Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Issue 063 2006 August

Print Post approved; PP 702512 00027

Issue 63 August - September 2006

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Trout are the primary target of many at this time of the year. Tasmania’s trout season opens 5 August in 2006.

• Bream research revealed • Fly lines in depth • Steve Starling • Bluefin bonanza • Garfish • Boats • Trout for beginners • George Town • Reviews • NW coast salmon • Trout trolling secrets • Tournament news• Jan’s flies • Sarah’s kitchen

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CONTENTS

Sinking fly lines for better results - Joe Riley 4

My Say

Sarah’s Kitchen - Sarah Sherriff 9 Understanding bream - Ryuji Sakabe and Jeremy Lyle

10

Pedra Branca bluefin bonanza - Tim Anderson

12

Trout for beginners - Andrew Richardson 15 Bream tournament news 18 Fly lines explained - Peter Hayes 20 Marine fishery news 22 Inland fishery and stocking news 22 St Helens garfish - Jamie Henderson 26 Fishing and Boating Directory 28 Tackle for soft plastics - Steve Starling 29 Classifieds and subscriptions - and how to WIN $3000 in gear

33

Fishing around George Town - Damon Sherriff

34

Jan’s flies - Jan Spencer 36 Early season trolling - Bill Presslor 38 Fishermans basket - Reviews 40 North-west coast Australian salmon - Jamie Harris

42

Early season trout - John Orchard 44

Quenton and I put in a fair effort getting this edition to you before the trout season started.

It is always a rush, but well worth it as by the time you see the magazine we can have a little break and probably catch a few fish.

The Inland Fisheries Service has done a lot of work in regard to making more fish available at easily accessed waters.

You can see where they have been concentrating their stocking efforts on page 22.

Chasing the huge Atlantic salmon that have been stocked is not really my cup of tea, but for some the chance of catch something the size of a small pig it holds enormous appeal. Good luck to them - especially if it keeps them away from my secret waters.

Over the past few years I have been fortunate to have been on many advisory councils, committees, advisory groups etc. The Minister, David Llewellyn has just invited me back on to marine

recreational advisory council, RecFac, and I will be pleased to keep up the effort to continually improve the marine recreational fishery.

I have also taken a keen interest in the Anglers Alliance of Tasmania. This is the group that replaced the old Freshwater Anglers Council of Tasmania (FACT).

FACT did a huge amount for Tasmania and this reconsolidation looks like it will be even stronger - thanks to the enthusiasm of its members. These include representatives from most trout associations and clubs as well as some independent members and tackle trade representatives—which is area I represent.

On Saturday 22 July I was fortunate to be voted in as the new Chairman and hope to be able to support this group to the full. There is some very serious work to be done regarding angler access and this will be high on the agenda.

If you have issues regarding fresh or saltwater feel free to email or phone me.

Mike Stevens

Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News

Published by Michael Stevens PO Box 7504, Launceston, 7250. Ph/fax; 6331 1278 Email; fishn@bigpond.net.au Advertising: Quenton Higgs - 0427 129 949 Stevens Publishing, ABN 79 095 217 299 All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the publisher.

Print Post approved; PP 702512 00027 Printed by Harris Print, 39 Alexander St, Burnie

Fishing News - Page 3

Sinking fly lines for early season success Joe Riley is as keen an angler as they come. With the opening season approaching he can barely sleep. Joe has fished in many competitions and in this article he reveals a few of his tips on how to maximise your results during the early part of the season with sinking fly lines.

As we battle through the short days of a Tasmanian winter where the temperature rarely climbs into double digits, the thought of standing in the water at dawn with ice freezing in your rod rings really shouldn't make a sane man’s heart race. While trout anglers aren't exactly insane, we aren't quite regarded as normal either. I know this by the look on my wife's face as I sneak out before daybreak at every opportunity once the brown trout season starts in August. This conclusion is confirmed by the puzzled look on my workmates faces as I'm talking non stop about heading up to the lakes to face the snow and chill wind in order to fish an alpine lake in the last month of winter.

Hot Prospects

Fishing predictions for August and September Tom Crawford, Spot On - Hobart Derwent River has been fishing well for bream and this will continue in Aug/Sep. Good sized bream 38-42 cm to the fork are falling to Berkeley pumpkin seed and Sqiddgy soft plastics, also Tilsan minnows and Halco RMGs. Sea run brownies to 1 – 3kgs also on soft plastic are generating plenty of interest. Bruny Island producing nice Australian salmon and exciting bluefin fishing is expected to continue off Pedra Branca.

Leroy Tirant, Big Fin, Devonport Mako, blackback and flathead are expected to hot in Aug/Sep. Best baits being fresh cut couta, squid or tuna. Flathead are also keen on the Silstar Jigem rigs dragged slowly across the bottom.

Soft plastics have also been effective. Gummy sharks proving good interest out-wide in 30-35mts water, again on fresh cut bait.

Lance Newman, Fishcare Volunteer - St Helens Georges Bay garfish are running hot with biggies up to 52cm coming to net. Try a bit of chicken skin for bait cast into a good burley trail. Garfish should be plentiful until October. With good rain falling at Mt Victoria the Georges, South Esk and Break O’Day have plenty of water making for some good catches during August/ September. Worms fished in the flooded margins and small Celtas or soft plastics should also fill the pan for dinner.

Mike Fry, Ormiston House - Strahan August is when the whitebait start running up the Gordon. There are two types of browns in the Gordon; resident browns and sea runners. Usually at the start of the season they are a bit out of condition but as soon as they start feeding on the whitebait they put on weight quickly. Tassie Devils with whitebait dropper do the trick as do Stumpjumper lures. Should be plenty of action on whitebait in the Henty. Blackback should be starting September/October. A couple of brave locals have been heading out past the heads to the first drop off and pulling in a few stripey......not for the faint-hearted, given recent weather conditions!

Neil Gray, Tassie Tackle and Outdoor, Burnie Some good Australian salmon landed at Marrawah area eg. Sinking Rock, Nettley Bay and Arthur River on silver slice lures. The action should get better over the next two months. Good sized flathead being caught off Sisters Beach out wide and as the temperature increases shallower water action is expected. Big Atlantic salmon continue to be caught from Lake Barrington using big, bright coloured lures. Nilsmasters are a good option that also takes some nice Rainbows. IFS released more fish and these should now be on the bite.

Fishing News - Page 4

There are plenty of trout available early in the season. Sometimes though they are at a depth that can only be effectively fished with a sinking line.

If you are prepared to face the cold, sometimes inclement weather the opportunities exist for excellent fly fishing from opening weekend in the lakes of Tasmania, both lowland and in the central highlands. Intelligent uses of floating and sinking lines can provide good bags of fish from the very start of the season. The skills attained with a sinking line will also keep you in good stead right through the season when a floating line alone does not work according to plan.

There are three elements to successful wet fly fishing.

1. Fishing the flies at the right depth for as long as possible on each cast.

2. Using the right retrieve, both speed and type.

3. Maintaining maximum contact with the flies right through the retrieve.

Sinking lines

I love fishing sinking lines. Not a comment to be made at the dry fly society annual dinner old chap, but for outright effectiveness at catching trout, sinking lines are an essential tool in the fly fishing armoury. Fishing an appropriate sinking line at the right depth will let you fish the flies where the fish are at for longer. This can be done at the right retrieve speed on the day and with maximum contact with the flies, these are the keys to catching trout with wet flies.

Sinking fly lines come in all manner of sink rates and types. The following is a quick guide to the sink rates of some common fly line manufacturers.

Airflo match their sink rates to the line descriptor.

Airflo sinking lines are prefixed DI, for example:

DI3 – 3 ips (inches per second), DI4 – 4 ips and so on down to a DI8 – super fast 8 ips.

Scientific Angler label their sinking lines Wet Cell.

The sink rate of these lines is similar, however the prefix for their sinking lines is 'Type': Type I – 1¼ to 1¾ ips, Type II – 2 to 2¾ ips, Type III – 3¼ to 4½ ips, Type IV – 3¾ to 5½ ips.

Cortland sinking fly lines following the Cortland 444 model sink rates: Type 1 slow (intermediate) 1¼ - 1¾ ips, Type 2 fast 2½ - 3 ips, Type 3 extra fast 3½ - 4 ips, Type 4 super sinker 4¼ - 5 ips, Type 5 super fast 5¼ - 6 ips, Type 6 extra super sinker 6¼ - 7 ips.

I think you get the picture. Basically they all sink around an inch per second similar to the sink type described for the line.

There are also intermediate sinking lines, these sink at rates between .5 ips for a slow intermediate, up to 2 ips for a fast intermediate.

Fishing the flies at the right depth for as long as possible each cast.

The fly patterns used are important, however if you are using flies that you have confidence in, change lines before you change flies. Getting the flies closer to the level the trout are will result in more takes than changing

A marrow spoon can give you a very good idea of what a fish has been eating and it then allows you to ‘match the hatch’. If used carefully a marrow spoon will not harm the fish and they can be released after finding what they have been feeding on.

A good straight line in contact with the flies on the horizontal plane.

There is a large selection of sinking lines available.

Boxes are usually clearly marked as to the sink rate. flies and still fishing them at a level in the water that the trout aren't willing to come up to. This is especially important in the early season when fish are a bit lethargic and less likely to chase flies. The important factor with flies is to make sure there is some weight in at least one of the flies on your cast, preferably the point (end) fly. This will make sure the flies sink at a similar rate to the fly line and don't allow a belly to develop where the flies stay up high in the water and fish over the fish. The reason I also prefer the weighted fly to be on the point is that it helps 'anchor' the rig, this has the effect that it maintains the maximum amount of contact with all of the flies if you are fishing a team of two or three.

Using the correct sink rate line will get the flies to a chosen depth quickly, this is important when you are in a drifting boat, as the longer it takes your flies to get down to the right depth, the less time you will have to retrieve as the boat encroaches on the flies as it drifts.

You can reach depths up to 12ft to 14ft by using a floating line with a long leader and weighted flies, but all of the 3 keys are compromised in some way. It takes a long time to reach the depth you want to fish, retrieve type and speed is compromised as you need to fish slowly to keep the flies at the chosen depth otherwise the flies will be pulled upwards by a fast retrieve out of the depth the fish are holding, and fishing a floating line with a long leader you have a large downward curve in the line and leader which compromises maximum contact with the flies.

The important thing to remember here is that the longer the flies are at the depth of the fish, the more likely they are to take it. continued next page.......

A large drooping curve, when slack is not taken up as the line and flies sink, means maximum contact is lost. Chances are takes by fish will not even be felt.

A floating line with a large curve down to sinking flies. Again contact is lost and takes are either not felt, or felt too late.

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Fishing News - Page 5

Using the right retrieve, both speed and type

So now you want to fish at a given depth of about 8 ft as you drift along a shore line.

You need a line that will get you to the depth quickly, but will allow you to fish at varied speeds without pulling the flies high in the water if you fish quickly, or snag the bottom if you fish slowly. A line around the sink rate of 5 to 6 is ideal.

When you cast, count the flies down, just taking up the slack that develops, keeping the belly from developing in the line. Do this until you are confident you are at the right depth, good indicators to this are either by getting a take, or by hitting the bottom.

If you do the latter reduce your count on following casts until you no longer hit the bottom. Consistency is the key, and once you get it right, continue as long as things appear the same, if the depth changes or takes dry up, it could be time for a bit of a change, experiment again until you get it right once more.

Adjust your lines to the depth you want to fish, early in the season trout will usually hold the bottom because there is very little food available high in the water column, apart from the odd midge hatch in calm weather.

