Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Issue 048 2004 February

Issue 48

February - March 2004

$3.95

Trout Snapper Marlin & more

Snapper- one of Tasmania’s great sport fish. See an even bigger specimen on page 4

• Tasmania’s Most Popular Game Lures • • Snapper • Penstock • Multiple Dry Flies • • East Australian Current • Jan’s Flies • • Trolling for Trout • Big, Fat, Silly Flies •

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Fishing News - Page 2

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CON-

Snapper - Damon Sherriff 4 Gamefishing - The Fox Factor - Jon Fox 6 East Australian Current - CSIRO 8 Trolling for Trout - Damon Sherriff 12 Jan’s Flies - Jan Spencer 16 Big, Fat, Silly Flies - Daniel Hackett 18 Fishing Multiple Dry Flies - Joe Riley 19

My Say What about the big snapper on the front cover.

Damon Sherriff certainly puts in the effort targeting these superb fish and occasionally it pays off. Damon claims it takes at least 40 hours per snapper - now that is commitment. Read what he has to say on page four. Damon also revisit his trout trolling days with lure maker Tony Morecroft.

Traditionally the game fishing season really gets underway towards the end of January. Sure there are little cameos and tuna catches can start anywhere around Christmas, but the serious stuff is from February to after Easter. There is a great article about the East Australian Current in this issue and some great words by longtime game fishing skipper Jon Fox. Jon offers some great advice about how fishing is affected by the the East Australian. He also some tips about chasing marlin that will pay off if you take them.

Joe Riley looks at multiple fly options and Daniel Hackett looks at big ugly flies. It is amazing how a fish such as a trout will take something so big, foreign and ugly.

It was interesting to note Jan Spencer in her flies section also chose a similar theme with a big ugly fly.

Ken Orr took a day off guiding to take stalwart guide and fly tyer Noel Jetson fishing. Ken tested out some new rods and got beaten by his son.

As we were finishing off this issue the Government had a Cabinet reshuffle and the Department of Primary Industry, Water and Environment underwent some changes. Bryan Green has gone to bigger things running the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources. DPIWE has been put under the charge of two Ministers now, Judy Jackson in charge

Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News

of Environment, whilst Stephen Kons has been charged with Fisheries, Primary Industry and Water.

From my point of view Bryan Green has done pretty well in fisheries, both salt and freshwater. I don’t agree with the pro-development of new oyster leases, but I can live comfortably with the current arrangements. He has helped setup an independent peak recreational fisheries body and improved relationships between recreational and commercial fishers.

My great thanks go to Bryan Green, his support staff and to Wes Ford from DPIWE’s Marine Resources for progressing the removal of commercial netting from Georges Bay at St Helens.

Since the introduction of Scalefish Management Plan in 1998 when Georges Bay was declared a mostly recreational area the intention was for it to become ‘recreational only’. This was not an anti-commercial fishing agenda, but rather about improving recreational fishing opportunities in higher population, easily accessed areas.

There was only one commercial endorsement left and this had a grandfather clause; the fisher could keep fishing until he either couldn’t fish anymore, he decided to give it up, or he died.

That may have lasted another 40 years.

Progressing this improved after a meeting between a Ministerial advisor, the commercial fisher, myself and Wes Ford from DPIWE. The meeting lasted barely two hours, but at the end of it everyone’s position and needs were known.

Within a relatively short time after that the fisher was offered some adjustment to licences and access to other fisheries outside Georges Bay.

By Christmas all netting effort had ceased and all parties were satisfied with the outcome. I thank the Minister - and especially the commercial fisher for working through this.

Michael Stevens 17 Oxford Street, Launceston, 7250.

Ph/fax; 6331 1278 Email; fishn@bigpond.net.au Fishing News (Aust) Pty Ltd, ABN 79 095 217 299

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Patience, 1. calm and uncomplaining endurance, as under pain, provocation etc.

2. calmness in waiting.

3. quiet perseverance.

This is a description that describes Tasmanian snapper angler, Damon Sherriff, well. A resident of the Tamar Valley, Damon fishes mostly in his home water for these elusive fish. Granted there are easier places in Tasmania to catch snapper, such as the far north west.

Damon has made a study of targeting snapper - and after all his efforts he still only manages a snapper every three or four trips.

He believes he puts in around 40 hours per snapper - now that takes patience. Read his words and decide if you have the patience to catch snapper.

Warning: This article is not for the weekend fisherman, the tourist, the impatient - or people who don’t like the dark or the cold. So if you are any of the above, please turn over now!

Chasing big snapper in Tasmania is, in my opinion, the most challenging type of fishing anyone can undertake. Many people think I am one of the luckiest fishermen in Tasmania, but I disagree - I make my own luck. I seriously concentrate on targeting big snapper. When I say, big snapper, I don’t mean 5kg fish, I mean fish over 8 kg plus.

My family and friends know how seriously I take my snapper fishing, and know the sacrifices I make to catch the biggest snapper I possibly can. Whilst most anglers are curled up in their warm beds, I am out in the night targeting the ‘Howlers’, (big snapper).

Sleepless freezing nights, long hours and lack of fish make it very hard to regularly catch big fish. Tasmania is not South Australia or Western Australia. It has the lowest population of snapper in Australia.

I treat my fishing very seriously. I have to give my all in every detail on every trip. Every bait I cast out is with big a with snapper in mind; hook placement must be perfect because the next fish might be Mr Big. Bait fishing is a procedure in itself and can involve a full day’s fishing prior to a 12 to 18 hour snapper session.

I am not so interested in catching numbers, small fish are a lot easier to catch, are less selective and can be suicidal when on the go. Once a Tasmanian snapper reaches 20 lbs, it is about 22 years old and it didn’t get old and big by being stupid. The bigger the fish, the harder they are to catch. They fight better, look fantastic and when in low numbers, have no competition. They can be very finicky and wary. All it takes is a boat motor at high revs to destroy a night’s shallow water fishing. In the mid 90s, I set myself a personal goal - to catch a snapper over 30 lbs in Tasmania. I have not achieved this goal as yet, but I have beaten my personal best this season when I landed a cracking 11.5 kg (25 lb) specimen in a location which I shan’t reveal. I also caught a 10.3 kg and a 4.2 kg My son, Benjamin, caught his first big snapper - a 6.5 kg fish, not bad for a 5 year old.

Some people think I am crazy because of the tough conditions and night hours I put in, some people don’t believe my success with these big fish, but if they took their fishing as seriously as I do, they would possibly have the similar success.

I have been fishing with some of Victoria’s No 1 Big Snapper specialists, and they agree that Tasmania’s population of snapper, especially the Tamar River, is very low and must be looked after, making the fishing very hard going. Working in a tackle shop, every season I see a new lot of hopeful snapper anglers. Many of them get discouraged and go back to fishing for trout or whatever they previously did - some catch a few when the going is easy which occasionally happens but after a season or so, they lose interest.

I have found when the going gets tough, don’t give up, there are still fish there! If you are after big fish, use big bait.

Yeah, sure you won’t catch as many small fish but at the end of the day, it is the big ones that count.

I have now caught 9 snapper over 9.5 kg and well over 50 snapper all up but this is still not a good average over all the years of snapper fishing I have put in. I am not only a ‘big snapper’ addict but also a snapper taxidermy ‘junkie’. I am in the process of mounting the 11.5 kg and 10.3 kg fish I have caught this season and when completed they will join the Fishing News - Page 4

At 11.5 kilograms this is the authors biggest Tamar River snapper to date.

three other big fish on my dining room walls. They will be on display in Charlton’s Fishing store around July this year for a period of time. Come in and have a look.

I am not trying to put people off but trying to let them know there is a lot more to catching big snapper then grabbing some W.A. pilchards and heading down the Tamar at high tide. Yes, sure you might catch the odd one or two but a lot more work needs to be done to catch Howlers over 20 lbs on a regular basis. Many things need to be planned and timed to perfection. Everything has to be right, and don’t rush! People who rush, especially when rigging baits, miss fish and I can’t afford to miss runs; with three kids and a very understanding wife, my time is at a premium on the water. When that Ugly stick buckles over and screams, it’s got to stay that way!

When the Editor of this magazine, Mike Stevens, asked me to write this article, he said he wanted me to tell people the truth about chasing Big Snapper in Tasmania - not, like

some magazine articles, to fill your minds with false perceptions and pretend they are easy to catch and as common as flathead but to tell you honestly how hard it really is. Although Tasmanian snapper fishing is without a doubt, hard yakka, the dedicated angler can receive massive rewards.

My estimate is that I spend about 40 hours on the water per snapper, and as I said earlier, many more hours in preparation. I suppose it is like the angler chasing a thousand pound marlin or a broadbill swordfish. Patience is a virtue.

Good luck, Damon Sherriff.

John Diggle appointed as Inland Fisheries Director.

The (previous) Minister for Primary Industries, Water and Environment, Bryan Green recently appointedJohn Diggle as Director of Inland Fisheries.

John first started work at the then Inland Fisheries Commission (IFC) in the 1980s. In his capacity as Scientific Officer he worked on a number of projects including an extensive study of trout recruitment and the factors that influence it in the St. Patrick’s River system. John left the IFC a number of times to work at Sea Fisheries, CSIRO, Forestry Tasmania and the Parks and Wildlife Service.

He returned to the IFC in 1994 as Technical Officer of Recreational Fisheries. Within a year of his return the IFC faced one of its biggest challenges, the discovery of European carp at Lake Crescent. John was at the forefront of this challenge and provided leadership in the field surveys and implementation of the containment measures that have prevented the downstream spread of carp. Later John headed the Carp Management team and was instrumental in the introduction of the innovative and successful radio tracking techniques.

John also implemented and headed the Lakes Sorell and Crescent Rehabilitation Project. John was appointed to the position of Deputy Director in 2001 and has been acting as Director for the last 6 months. He brings to the position nearly 20 years of experience in fisheries research and management, a passion for fishing and a depth of knowledge of the freshwater environment.

Mysterious Black Slick at Penstock Lagoon

On the 15th of December 2003, the Inland Fisheries Service received a call from a concerned angler regarding an ‘inky black slick’ that was evident in the north-east corner of Penstock Lagoon. To the anglers’ amazement, the ‘slick’ visibly increased in size over a few hours until a significant area of the lagoon was affected.

The water was described as being similar to Indian ink and was dark to black in appearance. The angler had the foresight to take a sample of the affected water and upon return to camp contacted the IFS to express his concern and discuss the implications of the slick. From the information passed on to the IFS, it was determined, with reference to the current lagoon level and prevailing winds from the north-east, that the observed phenomena was likely due to a highly productive bloom of some type of microscopic organism.

The following day, an IFS staff member met with the angler to collect the water sample and return it to the laboratory at head office for further analysis. By the morning of the 16th the ‘slick’ had reduced in size considerably, although areas of the lagoon were still visibly affected. Examination of the sample revealed the slick to be caused by a highly active bloom of rotifer. Rotifers are a type of microscopic zooplankton and are found in almost every freshwater habitat. Rotifers are 1 of only 3 animal groups that make up freshwater plankton. Rotifers feed on small algae, detritus and bacteria and in turn are an important food source for other aquatic animals. Rotifers can often be a major component in the diet of small fish.

in size, being approximately 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm in diameter and present in extremely high concentrations. The high rotifer density gave the water an ‘inky black’ appearance and reduced water clarity considerably. Rotifers are an integral part of a healthy ecosystem and the occurrence of a bloom similar to the one observed in Penstock Lagoon is a natural phenomenon and no cause for alarm.

Example of a species of rotifer known as Testudinella caeca, similar to the type that was blooming in Penstock Lagoon. The information for this article was largely taken from: Ingram, Brett A. Aquatic life in freshwater ponds: A guide to the identification and ecology of life in aquaculture ponds and farm dams in southeastern Australia. Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology, Identification Guide no.9.

Figure 1 was sourced from : Jersabek, C.D., H. Segers, and P.J. Morris, 2003-12-16 23:52 EST. An illustrated online catalogue of the Rotifera in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (version 1.0: 2003-April-8).

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When conditions are ideal (such as observed in Penstock Lagoon on the 15th of December), rotifers can become extremely abundant and contribute significantly to the total zooplankton biomass present in the water body. The species of rotifer that was the cause of the slick was of the family Testudinellidae (see accompanying photograph). The animal was extremely small

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Fishing News - Page 5

The Fox Factor

By Jon Fox

T

he other week I was in St Helens onboard Saltshaker having a coffee with my old friend and ex-deckie Ronnie Smith, his skipper Rocky Carosi and Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News editor, Mike Stevens. With the anticipation of the warm waters of the East Australian Current in January and February the conversation was of the big tuna, sharks and striped marlin offshore out of St Helens and more to the point, fishing techniques used for these species in other fisheries and if they will work in Tassie.

Both Ronnie and myself have worked the game fishing charter boats out of Cairns for many years and have chalked up a lot of black marlin. I’ve had a goodly amount of time off the NSW coast catching blue, black and striped marlin along with tuna and sharks and I fished for three seasons on the Pacific coast of Guatemala catching black, blue and striped marlin and cricket scores of big sailfish that school up there.

Mike had the idea that the readers of TFBN might be interested in some of the techniques that I’ve learned and used over the last 16 odd years of professional game fishing.

So here we go with the first in an on-going series of tips and techniques that may help you catch your share of the big game fish that are on their way to Tassie right now. Firstly I’ll go straight for the marlin. These beautiful fish are probably the ultimate prize for Tasmanian fishers so we’ll have a look at them first.

The Lure of Marlin

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spectacular waters of the rugged Tasman Peninsula is home to the southern bluefin tuna. Stuart Nichols of Personalised Sea Charters is regarded by many as Tassie’s leading bluefin catcher and he believes this season will be a great one. Bluefin generally arrive on Tassie coasts in late February and remain until around the end of June.

Albacore, yellowfin, striped tuna an occasional marlin, along with the ever present mako sharks make for world class fishing. If deep sea bottom bouncing is your thing you can connect with stripey trumpeter, king flathead and a wide range of other species.

Groups of up to four are ideal as it means more fishing action and less time watching. The boat ‘Big Pig’ is fully surveyed, safe, clean and comfortable. Set up for serious fishing fun with charters customised to suit your needs. No experience is necessary and there are no age restrictions. So for a fishing/charter experience of a life time contact ‘big Stu’ on 62503370.

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Marlin lures are funny things, their first catch is the guy that buys them, and then they usually don’t catch a lot of anything again. But if you want that pretty new lure to raise a big striped marlin there are a few tricks well worth knowing.

Most skippers and anglers have a favourite set of marlin lures, and it’s probably true that if you tow any type of skirted lure around for long enough, sooner or later you’ll get a bite from a fish. But I’ve found that some lures really do get more bites than others and there are ways to rig and position lures that will get more hook ups.

My favourite marlin and tuna lure is the softheaded Moldcraft Wide Range, in both the senior and junior sizes. The widerange series are arguably one of the world’s best fish catching lures and they work on all marlin and tuna. The dark blue over black Wide Range senior towed on a flat line in close to the transom is a dangerous piece of hardware when any type of marlin is around, but it works just as well as a flat line or rigger line. Dependant on the boat, the second or third wave of the wake is the place to be, not that far from the end of the white water of the boat’s wake.

When the water is calm a bird/lure type teaser on a cord line, a metre or two in front of the widerange works really well too.

When the tuna are around the Wide Range junior is the best choice and they work well either on the riggers or flat lines, short or long. Like a lot of other skippers I prefer a twin hook rig, but I use hooks that are a little smaller than many others, especially for Striped Marlin.

Moldcraft also has a softhead Needlefish that works a treat on marlin and sailfish and Tassie’s striped marlin will love them. Pulled from the riggers or run as flat lines the needlefish has a wriggling/popping action that raises fish. For these long thin lures I use a twin hook rig, again not huge hooks and the first hook is up near the head and the second is right in the tail. Before you try to set the hook when the fish bites, let the fish turn it’s head so the hooks are pulling into it’s mouth.

This is a good trick when fishing any softhead lure.

The hottest colours are dark blue over black, green/yellow over pink and to a lesser extent pink/white over pink. These are the striped tuna, dolphin fish and squid colours. The only problem with the Moldcraft range of lures is that the can be hard to find in Australian tackle shops. I have seen them in a couple of shops. Ask your tackle supplier, the’re worth the trouble finding.

The Australian produced range of Pakula lures is my second choice of lure as my preference is most definately for the softhead type.

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Peter Pakula put a lot of work into experimenting and fishing with his range of lures and I know that they all work well. The Sprocket, Cockroach and Mosquitoes pattens in their smaller sizes are my pick for Tassie waters and like the Moldcraft products, don’t over-hook them when you rig them. Pakula lures come in a rainbow of colour pattens, but I’d stick with the striped tuna, dolphin fish and squid type colour combinations. Pakula has a great web site with tons or information on how to use their products, but remember that it’s a commercial advertisement designed to sell you lots of lures and stuff.

Stu and Melinda Nichols Ph: 6250 3370 Fax 6250 3826. Email seachart@southcom.com.au

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Fishing News - Page 6

with the right hook size and leader weight may well be a really good striped marlin offering.

