Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Issue 137 2019 May

May – July 2019

TASMANIAN FISHING and BOATING NEWS — ISSUE 137

Bronte Lagoon Performance Tuna for Therapy Winter Options Derwent Needs Love Broadbill Swordfish NZ Kings and Snapper

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Small Stream Bush Bashing

$5.95 Kai Hicks with a nice big schoolies southern bluefin tuna. See page 30.

All Fishing Days are Good — Kelly ‘Hooch’ Hunt

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New Zealand Adventure — Joe Riley

7

Derwent Dilema — Rod Holden

10

Winter Fishing Options — Janet Lambert

14

Broadbill Swordfish — Daniel Paull

20

Bronte Lagoon Fisheries Performance — Inland Fisheries Service

26

Family Tuna Time — Gavin Hicks

30

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n page 30 you will read a lovely story about what fishing should be - outdoors, kids, family, friends and a couple of fish. Sure fish are usually the target, but no one I am good friends with gives a hoot if you catch one or one hundred.

In fact I had a day recently where no fish were caught. It was a super day with friends and during winter there are many calm days and fish are biting. This day they weren’t. But, game fishing is outstanding, garfish, calamari, salmon and many other estuarine species can be found from shore, jetties or a tinny.

Remember, it is our cold waters that give us some of the best tasting fish in the world.

On page 30 read about the monster broadbill. Daniel and Mason Paull are two of a long line of anglers that have got a pretty good idea on targeting and catching these super fish. Most are released thankfully.

There is no shame or harm in keeping a feed - and that is what it should be - a feed. A big fish like that though does bring a number of questions, so please never keep fish you can’t reasonably use.

I love eating fish and keep some - especially saltwater fish, and I was gratefully gifted a small piece of bluefin recently. I wanted to do it justice and was certainly not going to cook it - sashimi at its best in the world is southern bluefin tuna. I searched a few dipping sauce recipes online and gathered up the doings. A good hour was spent conjuring up the dips for a taste off. It was a non event in the end.

Mike Stevens talks fishing ABC Statewide Saturday mornings 6.40 a.m.

Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Published by Mike Stevens: PO Box 7504, Launceston, 7250.

Mike Stevens – P: 0418 129 949 or E: mike@tasfish.com Stevens Publishing, ABN 79 095 217 299 All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. Print Post approved; 100003074

Fishing News - Page 2

For me wasabi and soy sauce are a match made in heaven. Or just the soy on its own is pretty fantastic too.

I eat a lot of fish when I can in restaurants too. My wife gets nervous as it is rare for any wait staff to know what they are serving, nor anything about their offering of fish. So often the ‘market fish’ is Atlantic salmon, or ocean trout. They are not market fish. They are farmed and available at any time. Market fish to me is wild fish, freshly caught and offered for sale at the market. I was offered boar fish the other day. I asked where it was from and that was unknown. It may have been Tasmanian, but I hope it was not our lovely, friendly species that hang around reefs and come and see what you are up to.

I have happily eaten Australian salmon once in a Tasmanian restaurant even thought neither the waiter nor chef knew what the fish actually was. I went to the kitchen to find out. It may have been described as freshwater salmon. I also had it in NZ, where is was described properly, by their name of kahawai.

I ordered it and it was delicious. Rarely do I see garfish in Tasmanian restaurants even though it is readily available and delicious.

Trevalla, or blue eye as it is often called is superb, as is Tasmanian trumpeter.

I could go on with this, but it may be better as a story later.

So get out and enjoy some winter fishing and our delicious fish.

Mike Stevens

For subscriptions go to www.tasfish.com, phone Mike 0418 129 949 or pay by Paypal to mike@tasfish.com - Two years $60

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ALL FISHING DAYS ARE GOOD If you don’t go - you don’t know. But all days fishing have their rewards.

Kelly ‘Hooch’ Hunt shares the joy.

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very day is a good day on the water.

I say this loud and proud as Mike prompted me to write something for him and said “What about the best day you have had on the water this last season” I sat down and tried to pare one of the great days we have had over the past 12 months and I could not really pare one out. We have really got a great deal to be thankful for here in Tasmania. We have some great land and seascapes to take in when the fishing is slow. The fishing is that good however, that with a bit of pre thought and planning, luckily the fishing very rarely is.

You can always count on your mates to entertain if the fishing does drop off the pace and of course the ever present “cabin fever” if the fish are hating on your lures. Cabin fever is that strange and unpredictable mood that comes over a boat when there has been hours of lure dragging for no result. You can never really tell what may happen when a crew gets caught in its vice like grip. It can range from a change of song on the radio and a bit of boat deck boogie all the way up to a nude bait board dance to appease Poseidon the god of the sea.

It may not be a monster but it was Col’s first Tassie snapper and it tasted good.

Then an argument will more than likely break out over Poseidon being the god of the sea or Neptune.

This can all unfold underneath some of the best seascape cliffs anywhere in the world if down Eaglehawk Neck in the states south and two minutes later the long corner can go off yielding a 100kg plus Southern Bluefin tuna. All of a sudden that 4 hours you have spent wandering around the ocean going bonkers has turned into one of the greatest days in your life as a mate lands that fish of a life time.

It doesn’t have to be a fan dangled whoop dee doo day out game fishing either to be fun by any means. Some of the simplest and enjoyable days out on the water this season has been with my young kids or people who don’t get to fish much. There is a real satisfaction with someone asking to come out fishing with you because they have never caught a certain fish and then you bag them one.

I have an old cobber who loves his fishing. After a long work life down the west coast he is at an age where his body is slowing him down and his mobility. He also has a degree of hearing loss as he pre

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Fishing News - Page 3

dates the compulsory use of ear muffs.

Many a long day on the underground drill rig with no hearing protection will do that.

We went out on a real nice afternoon where the tide wasn’t quite right, but I managed to find him a nice oven baking sized Tasmanian Snapper. He was totally chuffed and I could see the bragging rights he was to have at the Men’s Shed for the next month forming in his head. I bet they didn’t hear the end of it for quite a while. He made a point of ringing me later in the week and saying how nice it was to eat and he and his wife enjoyed it immensely.

The big point to make here was it was a great day and enjoyable experience even before we caught the fish. To start off it was a sensational afternoon weather wise and what a perfect place to enjoy it, but on the ocean. We made our way to our spot at a leisurely pace with the wind in our teeth and sun beaming down. Once we pulled up and I started to drop our burley pot over the side and get our cube trail initiated the banter started. I really love spending time with people that are a fair bit older than myself. It gives you some amazing insight into how hard they worked in some pretty wild conditions at times. Then there are the stories of the fishing trips of old that were offered up. Trips to Flinders Island and the big flathead honey holes.

The time old mate lost someone’s expensive rod and reel over the side and the bollocking he got for the rest of the trip. All the old favourite stories come out for a run and it is a great session on the water.

Kids…. Well kids are another whole set of circumstances. You just have to reset your mind and know you are going back in time. Back to a time when you were that age and you didn’t listen and knew everything. You have to switch off and re boot yourself with a different operating system. It is best that you don’t fight it and just go with the flow in the world that is “self learning.” Early on in your “taking kids fishing career” you will have to resign yourself to not worrying too much about the fishing or catching fish. Now this sounds crazy, but you will reap huge reward later on.

I find some of my best work is done in an advisory role. As an example when the kids are looking to cast out of the boat all together at a school of Australian Salmon. I just merely suggest they could cast out each side and over the nose and swap about each few casts. So what happens is they Fishing News - Page 4

invariably disregard everything I say and start pinging lures out one side of the boat. All three of them…at once.

So this is where the fun starts, well for me anyway. In stead of getting mad or angry I just sit back and wait. What normally happens is that one will hook up a fish and the other two start casting over towards them and they cross lines.

Then there is a god almighty tangle and lots of squealing and belly aching. Now as a parent your first reaction is to get on the “I told you so horse” and ride that baby home giving it the whip like it is 1980. Screaming at them what they should have done and what you would have done to have it not happen. No….

Just ask them questions. Get their little minds working.

You will have to let the carry on and laying of blame between each child to calm down a bit otherwise you won’t be heard. When there is a bit of silence let go with… “So how do you think that went for you all ?”

When the reactionary counters come back at you ignore them and follow up with “ NOT.. some of your best work there” While you work through the tangle keep asking questions.

