Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Issue 140 2020 February

February – April 2020

TASMANIAN FISHING and BOATING NEWS — ISSUE 140

Personal Locator Beacons Game Fishing with Hooch Mersey River - Autumn Nymph under Dries Catch and Cook Silver Trevally Arthurs Lake

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Lake Sorell

$5.95 Mitch Crowden with a therapy trout. See page 8

Mersey River Autumn — Gavin Hicks

3

Technology on the Trail - Personal Locator Beacons — Tim Savage

6

Wild West Therapy — Brett Michael Smith

8

Silver Bullets — Lubin Pfeiffer

10

Hanging with Hooch — Kelly ‘Hooch’ Hunt

16

Grasshopper Time — Shane Broadby

22

Catch and Cook — Joe Riley

26

Nymph, Dry or Both — Tom Jarman

30

Competition Fly Fishing – My First Comp — Shane Broadby

34

Arthurs Lake — Matt Sherriff

39

Lake Sorell — Mike Stevens

42

Recreational Marine Fishing News

45

THE trout TRIFECTA BULLDOG CRANK • 38mm • 10 Colours • UV Colours • Dives to 2m • Weighs 4g

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Check out ‘Silver Bullets’ on page 10

by Lubin Pfeiffer. Lubin is our new Field Editor and I am relieved. Trying to run a retail shop, a magazine, two websites and have time to go fishing is too hard for an old crock. Lubin I will loosely describe as a ‘fishing bum’, but that is unfair, as he is a hard worker immeresed in fishing, promoting fishing and earning an income from it.

Lubin and his wife Casey live in a van, tow a boat and fish a lot. Lubin and Casey both love the fishing life equally as much, and both are competitive fly fishers. From next issue Lubin will be cranking up the magazine, so look out.

COL

: 03

For more information please visit

Two Tasmanian lakes that have been getting attention are Arthurs Lake and Lake Sorell, both for different reasons.

Arthurs had a big decline and as much as we have wished for it to improve it has taken time. It does note get the pressure it once did and it has certainly not been fishing that well. Hopefully it is on the up and from what I have heard the fishing has improved quite dramatically.

The fish numbers caught still seem to be down, but condition wise the fish are doing really well.

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

Matt Sherriff has taken a look at Arthurs on lures in this issue, so check it out and go for a visit.

Then there is Lake Sorell. It recently re-opened to some optomistic anglers and in the main they were disappointed.

It is low, turbid and boating is fraught with danger of exposed — and hidden reefs and rocks. Don’t expect much from this water for a year or two. It will take rain, good spawning an recruitment before it fishes well again.

A big thank you to IFS though in ridding lakes Crescent and Sorell of carp. Pest fish eradication has never been done on this scale anywhere in the World. An extraordinary effort.

Lastly I must thank Kelly ‘Hooch’ Hunt. He never lets me down with a story. He loves his saltwater fishing and boating and he ‘mans up’ and gets some great words together. Really he almost writes a book instead of a column, but it is detailed and relevant. He is a doer and spends a lot of time on the water.

That should be a lesson for all of us.

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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MERSEY RIVER AUTUMN Gavin Hicks shares some thoughts on his home river and the flies he uses.

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ords cannot describe how happy I am to be sitting down to write this story, as it means the long work swing is over. Let me explain in a bit more detail. So far my 2020 year has consisted of three weeks straight of 12 hour nightshifts and absolutely zero time fishing, and it’s fair to say by the end of the three weeks I was pretty much over it. Working all night and sleeping all day whilst my two boys are in the middle of summer holidays is not a great deal of fun. So now it’s time to get out and fish again and a fair bit of that time will be spent on the Mersey River. And while I am out there these are the flies that I will be using first and foremost to hopefully trick a fish or two.

I am not much into the technical names for trout food so if a fish is eating a mayfly then that’s what I will call it. Likewise for a caddis or a hopper and even a twig if the fish is that way inclined. So with all that out of the way let’s have a look at what I like to tie on at this time of year.

Caddis (F-Fly) Is there anything better than standing in the middle of the Mersey on a still summers evening when the caddis are swarming above your head as thick as thieves? I love standing in the middle of a nice run and letting the fish come to you. Sooner or later they will start rising within range and when they do I like

to show them an F-Fly. It is such an easy fly to tie with only a couple of basic materials in its original form, but as fly tiers we all like to tweak things a bit to suit our own eye don’t we? My variation includes a small head of Hares Ear dubbing in front of the wing as I think it neatens things up a bit (purely personal preference).

And I also like to carry a few with a hot spot on the butt section made out of holographic tinsel in green,

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Fishing News - Page 3

orange or red which is then covered with a bit of UV resin to add a bit of longevity to the fly. I am about to start experimenting with some Hot spot coloured UV resins for this application amongst other things, as I reckon it would work a treat, and I am sure it has already been done somewhere. It will definitely add to the strength of the butt section at least. My current favourite hook for the F-Fly is a Hanak H500 BL hook.

I usually start out with a size 14 but generally carry in it a range from size 12 to 16 and maybe the odd size 18. Again personal preference but I really like the way the shape of this hook fits the F-Fly and of course it is a barbless hook. I prefer to tie all my freshwater flies on barbless hooks now and if I am using hooks that are barbed for some reason I simply flatten the barb with forceps. If you haven’t tried barbless yourself I really recommend you give them a go. In my opinion you seem to get a better more solid hook up due to ease of penetration. And I don’t think from memory I can say I’ve ever lost a fish due to a hook being barbless.

Mayflies (Merchute and black spinner) Mayfly time on the river for me at the moment usually means days at work while others are out enjoying the best of things, and you know what good luck to them. Everyone deserves to enjoy those red letter days when they come along as much as I do (yeah not one bit bitter about being stuck at work when I should be fishing!). But if I am able to find a few mayfly feeders I will tie on my Merchute pattern first of all and then go to a black spinner (parachute tie) if and when required. I won’t go into too much detail on the Merchute as I am sure I have detailed it in these pages before except to say that I sometimes vary the tail colour. Instead of using natural golden pheasant tippets I will go to dyed red or green for the tail, but I always start out with golden. My black spinner is about

Merchutes and Black Spinners above, Wee Hopper and Bruiser Bug on right. as basic as you can get and it is the same pattern that I use when I’m fishing any lake. Microfibbet tail, black seals fur body and black hackle with a small dubbed thorax of diamond brite in peacock colour. Both flies are tied parachute style with a post of either float viz or bright wing, mainly in white but sometimes not.

Again I usually start out with a size 14 but carry both in mainly a range from size 12 to 16 hooks.

There is also the Caenid Mayfly for which I like to use what I guess you could say is another variation on the F-Fly. It is pretty much just and F-Fly but with and added mayfly style tail and a couple of wraps of grizzly hackle at the front. This is always tied smaller with a size 16 being as big as I go with this pattern.

Hoppers (Bruisers Bug and Creek Hopper) It is hard to write a fly fishing related story without mentioning this fly as it is so good at so many different applications but the first fly I tie on to catch a hopper feeder is Peter Broomhall’s Bruisers Bug. I am lucky enough to have a few of the early version of this fly

that Pete gifted to me on an NZ trip quite a few years ago now. They hang comfortably in my tying room forever retired, as I like to keep those sorts of flies that I have been lucky enough to be given over the years by other generous fly tiers. Peter has developed this pattern from scratch over the years and it is an absolute cracker, there isn’t anything more I can say about it that hasn’t already been written. Except to say that I will always tie on either a brown/ red or a brown/ orange combination to start with. And if they don’t work you could always try one of the hundreds of other colour combinations that this fly will also work in. I am not sure what the original versions are tied on but I do like to these on

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‘You only get one life — Fish it well’ What fly will be using

A deadly double - orange bead and Fox Squirrell dubbing.

Nymphs

Fox Squirrel dubbing is hellishly buggy. a Kamasan B160 hook with a bit wider gape (squashed barbs of course). I also carry some Muzz Wilson style Wee Creek Hoppers. But to be perfectly honest they are only a just in case the ‘Bug’ doesn’t work and I have never as yet had that happen!

That is a rundown of flies I will be tying on for my river sessions between now and the end of the season.

If we happen to run into each other on the Mersey River stop for a chat and maybe exchange a favourite fly or two. That’s if I can drag myself away from the fishing, I have a very itchy casting arm after all these night shifts let me tell you, but I would be more than willing to have a spell. Life is far too short to not stop and take a breath from time to time and share in other people’s successes. As I saw in a campaign from a famous American fishing brand a while back ‘You only get one life — Fish it well’ Actually I think I might email the above mentioned company and get permission to use that in a new Tattoo, I like it.

Gavin Hicks

I always carry a nymph box with me when I’m on the river, just in case. Current versions of my Mersey nymph are about as basic as you can get. Microfibbet tail, thread body — mainly in various shades of brown, and Wapsi Fox Squirrel for the thorax. If you haven’t used Fox Squirrel dubbing before grab yourself a packet or two from The Essential Flyfisher and give it a go. It is a really nice colour, very buggy looking when tied in and super easy to dub onto your tying thread. Just like a good packet of dubbing should be. My nymphs are mainly tied with a bead head in all the usual colours but sometimes just with a more natural thread head for those bit fussier fish or the ones that can be often be found sitting on the edges in the more shallow water.

Again the most used sizes are in the 12 to 16 hook ranges, nothing new there.

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Fishing News - Page 5

TECHNOLOGY ON THE TRAIL Personal Locator Beacons

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he use of technology on the trail is a controversial topic that can generate heated conversations over the pros and cons of the different technology types as well as the impact on the hiking experience in general.

A prime example was a recent Facebook survey we ran on whether or not hikers use Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs). While I’ll discuss the results of this survey in this article the passionate debate that went on in the background surprised me with people presenting a variety of views on the topic. This article will provide a basic overview of what PLBs are, how they work and how and when to use them.

What is a Distress Beacon?

A distress beacon is an electronic device that, when activated in a life threatening situation, assists rescue authorities in their search to locate those in distress. From a hiking perspective PLBs are relatively lightweight and small, and will fit into your pocket or clip to your pack/belt very easily.

Locator Beacons

PLB (Personal locator Beacon) is for personal use by bushwalkers, 4WD drivers, other adventurers on land, employees working in remote areas, and crew in boats and aircrew. This type of beacon is becoming a multi-environment beacon EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) is usually for use on water ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter) is usually for use on aircraft. However, EPIRBs and PLBs can be carried in place of an ELT Fishing News - Page 6

The benefit of this type of beacon is that once you purchase one the battery will usually last for at least 5 years and in the case of hiking PLB’s up to 10 years so you will when you factor the cost of the beacon the price works out at around $40/year.

Two Way Communication Devices The Garmin Inreach Explorer+ is not a dedicated PLB but rather a GPS and Personal locator beacon all in one. It allows two way communications with the emergency management centre however is dependant on being recharged. Emergency contact is initially though the USA who will then advise AMSA of the issues. The Garmin units are becoming more common throughout Australia and is now my personal beacon choice.

The downside of this type of unit is the initial purchase cost of $699AUD as well as the ongoing annual subscription service to operate. In my case my annual subscription fee sits just under $400 but for that my wife can follow me on my day/multi-week solo hikes by use of the online map. Even when in remote areas with no phone signal we can communicate by satellite text messages.

How do Beacons Work?

When activated, beacons transmit a signal that can be detected worldwide by the international satellite system, Cospas-Sarsat. The signal is detected by a Rescue Coordination Centre to coordinate a response. Your beacon can be activated from anywhere on the Earth’s surface, regardless of whether you were travelling by air, land or sea.

Satellites cannot detect beacons through mountains, trees or buildings. If your beacon has not been deployed correctly with the aerial vertical in a clear open area or you are in a valley, geostationary (GEO) satellites are unlikely to see you. In these cases, you must wait for polar-orbiting (LEO-Low Earth Orbiting) satellites to pass overhead, which may take several hours.

Another important factor, which determines how long your rescue takes, is if you have a Global Positioning System (GPS) beacon or a non-GPS beacon.

Beacons manufactured in Australia are GPS beacons.

When you purchase a beacon ensure that you thoroughly read the instructions and know how to use it. I do this annually as well as doing a device test to ensure that it still works. I also make sure my hiking partner knows were the beacon is and how to use it.

How Long does it take to be Rescued after Activation?

The time it takes for rescue personnel to reach you depends on several factors including the weather, terrain, accessibility of your location, and availability of rescue resources at the time of your incident. The more remote the location of the distress incident, the longer the response time.

What this means is that while emergency services will get to you as quickly as possible, you or your group will need to manage the emergency situation as best you can until they arrive. When planning your hikes, ensure you have considered all the possible scenarios and have emergency plans in place as best as you can.

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Buying a Beacon The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) website contains a list of beacons that meets Australian Standards – the information can be found at http:// beacons.amsa.gov.au/about/beacon-types.asp#epirb2.

