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DEPTH CHARGE! Big Flatties Down Deep

BOW TO THE KING Offshore Hoodlum Tactics

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CONTENTS

5

fishingworld.com.au | January 2018

10 MAIN FEATURE: Understanding where to find flathead in deep water means using your sounder and adapting to a new set of tactics.

Greeny reveals more on page 10.

34

CONTENTS REGULARS

January 2018

54

COVER STORY: DEEPWATER FLATHEAD 10 MONSTERS OF THE DEEP

BY DAVID GREEN

Targeting deepwater flathead can be a deadly tactic which can result in good numbers of solid fish.

54 MARY RIVER BASS

BY WILL MUSKENS

Queensland’s Mary River is a productive destination for chasing Aussie bass and a diverse list of fun by-catch species.

ESTUARY

DESTINATIONS

34 JACK LIVES HERE

62 DISCOVERING COFFIN

BY DAVE RAE

68

9

FRESHWATER

NSW jacks have a reputation for being tough and unforgiving on inferior tackle.

OFFSHORE 42 PEAK HOUR KINGS

BY ZAC PANARETOS

Nothing gets the heart pounding more than a big king, and as Zac explains, catching them close to home is possible with the right approach.

BY JAMIE CRAWFORD

Coffin Bay in South Australia is one of the state’s top fishing destinations with a wide variety of species on tap.

EDITORIAL

18 NEWS 22 NEW PRODUCTS 48 DAVID GREEN 50 KNOTS & RIGS 52 ROD BUILDERS 60 SPORTFISHING 76 BOAT FISHING 82 SHIMANO JUNIORS 86 THE FISHING SCHOOL 90 DAVE RAE

68 THE LURE OF THE SOLOMONS

BY BEN CADDAYE

The South Pacific’s biggest secret lies in the fish-rich waters of the Solomon Islands, a fishing paradise just hours from Australia.

COVER: While flathead are often known as a shallow water species, targeting them in deep water is a great tactic for consistently catching big fish.

IMAGE: MARK WILLIAMS.

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EDITORIAL

9

fishingworld.com.au | January 2018

www.fishingworld.com.au Editor

Scott Thomas Ph: (02) 9213 8278 scottthomas@yaffa.com.au

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LOOKING FORWARD TO 2018

By Scott Thomas At this time of year we tend to look back and reflect on the previous 12 months. I reckon it’s different for fishos. In the world of recreational fishing, we prefer to forget the past and instead look at what opportunities lie ahead. So what will 2018 bring for rec fishing in Australia when it comes to new gear and our favourite species?

GEAR

There’s never been a better time to be a gear junkie!

The 2017 AFTA tackle trade show provided a glimpse of what to expect in tackle shops in 2018.

And from what I saw, it’s best you bring a credit card!

The trend towards big lures on fish like Murray cod, mulloway and barramundi continues. The techniques around using swimbaits and other giant, pricey variations of these lures have been covered in this magazine over the past year. We’ll no doubt see more as techniques are further refined and adapted to Aussie conditions and new species. On a similar note, the trend towards targeting flathead on big plastics is also spreading like wildfire.

The above techniques are driving a boost in lure sales along with the accompanying specialist rod, reels and accessories. The gear and techniques really work and I believe it’s here to stay.

Another positive trend is the availability of high quality mid priced gear. Not all of us have the funds to blow on an expensive reel. That said, some of these high end reels feature cutting edge technology and for serious fishos and those targeting powerful species in harsh environments, it’s often the only option. The good news is we’re seeing many rods and reels with similar high end features for around half the price. If you can afford the best, I suggest it’s a good investment; for the rest of us, this mid-priced gear satisfies most requirements.

The availability of affordable tackle is also a

positive for the industry as a whole. The more people buying gear and regularly fishing, the more our industry and fisheries will thrive.

SPECIES

Bread and butter species will always remain popular.

Who doesn’t love catching the humble whiting or flatty? It’s a tradition that’ll never go away. Likewise, native species have always been popular targets and this year the trend of catching Murray cod, golden perch and Aussie bass is stronger than ever. Much of the resurgence in this fishing has been off the back of the above trends on gear and techniques. However, sensible fisheries management has also played a big part. Successful stocking and environmental programs from state government and not-for-profit organisations will really provide a boost for this style of fishing in the years ahead.

In the salt, it’ll be interesting to watch the continued effort around targeting East Coast swordfish. This was a species sitting right under our noses all along. It’s a great thing; it shows how this sport is always changing, and as fishos, we’re always learning and discovering.

THE FUTURE

All the gear and skills won’t help if we don’t have fish or access to our vast fisheries. For this reason, it’s hard to ignore the politics around fishing in 2018.

Unfortunately rec fishing in this country, until a few years back, had a reputation for being disjointed and powerless. That all changed over the past few years with strong representation at federal and state levels.

However, access rights and ongoing sustainability issues will continue to threaten our sport into 2018.

Fingers crossed our representative bodies continue working together to keep us fishing!

Scott Thomas Editor – Fishing World

COVER STORY: DEEPWATER FLATHEAD

10

fishingworld.com.au | January 2018

MONSTERS OF THE DEEP Targeting deepwater flathead can be a deadly tactic which can result in good numbers of solid fish.

By David Green

I

N southern Queensland, flathead move towards the estuary mouths every spring in preparation for spawning. Most of the spawning beds are in quite deep water, and large females surrounded by smaller males move into these areas in huge numbers at this time of year. Catching flathead in deep water is a fickle business, and finding the fish can be a feast or a famine. In general the deep water activity lasts only a few months at the longest, and when the spawning run is over the fish move back to the shallower sections of the estuary. Spawning takes a lot of energy, and the big fish feed quite aggressively in order to put on condition at this time.

While this can be one of the easiest methods to catch a big flathead, it’s important to remember that these big fish are ready to drop their eggs, and should be handled extremely carefully. There is considerable evidence that if they are handled poorly they may resorb their eggs, failing to spawn. In Queensland any flathead over 75cm in length must be released,

and for many of us the ethics of targeting breeding fish is quite questionable. However, flathead are a very robust species and if you want to catch fish over 70cm, fishing the deep is a very reliable method. In addition, the by-catch of mulloway is pretty attractive too!

In the 2017 Flathead Classic held on the Gold Coast in late September, one team showed the rest of the field the effectiveness of specialising in deep water techniques. The Whyte brothers, fishing in a boat with more sounders than any boat I have ever seen, blew the entire field apart on the first day with a massive haul of big fish over 70cm long. These deep water specialists are dedicated to this type of fishing, and on that first day achieved the biggest single point score ever achieved in Flathead Classic history.

It absolutely smashed and demoralised the rest of the field, in a competition with over 600 anglers.

By effectively working a series of spots according to the phases of the tide, they deep jigged using both soft plastics and soft vibes, pulling in an amazing number of fish.

fishingworld.com.au | January 2018 | 11

The deepwater tactic worked wonders in the recent Gold Coast Flathead Classic.

COVER STORY: DEEPWATER FLATHEAD

12

fishingworld.com.au | January 2018

“...blew the entire field apart on the first day with a massive haul of big fish over 70cm long.”

fishingworld.com.au | January 2018 | 13

CORRECT WEIGHT

To catch flathead effectively in deep water and current you need the lure to be close to or right on the bottom. In my area the current flow is often very strong, and if you are using soft plastics you will need to vary the jig head size according to the current flow. In practice this can mean using jig heads from about ¾ of an ounce up to 4 ounces.

This also affects the type of rod you need to use to control heavy weights. The correct jig head weight will allow the lure to be on the bottom directly under the boat on a normal drift. The best jigging method in the deep is “tea bagging”, and there isn’t too much sophistication about it. Most of the soft plastics used in the deep for big flathead are at least 15cm long, and big shad tails and curly tails have a fair bit of drag as they sink so it requires a bit of weight to get them down quickly so they are directly under the boat.

The problem with heavy jig heads is that the fish rapidly rejects the lure when it feels the weight. Big flathead tend to inhale the whole plastic in an aggressive fashion, but will often miss or spit out a really heavy jig head. So while you need the weight to get down, use just enough so your lure is vertically presented. Smaller tides with less flow mean you can use lighter jig heads in the deep water, and this was the case in this year’s Flathead Classic. The tides were ideal for fishing the deep, and very sub optimal for just about every other flathead method used.

USE YOUR SOUNDER, WORK OUT YOUR SPOTS The Whyte brothers, comprehensive winners of the 2017 Flathead Classic, showed the value of using advanced sounder technology in deep water flathead fishing. The key is to find structure, depressions and bait. In the deeper sections of the river mouths and entrances, big flathead, and the smaller males that surround them, tend to lie adjacent to any structure in the nearest area of sand or mud. A log, a small piece of rubble bottom or a fallen tree are ideal habitat.

The more open flat featureless parts of the channels hold far less fish. In between 5 and 20 metres of water the key to catching is to position the boat directly over the fish and vertically jig so the lure is going up and down right next to where the fish are feeding. By concentrating your efforts on short drifts over structure you catch far more big fish. Some of these areas are difficult to fish, particularly where there are “lie down” trees, as the snags can make things difficult, particularly with soft vibes. If you can accurately work out the small slots and gaps using side imaging and a good down scan and mark the gaps in structure with your GPS it lets you accurately find the small fish holding slots and get the lure right to the fish.

It is a tricky business to perfect, but by focusing your fishing on short productive drifts you will catch far more fish than simply drifting for long distances over flat mud.

OPPOSITE: A large curl tail plastic did the trick on this nice lizard.

BELOW: Pay attention to your jigging style when fishing deep.

Bait schools holding deep near structure are another key, and it’s important to realise that big flathead like big bait. Schools of bream, whiting, luderick and herring are all on the flathead's menu, and in the deep water big flathead like big baitfish and big lures. They want maximum calories for minimal effort.

If you see scattered flecks of smaller fish holding close to the bottom the big girls won’t be too far away.

vertical lift, with the boat directly over the lure. This keeps the lure in the strike zone, and “tea bagging” is an effective method.

Simply lifting and dropping the lure works well. Make sure that when the lure is sinking back to the bottom it is on a slack line. This lets the fish suck in the lure properly, and with a bit of practice it is quite easy to feel bites on a slack line.

JIGGING METHODS

Unlike working a smaller lure in the shallows, there are only a few different jigging styles when you work the deeper water. With soft plastics you need a lure with constant kick and action that has good tail action at relatively slow speed.

With larger shad tails the heavy jig head used allows the tail to kick as it drops back to the bottom, and most of the bites come as the lure sinks back down to the bottom. With larger curl tail grubs, the action is pretty constant at minimal speed.

I like to use curl tails most of the time, but the main problem is having the tail foul up on the hook, particularly when jigging around structure. Shad tails avoid this problem but need faster movement to generate tail action.

This can be improved by trimming the section just in front of the lure's tail.

In general, the best jigging method for fishing deeper ware for big flathead is a

“With larger shad tails the heavy jig head used allows the tail to kick as it drops back to the bottom, and most of the bites come as the lure sinks...”

With larger soft vibes such as the Zerek Fish Trap, the method is similar. Lift the lure sharply off the bottom for about a metre and let it sink on a slack line. At times the soft vibes will out fish soft plastics by a wide margin, and they are also a great lure for mulloway. The key to using soft vibes in the deeper sections is to use models with sufficient weight to get to the bottom quickly, and lures with plenty of “kick” tend to be the most effective.

TACKLE

Generally the tackle used is a fair bit heavier than that used for most shallow water flathead fishing. Bigger lure size and jig head weight and the chance of a big mulloway mean it is important to upsize your line, and a stiffer rod is required to deal with the 1 to 4 ounce weights.

I like to use a medium curve 6 to 8 kilo threadline rod from about 180 to 200cm. Line is generally 8 to 10 kilo braid and I use 15 kilo fluorocarbon leader to avoid getting bitten off by larger fish. A 2500 to 3000 sized threadline is usually adequate.

It’s important that the rod doesn’t have a soft tip. A stiff tip means that when you lift the lure off the bottom it moves instantly and the stiffness also gives you a more solid hook-up on the fish. Vertical jigging means you are directly over the top of the fish, and when you strike you have to penetrate the hard upper jaw of the flathead which requires a bit of pressure. Some anglers use baitcasters with good success, it’s just a matter of personal preference. When the current is running hard and you’re forced to use big jig heads up to 4 or even 6 ounces you may need an even heavier rod in your armoury.

LURES

In general the two most successful lure types are large soft plastics and larger soft vibes. These big fish have big mouths and are hungry. In soft plastics I use a mix of curl tails and shad tails.

fishingworld.com.au | January 2018 | 15

LEFT TO RIGHT: There’s no doubt deepwater flatty fishing produces the goods; You need a plastic with constant kick and action that has good tail action at slow speed; Deepwater fishing for flathead is a great way of targeting big fish.

COVER STORY: DEEPWATER FLATHEAD

16

fishingworld.com.au | January 2018

LURES FOR THE DEEP

FIGHTING AND HANDLING THE FISH

ABOVE: Always remember to quickly photograph big fish before a careful release.

P

BREA T

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Me

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SU

Big flathead can fight really well in shallow water on light tackle, but in the deep they are generally just a heavy weight with plenty of head shakes. They may pull a few metres of line, but on the whole the fight in deep water is very disappointing. If the line screams off the reel, you have generally got a mulloway. When you get your big flathead to the top, treat it very carefully. Net all big fish and never lift them vertically by the jaw. Nearly all of these fish are full of roe and if they are distressed, bleeding or badly injured they may resorb all their eggs and fail to spawn. In Queensland all flathead over 75cm must be released, and while it is fine to keep the odd 60cm fish for a feed, I think it’s very important to let all the big girls go. Try to minimise the time you keep the fish out of the water, keep them moist and release them quickly. Don’t keep them in your fish holding or live bait tank, as they develop a condition called rhabdomyolysis in small tanks. The fish go hard and stiff in tanks under stress, which is why you don’t see tournaments weighing live flathead very often.

In general the most successful lures are soft vibes and large soft plastics. Don’t be afraid to use large lures, for big breeding flathead, it seems nothing is too big! I prefer curl tails and shad tails for big flathead. While jerk shads catch a few and are a great lure for mulloway, flathead like a lure with constant slow speed action. The large 6-inch curl tail Gulps in bright green or white have caught us a lot of big flathead over the years, and large Squidgy Fish, Z Man shads and Western shads are also very effective in the deep.