“Do you think we are wasting fishing time clearing this mess ?

“How do you think we could avoid this?”

What you will find is that the questions will have them think, form an opinion and then verbalise their answer. I love this. I love making my kids think and verbalise their actions and consequences. It is the best way for them to take something from the days outing and learn. You do not learn anything by being preached at and yelled out.

I find now that after doing the hard yard fishing with kids is awesome. They listen , they have an input and we catch fish. They all can cast like little demons.

They lift and wind with great technique and to my great pride they hold their rod in their dominant hand and wind with their non-dominate hand. When you sit back and watch this all unfold in front of you , THAT is a great day on the water !

We had a day on the water recently which was most definitely in the top five for this season. We were fishing on the massive Stabicraft “Fathom Odyssey” The magnificent vessel is owned by Kate Daley and Derrek Finlay of Launceston. The rest of the crew was made up of myself, Tristan Cocker and Clinton Howe.

Now Clinton is our unofficial captain

The winning fish that capped off a great day’s fishing with mates.

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All I can say and recommend is to just get involved.

You can never miss with fishing. New skills and new experiences are always coming at you and even when you least expect it. The whole idea of a trip out on the ocean fills me with great excitement and really invigorates. So you see I can’t really pin one particular trip this season as the best. There were so many great days on the water and so many that I have not mentioned. Fisheno is

always a sensational weekend where we all congregate to Bicheno for Australia Day long weekend. This is 3 days in a row where we fish , have fun, take the piss and have an absolute ball. If you are in the area next year come and join us. It isn’t a competition it is just a really friendly gathering of like minded fisho’s who are all looking for that next “Best day on the water” So book some accommodation and come say hello!

Kelly ‘Hooch’ Hunt

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This is the calm before the storm of flathead fishing with the kids.

Make sure there is plenty of food and drinks for the ‘billy lids’.

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and skipper of Team Penn, but we had not fished a competition in a long time. Work commitments and raising kids had slowed us down, but here we were on deck and in a comp. It was good to have some of the band back together and a few new band members to jam with. The fishing was slow to say the least but on the second and final day it all started to happen. The weather turned foul and from the south. We all know this has a propensity to bring the fish on and it did. We had made our way down past Munroe Bight and south of Tasman Island when we found fish. There are a couple of rock ledges and bait holding areas that the fish were really fired up on and we were picking fish up on each pass. It was great to see Clinton’s competitive spirit come out as we battled and tagged fish. Wheeling around to try and get back on the fish in some very serious conditions. We were really battling some big seas and a fair bit of wind.

Kate was doing a sensational job on the helm. She had to contend with a heap of orders being barked from Clinton, Derrek and myself. There at one stage I thought she was going to gaff the lot of us. We caught fish and had a few sealed. Got some tags in and managed to take a few that made line class. In the end we were second tag and release, but to our surprise took the competition out with heaviest game fish. It was a great day on the water that had a bit of everything all culminating with a heap of team work that managed a great result. The fun didn’t stop there either as we carried on back to the shack and had a sensational nights celebration that will Attomic 1 31/08/2017 3:03:53 PM be talked about forPRINT.pdf some time.

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

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

Either is a gain over just staying home.

You’re hooked, along with us.

WE ARE TONIC!

Fishing News - Page 6

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FISH FROM THE LONG WHITE CLOUD Our cousins across the ditch in New Zealand impress Joe Riley with variety and size of fish.

Joe Riley shares his trip.

I

’m a regular visitor to New Zealand, usually rivers or lakes chasing trout, always with a fly rod. In March this year I took another trip, this time not just the fly rod, but spinning gear in the 4000 and 6000 size range ready for snapper and kingfish in Parengarenga Harbour .

Te Hapua is the closest town to Parengarenga Harbour, which is close to the Northern tip of the North Island. A large harbour which has in parts, pure white sand spits and in others mangrove fringes. A large harbour with strong tidal movements through a large barway.

I travelled on my own across the ditch and was picked up by an old mate, Steve Brown. Steve and I have been fishing together regularly after becoming good friends after meeting at the World Fly Fishing Championships.

From Auckland airport, a 6 hour drive north to get to a farm stay aptly named Mangrove Batch. The old farm house converted to an Air BNB has it’s own channel through the mangroves out into the harbour, At high tide the boat was slipped into the water ready for the fishing to begin.

We had several objectives for the trip. Catch a tailing snapper polaroided in the shallows. Catch kingfish both on stick bait lures and hopefully on the fly rod. These were the main plans and other than that just catch plenty of snapper, kawahai or black back salmon as we know them and what ever else came our way.

The first morning we worked around the edges of some mangroves, sighting snapper, mullet, and tons of luderick, schools and schools of them. We were trying to sneak up on a snapper with the boat but they seemed to see us before we got much of a chance to have a cast at them.

Having given up on the snapper for now, we went exploring some of the many bays looking for more shallows. There were kawahai everywhere occasionally small bust ups but mostly charging around as the boat travelled over them in the numerous channels and over sand flats.

We got to the Southern most channel and worked our way towards then end. The channel cut around a point and as we slowly moved past it I saw two big kingfish

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Fishing News - Page 7

come up in the water and turn back down again. Next thing there was an explosion of water on the shore, the kingfish were smashing kawahai (same as Australian salmon) - pushing them into the shallows. Throwing the stick-bait, no response first cast, then second cast a beast of a kingfish smashed the lure as it jerked across the surface. The kingfish hooked well but in 6 meters of water, the fight was simply a tug of war. Locked up drag trying to keep his head out of the weed, rod doubled over. After a relatively short but very hard tussle the kingfish came to the boat, it was netted, at least part of it was and most of it hung out of the net as it was brought on board. Objective one, complete a 40lb kingfish caught on a surface lure.

Early morning seemed the best time for seeing kingfish working. I always assumed they were more of a deep water target, however most mornings they would be charging at mullet and kawahai as they hedged against the mangroves on the incoming tide, mullet looking for food and shelter and kawahai preying on smaller bait. You could spot bait being hit by the slashes in the surface, every now and then a much bigger splash would show a kingfish. If it was super calm the kingfish could be spotted from their bow wave as they cruised just

under the surface, even in the deeper water, exciting visual fishing.

We t r i p p e d over the barway a couple of days and found kingfish on a nearby point.

Casting flies or stick baits and hooking 4lb to 6lb kawahai only t o h ave t h e m chased by a big kingfish. They Sight fished snapper on fly - big tick for that one. came to the stick baits but not the fly. Out on the open water there were hours either Steve or I were hooked up to big snapper, smaller snapper everywhere. Jigging with small hard jigs one after the other. Snapper to 10lb, bigger ones busted and burleying using fresh kawahai for bait modest sized off, it just was constant action. The sheer mass of snapper were caught thick and fast. snapper in the harbour must be immeasurable. A simple We kept working on the snapper in the shallows, running sinker to a 4/0 circle hook with a big chunk of seeing the snapper and being able to present a fly to them fresh kawahai as bait was all it took. Occasionally you was without spooking would pick up another kawahai and replenish the bait them proving to be a supply or hook a big ray and break him off because you bit of a challenge. The are never going to land him. tidal flats were so big One thing that limited the time on the water was to that you only got the avoid getting back to base at low tide. A couple of times top half of the tide with we stayed out too long and the channel to the batch lost sufficient water over the all it’s water. It’s no fun wading back through mangrove flats so you could see the mud so set the clock for avoiding low tide. At night you fish. We kept persisting could go out with a torch and pick up garfish for bait, but opportunities were millions of them are in the bay and you can simply dip limited. net them as they come to the torch light against the One afternoon we boat. They were the other excellent bait for the snapper. went up an arm in the With only a couple of days to go we headed out trying North Western end of to find the elusive snapper in the mangroves, we had the harbour. The water gone through and along some beautiful water seeing was a bit coloured here plenty of kawahai, mullet and luderick, but still hadn’t from the big silt flats. On managed to get a good shot. I was on the casting deck the run out tide, we set a and we edged into a channel between two strands of burley pot and began to mangroves, a channel no more than 5 metres wide in bait fish. I’ve caught the about a metre of water. odd snapper before, but Just as we entered a big pink/red tail appeared this was an eye opener to through the surface, unmistakable, a snapper. I cast a say the least. For about 2 clouser long and beside the snapper. It knew something

A fishy harbour with lots of structure that holds a huge variety of fish.