Beacons manufactured to Australian Standards will meet your needs as a hiker. In addition to standard PLBs there are beacons that have two way communication options e.g. Garmin InReach Explorer+

Registering and Updating your Beacon Dedicated Personal Locator Beacons purchased within Australian are registered with AMSA and this allows search and rescue organisations to contact your designated emergency contacts if you set off your beacon. Providing you have kept your details up to date, any potential rescue is likely to be quicker. Beacon registration lasts for two years and is free of charge.

Remember the following: Re-register every two years (before the current expiry date). If you have updated your beacon details within six months of expiry AMSA will automatically renew your beacon and contact you with a confirmation Update trip details every time you go out and ensure they are detailed enough to assist anyone searching for you Ensure you have let your emergency contacts know what you are doing

Beacon Disposal You should advise AMSA of beacons that have been sold, lost or disposed of. Do not throw away beacons without first disconnecting the battery.

Can I take my Beacon Overseas?

You can take your beacon overseas. Before doing so, contact your chosen airline for guidance on carrying distress beacons as every airline and airport has different requirements. At the time this article was published, Qantas didn’t need to approve the carrying of PLBs in cabin or in checked luggage. Both Jetstar and Virgin didn’t identify these devices specifically but reverted to the regulations published by the Civil Safety Aviation Authority, which limits the battery size in these devices. Some countries consider PLB carriage and activation illegal on land. AMSA recommends contacting search and rescue authorities in the country in which you are travelling.

When should you carry a Beacon?

In a perfect world hikers shouldn’t undertake activities that exceed their skill levels unless with someone who has those skills and knowledge.

What we have no control over is accidents. Being bitten by a snake, tripping and seriously injuring yourself, unexpected medical conditions, are all things for which hiking experience levels can’t compensate. In addition what happens if the experienced group leader is the one who has an issue and all there is to help is a group of inexperienced hikers?

PLBs aren’t really one of those pieces of equipment you discuss ad nauseam with your friends while sitting around the fire at night but the beacons produced to meet Australian Standards are all pretty robust, reliable, and lightweight.

In a recent poll Australian Hiker conducted results showed that 29% of hikers never used a PLB while 71% used a PLB either all the time or on longer walks.

This poll may have been representative of the walking people do. I carry a beacon in the following instances: On all hikes, regardless of group size where I know that my mobile phone doesn’t work On solo hikes outside of urban areas even when my phone does work When travelling alone particularly in areas where you will not see anyone for days at a time or when you are too far away to get to help, an emergency beacon is an extra piece of security.

is that fluid then you will need to clearly spell out when it is time to worry Extreme environmental factors e.g.

• Bushfire or severe flooding that will put you in immediate danger.

These are just some examples. There is potentially no end to what can be considered life threatening. If there are known conditions prior to your trip, work your way through them and identify at what stage you will set off your beacon.

When should you Activate a PLB?

If your beacon is accidentally activated, switch it off immediately and contact AMSA on 1800 641 792 (2020). There is no penalty for accidental activation.

The sooner you call the better so as to minimise wasting this valuable resource.

This is probably one of the biggest causes of debate between hikers. The correct answer is: ‘If two-way communications are not available, then a distress beacon should be activated in situations of grave and imminent danger. This equates to when you feel you are facing a life threatening situation. This is a personal decision that is different for everybody’ (AMSA, 2017) As indicated by AMSA, what you as a hiker consider to be a life threatening situation is a personal decision.

So what does this mean?

There have been many cases around the world where hikers have set off beacons for frivolous reasons.

Examples of this have been ‘I was too tired’ or ‘I ran out of food’. My favourite was a cow in central Australia setting a beacon off that had fallen out of a helicopter.

Don’t be frivolous about setting off your beacon but also don’t be a hero. What you need to keep in mind is that while you are being rescued, someone else may be waiting. Think your situation through and how you see it developing. If your situation is getting worse and is unlikely to get better and you can see no other way out, you are best to set off your beacon sooner rather than later.

The following are just a few examples of when to set off your beacon:

If you’re sick or injured to an extent you can’t rest up then walk out with the first aid and emergency equipment / skills that you have e.g.

• Snake bite • Broken leg • Severe hypothermia • Heat stroke Severe medical condition e.g.

• Heart attack • Severe allergic reaction You are lost and have no chance of re-locating yourself • If you have told someone you will be coming back at a certain time and end up being a day or two late, then chances are a search will already be underway. In this instance you will need to let your emergency contact know exactly when it is time to call the emergency services. Is it ½ day, one day, or two days or more? If your trip

What do you do if you set off your Beacon Accidentally?

Beacon Costs When purchasing any type of distress Beacon the costs will vary and usually include the following: • Purchase Costs Upfront purchase cost in Australia as at 1 February 2020 at around$250-$350 for a standalone PLB. The two way communication devices from SPOT and Garmin will cost a lot more but have additional features • Subscription Costs Subscription costs to run the two way communication devices that are sold vis SPOT and Garmin will vary but with this comes a lot of additional features as well as peace of mind because you can communicate vis text message.

Final thought Whether you use a beacon is really a personal choice and will depend on the type of hiking you do and its risk level. While they aren’t the cheapest hiking item to buy, don’t let cost be a determining factor. If you have determined you should be carrying one, splurge out and buy one. If you only need one for specific walks talk to some of the larger hiking clubs and organisations who hire them.

Links AMSA Beacons home AMSA suggested beacon types Listen to the Australian Hiker Podcast on Personal Locator Beacons

Accidental Beacon Activation If your beacon is accidentally activated, switch it off immediately and contact the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) on 1800 641 792. There is no penalty for accidental activation.

Written by Tim Savage - Australian Hiker Newsletter

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Fishing News - Page 7

Fishing News - Page 8

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Therapy is in the spots for the author.

WILD WEST THERAPY Brett Michael Smith enjoys some Western Wilderness therapy.

I

was lucky enough to get some fishing done this summer. University study, work and campaining had starved me of a few Western lakes trips of late.

So, when I was lucky enough to get a day off, I called a mate with the same enthusiasm for a walk out west.

The reaffirming phone call ensued the evening before the trip, a warning from him, that he prefers to cover a lot of ground in a day, opposite to myself who likes to take in the experience, sneak around and play a patient game. I usually preference overnight trips, to be able to stop and smell the roses so to speak. The agreed rendezvous at 3am and a terrible night’s sleep both awaited me. I don’t particularly like the feeling, but the following day is always worth the tiredness induced headache. Consequently, Panadol is always thrown into the day pack, just in case. Old mates meet in a driveway at 3am the next morning, via a face to face headlamp duel, one that temporarily blinds you when you try to be polite and look the other in the eye whilst both proclaiming how great it is that there is no wind. You both jump into the car, the smell of

the wakeup coffee on the other’s breath is the most standout feature of the drive up to the carpark, as well as some of the nonsense spoken, perhaps some ongoing effects of the old condition known as the tired sillies, or the fact that we can act like kids again, talk smack like excited schoolboys heading to the lolly shop.

Walking in was a mixed bag of one foot in front of the other via torchlight, taking care not to break an ankle whilst trying to keep up with someone who takes one step to your three. As the faint pre-dawn light soaks up the remaining darkness of the night, the sound of the TWWHA waking up enlightened my soul once again, with birds singing their dawn ritual and the currawongs in the pencil pines letting us know that they are the sound of the Tasmanian highlands.

I thought I’d enjoy the sounds much more without a headache, so I popped those pills. An hour along the way and the lakes were still there as I remembered from the previous season. In the overcast morning light, they looked like scalloped out silver basins below blue rolling hills, those glaciers did a marvellous job all those thousands of years ago I thought. We looked to each horizon in the hope of seeing clear blue skies, A long walk and

however the prevailing northerly front had other ideas, the best we could hope for were patches.

Being severely out of fish spotting practice, the intermittent cloud cover made the task of seeing fish difficult for me, not for my companion. Our partnership was best described in cricket terms, myself at one end whose edged a few through the slips and is seeing them like a golf ball, while the bloke up the other end was seeing them like basketballs and was about to raise the bat for a stellar innings. Consequently, sight fishing in the morning ended up consisting of my companion doing all the pointing, whilst I squinted in the general direction he pointed, nodded in agreeance

hard work keeping up with Mitch the emu.

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Fishing News - Page 9

and quickly acted the selfless friend offering him the casting opportunity, too proud to admit that I could not see a bloody thing after my long western lakes layoff. However, I didn’t feel I was missing out too much when my companion was refused on every cast, his good presentations were ignored and made fun of by a slow and deliberately tantalising inspection. Funnily enough, by watching these refusals, I was getting my eye in.

Cloud cover continued to darken the view, to the point where even my companion admitted a reluctant sight fishing defeat. A cold north westerly breeze reminded us of how much our early hopes of calm weather could be dashed by the unpredictability of the Central Plateau. I was happy that he wanted to have a break to decide our next move, our difference in leg length was slowly telling, I observed how much smaller his torso was than mine, which only served to highlight our difference in leg length, I think he’s part bloody emu. As the cloud was against us, we decided our best hope was a mayfly hatch somewhere, both knowing the back lakes well, we knew where to look.

Twenty or so minutes of shuffling along 30 metres behind the gazelle, a much calmer tarn glinted in the flats below us and rising fish instantly greeted us. Whilst no monsters, these were better than the average back lakes fish and almost as if the shore was made for us, there were two rocky points that allowed us to reach the rising trout and talk to each other as we watched our flies bob around in the ripples. Conversation was broken when a head broke the surface and slurped down my fly. Now, I’m a minimalist with everything, including fly fishing gear and so it seems backing. As the fish leaped and took

me to the other side of the lake, I was down to the backing knot before I knew it. My long-legged companion offered some advice that I should continue to let the fish take line, “what line!?” I replied as I pointed to my empty reel. Luck however was on my side, somehow, it didn’t break.

Three more fat dun feeders followed until things went quiet again. My friend grabbed his pack and suggested we head further south; however, my short-legged shuffling was never going to achieve it, “I’m a stayer, not a sprinter” I said, as old mate made a “twinkle toes” Fred Flintstone sound effect as I tried hard to stride out towards him. I could tell that he wanted to do a bigger circuit, but he seemed happy enough to turn around and head back after our success with the rising fish, thanks for letting me shuffle along for the day Baz. After all, we’d witnessed the TWWHA wake up, taken in the view, and caught a few fish, which is a mere bonus in this place, a place that deserves to remain wild.

“It’s not all about catching fish, or the fact that the area contains trout, that’s a scenario we were given by previous generations. It does however give the TWWHA another powerful stakeholder, to recognise what can be lost to privatisation and noise disturbance. World heritage area deserves to be wild; it’s earned that right for offering the planet another refuge from the expansion of the human population machine, a machine that seems to have a thirst for devouring more and more natural landscapes by the day for pure greed alone. It may not have an audible voice to stand up for itself, but it sure can speak to your soul”. Keep the Western Lakes wild and public.

Brett Michael Smith & Mitchell Crowden

Mitch said ‘let him run’, but I was down to the knot.

Fishing News - Page 10

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Light spin outfits will bring the best results with artificials

SILVER BULLETS Lubin Pfeiffer

T

asmania is home to some fantastic inshore and estuary fishing. One of my favourite ways to experience this is by targeting silver trevally with lures.

Silver trevally fight hard, will smash a well worked lure with gusto and taste great on the plate. When they get 1kg - 2kg in weight they become a real challenge to land on light tackle and a stack of fun. In this article I’ll run you through where to find the best trevally fishing I’ve experienced and also how to catch them.

Where Silver Trevally can be found in most bays, coastal rivers and around the inshore reefs that dot the Tasmanian coast line. I’ve had great sessions right along the east coast and all the way west towards Stanley.

Like all of Tasmania’s fishing, there are still so many areas to explore! Of all the locations I’ve visited there are a few that have really stood out. The Scamander river on the states east is an amazing fishery and has some great Trevally to be caught. I’ve caught them

from the mouth all the way up the river. When the Scamander river mouth is open, the blue holes below the town bridge are absolutely loaded with hungry silvers making it the ideal spot to target trevally from the bank. Travelling further up the river you will find trevally hunting schools of bait. These fish can either been seen smashing the surface, or down deep with the use of good electronics. The next location that is a must visit if you are looking for trophy sized trevally is the magical Ansons Bay. The spectacular fishery in the states North-east has the biggest silver trevally that I have caught and in very good numbers. The great thing about Anson’s is there is just so much water to explore. The shallow weedy main bay has a plethora of lure casting locations that I have only scratched the surface on. Heading toward the mouth of Ansons are some of the best flats I have fished in Tasmania and this is where I landed my personal best trevally this season.