As far as soft vibes are concerned, the largest Zerek Fish Trap is a standout lure that big flathead love. Soft vibes can be an expensive option when the snags are thick, but in general I have one rod with a vibe and a big plastic on the other and alternate between the two outfits. The key to soft vibes for deep water flathead fishing is to get sufficient weight in the lure and have plenty of vibration on the lift.

Deep water flathead fishing isn’t for everyone, but it is a deadly method at certain times of year and can be quite challenging at times. Just remember to handle these big fish carefully and release them in good condition. ●

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SNIPPETS

18

fishingworld.com.au | January 2018

NSW TROPHY FLATHEAD UPDATE ONLINE THIS MONTH FISH FACTS:

TROPICAL REEF SHARKS Over 300 species of sharks and rays occur in Australian waters, but for anglers who fish in the northern half of the continent for any length of time, they are most likely to encounter one of the many species of tropical reef sharks that inhabit the estuaries, headlands and… ● By Dr Ben Diggles

EIGHT “trophy-sized” dusky flathead have so far been tagged as part of the new Lake Macquarie Trophy Flathead Fishery program in NSW. These fish, which were tagged by well-known local anglers Steve Norris, Steve Gresham and Rodney Austin, now each sport a pink DPI tag with five numbers on it.

The DPI requests that if you catch a tagged flathead, record the numbers (a good tip is to photograph the tag), measure the fish and take note of where it was recaptured.

Send this info, along with details of the fish’s condition, what you caught it on and whether it was re-released (preferably with the tag still in position).

Along with St Georges Basin and Tuross Lake, Lake Macquarie is part of a program examining ways to maximise fishing opportunities in Recreational Fishing Havens for trophy-sized flathead by

encouraging release of all fish over 70 cm.

The quality of the general flathead fishery and the socio-economic benefits will also be reviewed as part of this initiative.

The Basin and Tuross trophy fisheries have been operating for more than a year, with over 90 fish to 96cm tagged by local tagging teams as well as many fish documented in the angler diary program.

ENVIRONMENT:

ISSUES AROUND ACCESS Access for anglers is one of the most contentious issues that we write about here at Fisho. Support marine protected areas with no-take zones and you cop a whack from the “inalienable right to fish anywhere” brigade. ● By John Newbery

CIGUATERA POISONING UPDATE

The ciguatera toxin is found in particular sportfish that have preyed on smaller herbivorous fish containing the toxin. It’s odourless and tasteless and can cause severe illness and even death if the fish are eaten. Survivors can suffer new attacks of the illness if they consume alcohol, so it’s something definitely to be avoided. It has occurred in Queensland, the Northern Territory and New South Wales. Traditionally, anglers have been advised not to keep red bass or chinamen fish of any size, or particularly large coral trout or Spanish mackerel. A recent FRDC study (report 2014-035) aimed to determine whether there really was a relationship between size and weight of Spanish mackerel caught in NSW and presence of the toxin. In short, no apparent relationship was observed, which presumably means the risk is no greater in large fish than in small, at least in NSW. In some areas of Queensland, no Spanish mackerel can be retained for public consumption due to the locality-based risk of toxin presence. ● By John Newbery

EN DLE S S

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SNIPPETS

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QUEENSLAND ANGLER TAGS 10,000 BASS

REHAB WORKS FOR MACQUARIE RIVER Fish habitat along the Macquarie Rver in NSW will soon be enhanced and rehabilitated.

THE Sofala Branch of the Central Acclimatisation Society (CAS) has been awarded a Habitat Action Grant by the Department of Primary Industries (Fisheries) to enhance and rehabilitate degraded recreational fish habitat along the Macquarie River, through a project entitled “Recovery of the Mac”. Funding and assistance for the project is provided from the Freshwater Fishing Trust via the sale of Recreational Fishing Licences, Central Tablelands Local Land Services, Central West Councils Environment and Waterways Alliance, Bathurst Regional Council, and Oz Fish Unlimited.

The project will include modification to

existing waters, installing strategically placed large rocks in sections of the Macquarie River to create fish habitat to benefit native fish species and removal of invasive plants. Works will be followed up by planting native trees that provide far superior habitat for native fish.

Fish passage is currently blocked by two rock weirs that are located within the river adjacent to the Macquarie River Bicentennial Park in Bathurst. As part of the grant funded project, fish passage improvements will be undertaken by removing selected rocks from a small section (approximately 2m wide) from the centre of each existing rock weir structure.

These removed rocks will then be placed on the riverbank adjacent to the weirs to reinforce these areas.

ACCORDING to an article on the Suntag Facebook page, Barry Oxford has just tagged his 10,000th bass and becomes the first tagger to achieve that for a single species. Barry decided to reach the milestone by fishing in Lake Wivenhoe where he tagged his first bass way back in 1999.

Just think if Barry tagged five bass per day then he would have spent the equivalent of fishing every day for 5.5 years to reach that goal. Now that's an achievement that is not expected to be topped in a hurry. ●

MANINGRIDA CAMPAIGN Maningrida in East Arnhem Land is a famous destination for barra anglers and offers spectacular action on the right tides. The area’s traditional owners are now campaigning to ban commercial fishing in their waterways to help protect local fish stocks. They claim commercial fishing has dramatically decreased their catch rates, especially for barra, and want to apply the High Court’s 2008 Blue Mud Bay decision to their area, which would give them exclusive native title rights to their inshore coastal waters.

WIN!

On the Tiwi Islands, the court decision was used to restrict access to northern rivers and bays to locals and guests at Tiwi Island Adventures lodges, but Darwin anglers can still fish southern areas if they pay a nominal permit fee.

The Maningrida claim is not supported by the Northern Land Council, which still supports free access to Aboriginalowned waterways as it considers implementing the decision is complex. ● By John Newbery

Fishing World and Berkley announces a new competition. To be in the draw, simply head over to our Facebook page and enter our Berkley Fireline Photo of the Month competition.

Winners will be announced on Facebook and in print each month. Good luck!

NEW PRODUCTS

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WHAT’S

NEW Fisho highlights the latest tackle, gear and accessories.

SAKU STICKDOG

SAKU announces the release of the all new Saku Stickdog.

The floating Stickdog sits on the surface awaiting your rip or twitch. Alternatively, sweep the stickbait towards you and watch its action as it darts just centimetres below the water’s surface.

The sinking Stickdog model is good in both calm and rough conditions and may well attract the attention of predators sitting on the reef’s edge.

When using both models, an erratic motion mixed with the flash of colours are sure to entice aggressive species including GTs, tuna, kingfish and mackerel, to name a few.

Available in 160mm or 180mm, the Stickdog comes with a one piece stainless welded wire and 5X saltwater grade treble hooks. It also comes in six fish-catching colours: white red head, pink foil, pink purple head, black and gold, pilchard and white ghost.

More info at sakufishing.com.

SAMURAI’S EXPANDED TRAVELING CRUISERS

INTRODUCING Samurai’s new Traveling Cruisers. They are three-piece 5’9” travel rods and available in two weight ranges in both spin and casting configurations.

According to the manufacturer, these are shorter rods for pinpoint accuracy; perfect for tight country, skinny creeks, mangroves and overgrown river spots.

Cruisers come in a tough travel case designed to fit into your luggage and be thrown about the ute with no worries. The travel package includes a spare tip, so if you’re unlucky enough to snap your first while trekking, there’s another in the tube to get you back in the game.

More info at frogleysoffshore.com.au.

ROVEX ENDURES

THE new Rovex Endurance spin range offers no-nonsense reels constructed for reliable performance.

The graphite body, graphite rotor and aluminium spool provide strength with a lightweight touch, while the stainless main shaft and brass pinion gear add extra durability. Featuring three ball bearings, an easy fold alloy handle and an infinite anti-reverse bearing, these functional details enhance the fishing experience.

The Rovex Endurance is available in four spin and two baitfeeder models.

The Endurance 2000 and Endurance 4000 spin reels have a gear ratio of 5.2:1 and line capacities of 10lb/225yd and 15lb/240yd respectively. The Endurance 6000 and Endurance 8000 spin reels have a gear ratio of 4.1:1 and line capacities of 20lb/285yd and 25lb/320yd.

More info at rovex.com.au.

QXFWAPEXINTRO001

More room, more features, more stability.

More of everything for a great day on the water... all thanks to our revolutionary Apex Hull.

7KH UDGLFDO YDULDEOH µDUHG ERWWRP VKHHW extends to the bow gunnel as does the wide FKLQH 7KDW PHDQV PRUH LQWHUQDO VSDFH DQG storage, which lets us build new consoles, casting SODWIRUPV EXQNV XSKROVWHU\ DQG WUDQVRPV

GHSHQGLQJ RQ WKH PRGHO :H­YH DOVR DGGHG thicker and higher topsides and raised the deck, IRU PRUH IUHHERDUG :LWK WKH QHZ $SH[ +XOO \RX JHW PRUH RI WKH JRRG WKLQJV OLNH D VRIWHU ULGH DQG URRP WR PRYH Expect nothing less IURP RXU QHZ 4XLQWUH[ Apex Hull.

*Size and features comparison made with 2016 Quintrex models.

NEW PRODUCTS

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BREATHE EASY

BFG’s new Super Breathe range of shirts have lightweight moisture wicking body panels with large “super breathe” mesh inserts that combine to make a cool, sun protective outdoor garment.

According to the manufacturer, the micromesh body panels are rated UPF 30 whilst the super breathe inserts are soft to feel with large diameter holes that increase airflow around the body, thereby cooling the wearer more effectively. The super breathe panels are sewn to the sun protective bodies using a “flat stitch” that enhances the soft, lightweight properties of the new range.

The new range is available in sizes from X-Small through to 5X-Large and retail for $49.95.

More info at bigfishgear.com.

STAY SHARP

THE compact and versatile Spartan PS is available in two versions – with either black or white cellidor scales. Enjoy the captivating look of these skillfully crafted tools combined with the famous quality of Victorinox pocket tools.

The two blades, which are ground to a sharp and precise edge in the factory, should prove ideal for all those tasks in daily life when you really need a keen blade. It also offers a bottle opener and can opener with integral screwdrivers, a corkscrew and a reamer, punch and sewing awl, plus more useful tools to help you get through the pitfalls that a day on the water throws at you.

The Spartan PS Swiss Army Knife has a RRP $169 and is now available in Australia.

More info at victorinox.com.

THE STAGE IS SET

ABU Garcia introduces the next generation of sleek design and high performance rods with its new Salty Stage KRX Light Casting series.

Featuring high modulus carbon blanks and our RZC and HEXA systems, the rods, according to Abu Garcia, deliver powerful ultralight blanks with higher break strengths and improved impact and fracture resistance.

Salty Stage KRX Light Casting performance isn’t only in the blank construction. Fuji SiC guides feature across the range with KR, KLH & KLM high frames used throughout.

The nine model range consists of three baitcast and six spin rods.

More info at abugarcia-fishing.com.au.

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BERKLEY POWERBAIT DROPSHOT MINNOW

REVIEW PFLUEGER TRION TRANSCENDENT 5'10" BAITCASTER ROD I RECENTLY needed to purchase a baitcasting travel rod that would be used for lure casting, mainly targeting barra.

Researching travel rods the one that jumped out at me was the Pflueger Transcendent 5’10” baitcasting model.

The ingenious feature of these rods is that they are are a three-piece design that comes with five pieces; two interchangeable mid and tip sections mean you can make four different action rods from differing combinations of the butt, mid and tip sections.

You get moderate-fast and fast mid sections along with a medium-light and medium tip.

Features • Made on a HM-45 high modulus blank • Fuji K guides • Fuji reel seat • Hybra-cork grips • Australian and New Zealand specific actions • Multitone chameleon paint finish This rod is the only baitcasting rod in the range, but in spin rods there are four models from the 1-3 kg range through to 5-10 kg.

The baitcaster model is marked as Native Specialist 5-10 kg; very apt!

I bought two of these and took them to the Kimberley for a week’s fishing. While we didn’t catch any barra, we did catch golden snapper, estuary cod, mangrove jack, trevally and some hard pulling mack tuna, along with other species.

Everyone who used these rods over the week’s fishing was impressed with the ease of casting and performance of these rods. Changing the configurations of tips and mid sections made it easy to adjust to flicking plastics or larger lures.

The rod comes in its own sturdy tube in five pieces and fits easily in your travel luggage.

This rod would be an excellent backpack rod for those hiking into those remote cod-filled gorges, with the ability to handle the average cod size lures. I can highly recommend it!

More info at pflueger.com.au

By Ken Smith

BERKLEY introduces the new Powerbait DropshotShad. Its translucency, married with the inner mylar foil give it the appearance of a real live baitfish. 3D eyes, translucent colours and micro sparkles complete this realistic morsel.

Available in 2-inch and 3-inch sizes and six colours the Dropshot Minnow is perfect for clear water “match the hatch” applications.

The Dropshot Minnow benefits from Berkley’s legendary Powerbait scent infused into every bait.

RRP $9.99 More info at Berkley-fishing.com.au

SAMAKI’S FLATTY SHIRT

THE Samaki Dusky Flathead fishing shirt features a big dusky flathead opening her mouth to inhale a plastic.

The lightweight fabric of the shirt is perfect for those who love the outdoors, protecting you from the harsh rays of the sun with UV50+ resistant technology. Meanwhile, according to the manufacturer, the soft touch 100 per cent polyester material is comfortable on the body and has the added feature of being breathable, keeping you cool and dry.

Dusky Flathead shirts are available in adult, youth and kids’ sizes, from size 2 through to 3XL, allowing the whole family to get in on the action.

The shirts have a RRP $59.95 in adults and RRP $49.95 in youth and kids.

More info at samaki.com.au

NEW PRODUCTS

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TANGO SHAD NEW COLOURS

THE popular and successful Zerek Tango Shad has had five new colours added to its 50mm, floating range.

These five colours are all UV active – some with a lot of UV and others with smaller UV highlights. Each colour has been chosen for its effectiveness in different water colours and thorough testing has ensured these colours are fish producers.

See the gallery (right) for the five new colours, which are: • A (Albino) – a primarily white lure with UV coloured pink and green dots; • G (So Much) – a black lure with UV pink tiger stripes and head; • HD (Horn Dog – a bright UV pink lure with UV green dots and white dots; • MD (Moon Dog) – A black lure with UV pink and green dots; • SCD (Scum Dog) – A UV Green with UV pink dots and black dots.

The new colours are available now and they are already producing fish such as flathead, bream, estuary perch, trout and redfin.

More info at wilsonfishing.com

PROTECT WITH PELICAN

PELICAN Products Australia releases a new range of iPhone cases to keep the latest generation of devices safe from accidental damage or breakages.

