers out looking for them, so be

patient and search around a wider area, don’t just rush in to join the crowds hoping the fish will be there.

With the change of season and hopefully some calmer and sunnier weather, the water clarity should also improve and this is the time to take advantage of all those squid that have been hard to catch during the rough weather of winter. Any of the deeper weed beds will now be home to the bigger squid, but don’t ignore the sand patches between the weed, as these are also prime hunting grounds for squid moving out of cover for a feed.

Shore-based anglers should concentrate on any of the jetties along the sound that allow fishing access and early evening is generally the best time to be searching.

Just look for the tell-tale ink stains on the wooden planks to indicate if others have been having success. Rock walls are also another ideal location to cast a few squid jigs about, as these often allow you access to deeper water, with many being close to weed beds.

Skippy will still be about into September and the Limestone Lumps out from Woodmans Point or out to the Stragglers hold some good fish. Berley up and fish baits of cut coral prawn, fish pieces or the best of the lot, a freshly caught squid cut into small chunks. Berley up with a good mix of oil, pollard and pellets and fish with lighter rods and line for best results. Just be prepared to have a few of the bigger skippy reef you.

The broken ground out near the Mewstones, Stragglers and out from Fremantle is a prime spot to

While well out of season, salmon are still a chance on the Cockburn Sound outer reefs, as some of the salmon split off from the schools during the migration earlier in the year and become metro residents. fish this way, and not only should you find skippy, but a few herring, sand whiting, King George whiting and squid.

The Mewstones is always worth a few casts when boating the northern end of the sound, and although it was a very quiet salmon run this year in Perth (compared to previous years)

the Mewstones was one place they were consistent.

There is always a chance of picking up a few stray salmon by casting or trolling a few lures around this area.

Tailor are also about, so for tailor concentrate your casts right into the white water and reef edges with poppers, stickbaits or minnow lures and be ready for any

explosive strikes should you stir them up. Most of the tailor at the Mewstones get very gun shy after a few boats have hassled them, so it pays to be there early and have a few casts into the likely looking washes and reef holes. Just remember to stay alert, as in low light conditions this is a very dangerous bit of water to be boating in.

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Metro

Bring on the giants this spring METRO OFFSHORE

Alan Bevan

When the weather windows have allowed, getting offshore in the metro area has produced good-sized pink snapper, huge samsonfish, monster cuttlefish and dhufish to 75cm.

of the Five Fathom Bank also have good showings of snapper, with King George whiting and good-sized skippy welcome additions to the catch.

Snapper schools will continue to increase in size for the next month or so as they move into the sound for their annual spawning run. The schools at this

larger sizes matched with a 8/0 hook are working the best. Jig weights require constant change to match with the conditions, but generally lighter is better, with the movement of the boat providing the action required to get the fish to strike.

Drifting is they key in deeper water and anchoring

Samsonfish have been brawling with anglers in and around the Five Fathom Bank lately. This is always an arm-stretching exercise and a great challenge.

Areas that have been holding snapper are behind Stragglers Reef, Roarers and the back of Garden Island.

Further north, the south side of Rottnest around Parkers and Dyer islands are go-to hot spots. The inside edge

time of the year can be a bit transient, as they move between areas quite quickly, and where you find fish one day may not be where you will find them the next.

Soft plastics continue to do most of the damage, with

There is still plenty of rock lobster around, and the key at this time of the year is to keep moving spots and covering new ground to find the residents.

works better in shallower water, unless of course you have the ability to anchor in deeper water.

Sand whiting is always a good fail safe when it comes to getting a feed, and targeting sand areas inside or outside the five fathom bank will work, but you may need to shift around to find the patches of larger fish.

Offshore to 50m, pink snapper, dhufish, pigfish, skippy, fox fish, samsons and sharks have made up the captures over the last few weeks. Soft plastics have been leading the way, but jigs are accounting for a share of the captures, with slow pitch jigging the most successful jigging method.

Bait is also accounting for reasonable numbers of fish and is probably still more popular with most anglers than anything else.

The Recfishwest Fish Towers are holding large schools of baitfish at the moment and have been providing some arm wrestles with unknowns that have got away.

As the warmer weather approaches, it’s time to start thinking about gearing up, salvaging, and

repairing cray pots. I’ve just re-battened mine due to the ‘worm’ eating them away.

The ‘worm’ eats away the timber like a termite, so if you have left wooden pots in the water, I’d say there won’t be much left. There have been some significant changes to the rock lobster regulations, so be sure to read up and be up-to-date with the new regulations.

The best part is that we are now able to fish for rock lobster all year round.

Arriving shortly is the Cockburn/Warnbro Sound closure starting on the 1 October to 31 January (inclusive) and the West Coast Demersal Finfish Closure from 15 October to 15 December (inclusive).

With these closures happening, the hardcore jiggers will be getting out for a samsonfish. There has been some shark issues over the last few years, with some of the spots now unfishable.

Staying on the spot with every fish being sharked or landing pieces of what was a hard-fighting fish is doing nothing for the fishery,

A 10.7kg cuttlefish caught while chasing snapper. It is breeding season, so they are particularly aggressive at the moment. size bracket, last year saw quite a few fish up to 7-8kg caught. So while on the water, be sure to keep an eye out for any bird activity, which will more than likely indicate the presence of tuna

These young anglers got amongst some early morning snapper action aboard Shikari Charters. and does not show us, as anglers, in the best light.

There are lots of spots out there to be found with little to no shark activity, so move on, or do something else.

Southern bluefin and striped tuna activity will also start to pick up over the next month. While most fish are in the small to jellybean

below. Get upwind and cast small metals to feeding fish and wind as fast as you can.

Squid and cuttlefish are laying eggs at the moment, so they are a great target for young and old and they are super aggressive when protecting eggs.

Seagrass and broken ground is the best place to

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look for cuttlefish, and if you’re in deeper water, try attaching a teardrop sinker to get your jigs down to the bottom more effectively.

You will be able to find cuttlefish anywhere out to

practical fishing depths of around 30-40m or so.

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

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South Coast

Unseasonal warmth brings in steady catches ESPERANCE

Jaimen Hudson

It seems Esperance didn’t get the memo that it was winter, as so far we have had unseasonably good weather. The warmer daytime temperatures and lack of rain have allowed

keen fishers to spend more time out on the beaches or water doing what they love.

It is only in recent weeks that we have seen large swells come through, which in turn has kept most of the boats docked.

Looking at the forecast for the whole state though, it would appear we aren’t the

Samsonfish are great hard-fighting fish, and are always a potential target in and around the islands.

only ones suffering from large seas.

The swell may have stopped a lot of boats heading out, but it hasn’t deterred the land-based anglers. Off the local beaches we have seen a heap of salmon being caught!

It is usually around Easter that we have large numbers of salmon start to come through, so it’s great to still hear of them coming up in large numbers. Salmon Beach, Fourth Beach and 11 Mile are just a few of the hotspots. I have had people coming back into the shop purchasing bait, telling me they have also caught them out East on Wylie Bay Beach.

If you aren’t lucky enough to hook a salmon, your time won’t be completely wasted as there is a good chance you will get to spend the time

Mixed bag of goodies BREMER BAY

Joachim Azzopardi

Reef fishing enthusiasts have been doing well lately on a good mix of quality demersal fish, including pink, queen and red snapper, dhufish and breaksea cod, in depths starting at 40m. Bigger red snapper have been coming from the edge of the shelf in approximately 120m of water.

Deep droppers in search of hapuka and blue-eye trevalla have been finding both species near the Bremer Canyon. Hapuka were mostly located in 180-200m, while 350m was the starting depth for blue-eye. Greybanded cod have also been caught in 200-400m of water.

Big schools of samsonfish have been found in a range of depths and areas, ranging from the bommies situated in 30m of water to the edge of the shelf.

Whole fish and squid baits have been working well on the samsonfish, as have soft plastics and metal jigs.

Yellowtail kingfish targeted on surface lures is an emerging fishery in the

area. Sportfishers have been targeting these hoodlums on stickbaits and poppers off Esperance for a few years, and there are a few anglers using the same technique off Bremer.

Not only is this a very visual and exciting form of fishing, it is thought that hooking kingies on the surface gives you your best chance at landing prized fish in excess of 25kg.

King George whiting fishing is generally productive at this time of the year within the inshore areas. The deeper inshore parts, in depths of around 18-22m, are usually where the bigger 40cm+ Geordies are found.

Introducing berley should bring herring and skippy around in these parts. Squid can also be caught along the seagrass meadows, especially within Doubtful Island Bay. Rock fishing can be rewarding during the start of spring when yellowtail kingfish, samsonfish, pink snapper and blue groper move close to shore.

The Bremer Bay stones are regarded as some of the best blue groper fishing platforms in the state. Whole rock crabs have long been known as the optimum bait in targeting these prized fish,

which can reach weights of up to 30kg.

There have still been some late-season salmon caught along the beaches, including the stretches along Bremer Beach and Dillon Beach. Herring are still about in very good numbers, while the reef areas are holding some nice skippy.

The protected beaches are worth a try for King George whiting. Black bream fanatics have been using hardbody lures, soft plastics and baits to catch fish to 40cm within the Bremer River as well as the Pallinup. Juvenile salmon have sometimes been found in the lower and middle reaches of each system, together with herring and whiting.

Catching mulloway requires consideration of the moon periods and tides, however there has still been the odd fish around the 10kg mark caught outside of the better strike times.

• 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.

One of the many large salmon schools hanging around Esperance beaches at the moment, they are a bit early but are very welcome all the same. watching a southern right whale and its calf mosey along the coast. We have been seeing a large number on their annual migration this year.

Taylor Street Jetty in the Esperance Bay has been delivering many herring.

This tends to be the case just about all year around.

A lot of small skippy have also been caught there.

Last month, prior to the large swells, we caught a lot of squid either in the bay or off Taylor Street. The water has been stirred up a bit since then, so although squid haven’t completely gone off the bite we have seen a decline in the amount caught. Once the water clears though this should go back to normal.

If the swell drops enough to get out in the boat, samsonfish are always an option around the islands.

Anywhere from 15-30nm offshore is the prime ground for chasing these toughfighting sportfish.

Western red snapper will also be a good option on reef and rocky bottom in the 20-80m depth range.

Once found they are very partial to a squid or mulie bait. They are also fond of soft plastics matched with the right sized jighead for the depth or rate of drift.

Unfortunately, I can’t give a great update on the boat and charter fishing due to the aforementioned seas.

Our charter boat has also been in Perth undergoing a re-fit for the last month.

We will be bringing the vessel back around the coast soon and will be sure to drop a line in where we can. Our charters will also recommence upon our boat’s return, so you can

Western red snapper are awesome looking and great eating. These fish are fond of squid baits and soft plastics. Keeping your plastic close to the bottom in the strike zone is the key to success.

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expect a big deep sea fishing update next month.

If you are visiting Esperance be sure to hook up with Esperance Diving and Fishing for a great day out on the water. You will find more information at www. esperancedivingandfishing. com.au, give them a call on (08) 9071 5111 or drop into the premises at 72 The Esplanade, Esperance.

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South Coast

Look ahead for spring ALBANY

Callum Dowell

Over the past few months, the South Coast has experienced an unexpected warm winter, which means local anglers have had to use more effort to locate fish.

from turning up regularly.

With masses of anchovies congregating up the local rivers, the predators are in abundance. Dan Perella and I managed to catch mulloway up to 65cm, bream up to 44cm, tailor, decent juvenile salmon and big herring, all in an afternoon. Flounder have also been caught in

that have been able to identify a calm day have been rewarded with some sensational captures. Packs of big pink snapper in excess of 10kg have been turning up close to shore for an easy meal, and often with them is breaksea cod, queen snapper and dhufish.

In my years fishing I

This small 40mm Lucky Craft vibe has accounted for many school mulloway in recent months up the rivers.

Johnno Matson with a trophy winter pink snapper off the rocks.

Warmer than average waters are delaying spawning cycles, as the fish are a few months behind their habitual state. In saying this, nothing has deterred the Kalgan and King river local mulloway population

numbers, which has not been reported in 6-7 years.

Up the river is great for seeking refuge out of the stiff northwest winds we have been battered with for the past few months.

Land-based rock anglers

have never seen so many dhufish being captured from the rocks. The new one fish bag limits and demersal bans are doing the populations wonders!

Anglers chasing a quick easy meal of herring

Having patience while bottom bouncing and you will eventually be rewarded.

and whiting have been successful at Little Beach in Two Peoples Bay and Cheynes Beach Tourist Rocks. Grayson Delury managed to catch a herring almost every cast for a couple of hours spinning metal lures from the rocks.

For the family, the Emu Point cement jetty at the boat pens have been supporting an abundance of bream, herring and garfish.

The best results are coming on weightless rigs; no sinkers, just a hook and a cube of mulie.

Having only just received the first load of rain for the season, I am predicting some big downpours to come. In my experience this will only improve the bream fishing around the South Coast as they feed up before the spawn. If you’re unsure where to try, look for river bends. Baitfish get flushed into the corners where bream and mulloway are sitting awaiting their arrival.

Squid fishing will be starting to heat up, with local angler Ben Poutney catching his bag limit around the 1-3m weed beds stretched along King George Sound and Princess Royal Harbour.

The old whale chaser at Quaranup is always a great

indicator to see if they are on the chew. Don’t be shy to throw some strange coloured squid jigs around, as I have heard of anglers having success on colours from bright holographic pink to pitch black.

Bluefin tuna are just

the motor and cast into the school. Trolling over the top of a school of tuna will send them back to the bottom.

Remember to keep your eye on the swell charts at this time of year. It doesn’t have to be windy for the swell to be big, so get

Slowly working deep diving small hardbodies like this Ecogear CX35 is getting results for black bream in the King and Kalgan rivers. around the corner, as they like to mill around the Bald Head area. Trolling small metal lures is a good option, particularly when rigged with one single hook to improve your hook up rate.

Keep an eye out for birds and spraying baitfish, kill

into the habit of checking your conditions and wind/ swell directions before you head out for a fish. Also remember to keep the sand between your toes. If you do have to venture out onto the rocks, wear a lifejacket or use rock anchor points.

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West Coast

Locals getting some over-dhu arm-stretching AUGUSTA

Anthony Gillam

It has been winter fishing weather in Augusta, that’s for sure! There is nothing more frustrating than sitting at work looking out of the window and seeing the flat calm waters of Flinders Bay part way through a typical weather cycle – five days flat, two days gale. My days off generally coincide with the latter!

For those anglers lucky enough to get out on the ocean,

the action has been pretty spectacular on the reef areas with plenty of boats getting in on the demersal fishing.

Some really nice dhufish have been landed, with 15-20kg fish bagged regularly. Octopus and whole squid have been popular baits, with 6” paddle tail soft plastics nailing some great fish. Pink snapper have been common with plenty in the 50cm range, and some real knobby head stonkers in the 80cm+ range have been giving anglers an arm-stretching workout to start the day.

The Hardy Inlet has been quiet, with all the whiting

species being difficult to locate. Those whiting that have been caught have fallen to sand worms or squid cut into strips. The occasional juvenile salmon had light lines peeling off in a frenzy, to the delight of several children.

Good numbers of black bream have been caught in the brackish waters of the Blackwood River around Alexandra Bridge. However, the sizes have been small so most have been returned to grow up. The most reliable way to catch them has been with river prawns, Dr John Williams with a solid dhufish caught on an octopus at Flinders Bay. occasional by-catch to sought-after line pullers.

Bottom bouncing rigs are changed to trolling hardbodied lures that dive between 1-10m, with everyone having their own personal favourite colour and style (to be honest, most of them work). Concentrating on the rocks and reefs around the eastern side of St Alouarn Island is a popular way of locating these marauders.

Samsonfish also respond very well to slow or fast jigging with various versions of knife jigs. Just find a

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good looking lump on your sounder in water deeper than 20m in Flinders Bay and give it a try.

Sand whiting can be located on any of the large areas of sand in the bay, with schools of large whiting interspersed with smaller sized schools. Have a look around the perimeter of the abalone ranch in 16-18m of water. Squid strips or sand worms placed on long shank hooks will soon tell you whether the fish in that area are worth pursuing.

If most are too small it’s a

E

N

The Old Town Jetty in the Hardy Inlet.

however soft plastic minnow grubs in camo pattern are also popular.

As we move from winter into spring it’s time for the demersal hunters in the West Coast region to switch focus from trophy finfish to the fast-moving members of the Seriola family. As with every year in this region, the demersal finfish ban will start in October and conclude in mid-December. This means that large yellowtail kingfish and their musclebound cousin the samsonfish automatically upgrade from

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West Coast simple matter of moving a few hundred metres away and trying again. Once you have located larger fish around the 30cm mark, just drift over the area until you have caught enough for a feed. It is also worth using a slightly larger long shank hook with small squid head on it for the occasional large

If you want to take the kids or grandies for a safe fish where they are sure to catch something, the Old Town Jetty and Ellis Street Jetty are both excellent day and night time locations.

Try daybreak with whole river prawns (live prawns are especially good) or half a dozen live shrimp caught

The author caught this queen snapper on a squid at Bessie Reef.

Blake Gillam with a breaksea cod caught on a soft plastic.

King George whiting in the 50cm+ kidney-slapper range.

For land-based fishers, the rock wall at the Augusta marina is becoming more popular for samsonfish, with live or dead baits of whiting or squid floated on the start of the outgoing tide proving successful.

around the rocks. These will give the kids a chance at some hefty 1kg+ skippies.

During the day there are always tarwhine, herring and small pink snapper ready to take a bait, with tailor and squid around the lights at night. Just remember to use a good oily berley; small

amounts deployed frequently work best.

Any of the small beaches between the marina and the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse will always produce King George or sand whiting, with herring and the occasional skippy also showing up.

The use of various forms of pollard-based berley and fish oil will definitely produce more results.

For those wanting to catch a feed of squid, the marina will produce squid around the service wharf.

Glow-in-the-dark and flashing prawn-style lures are the most effective. The squid are small, however

they become perfect live bait for the outside of the rock wall.

Beach fishing at Cosy Corner and Hamelin Bay will produce whiting, while tarwhine can be found haunting the edges of the reef. Squid or whiting pieces will be snapped up by the bigger tarwhine, with sand worms and squid strips accounting for most of the whiting.

Try fishing off the rocks at Cosy Corner or Knobby Point for yellowtail kingfish, samsonfish and the occasional bronze whaler.

Ballooning a whole live bait is the most successful approach.

Those anglers with a 4WD can also try their luck for sharks, samsonfish and the occasional mulloway from Deep Dene, Elephant Rock or Boranup Beach.

The locations mentioned are all well-known and are marked on most vehicle GPS units, especially if they have HEMA maps, or you can obtain a list of locations from the local tackle store.

If you are in Augusta, drop into Augusta X-Treme Outdoor Sports and Camping for the latest up-todate information on where the fish are biting. Give them a call on (08) 9758 0606 or stop by the premises at 64 Blackwood Ave, Augusta.

Allan Brown with a pink snapper caught on a mullet fillet at Bessie Reef.

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West Coast

Great fishing expected to continue in spring BUSSELTON

Stephen Norman

Winter time in the South West is snapper time, and our winter was no exception.

The good news is that snapper are still available for those prepared to get out there.

Anglers targeting snapper from boats found success throughout Geographe Bay in depths as shallow as 3m, right out to the 30m mark.

Using sounders to find bait and/or rubbly bottom and introducing plenty of berley yielded the best results, and will still continue to do so in spring. Always have a squid jig on hand, as curious squid will often make their way to the back of the boat, especially at night.

When it comes to choosing the best rig and baits, fresh squid, scalies or herring rigged on 6/0-9/0 snells will do the damage.

Running sinkers weighted just enough to keep the bait gently sinking down the berley trail is the best method to avoid being harassed by Port Jackson sharks and fiddler rays.

The boats haven’t been stealing all the fun though,

28

SEPTEMBER 2018

With the demersal ban kicking in soon, it’s a good time to get stuck into some tasty bottom fish, like dhufish. and when the wind picks up and swings in from the north, it’s land based time.

Beaches from both ends of Geographe Bay have produced big numbers of

snapper, however the jetty, as well as most rock walls, have been hotspots. Bait and tackle setups remain marginally the same when targeting snapper from the shore, with the exception of the rig. Standard surf paternoster rigs are an easy go to, but more effective rigs include the pulley/ slider surf rig, again coupled with 6/0-9/0 snelled hooks, anchored by a decent star sinker around 4-6oz.

Carefully picking the days between the high swells has paid off for land-based anglers with reasonable numbers of yellowtail kingfish showing up on the West Coast of Cape Naturaliste. Areas such as Contos just South of Margaret River and Augusta are both hotspots. As they can be fussy on lures from the shore at times, live herring under a balloon or freshly-presented squid fished lightly-weighted have been sure fire methods when chasing the kings.

However, be mindful when using a balloon, as it can put them off if they’re being fussy. On the right day a 120-140mm stickbait might just do the trick too. Make sure you arrive at your

chosen ledge with plenty of berley before sun up for the best chance at landing a land-based kingfish.

Heading into spring, a whole range of species will open up for anglers in the South West. Rainbow and

brown trout, as well as solid redfin are to be expected in our freshwater systems. Rivers such as the Donnelly, Warren and Blackwood are all worth a crack, as well as any of the major stocked dams such as Harvey and Big Brook.

The rocks have been producing good numbers of kingfish.

West Coast If you’re using hardbody lures, Rapala F-5s and RMG Scorpion 35s are hard to beat in natural and bright colours. If you’re opting for soft plastics, Madeye Paddle Prawns and Flutter Shrimps in 2.5 and 3” are great, especially on the redfin. The Mepps spinners in size 1 and 2 are one of the most effective and easy to use lures that not too many freshwater predators can say no to.

If you want to have a crack at fly fishing, try fishing early morning or late afternoon and give the Stonefly and pheasant tail beadheaded nymphs in size 14 a shot.

Last year, September and October yielded some of the best squid fishing we have seen in recent times, so be on the lookout again this year. Fishing late afternoon and an hour or two either side of sunset is the prime time. Surf fishing has also picked up on the West Coast, with most beaches between Dunsborough and Augusta holding fish. Injidup and Moses Rock beaches are both worth a look.

Tailor have begun showing up in strong numbers, along with the occasional mulloway. Plenty of herring and the odd tarwhine are keeping anglers busy in the meantime. Look for a deep sandy gutter surrounded by white water with a prominent entry or exit point. Fishing mulies or fresh herring fillets on ganged or snelled hooks, coupled with a standard surf paternoster rig is the most effective method. Don’t forget a head torch, because while tailor and mulloway will feed throughout the day, they are more likely to be active once the sun goes down.

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Huge pink snapper will still be available in September, but get in quick before the season closes!

The demersal ban kicks in on 15 October, so with the weather improving, now is the perfect time to have a crack at those tasty bottom species while you can. Dhufish have been holding in good numbers, and while it’s great to see, smaller models have been more common. Fishing in 40-50m of water has been productive for dhuies, but some anglers have had plenty of joy fishing inshore waters off Cowaramup and Margret River on the West Coast.

Grounds in 10-20m have been holding decent fish at times, as well as a plethora

of tasty by-catches such as breaksea cod, queen snapper and harlequin fish. Slow fall jigs such as the Xesta Flaps have been dynamite in the 120-180g sizes. Bright glow colours would be our recommendation.

Stay safe and tight lines!

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Beaches will have plenty of mulloway on the chew in September.

SEPTEMBER 2018

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West Coast

Estuary action hitting its straps BUNBURY

Nathan Crago

With the demersal ban almost underway, most fishers have had their dhuie and snapper fixes and are looking to their next options over the coming months.

At this time of year, the best table fish have got to be the almighty King George whiting, which are a prolific species in the South West.

We all have our own tips, tricks and habits when chasing KGs, but we can’t go past half a mulie or small squid on snelled 3/0 hooks.

Just remember, big bait, big fish!

A key tip you’ll hear when speaking to any KG angler is to hold your ground. Once you have found that first KG, you

Ben Oakes took this quality bag of black bream working a likely looking bit of bank. the KG grounds, which will ultimately increase your day’s catch! Alternatively the use of a good electric motor will enable you to set a spot lock right on top of the fish no matter the depths, without

The Bassday Sugapen is a standout lure for whiting on the flats. will find the fish are holding close by on that same spot and a small drift can be enough to lose the school.

Taking note of the wind and current direction can help in setting anchor straight above

dropping anchor. If you haven’t already got yourself an arsenal of KG grounds, your best bet is to start at the same places you target dhuies. These two beautiful fish share a preference for

Jigging for dhuies has been productive lately.