The trick here is to work with the tides. I really like an incoming tide for this location. You will find the big

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A selection of the authors favourite trevally lures Fishing News - Page 11

silvers hunting the sandy drop offs as the incoming tide brings the blue water in from the open ocean and stirs up the sandy bottom. Like the Scamander River, the Anson’s river also holds a very good population of bait hunting trevally. These fish are often bigger than the ones you will find in the Scamander. I’ve seen fish of around two kilos hanging around the fallen timber with the bream. I can tell you they take quite a bit of skilled rod work to extract them! If you’re exploring a new area in search of trevally, just look for areas of current that have signs of baitfish. The trevally are sure to be close behind.

Tackle Light spin outfits are my preferred option when targeting silver trevally. These are very easy to cast and work a lure with, and a light rod will also give you best indication as to what your lure is doing. I like to take a couple rods with me and swap depending on what level the wind is at. My first outfit is a 2.1m 1-3kg spin stick matched to a 25 or 2500 size spinning reel.

The reel is loaded with 2 kilo braid in a highly visible colour such as yellow. Using brightly coloured braid will allow you to see it at all times, notice any small bites when the lure is sinking, and also when the lure has reached the bottom The other rod is once again 2.1m in length but a slightly heavier 2-4kg rating. This is perfect for punching in to the wind if you need to. I always prefer to fish as light as possible but having two outfits will increase the amount of fish you catch. I’ll run a 4kg fluorocarbon leader on both outfits about a rod length long and find this to be more than enough to stop most trevally in the bays and rivers. My leader is attached via an Albright knot.

Techniques It is quite amazing how many different styles of lure fishing are now available for anglers that are willing to try new things. Yes, the old standard techniques still work very well but the tackle scene is constantly evolving and we as anglers get to reap the benefits. I’ll run you through a few of my favourite styles of fishing with lures that are super effective for silver trevally.

Nedrigs Nedrigs are something that is quite new to me but they have really proven there worth in the short time I have been using them. A nedrig is a particular type of jig-head that allows the plastic to sit upright when it is at rest. This allows you to fish very long pauses in between moving the lure. I’ve been matching my nedrig heads to the ZMan TRD bugs or crawz which are an awesome yabby imitation. Silver trevally simply can’t resist these type of baits as they love to gorge themselves on sand yabby’s and small crabs. I was quite amazed how lifelike nedrigs are in the water the first time I saw them. Using a plastic such as the ZMan brand is important with this technique as they naturally float, so the plastic will sit upright and wave around at rest. Once again you have to be in contact with the lure without moving it, so it takes a little bit of practise to master. It was very cool the first time I tried this technique as I was surprised how hard they smashed the lure after it had be sitting static for a number of seconds. They must eye it off for a little while before plotting an attack and coming in and nailing it. I’ve had most success with the bloodworm Fishing News - Page 12

Big Ansons trevally caught using a nedrig. colour matched to a black jig-head for clear water presentations, and for water with a bit of colour I like to use a colour such at the hot snakes with a hot orange or chartreuse jig head. There are lots of other colours that would produce so its just a matter of trying a couple different ones to see what works best in your local haunts. The nedrig jighead weights come in 2 - 3 gram which is great for getting them to the bottom in a range of locations. I really like using these on open mudflats or sand flats where the fish are mooching around and can be harder to tempt with other techniques.

Grubbing

Well worked soft plastic baits will catch a stack of fish

Nothing catches estuary fish quite like a 2.5inch Zman grub in my opinion. For Tasmanian waters the motor oil and blood worm patterns are true stand outs.

I like to use grubs around structure. Any thing from timber, man made structure and along rock walls. The great thing about a grub is that you can skim the lure underneath pretty much anything to get it sinking right in the shadows or you can burn the lure back if you see

a fish bust up in the middle of the river. For the most part, while using this technique, I expect the bites to be while the lure is sinking freely. With that in mind, select a jig head that gives you the most amount of sinking time. I like to use jig heads between 1.5 - 2.5 grams and change accounting to the wind speed and tide. If it’s blowing or flowing hard, go heavier, otherwise stick with the lightest you can get away with. It is a pretty

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The bays and coastal rivers are one of the best places to hunt trevally. simple method but does require a little bit of skill and finesse to have very good contact and be able to feel the bite. You want to have that grub sinking as freely as possible, but still have tight enough line that you will either see the line move or feel a tick when the fish grabs it. Usually I just fish the first half of the cast before winding it back in and recasting at the structure.

Blades Blades are a sensational Trevally catcher and really come in to their own in deeper water scenarios. For me, a blade is best fished from the edge, casting in to deeper water along drop offs, rather than at structure. They are also the perfect bait to drop at a school of fish that you have spotted on the sounder. Because of the slim fast sinking nature of the lure, it is easy to get in touch with the bottom and work the first couple metres of water. A simple lift and wind up the slack technique is all that I use. Because you can cast a blade a very long way they are a great searching lure that can cover a lot of water, quickly finding any feeding fish that may be around. Quite often if I’m fishing a new area with not a lot of structure, a blade will be the first lure I will tie on. Unlike a grub, I will fish the

entire cast using a blade as you can never be sure how long they will follow it for before they eat it. Bites can come on both the lift and the drop so contact is once again very important. I never sink the lure with a heap of slack line as you will miss at least half the takes. I like small blades for trevally, 50mm in length or less. As far as weight goes I find the 3.5 gram models work a treat. Colour has never really been all that important when using blades but I do like black, green or gold.

On The Plate Trevally are one of my favourite eating fish and I love to take a couple home with me at the end of the day. They are the perfect fish to have as sashimi and I would say one of the best that Tassie has to offer.

We like to have ours with soy sauce, ginger, kewpie mayonnaise and some wasabi. If sashimi isn’t your thing, trevally are also fantastic just dipped in whipped egg and bread crumbs before shallow frying. I prefer to take the skin off my trevally as I find this is far easier than trying to remove their scales. Remember to only wash you fish in salt water during preparation as this will increase the flavour of the fish.

Lubin Pfeiffer

Searching the Scamander River in the states North East.

Landbased fishing is a great option.

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Fishing News - Page 15

HANGING with HOOCH Kelly HOOCH Hunt

W

ell here we are again another few months and Mike Stevens has asked if I have a story for his magazine. While I didn’t have anything in mind I said a quick fire “Hell Yeah” and would come up with an idea later. Mike is energetic and very pro active. I saw him at the Outdoor Lifestyle Expo in January. He was onsite as a patron checking out what is happening both in his field of fishing and also like minded activity. This is typical of Mike and making sure he is across anything in the state in regard to fishing and the outdoors. He has really invigorated the retail space in fly fishing in Launceston, with his ideas and creativity.

So if you are in Launceston make sure without question, you drop into Essential Flyfisher at 105 York St and make sure next year you check out the Outdoor Lifestyle Expo at the Inveresk Rail Yards.

Where’s the action?

Makos The fishing offshore at the moment is great. All around the state if you have a nice weather report and are organised, you will find fish. Mako sharks are off all coasts at present and many people are taking the opportunity to put some in the freezer. If you are a first time mako hunter you will need a few tips to help in getting one in your trail. So let’s go through a few here.

Fishing News - Page 16

Brook and the crew with Brook’s first broadbill.

Burley There are heaps of opinions on what makes the best burley, but it’s not rocket surgery and we can work through it. Quite simply you need fish flesh and the best of all time id striped tuna. If you have the chance to get some on board while out fishing then do so. Just leave them whole untouched and when you get home , freeze them. Once you have enough to fill the about 6 of the Square \10 litre ice cream containers from any ice cream shop, that you politely asked for, you have enough for one mako session.

Set a day aside one weekend, put on some old clothes and ring some mates to come round. Remove the tuna from your freezers and lay out on a tarp in your yard.

While they are defrosting set up your mincer. Now

some people find that the small garden mulchers do a great job, and they do, but you can also make your own machine. Mates Duncan Lowry and Clinton Howe made one 25 years ago and it is a beauty.

Cut your stripe tuna into manageable pieces and feed into your mincer of choice. Get it as fine as you can.

Put it through the machine twice if you have to. You want a heap of fine fishy particles to sink and spread in the water. Too chunky and the bigger pieces will just sink quickly down and not get the spread you are after. YES.. we will need some bits going deep but you do that with the chunks you cut up at the back of the boat. We will go into that later.

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Pick a spot Once you have your gear sorted and your burley organised you need a spot to try your luck. The Eaglehawk Neck area is fishing very well at the moment.

Also all along the coast off the east coast. For me though it is about sea state and what food is about. It doesn’t really matter where you are as long as it is calm and you can get a nice drift going.

The best spots is always the deep water off the shelf on any coast. It is the supermarket of the ocean and that’s where mako sharks like to shop. Big fast swimming prehistoric eating machines need stuff to eat and they know there is heaps in and around the shelf.

The depth of water is also of advantage because it allows your burley to disperse in the water column for miles and miles. If you can’t get out to the edge of the shelf or you are not confident then any depth over 70 metres is fine. Sharks will turn up in less but if you are looking to maximise your chances 70 plus is the go.

Bass Strait has slowed over the years but the mako sharks are out there. You just need quality burley with heaps of blood in it and more time. Off the east coast if I have put a solid hour of burley in the water with a slow yet constant cube trail and a fish hasn’t turned up. I’m crabby. Where is he!

Off in Bass strait you don’t even worry about it.

You just take a minimum amount of burley for 6 solid hours of burleying and fish the bottom for gummy and flatties. If a mako turns up then it’s a huge bonus.

Don’t be discouraged though. If Bass Strait is your only option just make sure your burly is of super high quality and you have heaps of it.

The west coast is very good as well and you can find fish in close or out on the shelf and the miles in between.

Start your trail When you pull up set about readying all your gear, but set a waypoint before you do. When finished and you have your burley out the back and a few bigger cubes cut up gave a look on your sounder. Check which way you have drifted and on what angle. Put the boat just in gear and head on exactly the same course direction as your drift has started. Give the burley a tea bag and throw some cubes over the side as you do.

Continue this for a nautical mile or two and then pull into neutral and continue your drift.

What you have done there is to turbo boost your trail and give it a real good head start. Once you have stopped really give your burley a good shake and drop a few more cubes over the side. All you have to do now is keep a solid and non broken trail of buley going into the water and remember that with the cubes it’s ‘small amounts often’.

Keep a keen eye out and make sure you have everything on the deck and pre rigged. Do NOT wait for a shark to appear at the boat and then decide to rig your bait and look for the wire traces. It needs to be done slowly and with a bit of thought. Do not close up the gape of the hook by mashing a bait on the hook higgle de piggle dee. Keep the hook gape clear and also make sure the hook is sharp. Good luck!

A big angry unit (the mako).

Snapper North West Tasmania The area in and around Port Sorell has always been a great haven for super keen fishos. The people that go out and explore the place are growing in numbers, and they’re not being let down. The sport fishing for big Australian salmon on light line is well known and so is the flounder fishing at this time of year.

Glen Saltmarsh has again been setting the coast on fire with his snapper catching exploits. Glen is a mad keen fisher and loves all forms of fishing. When I speak to Glen he often says the snapper are going to be around until the end of May when they will start to slow down. This is great news as we still have some awesome fishing ahead of us.

Here are a few words from Glen when I caught up and asked him his secret…

“Well truth is ….I have no secret. I can tell you know for every good session on them there are 5 very miserable ones. I have had plenty of trips for donuts, but putting in the time is rewarded with results. Every trip out off Devonport is a fact finding mission. “There are plenty of others out there that catch as many fish and bigger fish than me, but here are a few tips I’ve worked out.

“There is no secret spot. They have been caught at Port Sorell, in the Mersey and all along the coast in all sorts of depths. There is no magic hole off Devonport where the snapper are sitting there waiting for you to drop your bait on their nose. It’s just where I have had all my success, because it’s where I put in the time. I have had the most success in 25-35m of water.

Sometimes I sound fish up. Other times I will anchor on a mark where I have done well in the past.

“Once the location has been decided on, anchoring is a must. They feed on scallops, crabs, shellfish and small baitfish, so areas where these are found are prime. Berley is a must and needs to be deployed near the bottom so it doesn’t drift away, but it attracts and keeps the fish near your boat. Cubes of fish sink quickly and most of the fish I catch have our cubes in their stomachs.

“Fresh bait is best – mackerel, salmon, couta or squid.

We have had good success on blue bait as well! I like the Snapper Snatcher Flasher rigs with the smallest sinker possible to hold the bottom.

“Fishing the rod in the holder with a light drag set at about 1kg lets the fish take the bait. Increase the drag to hook the fish. This where the bait runner type reels work the best.”

“The prime times are first and last light and tide changes. I have had the best results with a high or rising barometer and leading up to the full or new moon. Courtesy – give all other boats a bit of space and definitely don’t anchor up in behind another boat, as this is where their berley trail will be heading.”