Fishing News - Page 8

Steve Brown a happy man - and he lives in NZ...........

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was going on but clearly hadn’t seen the fly. Time to cast again as we were starting to drift closer and the full snapper was now in view. The clouser hit the water and began to sink, a small strip and the reaction was instant the snapper charged at the clouser and swallowed it like it had been looking for it all week. The hook was set but now with mangroves both sides of the channel it was again hold on and hope for the best. A couple of runs towards the mangroves halted just in time, muscled to the surface and netted a magnificent snapper, sight fished in shallow water was brought on board. An awesome, heart in mouth fishing experience I will never forget.

Most evenings as we headed back to base there was a school of kawahai that would periodically smash bait near the surface. If you hadn’t had enough wade polaroiding them, cast to them busting up during the day or throwing lures at them you could cast a popper fly or clouser at them just to finish off the day with a few more fish. Parengaranga harbour is one of those special places, far enough out of the way that it hasn’t been depleted of it’s fish stocks. There are some professional fishermen working the harbour and oysters being commercially grown but it is largely a wild and seemingly untouched fishery.

You can fish from the shore in Parengaranga but access to many places is limited. Some areas are owned by the local Maori councils and fees can be charged to gain access to areas. A boat is the best way to get around, it doesn’t have to be a big boat though as the harbour is largely sheltered.

We had a week at Parengarenga and barely scratched the surface, to go back is high on my list of future fishing adventures. If snapper and kingfish are your thing, this is one place that should be on your must do list.

Joe Riley

On the bucket list, ticked, but remaining on there for a while yet for the author.

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Fishing News - Page 9

The River Derwent looks beautiful, but it is one of the worst polluted waterways in the world.

AUSTRALIA’S BEST BREAM ESTUARY IS ALSO THE MOST POLLUTED

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ROD HOLDEN explains how this great estuary needs love and help.

he River Derwent…one of Tasmania’s best Bream estuaries…can we fix it?

Look out over the River Derwent, from almost anywhere in the estuary, and you’d easily believe this stunning river, with its mountain backdrop, is a picture of health and a great spot to catch a feed of fish.

You’d be wrong in spades and in fact, the Derwent estuary is documented as one of the worst polluted waterways in the world! If you’re a local, you’ll know the official advice is…DO NOT eat the shellfish or Bream at all and limit consumption of ALL other fish from the Derwent to twice each week. If you’re breastfeeding, pregnant, planning to get pregnant, 6 years old or younger eat fish from the Derwent only once each week.

How did we get to this tragic point?

The simple answer is we’ve treated the Derwent as a dumping ground since the first fleet arrived. A brief history of white settlement in Hobart shows how it all started.

Fishing News - Page 10

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Industry is still directly on the waterfront.

In 1804 a settlement was established on a permanent freshwater stream, which became known as Hobart Rivulet. The settlement was named Hobart Town and had a population of 262, which was mostly convicts and soldiers.

For the first 15 years of settlement, the town didn’t expand much. The inhabitants drank straight from the stream and filled cooking pots and buckets to carry back to their homes.

As the population increased a number of small industries started to harness the energy of the stream. With increased use for both industry and domestic purposes the rivulet was rapidly changed from a clean natural stream to basically a drain.

Residents disregarded the impact their effluent and rubbish had on the stream, at the same time expecting the water flowing past their door to be clean enough to drink. This was despite the fact that their neighbours upstream had polluted the water in the same manner. The streets became so dirty and the water so polluted that Governor Sorell issued regulations in an effort to clean the place up.

Animals were prohibited from wandering the streets. Constables made a daily check of footpaths and drains to make sure rubbish was not being dumped anywhere. In 1829 it was found that effluent from the overcrowded Female Factory (female convicts) was being discharged into the rivulet. A town water supply was built in 1832 after “an inspection of the rivulet found it fouled by sawdust, greenhides, effluent from a distillery, and pig’s dung and muck running off properties all the way along its banks”.

Fishing News - Page 12

28 years that transformed the Derwent In as little as 28 years, a sparkling clean rivulet that everyone relied on was transformed into a stinking drain. Unfortunately, the same story continues for the next 187 years with the exponential growth of population and industry. A lot of their pollutants also ended up in the river with the biggest industries creating a legacy of heavy metals and industrial waste.

Heavy metals Public awareness of this legacy issue started in 1972 when a group of people eating oysters from Ralphs Bay became very ill. The oysters were found to have extremely high levels of zinc. Since then scientists have been studying the heavy metals in the Derwent. The following summaries show the extent of the issue.

Professor Harry Bloom reported in 1975 that mercury levels in the Derwent were second only to Minamata Bay, where 900 people died from mercury related disease. It must be noted that even though his numbers were disputed, the mercury levels are still some of the highest in the world.

Chapman said in her Master thesis (1992) that the cadmium levels in the Derwent sediments were almost three times higher than anywhere else in the world.

Dr Graeme Batley, a recently retired Chief Research Scientist from CSIRO said in 2014 the zinc levels in the Derwent are the second highest in the world (by a whisker) and 13 times higher (yes, thirteen) than number three on the list.

The Hughes report in 2014 states there’s about 150,000 tonnes of heavy metals in the Derwent sediments. His breakdown was roughly 122,000t of zinc, 19,900t of lead, 5,100t of copper and 2,200t of arsenic. Cadmium and mercury could not be estimated due to the equipment used. There’s also another 10,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate still sitting in the SS Lake Illawarra, which is the ship that took out the Tasman Bridge in 1975.

These metals are natural elements, but when they become soluble (which they are in the Derwent through various means) they enter the food chain.

When you eat anything out of the Derwent, you’re absorbing these metals into your body. At this point it’s worth considering what the World Health Organisation says about high levels of these metals and the effects on people. It’s a bit technical, but I bet you a beer it will be on your mind when you hit the Derwent for a fish sometime in the future.

Exposure to mercury (even small amounts) may cause serious health problems and is a threat to the development of children. It has toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes. People are mainly exposed to methylmercury, an organic compound, when they eat fish and shellfish that contains it.

Cadmium has toxic effects on the kidney, the skeletal and the respiratory systems, and is classified as a human carcinogen (known to cause cancer).

It is readily accumulated in many organisms, notably molluscs (oysters, mussels, shellfish, etc) and crustaceans (prawns, crabs, crayfish, etc) or in other words it accumulates in the food source of a lot of fish species.

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Lead is a cumulative toxicant that affects multiple body systems and is particularly harmful to young children. Lead in the body is distributed to the brain, liver, kidney and bones. It is stored in the teeth and bones, where it accumulates over time. Lead in bone is released into the blood during pregnancy and becomes a source of exposure to the developing foetus. There is no known level of lead exposure that is considered safe.

Arsenic is highly toxic in its inorganic form and can cause death. It has been associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In utero and early childhood exposure has been linked to negative impacts on cognitive development and increased deaths in young adults. Absorption occurs mostly through the small intestine (when you eat fish), although some absorption occurs from skin contact and inhalation (e.g. don’t smoke rollies when you fish).

Those four are the worst of a bad bunch, but wait there’s more. Copper-induced toxicity affects the liver, bones the central nervous and immune systems. Soluble zinc (which the Derwent is full of) is highly toxic to bacteria, plants, invertebrates, and fish.

So, the ‘what’ and ‘how’ show it’s from bad to worse and back again, especially for our kids.

It should be remembered that there is also a significant amount of other pollutants in the Derwent. These include various catchment pollutants, sewage effluent, storm water runoff, a large range of synthetics (microplastics, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, etc) and the list goes on.

to the heavy metals in the Derwent estuary anyway, its climate change making the ocean more acidic.

Let me explain…

Science tells us the oceans are becoming more acidic due to climate change. It also tells us that estuaries have an amplifying affect on this. Add to the mix the nutrients coming down from the catchment. The affect is that the bottom waters in estuaries is becoming more acidic and much faster than the ocean. This change in pH causes a chemical reaction that releases the heavy metals into the environment in its soluble form. The whole estuary, all at the same time, is releasing soluble heavy metals which are bioavailable. The King and Queen rivers on the west coast of Tasmania provides an example of the potential outcome. They are completely saturated with heavy metals and are now totally devoid of life because of it.