30

SEPTEMBER 2018

very similar grounds.

With all the excellent work by Fisheries and the conservative attitudes of fishers these days, the waters are really thriving more each year, and a clear sign of that is the removal of the cray fishing closed season. There is now no set season and we are lucky enough to be able to target these tasty morsels all year round! This time of year is when the divers start reporting sightings of great cray numbers beginning to increase in the area. If you haven’t already, now is the time to start setting your pots, or at least finding your grounds ready for their walk into the shallow waters. The crays have been noticeably walking earlier and earlier each year and this time we will be waiting!

We don’t all need to have a boat to have success with fishing in the South West.

This beautiful part of the country is blessed to have the best of the state’s freshwater fishing and once again, with the stocking efforts of Fisheries who are making great use of the fees we pay for our fishing licenses, we are now lucky enough to fish freshwater all year round!

Waterways throughout the South West are stocked each year with large numbers of rainbow and brown trout.

The warmer weather is coming and with this the trout will move into deeper water, so when fishing streams or rivers you want to find the deepest and darkest sections where you will find the fish are holding as deep as the waterway will permit.

The same goes for the dams. The trout will move into the deeper areas, which means your lure choices will need to match. Soft plastics, vibes and spinners would be your best options to ensure you can get down low to the strike zone and really entice these excellent sportfish from the depths.

The black bream reports really heat up at this time of year. Whether it’s because the fish are feeding harder

or us anglers have stopped hiding from the cold, they’re well and truly biting. One of the bream capitals for West Australia is no doubt the Blackwood River, producing great bream fishing all year round. Black bream can be targeted in all kinds of ways, with bait, soft plastics, vibes, fly and hardbodies all effective.

Lure fishing for black bream has been on the rise for years and has to be one of the most exciting forms of fishing readily available, however, you haven’t truly experienced its pinnacle until you get yourself to the Blackwood River as the sun is rising and throw your first surface lure into the snags. The explosive surface bites will have your heart racing and your knees shaking every time.

Our land-based surface fishing excitement doesn’t stop at the Blackwood; the yellowfin whiting will be starting to follow the warming waters into the estuaries along the coast. A

A quality 42cm Blackwood bream that ate a hardbody. particular hot spot for whiting is the Leschenault Estuary here in Australind. As the water temperatures rise, so does the number of whiting roaming the shallow flats

With the snapper closure coming up, now is the time to get your fix of snapper if you haven’t already.

looking for a feed. Walking the flats casting surface lures is a style of fishing that almost everyone will find very addictive. On a sunny day, you will see these dark sleek shadows racing across the flats as your lure makes contact with the surface.

With every twitching retrieve they will be hot on its tail, trying to suck down your lure of choice. Sight casting to these fish is an experience you need to have. The most popular lure when surface fishing for whiting has got to be the Bassday Sugapen.

It can be twitched and paused across the surface or slow retrieved with a walkthe-dog action.

Our picturesque part of the country has all kinds of exciting fishing opportunities, so don’t miss your chance this season to get into some excellent fish.

• Whiteys Tackle and Camping is at 1/143 Grand Entrance, Treendale, Australind, and the staff there are always more than happy to lend a hand and give quality advice. So pop in, say hi, and they’ll steer you in the right direction to the one that doesn’t get away.

A 45cm Blackwood bream doesn’t come easy, but with a bit of coercion and gentle rod work, it can be done.

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West Coast

Wild weather brings big predators in close MANDURAH

Jesse Choy

Mandurah is well known for its whiting and crab fishery when the water warms up. The weather has not been ideal for these types of fishing, with the shorelines receiving a relentless battering through winter. However, those who are keen to brave the wind and rain are being rewarded when

looking in the right places.

The weather has been drawing a wide variety of fish in close, where they opportunistically hunt crustaceans that are pounded and thrown off the structures by surges of turbulent water.

The groynes, rock walls and beaches around Mandurah are big producers, with pink snapper, samsonfish and mulloway all being captured. Herring continue to be found with both small cubed baits and

2-3” soft plastics worked in a fast and erratic manner. Fresh baits are a large contributing factor to success, regardless of species, with squid, herring, mullet and whiting all proving their worth, and both live and dead baits both showing results.

Anglers taking their boats out from Dawesville Cut, Mandurah and Rockingham are all finding you don’t need to go far to find the fish, with quite a few reports that pink snapper and

dhufish are being captured from depths of 5m, to around 60m of water.

There’s plenty of squid being found by both shore and boat-based anglers, mainly coming from 3-5m depths in locations where the water has a bit clearer.

There is also reports that tuna and kingfish are still being caught by anglers trolling out at James Service Reef, Five Fathom Bank and near Bouvards on deep diving lures and skirts.

Mandurah’s northern beaches like San Remo, Madora Bay and Singleton will start to produce more mulloway and are a good place to start when you are considering a beach fishing session. These areas are also gaining a reputation as places where you can expect to pull up some unusual beach catches, with dhufish and pink snapper becoming more frequent!

Herring, skippy and tailor fishing should begin to pick up at Dawesville Cut, Tims Thicket, White Hills and Preston Beach. These are also great spots to try your luck for mulloway, so don’t hesitate to have a second

Liam West with a lovely Mandurah pink snapper. be red-hot at present, going forward it should pick up considerably.

Mandurah hosts a WA Bream Classic on Sunday, 2 September. It is the third and final round of the 2018 kayak series. In this event, participants attempt to capture three black bream, at least 26cm to the tip.

They must keep them alive in their 25L (minimum)

Braden Furini with a dhufish caught out of Rockingham.

Releasing a black bream back into the Murray.

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rod with a big bait out and ready. Who knows what you might catch!

The Peel-Harvey Estuary has been feeling the constant weather, with water discoloration making fishing within the estuary itself quite difficult. There is still a few whiting around in patches, but they will definitely start to become more active as the finer weather becomes more frequent.

Both the Murray and Serpentine rivers are producing bream, with great fish coming on both lure and bait, as long as they are lightly-weighted. Prawn and mullet strips are the anglers’ choice at the moment when chasing black bream on bait.

Lightly-weighted curl-tail and paddle-tail profile soft plastics are also producing great results when rigged on a 1/20-1/16oz and jighead worked slowly and close to the structure.

The continual water flow from far upstream offers a complete flush to these systems, which are often prone to algal blooms; so while the fishing may not

aerated livewell with the combined fish weight dictating the anglers placing for the event.

The top placing competitors will then qualify to take part in the WA Bream Classic kayak grand final later in the year. This event is sure to show how the Mandurah river is fishing.

Drakesbrook Weir also hosts Troutfest on Saturday, 1 September, which includes the stocking of over 2000 trout, freshwater fishing tuition, fly casting demos, rigging and light food for

participants. Drakesbrook Weir has some amazing scenery, and these waters hold quality trout and redfin perch if you are willing to put in the time to work them out.

When targeting these fish, lures are proving to be very effective. A small diving hardbody lure around 50mm in length that dives to around 2.5m will do the trick in most cases. Hardbody lures are effective because they draw the attention of the fish, which increases your odds of hooking up. Typically, a slow wind is effective enough and will allow the fish a bit more time to have a look at your lure before committing to the offering.

Another effective way of targeting these freshwater fish is to troll the edges with your diving lure if fishing from kayak or boat, and in this way you are constantly covering more ground.

Freshwater fishing will get a lot better in September, where the fish activity tends to increase as a whole. The waters should have cleared up considerably and maintained their cool temperatures.

Streams and dams around Waroona, Harvey and further south will see an increase in insect activity as the days get longer, and this will encourage the bigger fish to patrol the shallows regularly.

With this, of course, comes the opportunity to sight cast to cruising fish.

Christian Turner caught this solid redfin perch.

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West Coast

Hit the beaches before the sea breezes start LANCELIN

Peter Fullarton

Cold nights have made the beaches very quiet, with only a few dedicated fishers to be seen, even on a Saturday night. Most week nights you can often have the whole beach to yourself. September nights will be starting to warm,

self-berleying, breaking up and releasing oils as the fish eat them, helping to attract the fish to your area and hold them to get a ‘hot bite’ happening. One of the secrets of a successful tailor angler is to keep throwing handfuls of chopped mulies out into the wash, otherwise the fish will likely move off.

South of Lancelin, some good spots to try are Tailor

have gone to sleep. Casting towards the shore during the day you can catch some nice size sand whiting, and there are far less blowfish.

Small boat fishers have been making the most of the calmer spells of weather, with good numbers of solid dhufish and pink snapper in close to shore. September is a good month for catching dhufish in close to shore.

From Lancelin Bay out to the White Cray Bank, there is a lot of heavy reef ground.

Look for small lumps that show an overhanging ledge on your fish finder. The fish will often be sitting right in the mouth of a cave or overhang by day at the base of the lump or ledge.

Fishing within Lancelin Bay there have been good catches of herring, pike and snook. A popular way to fish for herring is to troll small metal lures like a chrome slice around 20-30g. Once you find the fish trolling, you can cast back to the same spot for more fish. The herring have weak mouths, so use light line and a rod with a soft tip so as not to not tear the lip. Keeping the rod tip near the waters’ surface at right angles to the fish will help stop the fish jumping and keep the line

tight, reducing the chance of the fish throwing the hook.

The pike and snook school over deeper areas of seagrass within the bay.

You can troll small bibbed minnow style lures or drift and cast lightly-weighted soft plastic lures to find the schools.

Squid have been caught in good numbers within the

and Fence reef. From Fence Reef the beach is good for tailor fishing all the way down to well south of Ledge Point town site. A good way to hunt for the larger tailor in the 60cm+ range is to look for a reef close enough to shore so you can get the bait or lure into the white wash from the waves breaking over the reef. Large tailor love those areas near reef where the foam makes a cover over the top of them. Only two fish are allowed to be kept over

50cm, and there is a lot of fish are around 48-50cm at this time of year, so you need to measure them carefully to avoid trouble with the Fisheries Department.

There has been some nice mulloway caught recently from the beaches north and south of town. The bigger fish will become harder to find after September, so now is the last good chance to have a crack at landing a big one this year. To increase your chances, fish some structure like a beach gutter, hole, or near a reef. Fishing the full or new moon at dawn, dusk, early evening and at tide changes or moon rise, will further increase your chances of landing a beach mulloway. Lots of berley with strong flavour and oil content will help bring them into casting range. In September, pink snapper, sharks and samsonfish can also be expected to turn up in the berley trail.

There has been good numbers of small whaler sharks landed lately. Sharks for the table need to be bled, headed, gutted and de-finned immediately after landing.

Wash the trunk well in seawater before putting it on ice immediately, so you don’t get that ‘sharky’ ammonia flavour. If you do all this, you’ll be eating quality fish and chips!

Herring have been around in good numbers, with a lot more two-year-old fish or ‘bull herring’ than I have seen for some years.

In September, you are likely to not only have the herring turn up in your berley, but also some tarwhine and skippy. North of town has been producing really good size sand whiting.

The jetty has been producing whiting, herring, tailor, skippy, pike, snook, blue swimmer crabs and squid. The best fishing is at dusk or at night when the fish are actively feeding under the lights and the blowfish

bay and around the sea grass beds out to the white bank.

Heading further offshore there have been baldchin groper taken drifting anywhere from 25-35m.

Fishing the heavier ground and lumps (30-35m) has seen

the boat upwind from the school and cast to the fish as they come into range using metal slice lures. Allow them to sink a few meters, then crank the lure back as fast as you can wind to elicit a strike.

and the samsonfish are occasionally being caught from the jetty, especially when a consistent stream of berley is developed and live baits such as herring, yellowtail and whiting are used. The mixture of flesh, oil and a livey on the end of a hook has also been attracting whaler sharks ranging from manageable 1m models to 3m+ arm stretchers.

The marina as well as the beaches north and south of there are worth a visit for tailor, mulloway, samsonfish and pink snapper.

Surf fishers working the deep gutters and channels

formed following a period of big swells and strong winds have been doing well on tailor and mulloway at Hill River and South Point.

Pink snapper are a chance at both locations, as are the ever-present whaler sharks.

Big yellowfin whiting have been caught on a variety of baits, including coral prawns and bloodworms at Sand Cape, South Point and Hill River.

Reef fishing enthusiasts ordinarily find their sought after mix of dhufish, pink snapper and baldchin groper in relatively shallow water during the start of spring

each year. It’s not uncommon for all of the mentioned species to be caught in depths of 5-10m.

As the summer months edge closer, the prized reef fish tend to be found in better numbers further out.

Start in 40m of water and look for obvious structure when targeting dhuies, pinks and baldies in late spring and early summer. While doing so, keep an eye out for tightly-packed schools of baitfish and circling birds, because September and October is when yellowfin tuna turn up.

The yellowfin in these

waters are commonly found in sizes ranging from 10-30kg. Trolled bibbed minnows and skirted lures work well on the yellowfin.

In recent years, crews have been having a lot of success berleying with cubes of mulies and scaly mackerel and sending live baits out from the transom. Both herring and yellowtail are ideal live baits and can be fished with or without a float or balloon.

Other species including samsonfish, yellowtail kingfish, pink snapper and sharks are sometimes welcomed by-catches.

It is probably still a little too early for Spanish mackerel, but following the higher than usual water temperatures in recent years there seems to be a few more resident mackerel about. Dinghy and small boat fishers have been picking up good mixed catches of herring, skippy and squid within a mile or so of the coast.

Drop netters have scored some nice catches of blue manna crabs, while divers have been rewarded with fair hauls of rock lobsters near the bommies in less than 10m of water.

Look for structure when fishing for mulloway on the beaches. These fish came from a school of similar size fish hanging in a deep hole at the lee of a reef north of Lancelin. and beach fishing offers some of the best fishing opportunities of the year.

Those in the know will be out there making the most of the light winds before the summer sea breezes start.

Tailor are increasing in numbers and are a better size than the typical summer run of fish. Solid 50cm fish are easiest to find at this time of year. Use mulies (WA pilchards) for bait around dawn or dusk for best results. The mulies are

A solid samsonfish caught and released by Dene Bawden from one of the beaches north of Lancelin. large dhufish and breaksea cod, with most boats filling their bag limit.

Keep an eye out for birds working and have a rod ready with a lure, as there is a good possibility there will be feeding southern bluefin tuna under the birds.

The schools of tuna move quickly and can be timid if you get too close. Position

Dhufish can be found close to shore in September, and this one was caught on an unweighted pilchard in less than 10m of water.

Action on all fronts heating up in Jurien Bay JURIEN BAY

Joachim Azzopardi

With longer days and more settled weather, Jurien Bay is the place to be in September!

An assortment of bread and butter species including herring, skippy and flathead can be targeted at the jetty. Various cephalopods have also been turning up at this popular structure, where early mornings and evenings have been the better times to pick up a feed of squid and cuttlefish.

Pink snapper, mulloway 34

SEPTEMBER 2018

West Coast

Rough conditions don’t dampen the spirits GERALDTON

Graham Maunder & Michael Triantopoulos

With the recent weather being rougher than usual, fishing opportunities have been fairly limited.

BEACH Picking the areas inside the reefs from Southgate in the south to Coronation Beach north of Geraldton is still a good move, with catches of yellowfin and school whiting in good sizes and quantities most evenings.

Weed brought in by large swells has meant a couple of location changes might be needed, but a chance at a feed of whiting up to 35cm is well worth the effort.

The best baits have been sandworms, coral prawns and salted pilchard fillets.

The whiting bite has been dropping off after 7pm, so if you change to a tailor rig and put on fresh small whiting, pilchard or fish fillet, you would have a good chance at catching a tailor. This time of year the tailor are usually larger in size. The beaches and reef holes south of the Greenough River mouth are producing larger tailor, some up to 70cm! The bigger fish are being caught on lures. Shallow running minnows, stickbaits, poppers and plugs are all effective in these areas.

Stand out lures have been Samaki Flash Minnow, Halco Roosta Popper 135, Nomad Riptide 125S, Zerek Zappelin 115, Richter Plug 1-3oz with blue, green and natural colours being the pick.

If the beaches and gutters are clean from weed, there have been mulloway

up to 10kg taking set baits of pilchard, fillet baits and small live baits.

Further south to Lucys, S-Bend and Flat Rocks beaches, erosion and weed movement is making the fishing tough, but there have been enough days with good conditions for dhufish to make their annual migration into and around the inshore reefs. Dhufish up to 9kg have recently

BOAT Once again the weather has put a dampener on getting out, but the anglers who have been able to make the most of the decent days have managed to land some quality fish. The area around the 5 Mile Buoy has been producing dhufish and baldchin; these fish have been caught on soft plastics in the 5-7” size range. Successful plastics

baits. For the lure throwers, 2.5-4” paddle-tail and grub style plastics provide great success on these species.

Late winter an into early spring is snapper time for boat anglers, but some of the local beaches and rock walls provide land-based anglers a good chance at targeting them as well.

The Pensioners Bank drop of is a great place to anchor and berley for snapper. Dhufish, samsonfish and baldchin groper also frequent these areas. Lightly-weighted pilchard drifted down into the berley trail seems to be a successful method. Late afternoon into the evening have been productive times.

The beaches north and south of the Coronation Beach camping area are not too difficult to get to via the 4WD tracks provided, and if the sea conditions are a bit big, the eastern end of the rock walls behind the commercial fishing boat harbour and the northeast wall of the Batavia Coast Marina are great spots for snapper. Mulloway and tailor are common around these areas. A surf rod around 12-13ft, 5/0-6/0 hooks snelled, star

Chris Chimwayange with a decent dhufish, with this one being his largest fish to date. and grapple style sinkers depending on conditions, and a bait of squid, mullet fillet or yellowtail is all you need.

Unfortunately the 9 week October Demersal Closure will also include dhufish. Luckily for us, tailor catches will improve over the next couple of months and as the tailor arrive, so will numbers of

mulloway.

Drummonds Cove, Southgate, Greenough and Tarcoola beaches are productive areas for tailor and mulloway.

• If you are in Geraldton or passing through, don’t be afraid to call in for a chat with Graham and Michael for the latest info on where the fish are biting. They are located at 204-208 Marine Terrace, Geraldton.

A pair of nice pink snapper caught during a break in the weather, which both fell to whole whiting baits. been captured by landbased anglers using heavy surf tackle with octopus, squid, yellowtail and mullet fillet being the preferred baits. As the dhufish tend to hang around the sharper reef edges, be prepared to lose tackle.

This baldchin fell victim to a mulie intended for a pink snapper.

have been Abrolhos Tackle 6.5” McPaddles, 6” ZMan SwimmerZ, McCarthy 5 and 6” paddle-tails in white, white/pearl, and various natural colours. Octopus, cuttlefish, squid, mullet fillet are also great baits if you prefer to fish this way.

The Queensland school mackerel and longtail tuna have been pushing the bait onto the edge of Pensioners Bank, and the best method has been casting small sinking stickbaits and metal slices into the schools.

Local angler John Niemeyer and fishing partner Chris Chimwayange from Zimbabwe were fishing out towards South West Bank in 50-55m where they caught a great bag of fish, which included pink snapper to 6kg and dhufish to 10kg. Chris caught his largest fish to date, which was a 5.9kg dhufish.

The dinghy and kayak anglers fishing over the sea grass beds around Pages Beach and Separation Point have had some great success on squid, skippy, pike and herring, with the better fishing being in the early morning. Using berley is a must to attract the herring, and cut up pieces of pilchards, coral prawns and whitebait are great

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35

Mid North Coast

A host of species on offer KALBARRI

Robbie Leck

With cold winds rising in the mid-west, the cooler months are not a prime time for fishing the Kalbarri area. However, the cold fronts that frequented our coast last month, and which will continue to do so over the next few weeks,

bring a host of species that thrive at this time.

In recent weeks Kalbarri has experienced some big swells, but keen boaties have still managed to venture north and south of the Kalbarri River mouth. Anglers fishing paternoster rigs and cut fish baits have picked up a host of species, including baldchin groper, dhufish and coral trout. Anglers have targeted

these fish inside the 20m mark and as shallow as 14m; the fish are congregating in close due to dropping water temperatures.

Land-based fishos have taken advantage of big swells to chase hordes of storm gardies as they begin to frequent their usual haunts, such as Red Bluff and Back Beach, especially after some decent rain. When chasing

Paul from Murchison Boat Hire with a dhufish weighing in at around 6.5kg caught north of the Sand Patch in Kalbarri.

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stormies, bobby cork floats and small prawn baits are a favourite among seasoned anglers at the Bluff.

Heavy rains inland have caused a remarkable flow of freshwater out of the Murchison River, enticing many of the resident mulloway from our local beaches to move into the river to breed. This has allowed anglers to enjoy regular catches of these silver slabs from both the river mouth and local jetties, with live mullet being favoured as bait.

Despite the mulloway action downstream, the fishing in the upper reaches of the Murchison has been quiet of late. Still, there have been reports of decent-sized blue manna and mud crabs being caught from around the Castle Rock area.

Due to the cool water, this month we can expect to see the last of the Spanish mackerel run for the 2018 season, with areas such as Red Beach, Sure Feed and Wagoe being likely spots to encounter the larger solo specimens. Large numbers of pink snapper and dhufish are also predicted to continue congregating in shallow waters along the Kalbarri cliffs. This opens options for both boaters and

A nice sized baldchin groper caught north of Kalbarri by Chris Scott. land-based anglers, with spots such as Goats Gulch and Rabbit Proof being popular land-based fishing spots when conditions allow.

With big swells likely to continue we should begin to see the start of the annual tailor run, with large greenbacks moving in to terrorize mullet and garfish along our local beaches and breaks. Likely spots include Back Beach, Syphons, Oyster Reef and Frustrations. Many local anglers like to target these fish on medium to large

poppers retrieved through the wash, however a large unweighted garfish on a four gang is hard to beat.

With big winter tides on the horizon for next month we should see an influx of bread and butter catches in the Murchison, with bream and whiting becoming more frequent on the lower sand flats and rock bars. This provides opportunities for anglers to encounter some larger black bream as they descend from the upper pools.

To page 37

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SEPTEMBER 2018

Gascoyne Coast

Tasty fish are biting SHARK BAY & SURROUNDS

Joachim Azzopardi

Reef fishing has been quite productive within a few miles of the boat ramp.

Plenty of pink snapper ranging from 3-10kg are being caught along with estuary cod, baldchin groper, grass emperor, stripey snapper, dusky groper and spangled emperor. Whiting heads are reportedly the bait of choice for the pinks at the moment with some absolute thumpers being caught on them.

Spanish and spotted mackerel have been appearing in a range of depths and areas.

Trolled bibbed minnows, floated live and whole fish baits have been working well on both species of mackerel.

Cobia are expected to start turning up in better numbers as the summer months draw nearer. Some of the cobia caught in these waters are among the biggest in Australia, where a 15kg cobia in these parts is regarded as an average-size fish.

Crews who worked the waters off Monkey Mia and Herald Bight encountered

similar reef species. The baitfish schools in these waters are attracting an assortment of predators including varieties of trevally, longtail tuna and mac tuna. Reef fishers who recently worked the waters near Dirk Hartog Island did well on big rankin cod, red emperor, saddle-tail sea perch, spangled emperor, coral trout and bluebone.

Wahoo and black marlin are sometimes caught off Cape Inscription and the waters southwest of there.

Dinghy fishers launching at Tamala station generally do well on pink snapper during this time of year with bluebone, tuskfish, coral trout and varieties of cod also on offer.

Shore-based fishers have been picking up the odd mulloway and pink snapper at the jetty. Squid are also being caught in very good numbers some days at the jetty, while yellowfin whiting, flathead and tarwhine can usually be picked up there during most hours of the day. Tailor are mostly being caught at the more remote beaches that can be accessed through the stations. If venturing to one

of the remote beaches, a light outfit is always worth packing to target big yellowfin whiting of lengths up to 30cm that can be found along the shallows.

Big flathead and tarwhine can also be picked up along the flats. Sometimes pink snappers come in close to feed along some of the remote beaches, especially just before sunset and at first light.

Cape Peron is worth a look for mulloway, pink snapper and whaler sharks. Winds are generally unfavourable for balloon fishing at Steep Point, however deep-diving minnows worked from the stones there can entice a variety of species including Spanish, shark and school mackerel, yellowfin tuna, sailfish and cobia.

When fishing the rocks please remember to always use a life jacket and use rock anchor points where available.

• Are you a local angler who wants to share your fishing knowledge? We are looking for a regular writer to cover the Shark Bay area in future issues. No previous writing experience required, please contact Ian Sewell at ian@ fishingmonthly.com.au.