North East Tasmania If you are looking to catch some snapper in the Tamar or east of Low Head then look no further than Damon Sherriff. The man is a snapper whisperer of the highest regard and would be as knowledgeable on their habits and movements as anyone ever in the history of fishing in Tasmania. That is a big call I know, but when it comes to snapper in this area I challenge anyone to let me know who can dethrone the king. He has even started a facebook page called Tasmanian Snapper and it is a good wealth of knowledge on where to start.

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Fishing News - Page 17

If you are polite and don’t turn into a serial pest Damon is always happy to help someone out who needs a few tips to get going. Check out the page for sure.

All the areas of the coast from Low Head out past Bridport are prime snapper fishing spots. Good news is there are some really good by-catch to be had at this time of year as well.

Gummy shark and big flathead will come to the burley. So to will big kidney slapper whiting. This time of year you may even get bussed by some big yellowtail kingfish as well. So have a jig or a lure you can rip through the water erratically. They love to be stirred up with a bit of crazy lure movement. Get out and find them they are great fun.

The wild west We have had two awesome trips to the West Coast so far this year and all three have been absolute crackers.

The first was a stripey trumpeter trip where we got some cray as by-catch. The second was a cray fishing trip that had Stripey Trumpeter as by catch. We love the place but you should never forget. This part of the world is wild and dangerous.

There are generations of Tasmanian anglers that know how amazing the rugged West Coast of our wonderful island is. Treacherous and unforgiving as the place can be, it’s just a ruse – a ploy to keep you away from the fishing treasures that can be found. The coast is littered with adventure and seafood bounty, if you have some ability to judge weather and read a weather chart.

Yes, the area needs to be shown the utmost respect, but any stretch of water has the potential to be dangerous if you don’t take precautions. The precautions are checking weather for the time you are going to be on the water, as well as checking tides and swell conditions. These are factors that some without experience don’t take into account.

As boat anglers, we need to check the wind forecast.

Wind is the enemy of all anglers, but none more so than the boat angler and his crew. Not only does wind make sea conditions uncomfortable, it can make all activity a real pain. Simple tasks like tying knots and keeping the boat in the right position all become troublesome.

Wind and wind forecast are what we all look at when deciding to put to sea, however, the other weather event we must treat with significant respect is swell. Swell is the wave created by wind that has occurred a long way from where we might be fishing.

There may be little or no wind in the very area we want to fish, but a storm or weather front miles and miles away will build ripples into chop and then what we call a ‘sea.’ This is when the waves are confused and traveling in a general direction. Swell is when these waves combine and align themselves and start to march in a single direction. Now we have something interesting – the swell itself offers a bigger surface area for the wind to press against and depending on the fetch.

Fetch is the distance the wind travels over open water before it hits an obstruction. That obstruction can be your boat or it might be a shore you are trying to fish. The longer that distance is combined with the strength of the wind will determine how big the swell becomes. As the wind has built that swell and imparted Fishing News - Page 18

John DeBruyn with a couple of nice snapper.

its energy into the water, it takes a while for that swell to dissipate and the swell can still be large and marching forward when the wind is miles away or long gone.

That was a long way to say “swell will tear you a new one if you’re not careful.”

If you don’t have an understanding of solid swell that has been generated far out to sea on the west coast, you will strike trouble. Big unforgiving ground swells can be in groups rolling out of the southern ocean and can be spread out with large periods of flat looking sea conditions.

This is what makes places like the West Coast dangerous, as the fetch creating these swells is a long way away and they are spread out. When you come out of most places on the West Coast there are rocky reefs and craggy headlands that look safe with calm water and 2m of water or more over them. Have a few of those big southern swells roll into the area and you have big issues. The swells will stand up and get steep very fast and break powerfully.

If you are in close pulling a cray pot or trying to fish, you will be in strife very quickly. If you are well out to sea and there is a good 2-3m swell rolling with some distance between them, everything will be rosy.

Should a breeze get up and stiffen to 20 knots, that sea condition will deteriorate very badly. These are the considerations you need to take into account when fishing the West Coast areas. It’s not a simple case of running for home and getting out of it either, as some of the access points are pretty wild with tides rushing and swell on.

The snapper whisperer, Damon Sherriff.

It sounds all a bit wild and in the wrong conditions, it can be that and more. Pick the weather and double check all the variables like swell, wind and tide and you will experience some sensational fishing – every bit as good as the more favoured East Coast locations.

Strahan is probably the best place to get a taste of the Wild West Coast. It’s a four hour drive from Hobart and roughly the same from Launceston. Once you get there the accommodation options are many and varied.

Get settled in and go through the long list of species you can target from this wicked little town.

You can do this from a couple of pubs that serve great beer and food. If the weather permits to get out the front, you can chase striped trumpeter in water a little shallower than most believe. There are some very big models swimming around the waters off Strahan.

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Of course, while you are prospecting for them you will find plenty of morwong. These fish are often seen as a poor result, but the bigger models are well worth dispatching and treating with respect. There are far worse fish in the ocean to eat than these. The flake available off Strahan is impressive with not only gummy sharks, but also school sharks as well. These fish always fall to a nicely presented bait fished hard on the bottom. Bigger round or bean sinkers running free right down to the hooks work very well.

If the weather is not perfect, don’t worry as the fishing in Macquarie Harbour can be very good and the scenery is world class. You can fish for the many Atlantic salmon escapees and these fish are massive. If you don’t have one of the old school electric knives, get one – they are sensational for cutting up salmon into steaks. The oils in the skin and flesh are perfect for the BBQ. There are also some very big rainbow trout amongst them. Fish the headlands for these with slice lures or bigger minnows. Lures with good action helps and will have them strike out of aggression as much as hunger.

A landing net is a good option, as these escapees can be massive units and test knots and gear at the end of a battle.

The harbour is a fabulous place, rich with beautiful scenery, but also of historical significance. Something that is not often spoke about or known is that it is the second biggest harbour in Australia. It is only the massive Port Phillip Bay that puts it in the shade. As such, you can imagine the amount of fish and different species that are on offer.

While the area is a boater’s paradise, there are a number of land-based spots that provide great sport.

A short drive away from the township is Ocean Beach.

This beach is often flogged with swell, making fishing difficult. When the weather allows, the gutters and drop-offs formed by the water flows fish very well.

Large Australian salmon, and by large I mean massive, can be found around here and really put up a fight. School sharks are prowling, looking for these, and are powerful brutes that take some taming. I can remember as a young angler I had a comedy skit on my hands when I had a solid hook-up and the rod was pulled over and dragged down the beach at a furious rate.

Back then I was quite spritely and managed to race after it and grabbed it in a foot of water. That’s where I learnt that all but locked up drags are not such a good idea. I had to fight that fish up and down the beach for over half an hour and landed a very nice school shark.

The Australian salmon will often come in with the tide and ride the saltwater flowing through the Heads, along with couta and mullet. There is no doubt bigger predators are following these and it is only a matter of time before someone cracks a yellowtail kingfish fishery in and around the fast flowing tidal waters of the Heads.

Trolling for the salmon works well. Casting long and turning and burning lures across the channels that form gets some attention. These channel areas in and around the Heads are great spots for targeting flathead on soft plastics, too. Picking times in the tide when the flows are reduced or fishing slower back eddies will produce results.

The area outside the Heads is riddled with crayfish and abalone. The popular pastimes of potting and ringing for crays is alive and well, like diving with both scuba bottles and fixed line hookah. These are prime examples of activities where knowing the weather patterns and having an understanding of swell is crucial. Be safe!

The outside grounds are also building a name for holding bluefin tuna lately. It pays to have an outfit able to take them down on the boat, as they will pop up at anytime, anywhere. They feed hard, too. In close and out wider they come through on their migratory mystery tour. Big slice lures and stickbaits cast to them and worked back to the boat will have them in a tizzy as much as traditional skirted lure trolling.

The commercial anglers have been catching broadbill swordfish in these waters for years and I’m predicting some big fish will come from these waters when anglers start to go after them. Everything seems to grow bigger on the Wild West. I was sent some pics of a massive Sword caught in some deep water cray potting gear recently. BIG FISH The area in and around Strahan offers a few options for launching. Within Strahan there are two concrete launching ramps – one at Mill Bay and the other at Letts Bay. Macquarie Heads also offers two gravel ramps with quick access to the fishing spots. Great launching facilities and fabulous land-based fishing make it a must-go destination for you to check out and enjoy.

Tuna Everywhere If you have a keen eye on the social media networks you will have notice there are tuna everywhere. Bluefin and also the tasty and easy to manage and cook – Albacore tuna. The schools have been big and in good number stretching from St Helens all the way down past Bicheno and on to Eagle Hawk Neck.

There was even a report with video of a small Bluefin being caught at the wharf at the St Helens township.

You wanted a stripey?

Eaglehawk Neck NOW is the time this gret area really shines and comes alive. The Tasman Peninsular area is holding fish at this time of year that by all accounts it really shouldn’t. Old thoughts of it being too cold, too early, and too late with winds from the wrong direction have all gone completely by the wayside. Big albacore and bluefin tuna from school-size to monsters are now very much the norm.

The thing that blows people away is the yellowfin tuna, yellowtail kingfish and marlin. The ocean surrounding the cliffs and rocky, craggy coastline is teeming with life. Last year saw leatherback turtles, sunfish and shortbill spearfish encountered. Then there was the very late mahimahi captured. That was just plain madness.

The underlying story here is just to be prepared and make sure you make the most of your opportunities

and chances when they arise. Don’t let poor preparation turn a great trip into a day you would much rather forget.

Let’s go through a few things that will lead to high fives and not tears. The very first thing you must get into your head before a trip to the Neck is don’t leave anything to chance. It’s pretty simple. Check some stuff. If you have not used your tuna gear in a while and you only get a trip every now and then, this is even more crucial.

Check the eyes on your rods; these can be damaged in transit, no matter how careful you are. If you have a roller tip or rollers on your rods, check these are functioning properly. Rollers, and good quality ones, are great in reducing load on the line. If they are seized up, they’re going to heat your line and destroy your chances of landing any fish, let alone a trophy.

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Fishing News - Page 19

Pull some line off and check your leaders and double knots. Over time, the wind on leaders can get nicks and chafes on them. Double knots coming in and over rollers and rod eyes can get a bit messy. Any that look a bit miserable, do again. It’s great practice. I’m a huge fan of the plait when doing doubles. It does not induce any heat into the process and is quick and easy when practiced. Even smashing one out on the boat in a hurry in a swell is manageable.

Reels and their drags must be checked. Modern overhead reels will hold their drag pressure over a period of time, but you never know who has been fiddling. Overhead reels with all their levers and buttons look awesome and a mate’s fingers can’t help but play with everything. You never know when an innocent fiddle has moved the drag settings on strike setting. If they have been backed off or increased, both will be disastrous.

Lures and their rigging needs to be checked. The hooks and rings can degrade. Even if they are still in good condition, you can bet the hooks will need a little sharpen. Getting a small file and adding it to your tackle box is a must. Check hook points and make sure they are straight and not bent.

File the points up and make sure they are super sharp. You need to make sure they hit the fish on the strike and set with ease. This applies tenfold if you are fishing lighter line. Fishing 37kg hard up to the button on strike, you could set a coat hanger hook into a fish, but 8kg line class is a different story. You are only dealing with 2.6kg on strike drag, so hooks need to be super sharp.

Give your tackle box a going over as well. If it has been a while between trips, make sure you have everything in there that you need and it’s all nice and neat. You don’t want to leave anything behind or waste

time looking for it when you most need it. Fishing is a game of moments where at times every second can count. A fish may present itself and only be available to target in a fleeting window of time. You need to be able to get your hand on something at the drop of an Akubra.

When trolling in good conditions for tuna, you can often come across a free-swimming mako. Mako sharks often like to be lolling on the surface just having a cruise, loving being at the top of the food triangle. In these instances it is a good idea to have a shark trace neatly coiled and baited up ready to go in a small bucket. If you have been lucky enough to catch a tuna or two previously in the day, bleeding it out and getting the blood in a container is also of use.

Head over slowly, so as not to spook the shark as the crew pulls in the skirted lures and divers.

Tip the blood in the water and lay out the bait. The water quality off the coast is great and if that Mako is hungry, he’ll see it no problem. That’s what he does – he is a lean, mean eating machine. If you don’t put some time into thinking and preparing in such a manner, these opportunities pass us by and we spend a lot of time talking about what we coulda, shoulda done.

When you’re out on the water and you don’t get to be off the magical shores of the peninsular, make the most of it. Breath it all in and keep your eyes wide open. The birds will give you an indication of some action if they start to feed, but don’t rely on them.

If you spot bait pushing on the surface or a surface disturbance of any kind, head over and check it out.

The ocean is a massive area on just the surface. Then you have to factor in the depth to get a sense of what you’re up against.