Some of the most important things to know about trolling for marlin: · The boat is the best teaser you have and marlin aren’t scared of it. I believe that they are attracted to the noisy log that a boat must seem to be to a fish. So don’t set your lures back so far you can’t see them, put them in a little closer to the boat in positions that suit the waves and white water put out by your boat’s wake. Try to set the lures in clean parts of the wake, but the foamy and bubbly parts will also work and may suit some of your lures. · Set the speed of the boat first and then the length of the lures. The idea is to have the entire spread of trolling lures working correctly. Around six knots is a good speed to start at and speed up or slow down to suit the sea conditions. · Most lures work at their best when set so they surf down the face of the waves of the boats wake. The right length to set a lure back from the boat really depends on your boat, the speed you’re trolling at and the sea/wind conditions. · Don’t set up a spread that will end up in a tangle every time you want to turn the boat or when a fish jumps on. Four rods and a teaser in the water is plenty and gives you a fighting chance of clearing the lines quickly when there is a 100 kg marlin leaping around on the end of your line. Stagger the lures so you can do a pretty tight turn without them crossing up and tangling. · Use the right sized lure and hooks for the fish you’re chasing. Don’t use some huge blue marlin lure set up with giant hooks if your want striped marlin. A 10/0 Mustad sea demon or southern and tuna is a great hook for large striped marlin lures and work down in hook size from there. · Stainless steel hooks are a great idea, but they are expensive, won’t rust out of a released or broken off fish and they are brittle and do break. The old galvanised or zinc plated hook needs to be sharpened regularly and must be washed in fresh water at the end of fishing, but is a better proposition in the

long run. Painting the un-plated point of the hook with an indelible ink marker pen helps control any rusting. · Sharp hooks catch fish and dull ones don’t. I like my lure hooks sharpened to a point like those chemically sharpened hooks, which is rounded at the barb. Hooks sharpened to a four-face cutting edge can cut themselves out during the fight and defiantly no long and thin points as they can bend or snap off. · Big striped marlin will take a little tuna lure; so even if there are lots of striped tuna, yellowfin or small albacore around, use the right class of tackle for marlin. Go ahead and put out the small lures, but put it on a 15 or 24 kg rod and use a leader heavy enough for a marlin. A good quality 200 lb mono leader should be fine in most situations. Keep it in mind that you will always get more bites on lighter leaders, but there is an increased risk of the leader chafing through.

I always use a light leader and put up with loosing a fish to a broken leader every now and then. · Big game fishing is a team sport so you need to get the team organized, when the action starts everybody needs to know what to do and when to do it. You don’t want a fishing episode of the Keystone Cops to be played out in your cockpit when you have a 100 kilo striper on. Make up a plan and then stick to it. · Big fish can hurt you! Don’t ever underestimate the power of a marlin, or ignore the risks of damage they can do to people and boats. Even a fish that looks like it’s beaten can give you a real flogging if you try to handle it, especially when you grab it’s bill. The best trick is to get your lure back, take a bunch of photos, cut the leader close to the hooks as you can and let the fish go free.

Rigging your lures

There is 101 different ways to put hooks into your nice new lures and at some stage or another I’ve tried them all. The conclusion I’ve come to is, the KISS system (Keep It Simple Stupid) works the best. You can create a Heath Robertson contraption if you like, with great big shiny hooks, chafing pieces, stainless steel wire and crimps everywhere. I’ll keep it simple.

One of the most critical factors in making a lure work correctly is to get the weight of the hardware it’s carrying down. My point is that a lightly rigged lure will pop around a little bit, grab a gulp of air, wiggle it’s head a little, wiggle it’s tail and then pop back up again. The lure is meant to look like it’s alive, not like a piece of plastic and steel that jumps two feet into the air, does a somersault or two and then crashes back into the water and wallows for a while before jumping out again.

fisherman if you are a little rusty on how to tie a snell or nail knots. I’ve used this type of rig in tube flies, live baits, light and medium tackle skirted lures and for floating pilchards and cut baits. It is a versatile way of getting your hooks out there and it makes it a lot easier to release fish, as you don’t even try to take out the expensive hardware, just grab the lure and cut the leader as close to the hooks as possible. After catching a fish check the leader for scuffs and damage and if there is a potential problem, cut off the hooks and tie up a new leader. Or do like we used to and have a few extra made up leaders and hooks ready and just thread it into the lure and crimp up the end. Simple.

In the next issue we’ll have a look at stand up tackle in the 15 to 24 kilo class, dacron backing, wind-on leaders and my favourite tuna lure, the 100-year-old design of the cigar minnow. If you have any questions about bluewater gamefishing I might be able to help, e-mail me at captfoxy@yahoo.com.au.

Good luck out on the water and why not give release fishing a go and do your part in conserving Tassie’s game fish.

John Fox

We talk it we do it

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Two hooks snelled onto the leader is about as simple as it gets, and it does work.

If you want to catch makos on your marlin lures don’t try this rig, but if you want to put some life into your lures and start getting more bites from marlin try it.

Geoff Wilson has a nice little book out that has ever knot ever needed by a game

Eastern Shore Fishing and TackFishing News - Page 7

The East Australian Current T

he East Australian Current is the largest ocean current close to the coasts of Australia. With its source in the tropical Coral Sea, north-east of Queensland, the East Australian Current (EAC) moves a substantial volume of low-nutrient tropical water south down the Australian coastline towards the temperate regions, with ocean eddies peeling off into the Tasman Sea on the way.

Few Australians realise the EAC is especially relevant to their lifestyle and livelihood - renewing fish stocks and aiding fisheries sustainability; dispersing effluent and marine pollution from coastal cities and renewing water quality; providing a ‘comfortable’ water temperature for beachgoers, swimmers and surfers; and for bring many game fish within the reach of Tasmanian fishers.

The Life of a Current

One of the earliest European records of an ocean currrent off the Australian coast was made by Captain James Cook on his South Pacific voyage of discovery. In his log of 15 May, 1770 when nearing Cape Byron, he wrote: ‘Winds southerly, a fresh gale’. Searching for more sea room, he headed offshore until, ‘having increased our soundings to 78 fathoms, we wore and lay with her head in shore until 5 o’clock a.m., when we made sail. At daylight we were surprised by finding ourselves farther to the southward than we were in the evening, and yet it has blown all night southerly”.

Cook reported a southgoing current of less than a knot from his noon latitude fixes ever since he started sailing inshore and northward along the New South Wales coast. Near Cape Byron, he had probably met the full force of the East

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Australian Current.

With current speeds of up to five knots, the EAC is a major current system. It is one of the co-called ‘western boundary’ currents of the world - those current systems squashed against the western side of the ocean by the Earth’s rotation. The other major western boundary currents are the Gulf Stream off the United States, the Kuroshio off Japan, the Agulhas (African coast) and the Brazil Current, off South America.

The source of the EAC is in the Coral Sea. It takes the form of a surface stream, tens of metres deep, that runs towards Australia along the boundary between the Coral and Tasman seas. Because the Coral Sea waters are warm (29 degrees-31 degrees C) and have a low density, the Coral Sea is almost a metre higher than the Tasman Sea. Currents tend to follow contours of sea-surface elevation which are evident from satellite altimeter images. The slope created between the different water masses gives strength to the current, in the same way as winds are strongest where the pressure changes are greatest.

On its southward run, the EAC frequently crosses onto the continental shelf and moves close inshore. At times it sets up northward-flowing currents on the shelf spinning off small clockwise-rotating ‘cold core’ eddies. The boundary also fluctuates, advancing and retreating, and leaving behind large anti-clockwise rotating warm-core eddies with currents of up to four knots at the edge.

Features of a current

The EAC is the largest ocean current close to the coast of Australia.

Scientists have been studying it for perhaps 100 years, although for the first 60-70 years they focused on the biology and how it may be influenced by the current. However, in the last 25 years real advances have been made in understanding the chemical make-up of the EAC, its physical structure and seasonal changes, and more recently its influence on the biodiversity of the east coast.

With the technology of the 1990s, a profile of the EAC - at the surface, from the surface to the ocean floor, and across the continental shelf - is being developed. Those advances have come from research vessels, earth observation satellites, and ocean monitoring and measuring equipment.

Finally, powerful computers, combined with the observations, enable scientists to model how the EAC influences life offshore and onshore, and in the coastal zone. For example, environmental and resource managers use the models to simulate coastal water movement and its effects on sewerage outfalls, oil spills, commercial fisheries, shipping and transport, and defence.

What scientists already know is that the East Australian Current: · ferries up to 30 million cubic metres per second, with a strong influence to 500 metres depth and 100 kilometres width. · the current is strongest in summer, peaking in February, and weakest (by as much as half the flow) in winter, its energy dissipating east of Tasmania. · generates ocean eddies as broad as 200 kilometres across, rotating mainly anti-clockwise at up to four knots at the edge; these can be more than one kilometre deep and have a life of up to a year · frequently crosses onto the continental shelf and moves close inshore · causes upwellings where it moves away from the coast at places like Cape Byron, Smoky Cape and Sugarloaf Point, drawing nutrient-rich water from a depth of 200 metres or more · can be slowed down or reversed by southerly winds within 10 nautical miles of shore.

By comparison, the Leeuwin Current off Western Austra-

lia carries a quarter as much water, peaking in May-June.

Life with the current

The variability of the East Australian Current (both season-to-season and year-to-year) is well known to fishermen and sailors, but the reasons for this variability are poorly understood.

For example, what are the biological implications of an EAC that, in winter, is half its normal summer flow and differs from year to year? Why, during the peak of winter, does it reach a point off New South Wales and turn away from the coast into the Tasman Sea? And why should that geographical point also vary season to season and year to year.

The separation of the current from the coast is described by gemfish fishers as ‘unzipping.’The gemfish run and spawning are thought to be closely linked to it. Gemfish stocks have been under pressure. Daily landings in 1997 when there was a total allowable catch of 1,000 tonnes, were 50 per cent lower than in 1996. Fishers claimed this was partly because the EAC behaved unfavourably for catching fish.

In a 1997 research project for the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, links between oceanographic factors and catching rates were confirmed by using satellites to monitor sea-surface temperatures. Industry surveys in both 1996 and 1997 reflected the changing fishing patterns of the gemfish fleet, and the effect on catchability of oceanographic conditions in 1997.

The study also indicates that the location and timing of gemfish aggregations are determined by the annual northsouth oscillations of the EAC, with gemfish aggregations forming where the sub-Antarctic and south-west Tasman waters meet.

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Sea surface temperatures taken from North American satellites indicate the pattern of warm and cooler water east of Australia.

An image of chlorophyll concentration in the SW Tasman Sea, inferred from colour measurements from the SeaWIFS satellite on November 22, 1997.

Clouds are white. In the top right, the blue colour marks the unproductive waters of the East Australian Current. Inshore of those waters is a coastal upwelling from which two slugs of chlorophyll-rich waters are carried up to 200 km southward along the continental shelf. There is an anticyclonic eddy at 38 degrees S that has high chlorophyll concentrations.

Southward, from the mainland to southern Tasmania, the chlorophyll concentrations are also high, perhpas due to the confluence and mixing of subantarctic and subtropical waters.

How else does the EAC influence life along Australia’s eastern seaboard?

Increasingly, the fishing industry is using satellite images to improve their catching efficiency. For more than 20 years, earth observation satellites have been feeding back images of the world’s oceans. These images clearly recognise features at the surface such as warm ocean currents, the upwelling of cold water and nutrients nearer the coast and now, a view from space of the productivity of the oceans.

Australian marine biologists and oceanographers can assess productivity by the extent of phytoplankton (minute single-cell plants that form the foundation of the ocean food chain). The assessment is done by measuring the colour of the ocean reflected in satellite images and checking it against samples collected from ships. This water, which can be 5 degrees C cooler; turns green after sunlight causes phytoplankton to grow. The nutrient-poor deep water of the EAC is a clear blue.

The areas of high production shift in response to the passage of storms and ocean current systems.

For the east coast tuna fishery and other fisheries, ocean colour images offer much promise in enabling scientists and the industry to understand the dynamic processes controlling phytoplankton and fish distribution. This understanding is critical for effective management of the resource.

Knowledge of the EAC is of interest to Australian coastal and international shipping. Information on

ocean conditions can potentially save shipping millions of dollars. Ships’ masters use the satellite information and interpretation of ocean currents and eddies to optimise their course and speed.

Using satellites which measure the topography of the ocean caused by ocean currents and eddies, CSIRO scientists have taken the first steps towards ocean mapping. The weekly series of sea-level maps has a precision of 5 cm. They are equivalent to the now-familiar pressure maps of the atmosphere and represent the ‘weather’ of the sea.

Sea-level variations are related to eddies and currents just as atmospheric pressure highs and lows drive winds. A technique has been developed in which maps of sea-level can be translated into temperature and salinity anomalies, from the surface to a depth of about two kilometres.

In defence support, the new advance in ocean mapping techniques refines the ‘night eyes’ for submarine commanders, where altered ocean conditions such as varying densities can significantly affect sonar and radar.

At a recreational level, skippers and navigators in the Sydney-Hobart yacht race and other major east coast yacht races are briefed by Dr Cresswell on current conditions.

Sailors are especially interested in knowing the strength of the current and the location of ocean eddies, together with other weather information.

Summary With the East Australian Current such a dominant natural feature of the Australian environment, there are broad benefits in understanding its influences. Shipping, fisheries, defence, recreational boating and search and rescue will benefit from the new studies to more clearly identify the pattern of currents and eddies and eliminate gaps in knowledge about the coastal, shelf and offshore currents.

Just as importantly, our knowledge of the complexities of ocean patterns - from deep-water upwellings, to internal waves bouncing off undersea mountains, to the broader influence ocean currents have on climate - is adding to the comprehensive picture oceanographers are building of an environmental, economic and recreational asset.

Additional information:

Fish Eagle & Flying Fish The fish will be looking for them

Distributed by Clarkson Imports Fishing News - Page 9

These snapshots show how much sea surface water temperatures can change in a short time.

Far left - 04 February 2003; Centre - 06 March 2003 and right, 07 March 2003 (the white is cloud). http://www.marine.csiro.au http://www.marine.csiro.au/~lband/SEAWIFS/index.html http://www.marine.csiro.au/~lband/iotd.html To check sea surface temperatures around the Australian coastline, access the following site http://www.marine.csiro.au/~lband/web_point/ Further information For more information contact Craig MacAulay (Communication Unit), ph (03) 6232 5219, fax (03) 6232 5055, email

Fishing The Current D

By Jon Fox

uring the months of summer there is a ‘fish highway’ that runs from the tropical waters of the Great Barrier Reef right through to the east coast of Tasmania. This ‘fish highway’ is the East Australia Current.

For a big game fisherman, understanding the workings of the current can make the difference between finding the tuna, sharks and marlin that cruise this highway, or not.

Originating in the Coral Sea and running at a speed of up to five knots and a depth of tens of meters, the East Australia Current is the major oceanic current affecting the Australian continent. The East Australia Current reaches it’s peak in Tasmania’s eastern coastal waters in February to April and brings with it sea surface temperatures up to around 25 degrees. It is widely accepted that yellowfin tuna and striped

marlin will not tolerate sea surface temperatures below 18 degrees and favour temperatures above 20 degrees, so being able to identify the warm waters is most important to your fishing success.

The other important current that influences Tasmanian game fishing is the much weaker Leeuwin Current that peaks between May and June. This current runs off the Western Australian coast and sets the southern bluefin tuna on their way across the Great Australian Bight to Tasmania.

It is definately worth doing a little homework and studying the East Australia Current for yourself. The CSIRO has plenty of information available at www.marine.csiro.au They continued on page 12 ......

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Trolling for T

rolling for trout is not a thing that I regularly do. I have done my fair share, but not so much recently.

The highlight of my freshwater trolling career was when I won a fishing competition held at Lake Meadowbank in 1998/99. It was with an 8 kg Atlantic Salmon which took out heaviest salmon caught for the season.

I lost a little interest in trout trolling until I met the ‘Great Lake Guru’, Tony Morecroft, of Sting Lures. He re-sparked my interest in trolling this season. In this article, I am hopefully going to disclose what makes Tony Morecroft a very successful lure troller in both Great and Arthurs lakes and also give you some tips of my own which may help you in my own favourite areas.

As you will see from the following advice on trolling in various areas, I am a big fan of deep diving lures - McGrath and Tilsan Deep Diver are my favourites. The following three waters are places I’ve had a lot of success at, so here are a few tips for fishing them.

Curries River Dam

When I lived at George Town, I regularly fished Curries; most of the time I spun the shores until my dad lent me a 14 foot canoe (which he never got back) and then I managed to catch some really nice fish by trolling quietly around the shores by paddle power with McGrath yellow Attractors, also green and brown. (Thanks Dad!) Most of the fish which took these lures were nice browns up to 2.2 kg. It is a deadly way to fish but you must have a lake with a reasonable average depth, somewhere around 5 metres. McGraths will dive to 3 metres and when fished on 6 lb braid they will then dive extra deep.

Best area to try at Curries was down at the far end where it is deep. Areas such as the quarries and the dam wall were top spots for trolling McGraths.

Note: Outboard motors are not allowed on Curries.

Electric motors can be used though.

........ continued from page 10 have a six day average temperature chart that is free to use and can help you keep in touch with what is happening out on the water and plan your next fishing trip. You can find it at http://www.marine.csiro.au/~lband/web_point/, it’s well worth the effort and can help you reduce the cost of your fishing trip and improve your catch rate.

Reading the ocean to find The Current

The ability to ‘read’ the ocean is a skill that cannot be quickly or easily taught. It’s honed through years of being out there on the water.

A major part of the ‘box of tricks’ that consistently sets some skippers apart from the rest, many consider it to be secret fisherman’s business. The key is in observation, concentration and using your senses. The ocean will give up its secrets if you put in the work.

Here are a few tips that might help you to find The Current and its fish;

Fishing News - Page 12

Arthurs Lake is one of the great fisheries - for fly, bait or trolling. Good bags of brown trout are possible if a few techniques are followed.

Four Springs Reservoir

Four Springs is a top spot to target trophy fish. My two sons and I had some excellent success this season at this water, trolling Sting Cobras and Rapalas. My middle son, Jack, landed the largest fish so far this season, which was a rainbow which weighed 2.5 kg. This was taken on a Sting Cobra No 58 which is fluoro yellow/pink with blue dots and is red hot on rainbows, not only at Four Springs but all around the State.

Other lures that have proven themselves this year are Sing Cobras No 30 and also No 27. Drift spinning with Ashleys is also a deadly way to catch fish. Ashleys No 28 and No 7 are lethal lures at the Springs. Slow trolling 7 cm floating Rapalas is another good way to troll Four Springs, especially on rough days, in fact, this is when it fishes the best, the rougher the better. My favourite Rapala colour at Four Springs is Fire Tiger, but unfortunately, this colour has been discontinued.