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From page 36

Cut mullet baits are a proven method when chasing these fish.

Large numbers of blue manna crabs are expected make a return over the next few weeks after their notable absence since the river washout at the start of the year. A few are already being caught in the upper reaches.

As always, fishing in Kalbarri over the coming weeks will be largely dependent on weather, which at this time can be wildly unpredictable. Still, the growing presence of morning easterlies will hopefully mean more days wetting a line for both land-based fishos and boaties alike.

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The author and a friend caught this quality tailor along the Kalbarri coastline. are heading to Kalbarri or beyond, be sure to give us a call at Murchison Boat Hire.

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Nathaniel Hayles took some mates to Shark Bay in a 5.3m hire boat and caught this solid Spanish mackerel.

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

37

Gascoyne Coast

Great expectations in spring EXMOUTH

Jenni Gates

Winter has been absolutely awesome in Exmouth, with calm weather, warm conditions and plenty of hungry fish. Whether

weight, cast out on the flats during the high tide. If you are fishing before sunrise with the lead-up to the high tide, you shouldn’t miss.

Alternatively, the middle of the day is a prime time to drive the beaches to find the schools feeding on the move.

Holiday maker Zac Owens with his PB yellowfin tuna. you are fishing from the shore or in a boat, there are options aplenty, with various species to chase and areas to target.

The shore-based fishing has produced the usual winter whiting for the retirees who regularly visit through the winter months.

Targeting these tasty critters on the high tide along the beaches of the gulf can be very rewarding, and is particularly fun for the kids.

Prawn bait is the best option, with light line and small

Of course, the craze of tiny poppers on really light gear is a great option for the keen sports angler. Whichever method you choose, the results will be tasty.

The school holidays saw a stack of anglers hit the small town, and many were willing to wet a line. Regular school holiday campers Jake and Zac Owens returned to fish hard for two weeks with their grandparents and dad, Scott.

The youngsters, aged six and eight, managed to get out for a couple of days on the west

side while camping on the boat. The day started with massive schools of striped and yellowfin tuna boiling on the glassy surface. Zac got his PB yellowfin, while Jake got a pending state record of a 10.9kg wahoo on 8kg line.

The crew then headed deep and dropped the electrics, which resulted in red emperor, ruby snapper, gold-band jobfish and Robinson’s seabream.

Mackerel were prevalent close to the reef, and a curious sail entered the spread in just 16m of water. Other fish encountered included rankin cod, trout, barracuda, spangled emperor and red-throat emperor. With all these species, the boys had lots to tell their mates on their return to school.

In the next month or more we can expect to see the masses of bait schools move in to the gulf. Whales are like speed humps but, as the saying goes, “when there’s whales, there’s sails”. Sailfish will come in to the gulf in large numbers chasing the bait and balling it up to boiling point on the surface. At times it’s like the Blue Planet series, with fish feeding on big schools in crystal clear waters.

Of course, you can get some windy days, but generally the Exmouth Gulf calms off of an afternoon to allow you to enjoy the excitement of the feeding frenzy.

This month you can also expect to see large queenfish,

cobia, mackerel, longtail tuna and the odd marlin in the gulf through spring. The ever-present sharks will also frequent these areas.

With the recent deployment by Recfishwest of an artificial reef only a short distance from shore in the gulf, we are very eager to see what fish it attracts.

Footage taken by volunteers has already shown loads of spangled emperor, cod and various baitfish that have started to congregate around the massive structure.

The Australian Junior Billfish Tournament is in its 6th year and has grown significantly. The two-day event in the September school holidays is a perfect time for kids to experience this exciting fishery. Kids as young as three can participate.

Robinson’s seabream don’t come much bigger than this one. They’re not a common capture, but certainly a fine feed. schools thicken. The west side can produce some cracking big trevally, especially within the remote areas where you can walk for miles and not see a person.

prevalent squid, and now with the rock lobster season open year round, you can get five different species of them in these waters. Whatever takes your fancy, make sure you ask

Beware shark strikes CARNARVON

Joachim Azzopardi

The dreaded southwesterly winds ordinarily set in during this time of the year, however there are still some mornings and afternoons when boat fishers are able to head offshore – even to the islands. It has been a reasonably good year for pink snapper with fish between 4-8kg being found in dense schools between the mainland and the islands.

Spangled emperor and bluebone have been caught within a few miles of the coast together with estuary, and other varieties of cod.

The Lady Joyous wreck, located approximately 10nm offshore, can be a good starting point for those eager to pick up a feed of quality reef fish.

Be mindful the local shark community is aware of the wreck’s resting point and are very quick to snatch hooked fish there. Bait schools seeking refuge at the structure often attract schools of marauding 38

SEPTEMBER 2018

predators including tuna, trevally and queenfish.

Crews who are able to head to Dorre and Bernier islands should have little trouble finding big red emperor, coral and coronation trout, and saddle-tail sea perch.

Some of the reds caught within a mile of so of the islands this year have been close to giving 15kg a nudge. Similarly with the trout, with many fish of more than 5kg being caught.

Unfortunately, shark strikes on hooked fish have been increasing near the islands.

Fishers have been advised to move on when fish are lost to sharks to, hopefully, areas where sharks are not present.

Regrettably, a few fishers think they can beat the sharks and bring their catches in whole, but do not realise that this is very seldom the case until several more fish are lost.

Spanish mackerel between 10-25kg can be caught on trolled bibbed minnows and floated baits while on anchor near the islands. Wahoo can be found within a few hundred metres of the islands at times – small black marlin and bigger yellowfin tuna are mostly out wider.

Rock fishers hitting the platforms north and south of Quobba have been doing well on bluebone, spangled emperor and saddle-tail sea perch. Cobia catches are expected to increase as the water temperatures rise. While the winds are not conducive to ballooning during this time of the year, spinning hardbodied lures at spots like Garths can result in catches of Spanish mackerel, shark mackerel, cobia, queenfish and trevally.

Closer to town, tailor between 1-2kg have been turning up at Miaboolyia and the stretch of beach between the jetties. Mulloway are a chance at both areas as well as within the fascine. Golden trevally and the occasional mangrove jack are coming out of the creeks. Bush Bay and Pelican Point are worth a try for a feed of whiting and blue manna crabs.

• Are you a local angler who wants to share your fishing knowledge? We are looking for a regular writer to cover the Carnarvon area in future issues. No previous writing experience required, please contact Ian Sewell at ian@ fishingmonthly.com.au.

Dean Gates and Jake Owens with a fine brace of red emperor The aim of the event is to encourage juniors to learn about teamwork, boating safety, respect of the ocean through good fishing ethics, and the fun time you can have outdoors, fishing around family and friends. There are boats with spots available for anglers, and some boats have room for parents to observe as well. Many of the charter boats are also keen to get a team together, so if you have a junior or small fry (under 11) make sure you don’t miss out. Visit www.egfc. com.au for further details.

Adults and juniors can also fish the Billfish Bonanza, which is a three-day tag and release event in late October, targeting sailfish and marlin.

If fly fishing is your passion, there’s not many places on the planet better than Exmouth; people come from all over the globe to fish here and we are lucky to have this incredible fishery on our doorstep. As we head into spring, you can expect the permit to be more active along the gulf beaches, along with the queenfish as bait

If bluewater action takes your fancy, you can’t pass up the sight-casting at sailfish in the gulf. The schools of longtail tuna are another lineburner that will have your guides humming to the tune of speeding backing.

Succulent, fresh seafood is an experience in Exmouth that you need to taste to appreciate. If it’s not blue swimmer crabs on the move, then prawns on the hop will have your mouth watering.

Of course, there is the ever-

the local tackle store what is on the chew and where. They will guide you to increase your chances of having a great time, while also enjoying the fabulous backyard we have in Exmouth.

For more up-to-theminute information on what’s biting 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, ph (08) 9949 1315.

Jake and his dad with Jake’s pending state record 10.9kg wahoo on 8kg line.

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North Coast

Cracking crab catches continue PORT HEDLAND

Pete Hodgson

With the cooler weather behind us in the Pilbara, the early season barramundi are starting to fire up, with fish being caught on live mullet, hardbody lures and soft plastics between Dampier and Port Hedland. The northern creeks, although slow at the moment, should start to fire up in the coming weeks with the onset of the warmer weather. Mangrove jacks and threadfin salmon are always a welcome by-catch.

Good size mud crabs have been caught consistently over the past months in all the usual creeks, and we can expect this to continue.

Muddies are being taken both in drop nets and hooked out of their holes by crabbers looking to get out and about in the mud.

Black jewfish have been a regular catch from the freshly refurbished Main Street jetty and around the harbour, with fish over 15kg being regularly caught on the incoming spring tides. Dead fish baits and big soft plastics like the

Sienna Hodgson landed this little trevally on the incoming tide off the Port Hedland spoil bank.

Abrolhos Tackle McPaddles are producing the goods.

The offshore fishing has been exceptional, and it is

definitely worth a trip when the weather allows for anglers to get out. There are plenty of red emperor, nannygai (large

A Spanish mackerel popped off the surface.

and small mouth), rankin cod and solid coral trout up to 750mm being landed in 35-50m of water on the outer coral patches. Slow pitch jigs, large plastics on 2-6oz jigheads (depending on the current) and bait are all catching as well as each other.

The pelagics have also been on the chew, with Spanish mackerel and longtail tuna being a regular catch as close as 5nm from the boat ramp. Stickbaits and poppers thrown into bait schools have been proving deadly, and of course trolled bibbed lures have also been successful.

The inshore fishing is producing plenty of queenfish, trevally and cobia along with the odd sizeable red emperor and coral trout coming off the inshore reefs, along with plenty of big blue line emperor and Spanish flag. Solid blackspot tuskfish are also being wrestled from the bottom by the patient anglers using prawns and crabs.

The Spoil Bank and harbour has been good for the land-based anglers and families with blue nose salmon, flathead and small

Zara Hodgson with a thumper of a muddy pulled from 6 Mile Creek. pelagics like shark mackerel, grey mackerel, queenfish and trevally all caught around the top of the spring tides.

Quality stickbaits up to 120mm worked across the surface or just below are

the best options for fishing this area.

The blue swimmer crabs are also still firing in the area so before the heat really starts to hit, now’s the time to get the family out.

This black jewfish was caught on an incoming spring tide on a mullet fillet.

Conditions shaping up and looking good for barra BROOME

Joachim Azzopardi

Billfish enthusiasts have been encountering good numbers of sailfish.

The waters of James Price Point, the wide of Barred Creek and out from Crab Creek are the best areas to locate the majestic sportfish. The sails have ranged from 12-35kg and have been caught on a variety of methods. Trolled rigged garfish and skirted lures have been doing 40

SEPTEMBER 2018

reasonably well on the sails, however switching live baits attached to circle hooks has proven to be the most effective technique.

Small black marlin are occasionally being found among the sailfish pods while longtail and mac tuna are also about. Spanish and broadbar mackerel have been caught on bibbed minnows and rigged garfish off Entrance Point and Gantheaume Point as well as near Disaster Rock.

Giant trevally, queenfish, golden trevally and cobia have also been frequenting

the last location.

Crews working the waters within Roebuck Bay have been picking up good catches of fingermark bream and bluebone.

Mulloway have been found near the drop offs and structures. Threadfin salmon to a metre and the odd bigger are also being found in increasing numbers, together with bluenose salmon.

When conditions have allowed the boats to venture to the 30m contour and beyond, crews have been getting among fair numbers

of saddle-tail sea perch, red emperor, rankin cod and blue-lined emperor.

Coral trout, bluebone and mangrove jack have been found in bigger sizes and numbers in waters off Port Smith.

Estuary cod, queenfish and assortments of trevally have also been caught on baits and lures within the local creeks including Dampier, Willie and Crab.

The most encouraging news has been the increase in barramundi activity within the local creeks and adjacent coastline. Barra

mostly between 50-70cm, and the odd fish around the magical metre mark, have been willing to strike at lures presented near snags and structures and lives bait.

Barra fishing has also been heating up in the Fitzroy River where some fishers have managed to land fish over a metre during the past few months.

Pelican, Snags and Telegraph pools have been among the better performing areas for barra.

Expect catches to increase during the ensuing weeks,

but slow again once the first heavy rain falls.

Mud crabbing has been productive in the river as well as the local creeks.

The jetty is worth a visit with queenfish, trevally, bluebone and barra as common catches, especially an hour either side of the change in tide.

Cable Beach and Coconut Wells have whiting and yellowfin bream on offer. The rocks at Gantheaume Point often produce bluebone, estuary cod and coral trout during this time of year.

North Coast

May and Fitzroy rivers barra fishing bonanza DERBY

Joachim Azzopardi

Barramundi enthusiasts have been catching up to a dozen fish a session in the May and Fitzroy rivers.

Most haven’t been huge, but when 20-30 fish are landed a session it is not bothering too many anglers that the fish are between 55-75cm.

Bigger barra of more than 90cm are also about, and there have also been a few landed in both systems during the past

couple of months that went over the magical metre mark.

These bigger fish were caught on live baits including mullet, while hardbodied and soft plastic lures accounted for the smaller fish.

The entrances of the creeks and inlets within King Sound have been fishing well for a variety of species including mangrove jack, estuary cod, bluenose salmon, threadfin salmon and flag. Catfish and archerfish have also been caught in these areas, together with plenty of small sharks.

Crews trolling bibbed minnows and rigged garfish have been picking up a few Spanish mackerel, especially near Valentine Island.

Reef fishing near the island has also been productive with reasonable numbers of mangrove jack, fingermark bream and bluebone caught at the peak of the tide. Some good sessions on bluebone are being experienced within the sound, however the precise location of where the 4-8kg fish are being caught in numbers was not disclosed. The trick is to

try to find the freshest bait possible and run simple rigs comprising a heavy ball sinker leading to a sharp 6/0 hook.

Working the tides is also a must. The deep drop-offs within the sound have been fishing well for mulloway ranging from 8-15kg.

Big schools of baitfish have been attracting a variety of predators including queenfish, trevally and mackerel.

Unfortunately, sharks have also been quick to join the feeding frenzies and rarely leave a hooked

fish whole.

Anglers have been enjoying shore-based fishing at the jetty, which has mostly been producing catfish. The odd barra can be caught from the structure at times, together with mangrove jack, estuary cod and bluebone.

The creek mouths are worth a try during the incoming and outgoing tides for queenfish, big golden trevally and mulloway.

Bibbed minnows and soft plastics worked near the snags at the slack tide often

produce mangrove jack and barramundi.

Some nice hauls of mud crabs have been picked up in the lower reaches of the creeks and inlets as well as the upper parts of the Fitzroy and May rivers.

• Are you a local angler who wants to share your fishing knowledge? We are looking for a regular writer to cover the Derby area in future issues. No previous writing experience required, please contact Ian Sewell at ian@ fishingmonthly.com.au.

FISHING NEWS

WA White Spot import restrictions amended

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has amended its White Spot (WS) import restrictions for Western Australia, following further positive detections of WS in Queensland’s Moreton Bay from recent testing.

The department is continuing to take a precautionary approach to protecting this State from this potentially devastating virus.

WS is a highly contagious virus that affects

farmed and wild crustaceans including prawns, crabs and lobsters. The virus does not pose a threat to human health or food safety.

In December 2016, WS caused high rates of stock mortality on seven prawn farms in South East Queensland.

The farms have since been destocked and decontaminated and now lay fallow to assist with eradication of the virus.

WS has not been detected in WA’s wild or farmed prawns.

The changes increase the size of the restricted area by

moving the northern border of the Queensland zone further away from the location of the positive detections in Moreton Bay, up to latitude 24o29.904S WGS 84, approximately 45km North of Bundaberg The import changes are designed to protect Western Australia from potential disease carriers from interstate, whilst enabling low risk products to enter.

The impacts of the extension of the Northern Boundary are expected to be limited, with only a small

number of Queensland exporters potentially impacted.

Wild crustaceans from the rest of Queensland can be imported by WA-approved businesses able to meet capture and processing requirements.

Farmed prawns from Queensland and New South Wales can be imported if tests are negative for the WS virus.

The new requirements also still allow for wild crustaceans from the restricted zone to be imported into WA, if they’ve been treated with gamma irradiation. The gamma

irradiation kills the WS virus and this is an option to assist the bait prawn industry.

Cooking destroys the virus, so all cooked products continue to be able to be imported into WA. Due to the serious impact of WS and its ability to spread easily, people fishing or crabbing in WA have a critical role in preventing the spread of this virus by doing the following: All seafood for human consumption, especially imported raw prawns, should

not be used as bait, as they may carry and introduce viruses to our waterways and have impacts on both farmed and wild prawns and other crustaceans. Don’t dispose of crustacean waste including heads and shells in, or near, waterways.

Uncooked prawns and other seafood purchased from the supermarket or fishmonger are meant for human consumption only and must not be used as bait.

– Dept of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

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41

Keeping the kids keen BUSSELTON

Brad Yates

Almost 30 years ago, I was lucky enough to receive my first fishing rod and reel. I remember dad was always keen to take my siblings and I fishing. As an adult I now realise just how challenging it was for him taking kids fishing – rigging lines, teaching to cast, untangling lines, making sure we didn’t go too close to the slippery edge of the rocks, baiting hooks, untangling lines, de-hooking fish, untangling lines, trying to catch fish himself and, if memory serves correctly, untangling lines.

Fast forward 10-15 years

bucket if the kids want one each. We take one small esky, which carries bait and a small knife. This is out of bounds for the kids. I’m not fond of letting my kids cut bait when they often struggle using a fork and spoon to feed themselves! So, that’s the grown-ups’ job. It is a real bonus, but not necessary, to have another adult with you. Mum often comes along for an outing, but the bait cutting generally gets left to me. If your partner isn’t a keen angler, pack a wheel of good quality Camembert cheese, some crackers and a bottle of wine to earn some brownie points.

Out in the boat is a different beast. A second adult is vital. I’m blessed

It’s great living in a location where you don’t have to go too far offshore to wet a line. Little Miss watching on as dad gives a quick lesson, then later proceeds to out-fish dad 3-1. and I found myself single, in possession of a car, boat and stacks of fishing gear. The sky was the limit. I fished sunrise until sunset, had a hard night with mates then did it all again the next day.

Go forward another five years and things haven’t changed too much, although there’s a lucky lady coming along to bream tournament pre-fish sessions and competition weekends, watching me pour a fair bit of time and money into fishing.

Now we are in 2018 and I find myself in the situation my father was in 30 years ago.

Two wonderful kids keen as mustard to follow daddy into the world of fishing.

It’s honestly a shock to the system, but one that I would not give up for anything. So, I thought I’d share my tips to enjoying a day out on the water with the kids.

We are based in the lovely Geographe Bay region of the southwest, so we have two predominant options for fishing. The first option is a fish from the beach or bank of the local canals. We need to make sure there are towels to sit on and a bucket for fish if we intend to keep them. Possibly a second 42

SEPTEMBER 2018

that my kids absolutely love a trip out in the boat, but they can be too much for me to monitor by myself. Life jackets are an important and legal requirement to have on the boat, and I will always encourage the kids to wear them. Letting the kids wear the jackets around the house as a novelty worked wonders for me, and kept tantrums about wearing them to a minimum. Soon it became second nature and we don’t have issues anymore.

Children aren’t born with sea legs so you have to take it easy and be nice to them.

We need to reinforce to our new generations that the sun can be dangerous – so encourage them to wear hats, sunnies, sunscreen and suitable clothing. How lucky are we to have kids fishing wear available!

Long-sleeve UPF50+ shirts that are comfortable and often come in cool patterns or prints, it keeps everyone happy. If you have shade in the boat it’s important to use it. If your family only has a small dinghy and you think shade isn’t possible, those fold down bimini tops are available from most tackle or boating stores and are great.

Snacks are an important part of fishing trips. Let’s face it, sometimes fish don’t bite and kids seem to have hollow legs. Fruit is a great source of natural energy for kids and the first thing we pack. Make sure you teach them the importance of not taking bananas in a boat!

Secondly some sandwiches and thirdly some crackers or fairly plain biscuits are good too. Try to avoid foods that have lots of sugar. The last thing you want to do is try and tame a kid gone wild from a sugar high, and often worse is trying to keep them happy when they’re coming down off a sugar high. Plenty of water is important to keep them hydrated. Lastly a camera – you’ll want to capture the awesome moments the kids get to have.

It’s fair to say that we anglers tend to overdo it when it comes to a fishing trip: tons of tackle, five rods, 11 spare rods, eight reels, a fair investment of expensive lures and tackle, and plenty of after-hours refreshments. Sorry fellas, but we are talking kiddies trip here so it’s time to ration things. Nowadays I pack myself one rod and reel.

Have it pre-rigged for your intended target before you go as it is highly probable you won’t have time to select jigheads and tie knots with young ones with lines in the water. Most of the time that nice expensive outfit won’t even see a drop of water. The same situations arise from 30 years ago, but flipped. I find myself baiting hooks, handling fish, keeping overenthusiastic sons from falling

Sun can be harsh on a warm summer day, so the ability to provide shade for kids is important and of course remember – slip, slop, slap! fishing itself. We don’t want little ones needing onsite surgery to remove hooks.

When it comes to kids fishing gear, there are a lot of options available now. A rod and reel each (blue and pink seems to keep my two happy) is a great investment. It won’t break the bank and best of all keeps dad’s expensive graphite rods safe for a few years! I take a landing net so it’s easier to get the fish in with two excited little ones jumping around. And they don’t get a look at what has been caught until they are sitting down quietly. Simple little ground rules make life easy.

We are out there and it’s time to start catching fish.

The KISS principle applies.

Kids are easy to amuse when the fish are biting. So, no need for stupidly intricate rigs, knots and lures that require technical skills to fish. If we are moving in the boat we

fishing shore based, I change it up to a simple running ball sinker down to a swivel and a 50cm fluorocarbon leader down to a smaller size 4-6 hook. I get them used to letting the bait sink to the bottom before starting a very slow roll retrieve. It keeps them in contact with the bait and allows them to feel bites. Sharp and small hooks generally set themselves.

Targets here are generally whiting, bream, silver trevally, herring, flathead and flounder.

Of course, the kids don’t really mind what they are catching so long as the fish are biting. Don’t upset them and take them away from active biting fish just to put a few on the table. Remember you are there to educate them about fishing and the ocean. The ever-troublesome blowfish is fun to show them how they puff up and you can tell them that they are

Canals are a fantastic place to introduce kids to the wonderful world of fishing. in the drink or winding their line in as soon as it’s cast out, and of course untangling lines. Just take a small tray with a bit of basic tackle and put it in a backpack so you always have it handy. Less is more and it’s heaps easier to work with.

Kids love to kick tackle trays over or sift through them looking for what they would like to use instead of

generally run a size 2 straight hook in the limerick shape with 40mm of drinking straw run down over it to troll for herring. A small black swivel a meter above the hook helps prevent those line twists that keep dad busy. A handful of pre-mix berley and you can have fun for ages trolling up and down the slick.

If we find a spot to stop and drop anchor, or we are

venomous to eat so they are returned to the water.

Other bycatch like small trumpeter or grunter, the odd crab that grabs a baited hook, and undersized fish are great subjects to educate the kids about. Spines, colour patterns, long bottomfeeding noses, camouflage patterns on flatfish, and so much more.

Casting will be a work in

progress to start. I began by making casts for them and eventually let them hold the rod while I made a gentle cast so they could get an idea of how it’s done. Things like opening and closing bail arms will come with time and exposure. To start with, set their drag fairly loose so they don’t get dragged in if a decent fish bites. Remember that to us a 30cm bream isn’t much of a problem to bring in, but to the kids it can be a real struggle to coordinate holding a rod and reeling a fish in at the same time. The kids can get a feel of the fish swimming away under drag and when the line stops running they can work on reeling some back in.

The other species I get a real kick out of chasing with my kids is squid. The best part is that everyone appreciates a nice feed of squid, and squidding is pretty darn easy. Just throw the lines in at a good looking spot, and tell them to slowly wind in for a bit then stop and start again. It’s pretty easy for a child to do. If there is enough wind it’s easier to just put the rods in the rod holders and let the boat do the work. Just remember that a landing net is a must, as the last thing a child wants is a face full of black stuff.

Mum definitely doesn’t want it as she usually gets the job of laundry, and Dad gets left cleaning the boat.

The physical difference between squid and fish is a great subject to teach kids about. Show them how the squid’s skin changes colour, and how the long tentacles can reach out and grip food.