Unique for the new Apple smartphone, Pelican adds “Adventurer” and “Voyager” to its extensive collection of phone protection, which bring with them both military grade protective technology claimed to far surpass the market, as well as modern design and functionality.

The Adventurer offers a low-profile slimline design, but with the same invincibility that Pelican has become globally recognised for.

Combining force impact technology on the exterior with a soft inner layer to absorb drop energy, the Adventurer is the perfect phone case to offer both everyday and off-thebeaten-path protection.

The Voyager offers military grade guardtechnology, so is designed to withstand multiple drops. Boosting a scratch-resistant screen protector and an easy to use holster with swivelling belt clip.

More info at pelicanstore.com.au

MEGA LITE

FIN-NOR busts out the new Fin-Nor Mega Lite Rod range. Designed to combine seamlessly with Fin-Nor Mega Lite Reels, these rods complete an impressive rod and reel combination.

The blend of quality guides, a graphite composite blank and an inserted solid tip delivers an advanced fishing rod that packs plenty of power, responsiveness and durability. The Fin-Nor Mega Lite rods also include large EVA grips that allow anglers to grab tight and lean hard on the toughest fish in the sea.

The Fin-Nor Mega Lite rod range includes 6’ 4-7kg, 6’6” 5-8kg and 7’ 5-10kg Boat models, as well as a 12’ 6-12kg Surf model. All rods in the range incorporate two- piece construction for easier transport and storage and the black and red trims and classy components add a sophisticated and modern touch to the designs.

More info at finnorfishing.com.au

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MEET THE NEW The world’s easiest fishfinder. HOOK2 removes the guesswork so you can make the most of your time on the water. Find more fish with hands-off reliability of auto-tune sonar and the widest CHIRP coverage of today’s fishfinders. Get HOOK2 3-IN-1 sonar with CHIRP, SideScan and DownScan Imaging in a size that will fit you. Return to that favourite fishing spot or find a new one using detailed built-in charts from C-MAP. HOOK2 - easy to install, easy to use and easy on the wallet.

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NEW PRODUCTS

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NEW BOOK "THE CATCH"

Dr Anna Clark is an Australian Research Council Future Fellow and Co-Director of the Australian Centre for Public History at the University of Technology Sydney.

In her new book, The Catch The Story of Fishing in Australia, the author and keen fisho celebrates the enduring pleasure of fishing. Clark provides a unique insight into its history, from the first known accounts of Indigenous fishing and early European encounters with Australia’s waters, to the latest fishing trends; from the introduction of trout and fly-fishing to the challenges of balancing needs of commercial and recreational fishers. Readers learn fascinating stories, such as: • The innovative ways Indigenous women did line fishing; • The challenges faced by the colonial fishing industry to sell fish before they spoiled; • How fishing for trout in Tasmanian rivers evolved once the trout became uninterested in artificial flies.

As the only illustrated general history of Australian fishing, The Catch provides a captivating insight into the history of one of Australia’s favourite pastimes.

Available through NLA Publishing for $39.99.

SPIN WITH SOL

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406 MHz

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COMBINING Daiwa’s blank design with unmatched value the new TD Sol series employs Nanoplus, meaning it’s lighter but stronger than ever before. To match the range’s new found strength and agility, Fuji guides have been installed to keep things in line.

The new range, according to Daiwa, was designed to be great value for money without compromising on quality. MSRP from $159.

More info at daiwafishing.com.au

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NEW PRODUCTS

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GERBER FISHING RANGE

GERBER recently debuted a collection of new fishing products. The good news is the range will soon be available in Australia at selected Anaconda stores.

The new collection features 12 multi-functional tools that are, according to the manufacturer, painstakingly designed and tested.

One product in the range is the Magnipliers 7.5” pliers. The durable, hot-forged Magnipliers feature an ergonomic trigger grip which is offset to keep line of sight in tight places, while the finger choil offers maximum control.

The thumb lock and ambidextrous tether points ensure safe stowage and transport while on the move.

Stay tuned for a full review of the Gerber range in an upcoming edition of Fisho.

More info at gerbergear.com

ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN 1 OF 2 PREMIUM FISHING HOLIDAYS + LOTS MORE PRIZES* ENTRY IS FREE! COMPETITION RUNS OCT ‘17 - FEB ‘18 WWW.MILLIONDOLLARFISH.COM.AU

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NEW RELE L ASE Sava vag ge e 615 1 Blu lue ew wat ate er r

Fish like a king After nearly 120 years of building Aussie fishing boats, we’ve created the ultimate off shore fishing machine: The Savage 615 Blue Water. It’s an affordable boat you can option up to suit your needs. The base comes with 5mm bottomsides, 3mm topsides, and a 160 litre fuel tank as standard – with the ultra lift hull, hydraulic steering and 200hp rating, the Bluewater is a breeze to drive: getting you out and back, safe and sound. But it’s the options you’ll love – the live bait tank/cutting board combo, the underfloor kill tank, the drum winch, and an aluminium rocket launcher for even more rod storage – it’s the ultimate offshore fishing machine you can afford.

Talk to your closest Savage dealer now.

Find your nearest dealer at savageboats.com.au SAVKING001

SPECIES GUIDE: NSW MANGROVE JACKS

JACK LIVES HERE NSW jacks have a reputation for being tough and unforgiving on inferior tackle.

By Dave Rae

RIGHT: Check out the fangs on this bad boy.

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SPECIES GUIDE: NSW MANGROVE JACKS

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fishingworld.com.au | January 2018 | 37

J

acks are my poison through and through.

They appeal from every level, be it the bullat-a-gate hit, the violence of the fight and even the way their eyes follow you, as if they’re planning to attack while being unhooked and released. That said, jack fishing in waters in their southern range is never easy. Yet each year, as the days warm and water temps begin to rise with the coming of summer, my attention swings towards these, the most shockingly brutal of all our estuary species. Success comes with a one-eyed commitment and the ability to click into an automatic “pump-wind-pump-again” retrieve, irrespective of whether or not you fear for your rod!

Recently, in order to bolster the brood stock of Southern Cross University’s mangrove jack research program, my supervising professor offered to pay me to catch new brood stock.

Even though it was a job from heaven (what fisherman wouldn’t like to get paid to go jack fishing), I had to point out he was dreaming if he thought I could reliably secure six or more jacks of the size he wanted (55-60+ cm). There’s no question that schools of these larger fish are out there as we encounter them each season, but usually the encounter is short-lived because in the places we fish, they are almost impossible to land.

The 2016/17 summer season was a cracker; plenty of fish landed with some epic wipeouts with cut lines, trebles ripped from quality lures and lures that have just disappeared. But only one fish over the magic 50 cm mark.

I think the most memorable was at the hands of a genuine horse that would have eclipsed my current PB of 57cm. The reason I know this is because I saw it clearly. It was one of those “oh so close” to perfect casts. Just a whisker too long.

I’d fished this snag each time I fished the area, and although it looked very, very “jacky”, I didn’t have any enquiries on either a soft plastic or hard-bodied lure. The set up was “el numerouno” as far as ambush sites went; two logs that had laid down from higher up the bank entered the water 30cm apart, disappearing into the murky water at a steep angle. On the morning in question, the surface of the water between the logs erupted in a noisy surface hit, with the audible snap of a jack’s jaws. I covered the 30m between myself and the snag quickly and fired in a cast as soon as I was in range. It looked like a money cast until the last, bouncing over the nearest log and into the gap; it was one of those casts that you don’t want to draw a strike off because there’s not much chance of dragging a fish clear. And you guessed it, that jack was ready and waiting. The surface erupted again as I tried to flick the lure back across the log, and so I leaned back and pulled. The 50lb leader held up as the fish slid right back over the log, hence I saw how bloody big it was! Then the miracle that all jack anglers dream about happened: the fish bolted to the middle of the river and I was still hooting “YES” when the line sliced through

ABOVE: Jacks love heavy timber structure.

LEFT: A landbased fish on a lightly weighted plastic.

OPPOSITE: Dave was paid to catch big jacks, then paid again to write this story!

the water, came up tight and the leader snapped like a gunshot! Monster jack 1, me 0!

I continued casting lightly weighted plastics around the timber and rock bars and whilst I didn’t hook another thumper on a lure, there were plenty of 35-45cm fish to keep me happy.

With the catch/effort coefficient being well on the low side, as is typical, every lure-caught jack is a good jack.

WHEN AND WHERE

Success multiplies when anglers get this one right, and getting it right involves an appreciation of three distinct factors, the first of which is water temperature. Whilst jacks can survive in water as low as 15° C, they are pretty much shut down in an almost catatonic state. To become active again

they need to warm up and to become the feeding and fighting machines that typify mangrove jack as a prime recreational species – water of 22° C is the gateway. So, late spring or early summer are reliable times to commence jack fishing, although cold water currents still shut them down. In my experience, the big Christmas tides signify the start of peak season.

Secondly, the moon has a big effect on mangrove jacks, which become increasingly active with differing moon phases, for differing reasons.

The new moon is a good time because prawns run to the ocean during the dark nights, and jacks love prawns. They are a very mobile species and tend to get up and travel with bigger tidal flows, meaning new moon morning and full moon evening tides.

SPECIES GUIDE: NSW MANGROVE JACKS

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Jacks are on average larger in NSW and here is proof; Lures like plastics work well to locate fish; A smallish jack for these parts.

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Tides play a vital role as well, because not only do jacks step up their feeding over slack water, they congregate in different areas at different stages of the tide. Simply put, jacks move into the shallows during high tide periods under cover of darkness (prawns again), where they’ll take surface lures readily as well as live prawns and pink nippers. Light lines get more bites and patience and stealth pays dividends.

When the tide is low, you’ll find them in deeper sections of a river, particularly in deep rocky holes and around submerged timber. Take note though, not all snags are jack snags. When the timber decays at the surface, they don’t hold fish. Take the time to check out what’s below the water’s surface before fishing a snag.

Obviously, you won’t catch a jack unless there’s a jack to be caught, so the trick is to know where to look. The sub-tropics are the focus of this feature, but in reality, you can’t travel too far north, but I’d put the southern limit of reliable mangrove jack fishing at Coffs Harbour on the north coast of NSW. Structure is the key when targeting mangrove

“Tides play a vital role as well, because not only do jacks step up their feeding over slack water, they congregate in different areas at different stages of the tide.”

jacks. They prefer shaded, complex structure that allows them to pack in tight, often in small schools. In creeks and brackish estuary zones, this means submerged timber and broken rock, and you can add bridge and jetty pylons and rock walls in more general estuary areas. In the past, I’ve found jacks in a pile of car bodies and concrete pipes that had been pushed into the river, and at another, where a dead cow was snagged up in a pile of logs … hard to get out but plenty of hookups!

The salt/brackish transition zones have long been recognised as jack country. These are the sinister reaches of an estuary; 99 per cent of the time, everything is peaceful and quiet … until, without warning, all hell breaks loose. There’s minimal boat traffic and plenty of wildlife moving through the leaf litter and branches of the trees and scrub growing on the banks. Mangrove trees are rare, replaced by she-oaks and eucalypts.

The clear inviting waters of river mouths don’t reach this far up, water moves slower and it’s a murky “bull shark” green, not the place for a dip!

THE HOW

Put simply, the universal technique is to get a bite, hook your jack and then pull like your life depended on it. That said, there is an important distinction between the southern fishery and that of the tropics, in that the abundance of jacks in southern waters is far lower than up north, which translates to more reliable fishing is to be had with live bait than with lures when fishing southern waters. If you know for certain where the jacks are holding up, then fishing the spot with bait is the most likely way of hooking up. However, the tide turns in favour of lure fishing when you’re trying to find a jack because a slow drift is perfect for peppering an area with a lure. Lure fishing enables an angler to fish a much wider area than does bait.

SPECIES GUIDE: NSW MANGROVE JACKS

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Spin reels are the go for live baiting because they allow for gentler, bait-friendly casts. I fish heavier with live bait than I do with lures – a Daiwa 4500 Saltiga filled with 50-60 lb braid on a PE 6 jig rod, with a 60lb FC trace and a strong 4/0 Octopus-style hook. I use a foam bobby cork float usually reserved for rock fishing, set at a mid-water depth and add a chemical glow stick if I’m out at night; and I never let go of the rod!

Near miss for this livie!

LURES

No matter how you fish, you’ll need to decide whether you want to get the maximum number of hits at the expense of landing the big ones or if it’s a trophy fish that floats your boat.

Personally, I think that targeting jacks on light gear is irresponsible. Lines of 7-10 kg are minimalistic on decent fish and sub standard on bigger ones.

As far as luring tackle goes I use a rod-length of 40–50lb fluorocarbon on a 30-40lb braid mainline. And I use both spin and baitcast

outfits, reserving the spin for scenarios that benefit from a longer cast, although shorter casts allow you to limit the sideways movement of a hooked fish, which is important if there’s structure out on the flanks. I prefer to throw lures on a baitcast reel because I think they result in a greater feel between the angler and the lure or fish. My outfit consists of a Daiwa Zillion teamed with either a 4-9 kg Cranky or 9-12 kg Beefstik rod, both being mid-priced Daiwa Generation Black rods.

Without doubt, my favourite lure for creek fishing is a 4" soft plastic rigged on a 1/8th oz. worm hook, rigged weedless. I’ve had good results with red TT Lures Swimmerz, although my jack buddy swears on brown, but irrespective of colour, weedless rigs greatly reduce the incidence of snagging, but they do tempt you to cast too close to snags … be warned!

Shallow diving hardbodies remain the go-to lure for many, with Gold Bombers and Rapala X-Raps being perennial favourites for those anglers I knock around with.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the appeal of mangrove jack fishing in the sub-tropics; you’ll never land all the fish hooked, but it’s heaps of fun trying and there’s always the chance of fluking a monster! ●

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SPECIES GUIDE: KINGFISH

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fishingworld.com.au | January 2018 | 43

PEAK HOUR KINGS

Nothing gets the heart pounding more than a big king, and as Zac explains, catching them close to home is possible.

By Zac Panaretos

LEFT: Kingfish are tough opponents.

SPECIES GUIDE: KINGFISH

S

ydney’s offshore and inshore kingy fishery has improved out of sight over the past few years.

One reason is many recreational fishos are becoming aware of the impact they have on their local fishery. Anglers are making a conscious effort to ensure fish get the opportunity to breed and maintain population numbers. It’s understandable to bring a feed of fish home to the family, but unnecessary to fill the freezer.