Most of the food is close to the bottom and so are the fish.

Vary your retrieves, slow figure 8 just moving the flies, through to a fast retrieve.

Try both constant and pull pause retrieves.

A fast constant retrieve by the 'rolly polly' method is at times deadly. Cast a long line; go through the count down staying in contact then place the rod under your arm pit and do a rolling hand retrieve with both hands. Vary and experiment until you find the retrieve that fish are interested in and concentrate on that retrieve, experimenting again every now and then to make sure things haven't changed.

Fishing News - Page 6

Concentration and keeping in constant touch with your flies will increase your results many-fold.

The trick is find what retrieve the fish like and concentrate on that.

Maintaining maximum contact with the flies right through the retrieve

There are times where you can use a belly in your line to good effect in fly fishing, however this is always done in such a way as to maintain contact with the flies and usually uses moving water either in a river or currents created by wind on a lake.

When fishing wets from a moving boat or from shore when there is not a lot of current in the water you need to have maximum contact with the flies. Nearly everybody has heard by now about hanging the flies at the end of the retrieve and how effective this technique is. I'll stick my neck out and say as many trout take flies 'on the sink', after the cast has initially been made while the flies sink statically in the water. The problem is that unless you have good contact with the flies these takes will go undetected.

Once the cast has been made, put the rod tip to the water pointing directly along

the fly line. Begin to take up the slack, not pulling the line, but also not allowing a belly to be created in it. Do this as you count down to your desired depth then begin your retrieve, as you do this raise the rod tip to about 300mm off the water still pointing along the fly line. Fish the retrieve at your chosen speed and then hang the flies at the end by raising the rod tip, and stopping the retrieve so the flies stop moving and hang in the water while you watch your line and rod tip for a visible take.

If the flies are in the water, they can be eaten

Concentrate on maintaining contact and fishing the flies from the moment they hit the water.

Conclusion

Fly fishing with only a floating line is a bit like playing a round of golf using only a 3 iron. It can be done, you can have lots of fun, but of course a range of clubs will be a lot more effective for your overall score.

Sinking lines can be used for both river and lake fishing, in both the lowlands and highlands.

Early in the season they are the most effective way to fish lakes like Arthurs Lake, Bronte Lagoon, Tooms Lake and any other venue where fish are not visibly moving around the shallows, or feeding on midge.

If you choose to venture into sinking fly lines, you don't need every sink type to fish effectively.

An intermediate, type 3 and type 5 will be more than enough to cover nearly all of the conditions that you will encounter in Tasmania.

Regardless of whether you use a floating line or sinking line, the keys to successful wet fly fishing apply equally. Paying attention to detail and using the three elements of wet fly fishing will increase your catch rate when fishing wet flies.

Finally, not every fish in a lake runs to spawn each year. There are a good number of fish that don't spawn and these fish are in superb condition from opening day. I had a quick fish at Little Pine Lagoon with a friend on the Saturday evening of the closing weekend last season. We boated four brown trout of which only two were in spawn, the other two were in magnificent condition, still bright orange flesh and stomachs full of scud. These non spawning fish will be in just the same condition when the brown trout season opens on Saturday 5 August. This fact alone will no doubt see me catching the same incredulous looks from my wife and workmates as I head to the lakes for another season opening in the chill winds of winter.

Joe Riley You could win a fly rod if you subscribe.

See page 33.

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Fishing News - Page 7

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20/7/06 10:20:27 AM

Sarah’s Kitchen I was invited to a dinner party just recently and was asked to bring a couple of Thai fish dishes. They turned out really well so I thought that I would share them with you.

I hope that you like them.

Derwent Bridge Chalets

Fish Cakes

500g flake fillets 2 tablespoons red curry paste 2 fresh kaffir lime leaves, torn 2 green onions, chopped coarsely 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 tablespoon lime juice 2 tablespoons fresh coriander 60g round green beans, chopped finely 2 small red chillies, chopped finely peanut oil, for deep frying Cut fish into small pieces.

Place into a food processor with the lime leaves, curry paste, onion, fish sauce and lime juice.

Blend until the mixture is a smooth paste.

Place into a bowl and mix in coriander, beans and chillies.

Roll heaped tablespoons of mixture into ball and then flatten out; repeat with remaining mixture.

Just before serving, heat oil in wok or large saucepan; deep-fry fish cakes in batches until browned lightly and cooked through.

Drain on absorbent paper; serve with fresh coriander leaves and lime wedges.

Fish in spicy coconut cream 2 teaspoons peanut oil 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 teaspoon grated ginger 20g piece fresh tumeric, grated finely 2 fresh chillies, sliced thinly 1 ½ cups fish stock 400ml coconut cream 20g piece fresh galangal, halved 1 stick fresh lemon grass, cut into 2cm pieces 800g firm white fish fillets 2 tablespoons fish sauce 2 green onions, thinly sliced

Sarah Sherriff Heat oil in wok or large frying pan.

Cook garlic, ginger, tumeric and chilli, stirring until fragrant.

Add stock, coconut cream. Galangal and lemon grass and bring to the boil.

Add fish and reduce heat.

Simmer; covered for about 8 minutes or until fish is cooked.

Remove and discard galangal and lemon grass pieces.

Carefully remove the fish from the sauce.

Place it into a bowl and cover to keep warm.

Bring sauce to the boil and boil for 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the fish sauce and onion.

Pour sauce over the fish and serve.

There are lots of things that fishers can turn their hand to in the off-season eg. house painting, servicing fishing gear or fly tying but I figured I would try to stay a bit fitter for later forays into the western lakes by walking the Overland Track. We had a week to spare and with snow forecast mid June the thought of a winter challenge was quite exciting.

The walk is the good part; getting to the starting point at St Clair from Launceston and home from Cradle needs nearly as much planning! We arrived at Derwent Bridge on Tassielink via Hobart and after enjoying a top steak and glass of red at the pub we retired to a cosy unit at Derwent Bridge Chalets. Mine host Murray Jessup (Trout Guides and Lodges Assoc. member) has developed ten chalets that can very comfortably accommodate blokes, couples or families that would be an ideal for anglers wanting to fish Lake St Clair or King William or just to explore the area.

Stay for a few nights or just rest overnight, in a fully self contained holiday unit or studio cabin situated just 5kms from Lake St Clair on the southern boundary of the National Park. Enjoy superb comfort and facilities for an active, romantic or restful holiday in this beautiful wilderness area only a couple of hours drive from Hobart.

Choose from a variety of outdoor activities – a range of bush walks from 1 – 7 hours, trout fishing in up to fifteen lakes, canoeing or boating on Lake St Clair or cycling of quiet roads and tracks. Take the ferry from Cynthia Bay to Narcissus River for local bush walking or commencing the Overland Track, trout fishing or photography in this idyllic location. An easy day trip is to Queenstown and a ride on the Abt Wilderness railway.

The options are endless.

Anyway to cut a long story short we had a great walk, plenty of snow and ample time to make a sidewalk into the Mersey Falls. Conditions were too icy to tackle the Mt Ossa or Mt Pelion East climb. Got some neat photos of Lake Windermere and I’ve earmarked a return trip to this area featuring lots of other tarns. These connect to the Mersey so I’m wondering if our spotty friend might have sniffed out these hidden spots? If you’re considering this trip in winter I recommend you walk south to north meaning that you have adverse weather on your back!

And don’t forget that comfy night at Derwent Bridge Chalets. Quenton Higgs Phone 6289 1000 or www.troutwalks.com.au You could win a stay at Derwent bridge if you subscribe.

See page 33

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Understanding the movement patterns of bream Ryuji Sakabe and Jeremy Lyle Over the past decade the sporting qualities of black bream have been recognised increasingly amongst Tasmanian anglers, as has the overall quality of the Tasmanian fishery. Unlike mainland states, the commercial sale of bream is prohibited in Tasmania, effectively achieving recreational-only status for the species and avoiding many of the problems of overfishing experienced elsewhere.

In this article PhD student Ryuji Sakabe and Dr Jeremy Lyle of the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute (TAFI) report initial findings of a research project tracking movements of black bream in the Little Swanport Estuary, a popular bream fishing area. This project is part of a wider study of bream ecology and was supported through funding provided by the Fishwise Community Grants scheme.

The Little Swanport Estuary occupies an area of approximately 6.5 km2 and is located on the western side of Great Oyster Bay. The estuary is relatively shallow ranging from approximately 1 to 9 m deep at high tide, has a narrow entrance of approximately 30 m wide and 5 m deep, and a long channel, with numerous shoals and irregular shape (refer map next page).

During the winter of 2005 thirty-five bream, ranging from 272 to 430 mm fork length, were tagged and released in the Little Swanport Estuary. An acoustic pinger tag, about the size of a cigarette butt, was surgically implanted into the gut cavity of

the fish, which were then tracked over a period of up to seven months using moored hydrophone receivers. Ten of these acoustic receivers were deployed throughout the estuary, from the Little Swanport Bridge to the estuary entrance (see map), continuously recording each time an individual tagged fish passed within approximately 500 m of a receiver. In addition, environmental data loggers and regular sampling provided information about water quality, in particular salinity and temperature.

Unfortunately, the acoustic tag inserted into the largest bream (430 mm) malfunctioned and the two upstream hydrophone receivers (B01 and B02) flooded, resulting no movement information from the upper reaches of the estuary. The remaining 34 acoustic tags and 8 hydrophone receivers worked well and have provided an extensive dataset of bream movement data that can now be correlated with environmental and biological (spawning) parameters.

According to the results, few tagged fish were detected at the estuary entrance and when they were they were typically redetected within a short period further up into the estuary, providing no evidence to indicate that bream left the estuary within the study period. Most of the tagged fish showed localised movements within the middle reaches of the estuary, the most conspicuous pattern being influenced by the tidal cycle.

As indicated in the graph that relates tidal

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Postto;TasmanianFishingandBoating News, PO Box 7504, Launceston, 7250 Fishing News - Page 10

Reg Wynwood caught these two Atlantic salmon at Lake Barrington weighing 18.7lb and 11.5lb on a McGrath Fluoro Carp bib lure.

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Bream are a long living fish that are well adapted to Tasmania’s estuaries, but little is known of the movements within those systems. cycle (tide height) and location within the estuary (receiver number) (see graph), bream regularly moved upstream during the flood tide (to the vicinity of receiver B03) and then returned downstream with the ebb tide (typically to either receivers B08 or B09).

During the experimental period several flood events were experienced which resulted in a dramatic lowering of the salinity throughout the estuary. Under such circumstances bream were observed to move downstream to the lower reaches of the estuary, remaining there until salinities started to increase to more normal levels.

Spawning in bream occurs from late August to mid-January and in Little Swanport spawning fish are known to aggregate in the upper estuary, in water that is brackish.

As receiver B03 was positioned where the Little Swanport River entered the estuary, any fish moving further upstream would have been detected at this point. Assuming that movements upstream of B03 during the spawning season were primarily related to spawning, it was evident that individual fish probably spent up to two weeks on the spawning grounds before moving back into the estuary proper. It was also apparent that individual fish moved on and off the spawning beds several times within the spawning season. However, during the study period, there was constant rainfall around the Little Swanport Estuary and the level of freshwater input was much higher than usual. The combination of upstream and downstream movement for spawning and in response to freshwater discharge may have influenced the observed behaviour such that

Acoustic tag.

Closing procedure after inserting acoustic tag.

in more typical spawning season bream may tend to remain on the spawning grounds for longer periods.