Point out the dangerous beak that could give a nasty nip to unsuspecting hands. Let the kids touch and feel the hood and tentacle suckers, and count the number of tentacles. There is so much they can learn out there.

How long the children last during a fishing trip before getting bored, tired, grumpy or a combination of

all three is related to how prepared we were before we left home. Don’t push overtired, sick or unwilling kids to go. It will lead to a bad day. Putting them in the car before lunchboxes and fishing gear are packed is a recipe for disaster. We usually find a boat trip will last 2-3 hours, maybe more if we can pull up on a beach, go for a swim, have lunch and

then go again. Shore trips maybe 1.5 hours.

If the fish aren’t biting, searching for some form of life can save the day.

Dolphins, turtles, water birds and watching other people on the water have saved the trip for me (I’m looking forward to my kids watching their first annual whale run over the next month or so). If they have been good, an ice cream

Small pink snapper are scrappy little fighters and produce big smiles. The pink colour was a bonus, apparently.

on the way home always goes down well.

At the end of the trip get the kids used to cleaning up. Take the hooks off the rods and get the kids to hose the salt off. This keeps their gear lasting longer, and is an easy task. They can play in the boat after we get home as long as there is a bucket of warm soapy water and they help wash the inside of the boat. You can explain why you put the earmuffs on and run the motor, take the bungs out and put them in their storage location for next time. There has to be work done, and the quicker they get an understanding of it, the better it’s going to be for the whole family. We can all appreciate wanting to get home, clean the catch and have a coldie on the couch – many hands makes this all happen faster. Be patient and teach them the right ways.

Lose your cool and everyone will be upset, an easy way to ruin the trip.

It’s important to help your kids understand the relationship between fishing and a feed of fish and chips.

You should openly discuss what you’re doing, or going to be doing, when the time comes to clean the catch.

I don’t recommend jumping into bleeding and gutting fish as soon as they are out of the water. I often let the kids

A tasty haul of squid after an hour or so. Kids are always so fascinated by squid, a colour changing water cannon is hard not to like. Guess which two dad caught? decide if we should take a fish home for dinner or let it go. We use a live bait tank to keep our bread and butter fish fresh until I can dispatch them and prepare them for the table. Squid usually get put into a different bucket or esky. If we catch a squid and I need it for bait, I explain what I’m doing and how fish eat squid. Kids aren’t silly (and often say things that make us laugh, cry or just wonder where the hell that came from) and they will soon figure it out. Be honest with them so they understand what it’s all about. Both my kids will now happily watch me clean our catch, prepare

it for the table, and both will eat fish and squid without hesitation. I remember hating fish as a kid, so making sure they understood everything was important to me. They watched me clean a big pink snapper not long ago, and for a quick biology lesson they got to take a look at the stomach contents. You know you have keen children when they think that stuff is pretty cool!

We visited the local tackle shop recently and checked out a preserved sword from a deep-dwelling swordfish. My 6-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son started asking when I was

going to take them out to catch a swordfish! It’ll be a few years before they’re ready for that, but you can be sure it’s on the bucket list. Also on that list are family trips to the tropics, maybe a trip helifishing the back country rivers on the South Island of New Zealand, wading the vast flats of Kiritimati, chasing roosterfish along a Baja Beach, taimen in Mongolia, wild salmon in Canada, redfish in the Everglades National Park and black bass in PNG. But for the meantime we will stick to our herring, whiting and squid, and have a ball doing it.

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43

Waroona Dam is again a trout fishing destination FRESHWATER

Peter Fragomini

Most people may not be aware that back in the 1970s this dam was rated up there with some of the better lakes in Australia as a trout fishery.

I cut my teeth on this water and started my flyfishing passion here chasing trout that averaged 1-2.5kg in weight prior to the redfin infestation of 1982.

stripping, some of the older fish are up to 45cm in length.

They make for interesting fishing in some of our inland irrigation dams from late winter until the heat sets in around December.

With the added bonus of 1000 advanced rainbow yearling trout going into Waroona Dam it should be a pleasant place to take your family before the ski-boats become active in the warmer weather. Advance yearlings are currently being trialled

work and I have found that these fish aren’t as fussy as the more wary wild fish, so as long as you can cast a reasonable distance and you keep your selected lure in the water you will have a good chance.

Hardbody lures that are heavy enough to cast with a breeze in any colour are popular as well as Tassie Devils, Celta style spinners and a mixture of soft plastics are all worth a try.

Some of these fish will be

Some of the best times to be on the water (dawn and dusk) coincide with some truly breathtaking views

A double hookup on a drop shot rig using a yabby pattern and a minnow plastic.

With water levels rising to the 80% mark the members on our stocking committee have decided to once again stock some of the brood stock that are released after the Pemberton Trout Hatchery finish stripping their eggs in winter.

These brood fish are fed a diet of pellets, same as

– cutting back the holding pond from the usual 7000 trout to 3500 but fed the same rations as the previous 7000 to produce a larger fish and reduce the chance of becoming easy prey to larger redfin and other predators.

The caravan park has jurisdiction over a select area of the dam for camping and

in quite shallow water, so a slow approach in the early morning or late afternoon is the preferred method. If it happens to be cloudy then the trout seem to cruise in the shallow water, but if the sun in shining I would prefer to seek out deeper water and any drop off adjacent to shallow water is a prime area.

Trout have a hard time with the redfin presence these days with the redfin competing heavily for any available food. This trout looks as though it is struggling to find enough to eat. what the salmon farmers of Tasmania feed their fish that produce a bright pink flesh.

If you catch them within the first few week of release they can make for the best eating as they don’t have the muddy taste that is so often the case with their wild counterparts.

Each year over 2000 rainbow trout are stripped of their eggs and milt and they are mixed together and reared in tanks through their various stages and this forms the basis for the fry and fingerling stocking program. After 44

SEPTEMBER 2018

now you can camp right on the waterline below the tree line for only $10 per person per night. I prefer to fish the rear end of the dam but anywhere you increase your chances by moving around looking for fish to cast.

Trout have been caught over the autumn but numbers have been low. With this new stocking walking the bank flicking lures and flyfishing the shallow flooded banks and bays should produce a fish or two.

Most of the popular lures

For those who flyfish I would use a floating line with a leader generally around 9-12ft in length and I would not go much less than 5lb as some of these fish can put up a reasonably good fight.

Some of the popular flies I have found that have worked well on these stocked fish include most of the killer patterns like the Mrs Simpson, Hamills Killer in a size 10 for the lighter part of the day and size 6 in less light. Some also love the Woolly Buggers – black, green and brown in the

above sizes are the go.

I found the Craig’s Nighttime in size 6 or 8 is deadly at night and is my go to fly on any night fish. Nymphs work well and my best advice is to use the fly that you are most confident in, as you will fish your best having faith in what you are using.

Boats are less of a requirement, as the majority of the dam is accessible by foot and car, but a trolled shallow lure will take fish in all areas.

Redfin perch are widespread through this dam. Illegal stocking back in the early 80s destroyed this dam as a superb fishery and despite the draining back in 2002 to improve the wall and eradicate redfin by netting, electro fishing and blasting, they’re still there. The fish were up in the creeks and the resilient nature of their hardy eggs resulted in their return a couple of years later.

The following quantities of each species were removed from Waroona Dam when it was drained in 2002; 2104 marron, 401 gilgies, 108 western minnows, 77 rainbow trout, 22 brown trout, and 922 redfin perch.

As can be seen the redfin out number the trout 10-1 and unless there is a predator species introduced to control the redfin (as is the case in

countless waters on the east coast of Australia) then this dam will only be a winterspring fishery consisting of stocked hatchery fish.

Having said that, it can produce some exciting redfin fishing and unlike targeting trout the better catches come from those with a boat or kayak. Having a sounder is

taker, others come around to see what the fuss is all about and will hit the other plastic so landing two on every drop is the norm.

As with all inland waters you need a licence to fish in freshwater and a bag limit of four trout per day applies, but I find most people choose to release their fish only keeping

With the aid of a good sounder you can locate the redfin schools and cast over them waiting for a strike. definitely a bonus as you can concentrate on the areas where the fish are holding.

Most use deep diving minnow style lures slowly trolled or sinking soft plastics on a jig or via a drop shot rig with sinker on the bottom and two hooks above giving you the option of using a minnow and a yabby at once. Until you find what works, I find if you wait after hooking the first

one for the pan. Although not a rule, any brown trout should be returned as they are the only real predator of the tiny redfin currently overrunning this dam.

You can fish all year round now, with the no season change. But, always check the rules to avoid an embarrassing moment with the authorities that patrol these waters after the stocking commences.

A 43cm redfin perch caught on a deep diving Halco while slow trolling the banks.

Harvey Dam – WA’s focal point of trout fishing FRESHWATER

Peter Fragomini

Harvey Dam is one of the most visited freshwater dams in WA. It is nearly four times the size of Waroona Dam, reaching 553ha when full, and anglers have their choice of fishing method – be it from the shore or by boat.

The old weir was enlarged back in 2001 at the cost of 53 million dollars by Water Corp and Harvey Water in an effort to provide more water to Perth and this resulted in the new dam being built as most know it today.

The Stirling Dam was traded in the deal, even though it was only used for irrigation, to provide its crystal clear water to Perth, and the trade off was that we regained access to the new bigger Harvey Dam. Some say it was not a fair trade. We were gaining

Harvey Dam can get very rough so be careful if you are on a small boat or kayak. also flooded a section of the river known as Between the Bridges, which was home to some of the most beautifully marked brown trout and fat

With all new pasture going under for the first time, it eventually settled to become prime redfin water.

It relies heavily on trout

yearling rainbow trout go in. As these fish are only 13-18cm in length they are vulnerable to predation by the hordes of redfin, cormorants, pelicans and other predators that seem to feast on them every year.

Larger advanced yearlings are being experimentally stocked in other waters.

Hopefully this will succeed so this dam can receive them next year.

built tank trailer, so most were in by mid-September and went straight up to the creeks as they were still spawning. Now they only stock around 130 per trip with a tank on a Ute. This gives us a steady flow of fish and as the last stocking can be towards the end of October, these fish seem to stay in the main body of the dam. They are not keen to venture up the creeks were they are more vulnerable to man and predators.

The large dam can be overwhelming for beginners, so here are some areas I love to fish. The first causeway is a hotspot.

Many anglers fish it all the way around to the bay where the pipe comes in from Wokalup Dam 500m past the causeway.

The boat ramp and all the way around to the east known as The Sticks can be good at times, but you need to keep moving until you find the fish.

Next is the cattle yard – just around from The Sticks but accessible from the main road down a short bit of gravel road. It is popular with flyfishers as it offers 700m of shallow flooded pasture where trout come

you own a boat or kayak trolling a shallow diving lure is a sure fire way to get a strike. When you find an area with activity, keep trolling around until you get a result. Keep changing lures until you find one that works.

A good sounder is a bonus, but not totally required as these trout sit very high in the water while they adapt to the new environment. I’d recommend trolling a long line. Sometimes I go out to 120m as fish can be timid when you troll over them.

Redfin are caught in various numbers, but most target trout from AugustNovember and concentrate on redfin in the warmer months or before the trout are released.

The best time to target redfin is in March when they start schooling in the main body in depths of 6-10m. As the months go on the schools get larger until they break up again in the spring.

If you have a sounder and are lucky enough to have an electric motor with anchor or spot lock then you can find the schools and place yourself just upwind and cast over them

A nice ex-brood stock rainbow caught on a shallow running lure in the Harvey Weir. a larger redfin water but losing Stirling Dam and the upper Harvey River that was a prime trout fishery. It

rainbow trout. It all added salt to the wound.

The initial flooding caused a little food boom.

stocking over the winter/ spring period to provide a reasonable trout fishery.

About 7500 standard

DAM LEVELS Dam levels in all of our recreational catchments are looking better this year than the same time last year after good rains in June and July, despite a dry autumn.

• Waroona Dam is at 87% the highest in 8 year and up from 50% this time last year.

• Drakes brook Weir is at 101% and spilling up from 90% this time last year.

• Logue Brook dam is at 57% and highest for the last 8 years up from 40% this time last year.

• Harvey Dam is at 56% way up from 38% this time last year.

• Wellington Dam is at 60% up from 52% this time last year.

• Glen Mervyn is at 71% around the same level as this time last year.

• Big Brook Dam Pemberton is at 107% and spilling heavily as it does this time every year.

Providing there is a good food supply leading into spring, some dams, like Waroona and Logue Brook, will be flooding new ground, which has not seen for a number of years.

If the rains continue through spring we should see a good season for inland waters this year with around 2,300 ex-broodstock rainbow trout, 16,000 rainbow yearlings, 3,500 advanced rainbow yearlings into selected dams, 7,200 brown yearlings and over 600,000 trout fry earmarked for our inland waterways in 2018. * All levels correct at the time of going to press. Dam levels can change at any time, so please check with appropriate authorities to ensure safe boating and fishing.

A nice little brown trout caught on fly by Bretton Stitfold fishing the shallow flooded banks.

Around 1700 ex-brood stock rainbow trout, a few hundred ex-brood stock browns, as well as 700 brown yearlings go in annually when available, which makes for some fun fishing up until the heat sets in around December.

The stock timing has been extended later than previous seasons.

The hatchery used to stock with up to 500 fish at a time using a purpose

in to feed on the drowned critters in the springtime. It can be a wind swept bank and will blow hard in a southerly or in your face with a westerly.

Falls Creek is a popular area, but the fish can be anywhere, so it pays to move around until you find them.

This dam only allows for electric powered boats, unlike Waroona Dam that allows petrol powered. If

waiting for a hit. The drop shot rig can be deadly but any technique works if you can get the lure down through the fish.

There you have it! So, if you don’t mind this sort of fishing then get yourself a license and a light outfit, be it fly or lure, and enjoy the beautiful scenery these dams offer. You may be rewarded with some nice tasting trout and redfin for your efforts.

SEPTEMBER 2018

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BEST OF SHOW AWARDS

2018 AFTA Tackle Trade Show Each year the fishing tackle trade conducts a business-to-business show on the Gold Coast in the middle of winter, and it’s always an event to remember. Distributors and fishing tackle stores from all over Australia gather to show off new products and do deals.

This show is not open to the public, so we at Fishing Monthly and www.tacklejunkie.fish are bringing you the latest and greatest tackle via social media, YouTube and print. To those of you who missed our videos broadcast straight from the Gold Coast Convention Centre, where we interviewed wholesalers showing off their latest gear, you can check

them out on the Fishing Monthly YouTube channel.

One of the most exciting things about the AFTA Show is the Best In Show awards. It starts with retailers voting on what they judge to be the best new gear, the votes are tallied, and the awards are presented at the formal Gala Dinner. We have compiled the winners and runners-up for you in this issue, and some of them are particularly innovative and exciting.

And just quietly, we hear that there’s a good chance there will be a public (non-buying, look and see only) day next year. It’s not confirmed yet but we’ll bring you news of this as it comes to hand!

JOHN DUNPHY MEMORIAL FISHING TOURNAMENT Every second year the John Dunphy Memorial Fishing Tournament is run in conjunction with the AFTA Trade Show.

John Dunphy was one of Australia’s greatest tackle innovators, and Australian Bass Tournaments (ABT) uses the event to help debut new technology and improvements to fishing tournament data capture.

This year was no exception.

Seven tournament pros took out 14 industry identities with the aim of catching their biggest bag of five bream. However, they didn’t bring and fish back to the weigh-in. Instead, all of the captures were recorded on the ABT Tournament Series App (powered by TrackMyFish). At the same time, the majority of the field were live streaming their fishing day via a collection of Garmin action cameras. This live stream was curated and presented on at the Trade Show on two massive screens.

“ABT’s aim is to make fishing a real spectator sport,” said ABT founder

Steve Morgan, “and with live streaming technology getting smaller, cheaper and easier to manipulate we are enjoying taking the lead in this area.”

The live stream is managed by InfoFish, and it’s a great partnership. Not only does the company (which administers Queensland’s tagging program) run the back end of this system, but the data gets used meaningfully after the tournament.

With over a million fish recorded in the InfoFish database, the company believes that monitoring the top 20% of anglers gives a great snapshot into the structure of a waterway’s fish stocks. This means that catch and release fishing can become an important part of community monitoring of the resource. That’s a great position for catch and release fishing.

For the record, team Costa won the day with a cracking Gold Coast bag with over 4kg for five bream. Well done to Jamie Mckeown (ABT); Jenny Gordillo (Costa) and Tanya Konsul (Costa).

INDUSTRY RECOGNITION AWARD In an age when everything has a use-by date and companies and brands come and go, longevity is rare. J.M. Gillies has written its story into history and has significantly helped shape the fishing industry in Australia. For J.M. Gillies this story now spans 90 years.

Over the years J.M. Gillies has been responsible for the distribution of brands such as Plano, Rapala, Maxima, Berkley, Redington, Sage, Arbogast, Classic, Bomber, Killalure, Warlock, Tassie Devil and SeaDog. J.M. Gillies was established in 1928 by John Malcolm Gillies in West Melbourne, and his vision was to service the fly industry.

Fly tying was the core business, and this built a foundation and a name for the brand in Australia.

The start of 1987 saw Pat Levy, who at the time was a young storeman and packer, risk everything to buy the business.

Gillies had a number of warehouse moves in a short period of time due to the expansion of the business, before

finding a base in Port Melbourne in 2000.

The business continued to expand, and a number of neighbouring warehouses were taken over before finally running out of space, and the company moved to a purpose-built warehouse in 2009 that is still home today.

During the company’s 90 years, J.M. Gillies has distributed and manufactured more than 70 brands of fishing products and other sporting goods. For Pat, it’s always been about providing the best service and brands. The service side has been a foundation for the business, with a core sales team and internal staff that’s being largely unchanged for the past three decades. Although brands and products come and go, the team at J.M. Gillies have become a family with a common goal, and have established great relationships with tackle stores all around the country and also other countries around the world.

Pat Levy was inducted to the AFTA Hall of Fame at the 2018 AFTA Gala Dinner and Awards Night, in recognition of his services to the fishing tackle industry.

WOMEN IN RECREATIONAL FISHING Also represented at the show were members of the WIRF leadership program (Women in Recreational Fishing). Focused on unearthing tomorrow’s female fishing leaders, this scholarship program gave 10 women the chance to attend the AFTA Gala Awards and contribute their voices to the future of the industry.

The network has been created by the VFA (Victorian Fisheries Authority) as part of the Target One Million program to encourage females to participate in the fishing activity with the family, rather than just watch. It is linked to the Target One Million drive to increase participation to get one million Victorians fishing by 2020. Some of the goals of the program

include how to better share knowledge about the skills and equipment need to fish, to empower women with the right info; how to get more women on boards and in leadership roles within the fishing industry; and how to advertise women in fishing in a more positive way.

An interactive Facebook group has been created for women to enable them to talk, gain and share knowledge to engage in recreational fishing activities in a comfortable manner.

Female anglers of all levels are encouraged to join, post and learn from one another. Interested parties can check it out at www.facebook.com/ groups/womeninrecfishing.

And that’s all the news from the AFTA Show.

Read on to check out all the product winners!

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WINNER twist); equipped with Advanced Fuju Torzite Micro Guide System; Triarchy Force (100% carbon material arranged in both length and width directions with unique multilayer construction and finishing techniques, increasing hoop and overall rod strength).

There are five models in the range, all 2-piece: 51OULS (EXF action, 5’10”, 0.14g rig weight, 0.1-0.3 PE line), 67SULT (F action, 6’7”, 0.1-7.0g, 0.1-0.5 PE), 610LS (EXF action, 6’10”, 0.1-5.5g, 0.1-0.3 PE), 76LT (F action, 7’6”, 0.1-7.0g, 0.1-0.5 PE), 79ULS (EXF action, 7’9”, 0.1-7.0g, 0.1-0.3 PE). www.abugarcia-fishing.com.au

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Abu Garcia Real Finesse

Abu Garcia is ushering in the next generation of sleek design and high performance rods with the Real Finesse range.

Featuring 100% carbon blanks with Abu’s Triarchy Force production methods, finesse rods deliver sensitive, ultra-light blanks with higher break strengths and improved impact and fracture resistance.

Features include: nano carbon (super high modulus Nano Carbon 55t material); 4 Axis Cross (carbon tapes are wrapped around the blanks in an X shape, both from 45° and 135°, enhancing torque and preventing

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Shimano Curado DC For smarter, more efficient lure casting under a variety of circumstances, the new Curado DC changes the game and represents the latest in Shimano Technology development.

Shimano’s Digital Control (DC) braking system is the star element of this reel and gives you the ability to make every cast count.

The Curado DC offers four adjustable settings that enable anglers to fish a wide variety of lures of different shapes and sizes, in all weather conditions, without

Shimano Curado DC

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having to constantly fiddle with internal brake settings. It can also accommodate different casting techniques and even line type.

Housed within the aluminium Hagane Body, Micromodule gearing provides seamless gear meshing for smoother winding performance, whether on the retrieve or when hooked up.

There are four reels in the Curado 150 DC stable, including a choice of a medium (6.2:1) to an extra fast (8.5:1) gearing ratio, and a left-hand wind option is also available. www.shimanofish.com.au

WINNER and saltwater use. This extremely lightweight, versatile reel is also equipped with an innovative removable sinker keeper that eliminates tangling when using a drop shot.

Features include: 11 stainless steel HPCR bearings (Salt Shield ball bearings for pinion gear and line roller) + 1 roller bearing; CMg rotor; AAMGearing system; Carbon Matrix drag system; one-piece X-Mag alloy gear box; C6 carbon body; Rocket line management system; compact bent carbon handle arm with cork knob; always on, instant anti reverse; and attached sinker keeper. abugarcia-fishing.com.au

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The clear winner in the Best Combo category was the Abu Garcia MGXtreme spin reel matched with a Real Finesse rod. The Abu Real Finesse also won the Best Rod category.

MGXtreme spin reels are Abu Garcia’s lightest and most compact spinning reels. These brand new reels feature the CMg carbon rotor and one-piece X-Mag alloy gear box to reduce weight to 5.6oz (159g). The high performance, durable AMGearing system is combined with HPCR and Salt Shield bearings for both freshwater

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Chasebaits 200mm Ultimate Squid

The original Chasebaits Ultimate Squid has taken Australia by storm, catching a huge range of species in both fresh and salt since its 2017 release.

Now, in response to angler demand, the Chasebaits team has released a 200mm version for anglers targeting larger offshore species. The larger model has all the same features that made the original such a smash hit – those trademark rippling wings, extended candles that flutter with any movement, contracting tentacles, custom 3D squid eyes, and custom scent.

Designer Grainger Mayfield said the new model has been performing very well in field testing.

“Naturally it has been catching a variety of pelagics and reef fish,” he said, “but anglers may be surprised to know that it’s also effective on cod and barramundi in the fresh. The Squid may not represent a specific freshwater prey item, but neither do spinnerbaits and it doesn’t deter the fish. As more anglers start changing their mindset, we’ll see a lot more freshwater catches on the Ultimate Squid.”

Another new release is a custom jighead called the Ultimate Squid rig, made from ultra high tensile steel. It comes in 21g and 42g versions, has twin 4/0 assist hooks, and makes the Squid falls at a natural 45° angle for the most natural presentation possible. Keep an eye out for both the Ultimate Squid and Ultimate Rig from October.

Price: approx. SRP $13 www.chasebaits.com.au

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weighs 120g and is initially available in five reactive UV colours with internal shell.

It is set to be a smash hit with anglers targeting the likes of tuna, mackerel, wahoo and giant trevally. It won’t be available in stores until October, but in the meantime you can find more news and photos at the JM Gillies website, on their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ jm.gillies) or Instagram (@jm.gillies). www.jmgillies.com.au

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had gotten a great response in the short time it’s been available.

“We gave it to a number of gamefishermen to try out, and they loved it,” he said. “It’s just so easy to crimp, thanks to the leverage from that long handle. Everyone wants to be sure that their crimps are 100%, and with the Entice you can achieve this with very little energy.”

The Entice Gamefishing Bench Crimper has interchangeable dies, and is excellent value for money.

Price: SRP $249 www.vivafishing.com.au

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Much of the best fly fishing in our amazing country exists in the tropical regions of the north, and now Rio have provided the perfect fly line for tropical climates.

Rio’s Jungle Series of fly lines are designed to withstand the heat of tropical jungle destinations. Each line is built on Rio’s low-memory DirectCore that is extremely easy to anneal (stretch) and lies perfectly straight on the water, yet retains the stiffness needed to cast on hot conditions.