Another reason for the resurgence in kingfish numbers is back in 2006 a hefty fleet of prawn trawlers were recalled from fishing, alongside all other forms of commercial fishing in Sydney Harbour. The food chain reacted accordingly with primary consumer species such as prawns allowed to make a huge comeback, while other predators in Sydney harbour and surrounding waters followed suit. Now after 10 years since the decision we can observe and enjoy its positive effect on the environment. With the government and local community both rallying for change, CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: Areas of heavy fishing pressure require a different approach for better results; A Sydney king caught close to shore; Kingfish go wild over a presently presented squid; Tackle and technique must be up to scratch for consistent results on big fish.

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fishingworld.com.au | January 2018

perhaps one day Sydney will be regarded as a world-class fishery.

So we now know the aquatic life has made a comeback, but that has not made the fishing any easier. Sydney’s fish have adapted to be wary of baits and lures. In order to be successful it’s essential to ensure that all the “one percenters” are not ignored.

ONE BIG KING!

The following story details a particular day's fishing out of Sydney and how Rick Fairbrother and myself caught a fish-of-a-lifetime using simple techniques from his trailer boat, Cassbar.

Our success came down largely to beating the crowds. Peaceful mid-week sessions are not always achievable and on this Sunday morning instead of nursing a hangover in bed, we woke particularly early, around 4am, to load the trailer and be down at Rose Bay for a quick launch. Sunrise was around 5.30 am which gave us roughly an hour to

collect our live baits, and be the first boat on the kingfish grounds before the morning traffic shut down the wary fish.

BAIT

Ask any seasoned angler about kingfish and they’ll be sure to answer that without fresh live squid, you’re at a big disadvantage. We spent almost an hour catching squid, hitting as many weed beds, rocky outcrops and jetties as possible.

I’ve found the size of squid jigs rarely concern the aggressive natured cephlapods and smaller specimens will still latch on to large lures, at least where we fish. However, the sink rate plays a significant role when selecting your jig. In deep water you can afford to use fast sinking jigs which will not be as appropriate on shallow ground. Squid usually eat the jigs on the drop which you need to maximise in the strike zone as long as possible. Another method that we swear by, which may also be considered cheating, is using paternoster rigs with several squid jigs attached to a snapper lead. Fishing the bottom in deep water is now accessible. A practice we will always use when collecting our live slimy mackerel and yakka at the renowned Sydney artificial reef (30m) or “shipwreck” (40m) off Sydney heads.

The time was approaching 5.30am and we were heading to our designated kingfish country with a full complement of lollypop sized slimy mackerel, yellowtail, pilchards, arrow squid and green eye squid. Things were looking pretty good, particularly when there were still no other boats in sight.

We were headed to a section of reef that extends several hundred metres past Long Reef. It gets between 25 to 35 metres in depth with numerous ledges, walls and holes for fish to congregate.

It was time to get organised. Even though it’s tempting to slow troll two lines with squid, we know that mixing the baits up can be vital as

fishingworld.com.au | January 2018 | 45

kingfish feeding habits seem to chop and change like the weather. We decided to go with our largest green eyed squid to put on the downrigger.

The downrigger was set to about 22 metres so that it didn’t become our anchor, but kept our green eye squid within the strike zone. One of the pencil slimy mackerel would run below the surface using a 12 ounce snapper lead tied to the top of the leader on a breakaway system using a rubber band.

The rubber band will snap with a bite so there’s no downward pressure on the hook during a fight that could dislodge it.

TACKLE

Let’s talk tackle. Samurai fishing rods are a major part of my arsenal. On the downrigger we use the XTRACTA popping rod rated to 100lb and on our sub-surface bait we use the same but in the 80lb model. The heavier rod goes on the downrigger to help with extra pulling power to get fish off the bottom; this theme is apparent

when comparing other aspects of the gear.

We were using two Daiwa reels: a 6500 Saltiga for the Downrigger with 113lb Delux jigging braid from Unitika, and a 6500 Saltist with 80lb Unitika for the slimy. 80lb Unitika fluorocarbon is connected to the braid using an FG knot. We used two rod lengths of fluorocarbon, enabling us to attach the downrigger and our breakaway rig with enough distance away from the live bait to not distract the kings. We snelled Gamakatsu live bait hooks in 9/0 for the top of the hood of the squid and a 7/0 to be pinned just above the head. The slimy was particularly small so we used a single 6/0 Gamakatsu live bait hook pinned to its nose.

The baits went in and we started doing laps up and down the reef with the boat just in gear to minimise turbulence and keep the baits moving across new territory. Half an hour passed and we had done several laps of the reef with not a single sounding on our Simrad display monitor. Other

boats had now chimed in. Rick wasn’t feeling too well, admitting that he'd had a few more red wines than he would have liked the previous night! It looked like we had to try a new spot.

Another boat using the same techniques as us approached our port side within metres of our transom. Rick had his head over the side between us and the other boat examining last night’s dinner.

Just then the live bait slimy went off … bang!

You could hear the band snap and the drag peel.

I brought the boat up to a speed of about 10 knots to nose the fish away from the perilous bottom.

Impressively, Rick had already wiped his face clean and was buckled over. The first run was over; how did we not get reefed? There was more than five times the depth in line out with 15 kilos of drag; this was a serious fish. Through the commotion, I cleared the downrigger and deck while managing to catch a glimpse of the faces on the boat that, thankfully kept its distance, and for once we we’re the boat that was hooked up right next to another.

SPECIES GUIDE: KINGFISH

ABOVE: This big king took a live squid sent down on a downrigger.

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This fish was still taking regular 20 metre runs and the ground was starting to rise again as we moved towards the coast. It might seem bad, however, it was much more important to maintain the forward motion of the boat. If you stop or turn the boat around to head back out to sea it gives the fish a chance to head for the reef without the forward tension. Slowly positioning the boat out to sea with discrete anticlockwise movements of the steering wheel, and we were back on track.

Rick was completely spent after 25 minutes of fighting with high drag pressure. Using his body weight, which wasn’t very much, he was leaning right back to an almost seated position to encourage his opponent to give in. It worked and the fish had come right up to within a few metres of the boat where it was ready to board the vessel.

We’ve previously caught many kingfish using this method. Nonetheless, we both knew this fish would be hard to beat in terms of size, especially out of Sydney. It was hugs all round and given the condition of this fish, after such a prolonged battle, it was coming home with us to feed a few families. Measuring 128cm to the fork and over 145cm to the tail and tipping the 20kg scales over, it was a prize kingfish caught off Sydney.

CONCLUSION

What can we owe our success to? Was it good preparation? Yes. Time on the ocean? Maybe.

Luck? Of course. No one else that day caught fish and it could have easily been the boat next door, but, fortunately, it was our time to shine.

We also had success because we applied a few important principles for fishing off Sydney on what’s usually a hectic day. We fish as light as possible with fluorocarbon to minimise the risk of spooking fish. We use Unitika for our leaders because it produces enough variety for fishing out of Sydney and is tough against abrasion with great knot strength (if you can tie dependable knots).

Also, in every scenario we use quality terminal tackle. There’s no need to go further than Gamakatsu; I am yet to hear a poor criticism of its products.

As well as the above tackle and terminals owing to our success, an early start, the correct bait and fish fighting knowledge are key components of catching big fish off Sydney.

Big kingfish do exist around populated areas.

Understanding the techniques, tackle and getting up early will bring success. Get out there and try it yourself! ●

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fishingworld.com.au | January 2018

LOST FISH POST MORTEMS

Losing fish is tough, but it does provide an opportunity to learn from your mistakes and re-rig with optimism.

IMAGES: SCOTT THOMAS

By David Green

ABOVE: Always check line and leader for damage to avoid further break-offs.

TOP: Losing fish presents an opportunity to check tackle.

The reel screams, and a beast of monumental proportions tears off a heap of line. You settle into the fight, are going well, and then the line breaks, or the hook pulls. It's one of the most miserable moments in fishing. Some of us have a monumental spray, others just lie down and whimper. But the next fish is the best fish, and you just have to re-rig and get that line back out there. However, every lost fish is an opportunity to learn, and for this reason it is important to go through the event in a meticulous fashion.

Unless the fish bricks you in a snag or busts you on structure, line breakage only occurs when the forces applied exceed the breaking strain of the line. The following check list is important.

Firstly, check the line. Some of the thinner modern braids are highly susceptible to getting damaged from backlashes, tangles, wind knots and rock. Even a small nick can greatly reduce the breaking strain. The smaller the diameter, the greater the risk. Nylon, as used in game fishing, can be susceptible to fray from crossed lines which can be a common problem when trolling. The older the line, the greater the risk.

Every time you have an unexplained bust off, check the line carefully, and if you are in doubt, use another outfit.

The next thing to check is the drag on the reel. If you set your drag on scales, it is important to remember that the drag on the scales on a “slow” pull is less than the drag the fish feels on a “fast” pull. The next important thing to realise is that the drag you use is all about the pressure it takes to turn the spool.

As the line load on the reel reduces, the spool goes faster and the actual drag pressure increases.

When a fish has a lot of line out, you need to reduce the drag rather than increase it. This particularly applies to marlin fishing or when chasing big fish on light tackle. Also, some bigger fish are so fast they can break the line purely through water pressure. This is another good reason to back of the drag when there is a lot of line in the water. Additionally, check the actual smoothness of the drag by pulling line off under load. Most modern reels have great drags, but one of the ironies of engineering is that some baitcasters, in fact nearly all drum style reels, are designed so you can’t get a good drag under

fishingworld.com.au | January 2018 | 49

heavy load! If the level wind is not in a constant relation to the line coming off the spool and is positioned close to the spool, the line forms an angle as it comes off the reel. Under heavy load, this can cause the line to bury and creates an uneven bumpy drag that is not fixable. If you're looking at how many kilos of drag you can fish, it's actually pretty irrelevant in these reels. Low profile reels are better in this regard as the level wind is further from the spool and this reduces the angle of the line as it comes off the spool.

After you have gone through your line and reel, check all your rod guides. Cracks are more common in guides than most anglers think, and a cotton bud is a useful tool to run around the inside of guide inserts looking for cracks. If the cotton bud leaves any fluff, there is a crack somewhere in the guide. The tip and top three guides are generally the ones most susceptible to cracking and breaking.

After you have checked your gear, go through all your knots. Where was the breakage point?

Doubles, FG knots and wind-on leaders need to

be checked. Make sure you have full confidence in all of your knots. I’ve seen plenty of lost fish caused by a slipped knot. The angler usually winds in the line and there is a little pig tail on the end of it. Most hide this, rapidly cut it off and pretend it didn’t happen. Others, like my mate Franco, show everyone and cry out for sympathy.

All the mulloway he loses are over 50 pounds and get away when the knot slips!

Have a good think about your fighting method.

Did you go too hard too early when the fish had all its energy reserves? That is a common problem for some. If you keep the hook in the fish and the line doesn’t break you will always catch the fish.

Too much pressure, especially when the fish is at maximum speed, pulls hooks and breaks lines.

The time to go harder is when the fish is tiring.

This particularly applies to marlin, wahoo, mulloway and barramundi. The key is to be smooth, patient and careful. Don’t change your rod angles, keep all your pumps smooth and even and avoid anything that causes sudden increases in pressure.

If the hook pulls, go through the potential reasons why this happened. Some fish are lost because they wreck the hook, particularly treble hooks. If you're fishing light line and small lures, the weakest point of your connection with the fish is the tenuous attachment of a very fine small hook to the fish’s lip. In these situations it pays to fight the fish with soft hands and light pressure and take your time. If you are patient, you can catch really big fish on quite small hooks. The next point to consider is the sharpness of the hook and the penetration and holding power of the hook. Was the hook used the ideal hook for the purpose? If you have any doubts at all, change the hook to something more suitable.

While all the fish that get away are painful memories to recall, it is important to realise that the learning opportunities these failed opportunities present are extremely valuable, and by careful analysis you shouldn’t repeat any errors made. Some fish will always get away, but if you can avoid any of the above errors, the numbers should be less. ●

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KNOTS & RIGS

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fishingworld.com.au | January 2018

THE GOLDEN POND

Fooling fussy golden perch requires a change of tactic with switched-on anglers going light and using the latest electronics to fool these popular natives.

With Mark Williams Timing is everything in fishing as it is in life. I’ve really enjoyed getting back into chasing our wonderful freshwater native sportfish this year. A couple of recent trips back to my old stomping grounds of Glenbawn Dam and Lake St Clair allowed me to reacquaint myself with an old freshwater favourite, the golden perch, more commonly known as yellowbelly. While the yellowbelly caught on those trips were bycatch while chasing Australian bass, it really whetted my appetite to go further afield and specifically target these wonderful freshwater sportfish.

I’m sure it’s no great surprise to keen freshwater fishos that my chosen destination was Lake Windamere, which is situated between the NSW rural towns of Mudgee and Rylstone. This stocked freshwater impoundment on the Cudgegong River has been renowned as one of our most consistent golden perch fisheries for over 20 years now. Techniques for targeting yellowbelly have changed massively since I first fished Lake Windamere around 20 years ago, so this month we’ll go through the lessons I learnt fishing with and talking to some of the leading freshwater anglers at Lake Windamere recently.

When I first fished Lake Windamere many years ago the most popular fishing techniques were casting deep diving hard bodies from shore and bobbing baits amongst the submerged timber throughout the waterway. Well-known local anglers such as Peter Hanrahan and Fisho regular Ken Smith were also doing well chasing golden perch on fly from the shoreline.

A thriving catch & release tournament scene is now firmly established around our prime yellowbelly fisheries such as Lake Windamere, Copeton Dam, Pindari Dam, Burrinjuck Dam and Keepit Dam. As has happened in the bream, Australian bass, dusky flathead and barra catch & release tournaments, the high level of intense competition has really accelerated the development of new techniques and strategies when targeting golden perch.

The yellowbelly we caught at Glenbawn and Lake St Clair were all taken on single tail soft plastics such as Samaki Forking Jerks, Slider Grubs and Keitech paddle tails. Ultra-light threadline outfits that were ideally suited to luring

bream were the go. The lightest fluorocarbon leaders we dared to fish produced the most bites, particularly when the fishing was tough due to a low barometer or cold water temperatures.

On my first trip to Windamere this season with Fisho editor Scott Thomas, his brother Mark, and Ken Smith, I found the conditions to be extremely challenging. However, while we were there experienced Windamere regulars such as Glen Stewart, Wayne Dubois and Col Robinson were still able to consistently get amongst the fish.

Windamere is a very weedy impoundment, which is one of the reasons that regulars I talked to gave credit for it being such a consistent yellowbelly fishery. However, the green stuff which the regulars derisively called “Windamere snot” sure makes using treble armed lures a challenge to say the least.