The next best colour is Rainbow Trout, followed by Brown Trout. The best areas to try are around submerged timber and also try the weed bed near the boat ramp. This is also a great spot to drift spin with Ashleys. Many large fish are taken out of this reservoir, fish up to 4.5 kg are trolled every season.

I use the 4 kg Platil Strong when fishing Four Springs. It is

· Check the water temperature. If your sounder has a temperature graph, first check the calibration and then use it, it’s often more important than the depth. If you don’t have a temperature probe on your boat, get a thermometer and a bucket and check the water’s temperature regularly. · Look for changes in the colour of the water. There is often a change in water temperature at the colour breaks. A slight difference in colour often means there is a change in what’s in the water. Clean deep blue water is great, but the edges of the blue and clean green water are often the best place of all.

Note well, clean water is important. · Look for changes in the state of the waves. This is a good one for finding the edges of currents and temperature breaks.

Even a small change in the size or direction of the waves can mark a current break. The currents of the oceans are like rivers and often look a little like them on a large scale. · Smell the air. If you notice a change in the smell of the ocean you may have found

very fine and casts well but has enough strength to stop a big fish. Time of the day is important too. Sunrise to 9 am is the best time to troll lures at the Springs. The end of the day is also productive. Make sure your trolling speed is not too fast.

I troll Rapalas at 2 kph and Cobras at around 2.5 kph. A fish finder is also a great advantage as it allows you to find weed beds, snags and - most important of all - fish!

Meadow Bank Dam

Meadow Bank Dam is a scenic man-made lake in the Derwent River system. It is very long and thin with many deep areas and contains a good population of brown trout but what draws most anglers is the release of 200 Atlantic Salmon by local fish farm, Saltas, every season. I find the most effective method to catch Atlantics on lures is, once again, trolling McGrath Deep Divers. I caught the 8 kg Atlantic mentioned earlier on a pink and violet McGrath. I also lost another fish on a green and brown McGrath. For drift spinning in this area, I suggest Ashley No 14 green and gold and Sting Cobra No 8. The trout you may catch in Meadow Bank will have an average weight of 700 grams. Best time to target salmon in this dam is shortly after they are released, before

the plankton that forms the first links in the food chain. This is a good sign. Fish always have a reason for being where they are and it always concerns food. · Watch for floating debris. Weed or flotsam and jetsam lines are a dead give away to the current lines. The gamefish may not always be hiding under the weed lines, but there is a good chance the bait they prey on will be.

Don’t just fish the lines, fish the area too. · Keep an eye on the birds. Birds ‘fish for a living’ and are always on the lookout for the same things you should be. If the birds are moving in one direction or the other, they haven’t found what they’re looking for and you probably won’t either. · Do regular current checks. Run the boat east for a while and note the speed over ground and if you have a log, the speed through the water. Then repeat the process in a southerly direction, then west and north.

If there is a difference in the resulting speeds favouring one direction you have found the direction of the current. A southerly current

set is the best.

The current often is well inside the break of the continental shelf and many skippers ignore the signs and keep on charging out to sea looking for fish when the fish are in close. So keep your eyes open and if you find something of interest, check it out; you might not need to go way offshore. I once caught a sailfish on fly tackle, a swag of dolphin fish and a dozen school yellowfin only 100 meters off the beach in 5 meters of water!

Fish are where you find them. So gather every bit of information you can, use your senses and electronics and go looking for them. If you work at it you’ll find them. Good luck out on the water and how about only taking what you really need and then release the rest.

Jon Fox

numbers dwindle and the fish disperse into different areas.

So, if you live in the north, like me, give Meadow Bank a go, the rewards can be great.

take your lure down much deeper, down to where the fish are.

Tr o u t Tr o l l i n g T i p s f r o m To n y Morecroft

I like a single hook. In my opinion it is the most effective, with probably a 90 percent hookup rate, they leave treble hooks for dead when used in conjunction with cobras.

Rod

The first thing we need to look at is our tackle. You can set up with your standard flatline trolling setup. I recommend a 5’6” rod with a good tip action. This will give you a good indication as to whether your lure is working correctly. Watch the rod tip and it is easy to see a properly working lure. A pulsating rod tip is what you want. If it is doing anything else wind in and check for weed, slow down or swim the lure next to the boat and check it’s action.

Reel

My preference is a small to medium sized threadline reel (usually number 2000 - 3000) loaded with high quality 3 kg line of no more than 0.18 mm diameter. High quality line costs more, but it is well worth it. Small diameter is essential as this will ensure the lure has a better action.

Lures

Next, the most important part, is your choice of lures.

You need a lure that will go down to where the fish are. You can use a bibbed lure such as a Rapala etc, or if you prefer a cobra style, try a Sting Cobra. By using a cobra with a bit extra weight and also a good action, you can vary your depth, even while fishing flatline. For instance, if you are fishing a shallow part of the lake with a depth of 4.5 metres you can adjust the depth of your lure by the amount of line you let out. For this depth, we would recommend a good cast out of the back of the boat. This length will see your Sting Cobra running at about 2 metres. If you would like your lure to run a bit deeper, let out a bit more line, if you pick up a bit of weed on your lure, you will see straight away that you have no action on your rod. In lakes such as the Great Lake and Arthur’s, you can let out up to 40 metres of line, this will

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Hooks

Boat speed

Many boat anglers troll way too fast, the best speed is about 2 kph. It it known that a trout will follow a lure for quite some time - a slight change in the lure’s action and this will induce the fish to strike. This may happen if you start to turn your boat or your speed happens to change a fraction with the wind - ‘Bang’, you have a hit! Also, try stripping a metre or so of line off your reel every so often, this can also induce a strike. Of course trout can swim much faster than 2 kph

Leadline

If you are fishing in water deeper than 6 metres, then leadline is the way to go. In the morning and evening, the fish will be closer to the surface and therefore within reach of lures trolled flatline.

Lure colour

Last but not least, is the choice of colours that you wish to present to your quarry. It depends on the lake you are fishing, for instance Arthur’s Lake trout prefer frog patters in shades of green and also black and gold. In the Great Lake, trout seem to prefer gold and red and also fluoro pinks and greens, particularly rainbow trout with the latter. Lake Burbury is a case for fluoro lures, particularly Sting No 58. Rainbow trout prefer bright flashy colours whereas brown trout seem to like the more subdued colours like green and brown.

We could write pages on the techniques of trolling, and

Inland Fishery Licence Review

Licence fees from recreational angling are the principal revenue source for the IFS, providing over half of the annual income. In the past, the IFS has introduced changes to the licence and the licensing system with the aims of providing anglers with a superior product and increased value for money; and providing the IFS with improved cash flow, decreased bad debts and more cost effective data management. Historically, these changes were made without a formal analysis of the risk to business outcomes and the impact on revenue generation. To date, no comprehensive marketing research has been applied to any area of the angling marketing mix and very little is known about the trends, characteristics and demographics of the market itself, including client expectations and satisfaction.

Project: The IFS is undertaking this Project to review past changes to the licence and the licensing system, and report on the current status of the licence, its administration, and distribution and sale processes. It will incorporate an analysis of the current market and identify a set of options, immediate strategies and recommendations for future marketing and administration. The final outcome will be a strategic marketing plan for angling in Tasmania, which will assist in guiding future decisions and ensure that any initiatives are based on clear objectives that can be monitored over time.

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perhaps we could look at this popular and rewarding method in future issues, and go into even more depth on the techniques, but for the time being, this article may be of some help in the hours that you may spend trolling for trout.

Tony Morecroft and Damon Sherriff.

LAUNCESTON LAKES

Launceston Lakes Trout Fishery offers a delightful day out for fly fishers and the also the whole family. Located just twenty minutes from Launceston Judy and Dick Warren have developed a range of activities to keep all ages happy.

For the experienced fly fisher you can utilise your cunning and wile to do battle with a massive rainbow trout up to 25 lbs. Novices can book a guide to learn the basics and then catch brown or rainbow trout from pan sized to 10 pounders. Guides are available Monday to Friday with tuition at 9am or 1pm and can NEARLY guarantee a fish. With five lakes and five kilometres of shoreline there are plenty of secluded spots to cast to tailers or just relax and unwind. Catch and release is encouraged and each client can take a fish home.

If fishing is not your bag you might like to do some bird watching while having a BBQ near the water or in the new wildlife park.

The park provides great interaction with native animals including wombats, wallabies, kangaroos, Tasmanian devils and spotted quoll to name a few. It is also a great safe play area for small children, while older children can have fun with water bike and kayak hire.

For the more adventurous the 4x4 bush buggy tour through 900 acres, 20km of dirt tracks is a real true-blue Tassie experience.

Park entry $30 family, $10 adult $5 child Water bikes and kayaks $20 per hour Bush Buggy Tours $40 per buggy single or double – approx time 45 minutes.

Consultation: Customers (anglers and angling clubs) and stakeholders (licence selling agents, tackle industry, trout guides, tourism and Hydro) will be informed about the project and consulted where appropriate. Market surveys will be conducted as recommended in the report, and implemented as part of the future angling marketing plan.

Contact: Until a more formal process of feedback is established, anyone interested in discussing the angling licence – pros and cons, future ideas, what does and doesn’t work etc – should contact Sarah Burton at the IFS. Sarah is happy to meet with individuals or present to groups upon request. You can speak with Sarah on 6233 8930 or 0408 478 897.

Fishing News - Page 13

World leading fly line manufacturer, RIO to run free seminars in Tassy

Don’t miss the chance to meet and listen to Jim and Kitty Vincent, world renowned fly fishers, writer and principals of RIO Products, manufacturers of products including fly Lines, leaders and tippets.

Jim and Kitty will present a high performance DVD and slide show and will speak about the many remote areas around the world he has fly fished in.

Members of the Trade and Public are welcome.

Presentation is free.

During the show some fly lines and products will also be given away.

Hobart st March 1 Monday

7 pm to 10 pm Corus Hotel (Wellington Function Room) 156 Bathurst St Hobart. Tas

Launceston March 2nd Tuesday

7 pm to 10 pm Launceston Football Club Clubrooms Windsor Park West Tamar Highway.

Travel destinations include: New Zealand, Russia, Sweden, Norway, France, Italy, Great Britain and Scotland, Central America, South America the Continental U.S, Bahamas, Alaska, Canada and Australia.

Contact Australian RIO Distributor, Rod Clarkson if you require further details 03 97555377

RIO Flyline and products background

I was looking for some background info on RIO and lifted this from inside their brochure. I think you’ll agree it demonstrates that you are not expected to be an expert caster to enjoy the benefits of good products and good fishing. The following says it all. Don’t miss the free seminar and travel show by Jim and Kitty. Details opposite. Mike Stevens - Editor ‘For years, every trout season, I’d spend hours on the Henry’s Fork, waiting for the perfect photograph, as my husband, Jim, and the other fly fishers, stalked the river, hunting for the perfect trout.

In this ultimate studio for trout artists, they compared their casts, flies, presentation and sheer nerve.

‘One day, after many years of looking on through a camera’s eye, I tried my hand at trout fishing. In a moment, I went from skilled photographer to novice fly caster. The art form of fly fishing is so multi-layered with various disciplines - from the ability to observe and comprehend nature, to tying knots and flies, to wading unpredictable river bottoms and flats, to reading inscrutable water - it’s never-ending.

But, above all, casting is supremely important because it’s the way one puts the fly in front of the fish. It perpetuates ancient survival skills, like spear throwing and archery. It looks like a dance, but it’s much more. It embodies our ability to be precise and controlled. And what is life, if there is no control?

‘Someone told me recently that RIO is lucky to have at least one person who is neither an avid fly fisher nor a great caster. A person for whom fly fishing is an occasional event that occurs after months of inactivity, months in front of a computer designing graphic things.

When I do go fishing, the last thing I need is a sudden realization of what an ineffective caster I am. This experience may occur, for example, on a bonefish trip, when the wind is blowing, the light changing, the fish moving, as the other angler paws the deck behind me, making me feel like an amateur with the lead in a Broadway musical on opening night. Meanwhile the guide is patiently saying, “big bonefish, eleven o’clock, sixty feet out.” And I know, in my heart, that I can’t cast more than forty feet at best; even if I remember where eleven o’clock is. So, I make my best shot, which wiggles out to fifty feet, and just before the fly lands, a random gust blows the whole cast into a pile. This is a vacation?! The sigh of disdain is audible from my fellow fly fisher. It is then that I wish I’d brought a QuickShooter™ Fly Line. My computer-enfeebled muscles could have used the delivery power in that short head We all occasionally

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need some design assistance to make our casting better, such as the new Saltwater Taper or a QuickShooter Fly Line for saltwater fly fishing from a boat; or the WindCutter® for the relentless winds of the Henry’s Fork; especially designed by Jim Vincent for people who want a little help in making the right cast at the right time.

RIO’s many specialized fly lines, leaders and tippets work for expert and novice alike, solving fly fishing’s problems even as they help improve casting at all levels. Complex chemistry creates the synergy with taper design that optimizes the casting range and trajectory of every fly line. I even caught a beautiful bonefish on a recent trip with a RIO Bonefish line!

RIO Products do different things for different people. We are not all the same height, nor do we have the same strength, skill, coordination, timing or degree of fish lust, or sense of poetry, but we all want to have fun fly fishing! So, specialty fly lines, leaders and tippets, which RIO pioneered and continues to evolve for freshwater and saltwater fishing conditions, are created to function best when applied to specific variables involving temperature, wind, depth and distance, to name a few. That’s why RIO also manufactures the Classic weight forward and double taper fly lines, the world’s best.

They work superbly.

I am continuing to practice my casting and doublehaul. And I am having fun learning! But a little help from my friends at RIO is most welcome. It gives me faith that in the likely event my casting is less than controlled, RIO is doing everything it can to help make my (and your) fly fishing more effective and fun.

RIO’s philosophy of design is based on the experience of fly fishing, not theoretical fluff. We believe in listening—many suggestions come to us from customers, guides and dealers. There is nothing that replaces hard core, long hours spent actually fly fishing to inspire ideas about what works and what doesn’t. It’s the experimental and creative processes, during and after fishing, combined with the technical procedures at our lab and plant, that translate fishing insights into the world’s best conceived, designed and manufactured fly lines, leaders and tippet materials. The truth about fun is simply this: It takes commitment.’

Kitty Pearson-Vincent, co-founder.

MACPOT

The collapsible MACPOT is shown assembled on the left, alongside five stacked collapsed pots.

Outfishes cane pots 3:1claims amateur

A craypot saves space & outfishes other pots 3 to 1 The McKenzie collapsible cray pot is a huge improvement on all previous pots and an unsolicited letter from a prominent businessman states they outfish cane pots by 3 to 1. (Details available) Former commercial fisherman, Alan McKenzie developed the new pot shown above. This pot con be collapsed or assembled in seconds and seven pots can now fit in the space of one old pot. All metal treated and is covered synthetic mesh that will last indefinitely. They always land the right way up.

Perfect pot for amateurs; Two sizes are available including a new small collapsible cray pot, specially designed for amateurs. They only take a few seconds to assemble and they are ready for use. They are small and tidy enough to leave in the cabin of boats or cars - thus keeping them secure.

Tamar

Fishing News - Page 15

Jan’s Flies Jan Spencer Fly tyer for the World Champion 2000 Australian Team

For the five days following Christmas I enjoyed some R&R walking in some of Tasmania’s remote lake country, the Western Lakes. This area never ceases to amaze me with its beauty. It’s not just fishing that’s the draw card, but the scenery; it is like no other.

The wildflowers this season were amongst the best I have seen!

The thousands of lakes vary dramatically in size, depth and population of fish. To explore the majority there is no other way than by foot and to acquire an intimate knowledge takes a life time. This country is beautiful, hard and dangerously difficult. When planning a trip for the first time ensure you talk to someone with the experience of the area and do not, under any circumstances, take its remoteness light-heartedly.

Our recent trip was average fishing-wise, due to the weather. The damn wind had blown hard the week prior to our visit and most of these lakes are shallow with a silty bottom and the wind stirs up the silt resulting in murky water. In these conditions a little more footwork is required to find deep solid bottom lakes with fish in them that are less affected by wind.

As usual when it’s windy the water surface is ruffled so if fishing a dry is required a large fly is a good idea. There are a number of flies that are good fish takers, large Red tag, Trothodg, large Black Spinner and Hopper patterns. One consistent pattern that regularly takes fish in very windy, rough conditions is a Stimulator. This fly was first designed to imitate the adult stonefly. Because it can be tied in various sizes from small to large it becomes a very flexible pattern imitating a number of insects. We fish this pattern in larger sizes as it’s very well hackled and handles rough conditions superbly.

STIMULATOR Hook: Dry fly long shank size 10 Thread: Orange Tail: Elk (deer hair) Rib: Fine gold wire Body: Yellow floss Body hackle: Grizzle hackle Wing: Elk (deer hair) Thorax: Orange dubbing Front hackle: Same as body hackle, this section of hackle must be wrapped over top of orange thorax.

METHOD 1.

Wind thread around two thirds of the hook shank, tie in deer hair tail with soft turns, take thread to the end of the hook shank. If firm turns are made with thread the deer hair will flair. Cut away any hair that may have behaviour problems.

2.

Tie in rib and then body floss.

3.

Take thread toward the hook eye stopping at the two third mark.

4.

Bring yellow floss forward to this mark with nice even turns, tie down and cut away any excess floss.

5.

Take the grizzle feather and tie in as for a dry fly. Wind the feather back over the yellow floss body to where the rib is tied in. Keep the feather anchored there with a pair of pliers while rib is turned through the hackle to where the thread is hanging. Tie rib down with thread and cut away any excess rib. Cut away feather tip that pliers are hanging on.

6.

Cut nice little bunch of deer hair from patch, use a hair stacker to get hair even for the wing. Tie deer hair in for the wing and cut away any excess hair.

7.

Tie in grizzle feather for the front hackle.

8.