Each line has a short, quick-loading head that will easily cast and turnover typical large flies used in the tropics, and a range of density options ensures anglers are covered for all species, conditions and waters.

So next time you’re headed north in search of a tropical fly fishing fix, or even overseas to a typically humid fly fishing Mecca, be sure to load up your reels with something that’s up for the job – Rio’s got your back! www.jmgillies.com.au

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The most demanding conditions require a different kind of tool, whether it’s a strong head wind, a fish at a distance, bulky rigs, or a heavy sink tip.

The new Igniter from Sage is tuned to handle the most technical of conditions.

This is not a rod for the everyday angler, the Igniter is equipped with a high line speed taper to carry large amounts of line at distance with wind cutting performance.

This rod is absolutely perfect for streamer fishing with heavy sink tips or covering big water when conditions turn south.

Made form quality materials, like Fuji ceramic stripper guides, hard chromed snake guides, KonneticHD technology, laser etched line weight on slide band, Sage retains its reputation for being some of the best fly gear available anywhere.

The rod also comes with a black powder coated aluminium rod tube with a Sage medallion.

If you bring the will, the Igniter will supply the way. www.jmgillies.com.au

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This reliable bench crimper can be used with nylon, wire, brass, copper, aluminium – any kind of crimp and any leader material.

Owning a bench crimper is ideal if you want the power to do the biggest crimps, and the Entice does crimps up to 400lb. And if you’re making a lot of crimps, it makes the job much easier.

Viva director Ran Feng said the Entice

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The new HC Stickbait from the JM Gillies Bluewater stable is built tough to take on the most ferocious predators in the sea.

The HC Stickbait is handcrafted, and both the insert and body are made with polyurethane material. The lure also features a heavy-duty wire through construction.

This new lure measures 175mm long,

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This durable lure features an ultra strong 10X soft tail attached securely with a corkscrew wire, and is fitted with ultra sharp and sticky BKK trebles. It measures 175mm (95mm body and 80mm tail), which is an ideal size for bass, small cod, small barra, jacks and any other fish that feeds on terrestrial animals like lizards or mice.

Frill Seeker comes with a spare tail, and will be available from December. A larger model is in the pipeline, so watch this space!

Price: SRP $24.95 www.chasebaits.com.au

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The new Frill Seeker is one of the latest lifelike creations from Chasebaits, and when you watch a video of it swimming you’ll know why it caused such a stir at the AFTA Trade Show.

The Frill Seeker can be used as a surface wakebait or subsurface, diving to 1ft. Its fluid, lifelike movement comes from its segmented body, soft segmented tail and supple frill that shakes when the lure swims.

When paused, the frill flares out, adding an extra dimension to the lure’s realistic appeal.

As well as imitating a lizard, its profile also mimics a swimming mouse or rat.

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TT Lures SwimlockZ TT Lures SwimlockZ jigheads have been designed for fishing large soft plastic paddle tail swimbaits, with a tapered head design that shifts the bulk of the head weight below the hook to control the torque of the tail, and reduce the tendency of big plastics to roll onto their side.

Built on heavy-duty, black nickel Mustad chemically-sharpened hooks to handle big fish, SwimlockZ also feature TT

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The Live Fibre RLF46FRD from Wilson Fishing brings together years of development in a package that has been designed to be more affordable yet retain all the qualities Live Fibre rods are known for.

Rated at 37kg, this fully rollered bent butt game rod features premium quality, big foot roller guides, a deluxe leather foregrip and a detachable butt.

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The blank features a composite build with world leading Toray carbon cloth that places the pressure on the fish, not the angler leading to shorter fight times and less angler fatigue.

Built to Australia’s exacting demands, loaded with features to put the fight in your favour and now awarded the AFTA Best Game Fishing Rod for 2018, the Live Fibre RLF46FRD will be available in December. www.wilsonfishing.com

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Lures’ ‘head lock’ grub keeper to secure your soft plastic in place, and a stainless steel connection point moulded into the underside of the head to secure stingers or a blade for added flash and vibration. Lock it on!

SwimlockZ are initially available in three hook sizes (8/0, 9/0 and 10/0), and four weights: 1/2oz (14g), 3/4oz (21g), 1oz (28g) and 1.5oz (42g). Keep an eye out for them in tackle stores from September.

Price: SRP $15.95 www.ttlures.com.au

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BEST LINE CATEGORY Berkley X9 braid Utilizing the latest 9-carrier technology, the award-winning Berkley X9 Braided Line Crystal is an extremely smooth and strong line that has been designed for optimal strength and casting distance.

Featuring a 9-carrier construction with a PE core, Berkley X9 braided line is extremely round and smoothly flows through guides for increased casting distance. Its high strand construction also enhances wear resistance for fishing over rugged structure, and provides higher knot

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strength. It is finished in Berkley’s highly visible crystal and flame green colours for easy strike detection.

Berkley XP Braided Line Crystal is currently available in 150m, 300m, 2000m spools in crystal and flame green, and Berkley has also released a 5-carrier version (X5). For more information on these and more new releases from Berkley, visit their website or check them out on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ BerkleyFishingANZ) or Instagram (@ berkleyfishing).

Price: SRP from $34.99 www.berkley-fishing.com.au

BEST CLOTHING ACCESSORY CATEGORY Samaki Black Marlin shirt

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Samaki have a history of providing anglers with good quality, reasonably priced and sun protective fishing apparel, and this fantastic design will fit in nicely with the rest of the range.

Just like the rest of the range, the eyepopping images on the material will let

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As usual, Samaki have used their UPF 50+ Fish Dry fabric, which is a lightweight 100% polyester material, and will keep you incredibly cool, will dry quickly, yet still breathes.

All of Samaki’s fishing shirts are available in adult, youth and kid sizes, allowing the whole family to get in on the action and out on the water, and still say sun safe. www.samaki.com.au

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BEST SUNGLASSES CATEGORY Mako Edge

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Spotters Fusion

All anglers are looking for that extra edge when out on the water, and Mako Eyewear have delivered with their aptly named, Edge frames.

Designed for style, flexibility and comfort, these lightweight and warpresistant nylon frames have an 8-base wrap designed to reduce side light entry.

The TR90 frame material has rubber grommets in all the essential places, the tapered arms and bridge, to make sure that your sunglasses stay put all day.

The polarised lenses are available in polycarbonate and glass and in all of Mako’s popular colours, to cover every angling situation – from blinding glare offshore to dappled shade fishing a creek. makoeyewear.com.au

WINNER TIED Spotters Fusion Spotters have done it again with their new Fusion frames. It combines style and functionality with a matt black frame contrasting with an ice mirror lens.

The modern wrap frames are comfortable and light enough to wear all day. Cleverly designed with ergonomic non-slip grips on the arms, they’ll securely stay in place when you need it most.

The Fusion comes in a wide choice of lens material and colour tints to suit your fishing style. The grey-based lens give incredible colour definition, glare reduction and superior depth perception delivering 100% UV protection and perfect visual clarity. spotters.com.au

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The YETI LoadOut Bucket is no ordinary bucket. It’s well-nigh indestructible, and is built to last a lifetime. Essentially, it’s the last bucket you’ll ever buy.

This 5 gallon (19L), super-tough bucket can handle any tough job on the boat or out camping. It features a HeftyHauler Handle for a comfortable, secure grip, as well as a LipGrip Handle, making it easy to carry when full. It’s food safe and has a BearFoot Non-Slip Ring, so the bucket will stay where you put it, and not leave scuff marks on the deck.

The LoadOut Bucket is made from highimpact-resistant, high density polyethylene construction, and has AnchorPoint Tie-Down

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Slots for securing to your boat or vehicle. It measures 10.25” x 12.875” x 15.875” ( Weight: 5.8 lbs.

If you want to cover the contents of the Bucket, you can purchase a Loadout Lid separately. The Loadout Lid keeps contents safe from salt spray and contained when conditions get rough. It’s transparent, easy to remove and water-tight. It’s also super strong; the HeftHex Construction makes for a durable framework that resists cracking, even in extreme temperatures, with over 130kg of pressure.

If you didn’t think lid technology was a thing before, this might get your attention. And thanks to the Four-Finger Release Tab, it takes just four fingers to get the lid off.

Price: SRP $69.95 (lid not included) au.yeti.com

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The AFN Fish Kool Bag is a new fish chiller bag that has been designed to store your catch in a hygienic environment, ensuring fresher, longer lasting fish.

This durable insulated bag holds ice for days.

It’s portable, ideal for boats, and has a flared bottom to ensure it doesn’t tip over.

The Kool Bag is insulated with 1/2” dense foam, and is UV and mildew resistant. Other

features include comfortable and strong carry handles, a waterproof zip and fish ruler.

The bag includes wheels for easy transport of heavy loads, and has a drain plug so it’s easy to empty out at the end of a trip.

This fully sealed bag comes in four sizes: Small (750mm x 400mm x 200mm), Medium (1000mm x 400mm x 200m), Large (1400mm x 400mm x 300mm) and X-Large (2000mm x 600mm x 400mm).

Price: SRP $99-$300 www.afn.com.au

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The Wilson Fishing Platinum Tournament Bag is a large hold-all tackle bag supplied with eight waterproof tackle trays, to fit enough tackle for any trip.

There are three outer pockets, two of which are constructed with open mesh to allow the stored product to breathe and dry out, making them perfect for things such as fishing gloves, packets of plastics and more. The front pocket is fully enclosed and will suit lure sleeves and the like, and on the front of this pocket is a tool holder that can accommodate any tool you’re

likely to need, and may even be used to dry lures on!

Up top there is clip-attached cover that houses a carry handle and a mobile phone and wallet compartment. Underneath this cover is the zippered top that gives access to the eight waterproof trays.

On the sides are two sturdy, plastic sleeve covered carry handles and a padded shoulder strap. The bottom of the bag is constructed from waterproof, formed and condensed plastic foam, giving your tackle protection from water ingress from below and creating a solid base that will never collapse. www.wilsonfishing.com

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in the ocean to rot and be hazardous to marine life.

Taking out the prestigious John Dunphy Award for Innovation this year is a member of the Untangled family, the Pescador, which is available in for lens colours.

On top of all this, the cases are made from recycled material as well, and in this case, they are made from old Patagonia clothing.

They look as good as the other frames in the Costa range, and by wearing them you’ll be saving the environment as the same time! www.costadelmar.com.au

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Costa Untangled Pescador Costa have absolutely pushed the envelope this year at the AFTA show, with a completely new concept to the world of fishing accessories.

Introducing the Untangled range, which has taken a positive step towards cleaning up our environment.

What makes the Untangled series so unique, is that the frames are actually made from discarded fishing nets! Every year, thousands of tonnes of fishing nets are left

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The Hopper BackFlip 24 fuses the durability of the Hopper Flip with a new, convenientto-carry design. It is Yeti’s first cooler engineered to double as a backpack, using the best tech of both worlds.

Built taller and wider than its Hopper Flip counterparts, the Hopper BackFlip is designed to efficiently distribute the weight of your goods. Yeti designers have added supportive, ergonomic shoulder straps to help lighten the load, and a removable chest strap and waist belt are included for added stability and security. And like

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the rest of the Hopper family, it promises superior cold-holding, a 100% leakproof zipper, and a tough DryHide Shell.

The Hopper’s high-density fabric is waterproof and resistant to mildew, punctures, and UV rays. The liner is made from an FDA-approved food-grade material. Closed-cell rubber foam offers far superior cold-holding to ordinary soft coolers.

With a DoubleBarrel frame and Diehard joint construction, the Hopper BackFlip 24 is strong enough to support up to 227kg without losing its shape.

Price: SRP $449.96 au.yeti.com

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PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING

New Siglon PE braid from Sunline great for no-fuss luring The purchase of braided line should be seen as an investment. It might not be quite as long-term as a rod and reel setup, but usually longer than a many lures, and certainly any terminal tackle.

It’s for this reason that, despite my not being particularly moneyed at this stage in my life, I always look for the best quality braid I can get my hands on. Lesser braids, while cheap and affordable after a standard tertiary study-laden week, won’t give the same mileage, often rubbing through and breaking only weeks after installation. As a result, an angler will often end up spending more in the long-term if they want to keep fishing, but there are steps available to minimise unnecessary spending and maximise catching!

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8-carrier braid, and the PEx4 a 4-carrier.

From experimentation in the past, I’ve learned that braids with less strands tend to operate better on a baitcasting set up, because they flatten much easier and often end up slightly stiffer. This stiffness helps line to run off the spool during a cast, where softer braids often can’t keep up with the rotation and end up overrunning.

Braids with more strands on the other hand, usually end up being rounder in profile but softer and more flexible, and definitely better suited to a spinning set-up. With no risk of overrunning, spinning set-ups can get away with using comparatively soft braids.

With this in mind, I decided that the PEx8 would go onto my Daiwa BG 2500 spin reel, and the PEx4 onto my 13 Fishing

Techniques like jerkbaiting can be a nightmare when using substandard braids, with the potential for looping and uneven wrapping on the spool between jerks. There’s none of that with Siglon PE!

EJ Todd Fishing Solutions have a history of bringing in high-quality fishing products from all over the world. Basically, if you take fishing more seriously than just about anything else in life, you’ll have brought EJ Todd products.

Everything under the Todd’s banner comes with unmistakable quality identified by Australian anglers for Australian anglers, and the new Siglon PE from Sunline is no exception!

SPOOLING UP Having been sent two spools for testing, the PEx4 and PEx8 (both in 16lb), I decided I would do a comparison of the two. The two 150m (165yds) spools were in the ‘light green’ colour, perfect for my planned testing site that features a lot of aquatic weed. The PEx8 is available in light green, orange and multi colour, and the PEx4 just in light green.

As the name suggests, the PEx8 is an

Concept A baitcaster.

As with all re-spooling of braid on my reels, I made sure to pack it down as tightly as I could onto about 20-30m of squishy monofilament, which I use as backing.

ON THE WATER Soon enough I was on the water, and the end of autumn saw me getting stuck into one of my favourite forms of fishing – jerkbaiting for impoundment bass!

With the constant jerking of the rod and

As for the comparison of the two models, I found that my decision to put the braids on their respective reels was a good choice, and feel that anyone interested in using this line should follow the same principal – PEx4 for baitcasters and PEx8 for spin reels.

QUALITY THE BEST SOLUTION Some of us might not think too hard about what braid we use, but we should – it’s what keeps us connected to the fish!

potential for uneven wrapping on the spool, I thought this was a perfect test for the braid.

For a bit of fun, I decided to fish jerkbaits on both the spinning and baitcasting setups loaded up with the Siglon PE. Like with all braids, it took a few casts for it to warm up and cast properly, but within 2 minutes I was belting out long casts with a 4.5g jerkbait, and within 5 minutes, I was hooked up on the spin gear!

This fish started a fantastic few months of top-class jerkbaiting in South East Queensland for me, and I got plenty of use out of the PEx4 and the PEx8. On the 8 I was able to deliver good casts comfortably with jerkbaits as light at 3.5g, while with the 4 on the baitcast set-up, I used baits as light at 4.9g without any trouble at all.

I also got some use out of the braids fishing for flathead, bream and squid without any loops, wind knots or troubles associated with lesser braids. They’ve even retained their original colour better than other braids I’ve used! As a bonus, I found it to be extremely thin for its poundage, which aided in casting distance and overall stealth.

If you want a braid that will last more than a few months, retaining its strength and abrasion-resistance, Siglon PE is a great choice. Being as trouble-free as it is, you’ll be able to spend more time fishing and less time stressing about retying, untangling wind knots and re-packing the spool.

Siglon PEx8 comes in poundages from 5-130, while the PEx4 in 3-50, so there’s a PE for literally every fishing scenario.

Coming in at a pretty incredible price for a high-quality braid, this is the perfect option for anyone looking for peace of mind with braids, where you can spool it up and not worry about it for over a year. At around $24.95 for 150m spools of PEx4 and around $40 for 150m spools of PEx8 (more for 300m spools), it’s a product that marries up supreme quality and affordability.

Choosing a braid when spooling up new reels and re-spooling old ones can require a bit of thought. EJ Todd have made that decision much easier for me! For more information, and to find an outlet near you that stocks Sunline Siglon PE Braided Fishing Line, visit www.ejtodd.com.au. - Bob Thorton

The author was just happy to be out bass fishing after a period of little to no linewetting. A trouble-free braid made those first few trips out to the dam pure joy.

Even the baitcaster got a run with the jerkbaits! The 16lb PEx4 had no trouble delivering a 4.9g bait into the nooks and crannies where the bass were.

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WA Bream Classics Boat Round 2 Wind and rain battered the teams who competed in the second round of the Getaway Outdoors and Hobie Polarized WA Bream Classics Boat series at Mandurah. This wasn’t going to dull their

Mandurah, and it would’ve taken a monumental effort to deny these boys the win.

The two chose to fish all day in the canal systems that connect to the Murray river and their day got off to the perfect start with their

over the next hour using this technique, so they chose to stick with this approach for the rest of the day. Every decision they made turned to gold for the two and it wasn’t long after the first hour that they had boated their second bream over 40cm. Soon afterwards they added a few more bream up to 35cm long and if their bag wasn’t already looking good, they proceeded to land yet another bream over 40cm! The two were having

to catch more legal sized bream on ZMan Grubz and ZMan Streakz on 1/12th TT Headlockz jigheads, including a few on Daiwa Spikes. Yet their catches weren’t big enough for their liking, so they chose to head downriver to a canal system, which would turn their day around. In no time at all they had upgraded all the fish they had caught upriver and compiled a bag that was good enough to put them into second place. This bold

Winning team, Shane Owens and Graeme Kovacevich proudly showing their winnings. enthusiasm. The clock struck 7am and the 26 teams who were eagerly anticipating a great day on the water were sent off to tackle the bream that reside in the Mandurah system. One might think what could be so good about a day on the water when you have to endure 30knot winds and heavy rainfall? The simple answer is that the bream really come out to play during these conditions and this was proven with the amount of fish brought back to the scales with 15/26 teams bringing back full bags to the weigh in.

Only three teams missed out on the action and failed to weigh in a fish.

Certainly making sure they didn’t miss out on the action was Shane Owens and Graeme Kovacevich from team Gladiator/Tackle HQ. They compiled a bag of fish that proved Mandurah can provide anglers with the chance to catch massive bags of bream. Their whopping 4.29kg bag was just 10g shy off the record bag weighed in a boat classic event in

first fish coming in at over 40cm. This fish was caught on a ZMan Slim Swimz in bloodworm colour that was rigged on a 1/12th TT jighead that was slowly rolled along the bottom past jetties and boat hulls with small twitches being applied to the lure. Due to the clear

Brenton Madaus with a cracking bream. a red-letter day and it earned them $1500. Shane and Graeme thanked the series sponsors for getting behind the series and everyone who

Thys McCarthy and Joe Franco from Tackle World Samurai. water they opted for light leader material between 3-4lb to entice the fish into biting. The two picked up a few more legal sized bream

helped put the day together.

No stranger to the podium, and one of the more formidable teams, was Alex Greisdorf and Jack Dawson from team Lowrance/ Tackle Tactics who finished second with a bag weight of 2.68kg. The two spent most of their day upriver from the launch and within 20 minutes of fishing they had their bag. The two continued

change of tactics paid off for the two and they were rewarded with $400 cash, an Atomic Arrowz rod each and a prize pack full of quality sponsor provided products.

Stephen Ince and Jahnaan Hodson from team Bream Brothers proved that persistence and patience pays off when they finished third with a bag weight of 2.24kg. Their plan was to travel far upriver on the Murray but when they saw the amount of boats heading in the same direction they chose to fish closer to the launch site at an area called Ravenswood. The day got off to a promising start but was filled with nervous anticipation when they hooked a legal that had taken them deep into a snag. Carefully this fish was dragged out of its home and into the net, which gave them the confidence to stick to this area for the rest of the day. The two threw Ecogear Aqua Prawns in the salt and pepper colour on size 2 worm hooks along with 80mm bloodworm coloured Squidgey Wrigglers on 1/16th hidden weight jigheads. Using these lure combinations on 4lb YGK leader line, they would

Shane Owen and Graeme Kovacevich with the winning 4kg bag. throw these plastics into the snaggiest places they could find and wait to see any movement in the line on the drop before setting the hooks into the fish. It would take patience and perseverance from there onwards to compile their bag of four fish as that’s exactly how many bites they were presented with.

This didn’t give the two much room for error! Their ability to make the most

do would be to share the money with Graeme.

On behalf of everyone from WATA we thank you for your fantastic support!

It’s been incredible to receive this level of support because the events couldn’t take place without you. This also goes for our sponsors, Getaway Outdoors, Hobie Polarized, Tackle Tactics, Atomic, Challenge Batteries, Gladiator, Strike Pro, Grannies Cakes,

Weather didn’t bother the anglers too much with captures like this. of their chances earned them two Watersnake life jackets and product pack that features plenty of items that will come in handy for future events!

If team Gladiator/Tackle HQ’s day wasn’t getting any better, then it did when they were presented with the big bream trophy and $500 cash for catching the biggest bream of the event that weighed in at 1.07kg.

Shane Owens caught this fish but it was a team effort, so he felt the right thing to

Whiteys Tackle, Compleat Angler, Tackle HQ, JML and Jims Albany Rods and Tackle.

So that wraps up the second round of the Getaway Outdoors and Hobie Polarized WA Bream Classics Boat Series. The boat series resumes on the 16th of September for the final chance to qualify, which will be on the Swan River. Be ready to get stuck into big and fat spawning bream come this event!

Until then, tight lines!

FINAL RESULTS

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Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Team Name Gladiator Tackle HQ Lowrance / Tackle Tactics Bream Brothers Team JML Sexual Chocolate Herring Shimano Just Breaming Team TBA

Competitor 1 Shane Owens Alex Greisdorf Stephen Ince Kim McIntyre Jeremy Jasinski Tom Harders Paul Burton Peter Degroot Chris Hill

Competitor 2 Graeme Kovacevich Jack Dawson Jahnaan Hodson Ben Scott Kris Vigar Joseph Gardner Tom Shuiling Ruan Van Der Berg Blake Lidlow

Total Weight(kg) 4.29 2.68 2.24 2.18 2.05 1.99 1.93 1.88 1.77

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Thys McCarthy

Joe Franco

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Bream Kayak Classic Sunny skies and non-existent winds were going to make fishing tough for the second round of the 2018 Getaway Outdoors and Hobie Polarized WA Bream Kayak Classic Series held on the Swan River. The clear water clarity wasn’t going to help, so catching a good bag of bream was going to be a real challenge for this event. The biggest positive for most was that if you weren’t lucky enough to find the fish then you were still able to enjoy some pretty good weather.

Defying the tough

out second place. When asked how he compiled his 1.88kg bag he replied, “I fished a shallow timber bank along Bassendean for most of the day. I used a 2.5” ZMan Slim Swimz soft plastic in the bloodworm colour rigged on a 1/20oz TT Headlockz jighead which I ran off 4lb Nitlon DFC leader line and 6lb Sunline PE8 mainline. I would then cast my lure parallel to the shoreline and slowly roll the plastic along the bottom.

Occasionally, I would give the lure a few twitches before pausing it. The main key was

Josh Phillips took out Big Bream with this impressive 1.07kg fish caught on a bloodworm ZMan Slim Swimz. conditions and coming out on top was Alex Greisdorf who weighed in an excellent three fish limit of 2.15kg. When asked about how he got the job done Alex replied, “Today I focused on the sand flats and drop offs between Maylands

to keep as much contact with the bottom as possible.” These choices earned Josh $400, a new Shimano rod, and a prize pack full of quality products.

Josh had a few final words to add, “I’d like to thank the WATA organisers,

TOP TEN FINAL RESULTS Place Competitor Name 1 Alex Greisdorf 2 Josh Phillips 3 Ruan Van Der Berg 4 Joseph Gardner 5 Paul Siemaszko 6 Ben Oaks 7 Brendon Knowles 8 Paul Bowen 9 Steve Owens 10 Jon Field and East Pert and by fishing them slowly and using light leaders. I found this was the biggest key to my success. I fished with reels loaded with 3lb straight through and on my others reels I used leaders as light as 2lb. The technique from there onwards was to use 2.5” Grubz and ZMan Slimz in motor oil and bloodworm colours, which I would work very slowly back to the kayak to draw the bites. Each of these plastics was rigged on 1/16oz TT Headlockz jighead.” Alex used this technique to great effect with the help of his range of Duffrods and Daiwa Exist and Luvias reels.