Consequently, all the experienced yellowbelly anglers I talked to were using blades or bibless vibe style lures rigged with assist hooks to minimise the impact of the snot fouling their hooks during a retrieve. Wayne Dubois and his good mate Col Robinson did well on their Insanity Tackle Slap

Walkers and Mini Vibes, while other anglers achieved good results on those ever reliable Ecogear ZX40 blades. All these lures were rigged with assist hooks to cope with the snotty conditions.

Soft plastics fished on single hook jig heads are also used extensively when chasing yellowbelly at Windamere and other stocked freshwater impoundments. Slow rolling single tail grubs such as the ubiquitous Berkley Gulp Minnow Grubs through standing timber is a proven technique.

This is one area of freshwater impoundment fishing where technology has made a significant impact.

Switched on anglers are really improving their results by using the latest side scanning fish finders such as the Lowrance HDS Carbon unit we were using on Fisho editor Scott Thomas’ new Bar Crusher to search for yellowbelly holding on submerged trees, laydown timber or shallow banks.

The traditional method of bobbing baits such as yabbies, worms or shrimp amongst standing timber is still very effective on yellowbelly, although I think that there have been a lot of converts away from bait to soft plastic lures such

fishingworld.com.au | January 2018 | 51

SOFT PLASTICS RIG Black Single tail grub Loop Knot

Fluorocarbon leader 3-6kg Weighted Jighead

as single tail grubs, particularly in colours such black or pumpkinseed, in recent years.

While there have been plenty of yellowbelly caught over the years on heavy lines and oversize cod lures there’s no doubt in my mind that fishing light will vastly improve your results over the long term. On our recent trip to Windamere the more experienced anglers were fishing 3kg fluorocarbon leaders to get bites in the cool water temperatures prevailing at the time. Fishing these light leaders can result in lost fish when structure fishing around submerged trees, but in tough conditions that’s just what you have to do to get a bite. The other piece of advice we received from the Windamere regulars when fishing blades and bibless rattlers was to employ slow retrieves comprising a series of small hops interspersed with long pauses to induce a bite when things are quiet.

Recommended fishing tactics included working lures around the edges of weed beds and over shallow banks into deeper water. Be sure to take note of the depths where any fish are encountered and concentrate your efforts in those depth zones.

There’s no doubt that a quality fish finder with CHIRP and SideScan capabilities is a massive advantage when impoundment yellowbelly fishing and I’m sure the tournament anglers never take their eyes off their sounder screens for a minute.

I’d like to thank Wayne Dubois, Col Robinson and Fisho’s Ken Smith for helping get me up to speed with the latest in yellowbelly fishing techniques. I really enjoyed getting back out to the bush again and chasing these iconic Australian native sportfish. I can’t wait to get back out there for another crack at them, especially now that the rising water temperatures have the fish on the chew, the timing is right. ● Technical editor Mark Williams is a highly experienced angler who writes regularly for Fisho.

*Recommended soft plastics are Berkley Gulp Minnow Grubs and Samaki Curlicious in black or pumpkinseed colours.

BOBBING RIG Running ball sinker

GSP braid main line Fluorocarbon leader

Hook size vary on the type and size of bait being used.

Shrimp Bait

ILLOS: CHIS PALATSIDES

GSP Braid main line

OPPOSITE: The author with a fine Glenbawn Dam yellowbelly taken on a Samaki Forking Jerk soft plastic.

LEFT: Getting a fish to the boat at Windamere.

ROD BUILDERS WORKSHOP

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fishingworld.com.au | January 2018

Tip: Fuji HGST 10/3.6

100 mm

Fuji HBSG 10

110 mm

ROCK ON

Fuji HBSG 10

115 mm

Fuji HBSG 10 125 mm Fuji HBSG 10

Tom creates a classic LBG workhorse with a modern spin for tackling big fish off the ledges.

140 mm Fuji HBSG 12 160 mm

THE style of this month’s rod needs little introduction; a type of rod that’s been around for decades, yet still maintains its relevance to anglers wishing to take on one of fishing’s greatest challenges.

Technology has elevated fishing tackle and rod components to a high level, allowing us to give an old-school rod design a modern twist.

In this instance, I’m making an Land Based Game (LBG) rod for fishing the 15kg line class. This is a great line class for novice and experienced anglers alike as it offers a blend of sporting lightness, practicality and power; capable of landing almost any fish you’re likely to hook from a rock ledge.

The blank is a Seeker CJB70, a carbon and E-glass blend. Originally designed as a tuna and kingfish boat blank for fishing the west coast of the US where they cast a livebait to schooling fish, it translates well to a landbased livebait-lobbing, high-leverage fish-fighting tool. Its fiberglass tip section has castable properties for lobbing a bait, and folds away nicely to effectively reduce the rod to a short stroker format. The newer resins used to bond the ‘glass and carbon also have improved the longevity of these blanks, preventing the twisting and delamination of the older favourites for this task. It’s also a very durable blank, and as the environment these rods are to be used in hasn’t changed for as long as anglers

SPECIFICATIONS Blank: Seeker CJB70 Gimbal: Fuji GC25G Rear Grip: EVA 10” x ¾” Reel Seat: Fuji DPSH 24 Foregrip: EVA Game 14” x 5/8” Tip: Fuji HGST 10/3.6 Guides: Fuji HBSG 25, 20, 16, 12, 10 x 4

have been LBG fishing, it’s still an imperative characteristic of the rod.

The butt assembly is comprised of an Fuji GC25G gimbal for abrasion resistance against sandstone and basalt, the rear grip in this instance is 10” long, as this provides a balance between castability and fighting comfort. The reel seat is a Fuji DPSH 24, which is a heavy duty graphite model that is light, non-corrosive and has ample strength for the job. This reel seat will accommodate a broad range of reel sizes. A 14” firm EVA foregrip then allows the angler to place his hands up high to maximise leverage when some power is needed. The entire butt assembly has been glued up with Threadmaster slow-cure gel epoxy.

For the guides I’ve chosen Fuji HBSG. Their frames, being stainless steel, offer lighter weight and better corrosion resistance than their earlier brass predecessors, and incorporate a deep pressed design where they meet the ring, offering greater surface area for a stronger bond between the Silicon Carbide insert and the frame. This means durability; a good thing for a rock rod. For high-performance, the silicon carbide insert is the best choice for the job as the material promptly dissipates heat away from the point of friction created by a stud gamefish leaving town.

Traditionally LBG rods have been made with a roller tip, but for this job I’ve used a Fuji HGST silicon tip in a size 10. The advantages of this are that the ring guide offers 360 degrees of low friction surface which is not injurious to the line when setting a bait or climbing rocky terrain to change positions with a fish on. It also offers low maintenance and a greater degree of knot clearance and castability, as well as a braid friendly design where this thinner line cannot slip down roller guide frames. This is more poignant now as more anglers are opting for braid backing on their LBG reels. You will note when loading this blank that is has a very buttery, fold-away tip, so there is no increased friction at this point.

I’d encourage any keen rod builders and LBG anglers to make a rod like this, with patience and love you will create a rod that has the heart and soul to tackle gamefish in fishing’s toughest arena. ●

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Foregrip: EVA Game 14” x 5/8”

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DESTINATIONS: MARY RIVER BASS

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MARY RIVER

BASS

Queensland's Mary River is a productive destination for chasing Aussie bass and a diverse list of fun by-catch species.

By Will Muskens

fishingworld.com.au | January 2018 | 55

Mary River bass love topwater presentations.

DESTINATIONS: MARY RIVER BASS

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MAIN: The Mary River has a good population of bass, along with some fun by-catch species such as saratoga and sooty grunter.

RIGHT: Measuring this healthy bass before a quick release.

BELOW: Landbased fishing is productive in this small water.

B

ASS fishing is what you make of it. It’s fickle, tough work at times, and from personal experience, it isn’t hard to find yourself in a frustrating bass pickle. But stumbling across that one snag in a tight stream that continues to produce fish is a rewarding experience and one reason I love this type of fishing.

For me, the Mary River was my lucky break in bass fishing. The Mary is about three hours north of Brisbane and meets the sea near Maryborough. It stretches 291 kilometres towards Borumba Dam. The salt ends at a large weir, and from then on in it’s just you and your target species in freshwater heaven.

It was only recently I discovered what excellent fishing the river has to offer. And when a small, accessible area first became available to me a few years ago I jumped at the opportunity and was instantly hooked with the river’s variety and beauty.

WHY FISH THE MARY?

You can expect to catch everything from bass, saratoga, sooty grunter, cod and even the dreaded catfish in the Mary.

Rivers below a stocked impoundment often flourish with species caught in the dam above.

And often the fish share similar behaviours to the ones swimming above. When you connect two major impoundments to a river system – Lake Borumba and Baroon Pocket – add an average high rainfall and you get a system full of angry bass.

Over the past 17 years, little Baroon Pocket alone has had 44,355 bass released into its waters, while Borumba has received 100,000 plus fingerlings over the past two years. The dams also hold lung fish, Mary River cod and saratoga.

The Mary offers variety and different styles of fishing tactics. On a recent day trip with dad, we used everything from topwater Jackall Pompadours to spinnerbaits. We also skip cast soft plastics under the overhanging branches of the she oaks and slow wound Mad Mullets. We even trolled deep divers in the middle of the system. All methods used resulted in some bent rods and happy faces. Best of all, a lot of these areas are only a short chug away from a fully functioning boat ramp.

LIKELY SPOTS

All freshwater sections of this vast system are teaming with bass and other species, so there aren’t too many areas out of reach from the keen fisho. The easiest way of finding a spot is to use Google Earth, or a map, and follow the river north while locating nearby towns. Areas like Tiaro offer an easy entry, exit and fish. And for those looking to go that extra mile, further west, farm land locations like Boompa and Imbil are ideal for kayak fishing, but may require permission from the land owner.

The banks along the system are littered with fish cover, and depending on the area, you can expect to see overhanging branches, fallen trees, lie down logs, lily pads and some pretty special looking rock bars. All of the above habitats house the target species in numbers and that’s where you should concentrate your efforts.

Bass love the shade; it’s why they live tight in the snags, deep in the weed beds and down in the depths. The harsh sunlight, however, is hard to escape. The easiest way to fish is

simply to hang on the side of the river that offers shade from the sun. The mornings will see bass in greater numbers on the eastern side of the river, hiding from the harsh early sun.

Try the shaded west side in the fading afternoon light.

From experience, certain stretches of water produce more fish than others. For this reason it’s important to notice the small signs and you’ll gradually develop a sense for sniffing out the productive spots in the Mary.

CRACK THE CODE

The phrase “cracking the code” is something we hear a lot, and for good reason. The only way to crack the code is, quite simply, to fish the area as much as possible.

Each mission we experienced has been entered into a diary. We listed the successes of the trips and the elements active on the day; the barometer, wind, temperature, weather, time and moon phase are the six contributing factors that really dictate your success on the

river. And all of these are easy to access thanks to technology.

Like all fishing, the days leading up, and days leading off the full moon has seen the most action in the Mary. The barometer has also had a big impact on our fishing experiences, and as the old bass fishing saying goes, “1020, the bass are a plenty”.

An early session last September saw the fish going gang-busters over our walk-the-dog lures, banking 15 bass in nearly two hours. However, by mid morning, the fishing had shut down. A quick glance at the barometer app explained the reason why. The pressure had been rising from 1010 to 1018 all morning, hence the good fishing, but took a steep drop back down below 1010 by 10 am. By keeping track on the weather it allows you to fish smarter, not harder.

ON THE DAY

Depending on your situation, pulling up at a good looking snag can be pretty exciting.

After an early wake up, a tiresome drive, and a

long, cold steam in the dawn hours to our favourite stretch, the first thing I want to do is put the electric down and start throwing surface lures.

Positioning the boat is key; assure that you are far away enough away from your casting point to avoid spooking the wary fish. Keep your boat or kayak positioned just within casting distance; any closer is too close.

Matching the above with some accurate casting is an equation that equals fish.

Making sure your lure is constantly in the strike zone will increase your chances of success. Granted, you may lose a few lures to the nearby shrubs, but your fish count will increase dramatically!

I’ve found a slow wind, just enough to get your lure going, will trigger a bite. The Bassman spinnerbaits are my go-to lure on the river.

Keeping the lure size down makes the bait an easy meal for any of the resident fish.

Fish with positivity, you never know what that the next cast could bring. If the fish just aren’t

DESTINATIONS: MARY RIVER BASS BELOW: Netting an average fish for a quick photo before release.

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“The salt ends at a large weir, and from then on in it’s just you and your target species in freshwater heaven.”

cooperating, switch it up and create your own luck. Make sure you bring a range of lures, because as I mentioned earlier on, you never know what species you’ll encounter next on this vast and fish abundant river. I’ll usually take two or three different tackle boxes filled with my favourite lures.

GEAR

Mary River fish aren’t huge, and they don’t tend to be. Anything in the 2500-3000 range or a light baitcasting set-up is all that’s needed.

Match this with some 12-20lb braid and a light rod, and you can’t go wrong.

You’ll only require a light 10-12lb leader. You could go heavier if fishing around heavy structure or if you’re expecting by-ctach from larger species like a cod or a sooty.

As I mentioned, bringing a large range of lures is important. A few of my favourites depending on the time of day include the Duo Realis walk-the-dogs. The tight action of this lure matched with a twitch, twitch pause retrieve is dynamite on the surface munching critters. As the sun sits higher in the sky, spinnerbaits are attached and sent into action.

I found myself playing around with weights and sizes, but have always returned to the Bassman double blades in 3/8 ounce. Expect to lose a few thanks to hidden snags, but a slow wind out from the snag will tempt a hungry bass into having a crack. The same retrieve applies to plastics and divers. Most of my divers are around the 50-100mm size.

GET OUT THERE

Why is it worth travelling to fish this system?

What sets this system apart from others I’ve fished is the diversity of species. Casting at a good looking weed bed, rock bar or snag could mean hooking a bass, saratoga, sooty grunter, or even a Mary River cod – this in itself excites me. In addition, the surface fishing in this river is exceptional, and can last hours after sunrise and start well before sunset!

All these qualities, in my opinion, makes the Mary one of the Australia’s best freshwater destinations.

So as summer continues and the water get warmer, it’s about time for you to visit this amazing system. ●

SPORTFISHING

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THE SPORTFISHER’S QUIVER Greg’s fishing tackle addiction started at a young age and isn’t slowing down any time soon.