The concentration needed to scour the ocean surface is massive, so share the load across the crew

Marcus Popowski with a good Bass Strait gummy.

Fishing News - Page 20

and take turns. Make it a competition of who can spot something first and put you onto some fish.

This is where all your checking comes into play and pays for itself in spades. While you are wandering across the ocean off Eaglehawk Neck and down towards Tasman Island, laughing and having a ball, the long rigger goes off. You all instinctively clear the other lines as the skipper keeps the vessel trundling forward, hoping to pick up another strike and keep the tension on the hooked fish. All the lines are in and the rods are stowed neatly as you lean on the fish and feel some weight.

It doesn’t seem like anything special and you decide to push the strike lever that tiny bit further up to strike tension from where you had it. You wind the belly of line up and put your full weight onto the fish as it runs hard, and runs and runs some more. This is when you look at your mates and they look at you with a funny expression on their faces. Could it be? Could a jumbo southern bluefin just have smashed your lure?

You re-rigged it last night and sharpened the hook, retied the double and reset the drag tension. You are in the box seat. You know your gear is in good shape and all you have to do now is not rush or try and get the fish in 20 minutes. Make sure you have a bend in the rod at all times and every time that giant fish runs, make sure you make him run up hill.

Never give it any loose line. Don’t let it sit at depth and have a breather. If there is a stalemate, move the boat and work the fish from a different angle down sea.

Don’t come onto the fish upwind or sea, as you can drift and wash over the fish and that will make me cross!

I talk about this all the time. Let the wind and sea conditions help you catch this fish and not be a thorn in your side. Stay off the fish in the early and mid-part of the fight. This tuna is quite happy to use every advantage it has to bust you off, so don’t give it a boat hull and engine skeg to play with.

You will get a sense of when that fish is tiring and this is not the time to bring all of the crew’s hard work undone. Keep the pressure on the fish and start to talk about what is going to happen when there’s an opportunity to nail it with the gaff or tag pole. Don’t be scared to bark some orders and get all footy coach on your crew either. This is where things get serious.

It’s the grand final and it’s ten minutes to go in the last quarter. You are kicking with the breeze, but you are still a goal down. There is work to do. You need cool heads and a plan. No one needs the ball to be kicked out of bounds at this stage.

You may think that the first time this fish comes into range, you’re going to get it. Best of luck with that.

Just like a salmon or a trout, when this big tuna sees the boat up close and gets an inkling of what’s going on, it’s going to find something and run!

Be prepared and don’t have the drag turned right up or hang onto the leader if the fish wants to really head off. You will get another chance. While the fish is running, it’s wearing itself out. Remember your technique and keep maximum load on the rod. This may go on a few times and then there will be that moment in time when it gets real.

Your leader man will need to be committed and have a good wrap or two on the leader and keep out

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of the way of the gaff man. Once the leader man has the leader in hand and the decision has been made to harvest this fish, you can back the drag lever back to just under strike drag. You will be exhausted, but keep your wits about you and position yourself to help what is unfolding in front of you. Keep back from the gunnel and clear the area as best you can, paying attention to the loose line at your rod tip.

When that first gaff goes in, drop the harness off and get ready to help lift the fish into the boat. No one wants a seal mauled fish and this happens too much when the fish is beaten and just being held at the side of the boat. A 100kg tuna is a big fish and people want to stop and hang around, thinking about how you’re going to get the fish on board and in the boat. Just do it and get it in.

If the gaff sets are not in the head of the fish or just under the gill plates, reset them one at a time and lift the head up together. The leader man will have a set of gloves on so he can hand over a gaff handle to the angler and grab in under the gill plates. Lift together.

Remember you are only looking to lift its head and shoulders onto the gunnel, as once that happens, with three people on one side of the boat, this bad boy will slip in before you know it.

When the excitement of putting a plan together and catching that fish of a lifetime has subsided, your work has not finished. Pay this wonderful fish some respect and care for it post-capture. If you want the pictures to look good back at the ramp, look after the fish.

Put something underneath the fish to stop damage from the floor. A heap of towels or boat seat cushions work well. Keep the fish wet and if you’re going to keep fishing for the rest of the day, keep it covered and don’t have it bash about the vessel. If you want to take the pictures on the boat, take some time to clean and clear the blood off angler, fish and boat. These simple things will have pictures that you can save and frame and proudly display in the poolroom.

Broadbill fever The first broadbill of the season always causes a bit of a stir and skipper Brody Corbett managed to put his mate Brook Legosz on to a very nice fish. If you look on facebook there are lots of photos and words written about this fish already. Brook said “it was a small one” and went on to say “thank god, cos it’s hard work, but we got there.” He went on to thank his skipper, Brody and crew Naomi and Johnny. They have dug deep and been involved with many unsuccessful attempts. I was just the winch today. I always say believe in your systems when fishing and the results will follow, and it’s Brody’s system that produced the goods. It was so good to do catch this fish with my great mates Sammy and Liddo on board. Thanks to Bekkles for letting me live my dreams.

Brody said “Early season sword dropping in Tasmania is like rolling a dice. Going back through the motions to prepare for the season ahead with Low expectations for the day.”

The crew were on the grounds early and had the first bait dropping at 8.45. This did not get a touch.

They found some good scatter on the sounder and decided to reset and re-drop. It was only 25 mins into the second drop they had a somewhat aggressive take

(for sword standard anyway). The fish didn’t have long runs, more lots of short runs but is was very aggressive with constant head shakes. 1hour and 45 minutes later the battle was won and the job was done.

Xiphias gladius is the sexy scientific name for the broadbill swordfish and it is the time to be looking to hook one off the shelf in Tasmania. They were on the list of fish to target in March, but they will thicken up and the big units are on the prowl.

Sean Tracey is doing interesting work with the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. The tags he and his band of helpers placed in fish last season are starting to supply some awesome details. Once this data is crunched, we’ll know a lot more about this amazing new fishery.

In the meantime, if you are looking to catch one, fish as heavy as you can, as this will shorten the fight time. If you choose to release the fish, they will have a better chance of survival. The early data suggests that these fish may release better than expected if captured Brook giving his broadbill some care. swiftly.

The golden depth for these big rats seems to be Top shot is just a fancy name for some mono tied to the 500-600m. Also identify some bait on the sounder. braid via a PR knot or FG knot to allow some extra give.

That bait looks to be schools of blue-eye trevalla and Braid is used so it cuts the water and is not as affected gemfish. Wherever they are holding, there will be a by current as mono. It allows you to feel any bites better, smorgasbord of big-eyed ooglies for them to feast on. but doesn’t afford any elasticity. That is where the top Using a breakaway system to deploy your baits to the shot of mono comes in. Amazingly, 70m of mono will bottom can do your head in, but it’s rather simple. give you up to 15m of stretch under maximum load.

Whatever you are going to use as a sinker needs to You never get there, because you set fighting drag well be as heavy as you can manage. I only say this, as it is under that, but that elasticity of mono helps keep the good for the rig, line and bait to head to the bottom hooks in place with violent head shakes and jumps. swiftly. This will negate any bellies in the line that the There have been a lot of 80 wide and 130 wide reels drift and current will impact on your drop. Tie some purchased, but this is overkill in the extreme. These big 8lb line onto your hook bend and strip off however reels are a handful, even in a stand-up harness. With much you like. Tie the other end to the weight. Place the use of Whiplash braid in either 100lb or 80lb, you the weight near your feet and then lay the leader on the can get more than enough line on other reels and you water surface and lay out a loop of main line out on want a size that is more manageable in and out of a the water from the rod tip, with the boat just in gear. harness. The added bonus is that this kind of reel is a Once you have about 5m of line out, you can lift the great option for big mako sharks and jumbo tuna, so weight off the floor and gently plop it into the water. you don’t have a reel and rod sitting in the cupboard Get your hand back to the reel and onto the spool that is a one trick pony. as the weight drops and takes the line off the water Once you have caught a broadbill, the same goes surface. Having your hand on the reel drum while for treating the fish with respect and a bit of care postthe reel is in free spool will stop the chance of a bird capture. This will have the photos look a million bucks, nest. Once the bait is down and broken away, the bait as dried out and scuffed up fish covered in blood look is drifting in the water column. The rig has hopefully rubbish. When you decide to field dress a big fish, make done its job and attracted some attention on the way sure you have a think about the way you are going to down already. Now it is a waiting game, just like any cut it up and even look on YouTube to get some idea other form of fishing. of how to go about it. This goes for jumbo tuna and The gear you need for broad billing is very specialist. makos as well, because maximizing the meat you take The amount of line you need to have on your spool from the fish is very important. Wasting fish that taste dictates that an overhead reel is best and it should have as good as these do is sacrilege. a mix of braid line and a top shot of monofilament.

Kelly ‘Hooch’ Hunt

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Fishing News - Page 21

GRASSHOPPER TIME T

he late Summer and early Autumn months are grasshopper time, most of the Australian written trout lore concentrates on fishing Grasshopper flies to river, stream and creek trout but Grasshoppers also feature in still water trout diet as well, a good grasshopper pattern is always a good fly to use on any water in the February to April months. There are a truck load of Grasshopper patterns out there.

The Americans have always loved tying and fishing Grasshopper flies, but , Grasshopper flies have always featured very heavily in the Australian fly fishing scene too, some of the very earliest flies designed in Australia were Grasshopper patterns.

Fishing News - Page 22

Some of the American patterns can be very complex and life like but in my view most Australian patterns are more suggestive, when I first started fly fishing my Uncle’s favorite Grasshopper Pattern was basically a yellow bodied Mrs. Simpson with a collar Hackle to help it float! It was the right colour, had a good profile, and made a splash on the water when cast and most importantly caught fish. The Geehi Beetle although designed as a beetle pattern, works very well at Grasshopper time, it’s the right colour with its light brown or ginger hackles, has a tail of Golden Pheasant

tippets, which feature in many Australian Grasshopper patterns and has a nice full profile. Early Australian Grasshopper patterns such as the Glenn Innes Hopper and the Snowy Mountains Hopper just to name a couple were mostly large hackled dries with various amounts of Golden Pheasant tippets, dyed hackles and sometimes quill wings tied pent or tent style, I can’t say for certain but I don’t think it was until after the Muddler Minnow arrived on Australian shores that deer hair appeared in our home grown Grasshopper patterns.

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Noels Knobby One of the very best Grasshopper patterns is Noel Jetson’s version of the Knobby Hopper which was a popular fly on the mainland. Noel simplified and down sized the Knobby Hopper to suit Tasmania’s smaller rivers and streams and named his variation Noel’s Knobby.

The basic Noel’s Knobby Hopper has a wing of golden Pheasant Tippets a body of yellow Chenille and a clipped Deer Hair head and collar but you can add legs in the form of clipped dyed red hackle stalks or knotted Onion bag fibers, the body can also be white chenille or you can use yellow or natural seals fur, Noel Jetson tied all of these variations and more when tying his Noel’s Knobby.

A Noel’s Knobby tied with red legs made out of knotted clipped barb, dyed red hackle stalks is a great fly out in the 19 lagoons, bend the hackle stalks out like stabilizer pontoons on a boat, it’s a real trigger for the Trout.

Noels Knobby

Now take two loose turns of thread around the deer hair and the hook just forward of the previous tie off point, tighten the thread and then wrap another three or four wraps increasing the tension as you go and at the same time releasing the deer hair and allowing it to spin and flair around the hook, advance the thread through the buts of the deer hair, let the bobbin hang and then pack the deer hair with your fingers or some kind of packing tool, a biro casing works well.

Keep adding clumps of deer hair and follow the same method until you have reached just short of the hook eye; pack the deer hair after each clump is tied in.

With these later clumps of deer hair use shorter clumps with the tip ends cut off as it with make it easier to trim the head later.

When you have reached the hook eye, form a small head and whip finish. Take the fly from the vice and with scissors slowly clip and form the head of the grasshopper, leaving the collar hackle formed by hair tips.

When you have shaped the head to your satisfaction, thin out the deer hair fibers at the under body of the fly leaving the fibers on top of the fly a touch thicker.

in open turns with hackle pliers toward the hook bend and ending at the start of the peacock herl body, leave the hackle hanging, then wind the copper wire through the hackle in open turns taking care not to trap any hackle fibres, tie the rib off at the three quarter to hook eye point.

Cut or break the wire off, your body hackle is now secured, snip the hackle point off at the hook bend.

Select another hackle, this time properly sized for the hook, tie it in and form a nice full collar hackle, snip off, whip finish and varnish.

Wee Creek Hopper Murray (Muz) Wilson was a real pioneer and always thought out of the box when designing his fly patterns, his Wee Creek hopper is no exception. The Wee Creek Hopper is usually tied with a touch of traditional deer hair for the wing and also with the relatively new materials being yellow or tan 1/8th foam, cylinders for the body and rubber legs, what really sets the Wee Creek Hopper apart though is that all the materials are tied in at a single tie in point in the middle of the hook shank, like all great flies it’s a simple fly but very effective, it’s my favorite hopper pattern for small rivers and creeks.