Alex took home $900. Not bad for going out fishing on a Sunday! When asked if he had anyone he’d like to thank Alex responded, “Big thanks to Tackle Tactics and Lowrance.

Also, to the event sponsors and everyone for coming down and showing fantastic support.”

Josh Phillips, who burst onto the WA tournament scene six months ago, took

the series sponsors and also to my fishing companions in Ruan Van Der Berg, Travis Newland, Dominique Cera and Chris Leaning for sharing their time and fishing knowledge with me. It’s been very helpful seeing as I’ve only been fishing for bream on lures since halfway through last year.”

Ruan Van Der Berg followed closely behind and took out third place with a quality bag that came in at 1.74kg. Like Josh, Ruan decided to head upriver to tackle the breams that reside in those areas. I caught up

with Ruan and asked him to elaborate on just how his day went. Ruan replied, “We found some really good fish on the pre-fish so it was an easy choice come the day of the event. I chose to fish ZMan Slim Swimz in the bloodworm colour and threw them in the deeper holes that you find in the upper reaches. I rigged my ZMan Slim Swimz on a 1/16oz Decoy Nailbomb jighead and slowly wound my lure across the riverbed with a few hops thrown in. I picked up my bag really early on doing this and as the day went on I picked up a couple upgrades like the 65mm cranka crab in spotted brown. I did also lose a big fish on a 2.8 inch Rushcraw, but that’s fishing.”

Ruan too had a few words to end on, “I’d like to thank WATA for another great event, the series sponsors and also Masiah Custom Rods for the continual support they show me.” This quality performance has earned Ruan $250, a Watersnake PFD and a prize pack bulging with products.

The winner of the Big Bream event was Josh Phillips who weighed in a cracking bream at 1.07kg. This fish made Josh $500 richer and added to the bounty of prizes he scored for coming second.

On behalf of everyone from WATA we would like Total Weight (kg) 2.15 1.88 1.74 1.44 1.30 1.11 1.02 0.89 0.89 0.76 to send out a massive thanks to all the competitors for their continued enthusiasm. We cannot forget our sponsors because without their support we simply couldn’t run these events. So a massive thanks goes out to Getaway Outdoors, Hobie Polarized, Strike Pro, Tackle Tactics, Gladiator, Grannies Cakes, Challenge Batteries, Atomic, JML, Whiteys Tackle, Compleat Angler, and Tackle HQ. See you all at the next kayak round in Mandurah on the 2 September for what will be your last chance to qualify for the grand final!

Alex Greisdorf – winners are grinners and he gets to take home $900 for his morning on the water.

FISHING FILL-ITS

Aquayak coming to WA

Aquayak kayaks sit front row as a local manufacturer of affordable fishing kayaks. Australian made and Australian owned, they pride themselves on their quality, service, integrity and competitive prices. In a nation where imported crafts are the norm,

Sports Marine (Bunbury), Compleat Angler & Camping World (Rockingham) will have stock available from mid-September 2018.

This year sees the new kids kayak (Aquayak BANJO) join the line-up.

Light, strong, stable and full of features, the BANJO

lies in their engineering and manufacturing backgrounds, can do attitude, and drive to be the top of their game.

As they manufacture and distribute right here in Australia, customers don’t have to worry about shipping times. Their

The Aqua II is ideal for fishing with a mate.

Aquayak are distributing further afield and turning the tide. Extremely proud of their ‘Australian Made’ label, the Melbourne based company has secured an Australian owned distribution deal with Sportsworld of Western Australia.

Having upwards of 70 retailers across Vic, NSW, Tas and SA, Aquayak kayaks will be now be available through a network of WA stores this season. Ranger Outdoors (Bentley), Geographe Camping (Busselton), Tackleworld Miami (Falcon), Karratha Adventure Sports (Karratha), Alexander Sports (Manjimup), Augusta Extreme Sports (Augusta),

is the smallest brother to Aquayak’s fleet of fishing and recreational kayaks. Like all Aquayaks, the BANJO is rugged, UV stabilised, one piece construction, and has the capacity to accommodate paddlers up to 65kg. It comes with a ten year warranty and guarantees a lifetime of enjoyment for the price of RRP$249.

The Aquayak brand is now in its 8th year of trading and is by all accounts the largest roto moulded kayak manufacturer in the country producing around 1 400 yaks per year. Their engineering team is constantly working to improve their process and efficiency across their supply network. Their strength

company policy is to turn orders around within 3-5 working days ex-works and provide interstate delivery within the same week of the order. They believe in not just providing a competitive price, but also looking at the whole picture from raw material supplies, manufacturing (Value Add), distribution, sales service and customer support.

They take their Australian made and owned tag seriously, so they back it up with ingenuity, affordability and quality.

For all your Aquayak Kayaks, see AQUAYAK. com to find a retailer or call us on (03) 9357 9992. –Aquayak

The Aquayak Snapper Pro – perfect for a solo fishing trip.

AQUAYAK KAYAK MODEL RANGE BANJO Length: 180cm Width: 60cm Weight: 11kg SNAPPER Length: 270cm Width: 79cm Weight: 17kg SNAPPER PRO Length: 270cm Width: 79cm Weight: 19kg SCOUT* Length: 300cm Width: 79cm Weight: 19kg RANGER Length: 370cm Width: 90cm Weight: 25kg AQUA II* (Tandem) Length: 380cm Width: 90cm Weight: 32kg *Fishing variant available

Capacity: 65kg Capacity: 120kg Capacity: 120kg Capacity: 150kg Capacity: 170kg Capacity: 220kg

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recfishwest There is no benefit to changing marine park plans. Recent claims by WA philanthropist Andrew Forrest, that suggest changes to the current Commonwealth Marine Parks Plans will benefit recreational fishing in WA are simply wrong!

Recfishwest, the fishing community and our stakeholders have worked hard for years on Marine Park equity for all and we believe the current plans provide just that.

The current plans were developed using best available science with considerable input from all user groups.

The value of recreational fishing has been recognised in the current plan, which is a good balance between community fishing access and the environment!

The recreational fishing community are champions of the aquatic environment – we too support plastic free oceans and healthy fish stocks.

We continually invest in projects focused on habitat protection, restoration and enhancement, rejuvenating our waterways and environmental stewardship.

We would welcome any assistance Mr Forrest could provide to help recreational fishers continue deliver these positive outcomes for the marine environment.

Recfishwest support marine parks that are

created for the purpose of recreation, science, education, conservation and enhanced visitor experiences. We believe marine park zoning must be underpinned by science and should be implemented using simple, practical management that is risk-based, transparent and subject to regular review.

To read more about our position about Marine Parks, visit: https://recfishwest.org. au/news/new-commonwealthmarine-parks-announced/.

NEW ARTIFICIAL REEF COMING TO PERTH Do you know that by purchasing recreational fishing boat licences and other fishing licences you are contributing to community driven projects aimed at enhancing your fishing?

“The RFIF is a great way for the community to benefit from projects that focus on making fishing better. As a previous funding recipient we were able to stock 4.5million prawns in the Swan River, 22 000 mulloway along the west coast and 100 000 snapper into Cockburn Sound for the people of WA.” – Greg Jenkins, South Metropolitan TAFE. We are now excited to share with you the following projects which were funded by the Fisheries Minister for Round six of the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund from 2017.

All of which are community initiatives based on habitat enhancement, stock

enhancement, and research and data collection, including smaller community based recreational fishing projects.

• North Metropolitan Artificial Reef • Stocking of Barramundi in Lake Kununurra • Guiding Principles for Accessing Urban Waterways • State-wide Reef Vision program • Determining the Economic value of the recreational salmon fishery • Fishability Schools Project • Innovative methods for monitoring recreational fishing in Shark Bay • Next Wave – Future Leaders in Recreational Fishing • Swan River Habitat Restoration • Goldenfish Initiative Here’s what the WA Fisheries Minister had to say about the new projects in his latest Media Announcement: Tuesday, 15 May 2018.

Perth metro fishers will benefit from the new artificial reef announced as part of the recent RFIF round of funded projects. The final location and design will be undertaken in community consultation with fishing clubs and other stakeholders, which aims to deliver the greatest value to the people.

Depending on the final location and design, this artificial reef may deliver new pelagic fishing opportunities for species such as mackerel, samsonfish and yellow tail

kingfish. If it results in more of a demersal focus, we’ll likely see many iconic species such as pink snapper, dhufish and skippy.

The announcement of a new northern metropolitan reef, comes five years after the deployment of Western

This change comes about following advice from Recfishwest’s Rock Lobster Reference Group who were keen to improve winter fishing opportunities, particularly for those fishing in the Mid-West and Gascoyne regions, including the Abrolhos Islands.

Perth’s new artificial reef is currently under construction.

Australia’s first ever artificial reef for fishing in Bunbury.

Once in the water, the northern metropolitan reef will become WA’s seventh purpose-built artificial reef.

ANNUAL FISHING CLOSURE LIFTED: ROCK LOBSTER CAN NOW BE CAUGHT YEAR ROUND Recreational lobster fishers can now look forward to catching this popular species year round with Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly today announcing a 12 month season for recreational rock lobster fishing.

Calm weather windows are common in the Mid-West and Gascoyne regions during winter, making for safer fishing for everyone.

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said this change to the rules comes about through good management of this fishery with the opportunity to expand the fishing season supported by the latest stock assessment.

“With biological sustainability well in hand comes the opportunity to provide the community with an even greater return from this fishery.”

Safety is important when it comes to rock fishing – make sure you know where to find Angel Rings and lifejackets.

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SEPTEMBER 2018

“Such a healthy stock allows fisheries managers to focus on optimising the fishing experiences.”

“A feed of fresh crayfish is an amazing Western Australia experience with more people getting on the water and catching their own seafood.”

This announcement builds on other positive changes to recreational lobster rules over the past few years to ensure people’s fishing experiences are maximised and the rules are as simple and as practical as possible, including: • In October 2017, lobster rules changes allowed fishers to keep lobster in setose condition; • Divers now have 5 minutes to sort their lobster catch in the safety of their boat; • Fishers can keep lobster tails at home – Previously, the law required lobsters to be kept and stored whole (with head and tail) unless they were being prepared for immediate consumption.

• Two people can share a lobster pot – meaning greater participation and enjoyment for everyone.

The introduction of year round fishing will also require some slight changes for those who use pots.

Recreational lobster pots will now have to be rigged in a similar fashion to commercial pots to mitigate the potential risk of interaction with migrating whales.

Any pot using more than 20m of rope will be required to hold the top half of the rope vertically in the water column. This can be achieved by using sinking rope on the top half of the pot rope, or by simply attaching a weight such as a fishing sinker half way down the rope. Additionally, a maximum of two floats will apply on recreational pots.

“Recreational fishers are the stewards of the marine environment, and are happy to do their bit to minimise any interaction with protected species,” Dr Rowland said.

“As well as reducing chances of whale interaction, these measures will reduce the likelihood of rope entangling in boat propellers and loss of ropes from propeller cut-off when excess is left floating on the surface. It’s a win-win.”

BLACK MAGIC

MASTER CLASS

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

Using Black Magic hooks for mulloway Hook choice for mulloway can be a very contentious issue amongst anglers. While some swear by circles others strongly argue over a single or double snelled J hook and that’s before we even get into hook sizes.

A good reason for the number of mulloway hook opinions is that these fish are caught in a range of habitats and vastly different conditions. The

for another.

Things like swell, current, water depth, the size and type of bait as well as the target size of the fish all play a part in determining which hook you should be using.

CIRCLES When circle hooks are used incorrectly they provide a woeful hook-up rate, however when used in the right situation by someone who understands how they work they become lethal.

The first thing to get right

mouth. Instead of striking, slowly lift up your rod tip until you have weight.

This allows the circle hook the time it needs to set into the corner of jaw and then once the fish starts pulling a bit of string you can begin a normal a fight sequence. A softer tip rod that locks up with plenty of grunt in the middle section is also beneficial for circle hooks as it aids the gradual increase in pressure, helping the hook

C Points work best from the beaches.

Hook placement and choice for mulloway are the keys to high hook-up rates. truth is there are a range of different factors that influence what hook will work best on mulloway and one that works great for one situation will often perform poorly

this as is fishing in strong currents around bridges and rockwalls.

Hook placement is also very important when using circles. When fishing under the boat it’s best to lightly pin the live bait just behind the shoulder and when using them in strong current situations place the hook through the cartilage in front of the eyes.

By far the best circle hook I’ve used for

deadly. I haven’t dropped a fish on one yet!

J HOOKS J hooks work best on mulloway in situations

smaller baits starting with large beach worms I prefer a 5/0 Black Magic DX hook. When rigging these, thread the worm over your

with circle hooks regardless of what you fish for is to resist the natural reaction to strike when your bait is taken. Striking a fish with circle hooks will usually pull the bait straight out of their

A single J hook for smaller live baits works best.

The size of the fish you’re targeting can be factored in when choosing the right hook.

Top: This is always a dissappointing sight – the tell tail signs of a mulloway bite.

Above: Just how sharp BM C Points are – These C Points missed the mouth on strike but still penetrated through the scales resulting in one very unlucky 22kg beach mulloway.

to roll into place. With the right rod many anglers also swear by letting the fish hook themselves when using circles and simply leave it in the holder and wait for the rod to buckle over.

Circles work best when using live baits in scenarios where the line is always taut.

Fishing straight under the boat in areas like deep water estuary drop-offs and holes or on the offshore reefs are good examples of

mulloway is the Black Magic KL pattern in an 8/0.

The best thing about these is it doesn’t matter if it’s a soapy or a 50lb fish; they always seem to find that corner of the jaw regardless of bait size too.

Black Magic are also releasing a new circle to the market modelled off the KL design, but with a Teflon coating. I managed to get my hands on a few to test and these are going to be

where there is often slack in the line like surf fishing and casting out weighted baits where there isn’t too much current flow.

Fish in these parts will often fumble around with the bait or take the bait and move towards you, creating slack line. In these situations you may need to wind up slack line before striking or time your strike for when a fish is playing with the bait. For this reason circles can often result in missed bites and J hooks are far more effective. One major difference between circles and Js on mulloway is with circles a single Black Magic KL hook in size 8/0 will cover all sizes of live baits big or small as well as all sizes of mulloway. With Js the hook selection needs to match the type and size of bait you’re using and to a lesser extent the size of the mulloway you target. For

hook and continue to push the worm over the eye of the hook and up your leader about 6”.

For small yellowtail mullet, herring and arrow squid I still prefer a single hook around a 7/0 in the Black Magic DX pattern.

For anything larger than this I go to snelling two hooks together using the Black Magic C Point hook suicide pattern.

The 7/0 size will cover your medium-sized live baits like whiting, mullet and yellowtail and the 8/0 size will do tailor, pike, big mullet, large squid and slabs of tailor or mullet.

Mulloway have a mighty big mouth, so don’t be afraid to put out jumbo-sized baits for them; a 1kg tailor or mullet isn’t too big. For these bigger baits step up to the 10/0 C Points.

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Learn more about a fishery with mapping Mapping via echosounder has become hugely popular with fishers as a tool for deriving insights for future fishing plans. Mapping has become critical to us in working out habitat, fish stocks and habits and one particular technology has become both essential – sidescan.

As we learned, getting the sidescan images is simple enough – managing them is another matter.

Here are a bunch of learnings that I can share on the software, hardware, and methodology you need to get as much out of your data off the water as you can from your unit. In this first part I aim to explore the mapping process, then in the second I will dive into how fishers can get more insights from analysis.

AN IMPROMPTU PRODUCT REVIEW Over the years I have reviewed numerous products in different forums in the IT Industry. As an observation most trade magazines

of our learnings might help others that want to go deeper into mapping.

WHY HUMMINBIRD SOLIX? Starting at the beginning, we had a specific problem that we needed to solve in our choice of units. The Biosonics echosounder does an amazing job at finding and tagging fish.

We are at the point where we can GPS mark every fish we detect using the Biosonics software, then pump that out as raw data for analysis. Better still, we can do that process in around an hour regardless of

Figure 1 – High-resolution scan fish hotels.

It’s worth noting that for us, a small survey is a 1km stretch of water 100% coverage. We are aiming for minimum 5km per day in the next couple of months and 10km by the end of the year.

That’s a massive amount of data in a single run, and there is no way we can manage that amount of data on the unit alone.

So, how hard could it be to get data from the sounder to the PC? The answer, it turns out, is a lot harder than you might imagine.

provide favourable coverage, which means you need to go to another source such as Youtube if you want to know the downsides of a product.

Unless a reviewer is genuinely independent, social media reviews can have the same problems as industry reviews.

It’s little wonder then that referrals from Facebook friends have become the most trusted source of product data for most people.

I hadn’t planned on a review, but after our experiences, I thought some

how many fish we detect, so in terms of working out how many fish there and where they are at it’s perfect. The one challenge with the Biosonics comes in identifying what we are looking at. There are a number of traditional ground truthing techniques we can use – cast nets being one of the best, but when you are doing intensive mapping over km of water in a day, you can’t be stopping to throw the cast net too often.

There are some useful machine learning techniques

and mathematical models we can use to ID fish, but that requires a training dataset of known positive identifications.

The better approach the problem is to have a second system that gives us a running picture of what the Biosonics is looking at as a second observer – which of course makes sidescan the perfect tool for the job.

With this in mind, we evaluated a number of options before settling on the Humminbird Solix unit because price/performance wise – the Solix 1.2MHz imaging is near photo quality in shallow waters with a 20m range. Given many of our fish surveys happen in shallow water, it’s the right tool for the job.

Right off the bat, I want to be clear that the choice was based on conditions and need, not out of some tribal loyalty to one technology or another. I am sure there will be Lowrance users that will disagree with our choice. I am not aiming to enter that debate, but instead will focus on the practical elements of mapping and data management.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY First up, one of our team members Aaron Dunlop took on the job of installing the unit and transducer. This part was

Figure 3 – The team tried a worm pattern and found out the editing time to get clean data wasn’t worth it. the data off. Something we weren’t told up front was Humminbird allows you to map, but if you want to get the data stored a zero line card is required. A zero line card so far as I can make out is a set of maps that outline the boundaries of most of our water bodies.

Treat that as code for “we found a way to lock down our system”. A z-line card will set you back a couple of hundred dollars, which after stumping up for a 12” Solix

laptop space. Let’s say there should be a lesson in that for Humminbird.

The ugly came when we tried to get the data off the device. Our survey team had stored two heavy days of mapping on the unit as we didn’t have a z-line card.

This proved to be the first of our challenges as once we obtained a card (a $200 extra) and inserted the card the unit began downloading the data. Around five hours later, the unit was reporting that

Figure 4 – A bathymetry map based on cross transects.

Figure 2 – A feature blur caused by the turning vessel.

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pretty smooth running, and we had the unit installed in under four hours. As soon as the unit was fired upon the water, we were receiving sound signal, and our initial testing demonstrated the unit could deliver 100% on our needs.

SO FAR SO GOOD The bad started around the time we needed to get

unit was a real slap in the face. I would observe that Apple has been criticized heavily for reducing the ports on their laptops and tablets and forcing people to stump up for a device that allowed them to do what used to come standard. As a result, Microsoft is making a comeback in the tablet and

it had another nine hours to download the data. My father, unsure of if the thing was working stopped the process and provided the data for review. Here we discovered we needed to purchase more software to be able to access the data.

At this point, I cancelled the survey work and ordered

the software, another $500.

When the software arrived, we couldn’t read the data. Later, we would discover that the data was corrupted and we had lost the data and we later discovered the card well – a $200 lesson. Unfazed, we cleaned off the unit and took the new card that comes with the software and went out again. This time the unit was recording to the card and all seemed to be going to plan.

Enter the next challenge.

We had to turn off the 200KHz beam as the Biosonics uses that part of the spectrum. The 83KHz beam does an excellent job of bathymetry, and that’s all we needed. However, the switching off of the 200KHz beam rendered the Autochart Pro software inert, as it needed that beam to be able to operate.

We had some back and forth with BLA support who were good about helping out and ended up getting the latest version of Autochart from the US. Here we faced the last disappointment. We

a tool for use in real-world mapping and learning a lot more about the habits of fish, it’s the real deal.

The Humminbird ecosystem is another matter.

Humminbird is the Apple of the sounder market, and I don’t mean that kindly.

Mapping is one of the most fundamental components of using an echosounder – dating back to the days of paper sounders. To not only charge clients extra to access the data they collect, but worse, charge for software to read that data that is so limited is the sort of practice that attracts heavy criticism in the tech industry.

That sort of practice was the reason the Open Source Software movement started in the first place; it was a rebellion against proprietary systems that treated the people that supported them by shelling out money badly.

Honestly, when it comes to mapping, the unit does not meet its hype unless you use the unit standalone, and I think that is what Humminbird bank

Sonar Wiz offer a professional level of data management, mapping, and analysis but at a hefty price. Right now, we are somewhere in between, most of our requirement is to review scanning sessions especially cross-matching between the two systems. I can see a time ahead where we will need to go next level with our use of the sidescan, but right now we are dealing with the same sort of problems fishers deal with.

Around two years ago I bought a system called Reefmaster to solve a very different sort of problem. I was working with scan data from both Humminbird and Lowrance systems and needed to generate a map from both datasets. Reefmaster handled this task well, even though it was buggy and crashed often. I tried to load the data in Reefmaster, but my software was not recent enough, but a $50 upgrade and I was able to load the data and finally get going reviewing the data.

I was surprised by how much better the software is.

Figure 6 – Bathymetry map based on combined transects.

Figure 5 – A Bathymetry map based on full length. expected something like the functionality you get on the sounder; this was far from the case. Autochart Pro has no useful data management; you end up with a scan on a white background that you can manipulate. The mosaic capability is nothing like the sounders, and the only useful feature was its ability to render a pretty good 3D vision of the scan.

By this stage, we were weeks into the project and in desperate need of being able to make use of the data we were gathering. The solution came in another piece of software that I had tried a couple of years earlier.

THE FINAL VERDICT Let me be clear – the Humminbird unit has exceeded our expectations. As

on. That’s fine, but promoting yourself as a mapping system when you make it hard for people to use your data for mapping is at best disingenuous. I have seen many software companies rightly crucified for less.

There are some open source mapping tools for Oceanography that I am looking at. However, unless you are skilled in Linux, I would avoid them. Fortunately, there is an affordable alternative that does make the Humminbird a world-class mapping system.

THE REEFMASTER SAVED US There are many options for mapping ranging from off the shelf to professional.

Systems like ArcGIS and Chesapeake Technologies

Less one feature it’s a handy professional level tool that has most tasks automated to a level where a novice user can quickly become a mapping pro.

LESSONS LEARNED ON MAPPING Before I jump into Reefmaster, I want to share some lessons. There is a big difference between using the data on your PC and on the unit, because the unit comes with a bunch of smart tech that is designed to make life easier and in my view, keep you addicted to the unit. However, unless you enjoy spending hours in your boat while it’s in the shed, there is a lot fishers can learn from scans in postsession research, so there are some things that will make your life easier.

Here are some things that will make post mapping survey review a simple process.

Speed matters We all want to get back more time in our life right?

Well, sometimes you need to slow down to make time.

The speed of the vessel during surveys directly affects the ability for the sounder to get return data, so the faster the vessel, the more data is lost.

During surveys using the 1.2MHz mega scan, we found a big difference in even small speed changes, and I think that is entirely down to data loss. We found speeds around 2km/h give excellent results, but image quality degrades as you go past 4km/h.

In general, we survey at 4km/h for the Biosonics unit, so we don’t have optimal quality, none the less the quality is more than good enough to determine what we are looking at. As a rule, our survey teams go back and scan essential objects at 2km/h so we can review at a higher resolution.

One observation on data we have reviewed, the first thing to disappear from the sidescan based on speed is smaller fish. That can be a good thing. In some of our images, there are large schools of bony bream that disappear from the scan as the boat speeds up. As we were looking at the bottom features, that is what we wanted. Fishers might want to know where the bait is sitting as well as larger fish.

My recommendation?

Detail matters. Partition off time to focus on mapping and go slow, as this will give the best possible picture of what

is happening down below.

Figure 1 is a 2km/h scan of fish hotels.

Stick to the straight One way to save time in mapping is to switch on the unit and drive around.

We learned early on using the Biosonics that this is a terrible idea. While it makes data collection more straightforward, it makes data management much harder.

When retrieving sidescan data off the unit, it won’t come out in the mosaic form available on the unit; each scan will come out separately and combining them will be a task for the software.

Turns are another problem, because even slow turns cause image distortion. Unless editing sidescan images is your jam, I recommend an alternative approach.