Won’t flushing make it better?

Don’t think for a second that the fresh water coming down from the catchment will save the day as estuaries have a salt wedge (the freshwater flows over the top of the salt water) and this salt wedge runs all the way up to New Norfolk. Basically, the whole estuary is salt water along the bottom.

Can it be fixed?

It looks extremely bad, but the main question in the title of this article is “can we fix it?” We believe we can.

We spent 4 years identifying the solutions, the technology is there. We also know how to fund it without waiting for the government to pick up the

whole tab. We also changed our constitution to be a profit-for-purpose company. That means we’re legally bound to drive all profit we make into our purpose, which is fixing the Derwent. We have some of Australia’s best scientists and water remediation professionals on board and we’re establishing a Youth Advisory Council and a large Citizen Science Project Cluster to give the public ownership. We’re drawing a line in the mud, bringing all stakeholders into the tent and fixing the river.

Make no mistake, the job at hand is massive and will take decades. It’s actually the largest holistic river remediation project in the world…ever. Apart from fixing the river, the next best part is that it will inject billions into the Tasmanian economy in the process. Then our kids will enjoy some of the best Bream fishing on the plant and they’ll also be able to catch a feed of flatties too.

There’s a catch, (yeah, there’s always a catch) we need to get the politicians to put some of our tax dollars into getting it started. We need to prove Tasmanians are behind our plan and that simply means subscriber numbers. Each subscriber adds one more pressure point for the pollies and the best time to leverage these guys is during an election… which is now.

Jump onto our website, check out the plan and subscribe. With your help, we have a shot at our kids being able to eat the fish from the River Derwent without it killing them.

www.derwentremediation.com.au Rod Holden, Managing Director, Derwent Remediation Pty Ltd

Is it bad - or getting better?

We now know how we ended up with this issue and that it’s getting into the food chain, but is it really that bad?

We’ve been told for the last 20 years that it’s getting better because inputs are being addressed and the heavy metals in the sediment is stable. Also, clean sediments are coming down from the catchment and slowly covering up the heavy metals. That’s true to some degree, but it’s not the whole truth. Don’t get me wrong, there has been some excellent strides in improving the impacts on the river from industry over the last 20 years.

We want to see that not only continue, but expand significantly. We know there are at least four major events that happen in the Derwent estuary which stirs up and remobilises those “stable” sediment on a regular basis. One of these major events happens almost weekly, another one fortnightly.

Having said that, the physical disturbance is not the real issue relative

Whilst the Derwent gets a lot of attention from bream fishers they rarely kill or take fish.

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Fishing News - Page 13

WINTER FISHING FAMILY OPTIONS Janet Lambert tells....

S

o winter is upon us and it’s time to pack the boat in the shed, reflect upon the season past and start focussing on the warmer months ahead right?...Wrong.

Although trout may be off the menu for my family over this period, things are just warming up for us in other areas and it is now we turn our attention to the salt water fishing scene.

In this article I hope to highlight some options that remain readily available to those that aren’t discouraged by a bit of cold weather and have invested wisely in some quality thermal clothing, after all, the days are often calmer over winter and the fishing can still be superb.

I am mindful that I have focussed on boat- based fishing in this article and haven’t gone into any detail regarding fishing rigs to use, this is story is purely aimed Fishing News - Page 14

at highlighting my family’s favourite area’s that we frequent over the winter months in Tasmania.

I hope you also find them successful for you and your family.

Hot Spots

Without doubt, at the top of my list is Great Oyster Bay, when fishing here we prefer to launch our boat from the Saltworks road boat ramp which is situated some 15 minutes east of Swansea on the way to Triabunna, launching is easy and access to productive fishing remains only minutes away once on the water.

The boat launching facility here remains second to none in my opinion and once you navigate a reasonably shallow barway, opportunities await everywhere.

Often we pull up around the 21 metre mark on the sounder and let the current take us where it will, a bit of movement is vital so as to keep the boat and baits moving over fresh ground, once we find a good patch of flathead, it’s as simple as marking the waypoint and once the action gets quiet, return to the mark and start the same drift all over again.

If the day is sensationally calm, we head straight for Schouten Island and target jackass morwong or school bluefin tuna that are often found close in by the shoreline on your left as you head out of Schouten Passage, why not throw some lures out next time you’re in this vicinity, you may well be surprised! We have also caught kingfish whilst trolling for the blueys, not a bad sort of bycatch!

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Zonker here. Here’s the straight talk: I’m a real scientist, because I have a lab coat and you don’t. Let’s nail one thing into your noggin’ right now: Amplitude Smooth lines with AST Plus are:

the most highfalutin, highestfloating, longest-lasting, premium smooth fly lines on the market.

They last twice as long as the closest competitor, and have up to five times less friction.

Amplitude Smooth TROUT

Amplitude Smooth Trout is designed specifically for precise presentations and those who love dry flies.

Features the unparalleled AST Plus slickness additive.

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I should know. For the last 12 months, I’ve been holed up down in the basement running tests. These lines are, simply put, full of slickness that stay slick.

And, we have features: Welded loops on both ends for easy riggin’.

Three colors, to identify the front taper and end of the head so you’ll know when to pick up your line and cast.

Every line has the SA•ID system that tells you exactly which line this is once it’s on your reel.

As far as tapers, we’ve got the all-new Infinity, which casts like it’s covered in bacon grease. It will shoot a mile, throw your articulated junk, and still be soft enough not to spook those sneaky little evening riser devils. Then we’ve got the Trout for dry-fly stuff, the Anadro/ Nymph for getting dirty with bobber rigs, the Titan Long for huge flies and big fish, along with the Grand Slam for those frustratin’ flats fish, and the Bonefish for, well, exactly what it says.

You want the best smooth lines in the world? Don’t look anywhere else.

Amplitude Smooth INFINITY Has the power to bomb out streamers, yet retains delicacy for dry flies. It mends like an absolute dream, and delivers flies at all distances. Built a half-size heavy, with a long head and substantial front taper, it’s perfect for trout.

There’s no end to what you’ll be able to do with it.

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Amplitude Smooth ANADRO Designed with line control in mind, its extended rear taper allows you to cast a mile, mend with authority, and turn over nearly any rig imaginable—from dredging double nymphs to larger dry-dropper concoctions.

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Fishing News - Page 15

Where the wild ones are.

In the heart of the Western Lakes region on Tasmania’s Central Plateau, Thousand Lakes Lodge is the ultimate base for your next wild trout fishing adventure. Known as the land of a thousand lakes, the area has many alpine tarns formed by ancient glaciers.

The Lodge, only 1.5hrs drive from Launceston or 2hrs from Hobart, has undergone a remarkable transformation — from former Antarctic training facility to premium alpine accommodation.

Experience world-class fishing in this remote yet stunning World Heritage Area, then retreat to the warmth and comfort of the Lodge. Enjoy premium guided experiences or create your own adventure.

Explore the Lakes and discover the real Tasmania.

Book now at thousandlakeslodge.com.au

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facebook.com/ThousandLakesLodgeTasmania Central Plateau Tasmania, Australia

Fishing News - Page 16

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Weed beds in the bays around Schouten Island also seldom disappoint if you’re after a feed of fresh calamari.

Georges Bay / St Helens

Since netting has been removed from this bay some years ago, the fishing here just gets better and better and with my sister in law and her husband owning a shack at nearby Scamander, our accommodation needs are sorted!

King George Whiting, garfish, monster calamari, the ever present bream and trevally are all reliable options over the winter period, there are so many other species in this bay I could mention but the fish mentioned above are what we primarily target.

If after trevally try a 1/8th jig head , 8 pound leader and “green pumpkin’’ berkley t tails in the soft plastic range, fish it in the sand holes amongst the weed, they are awesome fun on light gear when they scream off! A word of warning, if you find your soft plastic bitten in half and you never felt the bite, the culprit will most likely be the ever present leather jacket species that reside here in numbers.

If after calamari, a great place to start is the weed beds a couple of hundred metres in front of the Akaroa boat ramp.

Tamar River

T his is estuar y just gets better and better in my opinion, with calamari options ever ywhere, King George Whiting, Kingfish, Snapper, Find a good weather forecast and phone a friend and give Elephant fish, the list just goes on and on. them a day on the water as well. The sure appreciate it.