Geehi Beetle

Hook: Size 8 – 14 Partridge (L5A) Hook: Size 10 -14 Partridge (H1A) Thread: 8/0 Drk Brown Thread: 6/0 – 8/0 yellow Tail: Golden Pheasant Tippets Body: Yellow or white chenille or yellow Rib: Fine copper wire or natural seals fur or other dubbing Body: Peacock Herl Wing: Golden Pheasant Tippets Body Hackle: Ginger or brown cock Saddle Head and collar: Natural deer hair Hackle: Ginger or Brown cock saddle Method Method Lay a thread base from the eye down to the hook bend, then tie in chenille or dub on dubbing and advance forward two thirds of the hook, to the hook eye.

Firmly tie in a bunch of Golden Pheasant Tippets on top of the hook with the Tippets extending behind the hook bend for about half the hook length, snip of the butts and cover with a few even turns of thread.

Select and cut out a pencil thick bunch of natural deer hair from the skin, pull or comb out any under fur and stack in a hair stacker to even the tips.

Lay the stacked deer hair on top of the hook with your non bobbin hand making sure the tips of the deer hair are aligned with the ends of the Pheasant tippets.

Lay a thread base from the eye to the hook bend, tie in a bunch of Golden Pheasant tippets for the tail, and then tie in the copper wire rib. Now tie in one of more good quality peacock herls for the body, the number used will depend on the quality of the herl and the hook size. Advance the herl forward towards the hook eye for three quarters of the hook length, aim for a nice full body without it being too thick, if using more than one herl, wrap them singularly, you won’t need to twist the herls together for strength as the body hackle and rib will protect them, tie the herls off and snip.

Select and size a hackle for the body, you want a hackle that is a size or two smaller than the hook size, tie it in where you tied the herl off, then wind it back

WMD Another very good Grasshopper pattern is the WMD. The WMD has a large profile with a wide flaring deer hair wing, foam body and rubber legs with some flash added to the wing, the deer hair isn’t spun muddler style at the head; instead, the deer hair is tied in bullet head style. The WMD has accounted for some hefty fish out in the back lakes, it represents the large Alpine Grasshoppers well, maybe even the Mountain Kaytids that are common out there.

Go and catch a Trout !

Shane Broadby

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Fishing News - Page 23

Fishing & Boating Specialists

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Hundreds and Hundreds of lures to choose from

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Fishing News - Page 25

CATCH and COOK Joe Riley was once an Australian representative fly fisher. Now he spends most of his time chasing saltwater species that he loves to eat. Over the next few issues Joe will explain how to catch and cook our favourite Tasmania species.

Joe Riley with the ingredients.

S

quid are an amazing creature, fast growing, aggressive feeding, eat anything, get eaten by everything creatures, they are a huge part of the oceanic food chain. Whether it is southern calamari or Goulds (Arrow) squid they are great fun to catch and awesome to eat. Squid are also arguably the best bait in the ocean, so when you catch them, if you only eat the hood, the the legs and wings can become fantastic bait and need not go to waste.

From the shore Calamari are an easily accessible species to catch. Apart from needing a squid jig, there’s no need for any specialist gear. A light spinning rod used for trout or other smaller fish species is sufficient.

A 2-4 kg rod and a 2500 spinning reel is perfect. Any line or braid will suffice, no real need for ultra fine tippets or anything over the top, in fact a 12lb to 15lb leader is preferable so you don’t lose too many jigs when they inevitably snag on weeds. Special Egi rods Fishing News - Page 26

are available, but aren’t really necessary unless you catch the ‘egi’ bug and want to fine tune your squid catching awesomeness.

Calamari are catchable all year round, except there’s a short closure each year during the spawning season, first along the North Coast of Tasmania and then in Great Oyster Bay when the squid gather in the shallows to lay eggs on sea grass beds.

Techniques: Squid can occupy all sorts of depths, from less than a meter along the shoreline out to hundreds of metres deep along the continental shelf. For the recreational angler targeting squid in depths up to 6 meters is easy with basic gear. Squid are catchable day or night, they are attracted to light so night time fishing on a jetty or pontoon where lights are on is a good option. I’ve even seen keen anglers take a little generator and portable

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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!

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Fishing News - Page 27

Once the slack is taken up on your line wind the jig in slowly, keeping it close to the bottom. The main thing is to keep the jig down where the squid are. Once you hook the squid, play it lightly as they will pull firmly as they try to swim away, keeping a gentle pressure on the squid you won’t break off a tentacle and lose your catch, wind it in gently. Once you’ve got your squid now for the cleaning and cooking.

Removing the outer layer is important to me. It can be skun just like removing fish skin.

Kill your squid quickly. work lights on pontoons to attract squid, creating opportunities to bag a feed of squid.

Squid hang around reefs and weed beds where they can attack unsuspecting prey. Gutters and depressions also give good holding areas for squid to group up.

More often than not squid will hang in groups from pairs up to schools containing big numbers. This is a good point to remember when you begin to catch a squid, there’s nearly always another one or two close by where you catch the first one. They don’t easily spook so if you get one, you’re in with a good chance of getting two or three more.

The basic technique is to cast out, let the jig sink until it is close to the bottom, staying in contact as the jig sinks. Once the jig sinks to the depth you want, give the rod a strike to cause the jig to dart up in the water, then let it sink again while taking up the slack you have created. This is done to get the attention of squid from a distance, get them curious so they come to your jig.

Cut the hood into two pieces.

Fishing News - Page 28

Cleaning and Preparation Cleaning and cooking squid is relatively straight forward, however there’s tricks which will make squid tender and delicious. Firstly you need to remove the outer skin, wings, legs and gut contents. There are scaling/cleaning bags which you tow behind your boat which bounce your squid along behind the boat cleaning most of the outer layers off the squid. I’ve had a couple of disasters, losing my catch on the way back to the ramp, so no more for me, but perhaps I was going a little fast.

I don’t like to do calamari rings, there’s an outer layer of skin on the calamari hood which will leave you with that little rubber band on the ring. So my preference is to cut the hood open, remove the gut and cartilage from the inside and wings from the outside. This will leave the hood open and clean.

Once you you get home and are ready to prepare the squid cut the hood into two pieces down the middle, this will leave you with 2 x fillets. With the outer side of the fillet on the cutting board you can skin the fillet

again, like skinning a fish fillet. Start in the middle cut the squid without going through the outer skin and then run the knife along the board towards the rear separating the outer skin from the fillet. Once the bottom half is done then turn the fillet around and do the same towards the top of the fillet, once again going from the middle, this time to the top. You can gently move the filleting knife back and forth while pulling the skin to help get it away from the fillet. Next is to score the calamari with cuts 5mm apart on the side of the fillet that you just took the skin from. Do this on a 45 degree angle one way, turn the fillet and do the same on the opposite angle. Try to score the fillet deeply but not right through.

Once this is done you have nice pieces of squid ready for the final step. If you want your calamari to curl nicely adding to the presentation, cut the pieces you have just scored into triangles this way when they cook they will curl giving you that lovely pineappled appearance.

Once you have prepared your squid this way it will never be tough. You can stir fry, deep fry, bbq, cook however you like without it being tough.

I’ve always used the legs and wings for bait, and they are great bait, but a mate recently grabbed the legs and wings from our catch and turned them into pickled squid. He grabbed a recipe from the internet and gave it a go. Left to sit in a jar for a a couple of weeks they turned out an absolute treat. So I’ve borrowed the recipe to share so that legs and wings are also on the menu and next to nothing goes to waste.

Salt and Pepper Squid I’d like to share a secret delicious family recipes full of secret ingredients, but alas, the culinary critics in my family shoot me down every time I present a new recipe. They always prefer the good old Tandaco Salt and Pepper coating. I do vary the recipe a bit, but its basic and always turns out delicious. For quantities, one packet of Salt and Pepper mix will do about 300 to 350gms of prepped squid.

The packet instructions call for the squid to be placed in a bag and shake with the mix. Disregard and follow these instructions.

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Pickled wings and legs Reproduced from Gourmet Farmer Afloat, however with Squid substituting the Octopus in the original recipe.

Wings & legs from freshly caught squid.

• 200 g cooking salt • 200 ml white wine or white wine vinegar • Celery stick • 1 small brown onion, coarsely chopped • 3-4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

Pickling mixture.

• Soak the prepped Calmari pieces in egg and milk, this can be done for up to 30 minutes prior to coating.

• Drain the calamari in a colander, but don’t dry any further.

• Place the packet mix in a large mixing bowl, drop the calamari in it, toss it and then massage the coating into the calamari, give the coating a vigorous rub into the calamari.

• Deep fry until golden.

• 500 ml(2 cups) water • 500 ml(2 cups) white wine vinegar • 6 small dried chillies • 3 fresh bay leaves • 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns.

Clean the wings, removing any excess slime. Cut the tentacles away from the eyes and remainder of the head. Cut the tentacles open and remove the beak and any excess slimy tissue.

Place the squid in a large stainless steel bowl and firmly massage the salt into the tentacles and wings.

Stand for 10 minutes, then rinse off the salt and use your hands to remove any slime. Place the tentacles and wings into a stockpot or large saucepan with the wine, celery, onion, parsley and enough water to cover.

Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer very gently for 40-50 minutes or until tender. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and stand the octopus in the liquid until cool.

Once the squid is cooled, remove from the cooking liquid, discard the liquid and cut the tentacles & wings into 3-4 cm chunks and pack into several small sterilised jars.

To make the pickling mixture, place the water and vinegar in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat. Divide the chillies, garlic cloves, bay leaves and peppercorns among the jars, then pour over enough hot vinegar mixture to cover. Seal, then store in a cool, dark place for at least 12 hours before serving. Once opened, store the pickled squid in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

I hope these tricks and recipes add to the enjoyment of catching and eating one of squid. Our calamari fishery is a greatly underrated fishery as squid are easily accessible, fun to catch great to eat.

Joe Riley

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Fishing News - Page 29

Tom Jarman with a lovely golden brownie taken on a Hare and Copper nymph.

NYMPH, DRY

The best do the simple things well The people who excel in any sport are the ones who do the simple things extremely well. Fly fishing is no different. In December 2019 the best anglers from around the world came down here to compete in the World Fly Fishing Championships and caught a heap of fish in challenging conditions fishing simple techniques very well. Nymph under dry played a large part on the rivers for the top teams, and is a technique that no river angle can be without. It is an extremely versatile technique and in principle is very simple, however there are some key things anglers must consider to make the most of this technique.

or

When and why you may fish it

BOTH? Australian fly fishing team member discusses ‘Nymph under Dry’ techniques.

Fishing News - Page 30

Nymph under dry can be used in a range of water types. It is at it’s best in medium paced water, but can also be fished in slow pools, pocket water and along the seams of faster runs. There are many scenarios on the river that may require you to fish nymph under dry, this could be as simple as you aren’t sure whether the fish want to eat a nymph or a dry. You may want to achieve a longer drift with your nymphs, or may

be unable to get close enough to the fish to European nymph, or it may be too windy to European nymph, the list goes on and on. In a Tasmanian context it is a fantastic technique because our trout love to rise to a dry fly, sometimes in preference to a nymph. Therefore, nymph under dry fishing is always a great option because it allows you to efficiently fish both a dry and nymph through a range of water types.

Drift and presentation Achieving a drift without drag is so important to catch fish with this technique. Drag affects both the nymph and dry negatively, but most importantly, any drag lifts or stops the nymph sinking and fishing in the zone where it will catch most of its fish. The most important thing to remember and make sure of is the nymph and dry landing in the same current line every cast. If the two flies land in separate currents we will get drag, the flies will fish poorly and the nymph will not sink immediately. By landing both flies in the same current line our nymph will sink to depth quickly, our dry will be fishing drag free from the outset, and we will

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be in contact/ have a relatively tight length of line between our nymph and dry which is crucial in detecting a take. If at any stage we have a large amount of slack between our nymph and dry we may miss a take as we rely on the dry being pulled under when a fish eats the nymph.

You can also improve your drifts with some good mending of slack into the faster current to give your flies a longer drift.

Remember if you are going to mend your line, you must land the line and leader with some slack so that you can make a mend without moving your flies.

Fishing a high rod angle and trying to keep some of you leader and line off the water in complex currents will also improve your drifts, the more line we have on the water, the more surface area there is for the current to pull and drag. This is especially good way to fish when in pocket water and in areas of complex currents.

Leader, rods and lines Having a good leader set up for nymph under dry is so important.