If parallel transects are required, start and stop the recording at the beginning and end of each run even if it’s a shorter run, don’t keep the sounder running. Knowing the range of the scan also matters.

We have found that the 1.2MHz scan starts to cap out at 20m, but the 800kHz scan has a much bigger range. That range will change depending on water temperature, the hardness of the water and salinity and so on.

I would recommend always doing a short and straight run before mapping to work out the best configuration and range in the on-the-water conditions. That will provide an on optimal separation for transects, and one thing the Humminbird excels at is the live mapping that makes it easy to work out the best transect patterns.

Decide in advance what quality bathymetry you need This is a lesson we came across when trying to solve an analysis problem. We had an early set of transects about 5m apart and needed to analyse them using statistical tools.

Freeform data points are fine in pure mapping terms, but if you are trying to do analysis, a more standardised sample is essential. We solved this problem by creating a virtual mesh, essentially an evenly spaced grid of GPS points, which we then sampled the live data from and plotted onto the mesh based on nearest proximity.

This highlighted that when you take data in a line and extrapolate onto an area, you get errors. Most of the time that isn’t much of a problem if you are mapping areas where the change is limited. In areas where there is a lot of change a crosshatched pattern delivers better results as there is more data available on the changes between transects.

Even on relatively flat terrain, there is a difference between using parallel scans and a crossmatching pattern. Figure 4-6 shows a comparison of the three maps.

GOING NEXT LEVEL Now that you have some high quality data – the next step is to do something with it.

In part two of this article I am going examine mapping data in detail. In order to make that exercise relevant, I will use some real life questions and work through the process of answering them using Reefmaster.

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57

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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

ALBANY

Carnarvon Tackle & Marine (08) 9941 4161

AUGUSTA Flinders Bay Caravan Park Augusta (08) 9780 5636 Molloy Caravan Park Kudardup (08) 9758 4515 Turner Caravan Park Augusta (08) 9780 5633 Hamelin Bay Holiday Park Hamelin Bay (08) 9758 5540 Sheoak Chalets Augusta Augusta (08) 9758 1958

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

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

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

Manjimup Central Caravan Park & Deli Manjimup (08) 9777 2355 RAC Karri Valley Resort Beedelup (08) 9776 2020 Big Brook Arboretum Pemberton (08) 9776 1207 One Tree Bridge Chalets Manjimup (08) 9777 1196

Peaceful Bay Caravan Park Peaceful Bay (08) 9840 8060 Peaceful Bay Chalets Peaceful Bay (08) 9840 8169 Rest Point Holiday Village Walpole (08) 9840 1032 Coalmine Beach Holiday Park Walpole (08) 9840 1026 Riverside Retreat Walpole, (08) 9840 1255 Nornalup Riverside Chalets Nornalup (08) 9840 1107 Pemberton Caravan Park Pemberton (08) 9776 1300 Warren Way Caravan Park Balbarrup (08) 9771 1060

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

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

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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Boats & Guided Fishing Tours Directory 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 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

Chandlers Marine Service Wangara (08) 9303 9366

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

EXMOUTH

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

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

Hydrowave – www.hydrowaveaustralia.com

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2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

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

Bluewater Marine (08) 9791 1499

MARINE TRIMMERS The Trim Shop (08) 9430 5332 Mason Marine Trimmers O’Connor 0418 923 787

GET ONBOARD

John’s Motor Trimmers Auto & Marine Upholstery Welshpool (08) 9470 5531 Waters Edge Marine Trimmers Leeming 0412 204 085 G.K. Trimmers Canning Vale (08) 9455 7144 Prestige Marine Trimmers Perth (08) 9303 9536 McCarroll Motor & Marine Trimmers Osborne Park (08) 9244 1449 Exclusive Marine Trimming & Upholstery O’Connor (08) 9314 6882

DAMPIER

BROOME

West Coast Boat Works Perth Landsdale 0439 969 459

Crackpots Marine Supplies O’Connor (08) 9337 2211

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

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

Total Marine Repairs Mandurah (08) 9582 7211

Whitworths Marine & Leisure - Leerderville (08) 9381 1442

ONSLOW

PORT HEDLAND

The Boat Business Henderson (08) 9437 5144

JPW Marine Wholesale Distributors Perth (08) 6253 3000

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

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

Seasport Marine Kelmscott (08) 9498 1799

Challemge Batteries Osborne Park (08) 9446 6122

CARNARVON

CORAL BAY

Bravo Marine Services Bayswater (08) 9272 9300

MARINE ACCESSORIES

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

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

GP Marine Cockburn Central 0408 913 104 Hitech Marine Wangara (08) 9309 2888

KUNUNURRA

SHARK BAY

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

Mobile Marine WA Osborne Park 0428 225 877

Universal Marine & Automotive Upholstery O’Connor 08) 9314 1770 John’s mobile trimmers Jandakot (08) 9417 4414 Cutting Edge Marine Trimming O’Connor 0432 062 834 Mandurah Motor Trimmers Greenfields (08) 9581 8180

WELDING & MANUFACTURING 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 SEPTEMBER 2018

59

FUN PAGE AND COMPETITIONS SEA CREATURES THAT USE CAMOUFLAGE

STONEFISH PYGMY SEAHORSE RIBBON EEL LIONFISH FLATFISH MIMIC OCTOPUS COLEMAN SHRIMP TAPE TAIL REEF SQUID MAHI MAHI

ANGLERFISH TRUMPETFISH LEAFY SEADRAGON REDDEVIL TOADFISH ROCK POOL GOBY DOTTY BACKFISH PYGMY LEATHER JACKETS CUTTLEFISH SCORPION FISH

Valley Hill Rocketeer Slicer

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

FINS SCALES & TALES by A. Both

WA SEPTEMBER 2018

Phone (day):

The Rocketeer Slicer from Japanese tackle giant Valley Hill is a real feat of Japanese design and engineering.

The Rocketeer Slicer has a unique metal plate at the nose of the jig, which lets you secure line in two places, and ensures a superior swimming action even through debris. In addition, its tail system lets you cast more effectively into the wind.

The Rocketeer Slicer is available in two sizes (3.0 and 3.5) and 13 different colour combinations. It has proven to be highly effective on Australian squid. www.dogtoothdistribution.com.au

SPOT THE

10 DIFFERENCES

GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

ORIGINAL

BARRA COUNTRY by Brett Currie

GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

© A Cordelia Adams original artwork.

GUESS THE FISH?

Answer:

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SEPTEMBER 2018

boats & kayaks

In the skipper’s seat

Inside story...

Northbank Marine was established at Port Adelaide in 1996, in the historic Fletchers slipway. In 2006 they moved south of Adelaide to Lonsdale to purpose-built facilities to cater for the demand for the Northbank range of product. This 4000 square metre facility is state-of-the-art for the production of high-quality fibreglass boats.

Northbank Fibreglass Boats is a family owned and operated business that today produces some of Australia’s finest boats.

Made for...

Northbank aim to build the best boats they can at a price that is sure to satisfy the buyer’s budget without compromising safety, integrity or style.

This month...

The Fishing Monthly team take a ride in Geelong Midfielder Patrick Dangerfield’s Northbank 650 Hard Top. Check it out on page 72!

62 Sound of snapper

Jesse Choy looks at the amazing pink snapper fishery that is Cockburn Sound via kayak!

64 SUP fishing

Justin Willmer goes on a new adventure giving SUP fishing a try.

66 Aquayak Scout

Peter Jung has a paddle in this fantastic little kayak, which is perfectly suited to fishing.

68 Take a seat

Seating in boats is a major consideration. Let Wayne Kampe help you make that decision easier!

70 Quintrex 530 Frontier Steve Morgan takes a run in this fantastic rig from Quintrex, powered by a Yamaha F90hp.

Paddling and pedaling for success in the sound HOTSPOT

Jesse Choy

Cockburn Sound, roughly 30km south of Perth, is host to some of the largest aggregations of pink snapper in the West Coast Bioregion. Around August and through all of September, the fish tend to come in closer and images of pink snapper start to flood social media. They come in close for one reason, reproduction.

The sound is a paradise for anglers, as they are able to take a small vessel out relatively close to shore and catch a multitude of species. Anglers may encounter mulloway, King George whiting, squid, herring, samsonfish, Spanish mackerel and, at the right times, pink snapper, which it is renowned for.

Both Cockburn and Warnbro sounds have pink snapper bans, which are

Mike Robertson hooked up in the sound.

Photo courtesy of Alex Ho.

The most frequently picked kayak access points are from Woodman point, Point Peron and Rockingham Beach boat ramps. These spots are the easiest and best for anglers, who are not completely sold on the idea of complete beach launches.

depths, contours, and even some known marked spots to try your luck at!

On a typical day, you will often see a fleet of Hobies on the water, as they are the most popular among kayak anglers. You do not need to go far before reaching

the end of winter leading into spring, as the weather generally hasn’t completely calmed, and his means that the fish are still on the hunt

they all play their own part in the preservation of such species like pink snapper.

Targeting the fish during part of their spawning cycle should be approached with consideration, and fish that are not released to be kept, cared for and treated appropriately.

Success in the sound often comes on soft plastics.

White, pilchard, nuclear chicken or pink coconut are a few of the lure colours which constantly see success when targeting pink snapper and flathead. Profiles that are working well are paddletail and curl-tail grubs in 4-7” sizes with a jighead around 1/4-3/8oz, depending on the water and weather conditions.

The usual baits include, pilchards, herring, squid and whiting. One thing is for sure, fresh is best when it

make great baits and often all that’s needed is a light running ball sinker running straight down to something like a 9/0 with a squid tube or head attached.

You may also opt to go catch a squid for dinner.

It’s quite fun and also quite rewarding when you are able to have delicious panko crumbed squid rings fresh from the ocean. Squid are quite easy to find and where you find them, you will also find your herring.

Key things to look for are weed beds and a bit of sandy broken ground nearby. On some days however, they may take a bit more to work out, so depth and jig changes may be in order. Doing this will often turn a dull day into an exciting one. White, yellow, orange, green and natural jig patterns are all fishing quite well in sizes

Releasing pink snapper is a good way to ensure a healthy population continues for many years to come.

Brad Gange with a nice pink snapper on a McArthy soft plastic. active from 1 October until 31 January and both work separately from the demersal finfish ban, which is in place mid October. These bans allow the fish to reproduce but also regulate the total fish capture count during this critical time. Kayak anglers are continuing to capitalize on the fish movements, as they really do not need to go far from the shoreline to get their lines stretched during this period.

Peak times to be fishing in the sound are, but not limited to, first and last light.

These are the typical times anglers choose to fish as they are triggers for fish, as if they are both enjoying their first and last meals for the day before hunting becomes more difficult. Anglers fishing into the night, however, are still having luck on fresh baits as well as soft plastics that transmit a good vibration through the water.

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SEPTEMBER 2018

These locations are generally sheltered and provide quick access to wrecks, reefs and weed structures that are not far away.

A sounder definitely plays a part in captures for the kayak anglers, especially models with side imaging and structure scan; but they are not all there is to kayak fishing in Cockburn Sound. Any trip can be made worthwhile with a bit of research into the ground you will spend time on.

Applications such as Google Maps allow you to view the terrain from a satellite perspective, which enables you to pick weed banks, drop offs, holes and various other structures that are sometimes quite visible by their colours.

Another application that is quite handy is Navionics, as you can do your research from the desktop or download it to your mobile and it will give you all the

some fish worthy country.

The rock walls continue to gain more attention than ever, particularly towards

for easy pickings in the form of crustaceans being washed off rocks by the swells.

Knowing this, as well as that their reproduction movement cycle is in swing, makes for easier targeting.

Anglers should fish responsibly, knowing that

comes to winning over the big bites. Squid are a very useful bait as they are a constant within Cockburn Sound, and you can generally find them there all year. This means they are a food supply that the fish are used to. Live or dead, they

This Cockburn Sound southern calamari took a Sephia jig. If chasing these critters, look for the weed banks and keep changing colours if the fishing is slow.

up to 3.5 (depth depending).

Red foil and glow jigs are also proving to be especially useful, particularly in the low light conditions.

Safety is a huge consideration when planning your day out on the bluewater with your kayak. You will want the appropriate flares, EPIRB, life vest and lighting, making your session on the water much more enjoyable.

With low light on such a large expanse of water, it can be very difficult to spot kayaks, so making sure you are seen will help when it comes to making sure you make it home to your loved ones.

Going forward, things will really begin to pick up. Don’t be afraid to try new things in new places, as you never know what will happen unless you put yourself in that situation and you don’t ever know exactly what you are going to catch.

With the right mindset, knowledge, study and luck, there really is quite a bit of fun to be had in the sound.

WHAT’S NEW BOATING M.A.P PRO REMOTE 1 STEERING

MERCURY 3.0L 1504 270HP DIESELS

M.A.P Technology’s state-of-the-art autonomous boat control device, M.A.P Pro, allows you to remotely steer your vessel on a pre-routed course, via an app on your handheld device.

The mobile app interfaces with a compact, marine-proofed unit, housing a GPS, Wi-Fi, INS and solid state compass. This unit connects via Wi-Fi to a handheld android or iOS app device that facilitates rudder control, battery monitor and other steering commands, allowing the vessel to travel along a pre-selected route to its destination, and at any time the skipper can take control with optional remote steering.

M.A.P Pro is suitable for any boat, and can be used with outboard, inboard, sterndrive and electric motors. It comes pre-loaded with navigational charts, and allows the user to manage unlimited waypoints and routes. Highly precise, the GPS horizontal accuracy of the system is within 2.5m. www.amisales.com.au

Mercury has released a new line of 3.0L diesel engines for sterndrive, inboard and water-jet applications.

Available in 150hp, 230hp and 270hp, these engines have been engineered to lead their class in several key attributes: acceleration; reliability; ease of installation and maintenance; and reduction in noise, vibration and harshness (NVH).

“Mercury already has a class-leading diesel portfolio, and these engines add to that with their impressive low-end torque and exceptional durability,” said Reinhard Burk, Mercury’s Senior Director, Global Inboard and Sterndrive Categories.

Features include: a new water-cooled, variable-geometry turbocharger and commonrail fuel delivery to provide exceptional performance and substantial improvements in acceleration and top speeds; compliance with tougher diesel emission standards; compatibility with Mercury SmartCraft technologies, and Mercury’s Joystick Piloting for Inboards (JPI) and Sterndrives (JPS); and a new factory-backed limited 3-year Recreational Warranty with an additional 2 years on selected major components. A Light Duty Commercial Warranty provides protection for 1 Year or 1500 hours. www.mercurymarine.com.au

PRICE DROP ON LOWRANCE ELITE-TI 2 Lowrance has dropped prices by 20% across its EliteTi range of MFDs, delivering savings of up to AUD$700.

This all-in-one fishfinder/chartplotter series offers great value at an affordable price, with displays available in 5”, 7”, 9”, and 12” sizes.

Features include an easy-to-use touchscreen interface, wireless connectivity, proven Lowrance navigation technology, and highperformance sonar. Paired with a compatible transducer, Elite Ti can deliver CHIRP, Broadband Sounder and StructureScan HD imaging sonar with SideScan, DownScan Imaging and new FishReveal views. FishReveal allows anglers to quickly and easily discover how fish orient themselves in and around cover and structure, with clearly defined fish arches.

The highly accurate built-in GPS antenna displays position on a detailed C-MAP or Navionics+ chart. Bluetooth and wireless connectivity also provide control of single or dual Power-Pole shallow water anchors, and enable remote access to the display via phones or tablets. www.lowrance.com

WATER-ACTIVATED GME EPIRBS

3

GME’s MT603 Series of water-activated, GPS-equipped EPIRBs are the most advanced MEOSAR-ready 406 MHz digital EPIRBs on the market.

Designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia, the MT603 series has obtained international Cospas-Sarsat approval.

These EPIRBs have an integrated 66 channel GPS receiver, delivering greater position accuracy and faster location fix than previous models. Boasting zero warmup digital technology, MT603s acquire and transmit accurate latitude/longitude and personal ID info to rescue authorities as soon as possible. It also has a high-intensity, solid state strobe light and auxiliary 121.5 MHz VHF homing transmitter.

These EPIRBs can be activated both manually and automatically upon contact with water. The Category 2 model (MT603G) will automatically activate when the unit is removed from the mounting bracket and is deployed in water. The Category 1 model (MT603FG) will automatically deploy from the ‘Float-Free’ housing via a hydrostatic release unit at a depth of 1.5-4m, with the beacon activating upon contact with water. www.gme.net.au www.lorem.com.au

RAYMARINE OS UPGRADE

1

2

5

Raymarine’s Axiom and Axiom Pro MFDs feature the fast and fluid LightHouse 3 operating system, along with powerful CHIRP DownVision, CHIRP SideVision, High CHIRP, RealVision 3D and 1kW CHIRP sonar capabilities. Now, owners of Raymarine’s popular eS and gS Series multifunction displays can unlock these high-performance tools.

Owners of Raymarine’s eS and gS Series MFDs running LightHouse 2 can upgrade to LightHouse 3 for free. Simply download the update from Raymarine.com.au to any microSD memory card and insert it into your display.

LightHouse 3 is easy to learn. It brings your most commonly used features forward with an intuitive menu system, and its simple home screen icons are easily customised.

Anglers who upgrade to LightHouse 3 can also unlock the power of Raymarine’s latest sonar technology using the new RVX1000 3D CHIRP Sonar Module. www.raymarine.com.au

CHARGE MATE PRO 90

PRODUCT GUIDE

3

4

5

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The Charge Mate Pro 90 is an electronic relay that allows a second battery to receive up to 90A of charge current from a single alternator. Suitable for all battery types, it is ideal for recharging lithium ion cells and has built-in safety features.

When a boat has two batteries on board, typically an engine start battery and a service battery, the second battery usually requires its own charging solution. A mechanical relay will charge the flattest battery first, and then switch to the other, but this isn’t always ideal, as it could leave the engine starter battery discharged.

The Charge Mate Pro 90 works differently, by always prioritising the primary battery while still charging the secondary.

The relay is housed in a corrosion-resistant housing flanked by two heat sinks, and its operation can be monitored via built-in LED indicators. The unit includes automatic battery detection, so it can work seamlessly with either 12V or 24V systems.

Price: SRP $578 www.bla.com.au

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

SCAN THE QR CODE!

SEPTEMBER 2018

63

Going on a fishing adventure in a new SUP BRISBANE

Justin Willmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

If you missed last issue you missed out on my tale of horror and then elation as I borrowed an SUP, (stand up paddleboard) and had my first crack at SUP fishing. I learnt that you need to pick your weather, know your limits and remember safety first, however I also caught some fish, had a ball and ended up buying my own SUP for future fishing adventures.

Join me on my second SUP fishing adventure and the maiden voyage for my new vessel.

jighead, which enables long casts and has a quicker sink rate for prospecting deeper holes and sandy patches for flathead. I’ve also found the bream up on the flats to be quite aggressive as they move across the flat hunting bait, so they don’t mind a quicker retrieve.

Make a long cast, allow the plastic to sink to the bottom or just above the bottom if it’s weedy, give it a couple of hops to attract the attention of the fish and then just roll it back above the bottom. If you’re hitting the bottom, lift the rod tip or retrieve quicker.

If a bream taps the plastic, continue your retrieve at the same speed

Success! A flatty for dinner in the net.

Flathead are a great target from an SUP. Flathead are one of my favourite species to target because they are readily available, love lures and you don’t need to spend a million bucks to chase them.

They are also a fantastic SUP target, because they can be caught in calm waters not far from launch points, love feeding in the shallows and they’re relatively easy to handle – no big, sharp teeth thrashing around!

Flathead were an obvious choice for christening my new board and when I awoke to a cracking Sunday morning and a run-out tide, it was game on.

I like a run-out tide for chasing flathead as they move to the edges of the banks and channels, lying in wait for the baitfish and prawns that are forced off the flat with the dropping tide. With the tide still quite high though there was time to roll some 2.5” paddle-tail plastics across the flats in search of a few bream.

When rolling the flats for bream I fish quite quickly, rigging the little paddle-tail on a 1/4oz 1/0 64

SEPTEMBER 2018

and they will often continue to chase and bite the plastic until they find the hook and you feel the weight of the fish and the hook sets. It’s important to remember that this is what works for me; if it’s not working for you, mix it up. I am also a big believer in scent – whether it’s attracting fish, making them bite or getting them to hold on longer, I will apply scent every 30 or so casts and after landing a fish.

The day was an absolute glamour. As I drifted the flat with the tide I landed a handful of bream and yellowtail pike. The elevated position on the SUP, whether standing or seated on the icebox, allowed excellent

Let the SUP fishing adventure begin.

This isn’t a bad way to christen the new SUP – get that rod tip to the front of the board when fighting these brawlers! visibility and quite a few of my fish were landed casting to disturbances on the surface or bait and prawns flicking as they tried to escape the predators that stalked the flats. A cast to flicking prawns followed by a slow roll with a few flicks and shakes almost guaranteed a hook-up. The bream weren’t monsters, but I had a ball

Working a mangrove edge for bream.

catching and releasing fish and it was all good practice for when I had to take on a larger species from the SUP. It’s definitely important to keep everything within reach, while also keeping the deck as uncluttered as possible. It’s a bit of a balancing act but it does make you keep things simple. After my last session

I decided to keep my lures, leader and tackle in a dry bag between my feet, rather than in the icebox.

I also had my ruler and a water bottle on the deck, Boomerang Tool line snip attached to the icebox, scent in the centre carry handle and my landing net tucked into one of the straps that held the icebox to the deck.

My rods were simply laid on the deck in front of me and they stayed dry, however I will be looking at installing a couple of rod holders on the icebox and would suggest that you sort some rod storage as most SUPs are not as wide, thick or buoyant as the model I chose.

It was now time to focus on catching a flathead as the SUP slid off the flat and into a channel about 1.5-3m deep.

I stuck with the same plastic and jighead, casting ahead of the drift so that I could better control the plastic, rather than dragging it along behind the drifting SUP. The SUP drifted quite well, without spinning or turning. I kept the paddle lying across the board just in front of my feet so that it was easy to grab if I wanted to adjust the drift or drift angle.

I allowed the plastic to sink to the bottom, watching

When you opt to travel at the wrong time of the tide and get to wheel, float, drag and paddle home.

for the line to go slack and then retrieved the plastic with two hops up off the bottom and then a pause to allow it to sink back to the bottom where the flathead lay in wait. I repeated this hop, hop and pause all the way back to the SUP. It didn’t take long before I was hooked up, pointing the rod tip toward the front of the SUP to fight the fish, which keeps the SUP stable and tracking straight, before sliding a small flathead into the net. I smiled as I released the flathead back into the water and watched it shoot off toward the bottom. I was keen to take one home for dinner though, so I decided

amazing how little water it takes to float a SUP, with the fin being your major consideration. I watched stingrays cruising in less than a foot of water, fins breaking the surface as they swept across the bottom.

They had so many colours and patterns, including a few leopard rays, with the odd big ray keeping me on my toes.

I also saw small flathead shooting off out of the sand, mullet and gar cruising in schools and turtles popping up only metres away on the edge of the flat. The coolest encounter though was a large dugong that cruised and fed within metres of the SUP and I even felt like he was

a little murky following a lot of rain. The additional weight also meant the lure was getting down quicker, so I could cover more water and also better control the lure as the SUP was drifting faster in the main flow.

Within a few casts I was hooked up solidly to the largest opponent I had faced on the SUP and moved the rod tip to the front of the SUP and enjoyed the ride! A few good runs and the fish was under control and I saw the colour of a decent estuary trevally break the surface. It’s important to keep your cool and don’t rush things or you’ll end up with a fish that’s still full

The author found some fun-size bream on the flats.

A keeper for dinner, but only by a couple of centimetres – the author caught this flatty from his new SUP. to keep drifting and casting.

Approaching a patch of oysters I made a cast right into the shallows and hopped the plastic down the edge into deeper water, where it was met with a solid take.

After a spirited fight I had a better flathead in the net, measured on the ruler and stowed in the icebox. This would have been a good time to head for home… but what a day! It was only another kilometre or so to another good spot that I could see in the distance, so why not?

I continued with the tide, sneaking across what water was left on the flats. It’s

getting closer every now and then to check out my new vessel. The elevated position and low profile of the SUP definitely allows you to observe and appreciate so much more than when you are in a larger, noisier craft or lower to the water in a kayak.