ABOVE: There's no shortage of high quality off-the-shelf rods these days.

With Greg Finney For as long as I’ve been a fisho I’ve had a serious tackle addiction.

Things haven’t changed in 40 years. I’m still in search of the ultimate quiver but the burning desire to have the very best technology and material has finally waned to the point where I’m reasonably happy with what I fish with now. I do a lot of estuary and bay fishing these days so I have a few rods in various line classes to cover the options.

I run a couple of 7-foot 4-pound threadline outfits. I use these for bream, bass, and flicking poppers at flats whiting. My favourite ultra light rod is an NS Blackhole ONE’S MS702UL with a Sustain 1000 on it. It’s a beautiful stick for flicking light soft plastics, whiting poppers and hard bodies for bream and bass. The backup rod is a Shimano Revolution Inshore Ultra Lite Spin 732. Lovely action and just as nice to use with a 1000 threadline and 4lb braid.

Next step up are two customised factory rods that I fish with plastics for flathead. The first one is a Loomis DSR82006 that’s been lengthened out to 7'4" via a new split grip cork butt and rebound

with gold ALPS guides. The second is a bit out of left field but it’s a beautiful rod. The blank is from a $100 Paul Worsteling I-FISH Nano Series rod in white. It’s 7'6" and has a lovely action but the build and components were quite low grade. I had it completely rebuilt with ALPS guides and winch and a cork split grip. At 7'4" and 7'6" these rods are great for whipping plastics. I fish them with a couple of Sustain 2500 reels and 6lb braid. They also double as very handy squid rods. Why two?

Well I’ll usually have different lures on each rod so I can change size and/or colour easily without having to dig a new lure out or retie leaders, etc.

Next up is a slightly heavier outfit for estuary jew. It’s also a rebuilt factory rod based on an old Shimano Starlo Stix STP Flats Spin 7102. I love this stick but the original guides fell apart after a few years so I had it rebound with new ALPS guides. The butt has the original cork split grips.

At 7'6" it’s a great length for tossing vibes, hard bodies and plastics at big flathead or jew. I fish it with 10-pound braid on a Sustain 3000 threadline.

I’ve got two threadline sticks above this that I use for snapper, kings and golden trevally and tuna at Hervey Bay. The first one is an NS Blackhole Avenger S-711H. It's 7-foot long with some good butt end power for tossing larger

plastics, metals and stick baits. I’ve caught some great fish on this stick and it’s a firm favourite.

I match this with a Stradic C5000 reel with a big handle that comes to hand easily and has enough speed to get tuna lures working fast when needed.

The second is another customised Loomis BSR852 with the original recoil guides but a lengthened butt and cork split grips. I fish a Stella 4000 reel on this and both are loaded with 20 pound Platypus P8 braid.

My 30 pound threadline outfits are a new Shimano T-Curve KingMack spin stick matched to a Saragosa 6000 reel. This 7-foot outfit with Fuji K guides will be getting a lot of use this year up at Hervey Bay on cobia, longtails and golden trevally with big plastics and stick baits. The backup 30-pound rod is a stock standard Loomis Pro Blue PBR844S which is 7-foot long with a cork butt and matched to a Saragosa 5000 reel and 30-pound Platypus P8 braid.

Those nine rods above serve a large majority of my sportfishing these days. I’ve used those rods and gradually had some of them rebound or customised over the past three or four years to the point where I’m happy with them and I know I can rely on them. The NS Blackhole and Loomis rods are based on very good quality blanks but a few of the others were originally quite inexpensive factory rods. I could see the potential in the actual blank so had it rebuilt to my specifications and ended up with a very good workable rod.

So, what can be learned from my sportfishing rod quiver? That I have a serious fishing rod addiction? Well, I have 45 rods in my office and shed plus eight Sage fly rods. Seriously though.

All of my lure casting rods are threadline based because I find threadlines easy to fish and cast with. They are great for working lures which is what all of those rods do and the quality threadlines I have all perform and do the job admirably. Most are based on quality graphite blanks and most of them have been customised with cork split grips for direct feel and quality guides. None are custom built from the ground up and all were or are factory rods which just shows you how far factory rods have come in the past decade. There was a time when I wouldn’t have touched a factory rod. Some are two piece and I don’t care if they are or not. I don’t even think about it when fishing them to be honest.

Hopefully the above will give a few fishos some food for thought when making their next rod purchase or getting an existing rod rebuilt or customised. ●

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DESTINATIONS: COFFIN BAY, SA

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DISCOVERING

COFFIN Coffin Bay in South Australia is one of the state's top fishing destinations with a wide variety of species on tap.

By Jamie Crawford

LEFT: Some big kingfish are available in Coffin Bay during Spring.

DESTINATIONS: COFFIN BAY, SA

C

offin Bay, located on the south-western tip of the Eyre Peninsula, is one of South Australia’s top holiday and fishing destinations. The bay system and nearby national park have so much to offer for the land based and small boat fisho, from bread and butter species, to surf fishing and even some bruising shallow water kingfish.

Situated 680km west of Adelaide, Coffin Bay is a quaint township located on the shores of the bay that shares the same name. And don’t let the sombre name of Coffin put you off. The bay system and nearby Point Sir Isaac were named in honour of Matthew Flinders’ good friend and Naval Commissioner Sir Isaac Coffin. The town has a permanent population of around 600 people, but this figure swells during peak holiday periods.

There are several branching arms of the bay, and together they amass a big bay system – somewhat daunting at first. The bay is stunning and is largely tree-lined, being fringed by the Coffin Bay National Park along its western shores. The area offers a multitude of beaches, rocky points and protected bays, meaning there’s always somewhere to fish in all weather conditions.

BAY SYSTEM BY BOAT

The protected water of the bay system extends for around 20km from the shallows of Kellidie Bay through to Point Longnose, which separates the shallow inner bays from the semi-protected outer bay. In this feature we’ll just look at the inshore fishing options and won’t delve into the blue water.

The inner bay system is quite vast, and includes Port Douglas, Mount Dutton Bay, Dutton Bay

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West, Kellidie Bay and Yangie Bay. There are five marine park sanctuary zones dotted within the bay, so be sure to check the zones before venturing onto the water.

King George whiting are undoubtedly the most popular target from inside the bay system. The edge of the main channel produces a few whiting, as do the scattered sand holes from inside Mount Dutton Bay, and near the oyster racks in the central zone of Port Douglas. Fishing near the oyster racks can be a heap of fun, and by anchoring away from the lease and creating a berley trail, you’ll be able to draw some whiting into your area. You’ll also get some good bycatch in the form of salmon trout, herring, silver trevally, flathead and garfish.

“Most of the fishing for kings is done by sight casting live baits to packs of fish as they move over the shallows.”

If you’re specifically after a feed of gar, anchoring over scattered eel grass away from the main tidal flow will give you a good chance of finding a few little ‘beakies’. Using a surface berley such as bran and tuna oil will help to draw the gar to your boat.

Salmon trout up to around half a kilo are a reliable option inside the bay system. Casting or trolling small lures around Goat Island, the Brothers Islands and around some of the older

oyster racks will produce a few chunky trout, along with a few snook and some big herring.

For the sport fisho, Coffin Bay is renowned for producing big kingfish through the shallow waters of the bay during Spring. These big kings aren’t an easy target though, and you must be prepared to spend multiple days on the water, for often one hook-up. These are a serious class of fish though, averaging between 20 to 30kg.

Most of the fishing for kings is done by sight casting live baits to packs of fish as they move over the shallows – exciting stuff, or alternatively fishing live baits under balloons in the main channel. Both forms of fishing require patience, and lots of it.

Other big fish targets inside the bay include snapper, although the annual run of snapper is seeing less fish entering the bay. Fishing the deeper holes around Seal Corner, the main channel, and through to Black Springs sees the bulk of the snapper activity. Gummy sharks are also active through the shallow bay system, especially at night around the full moon periods in winter. Most of these gummies are smaller sharks in the 5 to 8kg range, but expect to hook a few stingrays in between the gummies.

Motoring past Point Longnose, which is about a 17km run from the main ramp, will bring you to Coffin Bay outer. This semiprotected body of water is still quite shallow, averaging 5 to 10m. Through this area we have the famed Farm Beach whiting grounds, which extend up the eastern side of the bay to Frenchman’s Bluff, and up the western side of the bay to Point Sir Isaac. The whiting hit their peak in this area throughout winter, and the fishing can be exceptional. When fishing in this area, especially in the deeper 8 to 12m grounds, it’s worthwhile having a slop line set for a roaming gummy shark.

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LEFT TO RIGHT: Some nice flathead are caught from the surf beaches in the national park; Almonta Beach in the national park is a good venue for spotting schools of salmon and casting lures at them. Note the school in the shallows; Releasing a big kingfish in shallow water.

The main township of Coffin Bay has a first-rate launching facility which accommodates vessels of all sizes. The multiple lane ramp has floating pontoon access and is often a hive of activity with the local oyster farmers launching and retrieving their work boats. The only word of warning when using the Coffin Bay ramp is to be mindful of the side-current. The tidal flow can be quite strong pushing past the ramp.

This ramp gives good access to all of the nearby inner bays. Another launching option is from inside Mount Dutton Bay. This is a single lane ramp, also serviced by a floating pontoon, but the access road is not sealed and it’s a 20km drive if you’re staying in Coffin Bay. This ramp does give good access to Mount Dutton Bay if that’s your targeted body of water.

The other two launch sites are from Farm Beach and Little Douglas. Both of these launch sites offer easy access to the outer bay and the renowned Farm Beach grounds, but they require beach launching and are only recommended for boats 5m and under.

If you don’t have a boat, don’t despair as there are plenty of land based fishing options in the region.

Starting close to town, the main jetty can fish quite well for silver trevally, herring and salmon trout.

King George whiting are a possibility from the town jetty but are generally smaller fish. Some better size King George can be caught from the rocks along the Ledge (the rocks on the northern side of the main channel which are accessible via Kellidie Bay Road).

A few good flathead are also caught along here when fishing with bait for whiting.

Other good places to try land based for whiting include the inside of Mount Dutton Bay (again

IMAGE: BRETT MENSFORTH

FISHING LAND BASED

DESTINATIONS: COFFIN BAY, SA

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TOP: Finn Crawford with a salmon caught from Almonta Beach THIS IMAGE: A big school of salmon off shore.

FACT BOX LOCAL SERVICES Coffin Bay Caravan Park Phone (08) 8685 4170 www.coffinbaycaravanpark.com.au Coffin Bay Hotel Phone (08) 8685 4111 Private Accommodation Options Coffin Bay Holiday Rentals www.coffinbayholidayrentals.com.au GT Fishing Charters Phone 0408 691 469 www.gtfishingcharters.com.au

watch the marine park boundary), plus inside the Coffin Bay National Park from Black Springs to White Lady rocks. If you have a 4WD, the trek from Yangie Bay through to Point Sir Isaac is a great day out. There’s plenty of four wheel driving over sand dunes and along beaches, so be sure to deflate your tyres before venturing onto the soft stuff.

While out in the national park, some good bread and butter fishing can be found along Seven Mile beach, especially near the limestone outcrops about half way along the beach. Casting baits out to the nearby sand holes sees a few King George caught, although these generally aren’t large fish.

Setting up a berley trail and using a float rig is a reliable way of catching a feed of small to medium sized garfish, along with plenty of herring and a few salmon trout. This is a safe beach for swimming too, especially when the wind is blowing from the southerly quarter.

Continuing the 4WD track from Seven Mile Beach will bring you to Morgan’s Landing and eventually on to Point Sir Isaac. The rocks along this stretch produce quite a few King George, with some nice flathead taken from the stretches of sand in between the rocky points. Casting 70 to 100mm paddle tail or prawn imitation soft plastics is effective on the flathead.

The rocks along this coast are still facing semi-protected water and front sand and scattered weed, but once you round Point Sir Isaac, the water tapers quicker with a lot more broken bottom and heavy reef nearby, and hence more reef fish as a result. These rocks face unprotected water, so they are open to more weather. Sweep, silver trevally, Australian salmon, the occasional snapper and plenty of wrasse are caught along these rocks.

There are a couple of great surf beaches in the Coffin Bay National Park which offer good fishing for Aussie salmon. The first surf beach you’ll come across as you enter the park is Gunyah. This beach requires a 4WD to access, and the beach can be very soft so take caution.

Being able to drive along the beach gives you the option to look for schools of salmon, and parking right in front of your chosen gutter is handy.

There are usually some good troughs of water along this beach to choose from.

Almonta Beach is the continuation of Gunyah, and can accessed with a conventional car from the Golden Island end of the beach. You’ll have to walk over a sand dune and along the beach by foot in this area, with no 4WD access. This stretch of sand is usually shallower than nearby Gunyah as it’s partially buffered by Golden Island, but the shallower water makes it a good venue for visually spotting schools of salmon.

Sensation Beach is out the end of the Coffin Bay Peninsula, and is about a 1.5hr 4WD trek to reach. The salmon fishing can be good along this beach too, but the gutters are quite shifty and not as reliable as Gunyah. This beach also yields some nice mullet, herring and a handful of flathead.

As you can see, there are lots of different fishing options for fishos visiting Coffin Bay. It’s a picturesque little township situated right on the shores of one of SA’s most beautiful bays. ●

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DESTINATIONS: SOLOMON ISLANDS

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THE LURE OF THE

SOLOMONS The South Pacificâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest secret lies in the fish-rich waters of the Solomon Islands, a fishing paradise just hours from Australia.

By Ben Caddaye

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Aerial shot of a sport fishing paradise.

DESTINATIONS: SOLOMON ISLANDS

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ISLANDS IN THE STREAM

People say visiting the Solomons is like visiting Fiji or Indonesia 40 years ago before full-blown tourism took off.

Don’t expect five-star resorts, shopping centres, swim-up bars or crowds of tourists. It’s quiet, laid back and, most importantly, unspoilt.

The majority of Solomon Islanders live a very simple and traditional life, which revolves around the sea.

FACT BOX GETTING THERE The Solomon Islands is a three-hour flight from Brisbane. Solomon Airlines flies direct from Brisbane to Honiara four times a week. If you’re visiting the Western Province, Solomon Airlines also flies between Honiara and the islands of Munda and Gizo – stepping off points for Fatboys and Zipolo Habu resorts. Visit www.flysolomons.com

IMAGE: SUE CADDAYE

W

HY do you always hook the biggest fish at the end of a long poppering session, when your arms are heavy and aching and you can barely hold the rod and reel let alone control 25-plus kilos of rampaging GT? We were fishing the Solomon Islands’ famous Vona Vona Lagoon, at a spot my guide referred to as “the bubble”.