There is a considerable amount of work still to be done in order to fully analyse our dataset but preliminary results suggest little or no dispersal of adult fish out of the estuary; a strong correlation between tidal cycle and movement patterns, the relationships between salinity and bream distribution; and existence of small-scale spawning migrations. In many respects this study will have confirmed what experienced bream fishers understand about bream behaviour but it also serves to highlight some vulnerabilities about bream stocks.

If, as our findings suggest, there is little or no mixing of bream populations between estuaries, localised stock depletions are possible, especially in some of the smaller systems.

Furthermore, aggregating behaviour during the spawning season has the potential to attract increased fishing activity, further pressuring the stocks. In order to maintain the quality of the bream fishery we need to better understand the species ecology and nature of the fishery. Current research at TAFI should go someway to achieving this outcome.

Map of the Little Swanport Estuary showing locations of acoustic receivers (B01 – B10). Squares indicate the sites where tagged fish were released.

An example of the tidal influence on upstream and downstream movements of a tagged bream from 2nd – 6th August 2005. Location of the fish relative to the acoustic receiver number is indicated as the open square symbols. Continuous line represents tide height over time.

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Fax (03) 6234 8024 Fishing News - Page 11

Pedra Branca bluefin bonanza Tim Anderson tells the tale of an extraordinary fishing event—fishing for Southern bluefin tuna off Tasmania’s south east coast.

Arrival 1 June

At 4.05pm and full of anticipation I stabbed the key into the vehicle ignition, left work and headed directly to Southport to meet a group of friends. A weather window had opened up and given us the opportunity for a two day shot at larger than average southern bluefin tuna off Southern Tasmania at Pedra Branca in the southern ocean.

Reports had been coming in for several weeks that fish to 80kg and more were being caught, mostly from larger boats and charter operations.

Smaller craft were also joining in on the action albeit when weather permitted and the fish were still there and on the chew.

On my arrival at 8.20pm I located the boat “Ice Age” which would be our 25ft assault platform for several days and set about waiting for the group to return from god knows where.

Our accommodation was great and we had a choice of several locations. The second option was taken on a subsequent trip and proved more fishermen friendly.

Information regarding where to stay was gained from the internet and our choice was Southport cottages, which was well priced and very comfortable. Another crew had hired one of the locals’ shacks for a little more than a carton of premium beer for each night and also were happy with lodgings. The details of how they came to stay there are not known to me, however I have heard that several of these shacks are let out by the owners.

The night was spent checking drags and setting up gear. Reels were fitted with wind on leaders and the lures had shorter 400lb traces to enable easy handling of larger fish boat side. One

of the crew (we shall call “Rob”) had brought a 1942 broom handle rod which was fitted with a reel which can only be described as an elephant gun (it threw a leg out of bed later in the trip). On first appearance it appeared he had purchased a “jousting pole”.

Pitfalls

The following morning we slid the boat into the ramp and Cookie fired life into the twin 150s and waited for Rob and me to park the car and join him and Mason. The ramps were excellent and fairly new, however just prior to moving the vehicle Rob inadvertently decided to closely inspect the surface of the boat ramp.

This highlights that even new ramps can be very slippery, but luckily all extremities, cranium, hips remained undamaged and in their respective positions and we were luckily able to continue. The ramp is deep enough and excellently positioned to launch most, if not all trailerable craft.

Having passed the first hurdle we soon faced the second only a short distance from the ramp where the water shallows and a sand bar needs to be negotiated. “Animal” (another boat travelling in company) was kind enough to find the shallow water and mark it for us (on the plane). After a little help from the crew with paddles the skipper was back in business and we continued east and into the channel.

To negotiate the sand you need to stay close to a small island passing on the Northern side. A careful approach will enable easy navigation past this bar even on low tide. The water then deepens and becomes easily navigable. The approximately 30 nautical mile run to Pedra gave us several options. Once you pass Southport Island you can turn and head inside Actaeon and Sterile Islands toward Recherche Bay heading out at Whale head or go wide outside the Islands.

The Rock - Pedra Branca gave up some extraordinary bluefin during 2006.

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Fishing News - Page 12

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If you choose the latter course give the islands a wide berth as breakers can be seen outside the islands and there are a lot of reefs and foul ground around and up to several miles off the islands.

Once you are at Whale Head, Pedra lies about 15 miles to sea in a south easterly direction, a good GPS or plotter should be used when heading to Pedra.

I would not recommend going in seas bigger than a 2.5 metres and check all the weather and swell forecasts. The best sources are “Bureau of Meteorology” (BOM) and “buoys weather” government internet sites. These will give wind, weather and wave height information and are far more accurate than channel X.

The rock

Slowly but surely Pedra loomed larger as we approached it was covered in birds, seals and guano. To the North was Eddystone Rock which is a needle towering some 50 metres from the water.

We immediately deployed a squid and several pushers on 24kg and 37kg gear.

We had not travelled 100 metres in trolling mode before both pusher clad rods buckled to the deck and screamed line off. I have never seen line peel from 37kg so easily before. The 24Kg rod did not stay solid for long and Rob battled an 80kg plus bluefin with his jousting stick for around 30 minutes before it cut us off at the boat (can’t believe that the rod was actually able to bend).

It took minutes of trolling again before a rod again went off. The squid were retired as pushers became the flavour of the day. Generally a variety of larger and smaller lures, both pusher and straight running should be tried to find what the fish are eating. Watching out the back the fish could be seen smashing the lure, leaving a large hole in the water or coming clear of the water on occasions. Free swimming fish were regularly observed smashing up bait under the birds and around seal packs.

To tag or land these fish a good boat man is required; and expect a lot of circling around to keep the seals at bay. We had several nice fish killed at the side of the boat or taken by seals and as such had to keep several fish. The helmsman will need to keep the boat above them or to chase if the fish turns on the afterburner. Fast reaction, boat speed, constant communication and manoeuvring is the key to keep the line from tagging the engines.

Tuna usually swim in circles and the task is made easier if the boat is used to circle in the same direction whilst the angler pumps and winds the fish up. Circling also leaves less opportunity for angry seals to grab the fish and kill it. I promote tag and release where possible and adhere to the two fish limit. I don’t begrudge any one of taking a fish, but in doing so hope they consider when making that decision the longevity of the sport and the enormous pressure these fish are under.

A good quality stand up harness and bucket is required due to the length of the fights and the pressure on the body. Anglers need to keep the pressure on and this can be achieved by squatting to lever the rod upwards and then winding as you stand to recover line. If the line parts then as we discovered a smack in the forehead by the rod is not uncommon.

Over the course of the first day we landed, tagged and released or lost about 15 fish. Only three of these fish were below 50kg and most around 75kg. The seals are large and nasty. We heard via radio of a deckie on a large charter boat being grabbed on the arm by a seal sliding up the marlin board to take a fish. These seals will happily grab and devour 80kg fish and we observed several flinging captured carcasses into the air after eating their fill.

Mason Paull is a huge man at around 130kg so imagine how big this Southern bluefin tuna was

Fishing News - Page 13

The rest of the day saw birds hitting the sea all around us in scenes that looked like heavy tropical rain, although the temperature hovered around 13 degrees. Getting on to the fish was as easy as heading toward the nearest pack of birds and before you arrived bang! As such we only deployed one or two rods at a time as any more were too difficult to handle.

Triple hooks-ups on large fish spells “buy some more gear”.

The fish will often go in different directions and often any manoeuvring will cut one or more of the lines, or a tangle / spooling will be the result. The rule of thumb is, if the fish are running hot keep the numbers of rods down.

Day one was not all beer and skittles as Rob alone sacrificed over $180 in lures to the great god Poseidon, (the rest of us were not far behind). All were lost by break-ups or massive strikes and anything lumo was a delicacy. These cold water fish pull very hard and I submit 24kg gear is a minimum tackle. We were often broken off on 37kg. One of the 50ft Riviera boats on day two was using 60kg and was broken off numerous times!!!!.

How wrong could we have been (Harry you missed out again)!The catches of large bluefin off Portland Victoria had us all juicing at the extremities but after a trip south I can now say “Portland you got nothing baby”. After an average year Mason capped with a 63kg record yellow fin on 15 kg then 5 – 6 Jumbo Blue fin at Pedra.

Every boat we saw had at least one if not more anglers bent over the side like u-bolts. On the radio, charter operators after the first half of the day chatted about struggling to convince someone to go and wind the fish in. Most anglers were spent and were not keen for subsequent goes at having fingers and arms stretched like to look like crayfish legs.

The trip certainly took away the mystery of the place and for first timers I suggest travelling with or in company of another craft that has traversed the distance before. This certainly makes a difference and adds a little bit of a safety factor. The seas here are treacherous and have taken life before so always keep an eye on the sea. Leave if you think it’s getting worse or is going to cut up because it’s a two hour plus journey back to the ramp.

Flying Scud

Surprisingly Mason took last strike resisting the urge to brush all aside to get to a rod. His ‘custom’ new 24kg Sabre, was top notch gear and he released several 75kg plus fish.

This rod was a replacement for one that exploded into pieces on a large mako off St Helens (whilst testing some ‘Peter Pakula’ theories).

On the day after my departure Mason tried the ‘big lure big fish theory’ and was shortly after rewarded by having his 14 inch pusher lure hoovered by a Collins class submarine. The fight was indicative of a much larger than the average 75kg plus specimen and several glimpses of the fish speculatively estimated it to be triple figures. It was not to be however and the fish broke off after several hours.

Day two of the trip was much the same as the first however the action had slowed a little so we ventured out to a reef known as the Flying Scud. This lies about two miles South East of Pedra and the bottom sharply rises from 120 metres to about 9 metres. I cannot say if the tide was in or out however I believe this does break on most occasions and the waves can stand up to twice high as high so caution is required.

A 50ft Riviera had drifted off from most of the boats and did not return for several hours. The reason we later found

Fishing News - Page 14

Best lures

Another bluefin too big to lift especially after a long fight. out via radio was a double hook up on 90kg plus and a triple figure fish of 113kg both of which were landed.

Huge Thursday, Massive Friday

I now like to refer to the two days, (Harry you missed out) as described in the title of this paragraph. The fishing was way better than one fateful day last year on a day (we like to call “Big Wednesday”), where Mason and I hooked, lost, and caught yellowfin between 30kg and an estimated 90kg plus.

That day yielded a nice fish of 57kg for Mason and I was told I would never see tuna fishing like that again.

Sometimes (due to windy conditions) as favoured by the southerners are weighted straight squid skirts about 8 inch, but on this trip the lures were basically anything that was a pusher style in 10 inch size like lumo Salt Shakers, Meridian lumos or general pushers in purple/blue, combinations green, or clear/pink ones.

The pushers on the top were getting hammered straight up most likely because the bait was on the top. This is supported by the bird action we saw.

Was a bit hard to set more than 2 rods in 500 metres of trolling!!!!

As the rock is a long journey and the remainder of the day is spent trolling around, serious consideration should be given to carrying extra fuel on board, (there is nothing between you and Antarctica if you run out). As a rough guide boats with 200 litres and under, powered by a large capacity motors should take extra fuel on board.

Tim Anderson You could win game lures if you subscribe.

See page 33.

Trout – a beginner’s guide I doubt that I’m alone in thinking the new trout season has come around rather quickly again this year. It hardly seems like twelve months ago I was messing about, throwing lures to the wide blue yonder at Four Springs Lake on opening day 2005.

Passing the throngs of fishermen lining the shore that day, many holding impressive-sized catches, I had to bide my time until I was lucky enough to hook a nice rainbow of aroundc1.5 kilo late in the afternoon.