After reaching the next location and dropping the lure straight down to measure the depth (it was about 3m) I changed up my presentation to a 3/8oz 3/0 jighead and 3” paddle-tail. This presentation would have a larger profile and create more vibration and water movement in the deeper water, which was also

of fight beside the SUP and then diving aggressively back under the SUP. I played the fish out a little more, sat down, positioned the net in the water beside the SUP and guided the fish from the tip of the SUP back into the net.

With a quick high five to the fish gods, I paddled into the shallows, tied the SUP to a mangrove branch so that it wasn’t rubbing on rocks and oysters and set up the camera for a couple of quick photos. I swam the fish in between pics and it swam away strongly for someone else to enjoy. I was hooked

The SUP tied up to a mangrove to avoid rocks and oysters.

on SUP fishing.

The trip home was not ideal however and taught me a few lessons. I had travelled a few kilometres from home with the tide, and with the sky darkening from a possible storm and the wind picking up I opted to head home against the last of the dropping tide, instead of following through with my plan of travelling home with the incoming tide as it once again flooded the flats.

I had fished myself into a position where I had dry banks between myself and home, so this also meant I had to traverse land and sea to get home. The things I do for an adventure.

In short, I had the SUP back on the trolley to wheel it across some sandy sections until it got boggy, then back off the trolley. I dragged it backward across the shallows, lifting the fin so that it didn’t dig in. Soon I only had a couple of inches of water, so I removed the quick release fin and floated the SUP to the edge of the weed, before dragging it across the weed bed and launching into the main channel for the paddle home, without the fin fitted back in place! Don’t get me wrong; I was never in danger, only paddling shallow water and always having a backup plan.

These good weather days are great opportunities to put yourself out of your comfort zone and test yourself and your craft a little. I had learnt how to manage the SUP and trolley on a variety of surfaces, how best to handle the SUP in the shallows, across the weed and without the fin. I took the opportunity to paddle the SUP the last kilometre or so home without the fin so that I could learn how it tracks and how best to handle it without

the fin, should something ever go wrong and I find myself finless.

Overall it had been a great half-day session. I had landed plenty of fish, including my target flathead for dinner and a bonus trevally, seen a myriad of wildlife going about their daily business on the flats and channel edges and also enjoyed a bonus workout without even thinking about it.

SUP fishing may not be for

everyone and you will still see me out and about in my kayaks and boat, however it does offer a different experience and is a great way to really immerse yourself in the living world around us. There are plenty of SUP hire places out there.

Choose a good day, grab a large board, sit your icebox on there as a seat and just go for a play and a look around; you may find yourself with a rod in your hand on the second trip though.

The cockpit area is a balance with everything at your fingertips and not too much clutter.

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Aquayak Scout is a great mix of fishing and pleasure FMG

Peter Jung pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

Victorian-based Aquayak Kayaks are continually striving to offer a quality range of kayaks that are manufactured in Australia and offer a good mix of leisure and fishing-based activities.

SPECIFICATIONS Length..................... 3m Width.................. 0.79m Weight...................19kg Capacity.............150kg Price: (standard)....... $699 RRP (with fish kit).... $799 RRP I’ve had a fair bit of contact with co-owner Paul Varasdi since the Melbourne Boat Show in 2016, including going through the factory and seeing the manufacturing process at their Campbellfield head office.

All ready for a day on the water, Chris Jordan took the Aquayak Scout out at Lake Kurwongbah. established range of kayaks.

Paul is super keen to get feedback from his kayak users. We’ve spoken at length about the kayaks we

The third installment of testing for the magazines is on the Aquayak Scout with a fishing kit. This is not our first look at the Scout, as

Heavy-duty carry handles assist in making the Scout easy to move around.

The spacious cockpit of the Scout has plenty of room for you and any gear you may need.

Paul and his business partner purchased Aquayak as an existing business and from day one have strived to further improve on an

have tested previously for the magazines. He wants the people that purchase them to be as proud of them as he is.

we have featured it before with a Torqeedo Ultralight electric motor fitted to it (see December 2016). I was impressed with how it

The centre hatch and bucket is handy to store a bit of gear or to keep baits out of the sun.

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performed with the motor fitted, but not everybody has the need for this, so I was excited when the Scout arrived at our offices in its standard form and we organised to get it out on the water.

LAYOUT AND FISHING KIT At 3m long the Scout falls into the small/medium size category for kayaks.

What Aquayak has done with the space that the 3m

affords is quite cleaver.

Their main focus is on the cockpit size and the storage behind the seat.

My testing assistant Chris Jordan’s first thought on the seating area was that they had gone a long way to achieve it, “It’s nice to have so much space for you and all your things.”

I feel the same way; you don’t necessarily want the entire tackle shop with you on the water, but it is nice

to have what you do want within arms reach.

If your intention is to spend many hours on the water at a time then the seat will need to be as comfortable as possible.

I’ve used a number of kayaks that claim to have a comfort seat and my numb backside after a short time on the water would beg to disagree. The comfort seat provided with the Aquayak Scout is a fully adjustable,

The Railblaza rail and port system is second to none.

clips in place easily and provides quite a bit of support for the user. So far so good – my backside isn’t complaining yet.

There is also a large

a better system out there to provide this much flexibility in setup, then please let me know. The rail systems are standard and if you opt for the fishing kit set, you

The rear well area has plenty of room for an esky and some gear. rear well with a bungee for securing your gear. This easily fitted a small esky and had room for more if needed. On the test day we had an esky, tackle tray and net in the well and it was no problem at all.

There is also an additional storage hatch at the front of the kayak. It gives you access to the hull for any fit-out requirements and is also large enough to store the dry bag with any items you don’t need access to while you are on the water.

A huge feature of the layout is the Railblaza rail and port system. If there is

FEATURES (including fish kit) • Comfort seat, double paddle (split two-piece) • Two storage hatches • Four heavy-duty handles • Railblaza rod holder R • Railblaza mini port • Two accessory rails • Drift chute • Paddle leash • 12L dry bag • Self draining cockpit and a large self-draining aft well. types accessories we all have these days, whether it’s the rod holder provided, a sounder or a camera setup.

The ports are also easy to use and give you the piece of mind that whatever you have mounted to it, it’s securely attached to the kayak.

Other items in the fish kit are a drift chute, a 12L dry bag and a paddle leash. All assist in making the kayak even more fishing friendly.

ON THE WATER Half the battle with any kayak is getting it to the water before you even contemplate taking it out.

At only 19kg (kayak only) the battle is made that much easier with the Scout. It can easily be loaded or unloaded from a car or trailer by one person, with four heavy-duty carry handles systematically placed to assist with this.

The true test as always is on the water. The tri-keel hull design of the Scout is excellent. It has impressive buoyancy and excellent speed and tracking. You get plenty of reward for each

Charlotte Jung was all smiles at Cudgen Lake.

She is now keen to get out kayaking more often. also get a rod holder and mini port.

The beauty of the rail system is you can adjust where you position the many

stroke of the paddle. The significance of the 150kg capacity is also not lost on me. The Scout coped with my 100kg+ and the rest of

A forward hatch provides extra storage for items you don’t need while on the water and access to inside the hull for fit-outs.

the bits and pieces with no dramas at all.

The Railblaza accessories and two flush mounted rod holders ensure fishing rods can be kept out of the way and the centre

The Railblaza ports are easy to use and will hold anything from your sounder through to a camera or rod holder.

The Scout is beautifully balanced on the water and very stable, making it a great fishing platform. hatch with bucket is large enough to store a few extra lures, bait or items you want to keep out of the sun.

The one thing I haven’t mentioned is stability. At this point I would normally be mentioning a close call or mishap while on the water, however, thankfully for me I have no stories to tell. I have felt very confident using the Scout and Chris said the same thing after our testing day.

RECREATIONAL USE Although my focus would always be to head out in a kayak for a fish, I also have a youngish family and their thoughts on kayaks are more recreationally focused.

At 16 and 13, like most kids these days, a fair bit of their time is spent with their eyes glued to a tablet or smartphone. When the Scout came home to be tested they were keen to get out and give it a try, so a long weekend away saw the Scout come along as well.

It was great to see the girls out using it.

A true testament to the stability of the Scout was three girls all on the kayak (two seated in the main cockpit and one in the rear well). They spent hours mucking around on Cudgen Lake, which meant no fishing for dad. They loved using it and continue to ask me when we can go out again.

GIVE ONE A TRY The Aquayak Scout in many ways ticks all of the boxes. It’s light enough for one person to load it, unload it and get it to the water. The layout is spacious and well thought-out and this includes the storage and rail systems.

Once on the water it tracks well, manoeuvres easily and is one of the most stable

3m kayaks I have tested.

Couple this with the fact it is manufactured and made in Australia and that gives you plenty of reasons to check out the Aquayak Scout and the rest of the range of kayaks they produce.

To find out more about Aquayak Kayaks and where your nearest dealer is, go to www.aquayak.com.

Chris was impressed by the space in the Scout and enjoyed catching a few bass during the test day on the water.

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Sort out that boat seating and reap the rewards BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Seating in fishing-orientated trailer boats is a complex business. You might think that seating in any boat has

or dedicated pre-formed seat on rigid framework or perhaps the latter items being set up on a storage box, with a hand rail or other item close by as a brace point when travelling in the rough stuff.

Centre console craft on the other hand might have pedestal

restricted access to any shelves in the console.

On the other end of the scale is the small tinny, car topper or other lightweight rig where cross seating is integral to the structural strength of the craft. These cross-seats are often no more than a bench

Sea Jay have set up a smart ice box seating arrangement here, ideal for two folk to sit at the helm area. Check out the bracing afforded by the framework for the T top.

A pair of high-backed bucket seats on short pedestals will provide plenty of support when the 150 on the transom’s opened up. been arranged carefully for optimum comfort and easy use by the driver and other occupants. While this is certainly the hoped for outcome, it’s not a hard and fast rule.

Generally, manufacturers try to get things right but seating options are so diverse these days that there can be a lot of daylight between really useful seating and what’s been provided.

Just for the record, I’ve been in centre console craft with no seating but without exception, always wished there was some before long!

Standing for extended times takes a big toll on the vertebrae when on the water.

SEATING WILL ALWAYS VARY Boat seating varies greatly in accordance with the varied uses we anticipate for our boats.

A larger craft that’s intended for long hauls and the rods being removed from the racks virtually demands installation of the best quality supportive seating for all occupants while travelling. This can take the form of a well-padded bucket

Flexible seating takes on a new meaning here – the lounge seat in this boat can be left out altogether. seats for the skipper and mate, perhaps a seat up front of the console as well. It’s common to see a padded ice box or other storage arrangement aft of the console for skipper and mate. As a handy back rest you’ll often see a flexible fore/ aft sliding bolster rail for the one or two people seated there, but without an additional handhold or grab rail close by things can by tricky when the boat starts to bounce. For mine, the only downside of an ice box or storage box aft of the console is the room taken up by the unit, plus the

for the backside with cushions and other items to provide comfort underway. Sitting on a hard thwart is fair enough but there must be some depth

consideration for an owner.

Midway between these extreme seating examples are the one-size-fits-all seat set up where a supportive seat of some form or other is placed at a strategic distance from the tiller handle or steering wheel, or perhaps near a small console where instruments might be set up. Bucket seats – with varying degrees of padding – are usually installed for this purpose and if things aren’t quite perfect, the buyer makes the best of it anyway and reflects, perhaps, on how good it might be to actually plan and organize seating for another boat in the future.

Purchasing a turnkey package can see you in the situation I’ve just mentioned.

If there’s an opportunity to arrange seating prior to taking the craft, put some serious thought into the best seating arrangement; putting as much thought into this strategy as selecting the right outboard engine will pay off many times when the craft’s in the water.

A padded storage box or ice box makes a reasonable seat but it needs a handhold of some description if you’re heading for rough water. strong for the entire life of boat while providing optimum support at all times. Smaller craft to be used in bay/estuary or other similar localities also require robust seating, as these craft won’t always be used in quiet water. In selecting the correct seat the idea is to work out what will have the longest life, be value for money and remain trouble-free.

and be mounted on a suitable stem of just the right length to provide plenty of comfort and floor depth within reach of a tiller handle or wheel.

With today’s trend towards flexible seating arrangements where a pedestal seat can move from one floor spigot to another, it’s essential to keep things in perspective and not overdo the size of the

This well-padded pedestal seat is handy to the helm area and it’s a strong-looking one at that.

Variations on a theme – high backed bucket seats on a storage box for the skipper with a padded ice box for the mate’s mate.

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for the legs or you’ll likely feel some discomfort. If you’re intending to buy a light little car topper or similar, take a look at the depth between floor and seat and assess how some time spent there will work for you. The floor depth is handy in a small boat and this factor should be a serious

BEST TO MATCH SEATING WITH BOAT USE In short, seating should compliment the proposed use of the boat. As mentioned, long hauls on the water demand the best seating – end of story.

Seating needs to cater for all intended crew and should be

A pedestal seat of this kind offers good support, but if you intend to move it, sometimes that floor spigot will need lubrication to keep it freed up.

Pedestal seating is useful in smaller craft; pedestals offer the ability to be customized to fit a particular craft. The actual seating section can be padded to a greater or lesser degree

seats. If the seats are too bulky, moving them about might be awkward. It’s also wise to keep stems and bases well lubricated to prevent binding from salt corrosion.

A CASE STUDY For the construction of our Galeforce 4.5 centre console, we considered the seating at

some thought. The storage/ice box bench was tempting, but ruled out; there’d be far too much restriction of available

could take up a fair amount of room. This would be no issue when travelling, but when fishing things could be a bit tight, especially if flyfishing – careful storage of the fly line between casts is essential. The solution was easy. We selected light but strong pedestal seats that sit on spigots at just the right distance from the console for comfort and when fishing requirements dictate terms we simply remove one seat – stem and all – and sit it down beside the console to port.

In practice we have one fishing up front where a lean post provides excellent support while the other person fishes from aft of the console and I must say, this system has been near perfect. A look at the seats we selected reveals

they are not the most thickly padded around the boat yards, but for us they are part of a system that works well.

IN A NUTSHELL Seating is just one of the many issues that can involve compromises in the world of boating. Sometimes seating’s perfect. Other times it’s not so good. If you’re lucky enough to have the opportunity to arrange your own seating, go for it! When buying a turnkey package just give some extra thought as to how the seating in that particular boat is going to affect your personal requirements for on-water travel as well as fishing. Don’t be afraid to ask for changes when necessary either. Boat layouts are pretty flexible in my experience.

High backed seats on rigid frames are mounted on storage boxes in this craft and it’s a winwin all round. Note the room between the seats to allow easy access to the cabin.

There’s a perfect mix of seating here with a strong bucket seat on a pedestal (with plenty of back support) to set up the skipper with a pair of back-to-back seats on a storage box to port. Note the depth of the padding. length. First, it was a given that it would be a two-person fishing team, so we only required seating for two. As the Galey was to be helmed from the console it was obvious we’d need seating at that point, but selection of just the right seats took

work area aft and access to the storage shelf, so pedestals topped the short list.

Moreover we’d opted for a big centre console – this we’ve never regretted, as we love the handy storage capacity, which meant that two pedestals aft of the console

Whittley don’t ever do things by halves. Massive seats with lots of support and inherent strength are custom made for serious sea travel. There’s storage and other useful features under those seats as well.

The flexible pedestal seating in the author’s boat is meant to be moved in many fishing situations, hence the specially selected lightweight seats.

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For further information visit www.seajayboats.com.au To like us on Facebook visit www.facebook.com/SeaJayBoats SEPTEMBER 2018

69

Quintrex 530 Frontier with Yamaha F90hp 4-stroke

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no noticeable decrease in performance.

The test boat was also fitted with an enclosed rod locker in the port gunwale.

I’m not a fan of using these for anything but locking rods away at the end of the session. Anything designed where gravity can help the lid fall on your tackle will eventually do so.

I’m also a long-time critic of the underfloor storage being not more resistant to inundation.

If it rains, your tackle will get wet. For anglers with a pile of expensive tackle, this is sometimes an

CO

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Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

It’s no secret that when I first tested one of the new Quintrex Apex hulls last year (we went for a run in the 590 Frontier on the Gold Coast), I said that it was the greatest improvement in hull design by the company since they first stretchformed a flared bow all those years ago.

I still stand by those comments and it seems as though the major shift in design and looks of these boats have had nearly universal acceptance by dealers and customers alike. They’re soft riding,

Main: Admittedly the test day was glamorous, but the hole shot, stability and ease of use of this Quintrex/Yamaha package were impressive.

Above: The Apex hull doesn’t bank into turns like other aluminium hulls, retaining a flat attitude throughout the manoeuvre.

SPECIFICATIONS Hull Length...............................................5.26m Beam.........................................................2.07m Depth........................................................ 1.10m Bottom and sides......................................3mm Weight (boat only).................................... 506kg Min hp.........................................................75hp Max hp...................................................... 115hp Hole Shot...................................... 4.27 seconds Number of people............................................6 beamy, deep and perform well, even with outboards well under the maximum allowable.

Recently, we got to test a Frontier 530 powered by the new Yamaha F90 – a 90hp 4-stroke 1.8L outboard released a little over a year ago. Importantly, the 70

SEPTEMBER 2018

expensive problem.

These minor points aside, I’m in love with the package as a whole. It’s easy to launch and retrieve, ridiculously economical and easy to drive. Its high gunwales make it safer for kids and it’s customisable to a level where a serious fisher can add the electronics necessary to maximise their time on the water.

Look for this boat and many other Quintrex packages on the Aquasports Marine stand at the Perth Boat Show. Full hull specifications can be found at www.quintrex.com.au.

outboard was 45 horses less than the maximum allowable on this hull.

Replacing the older Top Enders, the Frontiers have several advantages over their predecessors. They’re beamier (and carry their beam more forward than the older rigs), have more

freeboard, are softer riding and are more stable than the older designs.

The ‘pickle fork’ bow shape is a few years old now, but is a distinguishing feature of the new generation Quintrex rigs.

I really liked the ease of access to this boat when it’s on the trailer, with a fold down ladder and an inviting transom door.

Supplied on a Quintrex aluminium I-beam trailer with their Catch-n-Release launch system, the package is both easy to manoeuvre and will tow behind virtually any vehicle, weighing in at just over 1000kg. Being a single axle, it’ll make it easier to fit into smaller,

modern garages.

The Catch-n-Release system allows you to launch and retrieve this boat very easily by yourself, making solo trips not just possible, but easy.

Although fuel metering wasn’t available on the test boat, the same motor on a smaller Frontier hull delivered 3.28km/L, meaning that this rig would easily get you over 3km/L at the most economical cruising speed.

Flat out, the test boat travelled 57km/h at 5600rpm and jumped onto the plane easily with two on board and no gear apart from safety kits. Filling the livewells, there was

Although 45hp under maximum, the 530 jumped onto the plane with ease, two-up.

Single-handed launch and retrieval is easy with the Quintrex Catch-n-Release system.

Access to this high-sided boat is through the folding ladder and transom door at the stern.

Synthetic decking material on the bow sheets make it a practical place to fish from (and to store anchors underneath).

Left and right: The new Frontier design boasts acres of room inside and the ability to add features like the enclosed rod locker.

Quintrex rotomolds all of their console shrouds in house. Yay for the ability to flush mount large electronics choices into the helm.

With the seats in this position, three anglers can make long runs in comfort.

Above top: The front livewell has clever baffles that help to stop slop.

Above lower: While not 100% dry storage, there’s still lots of room under the high casting decks to store your gear.

Clear fronted bait tanks are very much in fashion at the moment and with good reason – it takes just a glance to know your livies are in A1 condition.

Now that’s a casting deck. We challenge you to find a beamier casting area in any rig on the water of this length.

The high sides make the Frontier a rig that’s nearly as comfortable in the open water as it is in rivers and estuaries.

There’s not much to say about Yamaha’s 1.8L 90hp.

It’s very unlikely to let you down and has been a hit with customers since it was released last year.

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Patrick Dangerfield’s Northbank 650 Hard Top

FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

We’ve tested plenty of Northbank boats over the last couple of years in VFM – from the entry-level 500C right through to this weapon of a craft – but this is the first one we’ve done with someone famous.

Not that Melbourne Marine’s Andrew Stephen, Northbank’s Rob Cuming or I aren’t great big fish in a tiny pond, but Northbank is excited about their association with the Geelong midfielder, Patrick Dangerfield, and the fact that his second Northbank boat is the 650 Hard Top powered by a 225hp Mercury Verado.

We were there for the handover and got to see how Pat reacted to the first drop of the throttle.

SPECIFICATIONS Length........................6.5m LOA............................6.8m Beam........................2.44m Length on trailer..........8m Capacity............8 persons Fuel............................250L Deadrise...................... 21o Hull weight............ 1300kg Towing Weight.......2300kg 72

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Cradled on a Dunbier twin axle trailer, the 650 is an imposing rig both on and off the road.

“Kid in a candy store” is cliché, yet Dangerfield summed up the experience in a way that only an angler can.

“It’s like the difference between mono and braid,”

Northbank’s Rob Cuming takes us on a walk through of the 650HT.

he said, comparing the performance and feel of the supercharged, fly-by-wire 4-stroke to his previous power plant.

And there was no getting around the fact that Dangerfield seriously liked the aesthetics of this boat.

“It’s not the most important part about a boat, but it’s certainly one of the things that I enjoy about it [the motor is] matched really well with the black hull and the white top. I think the way that Northbank have designed the hard top, it’s impossible

not to like the look of it, especially matched with the nine rocket launchers off the top as well as the Garmin radar,” he said.

Indeed, the Northbank is a seriously good looking rig.

At the helm, Dangerfield was a little cautious at first, but was soon hammersdown and cutting through the foot-and-a-bit of northern bay slop.

Later, Rob Cuming took the wheel and really pushed the Northbank to the limits.

Tight turns under heavy throttle across and into the slop presented no problems, cavitation, or lack of things to hold on to.

The cockpit space in this rig is seriously massive. The gunwales are high and the windscreens and all round visibility is fantastic.

Take a look at the images of the fit out hereby and the two YouTube videos we created on the test day (by scanning the QR codes provided or visiting the Fishing Monthly YouTube channel).

Bluewater Marine will have a good range of Northbank boats at the Perth Boat Show. You can contact them on 9791 1499 or check them at www. bluewatermarine.com.au.

A 23o deadrise at the transom means that if you drive it right, the Northbank will land soft. All Northbank boats are built to survey specifications, although not supplied in survey.

SPECIFICATIONS RPM

Speed . Economy (km/h). (km/L) 600................ 5..............1.8 1000.............. 8..............1.7 2000.............13..............1.3 3000............ 28..............1.1 4000............ 46..............1.1 5000............ 61..............1.0 6000............ 80..............0.7 Using Enertia 16” propeller

Patrick Dangerfield talks about his history with Northbank and his new rig.

Headed out onto Port Phillip Bay in a new boat. Is there a better feeling?

The walk-through transom door offers easy access to the cockpit while in the water or boarding from the waterline.

“Imagination is the preview of life’s coming attractions”

Astern of that beast of an anchor are a few pinstripes. Who chose those colours? A Crows supporter?

Massive side pockets in deep gunwales with plenty of tow room are pretty high on Dangerfield’s list of ‘things I like about my new Northbank’.

The helm is simple and uncluttered. Garmin electronics and radar, some simple SmartCraft gauges and the usual switches are all in easy reach.

18 HAWKINS STREET, EAST BUNBURY, WA 6230 A couple of big units here. Dangerfield is 100kg. The Verado is closer to 300. I know which one would win in a high speed clash, although both are quick off the mark.

PHONE (08) That’s a lot of windscreen, and on a cold Geelong morning, you’d need every piece of it.

9791 1499

WWW.BLUEWATERMARINE.COM.AU SEPTEMBER 2018

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AccuMat™ fish measuring mat

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AccuMat™ is an accurate fish-measuring device designed for recreational and tournament anglers.

Unique features and benefits • Accuracy of measurement – designed and confirmed by precision engineer; • Ease of measurement identification – available in both metric and imperial units; • Non-wrinkle measuring mat – no lumps and bumps to affect accuracy; • Quick visual reference to measurement – great for photos and social sharing; • Mat retracts into a robust canister – to protect the measuring device; • Extendable / flip-up nose plate – suitable for a range of fish species and sizes; • Protective surface for fish scales – inline with SoftGaff’s focus on sustainable fishing;

RRP $99

• UV stabilised materials – to withstand the harsh outdoor environment; • Easily cleanable – minimal maintenance for years of hassle-free use.

The AccuMat™ is available in both metric and imperial versions, with measurements represented in mm/cm and inches respectively

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