It is a water that my day. The one constant we always have without fail is a coffee family and friends have only really just started to explore and pastries at the Exeter bakery on the way home…Awesome! in any great detail over the past couple of years and we have been fortunate enough to witness some absolutely So that’s it really, this is what we do and the places we head, all outstanding days fishing here. this is a maximum trip of 2 hours from the furthest destination from our home, we leave about 7am, take our time, fish for a We often launch at the Kelso boat ramp and take with couple of hours and head home again, more often than not with us various rigs and lures aimed at specific species, more a nice feed of fresh fish for that evenings tea and perhaps even often than not, the fish , not us, decide on the day which more importantly, time spent actively outdoors with loved ones. will be the best option to focus on and my best advice is to keep moving around, mix things up and just enjoy the Janet Lambert

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Fishing News - Page 17

Hundreds and Hundreds of trout fishing lures to choose from

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Fishing News - Page 19

xiphias gladius THE MIGHTY BROADBILL SWORDFISH Daniel Paull tells of the quest with his father Mason .....

S

ome say that the pen is mightier than the sword.

The evolution of resolving conflict through communication and literature is a trait that mankind has developed exceedingly well since the beginning of our existence on Earth. In the much more primitive animal kingdom however, survival is determined by those biologically equipped with weapons to attack, defend and more importantly, to feed. The ocean, perhaps the most harsh and unforgiving of all environments on the planet, is the domain of many fearsome predators.

Below the surface and lurking in the deep, dark abyss lives a creature with one of the greatest weapons of all, xiphias gladius, the broadbill swordfish.

Adequately named due to the massive broadsword like bill protruding from the upper jaw of the animal, the swordfish is a fine example of evolution in the natural world. Throughout history, this mysterious fish has captured the imaginations of anglers around the globe.

Fishing News - Page 20

To many, including myself, the swordfish is rightfully regarded as the mightiest of all pelagic fish. Since the beginning of the year Dad and I have managed to catch, tag and release a further three of these majestic creatures, two of which have probably been our biggest swordfish to date.

Friday 19 April 2019 After six full days of deep dropping spanning back to early March without a single bite from an elusive broadbill, we became connected to something living in the deep during the early hours of Friday morning while fishing the Easter tournament held annually by the Gamefishing Club of Northern Tasmania. While bobbing around out off St. Helens, our brand new Shimano ‘Hyper’ game rod bent over in the gunwale and we were finally on! Following a very brief tussle,

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the 130lb monofilament line extending from the Talica 50 went slack and it was suddenly all over. We were devastated! You don’t get too many chances at catching a swordfish these days so you’ve got to make sure they remain connected!

Soon after sending our second bait into the abyss on the Talica/Hyper combination, we found ourselves once again hooked up after only a few minutes. This time it was a solid hook-up, or so we thought. Half an hour passed and the fish, of a substantional size, managed to dislodge the circle hook no more than thirty metres under the boat. What was going on? Had we become complacent and rusty with our technique? The mind certainly wonders about such things but confidence is

The mightiest of al

l about to be releas

king in any form of fishing and it was important for us to keep plugging away at it. Surely we wouldn’t lose a third fish? That was our last bite for the day.

Saturday 20 April 2019 Saturday, the last day of the competition, brought with it uncomfortable conditions. With only two 130lb outfits onboard, we’d restricted ourselves from pursuing any other species of fish, it was swordfish or bust! On our fourth drop for the day, the Hyper buckled over once again. This time we were officially tight to something big! The circle hook, pinned perfectly in the corner of the jaw, was never going to let go.

ed.

After strapping into the harness and fighting the beast for a little over two hours in some fairly inclement conditions, we finally had a beautiful big swordfish beside the boat and ready for release. A magnificent fish it was too, lit up in pearlescent blue in the afternoon sunlight. At that point in time it was one of our biggest swordfish to date. As usual, a few quick photographs were taken and the fish was soon released back into the blue. Little did we know our season was about to get even more interesting with a much bigger fish set to cross our path later on in May!

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Fishing News - Page 21

Wednesday 8 May 2019 With a tiny window of weather finally opening up in early May, we snuck out off St. Helens once again in search of our third swordfish for the year. Driving out to St. Helens Point with the boat in tow, we were greeted with some beautiful weather. There isn’t a better sight for keen sword fishermen and fisherwomen than the views of calm weather and cloudless skies! Upon launching the boat from the Burns Bay ramp, anticipation levels were high and we were expecting a productive day on the water.

After a quick ride out to the continental shelf, our first bait was dropped over the side and into the deep. During its descent to the sea floor, the bait was struck and we were suddenly connected to a fish of some description.

After feeling a little bit of drag pressure from the Talica however, the fish shot straight to the surface, jumped and spat the hook. Could it have been a swordfish? Or was it a shark of some sort? It was too far away to get a positive identification. It was certainly an interesting start to the day though!

While we finished off eating a box of biccies during our third drop for the day, the Talica/Hyper combination once again folded over in the gunwale and we’d become tight with something massive! Line began to slowly creep off the Talica. We calmly and effectively prepared for

battle like the late Robert Shaw and his portrayal of ‘Quint’ from the iconic movie Jaws. Clipping the harness to the lugs on the reel was reminiscent of the scene where Shaw prepares to do battle with the mighty shark.

Who hasn’t seen Jaws, right? You know what I mean!

After slowly pushing the drag lever up to strike, allowing the circle hook to roll right into the sweet spot, the fight had begun. The denizen of the deep felt the pressure of the diminutive yet powerful Talica and began swimming up the water column to toward the surface.

The great fish reached the surface fairly casually but never jumped or showed itself in any shape or form.

Inching closer to the leader, the animal decided to return downstairs and that’s where it stayed for the next few hours! Swordfish are notoriously stubborn. This beast wasn’t going to give up without breaking the angler first!

A gruelling and exhausting battle lasting well over four hours followed. After finally gaining those all important last few meters of line back onto the reel, we soon had our biggest ever broadbill beside the boat.

As we removed our trusty circle hook from the fish, once again perfectly pinned in the scissor of the jaw, we discovered a commercial longline hook firmly imbedded in the opposing side of the jaw with a heap of heavy line trailing behind it. It was a fair indication that this mighty animal had come into human contact once before! After

we cut and removed all the line trailing underneath the fish, we set it free back into the deep. While catching our breath and preparing to head for home, the massive fish appeared on the depth sounder, powering back into the deep to continue plundering longlines and destroying gear! As predicted, it was a great day on the water and after such an epic battle it was time to return to St. Helens for a beer or two!

Chasing the elusive swordfish is a game of of dedication, patience and sacrifice. With so many great species of fish to chase here in Tasmania, it can become pretty frustrating spending so much time and effort into targeting the one beast. Through time and effort however comes great reward. There aren’t too many things better than watching that impressive bill pierce through the surface for the first time.

So, some say the pen is mightier than the sword. In the deep and unforgiving oceans around the world, none come any mightier than the elusive broadbill swordfish.

Daniel Paull

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Fishing News - Page 22

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REWARDED FOR PERSISTENCE Adrain Webb tells his story about - hard to get to streams.

I

was sitting quietly, going through some photos that I have taken over the years I’ve spent trout fishing rivers, streams and creeks around Tasmania. They number around 22,000 since moving here back in March 2000. I know that most trout fishers who fish rivers normally go to the more open accessible areas and rarely try the more difficult hard to get to little rivers,streams and creeks that are quite plentiful in Tasmania. The majority of these little waters run into the larger rivers and all contain trout of various sizes, the water colour varies from light tannin to something that looks like black coffee.

As for the fishing tackle used, well it’s either the 5’6’’ or 6’ Ultra Light 1-3kg trout rod that I use coupled up with a small 1000/2000 spinning reel spooled with thin Platypus Super-100 clear 4 lb mono line. The lures I use in these little streams/creeks are the Mepps #00 inline blade spinners such as the Black Fury, Aglia’s (assorted models, gold/copper/black blades), Bug Spinners (Stonefly/White Miller). The reason I use the smallest spinners in these waters is because they only weigh 1.5 grams, in such narrow shallow waters you don’t need to be lobbing a heavy lure into them and spooking any trout that may be there. The slightest noise or even a shadow will send the trout darting off so one must fish as light as possible. I have from time to time also used a small

Tight, but enough room for a well placed cast or two.