We need a leader that has enough power to turn over a weighted nymph, and also be long enough so we can present the flies with some slack in the leader and avoid drag. What you would consider a long leader varies depending on the size of the steam you are fishing. For me on our medium to larger sized rivers I like a leader that is around 15 feet in length (including tippet attached), for smaller streams 12 feet is ideal. Tippet wise, I like to fish 6X and 7X, this is because the finer the tippet we fish, the better the drift. Because I like to use lighter tippet, I require a lighter rod to protect the tippet from breaking, 3 weight or 4 weight rods between 9 – 10’6 are ideal. Having a bit of length helps manage longer leaders, allows you to mend more easily, and keep more line off the water when fishing closer to you target. As far as fly lines go, I like a double taper, or a delicate weight forward fly line, again this allows a more delicate presentation, superior mending, and less sag if I need to fish a high rod angle and lift line off the water.

Nymph Weight and Dropper length My default length for the nymph below dry is 70cm, I feel this allows me to achieve a nice drift in a range of water depths and speeds, at this length the nymph isn’t too tight or tethered to the dry. In very shallow water, say shin to knee deep, I would probably shorten this to 50cm. In deeper pools I would be happy to extend the

Above: A fantastic brown from the Meander taken on a nymph under dry.

Right: The flies that Tom used to catch the fish above.

distance between nymph and dry to 1m. I will also point out that I always tie my dry off a dropper rather than tie straight to dry fly and then tie my tippet to the nymph off the shank of the dry. The reason for this is it allows me to change my dry fly without having to re tie the nymph on every time, it also allows the dry to drift more freely.

Nymph selection It is important to have some tungsten beaded nymphs that are small and relatively slim, this allows them to sink to depth quickly. 2.5mm tungsten beaded nymphs in size 16-18 are what I find myself fishing and guiding with 90% of the time. I also carry some 2.3mm and 2mm beaded nymphs for very shallow water, and 2.8mm beaded nymphs for particularly fast water where the nymph needs to get down quickly. As far as the nymph pattern goes, you want to have some mayfly style nymphs such as pheasant tails with and without hotspots and hares ear nymphs that are more like a caddis imitation.

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Fishing News - Page 31

A good stretch on the Tyenna.

Team USA angler, Michael Bradley on the Meander.

A selection of nymphs above and a Parachute Caddis - right.

Dry Fly Selection When choosing a dry fly for this technique you must remember to choose one that you can see well and will support a weighted nymph.

I really like CDC dry flies in a size 14 or 12, this is because CDC floats extremely high in the water making it very visible.

Because there is no hackle, there is very little resistance when a fish eats the nymph, you will find this style of fly goes under very quickly at the slightest/ softest take. An orange tag CDC sedge or split wing mayfly are my favourite options. Deer hair or Elk hair caddis are also very buoyant and visible dry flies that will support a nymph. I like a Deer hair caddis with a parachute hackle at the front with a high vis post in low/ Fishing News - Page 32

mottled light. The classics like parachute mayfly (parachute adams), wulffs, humpys and in the height of summer, grasshoppers are all really good as well.

River fishing is all about presenting the flies well and getting a good drift. Most fish that are feeding are happy to eat a range of well-presented flies, so if you have a leader that you are comfortable with and are able to present your flies without drag allowing your get your nymph down, you will have a lot of success.

Tom Jarman

A great ‘nymph under dry’ run on the Mersey.

Pink bead, orange tag - a great nymph combination.

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Fishing News - Page 33

COMPETITION FLY FISHING Regular Fly Tying writer for Tasmanian Fishing and Boating news, Shane Broadby tries a new side of fly fishing and learns a lot.

I

was having a conversation with Mark Youngman, recently, I knew Mark was a member of Fly Fish Australia and I mentioned to him that I had been been thinking of joining for a while and giving a local fly fishing comp a go. Mark said go for it, you get to fish with, and learn from, some of the very best fly fishers in Australia. So I took the plunge, joined FFA and very soon found myself nervously preparing my gear on the shores of Arthurs and Woods Lake for a two day boat based loch style comp.

I need not have been nervous as I was made very welcome by everyone in a very friendly atmosphere. I was given advice by another competitor to just treat it like another day’s fishing, and that’s exactly how I handled it, but there were a few differences!

Starting and finishing times were very precise, boats launched with two anglers 15 minutes before starting time and made their way to the selected fishing area.

This was selected by the boat driver who had the first

choice for half the session on where to fish. Any fish caught were measured on the measuring board to the mm, with the length agreed on by both anglers. The details were recorded on a score sheet issued to each person and then signed by both anglers at the end of the session.

Fishing sessions were of three hour duration with two sessions a day, punctuated by a lunch break. Each angler getting half the session to choose where they fished. That said though there was a good bit of mutual agreeance between anglers. Each angler gets a new boat partner each session.

First casts were made right on starting time and then it’s really business as usual until the end of the three hour session when everyone stops fishing at the stated time.

I learned some great tips during the two days from some very good fly fishers. I noticed that tackle and rig preparation was very important pre the first session, and during lunch. Bites of a sandwich and a sip of tea or coffee was quickly taken between rigging up leaders and tippets and selecting flies. Fishing time is too valuable during a comp to waste it by rigging up when it can be done prior to the actual fishing time.

Rigging Foams One very good and well known angler that I was partnered with had a great idea that I will be taking on. Glenn was making up his rigs complete and ready to fish; nymph, loch style or whatever was completed with flies attached and then wound on to short pieces of pool noodle, with the flies stuck into the foam.

This method makes it very quick and easy to change rigs when depth, changing lines or methods. This is especially so when leader butts are used in conjunction with a 2mm tippet ring. Just tie the premade rig to the tippet ring and you are ready to go.

Fishing News - Page 34

Barbless Hooks Barbless hooks or crushed barbs are the way to go, everyone agreed that the hook up rate and better penetration are far easier and reliable than hook ups with barbed hooks. Having caught a few on barbless now, I’m converted, plus its damn easier to pull a barbless hook from clothing or your own skin!

The Hang Comp anglers are also pedantic about fishing ‘the hang’ when fishing wets then dabbling the top dropper, while raising the rod, on the surface before recasting, every cast must end in a ‘hang’. It can be the difference between a blank session or getting on the board. I’ve learnt to do this religiously now.

Fish until the end Never give up. Fish the session out to the last second, you should be just as keen in the last ten minutes of the three hour session as you are in the first ten minutes of the session, the trout don’t worry about time, only humans do. There is nothing surer than the second you lose concentration, a fish will take your fly. The next competition is a river event with a whole different array of tricks and methods to take in. I’ve, got a lot more to learn. Competition fly fishing is different but it’s fun, give it a go I reckon!

For more information about competition fly fishing contact Mark Youngman: 0419 177 706.

Shane Broadby

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Fishing News - Page 35

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w

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Fishing News - Page 37

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Fishing News - Page 38

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Jack Gillespie — Megabass X-80 Jnr at Arthurs Lake.

ARTHURS LAKE Matt Sherriff shares his knowledge

A

Trout population and is one of the most popular Trout fishing destinations in our state. It did suffer a decline in recent times and Woods Lake just down the road took over, but that is changing back.

Lure fishing, in my opinion would have to be the most successful way of targeting fish in this water.

While there are some great days for the fly fisherman to enjoy success during hatches, those fishing lures will consistently find better numbers of fish.

SETTING UP FOR SUCCESS

rthurs Lake would have to be my favourite trout fishing destination. Whilst the fish in neighbouring Great Lake have a bigger average size, to me the moonscape of Great Lake has nothing on the setting offered in Arthurs. Watching the sun rise over Arthurs, with the dead trees emerging eerily from the morning mist, epitomises what a special place this is.

Damming the upper Lake River and flooding the area that originally contained two lakes, Blue Lake and Sand Lake, and the Morass Marsh made the modern day Arthurs Lake. The water in Arthurs Lake is used for hydro electricity generation with the water being pumped into Great Lake to feed the power station at Poatina. Arthurs has a self-sustaining wild Brown

Lures I find it best to set up three rods to cover most situations you will come across throughout the lake as this will allow you to quickly change tactics as you go from one area to another. Two of these rods will be running hard bodied minnows with a profile that closely resembles the Galaxias that the trout feed on.

One shallow model that runs down to around 1 metre and the other a deeper version which dives to two metres or so. The third lure is a soft plastic “T” Tail with a 1/16th or 1/12th jig head and 1/0 hook.

The shallow minnows are best used tight in against the shores and when I say tight, I mean as hard into the shores as you can! It is surprising how close to shore the

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Hawk Sniper 60S Fishing News - Page 39

fish will smash your lure. Results in these areas often better on overcast days with some wave action which will stir the Galaxias out of the rocks.

Deeper minnows work extremely well amongst the trees and along the outside edge of the various tree lined shores where water depth is around three metres but weed beds come up to within two metres of the surface. Trolling the outside of the tree lines with these lures is a great way to catch a couple of fish while you’re enjoying a bite to eat or a coffee break as well!

Soft plastics are a great option for targeting fish hanging on deeper weed beds but also work well in places like the Lily Pads, where weed is thick and comes to the surface. Due to running a single hook, they are much less prone to getting caught in the weed and give you the best opportunity to cover this productive area of the lake. This also applies to Cow Paddock Bay. Some of these areas would be near on impossible to fish with hard body lures as the trebles will snag the weed immediately.

Tackle To fish these lures successfully, braided lines are key. Not only can you feel the action of the lure, even the slightest hit from a fish can be felt which allows you to throw in an extra twitch to bring the fish back to your lure. Likewise, if you’re using a plastic, if you feel a hit, most times a pause and dropping the rod tip will see the fish return and grab the lure. As braid has virtually no stretch it will also allow you to set the hook well which is important due to Trout having a relatively hard mouth!

Four to six pound braid is more than adequate and the fine diameter of these sizes will assist in helping to cast the light lures. Four to eight pound leader of around one and a half metres for an invisible link to your lure also acts as a shock absorber due to its inherent stretch which helps to avoid break-offs! I’ve found that four pound leader is more than adequate to fish this water and have not suffered from any fish related break-offs. I have had good success with Sunline Shooter FC but have recently changed to Jinkai premium and rate it highly as a leader material.

Rods in the 1-3kg or 2-4kg rating are best suited, paired with a balanced reel in the 1000-2500 size range.

7’ rods are a great allrounder but if you’re comfortable with the extra length of the 7’ 6” rods you will find the extra casting distance is great for covering more ground!

Good work by Jen Westwood.

Going the extra mile Those extra one percenter’s can be the difference between fishless days and taking your bag! Keep an eye on the weather in the days leading up to your trip. For instance, if there has been a prevailing westerly wind for two or three days before your trip, fishing the eastern shore of the sandlake or the shore opposite Jonah Bay can be very rewarding. This is due to the wave action of the lake concentrating the food onto these windblown shores. A good indication of this is seeing foam along the shore edge. These areas are often productive and even though at times fishing the wind blown shores can be a little uncomfortable, you will be rewarded for your effort. Calm bays will seldom give you the same results.

Brodie Munday — Arthurs brown — Hawk Sniper 60S Fishing News - Page 40

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Like any fish, trout can at times be unpredictable and will be feeding along the lee side of the shore. A good way to figure this out is to hit up some of the smaller islands on the lake, working around the island to determine where the fish are feeding. This will often give you a good indication of the shores to hit up. When fishing shores, give extra focus to any points jutting out as they will often hold fish, especially ones with foam lines!

Make sure to mix up your retrieves as well. Sometimes trout prefer a slow rolling retrieve, other times twitches and pauses will do the trick. If you find fish following your lure but not committing a quick erratic retrieve will often get them to strike! When using plastics, a hop and drop technique is good for working deeper weed beds, whereas when working shallower sections, a slow roll through weedy areas is a deadly technique.

Arthurs Lake has great shore and boat access, good camping facilities as well as having more shelter than Great Lake when it’s windy. The trout are generally in very good condition and the catch rate is above average when compared to other waters. If

you’ve never fished Arthurs, make sure you put it on your to-do list and give a few of the above techniques/lures a crack; I guarantee it won’t be the last time you visit! I hope those that already fish the lake may be able to take something out of here to try as well.

The best part about fishing is that every day is different, and it’s a never-ending learning curve!

Favourite Lures: Shallow Hawk Sniper 60S Megabass X-70 Megabass GH70

Deep Hawk Sniper Deep 69 Megabass X-80 Jnr

Soft Plastic Strike Tiger 2.5” T Tail Megabass Hazedong Shad 3” Matt Sherriff

Let the little ones grow.

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Fishing News - Page 41

LAKE SORELL What is happening?

Typical Lake Sorell fish that you may catch.

Mike Stevens presents an overview of Lake Sorell - reopened after many years.