Dub a nice little thorax with some orange dubbing, finishing just behind the hook eye.

9.

Bring front grizzle hackle over the top of thorax, tie down with thread and cut away excess feather.

10.

Whip finish, cut away thread and varnish.

As previously mentioned this is a good fly for rough conditions. Also the fly has the buoyancy to have a nymph, stick caddis or similar fly attached on a dropper.

There are colour variations that this fly can be tied in including orange, apple green or brown.

Gibson’s Fishing Flies

Gibson Flies are tied with no compromise on workmanship or quality of materials. Every fly is individually tied to catch fish.

Flies of this quality can’t ever be mass produced and therefore they may cost a little more. However, when you’re about to cast to that trophy fish you’ll be pleased you tied on a Gibson’s fly, or did you?

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Fishing News - Page 17

Big, fat, silly looking I

by Daniel Hackett

f there were ever any facts that could be agreed on in fly fishing, it would be that ‘Chernobyl Ants’ have nothing to do with ants, that there is no such thing as a ‘Stimulator’ hatch and that the Cricket does not provide a consistent food source for the fish of Great Lake. Despite these facts, these comparatively large ‘attractor’ flies with their fat bodies and long legs can result in excellent dry fly fishing in the absence of any surface food, or indeed during a heavy hatch.

Stimulator

The Flies

The Chernobyl Ant, Stimulator and the black Cricket (a.k.a. the Cockroach) are three big dries that have proven themselves in Tasmanian conditions. These are easy to see flies (which can be very important for fishers who have trouble seeing their flies), their size brings fish to the surface that otherwise would have ignored a smaller traditional dry, and all of the flies are versatile in the situations in which they can be used.

On the lakes these flies can be used as the top fly of a two or three fly rig fished in a loch style manner, cast down wind and retrieved back at varying speeds. With the large fly on top, a smaller more imitative / suggestive pattern can be tied on the point such as a Bob’s

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Chernobyl Ant Bits or a Bibio Hopper in size 12 or 14. Rocky windward shores can favour the Chernobyl Ant on lakes like Arthurs’ and Great Lake whilst the Stimulator works well in the shallower weedier bays where mayflies are present at times. The Black Cricket is the number one Great Lake fly for some, again fish loch style or along the rocky shores where it can bring fish up from several metres down.

For river fishing the Chernobyl or the Stimulator can make excellent dry flies as part of a dry fly / nymph rig. They are both excellent floaters, easy to see, and fish love nailing them - they really do hit the fly like a train wreck at times! If you’re more of a dry fly only crank, the Stimulator is great stand alone dry on large and tiny rivers alike, and easy to see (a good alternative to a Royal Wulff).

rocky shores.

Best places and best rigs

Hook: Heavy gauge long shank 8-14 Thread: 6/0 black Underbody: Foam with colour of preference cut to size and shape.

Overbody: Black foam cut to same size and shape as under body foam.

Legs x 8: Thin black rubber such as the Spirit River rubber legs, or UNI-Flexx black.

Sight Indicator: Small piece of bright foam or similar.

There are no rules in fly fishing, just generalisations, but here are some places and rigs to try with these big and ugly flies.

Arthurs Lake

· Chernobyl with a Bob’s Bits on the point fish against the Rocky shores on the western side of Brazendale island. · Stimulator fished with a Possum Emerger in the Lily Ponds or along the Eastern Side of Brazendale island.

Great Lake

· Stimulator, Chernobyl or Black Cricket fished on a bright day with a Bob’s Bits or Carrot fly on the point. Fish the wind lanes or shallow water alike, casting down wind in a loch style fashion, or even better, sight fishing. · Single Chernobyl or Cricket fished from the shore at dawn or dusk along the

Macquarie River

· Stimulator and a bead head nymph on a two-foot dropper. Oct – Nov and FebApril. · Chernobyl Ant and a bead head nymph on a two-foot dropper. Mid Dec-March.

Small Streams

· Stimulator fished on a nine to twelve foot leader, fished in the foam lines, pocket water and pools. · Stimulator with a small bead head nymph tied on a two foot dropper for the pools and deeper runs.

Fly recipes

Chernobyl Ant

Stimulator (Dan’s variant)

Hook: Partridge YK12ST emerger /

Black Cricket caddis size 12-18 or similar Thread: 6/0 black Ribbing: Fine copper wire Tail: Bucktail or similar (stacked) Abdomen: Black Possum Rear hackle: Black cock palmered forward Wing: White (stacked) deer hair Head: Red Glo-brite, Danville’s flat waxed nylon or similar Front hackle: Grizzly dyed brown Legs x 4 (optional): UNI-Flexx black or similar

Black Cricket

(a.k.a. Cock-

roach) Hook: Heavy gauge long shank 8-12 Thread: 6/0 black Ribbing: Fine copper wire Tail: Black seals fur or similar Abdomen: Black seals fur Rear hackle: Black cock palmered forward Wing: Black raffia Head: Black deer hair flared and spun similar Legs x 2: Knotted black cock feathers with filaments trimmed to shape and size. Tied in behind deer hair head.

Final tips

On a good day these flies may bring up to five times more fish to the fly than small conventional dries may have. The fish may

boil or charge these flies, only to come back and eat them once the fly and its legs start kicking about in the wake – so don’t strike until the fish has ate it! Getting these fish to eat the fly can be the hard part, and this is where the smaller point fly often comes into its own.

Fishing Multiple Dry T

purpose.

Wind

Fishing in Tasmania and particularly in the Central Highlands, the wind is a major factor in determining how to fish dry flies. If you are in a boat and are able to have a controlled drift down wind, you can make the most of the breeze, using it to cast a nice straight line which lays out your 3 fly cast superbly. If however you are on the shore of Great Lake with a screaming Northerly pumping into your face as you try to reach the brownies surfing in the waves crunching gum beetles, disaster looms if you are silly enough to try throwing 3 flies into the face of the wind.

here was a time when dr y fly fishing simply involved tying a single dry fly onto a leader of appropriate diameter, casting either to a rising fish or likely spot with a static fly and waiting for an opportunity in the form of a snout, either brown or rainbow, to poke out of the water to swallow the offering.

I suppose you would have to call this the ‘purists’ method of dry fly fishing, and it is still very effective and rewarding in it’s place. However evolution is a wonderful thing and all manner of things have changed in all types of sports. Multiple fly techniques and pulling or dibbling teams of dry flies designed for this purpose, have added new dimensions and have probably blurred the lines a bit between dry fly fishing and ‘flogging’. With Tasmanian fishing rules allowing up to 3 flies on a leader, the trick is knowing how many flies to use and when and how to use them.

The Flies

In March1999 English Competition Team Captain John HORSEY hosted several fly fishing clinics at Great Lake. The Hopper, Carrot fly and Bobs Bits were three dry flies he introduced to us who were lucky enough to attend the clinic. These flies are designed for a purpose; all are tied with seals fur body for their floatability, and sparse, soft, cheap hackles. They will float beautifully, sitting low in the water, and can be pulled through the surface if fished actively. These flies all catch lots of fish, but they are not the be all and end all. A lot of local patterns can be adapted to this style of tying, softer (and a lot cheaper) hackles and seals fur bodies will float just as well as flies with expensive genetic hackles.

They also have the added bonus of being able to be fished actively across the surface of the water. Red Tags and mayfly duns with seals fur bodies and soft cock hackles are a good example of how these types of flies can be adapted from local patterns.

Leader

a basic three fly leader can consist of a 13ft piece of leader material with two droppers tied on. The first 5ft from the point (fly end of the leader), the second a further 5ft forward. This means that you have a point fly, then 5ft to the middle dropper and 5ft to the top dropper (bob fly), then 3ft to the fly line.

This is a simple straight forward 3 fly leader.

I like to tie this to a 6ft section of a normal tapered leader meaning I end up with a 19ft to 20ft leader.

sitting visibly on the surface. There are several products commercially available to help with sinking leaders. If you don’t happen to have any of these a small amount of mud rubbed onto the leader will also help serve the same

Use the wind where ever possible to your advantage, multiple fly rigs work well down or across the wind, where casting is not hampered. If you have to fish into the wind because that’s where the fish are, single fly tactics on a shorter leader come into their own. In the complete absence of wind, again casting a single fly, makes life simpler and does not cause a mass of leader material and flies to suddenly fall in a small area of calm water spooking every trout within a kilometre.

Multiple flies can still be fished in these conditions, however feathering the cast by pinching the line with the line hand and stopping it continued next page....

ADVENTURE STARTS NOW

Droppers are tied on with a surgeons knot, this is a quick and simple knot which involves placing the leader and dropper section of line parallel to each other, forming a loop with both, then threading the tail end of both through the loop together 3 times.

Do this so the long section of the dropper points towards the fishy of the leader, then moisten the knot and tighten it. The short tag on the upper end of the knot is then trimmed off and the dropper itself should be about 8 inches long.

Always fish as fine a leader as possible and degrease or sink the leader to prevent it

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Fishing News - Page 19

Long Lining You will never guess what this method entails. When you have a fish rise at distance or you want to cover a particular spot because it looks so fishy, cast a long line to the area and then retrieve the dry flies across the surface. You can fish the dries statically to start with using the five seconds or so of static method, and then retrieve them. The retrieve can be a dead slow ‘figure 8’, or a flat out strip depending on the mood of the day, once again I tend to impart less action to the flies on calmer days and more in rougher windier types of weather.

shooting out at the desired distance will help roll out the leader and flies.

Fishing the team of three A team of three dry flies can be fished in several ways, each with a specific purpose.

Short line dry fly On days when fish are likely to take a dry fly, but are not actually rising freely, cast a team of three dry flies on a short line methodically working the area of water you are fishing.

In shallow water (1 to 6ft) you generally only need to leave the flies on the water for about five seconds. Most fish will react fairly quickly in the shallows to a dry fly, and takes should occur in that time frame. On days like this where there is not a hatch under way and fish are not feeding selectively, you can mix colours, shapes and sizes in a team of flies to work out what the trout is likely to take. If takes consistently occur on the same fly you can then tailor your team to a similar pattern all round. This method can be used fishing either static or actively, my rule of thumb is the calmer the water, the less movement that should be imparted into the flies. The reason you don’t cast a long line is that you can cover the water more comprehensively with relatively short casts worked in an arc, then recommence covering new ground as you either drift in the boat or walk along the shore. Secondly a fish may rise close to you, and you won’t be able to cover it quickly if you have a long line out. If a hatch is occurring, let’s say mayfly duns for example you can tailor your flies to cover the stages of the hatch, e.g. dun, emerger, or even a nymph on the point. Again you can systematically fish blind or cover rising fish.

Riley’s Orange Hopper. Tied by the author, it is a very effective dry fly when retrieved.

Short line dibbling Short lining is one of the deadliest techniques on an overcast windy day on waters like Arthur’s Lake and Little Pine Lagoon.

It is a simple method of fishing which only requires about 20 - 30 feet of line to be cast, and a simple drawing of the flies across the water with the rod held high to create a ‘dibble’ from the top fly.

Using a bushy dry fly on top and one or two sparse dry flies on the rest of the leader, fish are drawn to the surface by the V shaped wake the bushy fly leaves on top of the water.

The fish either take the top fly or the sparser trailing flies, all of this is on a short line so you have quite visual fishing and often see the fish chasing the fly with mouth open prior to a take.

As the rod is held high a normal strike is not possible so a quick flick of the wrist is all that is needed to set the hook as the fish turns down after grabbing his dinner.

As this method can result in takes at distance, be aware not only for visual signs of the flies being eaten but also for tightening of the line in the hand when retrieving. In Feb 2003 I was fishing in Canal Bay on Great Lake with a regular fishing partner, I was watching my flies intently as I slowly retrieved them, when suddenly without any warning the rod was nearly pulled from my hand by a 3 1/4 lb rainbow that ate my middle dropper (#14 orange hopper). I was seriously watching the flies at the time but was suddenly attached to this fish which engulfed the fly without any visible sign of a take.

Static v moving As a rule of thumb the wind plays a major part in whether or not to fish dry flies ‘actively’ as opposed to ‘static’. Overcast windy days in summer lend their selves to moving dry flies. If trout are looking for surface food on these days, dry flies fished at the appropriate speed can be deadly. This speed may be from a dead slow figure of eight to a flat out strip retrieve, experimenting is required to switch on to the appropriate retrieve on a given day. No two days are ever the same and

static flies may be the go on one windy day, while fast strip may be better the next, on each occasion experiment and work out the most effective way to fish. It is heart stopping to see a 3lb brown trout jump out of a wave 3ft away from your flies to connect with your top dropper as it enters the water again.

In the end Dry fly fishing multiple flies does take a bit of getting used to, some horrendous tangles can occur with three flies when the top or middle dropper is taken and a fish is landed, however I’m always happy to untangle a leader if it has caught a fish. The easiest way to untangle a mess like this is to cut off the flies and then untangle the leader from the point end without pulling the tangle too tight These dry fly methods are really effective and are best suited to fishing open water casting down or across and down the wind.

If you are fishing blind remember with three flies you will be covering three times the water that you would cover with a single dry fly each time you cast. You have the benefit of offering different patterns or stages of a hatch, as well as being able to cover a large area where a fish has risen near you. Whether you fish one, two or three flies, confidence is always a major key to success, so fish confidently knowing you will catch fish.

Joe Riley

They’re Here

Yellowfin, albacore and marlin have been reported off the east coast. This is great news and promising for a great game sea-

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For the technically minded we were using Cortland W.F.5 floating lines model 555 with 12 ft parallel fluoro carbon leaders at 6lb breaking strain. This gave us fast sink rates on the moving tide and our fly stayed longer in the fishing zone enabling us to catch more fish. I always use fluoro carbon now for stream and river nymphing or wet fly fishing and you certainly wouldn’t go to New Zealand or the Tongariro without a few spools in the fly vest.

If you are at all interested in exploring ‘Gumleaves’ and utilizing their amenities from caravan, camping and back packer sites to full cabin accommodation give Lynne or Len Maynard a ring on 03 62448147 and I am sure you and the family will enjoy a great bush get-away.

Look out for our next trip when we take our Editor down to chase those beautiful bream on the fly.

Saltwater fly fishing with trout gear

by Ken Orr

W

hat does a trout guide do for relaxation? Go fishing! What else is there when fishing is your hobby, sport and profession?

I had been sitting on an invitation from a mate of mine Glenn ‘Jacko’ Jackson who runs an oyster farm at Little Swanport to bring the family and fly rods down and have a go at the bream. It was more than opportune as a couple of weeks earlier Loomis had released the new range of Streamdance Fly Rods and I had a 5wt. maximum line speed rod to try out. I selected this rod in particular because it suits my attacking casting style. I am a firm believer in the old adage that ‘you can’t catch fish without your fly in the water’; fast accurate casts and less waving around in the air. Wonderful loops and great false casts mean little when you are sight fishing, especially in still water, so to this day I still hear my father’s terse words echoing in my ears ‘Get that bloody fly in front of the fish boy’, but that’s another story. So we headed down the mountain to Little Swanport and some saltwater fly-fishing.

We booked into a cabin at ‘Gumleaves’ in Little Swanport.

It is a great complex with a pioneer museum, mini golf, tennis court, small lake, a significant adventure playground and great bush walks. For a get-a-way spot the kids would never be bored and you’re only ten minutes from the beaches and salt water, but be warned there is no TV or phone so you can really enjoy the peace and tranquillity of this bush - as long as the kids enjoy outdoor activities and can entertain themselves.

The following morning Jacko took Marea, our youngest son, Shannon and myself out around the oyster leases to see what was going on. With an outgoing tide we set up a good berley trail to see what we might encourage into fly-casting distance.

Shannon had grabbed the 5wt. Streamdance, we attached a 6lb fluorocarbon leader and a dumbbell eyed, pink and white Crazy Charlie. I had some concern and thought this rig might be too much for the rod but it handled the weight without a bother and delivered the fly with good speed and surprising accuracy. I must admit that when I mentioned to Graham Todd, the Loomis rod importer that we were casting such large flies on the 5wt. he was shocked, surprised and devastated at the thought of the fly hitting the rod and cutting it in two. It didn’t happen and Shannon is a good caster, but I guess I should add that a fly strike can totally shatter a rod so take extra care if you are using your trout rod with large weighty flies.

Fish started to move up the berley trail and we caught so many cocky salmon and good sized flathead that after a couple of hours we were forced to move location and stop berleying to try and be more specific and target the bream.

Noel and Lois Jetson had joined us for the day and Lois was dead drifting bait and was catching as many fish on her 1950s light spin gear as we were on our 2003 fly gear but isn’t that the beauty of fishing? Lois had a ball and as Noel would say ‘It was just magic’.

Shannon continued to working the channels and drop offs hooking up on salmon regularly but around 1.00pm he hooked something solid. It took line at an amazing rate but the rod is quite powerful in the butt and Shannon was able

Silver trevally are fantastic fun on light fly gear. Like all saltwater fish they give a superb fight for their size. to turn it a number of times until some 20 minutes later he landed a lovely silver trevally. It was only the length of the rod that exceeded the width of his smile.

Although Shannon has grown up with a fishing rod of one sort or another constantly in his hand this was his first silver trevally, never mind first on the fly. Whilst at his age I was a mad trout fly fisher I can honestly say I never once contemplated taking my trout rod to the salt and if I had I am sure my father would have seen it as almost sacrilegious.

He would have objected in no uncertain terms to getting saltwater on his Hardy.

Back to the fishing and yes we did eventually knock off some nice little bream but I must admit the biggest bream of the day went to Jacko’s son Kirk free floating bait and coming up with a lovely four pounder, just a great fish.

Most fish were released for the day but Shannon’s trevally found its way on to the BBQ plate back at Gumleaves completing a more than satisfactory day testing the new Streamdance fly rod on many varied species of the Little Swanport River.

Streamdance rod review.

There is no doubt that most trout rods today can handle the fish found in salt water estuarine areas but normal 5wt. rods would be a little too light. A 6, 7 or 8wt. being much more satisfactory.