3 cm two gram lure with some success. Most times the fishing in these little streams calls for accurate casting, it can become frustrating at times too, even for me as

I’ve missed seeing a thin twig/branch hanging over the water many times. Yes, you can guess what happened, the lure has hit the thin twig/branch and wrapped itself

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Fishing News - Page 23

around it. So one has to go and unwrap the lure from the twig/branch, all that does is scare off any fish that were in the area. It may even be the heavy foliage along both sides of these small streams that will bring you unstuck with a poor cast or a wind gust. Most of the foliage along these or any waters are very unforgiving once a lure lobs in them. Nine times out of ten you always have to go and retrieve it, they rarely fall back into the water. The majority of the time I’m casting directly up the stream because of the narrowness of them. The width of these streams/creeks do vary from a narrow 1.2 metres out to a wide 4.0 metres at times, most streams I’ve fished would average around 2.1 metres in width 80% of the time.

It’s never easy getting through the dense foliage to get to one of these streams and keeping a lookout for snakes as well. It can take up to an hour of bush bashing just to reach a stream only to find out there’s not enough water in it or there’s no fish there even though it has plenty of flowing water.. That’s just one of the minor downfalls with this type of fishing, then there’s the times when the effort is well worth it and you find one that’s holding trout. Most of them I have fished are are usually small dark tannin coloured streams/creeks that have held browns of various sizes. While going through my photos today I didn’t realise how many of them I have fished and the amount of fallen trees, log jams etc in them. Now when I look back on what I have put the body through to get to then fish these little streams, I feel the effort put into it was rewarded by some of the beautifully coloured wild brown trout caught and released in them..

Yes, it’s hard work and there were plenty of

Might have to scramble around this one.............. disappointing trips too, but that’s what this type of fishing is all about isn’t it. These small streams/creeks that flow through heavily bushed areas eventually reach a larger rivers that have trout in them so that’s why these out of the way small creeks/streams are worth checking out. Once the warm weather arrives then I normally stay away from them due to low water levels and snakes, not only that the trout tend to shut down, they also stress very easily. I’ve stepped on several snakes

STRAIGHT TO THE

and been struck once by a tiger snake thankfully it didn’t penetrate my waders, so remember to keep an eye out for them at all times. It’s never been the snakes fault at all, it’s been mine for not looking where I’m going. So there you have it, get onto Google Earth as I’ve done and check out where you may like to take up the challenge in chasing down a few trout in those little out of the way streams and creeks.. I always print out a copy of the areas I’m heading to as well, that way you know exactly

P

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Fishing News - Page 24

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Yes! I managed to winkle a small brownie from the midst of this. where you are. It’s quite easy to lose your bearings in the bush, I also carry a PLB (personal location beacon) with GPS with me at all times too. They’re not cheap but well worth the money as you just never know when you may have to use it.

Here’s a short fishing report from a trip to a small out of the way stream.

After having some decent rainfall over the past couple of days I thought I would try a small out of the way tannin stream. After twenty five minutes of making my way through some heavy scrub I was at the stream, it was flowing quite nice and well worth trying out to see

if there were any trout in it.. I was using the gold Aglia today as it always works well in most of the tannin waters I fish. It was a little on the quite side over the first fifty metres or so before I had a small brown take the lure only to see it toss it once it leapt from the river. A little further on I had my first brown hooked and after a good tussle over a couple of minutes I had it in the net. It was a solid 380 gram brown that was in very good condition.

These little tannin streams & creeks hold some nice trout in them from time to time and are always worth flicking a lure into once there’s good flow in them. Early and late season is always the best times to fish them, once the warmer weather arrives and water levels drop

the trout vanish. They head back into the main rivers that these little streams and creeks flow into. A lot of trout fishos don’t bother to check out these small tannin waters mainly because it’s very tight fishing and can be tough work because of some very rocky bottoms and lots of thick foliage along both sides of the water. I love giving them a go because you never know if there’s trout in them or not, it’s always rewarding when one does catch a few trout in them.

There’s plenty I’ve had a go at that have given up nothing, but then again it may have just been one of those days too.

Now back to my spin session in this little tannin stream. After releasing that 380 gram brown I continued to battle my way upstream flicking the gold Aglia into small runs where possible without a lot of success.

I did have two hook ups in a small narrow stretch of water but lost both fish, they were only little trout any way.

A little further up I came to a section of water that was around 2.4 metres wide and around 40 cms deep, it was here I caught and released my second brown of the session. It was good to see I had made the decision to give this small tannin water a go today and if we have more good rains before the season ends I’m sure there will more more trout to be caught here as well. There were several areas here I couldn’t get a cast in due to the thick overhanging foliage along both sides of the stream.. Over the next hour I fished what open water I could and caught and released another three browns from five hook ups with the best one going 420 grams. I called it a day after being in and out (getting around log jams) of this water for just on two and a half hours. With just the five trout caught and released it was still a good spin session and one area I will have another crack at later on before the trout season ends providing we get a little more rain to keep the water flowing at a reasonable level..

Adrian (meppstas)

Small and beautifully marked brownie.

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Fishing News - Page 25

RECREATIONAL FISHERIES REPORT

BRONTE LAGOON

Fisheries Performance Report From Inland Fisheries Service Technical Report

Fisheries Performance Assessment

1. Introduction

via Bronte Canal. The canal also collects water pumped from Serpentine Creek. Inflows are also received from Laughing Jack Lagoon and the Clarence River, via the Clarence Pipeline. The lagoon is a shallow storage and consequently changes in water level can expose or inundate large areas of the surrounding land and influence the performance of the fishery in both the long and short term.

Bronte Lagoon is a Hydro Electric water storage formed in 1953 by construction of a low rockfill dam at the edge of Woodwards Marsh. It is a shallow water situated at 666 m above sea level (full supply level is 665.98m) and is approximately 480 hectares. It is surrounded by sub-alpine woodland with open and grassy shorelines consisting of extensive snowgrass. The lagoon receives on average, 3 654 angler visits per annum and is a significant fishery of statewide importance, offering an angling experience for brown, rainbow and the10occasional brook trout.

2.2. Annual Postal Survey

Technical Since 1986, the Report Service has conducted a postal survey

seeking information about anglers’ catches. The survey comprises a form sent to ten percent of all categories of anglers, asking set questions about their angling (catch of trout) for the past season. This information is entered into a database and information on catch per day, harvest and angling effort is extrapolated. This provides a long term overview of individual fishery performance in addition to characterising effort. In this report, only records post 2000 are analysed.

Bronte Lagoon – September 2018 Fisheries Performance Assessment

eport Bronte Lagoon September 2018

Under the Tasmanian Inland Recreation Fishery Fisheries Performance Assessment Management Plan 2018-28, Bronte Lagoon is managed

as a ‘wild self-sustaining fishery’ with a fishing season eportBronte Bronte Lagoon September 2018 Lagoon is the first of four small storages open from August to April in the following year. Fishing

Fisheries Performanceis restricted Assessment to the use of artificial lures only with a daily

Percent

Percent

that8 supply water to the Tungatinah power station.

Water flows into Bronte Lagoon from Pine Tier Dam

bag limit of 12 fish and minimum size limit of 300 mm length.

Technical Report

6 10

The lagoon is primarily a Bronte Lagoon – September 2018brown trout fishery however,

4 8 2 6 0 4

0

50

2

100

150

200

250 300 350 Length (m m )

400

450

500

550

600

Length frequency for brown trout 2018.

0 0

50

100

150

200

250 300 350 Length (m m )

400

450

500

550

600

50 45 40 35

Percent

30 50 25 45 20 40 15 35

Percent

10 30 5 25

15 10

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2 CF

1.4

Condition factor (k-factor) for brown trout 2018.

2. FPA Survey Methodology 2.1.

Length frequency for brown trout 2018.

0 20

there are a small number of rainbow trout and the infrequent brook trout captured each season. The lagoon also has populations of short finned eels, spotted and climbing galaxiids and the introduced tench.

1.6

1.8

2

Population Surveys

During 17 - 19 September 2018, 80 box traps were set each night over two nights (total of 160 box trap sets), with a wide area of the lagoon covered. In total, 292 trout were captured consisting of 281 brown trout, 10 rainbow trout and one brook trout, with all fish weighed and measured (fork length). All brown trout were judged as male, female or indeterminate, with fish released away from the trap site after processing.