I enjoyed my first opening day at this popular lake. The atmosphere there was one of excitement and I spoke to many people. All were friendly and seemingly happy to be back doing what they enjoy.

But what about the anglers out there who have never fished for trout at all? To you, this is a call!

I’m sure there are dedicated salt-water anglers who have often thought they might like to give trout fishing a try.

Perhaps they have seen the TV shows or read articles in this magazine and thought trout fishing sounded like a good thing, but for whatever reason, have never come around to giving it a go. If you fall into this category, or indeed have never fished at all previously, then here’s a few pointers to get you started.

So when purchasing a rod and reel combo for your first foray into trout fishing go for something around six-foot with a smallish reel, spooled with light line.

Local tackle stores will stock these combo’s by the dozen and all are pretty good value for the beginner.

Most will set you back somewhere in the order of fifty to seventy dollars, which is quite a bit easier on the hip pocket today than something similar was twenty-odd years ago.

Tackle

A visit to your local tackle store is again recommended.

The guys and girls who work in these stores are usually good natured and willing to help out someone wanting to try fishing of any kind for the first time.

You can get caught though. When I first bought some mudeyes from a particular tackle store I explained to the salesperson that I had not fished with them before. I ended up walking out of that shop with all kinds of floats; sinkers and hook arrangements that set me back nearly fifty dollars.

I later found out a simple bubble float and hook would have sufficed.

That shop is no longer in business, so perhaps I was not alone in feeling somewhat naïve and ripped off…

However, in all my years of buying tackle, that experience is the only negative one that I can recall. Asking for advice at a tackle store is not something that I am afraid to do even though I have been fishing for many years. Generally the salespeople have been excellent.

My Advice - buy tackle that suits where you plan to fish.

I will be heading back out to Four Springs Lake for opening day this year, again fishing lures, so if you plan to follow suit and do some shore based spinning the following lures are recommended to have in your tackle box.

I would recommend a couple of spinners, perhaps one in green and gold, as well as one black and red in colour. Added to that a spinner in black and gold, or in silver, and you’ll be well on your way to catching a trout or two.

As well as spinners, have a metal ‘spoon’ lure or two on hand. A plain silver ‘Wonder wobbler’ has caught me as many trout as any other lure I own. Other favorites of mine include a ‘Wonder krockodile’ in green and gold as well as a ‘Pegron’ spoon in red.

continued next page.....

Buy a license

To most this is obvious. To the novice it may not be so plain. So let it be known that to fish for trout in inland waters in Tasmania you must obtain an angling license. These are available from all tackle stores and also from Service Tasmania.

Cost will vary, depending on the type of license you purchase and the timeframe for which you take it.

Rod and Reel selection

When I was a child and first started fishing my choice was very limited.

Firstly, a rod and reel would set my Mum and Dad back a fair whack of their weekly wage...

Secondly it had to be multi-purpose to cover everything from creek fishing to the then notorious oyster snags of the Deviot jetty on the Tamar River.

I chose a rod and reel (or rather – had a rod and reel chosen for me!) that would cope with the second option rather better than the first, and as such my early trout fishing was a bit of a battle.

Trying to cast a six gram lure, or a worm on a hook with no sinker, using a five-foot heavy action rod, large reel and heavy line is not recommended if you want to cast more than ten metres or so.

Small creeks are a great place to learn streamcraft. You will usually see fish, but they are not always easy to catch Fishing News - Page 15

‘Cobra’-style lures should also be present in your tackle box. These hard-plastic bodied lures again come in many different colors though only really vary in shape and action by their differing sizes. Brown and black, green and gold (there’s a trend occurring here isn’t there?!) and black and red colored cobras have worked successfully for me in the past.

When fishing with spinners, spoons and cobras be sure to attach a swivel or ‘anti-kink’ to your line forty centimeters or so from the lure itself. This will help eliminate line twist.

Finally buy some soft-plastics and give them a go. Be sure to match the size of your jig-head to the size of the plastic bodies you are purchasing, and any light colored ‘minnow’ should do the trick if the fish are biting.

Now this may seem a lot, but providing you don’t buy dozens of each lure then it will not cost you an arm and a leg.

Spinners, cobras and spoons range in price, but are usually around five or six dollars each. A packet of soft plastic ‘minnows’ will set you back around eight dollars, and a packet of jig heads about the same.

Bait

The most simple and traditional method of all trout fishing is bait fishing.

If you’ve got a garden then you’ve probably got worms; earth worms that is. Trout have been feasting on these babies since year dot and they will still surely catch you a fish or two today.

One of my favorite pastimes as a kid was to find a creek and flick a worm on a hook just over the side of the bank, hoping a hungry trout may be lurking. I’d let the worm sink into the water for a minute or so before moving further along the creek and repeating the process. This method can be particularly effective early in the season when the creeks and rivers are in flood.

Mudeyes, the larva form of the dragonfly, can be purchased from most tackle shops and are effective bait when fished beneath a bubble float. The experts recommend fishing these as close to the bottom as possible, so a bit of educated guesswork is required. But if the trout are hungry these baits can be dynamite.

As with mudeyes, grubs can also be purchased. These are best fished on the bottom, though can be floated or even trolled slowly. Grubs are very effective for catching trout especially in the larger lakes.

Fly fishing

Regarded as the ‘purest’ form of trout fishing, fly-fishing is indeed a specialized caper. However don’t let this turn you away, practice is the only way to learn. Fishing with baits or lures will probably see earlier success in catching a trout than fishing with a fly will, but fly-fishing is certainly an enjoyable pastime.

Fly-fishing is a lot like playing the piano.

Are you wondering what on earth I’m on about? Let me explain…

How many people do you know who can play ‘Twinkle twinkle little star’ or ‘Chopsticks’ on the piano?

I bet most of your friends can, and maybe you can too.

Now, how many people do you know who play piano reading from sheet music, with both hands, and actually make it sound really good?

I bet the numbers are much, much lower.

Expert fly fishermen are a lot like the experienced pianist.

These are people who have spent a lot of time practicing and refining their craft.

As such, using this analogy, I am very much a ‘Chopsticks’ player when it comes to fly fishing. Thus I will point any newcomer in the direction of one of our states fabulous fly fishing guides for much better assistance than I can offer.

So I hope all of this has been of some assistance.

Trout fishing is something I was brought up with and has always been a part of my life. Sometimes it has been almost an obsession, but mostly a hobby that I enjoy doing when I get the chance. Moreover I have always enjoyed getting my backside out of the house and trying to trick a trout into biting whatever bait, lure or fly is on the end of my line. Mostly this has been done in some quiet area of the state where nothing else seems to matter but the scenery, the peacefulness and of course the fishing.

I recommend those who have never tried, to give trout fishing a go this new season.

Andrew Richardson You could win a fly rod if you subscribe.

See page 33.

Fishing News - Page 16

Around Tasmania you will find plenty of good water just off the side of the road.

Most landowners will readily give permission to fish, but make sure you ask.

Fishing and Boating Calendar 2006

Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News is pleased to provide this calendar of events for the year 2006. Events and dates are correct, to the best of the editor’s knowledge, at the time of printing but are always subject to amendment or cancellation.

Date Event and Venue More Info AUGUST Sat 5 Opening of most brown trout waters Sarah Graham 6233 8930 SEPTEMBER Sat 2-3 Trout Expo, Cressy Gary France 6397 5001 Sat 30 Rainbow trout season opens Sarah Graham 6233 8930 OCTOBER Sat 7 ABT Bream Comp, Derwent (qualifier) Leroy Tirant 64278854 Sat 21 ABT Bream Comp, Scamander (qualifier) Leroy Tirant 64278854 October TBA Boating & Leisure Show. Lindisfarne Motor Yacht Club. Mark Chivers 62439021 October TBA Hydro Tasmania Bronte Tie-in.

62438078 Sat 21 Take a Kid Fishing, Beauty Point Wharf Quenton Higgs 0407502046 NOVEMBER Sat 4 Take a Kid Fishing, Stanley Wharf Damian Heran 0408337317 Sat 11/12 ABT bream Comp Final, Swan River Leroy Tirant 64278854 Sun 12 IFS Free fishing day. No licence rqd.

Sarah Graham 6233 8930 Sat 19 Nov Take a Kid Fishing, Hobart Wharf Fiona Ewing 62339073

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Fishing News - Page 17

Records roll in Tassie BREAM challenge Records rolled and the weather howled as Tasmania announced itself as the new must-visit breaming destination at the inaugural Tasmanian BREAM event, the 4 Seasons Tasmania BREAM Challenge 8-9 April 2006.

Showcasing in staggering style the quality of fish on offer on the apple isle the event saw a continuum of XOS fish and limits weighed in each day, setting and breaking a host of ABT BREAM records in the process.

Winning angler, Brisbane’s Steve Morgan.

Setting the standard from the outset and claiming the number one boaters prize was Brisbanite Steve Morgan, who compiled a 10/10, 11.95kg limit to secure his first BREAM event win, and rewrite the record books with the largest ten fish bag ever weighed in.

Hobart runner-up Leigh McKenzie.

Not to be overshadowed was event runner-up and gun local Leigh McKenzie, who like Morgan eclipsed the old record of 11.30kg, with his sensational 10/10, 11.75kg bag.

Ultimate honours went to Morgan though who used his extensive breaming knowledge and new ground enthusiasm to crack the pattern during the windy and cold Friday prefish.

Heading down-river of the start line at Austins Ferry Yacht Club each day, Morgan targeted the western shoreline, focusing his attention on the area between the Zinc works and the Tasman Bridge.

A few important features though were on Morgan’s must-have list when it came to choosing a specific location in this area.

“I looked for shallow natural banks with rocky mussel flats”, Morgan explained.

“They also needed to be absent of weed growth, which can be a hard thing to find at times on the Derwent”, he added.

The depth of these mussel filled locations, from an east coast angler’s perspective, was perhaps the most interesting part to the puzzle.

“You couldn’t fish too shallow”, Morgan explained.

“If you could see the bottom you were pretty close to getting the right depth, and once the electric was hitting the bottom you were as good as spot on”, For Morgan this had him fishing water that was 4 feet and less in depth… truly skinny water breaming.

Fishing News - Page 18

The other factor that Morgan found to be crucial was the presence of wind chop.

“A bit of ruffle and bump on the surface was important to get a good bite”, Morgan explained.

“In the skinny water it provided the bream with a bit more security to feed and forage throughout the area”, he added.

The next part to the puzzle of course was the choice of lure and its’ presentation. For Morgan this largely centred around his much loved crankbaits, with a Ecogear SX-40 (colour- 303, black with red eyes), and Daiwa Presso Minnow (colour- green and silver) proving the gun baits.

Soft plastics were not to be left out in Morgan’s choice of lure either, with a 1/8 oz jighead rigged 3” Berkley Gulp Minnow (colour- rainbow) adding a couple of fish to his livewell for the weekend.

The presentation proved equally as crucial as the lure choice itself with Morgan opting for a slow rolling retrieve to temp his fish.

“The retrieve was generally a standard east-coast yellowfin bream retrieve”, Morgan explained. The added feature in the retrieve that inevitably played a part in its’ appeal was the pausing of the lure as it hit a rockpile.

Morgan’s choice of outfits used to present his offering included a G.Loomis S842 blank, custom built by Ian Miller, a Daiwa Airity 1500 spin reel, spooled with a combination of 3 and 4lb Yamatoyo Spinning Flurocarbon, fished right through to the lure.

“The soft rod, high stretch properties of the rod, reel, and line set-up, this weekend, as always was important when fishing crankbaits”, Morgan detailed.