The temporary re-opening of Lake Sorell

I

n exciting news Lake Sorell will be re-opened for the remainder of the 2019-20 trout season. This temporary re-opening of Lake Sorell is part of the successful progression of the Carp Management Program. It is not the completion of the Program and further periods of closure will be required to finish the eradication. Over 42,400 carp have been removed from Lake Sorell and estimates now indicate that less than 10 remain. The intensive fishing pressure has removed the strong healthy carp. The remaining fish are the runts of the litter that either don’t have the urge to spawn, or have made themselves difficult to catch because of their small size. This has allowed the decision to be made to reopen the lake as the risk of transfer of carp from this water is now unlikely.

The Inland Fisheries Service (IFS) has applied the Lake Crescent carp eradication model to Lake Sorell.

Lake Crescent was re-opened to the public in 2004.

A lone female carp caught in Lake Crescent, in 2007, proved to be the last from this lake and it was declared carp free in 2009. The trout fishing in Lake Crescent has steadily improved and varies with water level. Some superb trophy trout have been caught in recent years.

Anglers need to be aware that the trout population in Lake Sorell has been heavily impacted by the intensive fishing pressure applied to catch carp. Being mid-summer the water level is falling, the water is dirty and there are lots of rocks and reefs across the lake. So boat operators need to take care.

The IFS will not restock Lake Sorell with trout but will allow the population to build naturally through spawning in the inflowing creeks over coming years.

With time to recover, Lake Sorell will show a new generation of anglers what once made it the most popular trout water in Tasmania. And it will give some old-timers (like me!) a chance to relive their memories.

Fishing News - Page 42

Lakes Sorell and Crescent Lakes Sorell (5,300 ha) and Crescent (2,300 ha) are large, shallow, interconnecting freshwater lakes in the southeast corner of the Tasmanian Central Plateau.

In addition to recreational fishing, these waters are used as a stock and domestic water supply for the downstream townships of Bothwell and Hamilton.

They also supply irrigation water for farmers in these districts and support a small commercial fishery for short-finned eels.

The lakes contain a small-endangered native fish species golden galaxias (Galaxias auratus) and extensive wetlands of national and international significance.

Before it’s closure Lake Sorell regularly ranked within the top three recreational fisheries in Tasmania, being visited by around 10 000 anglers each year.

Lake Crescent was closed to the public on 18 February 1995.

On 6 March 1995, following extensive surveys small numbers of carp were caught by electrofishing in Lake Sorell.

Lake Sorell was closed to the public on 9 March 1995.

Lake Sorell was subsequently assessed as low risk due to the small carp population and re-opened in August 1995.

The Carp Management Program — and Carp in Tasmania European carp were first detected in Tasmania in 1975 when they were found in more than 30 small farm dams on the northwest coast. Specific noxious fish legislation was enacted in response and an eradication campaign using the fish poison rotenone was initiated.

The populations in these dams were eradicated.

On 28 January 1995, an angler found the remains of a fish that was being eaten by a sea eagle. This was handed to the IFS on 30 January.

Backpack electrofishing surveys on 1 February confirmed that carp were present in Lake Crescent. The outflow from Lake Crescent was closed and downstream surveys began immediately.

Marshes at Lake Sorell

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In 2010, Lake Sorell was again closed due to a significant carp spawning event stimulated by rising lake levels and warm conditions late in 2009.

This dramatically increased the carp population despite targeted fishing effort that removed most of the adult population.

Eradication of the carp population has been by direct fish down and spawning sabotage by preventing carp access to spawning sites. A combination of wetland exclusion nets, fyke nets, seine nets, gillnets, traps and electrofishing (both backpack and boat) are used to target carp at vulnerable periods of their life.

7797 carp were removed from Lake Crescent from 1995 – 2007. 41 496 carp have been removed from Lake Sorell since 1995 with only five captured from July 2019 to 31 January 2020.

From information available the physical removal of a pest fish from a lake system as large as lakes Sorell and Crescent has not previously been recorded, either in Australia or internationally.

Lake Sorell and Table Top Mountain.

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Fishing News - Page 43

Fishing News - Page 44

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RECREATIONAL SEA FISHERIES NEWS February 2020

REC FISHERS WANT A VISION Tasmanian Recreational Sea Fishing Strategy The government has initiated the development of the Tasmanian Recreational Sea Fishing Strategy. The Strategy aims to present a vision of what recreational sea fishing should look like in 2030 and will represent a more inclusive, integrated and forward-looking approach to fisheries management guided by clear objectives and targets. The Strategy will be developed throughout 2020 via an extensive stakeholder engagement process and is expected to be publicly launched in the middle of next year.

The Strategy represents a great opportunity for Tasmanians to be involved in forging a blueprint to address challenges and opportunities facing our marine recreational fisheries – now and in the future. To do this, DPIPWE have appointed Dr Sven Frijlink to develop the Strategy. Sven has a passion for recreational fishing and a strong work and research record in fisheries research and management, including several Tasmanian projects spanning ecological and social science dimensions of recreational fisheries.

Input into the strategy will be sought through a range of consultative processes over the next year. Regular updates, and most importantly, details of opportunities for your input will be made via the Department’s Fisheries Tasmania Facebook page, web site and via the fishing news email subscription service.

Please feel free to send your queries about the Strategy to recfishingstrategy@dpipwe.tas.gov.au or phone the enquiry line.

FISHING ETIQUETTE Tasmanians are lucky enough to have access to fantastic fishing locations so practising good fishing etiquette and respecting each other’s activities means all fishers and water users can enjoy themselves more.

Disposing of fish waste A common complaint we hear from recreational fishers is about other fishers dumping their catch in the shallow waters close to swimming areas, jetties and even on foreshore reserves. Please consider other fishers and users of these areas.

If you clean fish at sea, dispose of fish waste away from shore in the same area you caught it. If you land

The Tasmanian community are encouraged to contribute to a vision and guidelines to steer recreational fisheries into the future. What do you think it should look like? your fish then fillet them, please dispose of the waste and shells with your household rubbish or bury it in your own backyard. Don’t leave used line and plastics lying around.

Clean up any land based area or fish cleaning facilities after cleaning your fish. If there is a cleaning table or you have used the rocky shore, rinse it down for the next person.

Give others space to fish Give other fishers a wide berth where possible out on the water as the wake from your boat can affect their fishing. Fishing too close to each other can cause tangled lines and unnecessary aggro.

Good rock lobster potting practices Don’t be a thief and pull other people’s pots.

Interfering with other recreational or commercial pots is illegal – contact Fishwatch on 0427 655 557 to report it.

Make sure your marker buoy is large enough to stay afloat in strong currents. Use a buoy line length longer than the depth of water being fished.

Reduce interactions with marine mammals by minimising the line on the surface.

Use additional buoys, large floats, a dhan pole or GPS fix to improve visibility and for easy retrieval. This also helps other boat users avoid your gear.

Divers keep clear of cray pots Aside from safety factors such as keeping clear of pots when they are being set or lifted, diving near set pots is likely to aggravate pot fishers fishing in their carefully selected area so always give set pots a wide berth. Do your best to stay clear.

Be considerate at the boat ramp

Respect other water users Fishing’s not the only summer water activity that’s popular in Tassie. Keep an eye out for water and jetskiers, kayakers, swimmers, divers (watch out for ‘diver down’ flags) and tourist boats.

Everyone has a right to access our beautiful bays and beaches and enjoy themselves on the water.

Report Illegal Fishing If you see something fishy including someone stealing our fish resources please report the details to Fishwatch on 0427 655 557.

It helps if reports are made at the time you observe the alleged offence – it may be the critical information the Marine Police need.

The following information will help the Marine Police combat illegal fishing: Time and location of offence.

Fishing gear used with ID numbers.

Car and boat descriptions incl. rego numbers Name or description of person/s involved.

Please note that Fishwatch is for compliance. Use the 1300 720 647 or email for general enquiries and to report lost, stolen and irretrievable fishing gear only.

For enquiries about your licence status or number – use the licence look up function on the licensing page.

Need more information?

Get a copy of the Recreational Sea Fishing Guide from Service Tasmania Download the Tasmanian Sea Fishing Guide app Go to www.fishing.tas.gov.au; or www.facebook. com/FisheriesTasmania Phone: 1300 720 647 or 03 6165 3233 Email: fishing.enquiries@dpipwe.tas.gov.au

Boat ramps can be very busy in the popular summer holiday periods, Easter and long weekends. Try to have your boat prepared and ready to go as much as possible prior to your turn to launch. The same applies after fishing when you’re loading it back onto your trailer. Move away from the boat ramp if possible to wipe down or do final checks prior to hitting the road.

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Fishing News - Page 45

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The Redington Behemoth reel that is the serious part of this combo is amazing value for money. Check out any review and you will see. Great drag and great value. We have sold hundreds. They are tough.

Buy it online at www.essentialflyfisher.com.au Shipping is FREE.

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Tasmania n i e d a M your - to suit g spirit. n i r u t n e v ad

The Leven

The Leven

Little Henty camper - this is a great camper The Leven slide on camper is constructed from light weight for couples who want a very light weight fully insulated slide on with extensive customization Litt fibreglass panel and hasoptions. outstanding insulation properties.

So make it suit how you want to live while on the road. With seven models in the range for c The aerodynamic shapeand of Leven only looks great, but is threethe of them set for those whonot travel alone we have it covered. insul functional saving you fuel on those long road trips. The electric optio powered roof gives the Leven it’s stylish exterior and the camper whil able to be used evenmodels with the roof down.

Security features in interior is designed to allow the maximum TheisLeven - One of seven Aussie Traveller and double use ofsecurity space. Thedoor, features include a pull out and The the LevenLeven slide oninclude camper isthe constructed table which be stored when windows with lock down pointscanthat ensure a not needed we h fromglazed light weight fibreglass paneltriple and has andfitted comfort-able faceistodesigned face seatingtoin a strong durable seal. The quality interior outstanding properties.

Phone : 03 6437 2791 emailinsulation : and drafting@penguincomposites.com.au of durableinclude fashion fabrics.

The allow aerodynamic shape of the Leven the maximum use ofnotspace. choice The features a pullThe sleek kitchen features storage, only out lookstable great, but is functional youwhen which can besaving stored not design needed andoverhead comfortplenty of draws, and a choice of gas or fuel on those longtoroad trips.

The electric able face face seating in a choice of durable fashion fabrics. electric hotplate. A fridge is also included in powered roof gives the Leven it’s stylish The sleek kitchen design features overhead storage, of the camper so you will plenty have everything you exterior and the camper is able to be used draws, and a choice of gas or electric hotplate.

A fridge is also need including the kitchen sink. even with the roof down. Security features included in the camper so you will have everything you need Customise to suit your needs. in the Leven include the Aussie Traveller including kitchen security door, andthe double glazedsink. windows The Leven slide on camper is constructed from light weight fibreglass panel and has outstanding insulation properties.

The aerodynamic shape of the Leven not only looks great, but is functional saving you fuel on those long road trips. The electric powered roof gives the Leven it’s stylish exterior and the camper is able to be used even with the roof down. Security features in the Leven include the Aussie Traveller security door, and double glazed windows with triple lock down points that ensure a strong and durable seal. The quality fitted interior is designed to allow the maximum use of space. The features include a pull out table which can be stored when not needed and comfortable face to face seating in a choice of durable fashion fabrics.

The sleek kitchen design features overhead storage, plenty of draws, and a choice of gas or electric hotplate. A fridge is also included in the camper so you will have everything you need including the kitchen sink.

with triple lock down points that ensure a strong and durable seal. The quality fitted

Phone : 03 6437 2791 email : drafting@penguincomposites.com.au Fishing News - Page 46

www.tasfish.com - Get the knowledge - Get the fish.

St Helens

Your every need catered for • Eight en-suite cabins • Convenience store • Hot takeaways • Groceries • Newspapers • Boat parking • Fuel • Bait and tackle • Boat and car wash

Hillcrest Tourist Park

Boat trailer wheel and tyre Dunbier and early Holden pattern

around $90ea 62 Hopkins St, Moonah 6228 0274

and Mini Market

100 Chimney Heights Rd. St Helens 6376 3298

Gone Fishing Charters

• East coast estuary and bay • Whiting, Bream, Salmon, Garfish, Flathead, Squid and more • Soft plastics, lures, fly and bait • 5.8 metre sportfishing boat.

Gone Fishing Charters St Helens Michael Haley 0419 353 041 mhaleycharters@bigpond.com www.breamfishing.com.au

Outboard Technology Quality service and repairs to all Outboard Motors

Southern Region David Gillespie 6248 9080 or 0417 562 859 96 Clifton Beach Rd Sandford Tas 7020

www.tasfish.com - Get the knowledge - Get the fish.

Fishing News - Page 47

ARE ARE YOU YOU DODGY DODGY ARE YOU DODGY ARE YOU DODGY BOATWISE? BOATWISE? BOATWISE? BOATWISE? CHECK BEFORE CHECK BEFORE YOU YOU BUY. BUY. CHECK CHECK BEFORE BEFORE YOU YOU BUY. BUY.