The bubble, he explained, nearly always yields a fish – but just one fish. You have to make the most of this single opportunity. Fluff your lines and there’s no second chance. The bubble bursts.

On about my fifth cast, the GT engulfed my popper in spectacular fashion, leaving a boil on the surface the size of a dining table.

It then bulldozed towards the coral below, ripping line from a near-locked drag. In shallow water, my only option was to put the clamps on and hope for the best.

Leaning back on the rod and thumbing the spool, the fish’s run appeared to slow. But then everything went limp. I’d pulled the hooks.

Crucially, I’d also blown my one chance to extract a fish from the bubble. Pop. Gone!

The great thing about fishing the Solomons, though, is there’s always another fishy spot just around the corner.

That’s the stand-out feature of the Solomons – the diverse range of fisheries visiting anglers have at their fingertips.

There are few places I know of where you can troll for marlin and sailfish, jig and popper for GTs and red bass, wade the flats for trevally and cast lures into the snags for mangrove jack all in a half-day’s fishing.

But you can do all that – and more – in the Solomons.

We saw far more boats than cars during our stay, and with 900 islands making up the Solomons, it’s not surprising.

You could spend months – or even years – island hopping in the Solomons and only scratch the surface.

It’s a mecca for history buffs, too, given the crucial battles fought in the islands between the Americans and Japanese during World War II. None of this history is behind glass cases or security guards, either – you can literally walk in the footsteps of JFK or touch and feel a 75-yearold war relic.

The Solomon Islanders are delightful people.

Centuries ago they had a fearsome reputation as head hunters; these days they’re happy, welcoming and proud of their island home – earning the country the nickname, The Hapi Isles.

I’d be happy too if my country boasted the brand of fishing on tap in this sublime part of the South Pacific.

BLUEWATER

The offshore fishing in the Solomon Islands is simply outstanding and very accessible.

From our base on Lola Island, in the Western Province, it was an easy 30 minute boat ride to deep water harbouring yellowfin and dogtooth tuna, wahoo, marlin, sailfish and more.

These fish bite year-round but autumn is generally regarded as the peak season.

A series of FADs in 500 metres of water are popular sport fishing locations and a couple of trolling runs with skirted lures past the first FAD produced an acrobatic mahi mahi and a sizeable rainbow runner – a new species for me.

Given the Solomons is comprised of a chain of

islands, it can be dead flat out wide on some days, but there was a decent swell rolling in from the east on this particular occasion. A bout of sea-sickness forced me to throw in the towel and request a move inshore – but that simply presented an opportunity to sample more of the diversity this area has to offer.

REEF

Reef fishing is arguably the Solomons’ strongest suit. There are so many islands in the Solomons so you don’t have to go far to find productive looking reef edges and drop-offs.

The Vona Vona Lagoon, one of the world’s biggest and a drawcard for anglers fishing the Western Province, is chock-full of coral outcrops bordered by deeper water – the perfect place to cast poppers, stickbaits and metal lures for big GTs, coral trout, barracuda, red bass and Spanish mackerel.

We popped 'til we dropped in the lagoon, reminding me how hard this form of fishing is on the back, arms and shoulders. It’s even harder when a burly red bass, another new species for me, grabs your stickbait and heads for cover.

There isn’t any ciguatera in the Western Province so the bass made a tasty meal back at the resort!

FLATS

The flats fishing in the Solomons has enormous potential. From what I could ascertain, few anglers wade the shallows casting lures or flies for trevally and other species that feed over the sand, but the fish are definitely there.

The flats produced the most memorable session of my Solomons trip.

It all took place on a fishing a tiny speck of

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ANTI-CLOCKWISE FROM BELOW: Every fish caught is kept to the feed the locals in the Solomons.

This nice dolphinfish became dinner; There are picture-postcard scenes everywhere you turn in the Solomons; A stunning bluefin trevally lured from the shallows â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one of several caught in a snappy session in beautiful surrounds.

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Big, angry red bass pull hard and taste great (there’s no ciguatera in the Western Province of the country).

FACT BOX WHERE TO STAY - LOLA Hand feeding a dozen metre-long blacktip reef whalers is pretty cool. Dining out on a freshly-cooked coral trout you caught yourself less than an hour ago is also cool.

You can do both of these – and plenty more – at Zipolo Habu Resort, on Lola Island. Run

by Joe and Lisa, Zipolo Habu caters specifically for visiting anglers and is among the best fishing resorts in the Solomons.

Comfortable, well-appointed bungalows look out over the magnificent Vona Vona Lagoon.

The food here is excellent and the beer is cold. When you’ve settled in, one of the resort’s experienced and hard-working guides will take you to your fishing spot of choice – all of the top locations are within a short boat ride. You can even fish from the resort’s jetty, which juts out from the bar! The resort is also a stone’s throw from the world famous Skull Island, which is a must-see. www.zipolohabu.com.sb

WHERE TO STAY - FATBOYS sand no more than 50 metres wide and maybe 80 metres long.

My first flick with a 60g metal slice produced a long tom, but there were some larger, darker shapes shadowing it.

Halfway into my third retrieve a pack of four broad-shouldered fish materialised from the deep water and crash-tackled the lure. One engulfed the orange chunk of metal and bolted.

The drag on my little threadline screamed as

cod abound in the estuaries and provide light-tackle excitement at close quarters for fishos throwing hard-bodied minnows and soft plastics in tight against the mangroves.

In some of the larger river systems, big spot-tail bass are being unearthed in the freshwater reaches.

The almost impenetrable jungle surrounding these bass fisheries prevents most traveling anglers from fully exploring them, but the reports I’ve read and photos I’ve seen suggest it could be well worth the effort.

“The bubble, he explained, nearly always yields a fish — but just one fish. You have to make the most of this single opportunity.”

a chunky bluefin trevally made a beeline for the drop-off, forcing me to give chase.

Five or six minutes transpired before I was able to subdue the stocky, 3kg fish and slide it up onto the sand for a few quick pics.

It was one of a succession of stunninglymarked trevally I landed in a lively session that will be etched in my memory forever.

RIVER

This is where the Solomons has the most untapped fishing potential. The numerous river systems in the Solomon Islands are underexplored and lightly fished by visiting anglers.

Mangrove jack, trevally and various species of

TACKLE

It would be tempting to take an entire tackle shop with you on a dedicated fishing trip to the Solomons, but obviously that’s not practical.

Depending on what brand of fishing you’re doing, you could probably get away with two quality outfits.

The first would be 10-15kg threadline outfit for poppering the reefs and, at a pinch, trolling for mackerel and tuna.

The second could be a lighter, 5-8kg spin stick for use over the flats and in the estuaries.

Naturally, if marlin, sailfish, wahoo and large dogtooth and yellowfin tuna are your targets, a dedicated medium-to-heavy overhead trolling outfit would be very useful, too.

Pack a decent cross section of lures, including large poppers, stickbaits, deep-divers (a variety of sizes), skirted lures (for trolling), plastics and metal jigs.

One of the best-known holiday retreats in the Solomons, Fatboys is a great place to base yourself for snorkelling, diving, sight-seeing and fishing. The highlight of this place is the restaurant that sits over the lagoon, affording diners with a unique, close-up view of tropical fish and reef sharks. The staff at Fatboys are friendly and happy to help organise a range of activities. The snorkelling around the resort is breathtaking, and it’s a short trip to the famous Kennedy Island, where former US President JFK swam to shore after his PT boat was rammed in WWII. The resort has fishing guides but you can also hire one of the small Polycraft tenders and go exploring for yourself! www.solomonislandsfatboys.com.au

CONCLUSION

In terms of South Pacific holiday destinations, the Solomon Islands are off most Aussie’s radar.

In fact, I reckon some of us would struggle to quickly locate the Solomons on a map.

That’s changing slowly, with word gradually spreading about the Solomons’ natural beauty, incredible history and world-class fishing.

If you’re looking for a destination where you can literally get away from it all, yet still enjoy amazing food, culture, history and leisure activities (apart from the fishing, there’s blue ribbon diving and snorkelling), I’d be putting the Solomons firmly on my list of “must-visit” locations.

But don’t wait too long – the Solomons won’t remain a secret forever!

Ben Caddaye fished the Solomon Islands courtesy of the Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau and Solomon Airlines. ●

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74

JANUARY 2018

Boating

Bits

Lowrance unveils Hook2

Garmin Striker Plus fishfinders

AT the heart of the easy-to-use Hook2 fishfinder/chartplotter series is Lowrance Autotuning sonar – a new, game-changing solution that actively corrects sonar settings for the clearest underwater view. Now, anglers can spend more time fishing and less time making manual adjustments to their sonar settings. Most models will also feature full navigational capability and pre-loaded, high-detail mapping.

Hook2 is not only easy to use, it’s also a powerful performer on the water.

Anglers can cover more water in less time with 2x wider sonar coverage with new Lowrance wide-angle Broadband Sounder and CHIRP sonar. SideScan and DownScan Imaging complete the Hook2 sonar arsenal on select models, ensuring anglers can view life-like images of fishing-holding structure to both sides and below the boat.

The new Hook2 series will be available in three easy-to-install, value-priced sonar categories to meet every angler’s needs – 3-in-1 sonar with High CHIRP, SideScan and DownScan Imaging; 2-in-1 sonar with High CHIRP and DownScan Imaging; and proven Broadband Sounder, respectively known as TripleShot, SplitShot and Bullet.

Ranging in price from $129 for the 4x model to $2149 for the 12, the new HOOK2 units are available now.

More info at www.lowrance.com/en-au

GARMIN recently announced its Striker Plus series. According to the manufacturer these fishfinders have industry-leading sonar packed with new features to help anglers find and catch more fish, more easily.

Like the first-gen Striker series, the Striker Plus offers built-in sonar and side scanning sonar technology. In addition to crystal clear fish arches and remarkable target separation with sonar, Garmin ClearVü shows a nearly photographic wide image of what passes below the boat, while SideVü gives anglers a clear view of what lies off to each side of the boat, including structure, submerged objects and fish.

Striker Plus users can also create HD fishing maps of the places they’ve been. Thanks to the built-in Quickdraw Contours mapping software, up to two million acres of maps with one-foot contours can now be stored.

With the addition of built-in Wi-Fi, users can

take advantage of the all-in-one Garmin ActiveCaptain mobile app that creates a powerful connection between compatible mobile devices and Striker Plus units. Thanks to ActiveCaptain, waypoints and routes can be transferred directly to a Striker Plus unit making it easier for anglers to pre-fish a body of water. Notifications are also delivered on screen as well as over-the-area software updates so users have access to the latest improvements from Garmin. ActiveCaptain also makes it possible to quickly and easily access the Quickdraw Contours Community to share or download new user-collected data.

Currently available with a 5 or 7-inch display, the Plus series now also adds a larger 4.3 and 9-inch model to the Striker lineup, all with bright, sunlight readable colour displays.

Recommended retail prices for Striker Plus fishfinders will range from $249-$899.

More info at www.garmin.com.au

Hobie Mirage Compass THE Mirage Compass is Hobie’s latest addition to its fleet of award-winning kayaks.

Fitted with the time-tested MirageDrive pedal system, the Glide Technology is designed to move you easily through the water. Outfitted with a breathable mesh seat, the Compass offers maximum stability and an oversized cockpit and flat deck for standing. A sharp turning radius makes it nimble in tight quarters, yet able to speed over open water in stealthy fashion.

Fishing features include moulded-in rod holders, H-Track accessory mounts, and a transducer cavity ready for owners to install a Lowrance sounder.

More info at www.hobie.com/au/en/

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JANUARY 2018

The humble tinny is great for fishing and one of the country’s most popular boats.

NEW BOAT RELEASE

Going Full Circle Whether you're a grey nomad exploring Australia or a tinny rat fishing the canals, every Aussie fisho needs a tinny like Quintrex’s latest Outback Explorer.

BY MARK WARD veryone’s boating experience is different.

There are many anglers who hadn’t touched a rod or even been in a boat until a mate took them deep sea fishing, and as a result, they loved it and bought their first boat. There are many others, me included, who started out on tinnies as young kids and grew from there. Others may have started boating in a luxury Riviera, but it seems most of us start out small and go up from there.

We may start out in a tinny but market research shows an interesting trend. We start out in something small, cheap and light. Many of us move into something a little more serious.

As we have families and get a little older, we move to something bigger and a lot more comfortable.

But what is really interesting is that the research suggests that as we then get older and retire, many

E

of us go back to the little old tinny. Only this time, we have it on the roof of the car as we tow a van or even a camper around the country.

We tend to go full circle.

Quintrex understand its market and as all good manufacturers should, they also listen to the dealers. The dealers have been screaming out for more small tinnies. They can’t get enough of them. In fact, the little Explorers have been one of the best selling boats in Australia for many years.

And even though there are thousands of them out there, you will find it hard to even buy one second hand. Everyone who has a little tinny in the shed is keeping it because they are just so easy and versatile. I even have one in my shed.

With this in mind, the marketing and small boat team at Quintrex got together and

redesigned the Outback Explorer for the grey nomads as well as the tinny rats.

What’s New? The Outback Explorer comes in three sizes – the 350, 370 and 390. Traditionally, these hulls have been your standard sub four metre tinny.

The huge success of the Quintrex F Series bows on the bigger fishing hulls like the Hornets meant that the team had to look at incorporating this into the Outbacks. The additional room up from that this bow design gives meant that this is where the Outback upgrade started.

Not only does the F bow provide more space, the bottom slowly tapers up from around midship to the bow, providing a drier ride.

There has also been a slight increase in the deadrise. Deadrise is the angle of the bottom of the boat at the transom. If this is dead flat, like in a flat-bottomed punt, there is no deadrise and that boat will ride rough over the chop. The payoff for a punt is that these boats are very stable for their size. The Outback has been widened, which improves stability. Therefore, Quintrex has been able to increase the deadrise without affecting the stability. This gives a smoother, dryer ride but also prevents wear on the hull from being belted around and reduces noise while fishing.

During the on-water testing, the spray was being deflected from the middle of the hull. This meant that by the time the wind caught the spray, it wasn’t being thrown back over the driver.

Even more obvious than the change to the bow are the high sides on the Outback. The depth of the hulls across the range have been increased up to 230mm. That may not sound like much but when you are fishing in croc country, that extra 230mm is greatly appreciated. The higher sides are also helpful in keeping the gear on board dry as well as additional safety benefits when kids are on board.