“It minimises the chances of pulling hooks on fish and ripping the lips of large hard pulling fish like the ones we had this weekend”, he added.

The approach paid dividends with Morgan landed a total of 13 fish for the weekend, including a day one bag that tipped the scales at 6.33kg.

Hot on the heals of Morgan for the tournament was Claremont local and hot tipped favourite Leigh McKenzie.

For the 31 year old mechanical tradesman is was a dream tournament, claiming the 2nd placed boater prize, the $500 Go-So Big Bream cheque and the $500 Mercury Sponsors Bonus for finishing as the highest placed boater running a Mercury outboard.

Hitting the lower reaches of the Derwent after his earlier locations failed to produced, McKenzie worked a 100 metre stretch of shoreline at Old Beach, targeting fish holding on rocky structure in water ranging in depth from 1 ½ feet up to 6 feet deep.

“This area was my go to spot after my earlier locations amounted to nothing, and left me scratching my head”, McKenzie explained.

“So I lifted the electric and head off to Old Beach, where I was confident I would find some fish”, he added.

Unlike most anglers McKenzie opted to hit the exposed shore, with the hope that the fish would be there feeding on the disturbed food chain agitated by the buffeting wind and waves.

“The hunch paid off, with fish coming within the first few minutes of arriving at the spot”, McKenzie explained.

“The non-boater and I had a double hook-up in no time flat, that included the kicker fish in my bag, a 1.71kg horse”, he added.

The technique that produced this Go-So Big Bream winning fish, and the others in his tournament bag, centred around a combination of a Berkley 3” Gulp Fry (colourpumpkinseed), and the legendary Berkley Bass Minnow (colour-pearl/ watermelon).

All rigged on 1/0, 1/8 oz Nitro jigheads, and presented with a series of outfits comprised of a, G.Loomis SJR 6400, IMX rod, Daiwa Airity 2000 reel, spooled with 8lb Berkley Fireline and 8lb Berkley Siglon leader.

“These outfits were just perfect for the job”, McKenzie explained.

“Light, nimble, yet tough enough to handle the aggressive fish I encountered on the weekend”, he added.

“I have to thank my good friend Damien for loaning me the second of the outfits, without it I would have missed out on a lot fish because I’d already been busted up on the other rod”, McKenzie said.

The presentation for McKenzie like for most anglers was vital, with the gun retrieve involving a series of quick flicks as

the lure worked its’ way through the shallows, before being free falled down the drop off and into deeper water.

“Most of fish grabbed the lure in the shallows, and once hooked they went as hard as any bream I’ve caught on the Derwent”, McKenzie explained.

“We found some good fish this weekend, even considering the less than ideal conditions. If the weather and fishing was like it was only a few weeks prior, then everyone would have weighed-in huge bags….I guess we’ll just have to wait until next year”, he concluded.

Champion non-boater Nigel Harris.

Also sharing in the spoils of victory and record setting was the champion non-boater of the event Nigel Harris of Golden Valley. Weighing in a new non-boater 5-fish limit on day one (5.84kg), and a 2-day tournament limit of 9/10, 9.835kg, Harris showed that non-boaters are not left out when it comes to the red-hot Derwent River bream.

Fishing with Mark ‘Chainsaw’ Lawson on day one and Aaron Cosgrove on day two, Harris concentrated his presentations on the rocky structured shorelines in the Bowen Bridge area of the river, using a shortened 6” Berkley Gulp Sandworm (colour- camo) rigged on a 1/8 oz Nitro to tempt his fish.

“It was awesome fishing”, Harris explained.

“They were big, hungry and pulled hard”, he added. “It’s a shame I couldn’t land that 5th fish on day one so I had a 10/10 for the tournament. None the less I’m ecstatic considering I’ve only been breaming a year”.

The choice of tackle that delivered the win for Harris included a, 6’3”, G.Loomis Bronze Back rod, Daiwa Sol 1500 spin reel, loaded with 4lb Fireline, and 6lb Siglon leader.

The last word for the event ideally belongs to event winner and newly crowned 10-fish record holder Steve Morgan.

“A combination of factors make the Derwent maybe Australia's premier bream fishery - no commercial netting, little pressure and an abundance of big, old, hard fighting black bream in a broad area. For mainlanders, the Derwent bream fishery is mind-blowing. At the weigh-in locals didn't blink at 5kg bags while interstaters were popping their eyes back into their skulls!”

“I'd be amazed if every tournament breamer in the country wouldn't have it in the back of their mind that they should experience breaming like this at least once in their career”.

With the event giving a sensational insight into the bream fishing on offer in Tasmania, the Derwent River BREAM event is destined to become the must-do tournament on the calendar.

Tasmanian Bream Classic 7th October – 1st qualifying round - Derwent Rr 21st October – 2nd qualifying round - Scamander Rr 11-12 November – Final - Swan Rr

Entry forms and information can be obtained from tackle stores or contact Leroy Tirant on 0428 347 736.

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Fishing News PagePM 19 19/7/06 - 4:24:16

Fly lines explained - Peter Hayes

I am in the middle of my flycasting course season, and as I sit here making up the 120th practice line on to the reel I got to thinking. fly lines really are much more than ‘coloured string’ as I often call them.

Take my practice lines for example. Firstly it is important to me, and to students of our casting program, that they are highly visible. After all it is the forward and reverse loop shape that we need to see so we can modify our rod movements to produce better, faster, tighter loops.

Then there is the taper. For a practice line I want longevity and that is one of the reasons I have chosen a double taper.

You see, as you stuff up the first end you simply reverse the line on the reel for a second life. A couple of other reasons are; double tapers are a much better roll casting line when casting longer lengths and they are much better for mending line too.

Now all this coloured string stuff comes as second nature to me as a fly casting instructor and guide of the past 12 years, but I thought that it may not to many of you. For what it is worth here are some of my thoughts on fly lines.

My first line was silk, but there have been many changes since those days. I have been lucky enough to have mates in the industry that import and sell lines and they send countless lines my way to try. Our Australia wide casting schools enable me to work with 20 casters a weekend and in these schools I get to cast a huge variety of lines too.

I’ve seen them all, read all the ads, all the glossy brochures, met some of the makers and listened to their extensive sales pitches. At the end of the day they are all just expensive coloured string but there are several aspects that you should understand.

Tapers

I hope you have noticed that some parts of the line are thinner than others. Taper is required in a line to give a balanced flight and to distribute power appropriately during turnover. There are literally hundreds of different tapers available in modern flylines.

Fishing News - Page 20

There are so many varying tapers in the weight forward range that it has become confusing even to the line making experts who have forgotten what tapers they have made.

Mostly to simplify things manufactures have started giving lines ‘fish’ names. You know what I mean, there is the Bonefish taper, the Trout taper, the Redfish taper, the Atlantic Salmon and Steelhead taper, the Striper Taper, Billfish Taper etc.

If that doesn’t work for you then you can look for the lines they use fly names to identify them with. Try the Midge taper or the Clouser taper. If that doesn’t gel then you can think of the presentation you want to make. You could buy a General Presentation taper, an Exact Presentation taper or maybe a Maximum Distance taper. Wow, do you really believe if you want maximum distance you must have a maximum distance line? I’m sorry if I sound cynical.

There are just two basic taper types despite what the advertising says.

You know, once upon a time there were just level lines and people caught plenty of fish. Then, sometime before my time we had double taper lines. These work beautifully, much, much better than level lines. Then just before my time someone clever designed the weight forward line that has now become the industry standard.

Double taper

Firstly let me tell you a few reasons why you should not forget the old double taper. There is the obvious benefit of a second life if the line is turned around. The thick belly or mid part of the line enables you to belt the power into a strong,, thick section of line on longer roll casts. Likewise mending line is easier at the longer lengths.

Loop control is better and this is one reason all tournament casters use double tapers at targets of 50 and 55 feet.

There is a perception that a double taper will not cast as far as a weight forward but I think a good caster can throw a double taper just as far as a weight forward line for practical fishing situations.

Oh, and one more thing. Line control. When fishing with a long line the thicker handling line or mid section of a double taper is better to work with. It tangles less often, lays in more open loops etc.

Perhaps if you fish a lot or fish mostly on rivers or fish shortish distances then you should consider a double taper as your next line choice.

The weight forward taper

Well, as the name implies the weight is forward. There is little weight at the back or backing end of the line. Certainly not enough to act as a casting weight. As a side issue here once or twice a season I come across an angler that has fitted the line onto the reel backwards. Remember the fat bit has to stick out the rod tip when you are casting.

The reason these lines are supposed to be easier to cast longer distances is that once you deliver the fat coloured string into the air on the forward cast then only the light weight skinny stuff has to be pulled out and this offers less resistance than the equivalent fat, heavy line of the double taper.

There are a couple of obvious traps for new players with this assortment of weight forward tapers. For instance don’t buy a windcutter or wind caster line designed to turn heavy flies over into a strong wind and expect it to roll cast well.

Don’t buy a short shooting head type taper and expect it to mend well in medium to large river situations. Don’t put the line on backwards. Every weight forward line is marked ‘this end to reel’ when straight out of the box.

You must put the Wulff Triangle taper into a weight forward category. These are great lines that shoot like cut cats (perhaps the best shooting line on the market) and roll well up to their head lengths of 38 – 42 feet. Wulff designed these lines to emulate our tournament distance lines.

Think about a weight forward line if you are often working at shooting long distances then think about a taper that suits the fishing and your casting method. I personally prefer very long bellied weight forwards that are really approaching a double taper in design.

Weight

Years ago an industry body decided that 9 feet of rod plus 30 feet of line and 12 feet of leader was a good, common, standard casting length that all rods and lines should be balanced at. They developed an international standard that says that all six weights despite their brand must weight a

certain weight for the first 30 feet. All seven weights weight a little more for the first 30 feet etc.

This standard weight is identical for a weight forward or a double taper.

The grey area of coloured string

Beware, in recent times some manufacturers have made lines on the heavy side of these standards. Like half a size heavier. When you buy a line that states 6 weight on the box you are actually getting a 6.5 weight. They do this because most average, or less than average casters like the feeling of the weight that they have never previously felt because of poor technique. They also say that the modern fast actioned rods require a heavier line to load them and this is perhaps partially true.

The good thing about having in fact half sizes of line weights is that it does give you the choice and rod loading is such a personal feeling thing.

Understand that if you are making repeated short casts like on a small creek and you may have say 15 feet of line out then you are only operating the rod at half its designed bending weight. There is nothing wrong with going up a whole line size in this case.

When you decide upon a taper type next try differing line weights on your rod. You may like the feel of half or even a whole line weight above the rods designed weight. Keep in mind what weight is best for the fishing too.

For instance. If you are a good stalker and you like to make short, accurate presentations to tailing browns at Little Pine on calm mornings it doesn’t mean that you should overline your 6 weight rod and use a 7. I believe the 7 makes too much landing noise for calm, shallow water fishing.

Materials and Stiffness

Really soft lines do not shoot very well. Particularly if you have a cheap rod with too few rings to support the line.

If the line is too stiff then the line is like wire to work with.

Constantly coily and tangling. It is a fine balancing act for the manufacturer and they certainly have it right with the coldwater and tropical compounds. From first hand experience I can tell you that you are a fool going on a northern Australian holiday with a standard trout coldwater line. It will turn to soggy celery in the wilting heat and will become impossible to get any shootability from it.

I occasionally find the same thing happens here in Tasmania on hot days. If you are a boat fisher perhaps use a rubbish bin stripping basket with a little water in it to keep the line lubed and cool.