The fast and powerful taper found on this 4 piece 9ft 5wt Loomis Streamdance GLX rod affords maximum line speed with maximum range giving you total control and deadly accuracy even in windy estuarine or lake conditions. This is a great rod and is fast becoming my favourite - if only I can get it back from Shannon.

If you are like me and like to get the fly in the water quickly and at any distance please have a cast at one of the Loomis pro dealers around the State. Stockists include ‘The Essential Fly Fisher’ in Launceston, ‘Spot On Fishing Connection’ in Hobart and ‘Tassie Tackle and Outdoors’ in Burnie. I am sure they would be only too willing to show you the new Streamdance series in General and the Maximum Speed 5wt.

Former trout guide, Noel Jetson spent a day chasing the bream and other saltwater species with the author.

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B o News

o

k

Recently Stevens Publishing was fortunate to find a small quantity of books written

by Ned Terry in 1994.

The Great Trout of Lake Pedder The Great Trout of Lake Pedder is a fascinating account of Lake Pedder in the mid 1970s where any trout under ten pounds was hidden from view. It was an embarrassment to be keeping such tidlers.

The flooding of Lake Pedder from a small sandy shored lake into a vast hydro storage for power development caused great angst amongst conservationists and proponents of industrialisation. Inundated forever was the beautiful, two mile long sandy beach that was often used as an airstrip.

However what it also created was one of the most spectacular wild trout fisheries ever created anywhere in the world.

Flooded was vast buttongrass plains, small trees and shrubs. The new lake was designed to only have a small drawdown, so once it filled it varied very little.

Flooding of these shrubs created the perfect environment for and explosion of dragonfly larvae.

More commonly known as mudeyes these are probably the best food a trout had ever seen. Fish grew fat and fast and for three seasons from 1976 to 1979 the average was over 10 pounds with a fish of over 20 pounds taken during 197778. By 1983 the average had dropped to under five pounds.

In the early days Yetis were the favoured fly, but later a most deadly mudeye pattern was developed - the Banana.

Bourke’s Banana was a deer hair construction that floated that was deadly retrieved across the top. Can you imagine a 15 pound brown trout closing it’s mouth over your fly - all in sight. If that doesn’t make your heart miss a beat you are dead. I dare say the Banana would be just as good a fly these days for mudeye feeders. It is a fantastic yarn about big fish and good mateship. As well the history there are a few tips that might help you catch some mudeye feeders.

The few books we managed to procure were returned to Ned from an overseas bookshop. I eagerly grabbed them and had Ned sign all 40 copies. If you’d like to procure one of these books don’t delay. Just send us an email with your address and contact numbers and we’ll post you a copy straight away. There are just a few, Ned has signed them all so don’t miss it. This is a classic. Price is $45 plus $10 postage and handling.

Memories of the Shannon Rise - by Roy Dean.

Fishing News - Page 22

Most older anglers will know of the Shannon Rise, but very few of these anglers are still alive today. Roy Dean fished the phenomena known as the Shannon Rise from 1936 to when it finished in 1964.

The Shannon Rise was a fish feeding frenzy brought on by huge hatches of caddis. This was caused by increased water flows from Tasmania’s Great Lake, which created a perfect environment for the caddis - Asmicridea grisea.

This all happened after the Great Lake was dammed and water was regulated to drive a power station at Wadamanna. In 1964 the water was diverted to another power station at a different outlet and the Shannon Rise died.

Roy writes of the first time he saw the Shannon in 1936. .........’By the time we had walked the few yards from the car to the bridge there was a crawling mass of moths all over us, in our eyes, ears and mouth. The far side of the river was partially obscured as if in a fog. The concrete decking of the bridge, abutments and hand rails were covered, as was the grass along the river bank for some twenty feet.

Looking downstream from the bridge and starting where the piles from the old bridge were cut off level with the water, the fish were lined up right across the river and had taken station in every possible lie, right down to the lagoon some 100 yards or more away.’.......

Roy didn’t write this book until he was well into his 70s and for several years it went unpublished. It was shown to Mike Stevens in 1997 and this remarkable story was eventually published in 1998 by Stevens Publishing.

Memories are all we can now experience of The Shannon Rise. There are few who knew it better than Roy Dean. His story and anecdotes will delight you.

Memories of the Shannon Rise is now only available in a limited run of soft cover books. In total there have only been around 650 books - both collectors hard cover (100) and soft cover. It is unlikely they ever be republished.

Size is 210mm x 148mm.

Available for $60 plus $10 postage and handling.

was published in 1938 during the war years.

Unfortunately at this time quality acid free paper was not used on these style of books.

Consequently most original Trout and Fly in Tasmania books are not in good condition and most have some foxing/spotting. Originals sell for around $600.

Even in these relatively early days of fly fishing in Australia Wigram was expounding his theories on nymph fishing. He talks about his secrets of success, the flies an angler might need, the Shannon Rise, the Dawn Patrol at Great Lake, Penstock Lagoon and other places and methods anglers continue to use to this day. Wigram was an angler of undoubted skill and more than 60 years later his words are still pertinent.

First edition Wigram books are all scarce. This reprinted edition is limited to 250 individually numbered copies and are fully bound in hide leather with embossed cover along the lines of the original. Printed on archival paper. Finished size is slightly bigger than the original at 218 x 153 mm. Price; $250 plus $10 postage.

David Scholes Macquarie River Reflections by David Scholes. Macquarie Reflections is about the days David spent fishing one of his favourite waters - the Macquarie River. David describes his many fishing days from the source to the confluence with the South Esk at Longford.

Just released. Standard edition of 1000 copies (less than 200 remaining) $60 plus $10 postage.

Collectors Leather Limited edition (250 only) $300 plus $10 postage.

David Scholes Biography.

Shaping up to be a superb work. Written by retired Launceston doctor, Don Boden, with the full cooperation and support of David, this work reveals the complete David Scholes. Starting from his very early days in Victoria it is a fascinating journey that cover the many aspects of David many people simply don’t know about at all. As well as the fly fishing, read about his time as a commercial artist, fine artist, bomber pilot, angler and author. Price and quantity unknown at the stage. Register your interest now.

Stevens Publishing Pty Ltd. P.O. Box 7504 Launceston 7250. Phone 03 63311278.

Email; fishn@bigpond.net.au Website; WWW.fishing-books-australia.com

Trout and Fly in Tasmania R.H. Wigram. Another very rare and collectable classic.

Trout and Fly in Tasmania

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Fisheries Performance Surveys

Over the last year, the IFS has completed several fishery performance assessments on priority waters throughout the State. As part of this program, over 4000 brown trout were tagged and 1000 fin clipped. This compares with 500 tagged trout for the previous year at Penstock Lagoon and 3000 fin clipped trout for Lake Crescent during 2002. The information obtained from this program has been highly valuable in gaining a basic understanding of the overall size of fish populations, the proportion of tagged fish represented in anglers catches and growth of adult fish transfers.

Since the start of the season, over 150 tags have been reported to the Service by anglers fishing the Bradys/Binney/Tungatinah lake system. Anglers indicated these fish represented between 25-30% of their catch while brook trout represented approximately 15%, although this figure was variable amongst anglers.

In addition to this tag return information, IFS also carried out a second in-lake survey for the year in this system.

During the first week of December, a total of 164 fish were captured from all three lakes.

Eighty four percent of these were brown trout, of which 27% were tagged. Brook trout represented 15% of the total catch while rainbow trout were just 1% of the catch.

One of the interesting results of the survey that was also mirrored in reports received from anglers, was that 64% of all trout captured were from Tungatinah Lagoon, 33% from Lake Binney and just 3% from Bradys Lake.

The average weight gain recorded for tagged trout re-captured during the inlake survey was a 135 grams.

A more in-depth report will be released in the second half of 2004 and will be made available on the IFS’ website.

A summary report of the Fisheries Performance Assessment for Penstock Lagoon is on page 26.

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Ph: Kevin Kemp 0418 576 447 Fishing News - Page 23

Productive Squidding S

quidding is one of Tasmania’s favourite pastimes and can be practiced in many places, statewide. Some places are closer than you think.

It can be enjoyed regardless of age and fitness and the biggest bonus is that squid are great to eat, and also make excellent bait for many different species of sportfish.

There are three main varieties of cephalopod molluscs in Tasmania which are targetted by recreational fishermen. The most sought after is - Southern Calamari.

Southern Calamari

Unfortunately, most Southern Calamari caught by commercial anglers are sold whole to Victorian markets where they get excellent prices. Most squid which is sold to you as squid rings or Calamari in restaurants and fish and chip shops is the more common Arrow Squid. So, if you are after the real thing, the best way to achieve this is to target it yourself. Southern Calamari can be caught statewide. I fish for them at the mouth of the Tamar. The best spot to target Calamari is over shallow reef or weed beds; a good daytime depth is 5 metres of water, the best time to fish for Calamari, I have found, is low tide.

The best time of the year to fish for Calamari in the Tamar is late winter/early spring but this may vary from place to place.

January can also produce some good squid fishing. But if you do have a good day on Calamari, remember there is a daily bag limit of 20, which is ample. Some areas are also closed at times to squid fishing, for spawning, so make sure you check the fisheries regulations before you head out. My friend, Sean Brodie, is a Calamari fishing expert. He loves catching squid!

Sean is a Fisheries Officer with the Victorian Fisheries. Sean recommends Yo Zuri Squid Jig, and also the prong style for Calamari, rigged with WA pilchard. Calamari is quite distinguishable because of the two long flaps which run along each side of the mantle. Calamari in spawn are quite recognizable; Sean calls these 4X squid. They have an extra strong smell, a

bit like a cucumber. The smell comes from the roe inside the guts. In the month of October, Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute tagged thousands of Calamari in the Great Oyster Bay and Maria Island area. If you catch a tagged squid, please keep it and freeze it, give them a call on 6227 2777. There is $700 worth of prizes sponsored by ‘Spot On’ Fishing tackle you may have a chance of winning.

Arrow Squid

Arrow squid makes up around 90% of what the fish and chip shops and restaurants call Calamari rings. They are normally found in deep open water and are regularly caught by trollers targetting couta and snook. They are very aggressive and normally attack a squid jig without hesitation. They also are found statewide and make excellent bait for many fish types. Arrow squid are distinguishable by the arrow at the top of their mantle. They grow to a maximum weight of 1.5 kg.

Squid Jigs

Cuttlefish

Only very occasionally found in the fish shops, but has excellent eating quality. They can grow to 5 kg in weight and are regularly caught on squid jigs. They are found around the state’s coasts and prefer shallow reefy areas. Cuttlefish are very ugly in appearance and quite easily distinguished by a large chalky cuttle bone which runs through the mantle. This is the cuttle bone which you regularly find on beaches and feed to your budgie. I personally love cuttle - they are top table fare.

Tack le

and

Arrow squid are shown on the left and calamari on the right.

We’ve Got the Boats

A rod and reel is not, a handline will do fine. If a rod a reel is desired reels I would recommend are a Shimano Alvio or a Daiwa Samuri 2500; both of these reels retail for under $100 and are excellent value for money. I would suggest the Shakespeare Ugly Stick Gold 6.6 foot spinning rod or Silstar Crystal Powertip 6.6 foot spinning rod, both of which are extremely strong and have enough grunt to handle the biggest cuttle fish. As for fishing line, Penn 10x in 12 lb is my preferred brand.

Getting to the business end of things, squid jigs are important. I prefer Yo Zuri or King Prawn style of squid jigs; my favourite colours are pink and multi in 3.5 inch squid jigs.

Also check out the new Eglie range of squid jig at Charltons Fishing - they are very impressive. They are the only squid jig that swims when it is not moving?

Sarah’s Hot Tips!

I am a very lucky angler, my wife, Sarah not only gives me great freedom to fish, she is also the best seafood cook the squid recipes nextispage............... around and whenSee it comes to squid, there no better. To

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finish off this article, here are two red hot squid recipes from Sarah’s Kitchen. I hope you like them.

Marinated Squid Stir Fry

3 squid tubes 1/4 cup sweet chilli suce 4 cloves garlic crushed 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce 1/4 cup olive oil 1 red capsicum 1 green capsicum

Cut squid tubes into 1/2 cm thick rings.

Combine breadcrumbs and sesame seeds in bowl.

Lightly beat eggs and milk in a separate bowl.

Coat squid rings lightly in flour, shake off excess. Dip into egg mixture and then coat in breadcrumbs and sesame seeds.

Fry in vegetable oil for about 90 seconds.

Tip: Don’t do them for much longer as they will go chewy.

Cut squid tubes in half so they lie flat. With a sharp knife, score the fleshy side nearly through to the other side about 1 cm apart; then cut the squid into 5 cm lengths.

Mix all the sauces together with the garlic and oil. Place the squid in the marinade and place in the fridge for at least an hour.

Thinly slice both capsicums.

Heat a wok or frypan with a little oil. Place squid and marinade into fairly hot wok and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add capsicum and continue to stir. It is cooked when the squid starts to curl and is white, not opaque.

Serve with Rice.

Crumbed Squid Rings

3 squid tubes 1 cup breadcrumbs 1 cup plain flour 2 eggs 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup sesame seeds

Join a gamefishing club The Game Fishing Club of Northern Tasmanian Inc. welcome interested anglers to join our club. Meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of the Month from February to December at the Jailhouse Grill in Launceston at 8.00p.m.

Club Office Bearers 2003/2004: Stan Hardman: President 0418520751 Peter Gittus: Secretary 63318322bh. 63447634ah Sheryl Turner: Vice President 0419335159

Event Calendar 2004

Shimano Game Fishing Tournament

1st January – 31 May Tamar Marine Billfish Tag & Release

1st January – 31st May Club Club Rally Day: 15th February 2004 St Helens Game Fishing Classic

6th and 7th March 2004 Club Rally Day: 21st March, 2004 Easter Competition

10th and 11th April 2004 Club Rally Day: 18th April 2004 Club Rally Day: 16th May 2004 Monthly prize for Heaviest Gamefish and also Tag and Release For further information please visit our website www.fishnorthtas.com.au or contact our PresiFishing News - Page 25

Fisherman’s BasReviews by Mike Stevens unless credited otherwise.

Navman Fish 4350 and Fish 4380 AFFORDABLE COLOUR

Fishermen the world appreciate themore! benefits a colour offers in terms of around target separation, bottom any Navman hassounder just brought definition, and importantly, species to market two new compact colour identification. Colour, in the past, sounders (FISH 4350 and 4380) that has been an expensive option. Not offer exceptionally crisp colour displays

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Both new fishfinders utilize a single frequency, 200 khz depth transducer and provide a 23 degree cone anglethe perfect fit for the angler who needs wide sonar coverage. Navman combine this with the hefty power output of 1600 watts peak to peak (200 watts RMS power), providing depth reading comfortably to 200 metres (650ft) and surface water temperature data.

Both units are completely sealed and waterproof for use in harsh saltwater environments, and are packed with a host of Navman features including: multi directional swivel bracket, engine hours, backlit screen and keys for night use and a large digital readout for monitoring depth at high speeds.

Useful alarms include low battery, too shallow, too deep, water temp and temp rate of change. Another feature unique to sounders in this category is the multi level zoom functionality with an adjustable split screen ratio.

The 4380 has a bigger screen (3.8”)over the 4350, the addition of boat speed and a gasoline fuel computer (req. fuel transducer). The fuel option is unique to Navman products and when combined with boat speed provides useful information about fuel economy and range.

Extended use on long fishing trips is

easy with the Fish 4350 and 4380; the snooze mode provides depth information at variable timed intervals to save power and will only be interrupted if an alarm is triggered. Both units employ Navman’s proprietary SBNII sonar algorithm technology, to maximise signal enhancement, bottom recognition and noise rejection, giving clear, crisp onscreen sonar images.

Navman’s General Manager, Chris Baird comments: ‘The time will come soon when people will question the concept of a black and white fishfinder in much the same way that we now question black and white television.

The Fish 4300 series follow the tried and tested recipe for Navman’s success which is to deliver innovative technology in products that are easy to use.’

The introduction of Fish 4350 and Fish 4380 round out the Navman range of new generation fishfinders, and like all Navman marine electronics, they are the result of world-leading technology and innovation, matched with expertise and built this side of the world. For more information see our website at www.navman.com

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Fisherman’s BasReviews by Mike Stevens unless credited otherwise.

Silstar Jig-Em rigs

I spotted these at Tamar Marine just recently and also at Fishing Gear, but I am sure they are available widely. When I first spotted these I thought what a great idea they were.

Most will have seen the sabiki type rigs with several flies on them.

They are great for reef - or even bottom fishing. Results are a great improvement over plain bait fishing and if you add a little bait as well they are nothing short of sensational.

These jigs are a little different though with their three realistic soft plastic bodies. The packet suggests you can add bait to the hook or insert some bait or berley into the hollow body. The bait/berley in the body seems like a great idea as it would give the jig a nice smell attractant for the fish without having to rebait all the time.

I thought I’d strip the jig down and insert a little barrel sinker and use them to troll or cast for salmon.

The packet I bought was the 9cm squid and cost $4.35. There is quite a selection though from less than $4.

Shimano Torium

For high s p e e d spinning, jigging, or any fishing situation where the ability to recover line in a hurry is important, Shimano’s new Torium range of overheads will certainly fit the bill.

A 6.2:1 gear ratio will really bring out the best in metal jigs and lures that require a good turn of speed to get working, while an oversize clicker mechanism means that this reel can also be used for bait fishing if need be.

The TOR16 holds 320 metres of ten kilo, the TOR20 420 metres of ten kilo, and the TOR30 350 metres of 15 kilo, so they’re no-nonsense reels built for hard work and big fish. The multi-washer star drag makes use of Shimano’s high performance Dartanium washers, which means the Toriums will comfortably handle the fastest runs from mackerel, kingfish, wahoo and tuna.

A die-cast aluminium reel frame, and aluminium side plates and spool means that the entire Torium range make superb casting reels, and thanks to their light weight, endless hours of repetitive casting is not a problem.