The build After spending some time on the water, the team at Quintrex gave Fisho a tour of the small boat factory. The tour was not with the sales team or marketing manager but instead was with the guys that build the Outbacks. Everything from the temper of the aluminium, the pressing for extra strength and the welding process is all strictly controlled to ensure a quality product.

Additional features of the Outback Explorers include foam filled seating to achieve basic flotation, glove box storage in the forward seat, a front gusset and two rear corner gussets for added strength and welded-in seats. Additionally, all the standard features you’d expect from a hull like this are there. Ribbing with rib tape for noise reduction, transom bracing, handles and single T-piece keel make the Outback Explorers a very neat and tough hull.

Whether it is a roof topper you are chasing or a tinny to get the kids started in boating, the new design and improved features of the Quintrex Outback Explorer make it worth looking into. ■

New for 2017/2018.

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fishingworld.com.au | January 2018

FISHING CLUB

SHIMANO JUNIORS

With Chris Cleaver Tagged fish can provide valuable information for fisheries scientists.

What is the strongest braid to fluorocarbon leader knot?

Daniel e-mail There are many variables which can influencee the strength of a knot. For example an 80 perr cent strength knot tied correctly at 100 per cent h will prove to be better than a 100 per cent strength knot tied at 75 per cent. The size of braid and leader combination can also vary the effectiveness of some knots; thinner diameter lines might be good for one knot and thicker ones might prove to be not so good. Personally, I have found the FG knot to be great across most braid and leader combinations and tied correctly provides around 90 per cent line strength or marginally better.

Other knots held in high regard for their strength are the PR and Bristol knot. Most of these knots are not the easiest to tie so practice, then practice some more and test break them by tying line to the fence or similar to make sure theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re good.

Q

A

A

Tying good kno ts takes prac tice.

When should I use a sinking hard body lure as opposed to a floating?

Tom e-mail Both sinking and floating lures have their place and time when they will prove most effective for the situation at hand. Sinking lures will allow you to fish much deeper, which is an advantage if thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where the fish are holding and waiting for food. Generally they are heavier than the floating counterparts so can be cast much further allowing more area to be covered and hopefully more fish. Probably the time you would not use it is around structure or very shallow areas where the floating lure can be paused and will rise over weed, rocks or tree branches. Floating lures, due to their buoyant attributes, tend to have more action, although as 3D printing and lure makers get more advanced this disparity gap is fast closing.

Q A

I have read in this magazine about tagged fish being recaptured, what is the purpose of this?

Morgan e-mail Tagging programs in Australia provide fundamental science about certain species to help with management strategies to ensure their future populations and protect areas directly related to the species.

Tagging can help to provide growth rates, migration routes, population density, recreational and or commercial harvest impacts, even possibly climate change if tropical species start moving southward to more sub-tropical areas. Tagging does not give scientist all of the answers but it helps greatly with information which otherwise would be very hard to obtain from wild fish. In some studies on tuna, swordfish, marlin and sharks they use tags which send data to satellites which can be downloaded to provide info on water temperature, speed, exact locations and much more.

Q

SHIMANO JUNIORS

84

fishingworld.com.au | January 2018

Grin and Win! Each month five lucky junior fishos are selected as worthy winners from the entries and kitted out with a cool Shimano DVD and cap! So keep those Grin and Win entries coming in for your chance to win!

1

Two-year-old Andronik Morozoff with a "grim" he caught off a friend's pontoon on bread in the Tweed river.

Each month we will select five lucky winners for our Grin & Win section. Grin & Win winners will each receive a cool Shimano cap and Squidgy DVD!

2

E-mail your entry and contact details to: pictures@fisho.com.au Please include your name and age and details of your catch.

Also provide a postal address so winners can receive their prize.

Good luck!

Eleven-year-old Lachlan, a mad keen fisherguy who lives and breathes fishing, caught this great mackerel.

3 4 Se S even-year-old old Lachlan M Mclean caught this flathead of off Greenwell Point in NSW.

WIN BIG!

SEND YOUR DIGITAL PHOTOS AND A DESCRIPTION OF YOUR CATCH TO PICTURES@ FISHO.COM.AU FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN.

Luke Wilson with a 56cm "yella" caught out of the Murray River.

Visit the Shimano Junior Anglersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; website at www.shimanofish.com.au

5

Lucas Larsen, age 11, with his recent catch of a 48cm bass in a NSW South Coast creek.

;QWT ƂUJKPI NKEGPEG HGGU CV YQTM /QTG UPCIU KPVQ 2[TCOKF %TGGM Fishing licence fees have helped the North Central Catchment Management Authority install ten snag complexes into Pyramid Creek.

Made from red gum timber, the snags will provide shelter v À >Ì Ûi wÃ Ì vii` > ` LÀii`° Fish surveys of the complexes show they are being used by golden perch, bony bream, Australian smelt and Murray cod, some more than one metre long!

Signage has been installed at Box Bridge, a popular wà } `iÃÌ >Ì i>ÀLÞ°

5WTT[ 4KXGT LGVV[ Ƃ iÜ wà } iÌÌÞ Ì i -ÕÀÀÞ , ÛiÀ] i>ÃÌ v Warrnambool, has improved access for southwest anglers. / i > >L Ì ià iÌÌÞ Ã Ü ii V > À vÀ i ` Þ > ` vi>ÌÕÀià rod holders for those chasing the river’s black bream. / i «À iVÌ Ü>à > >}i` LÞ Ì i i«>ÀÌ i Ì v Environment, Land, Water and Planning, which has also constructed a two metre wide boardwalk over the estuary to improve pedestrian access.

THE FISHING SCHOOL

86

fishingworld.com.au | January 2018

THE REVERSE FISHING DIARY Keeping a fishing diary is a great idea, but it's not the only way of analysing your past catches.

With Sami Omari I’d love to say that I’m a meticulous record keeper but the reality is otherwise. When I have a great day on the water, I take note of the events and occasionally jot them down, however, this information is far from consistent and too infrequent to help draw meaningful conclusions without having to rely on memory. Ideally I would take note of location, time of day, time of year, tidal phase and moon phase, along with notes on successful baits and lures and log each trip into a formal diary. Whilst that would be the tried and trusted approach, I have been using a more practical and simpler approach which involves reverse engineering a fishing diary by using technology, images and tide charts.

TIDE CHARTS

The first piece of information is an annual tide chart that can be downloaded for each state.

In my home state of New South Wales, the RMS publishes annual tide tables which have detailed information on tide times, dates and moon phases. This is published in a PDF file and allows me to go back in time and pinpoint the tide and moon phase during a historical fishing trip.

DESCRIPTIVE PHOTOS

I take many images during a day on the water and always look for a photo opportunity to capture images which form part of articles published in Fisho. In addition to magazine shots, I also take random shots of the baits and lures used or specific rigs and information that would help me remember details and replicate success in future.

GEO-TAGGING IMAGES

Most smart phones and many cameras allow for the capture of latitude and longitude information which is then written to the EXIF header of each image. You can then look at the properties of each photo to view the EXIF information including the GPS co-ordinates. Alternatively, there are many apps and free pieces of software available that will plot the image co-ordinates on a map including Google Maps. Once you start geo-tagging images you’ll be able to pinpoint exactly where you were fishing and caught the fish in the photo you’ve taken!

SOUNDER SCREEN SHOTS

Taking a screenshot of your fish finder allows you to revisit your sounder image in future.

This information can reveal details of fish life and baitfish activity along with bottom depth

fishingworld.com.au | January 2018 | 87

and hardness. In addition, you can capture information including water temperature, time of day and speed over ground which might help you remember if you were drifting, trolling or stationary.

IMAGE STORAGE AND DESCRIPTIVE TAGS Once you’ve returned from a day on the water with a memory card full of photos, storing the images in a meaningful manner can help create a handy reference library for future review.

Many photo management apps and software allow for text tags to be assigned to each image.

In turn, the software allows you to search through the tags, returning all images matching the keywords. For example, if I catch a mulloway in Sydney Harbour on a soft plastic I would use the tags “mulloway”, “Sydney harbour” and “soft plastic”. If I then run a keyword search for “Sydney mulloway” photos it’ll appear along with all other photos having similar tags.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

To reverse engineer a fishing diary requires an example of how this all works together. Say for example I wanted to explore patterns for catching mulloway in Sydney Harbour in February. Firstly, I would search my image library for “Sydney mulloway” and a collection of images would be retrieved. I would then sort by date and look at images taken in summer i.e.

(December, January and February). Then I would look at those images and look for days where I had the most success, narrowing down the images to a handful. I would then look at the EXIF data on those images and plot the location on Google Maps to find out where I was fishing. Next would be to look at the time stamp on the images to check the date and time, cross referencing this with a tide chart to understand the moon and tide phase. Finally, if there was a sounder screenshot in the collection of images, I would make note of the water temp baitfish activity and the type of bottom I was fishing. All of this information will provide me with a comprehensive diary and analysis of previously successful trips. When maintained over a number of years it provides a valuable collection of data and insight that can help achieve repeat success in the future! ●

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LEFT: Back end data in fishing photos can reveal useful information such as locations where fish were caught, times, dates and more.

BELOW LEFT: Looking back at tide charts will give you detailed info about the tides, dates and moon phases.

BELOW RIGHT: Sounder screen shots will reveal some valuable information about your recent fishing.

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIED AD NOW CALL PATRICK LINEHAN ON (02) 9213 8259 OR EMAIL: PATRICKLINEHAN@YAFFA.COM.AU

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Seven Spirit Bay — Wilderness Lodge —

Seven Spirit Bay Wilderness Lodge This luxury wilderness resort has been completely refurbished by new owners, Outback Spirit Tours, and will continue to offer remote-area barra and sport fishing tours in 2018.

Fishing

Location

Lodge guests have access to a huge expanse of coastal beaches, headlands, offshore reefs, islands and a number of tidal creeks… this is a fishing paradise.

Seven Spirit Bay Wilderness Lodge is situated on the western side of Port Essington on Cobourg Peninsula in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, western Arnhem Land.

Barra & Sport Fishing Seasons March/April 2018 October/November 2018

Melville Island Bathurst Island

Darwin

Seven Spirit Bay Wilderness Lodge Van Diemen Gulf

Arnhem Land

Talk to Alex Julius and his team to book your exclusive fishing adventure NOW!

www.sevenspiritbay.com.au barralodge@nafa.com.au

+61 8 8983 1544 find us on facebook

Andrew Chorley – Owner/ operator Phone 0407627852 www.herveybaysportfishing.com.au

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Daytime swordfish caught in Victoria by Lee Rayner on Fishing Edge

DAVE RAE

90

fishingworld.com.au | January 2018

THE TERRIBLE TEAPOT The "terrible teapot", according to Dave was presented to the fishos with the greatest number of disasters in the year.

By Dave Rae In 1975, as a 16-year-old, a few mates and I joined the Gosford District Angling Club. It was a move prompted by having Mr Hurst as our commerce teacher and Mr Hurst was (and remains) a gun fisherman. My Mum would drop us at the Gosford RSL Club and we’d toddle down to the meeting rooms to join with a bunch of very keen and accomplished anglers, and go through our agenda and chat "all things fishing".

This was the era when the Association of Australian Angling Clubs was in full swing.

We worked on catching bag limits and winning competitions as well as chasing fish at any opportunity. Competitions were always a load of fun, as were the drives up and down the coast.

These guys introduced me to spots that I still haunt today!

We reckoned the best part of these meetings was the last item on the agenda, the "disaster" section, where members were asked to confess

their latest misadventures. Many blokes seemed to delight in sharing whilst others required some good-hearted "arm-twisting", with the lucky angler that amassed the greatest number of disasters in the year being awarded the "terrible teapot" at the annual presentation.

This all came back to memory recently when John (Jacko) Bourke, a Life-Member of the club, was presented with the teapot in perpetuity upon his move up north. I knew nothing about this until fishing mates from across the country hit me up about the teapot; the pic placed on social media had the year 1992 in clear view and guess who won the teapot that year? No one I spoke to can remember the details of my disastrous year, but it might have had something to do with the time we discovered I’d left my tow ball at home when I turned up at a mate’s place for a dawn trip onto the ocean, the time I tried to jump the gap at our local tailor spot and missed.

It probably involved my self-inflicted "treble in the arm" during a striped tuna adventure. That event left a heavily pregnant woman and my doctor in a

ABOVE: The "terrible teapot" with Dave's name permanently engraved on its side.

dead faint (no injuries luckily), and was finally concluded with a second doctor in the local hardware shop; with hook in vice and a hacksaw replacing the surgical snips!

But I reckon I was pretty disaster-free compared to others. The Pale-Whale was a regular, but a midnight trailer wheel loss that took out a fence and banged into the side of a house was a beauty – as was having to revisit the irrate home-owner to borrow a jack. Then there was the police interaction that occurred when one member (who owned a wreckers), took to his Holden sedan with an axe to stop the tyre rubbing on his mudguard on the return trip from a south coast fishing competition. I happened to be in attendance for that one, and really enjoyed the lengths that the owner had to go to convince law enforcement that he wasn’t a vandal … I seem to recall that the extra weight that broke the spring was me!

“Unfortunately ... a large wave roll across the rock platform and took the fire, frypan and steak with it. ” During my research on 1992, other memorable events came to light. "The President" recalled the time he was anchored tight in against the rocks and upon leaving, found that he was out of fuel, so with his head down he instructed his deckie to drop anchor, which he did. What he didn’t say, however, was to tie the anchor rope off, a deficit that became obvious when a large wave deposited his 5m centre console (undamaged), into a pothole on the rock platform. Luckily, the sea was calm and the tide was rising, so they managed to get off the rocks and back to the ramp.

Gene Dundon was a member of the club (and a prolific writer in fishing media in years gone by), and he wrote about quite a few disasters in a speech given at the 50th anniversary of the club. Possibly the most unique disaster listed occurred when one member took breakfast along for an early morning snapper fish. Being slow on the snapper front, he put his rod in a hole in the rock, collected wood and started cooking a prime cut on the fire (he was a butcher). Unfortunately for the anonymous chef, a large wave roll across the rock platform midway through the process and took the fire, frypan and steak with it. Worst of all, his rod snapped off at the butt, so he lost his reel as well.

Revisiting the teapot reminded me of how angling can lead to meeting and enjoying time with some great mates. Clubs are good for that, but equally valuable is starting up a friendly conversation with fellow anglers who are fishing nearby … you never know, you could make a long-time mate! ●

History in the Making in a p m o C e n a h S

BARRA GRAND SLAM

Shane Compain made history in 2017 winning the three most prestigious Barramundi tournaments in a single calendar year.

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