2.3. Stocking Database The Service keeps electronic records of fish stocking within public waters dating back to 1980. These records set out information on location, date of stocking, species, age, origin, stock type and genotype, in addition to some length/weight data and comments e.g. denoting tagged fish. This information provides an historical record of supplementary recruitment into individual waters.

2.4. Analysis Methods Condition factor for all fish was calculated using a common formula. This provides a basic generalised result that can be used to compare other fish and fisheries. Condition factor categories assigned to each level of condition i.e. poor, fair, good or excellent, are reflective of an individual fish or population at a particular time within the reproductive cycle and will therefore change during this cycle e.g. high during peak spawning condition. A growth equation was generated using standardised log-linear data (ln) for weight against length.

3. Results 3.1. In-Lake Population Survey – Brown Trout During 17 - 19 September 2018, the Service conducted an in-lake survey at Bronte Lagoon to examine: •

• to assess the population structure of brown trout and, •

Fishingcondition News - Page - Get the knowledge - Get the fish. e overall of 26 brown trout was good, www.tasfish.com with an average k-factor of 1.08.

5 0

CPUE for brown trout and rainbow trout,

the condition of all fish captured.

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Fishing News - Page 27

Catch Per Unit Effort In total, 281 brown trout were captured from 160 box trap sets. This equates to a CPUE of 1.76 fish per trap, with approximately 75% of trap sets catching one or more fish. Despite a previous survey being undertaken during 2003, no directly comparable catch effort data is available, as the previous survey used gill nets to collect fish.

Weight and Length Information The catch consisted of 42% females, 29% males with 29% of indeterminate sex. All brown trout were weighed and measured for fork length. Table 1 shows the summary statistics for these fish separated by sex. There was difficulty in determining the sex of some trout and this resulted in a higher than normal percentage of indeterminately classed fish. On average, male fish were significantly heavier than female fish by around 208 grams.

The average weight for all fish, including immature fish was 573 grams. The average weight for fish over 300 mm was 653 grams, with 83% of the catch being greater than 300 mm length.

The growth of fish appears to be good with all fish showing a healthy weight for a given length, with no signs of larger fish being in poor condition. However, only two percent of brown trout were over 500 mm.

There was good evidence to suggest the recruitment of brown trout has been solid across several years with all length classes present. This also included a strong signal from young of the year fish in the 100-200 mm range.

In general, the overall condition of brown trout was good, with an average k-factor of 1.08. Approximately 16 percent showed some evidence of being in poorer condition, with 84 percent in the fair to excellent range (see figure 3). This is typical of most lake fisheries within the State.

3.2. Population Survey – Rainbow Trout Just 10 rainbow trout were captured, with all being caught on the first day of the survey. The CPUE for rainbow trout was therefore extremely low at 0.063 fish per trap or 3.5 percent of the total catch. All fish were between 250 – 300 mm length with an average weight of 274 g and average length 279 mm. All but one fish (a female) was recorded as indeterminate sex. All fish were in good to excellent condition with an average k-factor of 1.25.

3.3. Angler Postal Survey Average (mean) fishing effort in the period 2000 2018 was 9,793 angler days per season, with a low of 5,847 days during 2003-04 and a high of 13,575 days during 2017-18 (see figure 4). The increase in fishing

effort during 2006 – 2010 is likely a consequence of drought conditions during 2006 – 2009 affecting other major fisheries, with an influx of anglers electing to fish waters such as Little Pine Lagoon and Bronte Lagoon.

This drought broke in late 2009 and anglers began to fish at other waters in preference to Bronte Lagoon.

The catch rate for brown trout during this period (2010 - 2016) was variable and a likely contributing factor in lower fishing effort (see figure 7). However, a large increase in fishing effort occurred in the 2017-18 season, the reasons for this are unclear although the daily catch rate during 2016-18 was above the long term average (see figure 7) and likely to encourage anglers to fish this water.

The average number of days fished by anglers within each season remained around the long term average of 5 days (see figure 5).

The estimated harvest of brown trout has fluctuated considerably through time and is not strongly linked to fishing effort (as normally occurs), but influenced more by the daily catch rate.

The average catch rate for rainbow trout has remained low at around 0.14 fish per day with and estimated annual harvest of 1 445 fish. The occasional brook trout is also captured at Bronte Lagoon during most seasons.

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3.4. Stocking

4. Discussion

Brown trout

poor condition.

The fishery at Bronte Lagoon at present appears to be performing well. The CPUE from the in-lake survey was slightly lower than expected and was below that for similar waters, e.g. Little Pine Lagoon (4.64 brown trout per trap) and Woods Lake (2.30 brown trout per trap). This suggests the abundance of brown trout is in the moderate range. There were a large number of size classes present and no signs of any poor recruitment over the past 5-6 years. The long term average daily catch rate for brown trout is good but there have been significant fluctuations over the long term.

The brown trout populations within Bronte Lagoon is entirely from natural recruitment from upstream sources.

Brook trout It is assumed that downstream dispersal of brook trout from Clarence Lagoon has in the past contributed to some catches, although past catch rates suggest these instances are extremely rare. Brook trout were stocked into the lagoon during the period 2003-2009 . These stockings were mainly due to hatchery supplies being excessive. There is some correlation with the stocking of brook trout into the lagoon and an increase in catch rates, although

The reasons for these fluctuations are not clear but they are likely to reflect the total abundance of brown trout through time. Factors such as water level operations may be a contributing factor but they are not within the scope of this report.

these catch rates are very low. The stocking of yearling and adult fish appear to provide the best return.

The average weight of fish over 300 mm was lower than expected at 653 grams. This result is a reflection of the large number of smaller fish present within the population. Just over 50 percent of the catch was between 300-400 mm long, with 30 percent between 400 – 500 mm. While there were no signs of any growth limiting factors, only 2 percent of brown trout measured more than 500 mm. Very few fish where in

Rainbow trout Other than an increase in the daily catch rate for rainbow trout during 2008 – 2011, there is virtually no correlation between the stocking of rainbow trout and increased daily catch rate (see appendix B). Rainbow trout have been recorded in angler’s catches prior to any stocking occurring, suggesting that immigration can sustains a base level population.

There was no apparent link between angling effort and catch rate and there did not appear to be any significant evidence of angling effort influencing the annual harvest figure. This indicates the population is not being affected to any substantial degree by the seasonal take by anglers.

The daily catch rate for rainbow trout showed very little correlation to the relevant stocking events, except for the stocking of some yearlings and adult fish. Rainbow trout have been captured within Bronte Lagoon prior to any stocking events indicating there is some dispersal from other waters into the lagoon, which maintains a small population.

There is some evidence the stocking of brook trout can contribute to anglers’ catches. However, the return to the daily creel is extremely low and on-going stocking is difficult to endorse, especially when brook trout supplies are traditionally very limited.

In summary, at present Bronte Lagoon has a moderate abundance of brown trout across a wide range of sizes.

The vast majority of fish captured were good condition and the growth of fish appears to be acceptable. The annual harvest relative to fish abundance is low and present fishery and management actions are serving the fishery adequately. The lagoon holds a very small self-sustaining population of rainbow trout that are likely from downstream dispersal from other waters.

The brook trout population is negligible.

Fisheries Performance Assessment

cal Report Bronte Lagoon September 2018

6 Harvest numbers brown trout

20000

5. Recommendations

18000

• The trout fishery at Bronte Lagoon continues to be managed by way of adjustment to bag and size limits.

At present (2018-19 season), the minimum size limit is 300 mm with a daily bag limit of 12 fish that includes only two brook trout (and five Atlantic salmon). Given there is no substantial evidence that angling effort and consequently annual harvest is impacting the brown tout population, there are no recommendations to alter either bag or size limits.

16000 14000 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000

• Monitoring of future angling effort and harvest is achieved by angler feedback and assessment via the annual postal survey.

2017/18

2016/17

2015/16

2014/15

2013/14

2012/13

2011/12

2010/11

2009/10

2008/09

2007/08

2006/07

2005/06

2004/05

2003/04

2002/03

2000/01

0

2001/02

2000

• Monitoring of the trout population is undertaken on an as needs basis.