Some manufactures actually make their distance casting weight forward lines from a stiffer material. This helps loop control and power transfer.

Now I don’t recommend this but I find it interesting that a mate of mine that I would rate as on of Australia’s greatest ever fly fishers has been messing around developing his own lines with varying stiffness. He doesn’t mess with the head section but the thinner running line of weight forwards get an overnight soaking in a bucket of radiator anti freeze. This, he tells me, leaches out the plasticizer and stiffens this shooting part of the line so that it handles better, shoots further and tangles less.

Definitely buy a tropical stiffness line if you are going north. Avoid lines that are like springs to work with. One manufacturer in particular has a poor reputation for coily lines.

Colours

I personally don’t get too excited about whether or not the colour of the line makes it any worse for fishing. I think it is more important that you can recognise when a low level delivery is required.

Having said that I would not fish in the world championships with a bright line. Nor would I fish the beech forest rivers of New Zealand with a bright line.

Understand there are plenty of times where a bright line can be a benefit. Casting practice, take detection, fishing moving water and mending line are some areas where visability is a help.

Make a conscious decision about whether or not there is an advantage in having a bright coloured piece of expensive string before handing over the money.

Densities

I could write pages on this subject alone. People think there are floaters, intermediates and sinkers.

Once there were very few types of fly lines, now there are several for every type of fishing and every occasion.

Floaters

Well there are floaters and there are floaters. Some lines float higher than others. I have an old line that always seems to sink for the final 6 feet. I think it is a good attribute for some of the lake fishing I do. This line would be a pain in the backside on a fast river when I wanted to mend. Some line manufacturers say their lines float higher than others.

So what. Learn to be happy with whatever way it floats and understand its limitations if it becomes a tip sinker like mine.

Understand that it is more likely to become a tip sinker with Fluorocarbon leaders or whipped on braided loops.

Intermediates

Sometimes a fluro leader on a floater or a light sinking polyleader and a fluoro leader on a floater can be a good substitute for a standard intermediate line. However when you need an intermediate you usually need an intermediate.

Coloured ones like the Cortland Blue are sensational in some circumstances. Clear or Clear Camo are sensational too.

Think outside the square a little and add a sinking poly leader to the full intermediate on occasions.

For what it is worth I think many Tasmanian lake anglers should own an intermediate line of some type if they want to catch more fish.

Sinking Lines

These lines are number to correspond with their sink rate.

A type 3 sinker sinks at 3 inches per second. The fastest sinker on the market sinks at 8 inches per second. I find that the

enjoyment of fly fishing decreases exponentially with sink rate of the line. This is perhaps not personal, many anglers would agree.

Other tricky Stuff

I recently cast with a new grooved line. That’s right a line with longitudinal grooves. After years of hearing manufacturers tell us their line is smoother and therefore it will shoot better there is a manufacturer that has changed their tune. The grooved line seems to work well enough but as far as I can see it feels just like any other new line. I cannot work out how you are supposed to get the line clean as the tiny grooves must surely trap grim.

Slippery coatings

They all tell you that theirs is best. Out of the box they all feel as slippery as eel slime. After a while all lines fail to shoot as well as when new. Clean them regularly and in my opinion don’t be scared of using Armourall or 303.

Peter Hayes Peter Hayes operates a Tasmanian Fly Fishing and Guiding Business as well as his Australia wide Fly casting program.

He can be contacted on 0448 905 125 or email hayes@ flyfishtasmania.com.au, or www.flyfishtasmania.com.au You could win a fly rod if you subscribe.

See page 33.

Fishing News - Page 21

Recreational marine fisheries news - August 2006 Last month of the cray season

The recreational fishing season for male rock lobster closes at the end of this month, 31 August. The female rock lobster season has been closed since the end of April. The next season will open on 4 November 2006.

The closures protect female rock lobster during the breeding season and all rock lobster while they are moulting.

Female rock lobster are easily distinguished from males by the large swimmerets under their tails, which are used to hold the eggs, and the small nipper claw on their rear legs.

The seasons applying to rock lobster also apply to giant crabs, which are sometimes caught in rock lobster pots in deep water.

The number of fishers participating in the rock lobster fishery continues to see strong growth. This season around 18,700 recreational rock lobster fishers were licensed. The break-up of licence types was 15,200 rock lobster pot licences, 8,000 dive licences and 4,500 ring licences. The recreational catch for 2004/05 was estimated to be 7.8 per cent of the total catch for the State (or 119 tonnes).

In recognition of the importance of the recreational fishery, the Minister has approved regulations that guarantee a minimum share of the rock lobster fishery for the recreational sector of 170 tonnes or 10% of the annual Total Allowable Catch (TAC) (whichever is the greater). The TAC for 2007 is likely to be around 1700 tonnes. Future TACs are likely to increase, resulting in an increasing potential catch for the recreational fishery, as the Department is managing the fishery with the aim of increasing the biomass remaining in the water and, as a result, increasing the sustainable catch.

The new regulations also provide for a Special Rock Lobster Licence that will be available for the next season.

This licence allows a recreational rock lobster fisher to have an increased possession limit (15 rock lobster instead of 10) for a period of 14 days. The licence is designed to allow people who may only be able to go fishing a few times a year, to accumulate their catch in a limited period. It should be noted that the daily bag limit remains at 5 rock lobsters.

We get a lot of questions through the season on the regulations for rock lobster. Here are the answers to some of the more common ones.

• A recreational licence is required with a personal bag limit of 5 rock lobster per day and a possession limit of up to 10 lobster.

• Fishers must be 10 years of age or older to hold a rock lobster licence.

• The licence holder must personally set and retrieve the licensed equipment.

• Fishers are not permitted to possess female rock lobsters that are ‘berried’ (carrying eggs), or to remove the eggs, at any time of the year.

• All rock lobster to be kept must be marked by either removing the central tail flap or punching a 1cm hole in it.

This must be done within 5 minutes of landing the rock lobster.

• Fishers are not permitted to have a pot in the water for more than 48 hours at a time. If you have set gear and feel

that you cannot safely retrieve it within the time available, call Fishwatch on 0427 655 557 and give the details of your licence and the location of the gear.

• At the beginning of the rock lobster season, fishers can set pots after noon on the day before the season starts but can only retrieve them after midnight.

• Divers can only take rock lobster by hand – the use of lassoes, hooks and spears is illegal.

• Fishers are only permitted to have one dismembered rock lobster on board (for eating) and this counts towards the daily bag limit even if it was not caught that day.

If you have any queries about the rules or licences, we are more than happy to help. You can contact us on the recreational fishing line on (03) 6233 7042 or find more information on our website www.fishing.tas.gov.au. You can also help protect rock lobster stocks by reporting any potential illegal fishing activities to Fishwatch on 0427 655 557.

While fishing for rock lobster, keep an eye out for research tags and you could win a prize. If you find a tagged rock lobster, record the area and date of capture, carapace length and tag number and call the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute on (03) 6227 7246.

Rock lobster inshore fisheries issues

Inshore fishing pressure on rock lobster populations and the spatial management of the fishery were highlighted as emerging issues in the 2005 review of the rock lobster management plan. Key concerns included increased competition with commercial fishers for rock lobster in inshore areas, competition between pot and dive fishers and size limits.

Commercial fishing for rock lobster in inshore waters has increased in recent years due to market demand for smaller red-coloured lobster and increasing fuel costs. This is causing some concern where recreational fishers are finding it hard to find sized rock lobster in their favourite fishing spots. This is of particular concern off the east and south coasts where the highest level of recreational rock lobster fishing occurs.

The single size limit for rock lobster also presents some problems. Rock lobsters grow at very different rates around Tasmania and they also appear to mature by age rather than size. This means that very fast growing rock lobster in the north are likely to reach size (and be taken) before they mature, while very slow growing rock lobster in the south may never reach the size limit (and so produce eggs throughout their life).

One of the Department’s management objectives for the fishery is to maintain the production of eggs at adequate levels in all areas of the fishery. We are currently concerned that this is not being achieved in northern areas.

Related to this issue is concern about the spread of urchin barrens off the northeastern coast which are caused by the long-spined sea-urchin (Centrostephanus). The urchin is a native species that while common in warmer waters, has only recently been found off Tasmania. This shift may be due to a number of things from natural cyclic settlement through to the effects of global warming. Whatever the cause, the urchin is capable of producing extensive barrens if not controlled by predators. We think that large rock lobsters may be effective predators, but as they are a prime target for fishing, the large rock lobster numbers may be too low to keep a check on urchin numbers.

Inland fisheries news 2006 brown trout spawning runs

At the start of June a sample of the spawning adult brown trout were measured at Great Lake as part of the annual monitoring program. Just over 200 fish were sampled and in general the fish were in good condition. This year the average weight of fish had gone up by 76 grams and the length had risen by 17 mm. There has been a steady increase in the average weight and length of measured fish in the last 5 years or so.

Due to low rainfall the spawning run at Arthurs Lake has been delayed with a sample of fish measured at the start of July. The 200 fish weighed and measured were mostly males indicating that it is still early in the run. The average weight for the fish sampled was nearly 1 kilo, 92 grams heavier than last year and the biggest for some time. The average length of the fish had decreased by 23 mm indicating the condition of the fish has improved as well.

Fishing News - Page 22

So what is being done about these various concerns? The Department has brought recreational and commercial fishers together to investigate possible solutions. We are currently looking at conducting experiments on different fishery management regimes in areas in the northeast to see what may be effective in dealing with Centrostephanus.

We are also working with both the commercial and recreational fisheries to develop ways of dealing with inshore fishing pressure. This work will be greatly assisted by a major project funded by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) that will allow the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute (TAFI) to look at spatial management of the fishery and other options such as translocation (such as relocating deepwater rock lobster to inshore areas).

The Tasmanian Rock Lobster Fishermen’s Association (TRLFA) is particularly interested in translocation and also ways of encouraging commercial fishers to take offshore rock lobster rather than inshore rock lobster. They are currently working on a number of proposals that could help.

Game fish and the charter boat fishery

The Department has always recognised that the game and charter boat fisheries are key parts of Tasmania’s recreational fisheries. However, up until recently, the responsibility for management of these fisheries has been under Commonwealth legislation. This has recently changed with the Commonwealth handing the responsibility over to the States.

While the States now have responsibility for all recreational fisheries, the Commonwealth continues to be responsible for determining resource shares of species such as tunas and billfish between the commercial and recreational sectors. At the moment the Commonwealth is looking at the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery (ETBF), which includes commercial and recreational fishing for yellowfin tuna, albacore and billfish around Tasmania. It is expected that once this is resolved they will move on to the southern bluefin tuna fishery, which is likely to be far more controversial and difficult.

Adequate access to both of these fisheries is extremely important to maintaining the opportunities for game fishing in Tasmania and good information on the game fisheries is very important to negotiating a satisfactory outcome.

Unfortunately very little information has previously been collected on these fisheries. In recognition of this we have commissioned a major study through the University of Tasmania to look at the social and economic value of game and charter boat fishing in Tasmania.

We are also developing a management plan for the sea charter boat fishery and hope to have a discussion paper out for public consultation later in the year. An important part of the management plan will be data collection through fishing logbooks which will provide better information on the number of charters and the fish caught (and released). This will build on the great work that has been done by the Sea Charter Boat Operators of Tasmania (SCBOOT) who have run a voluntary logbook for several years.

In the meantime the Commonwealth has put out a number of options for resource sharing in the ETBF. All of these options provide for exclusive recreational access to ETBF species in coastal waters around Tasmania.