Super Stopper and Assist Stopper remove any back play in the handle, while three of Shimano’s patented A-RB bearings keep everything turning smoothly.

These A-RB bearings are treated with a special coating that makes them ten times more resistant to corrosion than standard stainless ball bearings.

The Torium, and all Shimano reels, is covered by Shimano’s ten-year warranty.

Ecogear Power Worms

I have been part of the soft plastic rage over the last year or so and they are a lot of fun.

The Squidgies have probably had the biggest profile and they suit a lot of our fishing really well. Bream, trout, flathead and Australian salmon are great fun on the plastics. But of course there are plenty of other brands. I have had great success with the Tsunami and Storm brands and these come pre-rigged.

They are much bigger in the size range generally and are really more suitable for saltwater use.

Another brand I have just had a bit to do with is the Ecogear range. They come in a great variety and are also great on bream, silver trevally, salmon and trout, but there is one that has had a real unexpected catch. The black Paramax catches chub mullet. These frustrating fish are one of the hardest of all to interest in anything thrown at them. These fish generally only eat detritus and algae and interesting them in other things never seems to work. How they get so big is beyond me. I have cast to plenty of them - all to no

avail. The last frustrating school of them I saw was in the Scamander River. Many casts - no interest.

Then, by chance, I was talking to a mate the other day about them and he told me he had caught two the day before - no trouble at all - on a 3” black Ecogear Paramax.

Why a mullet would take one of these and nothing else is a mystery.

Most of the Ecogear power worms have rigging instructions on the back and they come in resealable packets. There is a huge variety of colours and styles so check them out at good tackle stores.

Greys GRX 7’ #3/4

Anyone who fishes Tasmania’s small streams can appreciate the added opportunities for fishing that a short, lightweight fly rod can open up. For roll casting under trees, picking out pockets and runs or controlling fish in tight situations a rod of 7-8 foot can be a huge advantage. The GREYS seven foot 3-4 weight GRX is such a rod and with a retail of around $280 it is unbelievably good value, balancing delicate casting capabilities with good butt strength. This seven footer has no problem casting a dry fly / bead head combination into a breeze, throwing tight ‘candy cane’ loops, roll casting or performing aerial mends. The GREYS GRX 7’ #3/4 is available from Ross Pullin at the Essential Fly Fisher, Launceston.

Tasmania’s most popular game TF&BN thought it would be a good idea to do a quick straw poll and see if we could find Tasmania’s most popular game lures.

We asked the tackle stores, tackle distributors, as well as a few game fishers. We think we got a reasonable sort of spread - and remember it is not meant to be the definitive answer. It was just a bit of fun to see what came up.

The results were interesting in that they showed no stand out lure - no must have, but it did show rather a large variety.

What it did show more than anything was a

real leaning towards some colours.

Green/gold, green/yellow and lumo yellow/green stood out as colours everyone thought they must have. Without exception every angler had at least one of the above combinations.

Black Magic was the most popular brand, but then came Fish Eagle, Mack Bait, Meridian and Zuker all level pegging.

I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about which lure, just make it green and yellow.

Mike Stevens

Lure type colour green Mack Bait 4” banana Lure type Barra Mauler #9 laser green colour Black Magic Flea green/gold Mack Bait 4” assorted Black Magic Flea blue/silver Mack Bait 4” blue/silver Black Magic Flea pilchard Mack Bait 5” Black Magic Flea dark colours purple bonito Merd i ainDemon Black Magic French Tickler green/yellow Black Magic Maggot g ern -ye/l#5 yellow/green (Bullfrog) ow ylelg /eren low Black Magic Saury Meridian Demon #5 green/gold Boone Feather (Bullfrog) Meridian Demon #5 red/white Extreme Magoo yellow/green (Bullfrog) Meridian Saltshaker #3 green lumo blue/green Fish Eagle Softhex 8-12” green/gold green/blue Fish Eagle Tuna Taka Meridian Saltshaker #4 Moldcraft Wide Range Senior pup erb /alclk lumo FishEagle Pacific Skirts Tuna Taka green/brown pink/green/purple Pakula Cockroach Soft Fish Eagle Zipper green/yellow lumo Fish Eagle Zipper green/red Rapala CD18 gerenb u /le Killervibe 160 blue , Mack Bait 4” Rapala CD18 bsm Fishing News - Page 27

P

Penstock Lagoon Assessment

enstock Lagoon is a relatively small shallow water with a surface area of 1.4 square kms and maximum depth of 1.8 metres. The lagoon has over a number of years, been subject to significant alterations in water management.

The trout fishery at Penstock Lagoon is valued for a moderate catch rate of quality brown and rainbow trout. Brown trout have been the mainstay of the fishery representing 54% - 93% of the annual harvest between 1991-2001.

During the period 2002/03, the Service undertook two in-lake surveys (August 2002 and May 2003) to examine the population structure of the trout fishery. These surveys were supported by the release of 503 individually tagged adult brown trout that were transferred from Liawenee Canal in May 2002. In addition to this information, an analysis of historical fisheries data and angler catch information was also examined.

The following is a summary of this information.

In-Lake Surveys

During the survey period, 111 brown trout between 108 – 660 mm were captured. The average length and weight of these fish was 417 mm and 1 247 grams respectively. Brown trout over 420 mm which are accessible to anglers, were in good to very good condition, with an average condition factor of 1.2, an average weight of 1 645 g and an average length 514 mm. This compares favourably with the long term average weight for brown trout from Penstock Lagoon during the period 1980 – 1996 of 1 693 g. During the August 2002 survey, 32 brown trout were collected of which 21 were mature. Of these fish, 25 percent were tagged, indicating the total population of mature takeable fish (> 420 mm) to be moderately low.

Catch per unit effort data for both surveys also supported this finding. Immature (juvenile) brown trout showed a 155 mm increase in length during the period August 2002 - May 2003, indicating substantial growth from previous stockings.

A significant point of interest is the absence of fish in the 360 - 420 mm size range during the May 2003 survey. This is due to an absence of natural recruitment in the years preceding and including 1999, and the low supplementary stocking rate in 1999 (6 000 brown trout fry). After this period, the lagoon was stocked consistently with brown trout fry and adult brown trout from Great Lake to cover this deficiency in recruitment. This gap in recruitment should fill during the 2003/04 season.

One of the pleasing results from the surveys is the evidence that growth in larger (older) fish is strong. Thirty three percent of the total May 2003 sample were greater than 500 mm and there were a number of fish in excess of 600 mm, all of which were in good condition.

There were no fish sampled under 100 mm indicating that the brown trout fry recruited to the fishery last season had undergone substantial growth.

The most noteworthy of observations made regarding transfers of adult fish from Great Lake, was the significant growth these fish sustained throughout the season. The graph

Fishing News - Page 28

below, compares the release and recapture weights for tagged fish surveyed during May 2003. The average increase in weight was 70% while the average increase in length was 13%. The maximum weight gain was by a male that weighed 1.88 kg, which was 1 kg when released, therefore representing a weight gain of 88% and an increase in length of 15%. The catch per unit effort for rainbow trout was low during both the August 2002 and May 2003 surveys The average weight for those fish weighed and measured (8 only), was 1 601 g. An additional 92 rainbow trout were weighed and measured as part of the 2003 spawner monitoring program. The average weight of these fish was 1 489 g.

This compares to the long term average weight of 1 413 g for spawning fish during the period 1980-1999.

Tag Returns

Of the 503 tagged fish transferred, 20% were reported as being captured by anglers. Of these reports, 80% of the fish captured were killed and therefore not available for subsequent recaptures.

No fish were reported as being captured more than once.

One third of the total number of tagged fish reported were captured at the start of the season in August 2002. Forty percent were captured in the period Nov - Dec 2002, with just 18% captured in the post Christmas period Jan - Apr 2003, with the remaining 9% captured in Sept – Oct 2002.

Stocking History

Shown in the graph is the stocking history of Penstock Lagoon since 1980. The graphs are split into each life history stage. Stocking of Penstock Lagoon using brown trout fingerlings and early stage fry was consistently carried out during the period 1980-87. No supplementary stocking took place after this time until rainbow trout were stocked in 1994-95 and adult brown trout and advanced brown trout fry were stocked in 1999. It is of interest that during this period of no stocking, lower catch rates were experienced at Penstock Lagoon.

Angler Creel Survey

During the 2002-03 angling season, IFS inspectors interviewed 62 fly fishers at Penstock Lagoon. The total number of angling hours reported were 150, with 14 brown trout and 8 rainbow trout captured. This equates to a catch rate of 8.3 hours per fish, with brown trout representing 57% of the catch.

Angler Postal Survey

The graph shows the comparative percentage of brown and rainbow trout harvested from Penstock Lagoon between 1986 and 2002. This shows a convergence in the number of rainbow and brown trout since 1986, to a point where in 2000, both species represented 50 % of the annual harvest.

Since 2000 there has been a slight divergence to where brown trout represent 59% of the annual harvest and rainbow trout 41% (2001/02).

In general, between 1994 and 1999, there was a period of low catch rates and estimated harvests, which coincided with low angler effort. This was a period when the lagoon experienced elevated turbidities, minimal stocking and poor natural recruitment.

The catch rate for brown trout peaked at 1.1 in 1991 and again at 0.95 in 2000. This rate has fallen to 0.53 in 2001 and 2002, which is slightly lower than the 17 year average of 0.59.

The 2001 and 2002 figures are however, a significant improvement on the catch rate reported for 1997/98 at a low of 0.27.

The catch rate for rainbow trout has generally been low at around 0.1 - 0.2. Following increased interest in the Penstock Lagoon fishery during the 1999/00 angling season, the catch rate increased to 0.45 - 0.95.

The harvest of both rainbow and brown trout has increased significantly since the 1998/99 season to a high of around 6 837 brown trout and 6 812 rainbow trout in the 1999/2000 season. The last reported harvest figure for 2001/02 season was 4 208 brown trout and 2 925 rainbow

trout, both of which are significantly higher than the 17 year average of 2 272 for brown trout and 1 010 for rainbow trout.

Overall angling effort, i.e. the number of anglers multiplied by the average number of days per angler, has increased markedly since the 1999/00 season. Some 8% of all licensed anglers were estimated to fish Penstock Lagoon in the 2001/02 season which is double the 17 year average of 3.95%. This equates to 7 800 angler days in 2001/02 compared to the 17 year average of 3 565 angler days. This increase in angling effort has been in both full season and short term licence holders.

experience as average or better, based their opinion on catch rate, the size of fish and condition of fish. A smaller number of these anglers also rated the water management regime as average or better, based on water quality and water levels. Of those anglers that rated their experience at Penstock Lagoon as poor to terrible (18%), almost all said that poor catch rate was the main reason they rated it at this level. A small number stated that facilities were responsible for rating their experience as good.

Angler Satisfaction

Graphed results for the angler satisfaction section of the 2001/02 postal survey. During the 2001/02 season 67% of anglers believed their angling experience at Penstock Lagoon was good to excellent. Sixteen percent of anglers said their experience was average, while 18% believed their angling experience was poor to terrible. Those anglers that rated their

Anchor Retrieval made easy My tri hull has a large forward casting deck and to retrieve the anchor one has to crawl over aluminium chequer-plate to get to the hatch and bollard. When it is a little bumpy on the high seas, this requires more care than one would usually have to impart while receiving bruised kneecaps in the process.

On my last trip into Moreton Bay it was rough and the anchor was fairly stuck on the bottom and my back was playing up like a beauty! That was it.

Enough was enough and it was time to change the way I ran this tub!

Floatation type anchor retrieval devices are not new, having been around the boat shops for a number of years. I had always look at them with a fair amount of interest but it was ‘one of those things’ that I’ll get around to one day.

I should have done something about it four years ago when on Ocean Blue Vanuatu’s Ymer, a 34’ Blackwatch.

We were slow trolling around the back of Hat Island for dogtooth tuna and came upon some natives in an old longboat that had been anchored and fishing for doggies also. They had a whopper in the boat, about 40 kilos, albeit a bit withered from the sun.

Their anchor had stuck and for the life of them they could not retrieve it.

Our sounder showed we were in 400 metres of water so it would have been interesting trying to lift that lot even if it was not stuck fast. Remy the captain placed a retrieval ring and large float on the rope after disconnecting it from the long boat. We drove off,

watching more and more rope appear on the surface. It changed colours a few times indicating another length of rope had been joined and by the time the anchor hit the steel ring, we were almost out of sight of the buoy.

A total of 1,500 metres of rope were hoisted aboard in a massive pile that surely could not have fitted in the long boat in the first place. I’m glad I didn’t have to pull that lot up by hand.

The diagrams on how to use one of these are shown.

I run a lanyard connected to the boat and the other end to a bowline tied in the anchor rope that is easily undo-able when a different anchor scope is required.

My anchor rope is now stored in a bin in the cockpit and deployed over the side.

If you have a crook back, find it difficult to crawl through the cabin and out of the forward hatch or perhaps some other ailment that restricts your ability to lift a lot of rope and chain, this one is for you. I hope I have saved you some pain and suffering!

Rick Huckstepp

Fishing News - Page 29

Fishing News - Page 30

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theUltimate line This unique line is a specially designed trout taper with a midlength head and concave compound front taper for positive turnover while maintaining a delicate delivery. The convex compound rear taper maintains good mending and casting properties without adding extra weight. This allows you to handle a broader range of applications with the ideal balance of distance and control. It’s a high floating line with a supple coating and low memory, the ideal line for all serious trout fisherman.

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7ClubDrive,Shearwater.Ph(03)64287124 Fishing News - Page 31

Huge new range from Lowrance

In 2003 Lowrance Australia released a number of ground breaking products. The top end of the range went further up-market, colour was introduced throughout the range, power was increased and dual frequency options became available on most models.

Now for 2004 the company offers its largest range of electronics yet, introducing new models and extending options to ensure that there is a powerful product available at every price point. The company has introduced 19 new models with a total of 42 variants from which buyers can choose.

Across the range all models have been improved with software intelligence upgrades, higher screen resolutions, more power and more features. The majority of 2004 models offer even better value than 2003 offerings.

At the top of the range a new LCX-104c colour multi-function sounder/GPS has a 640 x 480 pixel screen that re-defines the standard for colour displays. The full VGA 256 colour TFT display has to be seen to be believed. Dual frequency at 8,000/4,000 watts will make this a winner for blue water operators who can use the screen size to run sonar and GPS images side by side without compromising either display.

A new mid range series of colour multifunction models will include the LMS-330c with a stunning 320 x 240 pixel display and 2,400 watts of power. This unit is also available with dual frequency as the LMS-335c DF. Taking colour into the mid price sonar range is a potent 320 x 240 pixel model with 2,400 watts of power, the X100c or the dual frequency version the X105c DF. All of the colour models are viewable in direct sunlight and they also offer a wide viewing range.

Black and white displays include an LMS-480 multi function sonar/GPS/mapping model with an outstanding 480 x 480 pixel display. This pocket power-house has 4,000 watts of peak-to-peak power and is also available in dual frequency as the LMS480m DF. Rounding out the mid range mono fish finders are the X135 and X125, also available in dual frequency versions as the X136 DF and X126 DF. It is worth noting that the 480 x 480 pixel displays are far superior to anything previously available in this price bracket.

In the budget/introductory end of the range there are plenty of surprises with high performance models for serious buyers on a tight budget and novice anglers buying their first electronics.

Leading the charge is the M68c sonar/ GPS/plotter, a set that brings high resolution colour multi function electronics into

Fishing News - Page 32

the low cost zone for the first time. No toy, this model has a 256 colour active matrix screen using 320 x 240 pixels – the sort of display we were seeing on up market models not long ago. With 800 watts of power the fish finder will cover the needs of the great majority of anglers. For those who want to work deep water the M68c Saltwater S/Map has a special saltwater transducer which increases deep water performance by over 30 percent.

Similarly, last year’s X67c sonar can also be purchased in a high performance saltwater version as the X67c Saltwater Sonar.

In the dedicated GPS/Mapping side of things the GlobalMap 7000c and the 3300c colour models are introduced along with a GlobalMap 4800m mono model.

Big news is the introduction of a true budget mono screen sonar/GPS/plotter model, the M52m. Right down towards the bottom of the price range the 4” 240 x 160 pixel display leaves nothing to be desire in terms of clarity and detail. With 800 watts of power, 60 degree fish detection coverage and the same software intelligence found throughout the Lowrance range, operators working to a strict budget can now enjoy tournament standard fish finding performance when they head out for a day’s fishing.

Exclusive to Lowrance this year, and the reason the colour

TimelyEPIRBactivationbringsswifthelicopterrescue Four anglers fishing off the Victorian coast were winched to the safety of the Helimed One helicopter after activating their Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB). Their rescue is being hailed as a ‘text book perfect’ operation.

The four fishermen set out from Inverloch on Victoria’s south east coast at 6:00am.

They were very calm with the 5m fibreglass half cab equipped with all the regulation safety equipment for an offshore fishing trip.

At about 9:00am the party were approximately 5nm offshore when they decided to pull up the anchor and head closer to shore.

A storm front that the party were monitoring had been building and was moving closer.

When the key was turned to start the outboard engine, the anglers were greeted by the deafening silence of a flat battery.

For about forty five minutes the team took turns trying unsuccessfully to manually start the outboard. Simultaneously, contact with other boaters and the Coast Guard was sought without response on the marine band radio.

With seas building and all other options exhausted, the decision was made to activate the Pains Wessex EPIRB. At 10:24am, a high flying passenger aircraft reported hearing the emergency beacon to

air traffic control, who in turn relayed the information to the Australian Marine Safety Authority in Canberra. Helimed One based in the Latrobe Valley was tasked at 10:31am to begin an aerial search.

Typically, EPIRB signals on the 121.5 MHz are first detected by commercial aircraft.

The ‘hearing’ placed the beacon in an area of some 200 square nautical miles. It is not until the first pass of the satellite that both confirms the signal and then refines the location.