Estimated harvest of brown trout 2000 – 2018 (dotted line indicates long-term average).

2

• The on-going stocking of rainbow trout is either increased to 50,000 fry (equivalent), or discontinued completely with an acceptance of a daily catch rate of around 0.15.

BT Catch

1.8

RT Catch

1.6

Catch Rate

1.4

• Unless the availability of brook trout for stocking is high, no stocking is recommended.

1.2 1

• Recruitment of brown and rainbow trout is from downstream dispersal and is influenced by hydro water management and flood events. These factors are identified for potential future investigation.

0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2

2017/18

2016/17

2015/16

2014/15

2013/14

2012/13

2011/12

Season

2010/11

2009/10

2008/09

2007/08

2006/07

2005/06

2004/05

2003/04

2002/03

2001/02

2000/01

0

Daily catch rate for brown & rainbow trout 2000 – 2018 (dotted line indicates long-term average).

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Fishing News - Page 29

Jobie left his run til late, but did the job.

FAMILY TUNA TIME — AT LAST — Gavin Hicks

W

hen the new boat was purchased two years ago now I knew it was going to lead us on some new and varied fishing trips, sometimes maybe even away from my most favourite of places the Great Lake.

Who knew, maybe even into the salt water? As happens sometimes in life an unexpected friendship arose and a fisherman I had known through social media circles for quite some time became a really good mate (see Mike some good things can come from a game of golf). Anyway this bloke who for the purposes of this story we will call Jason Sims also happens to be a very knowledgeable tuna fisherman and eventually the conversations got around to testing the TABS 5100 out down at Eaglehawk Neck to see if we could get my two boys Jobie and Kai their first Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishing News - Page 30

each. So over the course of the next 10 months or so Tuna tackle was bought and gathered, reels were spooled, lures and skirts were rigged ready to go, camping gear was bought and sorted and eventually we were good to go as far as all the gear required for such a trip was concerned. Ok maybe we did have about 50 more lures than were needed but you never know I guess.

Then in mid-April of this year my Mother passed away and fair to say the tuna fishing was put on the back burner. This one hurt me real bad and I had pretty much hit rock bottom, my life had turned to shit. Suddenly the fishing, the cycling, the golf, all the things I loved to do didn’t seem to work anymore and I wasn’t sure how I was going to get out of the

hole I was in. Then as good mates do Simsy stepped up as he could see I was struggling and gave me something different to focus on, it was time to keep an eye on the weather and head south. Time to put some grins on the boys faces. So after a couple of false starts and cancelled trips due to unsettled forecasts (we needed to be a bit careful with 5100 side console trailer boat and two young boys in tow) Everything looked good and we made a firm plan for the June long weekend.

The boat was loaded, car packed with twenty times more gear than we would ever need for a weekend away and finally it was time. 10:30am Friday morning arrived and we were on the way to Latrobe to pick Jason up.

We left his place at around 11:30 and settled in for the long drive to our camp site at Fortescue Bay. After

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approximately 350km we arrived ready to set up camp at about 4:00pm. With just the perfect amount of daylight left we set up camp, lit the fire, cooked some scotch fillet steaks and settled in to relax. Camping on the site next to us was a work of mate of Jason’s. Mick is a really nice guy and also happens to be the son of the man behind Tornado Lures, Ken which is a mainland based business. They make amongst other things some cracking tuna skirts so naturally it didn’t take long before the conversations turned to what we were going to be using etc. Mick and his son had already had a good few hours on the water and boated a couple of school Bluefin and also tangled with another much bigger fish. So we all hit the swags very much excited for what the weekend may bring.

Saturday June 8th…

Everyone was up at 5:30 am, keen as mustard to get on the water. So after a quick bacon and egg muffin it was finally time.

The snacks and drinks were loaded into the boat, safety gear was double checked and we were backing down the ramp at about 7am.

Heading out around the corner from the Fortescue boat ramp Simsy was busy setting and getting the spread just how he wanted. I was to be the driver for the day and he was in control of all things that involved any tuna knowledge. We were running two Halcos and two Tornado skirts and now all we had to do was to look for signs of fish. Which could be anything from birds working to fish busting the surface or even schools of bait on the sounder, and it didn’t take long.

By the time we had made the five minute

trawl to the area known as The Lanterns we had already sounded some big schools of bait. It’s pretty fair to say we had two very keen boys on the boat. We headed down around the corner and trawled a few loops down in the direction of the Monument. All the while keeping an eye on our surrounds for signs of fish activity. We could see out towards the Hippolyte Rock area that there seemed to be a lot of bird activity and we could definitely see there were plenty of boats out there. So after working The Lanterns area for a couple of hours for no luck we decided to trawl our way out and see what all the commotion was about.

And when we finally made it out there, boy what a sight. There were boats everywhere, massive schools of bait all through the water column, big schools of not so enjoyable couta and of course some rather large seals.

One look at Jason’s face and I could tell things could get hectic here real quick. He knows the area like the back of his hand and has done a lot of Tuna trips, he was excited.

He had never seen so much bait out there.

So imagine how I felt, if he was pumped believe me I was very nearly wetting myself.

And the sight of a couple of big (read BIG) tuna busting the surface into a school of bait not far from the boat didn’t help ease the excitement levels too much. But as it can be with any sort of fishing it just didn’t happen for us, or a lot of other boats in amongst all the madness. And after another couple of hours of trawling through prime looking water and only hooking a dozen or so couta we decided to head back into The Lanterns.

Nobody wants to be hooking couta when

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Fishing News - Page 31

you are trawling some bit dearer tuna gear out the back. And then finally it happened, doing a run down around the corner again where we started the day the big rod went off and Jobie leapt into action. With plenty of fire power he was able to put some serious hurt on the fish and before any seals could wreak havoc he had boated his first SBT. It was a beautiful little school Bluefin that would have went about 17kg, and the smile on Jobies face is something I will never forget. The Tornado Lures T2 Red Bait had done its job, as had our guide. We continued on for a while longer but things were just simply quiet. So after 8 odd hours and 102 km in the boat we decided to call it a day and head back to the campfire for a beer and a big old T Bone. Kai would have to wait till tomorrow to hopefully get his turn at a tuna. None of us took much

rocking when we crawled into our swags.

Sunday June 9th…

It didn’t take long for Sunday morning to roll around and we were back on the water around the same time. Today was our last day on the water and we didn’t have a whole lot of time so the pressure was on to get Kai hooked up. Simsy came up with a plan to stick around the Lanterns and hopefully mark some bait again and then just keep working those areas (that plan may also have something to do with me making a slight error in fuel judgements but no need to go into that right now!). So that’s exactly what I did. I trawled around until I had 5 good areas of bait marked and then just continued to lap around that same route.

Thing weren’t looking to good on the fuel gauge and the decision was made to start

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heading in, much to Kai’s and our disappointment.

But about 5 minutes from winding in the rods finally it was fish on time again. Thankfully again it was the big Shimano Tyrnos that went off, this time with a Halco King Brown lure on and Kai was able to subdue the fish before any seals entered the argument. A bit of gaff skill from Simsy followed and Kai was cradling a ripping 22kg bluefin in his arms and a massive smile on his face. A few high fives followed and to be honest I was struggling to hold back a fair bit of emotion behind my glasses and buff.

Finally after some pretty dark times of late a bit of good luck had come our way. Who knows, maybe someone was watching over us. All that was left to do after that was head back to the ramp, clean up our catches, pack up camp and make the return journey home.

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Time to wrap things up…

So there you have it. Our first successful foray into the world of tuna fishing in the TABS 5100 Territory Pro, what a ripper of a boat it is. We couldn’t have done this trip without the generosity of Tornado Lures

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(tornadolures.com) and the guidance and knowledge of Jason Sims. He really has become a very good mate, treated my boys like his own for which I will always be in debt to him and helped me through a couple of the darkest months of my life (along with a lot of other people who I am also very grateful to). Though it still hurts a lot, those couple of days away were just what I needed to help recharge the batteries a bit. Thanks mate.

And finally if you never listen to another thing I say that’s fine, but please take note of this. Be good to your mother and take care of her at every opportunity because one day you will wake up and she won’t be there anymore.

Rest in Peace Mum, I will always love you…

Gavin Hicks…

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