Watch this column for more information on these issues as they develop.

You could win fishing books if you subscribe.

See page 33.

With kind permission of the Inland Fisheries Service and Angler News.

No. sampled

Av. length (mm)

Min. length (mm)

Max. length (mm)

Arthurs Lake Males 146 457 264 540 1035 Females 54 435 337 512 852 Combined 200 452 984 2005 averages 429 892 Change –23 +92 Great Lake Males 102 487 370 554 1243 Females 118 462 412 531 1174 Combined 120 474 1204 2005 averages 457 1128 Change +17 +76

Av. weight (g)

230 400

1570 1400

580 820

2000 1880

Min. )g( weight thgi ew

Inland fisheries news

IFS predicts a good year If the size and condition of the brown trout in the spawning runs this year is any indication this season will produce good fish. Many of the rainbows stocked over the last couple of years at a number of the waters opening 5 August will have grown to a good size by now. Lake Leake, Tooms Lake, Curries, Lake Meadowbank and Lake Barrington all hold these fish. The Bradys chain of lakes should also fish well early with brook, brown and rainbow trout all having been stocked there recently.

Inland water stocking since May 2006

Lake Av. size (grams) Species N u m sb re Bradys Lake 1250 Mersey River 1250 Lake Kara 1250 Four Springs 2000 Four Springs 1000 Carters Lake 1250 Lake Paget 1250 Rocky Lagoon 1250 Second Lagoon 1250 Lake Botsford 1250 Bruisers Lagoon 1250 Lake Lynch 1250 Camerons Lagoon 1250 Lake Duncan 1250 Lake Barrington 4500 Pawleena Lagoon 45

brown trout 1800 brown trout 300 brown trout 300 brown trout 70 rainbow trout 12 brown trout 300 brown trout 30 brown trout 100 brown trout 50 brown trout 300 brown trout 75 brown trout 30 brown trout 30 brown trout 30 Atlantic salmon 185 tiger trout (brown/brook hybrid) 500

Waters stocked since June 2006

Great Lake 25 Penstock Lagoon 1250 Great Lake 24 Craigbourne Dam 9000 Great Lake 24 Craigbourne Dam 3500 Craigbourne Dam 750 Curries River Dam 100 Brumbys Creek 1250 509 Fisher Wide Body From

$28 800

with 70hp 2 stroke.

rainbow trout (wild) 2000 brown trout (wild) 450 rainbow trout (wild) 2000 Atlantic salmon (domestic) 101 rainbow trout (wild) 2000 rainbow trout (domestic) 100 brook trout (domestic) 150 brown trout (wild) 600 brown trout (wild) 130

A beautiful female brown trout from the spawning run at Hydro Creek, Arthurs Lake, indicative of the good condition of fish in this years spawning runs.

Regulation changes for the 2006-07 season times for sunrise and sunset are as printed in the State’s newspapers.

The Plenty River adjacent to the Salmon Ponds has previously been closed to all angling, it will now be open to disabled anglers.

A number of waters receive Atlantic salmon on a regular basis; Lake Barrington, Craigbourne Dam, Brushy Lagoon, Bradys Lake (including Tungatinah Lagoon and Binney Lagoon), Meadowbank Lake and Lake Trevallyn. The bag limit on Atlantic salmon will now be 5 fish per day at these waters and whilst the overall bag limit for all fish will remain at 12 per day, no more than 5 of those can be salmon.

A few new changes will come into place for the 2006-07 angling season and will take effect on the August 5 2006 opening day for the season.

Of the waters open to angling all year Lake King William will revert back to the normal “brown trout season”, opening in August and closing at the end of April each year. Brushy Lagoon will now be a water open to angling all year round.

Curries River Reservoir will now be open during daylight hours only. This will mean that it will open be open to angling from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. The

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Garfish in Georges Bay, St Helens St Helen angler and tackle shop owner, Jamie Henderson looks at the garfish, one of Tasmania’s favourite Winter fish.

to jostle for a position along the main channel leading out to the barway

With petrol prices rising, the cost of living ever increasing and the family purse strings being tightened it seems the pressure is on the avid angler to combine a fishing fix with bringing home a feed of fish.

It is with this in mind that our coastal estuary’s are becoming more and more popular. Easy access is available for small craft, shelter from all but the worst weather and with inshore commercial netting no longer allowed the diversity and quality of fish is continuing to increase all the time.

I have seen Georges Bay improve with each new season and more species returning, and larger specimens being caught by the average angler. In particular there are HUGE Garfish; fish of 50cm and larger, being caught all around the bay. The humble old garfish would certainly have to be one of my personal favourite fish to catch, they can be caught by anglers young and old, novices and experienced alike and offer excellent sport on ultra light tackle.

Not only are they a staple catch but are a fine table fish to boot, just filleted straight up, battered and fried or even done as fish cakes they exhibit a sweet delicate flavour worthy of any fine dining experience.

Our east coast offers many locations for targeting garfish but by far Georges Bay at St Helens is a hot spot with big fat XOS sized examples weighing down the keeper nets of switched on anglers. When a hot garfish bite is on in Georges Bay dozens of boats line up

The particular species of garfish that is common to Tasmanian waters is the southern sea garfish or Hyporhamphus melanochir. It is found in most Southern Australian states both out in the open ocean and throughout our estuary systems. They are predominantly a herbivore and feed mainly on varying species of seagrass, algal filaments and small amounts of crustaceans. They spawn in shallow seagrass beds throughout the summer months, October to March, and the juveniles can stay in the shallow inshore waters for up to 2 years. They average in size between 30-40cm in and can grow up to 50-60cm, weighing up to 600gm and are 3-4 years old by this stage of their lives.

Southern sea garfish

Likely spots

Garfish tend to favour areas that are shallow and have good seagrass beds, in Georges Bay the hot spot seems to be along the red channel markers leading out to the barway next to the shallow sandbank. Here you have shallow water, plenty of seagrass and on the incoming tide some good current to carry your berley trail and keep the fish swimming behind your boat. I have found that the incoming tide from about half in to full tide is about the best time to chase the gars. The garfish can often be seen swimming right up on the shallow sand flats also and large schools of fish will jump out of the water as if they are being chased by something larger.

Garfish of this size are common in Georges Bay.

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Techniques

One of the most important factors to successful garfishing is the use of berley to attract the fish and keep them in the immediate vacinity of your boat. A berley mixture can be as simple as a can of catfood mixed with some bread and thrown in handfuls over the side of the boat or as elaborate as a home made concoction of fish oils, fish scraps, breadcrumbs, meal, pollard, chicken pellets and some secret herbs and spices.

One important point to be aware of with your berley is not to make the pieces too large as this will only serve to feed the fish and they will soon eat their fill and move on. Large pieces also attracts the birds. By far the most effective and lethal berley I have come across is the Stimulate Ultrabite range of berleys, in particular the Ground Berley. This is a premixed berley that is in a fine particle form that resembles breadcrumbs but has some added attractants mixed in for good measure. I mix about 2 handfuls of the berley mix and half a cupful of tuna oil to a berley pot and lower into the water over the side of the boat, this creates a cloud of fine particles in the water as well as an oil slick on the surface. As there are no large food items for the garfish to feed on they tend to swim around getting a good whiff of the berley and oil and become quite agitated and enter into a feeding frenzy.

Provided you keep a continuous stream of this berley mixture in the water the fish will stay attracted to the area for long enough to catch your feed.

Once the garfish have been attracted by the berley the easiest and simplest method for capture is to use a small long shank hook, size 12 or 10 are perfect, with a small amount of bait thrown unweighted into the berley trail. I have found that any white coloured flesh such as small pieces of squid or chicken skin work well and stay on the hook, as do maggots or gents as some people like to call them—a bait not commonly used in Tassie waters, but very effective. When using gents as bait, it is best to hook them through the tail end not the head end, this way they stay alive and wriggle longer. If real maggots are not desirable then Berkley produce an artificial maggot in little jars that work very well as a substitute. If the garfish are high in the water column and are close to the waters surface than the use of a small float will aid in keeping your bait up in the strike zone. A small 1” bobber float, small blackfish float or my personal favourite a 20cm quill float will all do an adequate job of keeping your bait suspended about a foot or so under the water. I prefer the quill float to the others as it lays flat on the waters surface and only sits up when pulled under the water, is therefore less effected by wind and also offers little or no resistance to the fish as it pulls it under the water when taking the bait. This is important when

targeting garfish as being a timid fish will often not take the bait properly if its feels too much resistance and cannot pull the float under the water.

There are two other techniques for catching garfish that are becoming more and more popular and offer great sport; these are soft plastics and flyfishing. Small soft plastics such as No.1 Squidgy Wrigglers in drop bear, gary glitter and silver fox are very effective as are 2” Berkeley Power grubs in pumpkinseed and bloodworm also 2” Ecogear Paramax in white. Used in conjunction with a small 1gm and 1.5gm squidgy jighead and worked erratically through the berley trail it is a dynamite technique and a lot of fun on light tackle.

The garfish can get quite aggressive once fired up with the Stimulate berley and will attack the plastic lure surprisingly hard.

For those looking for a bit more of a challenge a fly rod and small flies such as Crazy Charlies and small minnow patterns in predominantly white colours will also catch fish.

I have found a few retrieval techniques work with the flies, either a slow draw and stop letting the fly rise and fall in the water column or if the fish are particularly aggressive short quick strips close to the surface will draw strikes. Tackle Garfish are a great species to target to introduce kids to the wonderful world of fishing. They can be caught on a wide variety of tackle the cheapest being just a plain and simple 4½” handcaster. These are available from most good tackle stores and come rigged with a small hook and sinker, with the addition of a small float can be dangled off the side of any boat or jetty. Any good quality light spin outfit will work well for garfish, rods that are 6’6” with light tips and small reels, such as Shimano Spectrum and Technium combos, are fine for the job and are very affordable for the average family. Longer rods with nibble style tips are about the best type of rod for the job, 7’ to 9’ with a soft action to so as not to pull the hooks from the fishes small mouths. One of the new Shimano Taipan Extreme 7’ 2 piece rods is an excellent choice. It has a soft action and a light tip to detect small bites and matched with a Shimano Sienna or Sahara 2500 reel would give good service for many years. Spool this up with some quality 4 or 6lb monofilament line, such as Platypus Platinum, for a dynamite garfish outfit.

For targeting garfish with soft plastics any outfit used for chasing Bream will be perfect for the job. Rods such as Shimano 7’ Squidgy spin, 6’8” Rack raider or the new 7’ Catana matched with reels like Shimano Sedona or Symetre 2500 and spooled up with 4lb Fireline and a 4lb leader make for a top class outfit and are great fun to use. Any fly rod outfit used for chasing trout will be more than enough for chasing Garfish.

Garfish are a fantastic little species to get you back to fishing basics especially through the winter months when there is not much else happening, this is when Georges Bay experiences a good run of large specimens to sink your teeth into. They are also a perfect species for kids to start their fishing adventures with as they are easy to catch and by using floats it’s a bit more visually stimulating. As a parent there is nothing more exciting than watching your child go wild when the little float disappears under the waters surface and they tighten up to a fish that performs some aerial antics. So next time you are on the east coast take a trip to Georges Bay, grab the kids and try fishing for some super sized Southern Garfish, and don’t forget to call in to St Helens Bait and Tackle and see Jamie, for all the tackle, advice and help you might need.

Jamie Henderson

If you want to introduce kids to fishing there is no better way than garfish.

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Garfish can be caught by many different methods. They are great fun on a fly and trout gear is all you will need.