Meanwhile on the water, the fishing party were preparing for the worst. The seas had built to 4 meters with breaking waves on top. While there was initial concern on board that the boat may be swamped, this did not occur.

However, all anglers were wearing life jackets and the Pains Wessex RB2 EPIRB remained activated. Once an EPIRB is set off, it is important that it continues to emit a signal as the rescuers home in on the 121.5 MHz radio signal to find the stricken vessel. Rescuers will advise when it is appropriate to turn off the EPIRB. Just 90 minutes after activating the EPIRB, the Helimed One was overhead. Sighting the approaching helicopter, the fishermen fired off a Pains Wessex Aurora orange smoke flare allowing the pilot to precisely locate the pitching vessel.

February, 2004

Honda ranks in world’s top brands

The world’s largest engine manufacturer, Honda, has placed 18 th on an international list of the 100 most valuable brands in 2003, according to recently released research.

The annual list of the world’s most valuable 100 brands is researched by leading international branding consultancy, Interbrand, and Business Week magazine.

Honda is the only manufacturer which features engines, power and marine products in its line-up, to make the exclusive group.

To be considered brands must have a brand value worth more than $US1 billion, be global in nature, derive at least a third of their income from outside their home countries and have worldwide distribution.

Honda’s brand value for 2003 was a staggering US $15.63 billion.

According to Honda Australia Motorcycle and Power Equipment Director, Stuart Strickland, Honda’s brand value is attributable to several factors.

“Over many years Honda has earned a strong reputation for developing innovative, reliable and extremely well engineered products which have found favour with buyers in many diverse markets across the world,” Mr Strickland said.

“The company also continually strives for product improvement which is an attraction for new customers.

“Another factor of Honda’s brand appeal is the broad product range spanning cars, motorcycles, power equipment and marine

Due to the rough sea conditions, neither the Water Police nor Coast Guard were able to put to sea and take the fishing boat in tow. As a consequence, all four fishermen were winched to the safety of Helimed One to be transferred back to the Latrobe Valley Hospital.

“For a while we thought that we were in all sorts of trouble,” said Daniel Stephens, owner of the stricken boat. “We had a few things going against us all at the one time… the engine would not start, we couldn’t raise any help on the radio, the anchor would not hold and the seas were quite steep and frightening.”

“Clearly the thing that saved us was the Pains Wessex RB2 EPIRB. Without that on board we may not have survived.”

“From our experience, the EPIRB and rescue process worked flawlessly. Back at Traralgon the Police appreciated that we had all the required safety gear on board and that we had used our equipment responsibly.”

Ben Mitchell of AMSA also complimented the four anglers on their actions.

“This was a text book operation,” Ben said.

“The anglers realised that they needed help and activated their EPIRB. As responsible boaters they went to sea with all the required safety equipment and then used it appropriately at the right time.”

products.

“Co-operation in research and development across all departments provides consumers with product innovation, cuttingedge technology and design – an approach that has seen Honda become the world’s largest engine manufacturer.”

Honda sold more than 15 million products globally in 2003 and it’s estimated that over two million of its products are currently used Australia-wide at any time, including approximately 200,000 power equipment units sold last year.

Mr Strickland said there was little doubt that Honda’s prominent brand name played a great role in the strong sales performance of Honda motorcycles and power equipment last year. “Customers are drawn to well-known and reputable brands and once they have experienced Honda performance and the excellent service provided by Honda dealerships, brand loyalty grows,” Mr Strickland said.

“In the future, these customers are more likely to choose another Honda product over a lesser known brand.”

Mr Strickland said Honda Power Equipment is experiencing healthy growth on the back of strong brand image and an aggressive range extension.

“Honda is strongly committed to maintaining its enviable position as a leader and innovator,” he added.

“We are striving for constant improvement across the entire product range as well as developing new products in new fields.

“We believe our commitment to developing a broad range of superior quality products and providing customers with dedicated after sales support will enhance the Honda brand.”

“The time lapse between beacon activation and satellite detection in this case was typical. On average it takes about 90 minutes to get a confirmed 121.5 MHz EPIRB signal. People should not expect a helicopter overhead only minutes after activation.”

Mark Barker (Marine Sales & Marketing Manager of Pains Wessex) said that the record of rescue where an EPIRB is activated is impressive.

“We see successful rescues being executed time and again where boaters in distress activate their EPIRB,” Mark said. “The rescue system is highly refined and successful where an EPIRB is involved.”

“In this particular situation the anglers remained calm. They activated the EPIRB at the right time, then set off an Aurora smoke flare to provide a visual reference to the helicopter pilot.”

These four people are alive thanks to the equipment they carried on board, the proper use of their gear and the exceptional rescue service provided here in Australia.

Quintrex solves the storage problem

Quintrex has always led the market with its inventive design and attention to detail. This year positive level flotation was introduced as standard to most models above 4.45m. Level flotation is the highest category of positive flotation and involves quantities of foam being strategically placed in the underfloor and side compartments of the boat.

“Since the introduction of positive level flotation, there’s the misconception in the marketplace that this has caused a shortfall in the storage sections of Quintrex boats. However, this is not the case” says Brendan Tait, Research and Development engineer.

Storage availability is a major factor when choosing a boat. A cluttered deck increases the chance of accidents and generally makes fishing adventures cumbersome and mismanaged.

To alleviate this problem, there are a variety of roomy Rotomoulded storage compartments, enclosed side pockets and other innovative storage options.

Roto-moulding is a process where a polyethylene plastic compound is used to make storage bins, igloos and anchor wells – offering many benefits over other materials. “Roto-moulded anchorwells eliminate galvanic action and associated corrosion. In addition, the combination of foam flotation and Rotomoulded side pockets significantly reduces noise levels, creating a sound proofing effect” comments Brendan.

Deep underfloor Roto–moulded storage compartments ensure continued next page.......

Fishing News - Page 33

.........continued from previous page

tackle and gear is safely stowed away; and are practically designed for even the most fastidious fisher.

To accommodate the side flotation, side pockets have been redesigned to conveniently hold handy items. Quintrex cleverly accommodates a small footsize gap where the floor adjoins the side section to create a secure grip and help correct stance when fighting a ‘big one’ in open waters.

The Quintrex R&D team are meticulous in their approach and take pride in their pioneering design - employing fifteen people within R&D alone.

Customer feedback is an integral part of the company’s growth, which has accounted for many novel additions such as cargo netting under consoles to keep gear neat and tidy, a lockable glovebox to store mobile phones and keys and fold-down drink holders as standard across most of the range.

Creators of the famed Millennium Hull and Flared Bow, Quintrex has set a high precedent for the industry. The company’s 500 tonne stretcher is the only one of its kind in Australia which enables complex shapes to be pressed into tough aluminium sheets prior to being stretch-formed into compound curves – the result? An incredibly dry and soft cushioned ride with impressive handling and manoeuvrability; critics have compared its performance to that of a good fibreglass hull, but with greater advantages easily trailerable, reduced power requirements and low maintenance to name a few.

“To stay number one is a continuous process. We are constantly researching new designs, materials and engineering practices” says Stuart Morgan, Research and Development Manager.

Great Lake Hotel For Sale

Freehold Sale Vacant Possession

A lease may be considered This unique property was built in 1983 and overlooks Great Lake, 115 kilometres south of Launceston on Tasmania’s Central Highlands plateau - a world class fishing and tourist destination. This property includes a public bar, lounge bar and dining room, managers flat, 13 motel units, caravan park, amenities block, general store (leased) and surplus land that is ideal for subdivision - all on 5 hectares. Asking price is $1 100 000.

Contact; John Blacklow Knight Frank 03 6234 5866 www.knightfranktasmania.com.au

Fishing News - Page 34

Stacer Easy Rider

A true all rounder for all water action, for fishing, tubing, cruising and skiing, the possibilities are endless...Feel the wind in your hair and invigorate your senses in a Stacer Bowrider this summer.

Encompassing five models in the Bowrider range, from the smaller 475 Easy Rider Sports to the new 605 Easy Rider Sports - Bowriders are a popular choice for families looking to get versatility plus out of their boat.

Stylishly designed with sleek sporty lines and eyecatching stripe detail -Stacer Easy Riders catch your eye on the water. Performance is equally matched with the unique EVO hull and Mod Pod combination to provide an effortlessly smooth, precise, dry ride.

Stacer’s best selling model is the 525 Easy Rider Sports. Roomy enough to carry six people and with a wide beam of 2.33m this boat seats the whole family with ease. Built with tough 3mm pressed bottom sheets and 2mm topsides, this boat is a runaway favourite with families and fishers alike.

The beauty of Stacers design ensures you get maximum boat for your dollar. The bowrider infill section quickly converts to make the ideal platform to cast your lure further, or alternatively lounge back in com-

fort on a lazy summer’s day with a good book.

The 565 Easy Rider Sports is a popular choice with divers due to its wide beam and ability to add a transom door and ladder to the Mod-Pod, thus making it easy to disembark and get on board in deep waters. The tough 4mm pressed plate EVO hull is built to withstand choppy waters and with a maximum horsepower of 140hp this boat covers long distances with ease.

The big daddy of the family is the new 605 Easy Rider Sports, which can take you and six friends across open bays and light seas in safety and style. Talk about versatile, with hydraulic steering and features like the forward bow section casting platform, rod holders, optional burley bucket and bait cutting board and you’ve got yourself a dream fishing vessel.

If skiing is more your thing - add a ski pole or ski hooks, transom door and rear folding ladder and you have the perfect ski boat.

To help make your Easy Rider dream an affordable reality, Stacer has introduced no deposit Stacer Finance - what are you waiting for?

Bermuda expands its The popular Bermuda Boat Aluminium Range has expanded and now includes the 435 Island Coast Runabout, 480 Sea Breeze Bowrider, 510 Wave Seeker Centre Console, 510 Ocean Rover Cuddy Cabin.

Andrew McLean, Bermuda Boats National Sales and Product Manager says, “Four new models have been added to the popular Bermuda range, helping it live up to its reputation for innovation and quality, offering ‘maximum value boating’.

Bermuda Boats are designed with the Extra Performance Transom (XPT) hulls to get them onto the plane quicker, provide better handling while underway plus better stability and buoyancy at rest.

Bermuda Boating packages are available with the

boat fully rigged with a Mercury or Mariner outboard and fitted with a Bermuda trailer, all covered with a 2 year Warranty*. (*Conditions apply) A huge list of optional features are also available, continued on next page ......

Quintrex 435 Coast Runner - Affordable, versatile and Designed as an affordable, entry level boat the Quintrex 435 Coast Runner is suitable for the first time boat buyer. “This boat is one our most popular models Australia-wide” comments Damien Duncan, National Sales and Marketing Manager. “It’s popularity due to being such an easy boat to operate and is the perfect size for families” comments Damian.

Measuring 4.45m overall and 1.77M across the beam, this versatile runabout is roomy for a family of four to comfortably enjoy relaxing days cruising estuaries and protected waters.

“When packaged with the recommended 30hp outboard, the 435 Coast Runner planes easily aided by the benefits of the Maxi 2 Transom. This unique feature generates more buoyancy at the back of the boat, meaning less reliance on the throttle. The Maxi 2 Transom extends the hull to the edge of the boarding platform and its new curvaceous design gives a sleek, more streamlined finish.

Intensive R&D processes have devised an aluminium hull that gives smooth, soft, controlled performance through its Flared Bow, which pushes water up and away from the hull, to ensure passengers stay comfortable and dry.

“Being relatively compact this is a boat the ladies

will enjoy driving too” comments Lavinia Gorse-Flint, PR and Marketing Assistant. “It’s easy to launch and retrieve and comes with practical features such as the lean-through dash to make anchoring easy work”.

“Quintrex acknowledge boating is no longer a male past-time. We understand women want comfortable seating arrangements and attention to detail” comments Lavinia. “The boats car-like layout is stylishly designed; its dash features marine radio and lockable glovebox, complete with drink holder for convenience. The two premiere folding seats provide valuable back support and the rear-folding lounge includes padded backrest along the transom”.

Quintrex have been building boats for 50 years and throughout this time have led the market with innovative designs, such as the Millennium Hull designed to slice through chop, lift the boat up onto the plane and stay there. Quintrex takes pride in understanding customer needs and aims to exceed expectations to maintain its number one position within the aluminium boat market. For more information contact your local Quintrex dealer, or visit www.quintrex.com.au

Bermuda ......continued from previous page

allowing customers to tailor the boat to meet their specific needs. With Bermuda Fishing Essentials cutting boards, rod holders, berley buckets and fish boxes your start to a whole new boating experience will be complete.

The Bermuda BMT package and accessories can be enjoyed sooner using easy Mercury Finance.

New mid sized 435 Island Coast Runabout The latest addition to the Bermuda runabout range is the 435 Island Coast, which compliments the hugely popular 410 Nautica and 455 Island Coral models. At 4.35m the Island Coast runabout is easy to handle and store while still being large enough to accommodate a 60 hp outboard and 5 people.

This stable fishing and family boat has a stylish walkup fiberglass dash, which allows you to access the anchor well with ease. Standard features include bow and side rails, deluxe seats, rod holders, side storage pockets, marine carpeted floors and a fulllength motor well.

480 Sea Breeze Bowrider - family boat The 480 Sea Breeze bowrider is a smaller version of the popular Bermuda 510 and 560 bowrider models. At 4.8m it is easy to tow and store, yet it still has enough room for five people, making it an ideal family boat. The versatile design allows for an array of on-water activities, and is the perfect platform for watersports, fishing or just cruising the waterways. The upholstered bow cushions provide comfortable seating, but can also be removed to create an elevated casting platform for keen fisherman. Complete with bow and side rails, UV grade swivel and twin pedestal seats, rod holders, side storage pockets, marine carpeted floors and a 3 piece windscreen with a walk through fibreglass dash. No boat packs more value into an aluminium hull than a Bermuda bowrider.

New 510 Ocean Rover Cuddy Cabin ideal offshore family fishing rig With the 510 Ocean Rover cuddy cabin you can confidently take the whole family fishing offshore without having to compromise comfort and it has sufficient cabin shelter should the weather turns nasty. This 5.1m join its high respected 4.8m and 5.6m cuddy cabin models. At just over five metres, the Ocean Rover is perfect for both the family and the budget.

Despite its ‘value’ price tag, boating families need not miss out on anything. With room for five people,

this boat includes an impressive list of safety features while still including many creature comforts, allowing everyone to enjoy their day on the water without a worry in the world. When the sun is shining, features such as rod holders, a rear folding lounge and deluxe seating at the helm helps you to make the most of it. However, if the wind picks up or you simply need a break from the action, you can do it in comfort in the fully lined cuddy cabin.

Other standard features include bow and side rails, deluxe Swivel Seat & Pedastal (x2) seats, side storage pockets, marine carpeted floors and three piece windscreen with fiberglass walkthrough dash.

510 Wave Seeker midsize centre console added to the range The new Bermuda 510 Wave Seeker centre console is a true fishing rig.

The fold down console allows anglers to move freely around the entire boat while the casting platform gives an elevated view across the water. It is a practical design that works because it gives fisherman exactly what they need... space.

Of course, when you’re fighting for a catch you don’t want anything in your way. That’s why the 510 Wave Seeker comes with side pockets and extra storage space beneath the casting platform. At 5.1m the Wave Seeker is the alternative size centre console to the existing 4.8m and 5.6m models. Other standard features include bow and side rails, two rod hold-

ers, marine carpeted floors and casting platform.

Fishing News - Page 35

Lewis Marine • Quintrex • • Haines Hunter •

Huge range.

From dinghys to the very best from Haines Hunter, Whittley and Quintrex.

Great packages available and expert advice.

Ph: 6234 7266 Fax: 6234 1251 198 - 200 Campbell St. Hobart,

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Aluman Engineering Vandieman Seaman

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Tasmanian Trout Supplies and Services Trout available for farm dams Daniel Hackett Or e-mail any queries to dhackett@tassie.net.au 78 Bulwer Street, Longford 7301, Tasmania. Ph. 0427 313 972 ABN: 44 981 499 195

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Subscriptions & back issues ISSUE 1 • Bigger Flathead • Tasmania’s Top Trout Lures • Berleying for better results • Trevally at Stanley • Port Sorell • Tamar River Snapper ISSUE 2 • Surf fishing • Trolling for tuna • Swan River Bream • Mersey Bluff • Tamar River • John Fox on trout • West Head fishing ISSUE 3 • Tamar River snapper • Tempting marlin • Tassie Devil lures • Water temp. and trout • Bream - East Coast • Avoiding sea sickness • Ansons Bay secrets ISSUE 4 • Kite Fishing • Manns Lures • Trout Management • New Zealand • Understanding tides ISSUE 5 • Great Lake report • Lures and flies for the start of the season • Lake Echo report • Choosing a fly rod • Rapala lures • Derwent River trout • Bait fishing ISSUE 6 • West Coast fishing • Macquarie River • Derwent Bream on fly • Flinders Island profile • Planing Boards • Curries River Dam ISSUE 7 • Arthurs Lake • South West Tas. • Mayfly fishing Jim Allen • Baitcasting techniques • Electric Motors ISSUE 8 • Bronte Lagoon • Game Fishing • Fly Tying • Bream on lures • Mudeye fishing • Jigging

ISSUE 9 • Late season trout opportunities • Tasman Peninsula • Surf Techniques • Baitcasters ISSUE 10 • Winter opportunities • Choosing a rod • Soft plastic lures • Internet fishing • Fish Finders ISSUE 11 • Season opener • Choosing a rod • Best baits • Tassie’s top lures • Finding trout Greg French ISSUE 12 • Choosing a fly rod • Tassie’s top spots • New Zealand • Central Highlands - Peter Hayes • Down rigging

ISSUE 19 • Dun fishing techniques • Great Lake tips • Game fishing • Kids stuff • Getting started ISSUE 20 • Mako shark on fly • Tasman Peninsula • Fly leaders • Outriggers • North west coast • Caring for your catch • Pakula gamefishing tips ISSUE 21 • Secret English fly fishing techniques by John Horsey • Tassie’s best Bluefin lures • Fly tying ISSUE 22 • Big boating issue • Boat handling techniques • Tassie’s best fly techniques • Kids Stuff

ISSUE 13 • Lake Burbury • More on mudeyes • Game fishing teasers • Game fishing • New products • Float tubing

ISSUE 23 • Four Springs Lake • Peter Hayes casting tips • Lure fishing lakes • $100 - $400 fly rods • Sea-run trout on lures • IFC Commissioner profile

ISSUE 14 • Boating techniques • Surf Fishing • Game fishing tips • Fish finders • Marine Communications

ISSUE 24 • Tamar River Snapper • Peter Hayes casting tips • Meadowbank Lake • West Coast sea-trout • Fly fish Tamar River • Nymphing secrets • Squid on bait, lure & fly

ISSUE 15 • Polaroiding Great Lake • Trout tips • Game fishing tips • Fly tying • Understanding fish finders ISSUE 16 • Lure and fly colour - does it matter • Spearing flounder • Penn fishing stories • Fly tying ISSUE 17 • Trophy Atlantic Salmon • Fly Fishing tactics • Smoking fish • Choosing a fly rod • Fish Finders ISSUE 18 • Loch style techniques • St Helens sportfishing • Henty River secrets • Big Bream • Brook trout • Back country browns

ISSUE 25 • English hopper flies • Peter Hayes casting tips • Arthurs Lake - Cowpaddock • Gum beetles • Game fishing ISSUE 26 • Albacore on fly • Peter Hayes casting tips • Mudeye magic • Lifejackets • Game fishing - live baits ISSUE 27 • Gamefishing • Peter Hayes casting tips • St Helens bream • Lake Skinner rainbows • Windlane fishing

ISSUE 28 • Dover Atlantic Salmon • Which Boat?

• Dressing for the cold • David Scholes new book

• Elephant Fish • Winter Garfish • Soft Plastics • Southern Bluefin Tuna • Salmon on Fly

ISSUE 29 • More Atlantic Salmon • Fly rod comparison • New Zealand on the cheap • Starting the season

ISSUE 40 • D’Entrecasteaux Channel • Stripey trumpeter • Soft plastics • Fish finder tips • Brook trout • Casting tips

ISSUE 30 • Spinning techniques • Tailing techniques • Huon River secrets • Dog Nobblers • Soft plastics ISSUE 31 • East Coast Bream • Blue Peaks Lake • Choosing a Spinning Reel • Lifejackets ISSUE 32 • Great Lake • Duck Bay • Striped Trumpeter • Derwent Bream • Tamar Kingfish • Bridport Hot Spots • Game Lure Colours ISSUE 33 • Autumn Fishing Tips • Monster Sea Mullet • Game Fishing • North West Snapper • Bream On Lures • Big Trout Theory ISSUE 34 • Tassy’s most popular boats • Winter trouting • Snapper • Frederick Henry Bay ISSUE 35 • Trout opening destinations • Tamar Secrets • Bushy on Bream • Fly Casting Championships ISSUE 36 • Lake King William • Craigbourne Dam • Tamar River trevally • Mullet on fly • D’Entrecasteaux Channel • Electric power ISSUE 37 • Huon Tributaries • Downrigging baits in current • Flathead on fly

ISSUE 41 • Mega sized mullet • Brumbys Creek caenids • Tooms Lake • Bream on lures • Mayflies • Derwent bream ISSUE 42 • Gamefishing teasers • Neil Grose’s secret spots • Stillwater indicator nymphing • Autumn streams • Anglers Hall of Fame ISSUE 43 • Southern bluefin tuna • Yellowfin tuna • Jassids • Surf fishing • Elephant fish ISSUE 44 • Big boat issue • Anchoring correctly • Atlantic salmon • Fly retrieves • IFS news ISSUE 45 • Four Springs • Bream - Tamar River • Calamary • Multi tool review • IFS news ISSUE 46 • Brumbys Creek • Snapper • Great Lake • Flinders Island

ISSUE 38 • Best Game Lures • Georges Bay • Choosing a propellor • Catch and Release ISSUE 39

Subscribing; Just fill in the form, or if you don’t want to cut it out just send your details as below. You can fax the subscription form to 03 6331 1278 or post to PO Box 7504, Launceston, 7250. or email details to fishn@bigpond. net.au Name;___________________________________________________________Address;__________________________ __ ___________________________________________________________Postcode;____________Phone_____________ ___ Subscriptions: $24; one year. $48; two years. _____

Back issues; $3.95 each - Issue Numbers req’d._______ Fishing News - Page 37

Lindsay Deegan Marine Motors 3.5hp Mariner $450 8hp S/S Honda electric start $1,150 5hp L/S Suzuki $570 8hp S/S Evinrude 1992 $1,150 6hp L/S Evinrude 1993 $1,150 9.9hp Yamaha 4 stroke remote forward controls $1,190 15hp L/S Johnson 1990 $1,250 20hp L/S 1977 Mercury $590 175hp Mariner X/L $6,150 2hp Honda S/S $650 Boats Caribbean Colt on trailer $1,250 5.28 Stacer with trailer, 115hp Mercury $12,150 Fibreglass dinghy, 3hp Mariner $890 Fibreglass 10’ dinghy near new trailer $1,290 16’ Quintrex, 70hp, 8hp Evinrude motors $6,500 Swiftcraft half cab, trailer, 25hp Mercury $3,250 Stessl Edgetracker 3.0m Vagabond $1,550 Savage Escort, trailer $3,200 Boat trailer 2nd hand14’ $350 Swiftcraft cuddy, 90hp Yamaha $12,900 Stessl 4.8 Bluewater, 60hp Johnson $18,500 4.6 Express Mackerel, 50hp Honda $12,900 Savage Osprey, 80hp Mercury POA 4.5 Trailcraft, 50hp Johnson EFI 4stroke, new Jan 2003, $21,900 Swiftcraft half cab. 25hp Mercury $3,400 13’6” Savage dinghy, trailer, 25hp Mariner, 15hp Johnson $2,500 6 metre Stessl Mako, 115 Honda (2001), many extras $35,000 Stessl 4.8 work boat, raised foredeck, trailer, no motor $5,600

Lindsay Deegan Marine 102 Eastlands Drive Phone 64252238

Heading to Lakes?

Stop in at Deloraine Pizza and Pasta, 53 Emu Bay Rd, Deloraine. Phone ahead on 6362 2000 to have your delicious pizza or pasta waiting. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 5pm. Orders taken from 4 pm.

Classifieds

Coastal Marine

Second Hand Boats 16’ Silverline F/glass Cuddy Cab, Canopy, Side Curtains, Storm Cover, Sounder, AM/FM Radio, Dunbier Trailer, no motor, $4500 Stessl 3.7 Runabout, trailer, no motor, $2600 Savage Gannet Runabout, trailer, no motor, $1900 Motors 200hp Mariner, 1992 XL/S, $5850 1999 EVINRUDE 90 FICHT, $8990 Trailer Tandem trailer, electric winch, suit 18-20’ boat $1500

Coastal Marine Somerset Ph 6435 2200

Port Sorell Marine Boats Savage Gannet, 4.3 runabout, 40 Yamaha, canopy, sounder, $6,500 16’ Fibreglass half cabin, 115 Merc, full canopy, side curtains, storm cover, $4,900 Motors 6hp Evinrude L/S as new $1,195 15hp Evinrude S/S fwd controls $895 25 Johnson L/S fwd controls $900 25 Yamaha 4 stroke, as new, $3950

5hp Mercury ’97 s/s $950 6hp Johnson l/s ’77 fully serviced with new w/pump $590 40HP Evinrude ’88 electric start, no tilt, no oil injection, $1,500 40hp Mariner, $1,590 40hp Yamaha enduro with FWD controls, $2,500 50hp Johnson e/s ’74 runs well $950 225hp Johnson ’97 XL, $6,700

Lewis Marine 198-200 Campbell Street Hobart Phone 6234 7266

Marine Batteries Now available AC Delco Voyager deep cycle & starting marine/RV, maint. free batteries with built in charge indicator. Nor-Co Batteries, Devonport Ph 6424 6466

Fly gear for sale Saltwater gear - used once. Fenwick F912 large arbor with 300 metres dacron backing with #8 WF line.

Loomis F102 #10/11 GL3. All perfect condition $1000 Phone 63678149.

Honda 2HP motor

Port Sorell Marine 7 Club Drive, Shearwater Phone 6428 7124

A super little 2hp 4 stroke motor.

Fuel tank incorporated into motor.

Super economical with Honda reliability. $600. Contact Mike Stevens 0418129949.

Lewis Marine

Honda

Secondhand Boats 12’ trailer, no rego. $300 10’ Sillinger Inflatable, fibreglass floor. $1,895 375 Dolphin, Bermuda, 9.9hp Mercury ’03 and 3.7m trailer. [raffle prize] NEW $4,500 4.18m Savage Kestrel, and trailer all ’98 $3,750 15’ Pride r/bout, and trailer $3,750 146 Haines Hunter, 65hp Suzuki, trailer, $6,150 500 Quintrex, 75hp Yamaha, trailer, sounder, VHF radio all’Dec ’01 $21,000 470 Haines 80hp Yamaha, trailer full covers, VHF, 250DX sounder all Sept ’01, $22,000 Whittley 600 Monterey, F115hp Yam, Mackay trailer, f/covers, 12hrs, all Jan ’03, $51,000 Secondhand motors

Phone 6391-2220 Lowrance X97 Depth Sounder Brand New, with RAM bracket. $870 6391-2220 GLoomis Flyrod GL3 690 4 piece, with case VGC $400 6391-2220 Thomas & Thomas Flyrod 6 weight 10 foot 4 piece, with case As new $780 6391-2220

Wanted 5-15hp short shaft outboard. Must be in good condition. Phone Mike Stevens 0418129949.

Stessl Edgetracker 12’ (3.8 metres) with 15hp Yamaha motor, good trailer, casting deck and flat floor. Includes anchor, paddles etc. Only 10 hours use in freshwater since new. $4500.

Phone 6344 8372 AH.

Seaport Marine OUTBOARDS 15HP Johnson,long, forward controls $1200 60HP Mariner, long ELPTO forward controls $4250 15HP Evinrude, long, tiller $1750 25HP Evinrude, electric forward controls $1550 35HP Evinrude, long, power trim, forward controls $3750 85CV Yamaha EL PT forward controls $5500

30Hp outboard, 4 stroke motor, 3 years old, little use $3000. Phone 6229 7966 B/H, 0418 123 594 A/H

Wanted Fishing shack or land Arthurs Lake.

Prefer Morass area. Must have water views Tasmanian/Australian fly fishing books. Wigram, French, Sloane etc. Phone 63446866 (H) 0419 177706.

R.L.Winston Rod 5 weight, 2 piece, 2.4metres, $450 Ph 03 62731200. 03 62734330 Canoe 16’ Canadian with Minn Kota 36lb electric motor, VGC $550

Advertisements.$11each.Youcanincludeupto30words-alladvs.mustbeprepaid.Justwriteoutyouradvert.andsend,Emailorfaxitwithcreditcarddetails to Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News, PO Box 7504, Launceston, 7250 Fax 6331 1278. Email fishn@bigpond.net.au Name ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ ....

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Fishing News - Page 38

NOW AT 600F SIGNATURE

3 91 / 1 a W E ST B U R Y R O A D , P R O S P E CT . ( d o w n f ro m C a s i n o ro u n d a b o u t )

Stockists of these quality products:

Mackay trailer, 175 Evinrude direct injection two stroke, clip in carpet, compass, s/s ladder, cockpit lights, live bait tank, deckwash, rear lounge (folding), s/s folding rod rack, two tone hull, length 6.25, beam 2.43, deadrise $ 33-21 degree, 2 berth, towing weight 1960 kg

56,500

SEAPORT MARINE WORKSHOP AND SERVICE CENTRE • Certified factory mechanics • Fully equipped workshop

• Specialising in EFi 4 and 2 stroke

• Quality servicing and advice • Servicing all makes and models

SCORPION SP SL 5.0

Dunbier trailer, 75 hp Mercury Elpto, Bimini top and clears, walk-thru screen, bow sprit, forward storage, full carpet, 60 litre fuel tank, length 5.0, $ beam 2.10.....................................................

27,500

4 ltr 2 stroke premium.............................................$28.80 10 ltr 2 stroke premium...........................................$76.40 4 ltr Multi 2 stroke ..................................................$23.70 4 ltr 4 stroke ............................................................$20.80 1 ltr PWC (jet ski) ...................................................$8.80

BOMBADIER OIL SPECIALS

10 ltr 2 stroke .........................................................$67.20 4 ltr 2 stroke ...........................................................$27.45 1 ltr 2 stroke ............................................................$6.60 1 ltr 4 stroke synthetic blend ...................................$11.00 1 ltr 4 stroke ............................................................$6.60 4 ltr All purpose Marine Cleaner ............................$22.00

391/1A Westbury Road, Prospect. Ph. 6344 3311

Work or Play Nothing beats a Holden

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SPARE PARTS - MERCURY FACTORY OILS

Holden Crewman Cross 8

The Holden Crewman Cross 8 is awesome. It’s a clever combination of passenger car comfort with the no nonsense practicability of a serious working ute. 225 kilowatts of grunt from the 5.7 litre V8 with a towing capacity of 2500kg. With the freedom of four doors and a wide range of options this is a freedom machine.

Holden Adventra

Who said you can’t have the best of both worlds? Holden Adventra uses the latest technology to help you get back to what driving is all about. Powered by the awesome 235kw 5.7 litre V8 with the Cross Trac all wheel drive system the Adventra will get you there and back with comfort, style and safety.

Hobart: 179 Macquarie Street, Ph 62201171 L’ton:CnrFrederick&BathurstSt,Ph63329101 Devonport:6-8VictoriaParade,Ph64244033 Burnie: 60 - 65 Marine Terrace, Ph 6431 1122 www.motors.net.au Fishing News - Page 39

‘......I recommend Honda.....’

‘One of the most important things to me in business is reliable machinery. In my contracting business, Crossroads, I use Caterpillar products because they are considered by many as ‘the best’ and are renowned for reliability and dependability. I want to be able to get contracts done quickly and efficiently. With Caterpillar I can do that with the utmost faith.

For similar reasons I chose Honda outboards for my new boat. I run twin Honda 130s on my 7.3 metre Ocean Cylinder and it performs like a dream. Honda outboards are incredibly quiet, smooth and deliver economy that amazes me. And unlike the two strokes I’ve had in the past - there’s no two-stroke fumes or oil to worry about. I recommend Honda with the greatest confidence. By the way I also have a Honda, Type ‘R’ Integra that is nearly as much fun as my boat.’ Dale Stacey

H

onda is the biggest manufacturer of four stroke engines in the world producing around 10 million every year. Honda’s has a single mindedness and commitment to four stroke engines no other company can remotely match. Sure Honda know how to make two stroke engines, in fact we’re famous for them - winning seven of the last eight World Motorcycle Championships with them. In 2002 500cc 2-Stroke Grand Prix bikes were dropped and Moto GP 4-Strokes introduced. It was no suprise to anyone that Honda rider Valentino Rossi blitzed the field - leaving all other riders in his wake.

Honda also know that to achieve the ultimate in boating pleasure, comfort, fuel economy and performance, only a four stroke will do. Honda

believes their four stroke outboard engines are the best in the world. Honda has the largest range of four stroke engines on the market, from 2 to 225 horsepower (and 52 models in between).

Honda remains solely dedicated to the advancement and development of four stroke and the benefits it will bring to our environment and the quality of your life.

Thankfully, Honda’s specialist dealers remain as passionate as our engineers. For you, it all adds up to value that lasts. In years to come, when you’re accustomed to the sheer joy of boating with a Honda 4-Stroke, you’ll truly know the satisfaction of having made the right choice.

Honda four stroke outboards - a natural

2 l 5 l 8 l 10 l 15 l 20 l 25 l 30 l 40 l 50 l 75 l 90 l 115 l 130 l 175 l 200 l 225 Horsepower

For further details contact: • LindsayDeeganMarine;102EastlandDrive,Ulverstone,Ph.64252238 • Lifestyle Marine; 14 Dry St Invermay, Launceston, Ph. 6331 9507 o wer in t u n e w i th n a tu r e Or phone Honda, freecall 1800 80 75 90.

P

The NEW Stessl Edgetrack-

‘By far the best boat I’ve ever had anything to do Port Sorell boater Royce Mather has been boating for many years and when it came time for a new tinny he looked closely at the new Stessl Edgetracker.

Royce had owned one of the earlier models and was very happy with service it had given him.

‘It was a good, tough, stable boat that served me well’, Royce said.

‘After a test drive there was no doubt in my mind that the new Edgetracker was a far better boat. Now after using it in both estuaries and out at sea on the west coast crayfishing I am convinced it is by far the best boat I’ve ever had anything to do with.’ Royce concluded.

Fishing News - Page 40

Superb stability, smooth ride, low power requirements

Strength you can rely on

Stessl Platerix - strength in a boat like never before

•4mmhightensileplate•Fulllength,6mmstringers•4mmbulkheads (max spacing 380mm) • Max. unsupported distance 420mm.

A completely new, re-engineered hull and bow has taken the legendary Edgetracker into a new league. Whilst keeping the highly revered Edgetracker system aft, the new bow has made the ride even better and enhanced the ability to perform with a minimum of horsepower. All heavy duty boats from 3.85 metres (pictured) have a massive 2 metre beam giving awesome stability; and Tournament models have a 2m x 2m casting platform.

•StandardinallBluewater,MakoandTrophiesover4.8metres

The lightweight models - ideal for cartopping range from 3 metres at 50kg up to 3.7 metres at 75kg

102 Eastland Drive Ulverstone

6425 2238

Stessl • Trailcraft • Cruise Craft • Stabi-Craft • Honda • Evinrude • Johnson • Tohatsu