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Tackle for soft plastics Starlo and Bushy One of the great things about soft plastics is that you can fish them reasonably effectively using almost any sort of tackle. In fact, you can work a soft plastic on any gear you’d use to fish natural baits with, including a humble handline.

Of course, you won’t be able to cast very far with a handline, and it will present various other limitations, but in offshore bottom fishing, for example, it would still offer an acceptable method for bouncing a plastic or two up and down in front of a fish. Plastics can also be worked reasonably well off deck winches or short, stiff boat rods and non-casting centrepin reels (again, mostly only in up-and-down scenarios, where casting isn’t necessary or important).

As we move up the scale of tackle sophistication from handlines, deck winches, centrepin reels and boat rods to outfits that will actually allow reasonable casts to be made, so it becomes increasingly easier and more effective to work soft plastic lures in a range of situations. For example, the sidecast outfits favoured by rock, beach and jetty anglers in many parts of the country are actually very useful tools for chucking and working soft plastics, especially from the shore, while a whole range of popular spin (threadline), spincast (closed-face), plug (baitcaster) and overhead rigs also make fine tools for fishing with softies.

Our point here is not to tell you what gear you can and can’t fish plastics with (because, as we’ve already stated, there really isn’t any form of tackle that won’t work to some extent in this role). Instead, we are going to attempt to explain and describe what it is that makes some combinations of rod, reel, line and leader more effective as soft plastic presentation tools. Our aim here is to optimise your results and increase your level of enjoyment when fishing with plastics and, in particular, to provide information that’s specifically relevant to the most popular forms of soft plastic fishing currently undertaken in Tasmania and on the mainland.

The finesse factor

One theme that will constantly crop up as we talk about the ideal tackle for fishing with soft plastics is the concept of ‘finesse’. Some people don’t like this word, while others over-use or misinterpret it, but in our opinion it’s still the best term for describing the sometimes subtle factors that can combine to spell the difference between a reasonable outfit for soft plastic fishing and an outstanding one.

‘Finesse tackle’ is all about balanced, sensitive, responsive gear that is a pleasure to handle and use, which casts well if called upon to do so, provides maximum ‘feel’ and feedback to the angler, is effective at detecting bites and setting hooks, and

has the strength and power necessary to control and land a hooked fish. Finesse in this application definitely doesn’t always mean light or soft or delicate!

For example, an effective ‘finesse’ outfit for casting large soft plastics to catch big mulloway from an ocean rock wall on the mainland might consist of a beefy, 3 m rod matched to a medium-sized overhead reel and filled with quite heavy line. T he subtleties that elevate a rig like that from being an average, heavy overhead casting outfit and turn it into genuine finesse tackle are things like the graphite content in the rod blank (more graphite means lighter Bream are one of Steve Starling’s favourite fish. The correct overall weight and tackle for bream can make a huge difference in the catch rate. improved feel), the sophistication of the reel (does it have smooth bearings and good cast controls black marlin. So, get over the idea that ‘finesse’ and ‘light’ are to prevent over-runs?) and the line chosen (thin-for-strength15 somehow inter-changeable terms. They’re not — at least, not kg braided gel-spun polyethylene, instead of fat 15 kg nylon, in our book. Fact is, the heaviest gear can also benefit from for instance). All of these seemingly small but very important a clever application of the finesse concept.

Having said all that, we’ll now return to the very lightest features combine to create a superior outfit for the job. We can take this even further by looking at details like the rod end of the tackle spectrum and begin our examination of runners or guides (are they lightweight but strong, correctly some of the most versatile and popular soft plastic outfits with spaced and made from a material that dramatically reduces a close-up look at perhaps the most useful plastics outfit of friction?) and even the handles or grips at the rod’s butt end all; a lightweight, single- or double-handed spinning rig: (soft, spongy EVA, Duralon or Hypalon that soaks up feel, or high quality cork, or thin, Light spin gear As already explained, you can use soft plastics on just rubberised tape that transmits every bump and tap from the about any tackle and expect to catch some fish, but you’ll catch line and rod straight to the a hell of a lot more fish on something that’s really suitable for the job. One of the best all-round tools for this job is a angler’s hands?).

This finesse model can be light spinning (threadline) outfit, capable of casting weights applied to every form of tackle from almost nothing up to about 12 or 15 g (half an ounce). commonly used to work soft With a set-up like this, you can target everything from trout, plastics; from an ultra-light, redfin perch, bass, yellowbelly and sooty grunter in the fresh 1.8 m single-handed ‘flick stick’ to bream, flathead, estuary perch, smaller snapper, trevally, and diminutive threadline reel tailor, salmon, pike and so on in the salt, as well as handling used to cast tiny lures into a the odd much bigger fish that will certainly come along from mountain stream for trout, time to time.

Basically, when fishing ‘light’ from a canoe, a boat or right through to a 37 or even the shoreline of a river, an estuary, a bay or a harbour, you’ll 60 kg class fully-rollered game need a light spinning rod from about six-and-a-half to sevenrod and lever drag overhead and-a-half feet in length (1.9 to 2.3). The rod should have a reel that might be employed to troll a giant rubber scad or fairly fine, sensitive tip (but definitely not a soft or sloppy top mackerel along the outer edge end), because sometimes you’ll have to cast lightly weighted of the Great Barrier Reef in the plastics or even un-weighted plastics with it. It will also need hope of hooking a half tonne sufficient ‘guts’ or stiffness in the butt section, because most of your fishing will probably be done with GSP lines that have substantial true breaking strains, despite their very fine diametres. Even on quite small fish, you might sometimes have to use these reserves of power to engage in locked-drag, win-or-bust battles, especially when fishing in and around dense snags or up between encrusted wharf pilings.

Because fishing with soft plastics at this end of the spectrum generally requires a lot of casting, and most soft plastics have to be ‘worked’ or manipulated with the rod tip A beautifully marked to produce their best results, modern spinning rods ideally brownie from Arthurs suited to this task are slightly different in overall design and Lake. behaviour to their predecessors. Lightness in the hand is Fishing News - Page 29

particularly important, especially over extended fishing sessions, so graphite rules supreme, and cork grips are still the best for their feel and light weight. Butt lengths have changed as well, as anglers have found longer butts tend to dig into fore-arms or catch in sleeves and other clothing when the rod tip needs to be continually shaken, wriggled or flicked to impart action to a perpetual-motion plastic. Butts on single-handed spin rods, in particular, are often very short today. Overall, however, modern rods in this class are tending to be longer than they once were, as this helps in casting light weights, and also when it comes to manipulating those soft plastics in the water and setting hooks, even at long range. Ten years or so ago, a typical single-handed flick stick in this light category was around six feet (1.8 m) long. Today, it’s much more likely to be six-and-a-half or even seven feet long (2 to 2.2 m). These longer, lighter rods with a relatively high graphite content, short butts, cork handles and lightweight fittings are just about perfect for soft plastic fishing.

There’s also no doubt that a spinning (threadline) outfit rather than a baitcaster (small overhead) is the best way to go at this lighter end of the spectrum, because the eggbeater is just so much more versatile in these fishing applications. Many smaller fish such as bream and trout love tiny, lightweight lures, and you just can’t cast these far enough with any degree on consistency using an overhead. The great thing is, you can throw just about anything off a light eggbeater outfit; from a dirty big jig head that the rod can barely handle to the tiniest, un-weighted soft plastic tail and hook weighing less than a gram. Better yet, you can cast these offerings into the wind, across the wind, or with the wind, without the fear of those nasty over-runs or backlashes that plague overhead reels under these conditions.

Technology has really improved in recent times and now it’s possible to buy great eggbeater reels that are much more sophisticated than their predecessors, but still surprisingly affordable. Nowadays, the reels are lighter than they have ever been, their drags are smoother, their bail arm return systems are more reliable, their bail rollers actually roll and they are very serious fishing tools. Matching one of these sophisticated new threadline reels with the sort of rod I’ve described creates a very potent package for so many different kinds of soft plastic fishing, as well as for casting or trolling hard-bodied lures and fishing with natural baits.

The kind of ‘light’ outfit we’re talking about here also really packs a punch, and we have landed several jewfish (mulloway) up around the 10 kg mark on similar set-ups. If you fill even a little 1000 size eggbeater reel with, say, 4 pound (2kg) GSP line — which actually tests at something more like 4 kg — you are going to give most fish up to 10 or even 12 kg a pretty good run for their money, especially in open water, and especially if you have the ability to follow them, should they take a lot of line. It’s amazing what you can do with gear like this, if your knots are sound and you keep a level head when that whopper finally comes along.

Smaller fish such as bass, yellowbelly, bream, trout, estuary perch, jungle perch, flathead, Australian salmon, blue salmon and so on can all be targeted on the light spinning outfit just described, ideally using GSP lines with rated breaking strains from 2 to about 4 kg, always remembering that the manufacturer’s ratings on these GSP lines are usually just plain wrong. You can just about double those ratings to come up with the actual strength of these lines, so it’s obvious that you

Tasmanian soft plastic combo Fishing News - Page 30

The two legends - Starlo and Bushy testing some new tackle on Tasmania’s east coast bream. have the reserves of power needed to land considerably larger fish, should you happen to cross paths with them. However, if you are consistently targeting bigger stuff like snapper, tuna, kingies, jewies, barra, Murray cod and so on, and especially if you are chucking larger plastics on heavier jig heads (from 15 to 30 or 40 g and more), you will need to consider putting together a heavier outfit. Depending on the range of fish you’re going to target, and the spread of environments you’ll be chasing them in, the fact is you’ll probably need more than one light to medium soft plastics outfit to cover all the options, so let’s move up the tackle scale a little:

Medium outfit

When we want to catch larger fish on bigger plastics, we need a rod with a bit more grunt, and a reel with a bit more line capacity, as well as the ability to handle slightly thicker, stronger line. To target yellowtail kingfish, spotty mackerel, barramundi, jewfish, snapper, trevally and a host of other middle-weights, all we really need to do is up-size our basic ‘light’ plastics outfit (described above). For the sake of the exercise, we’ll call this next rig a ‘medium’ outfit, and it will be designed for two-handed casting, using either a medium-sized spinning (threadline) reel, or possibly a baitcaster, should you wish to go that way.

In this class, we usually opt for a rod in about the same approximate length range as the light, single-handed outfit (2 to 2.2 m — slightly longer if mostly fishing from the shore) with the same sort of action; a gutsy butt and relatively light, sensitive tip (but never a sloppy, soft one). However, this rod needs the backbone and stiffness to be able to handle lines with rated breaking strains up to about 10 kg (remembering that GSP lines with that rating could actually test much

stronger than this) and casting weights to perhaps 40 or even 50 g (a couple of ounces). To complete this heavier outfit, we also need to up-size the reel. Threadline or spinning reels are still great for this application, and a 4000, 4500 or 5000 size eggbeater from most manufacturers is spot-on. However, if you are a baitcaster (overhead) fan, we are now moving into an area where a reel of this sort will also definitely do the job, even if it won’t be capable of punching lighter jigs and plastics quite as far into a breeze as the eggbeater. Personally, we’ve never found an eggbeater to be inadequate for this class of work and we love the versatility of my medium-weight, double-handed spin rigs.

This sort of double-handed, medium-weight plastics outfit (either threadline or plug) is still fairly light in the hands and a joy to use, even over extended casting sessions, but man-oh-man; it really packs a punch! We have caught plenty of solid jewfish, good snapper and hard-fighting yellowtail kingfish up to 10 kg and more on tackle like this, and we’re confident I could land something much bigger, if we could get a hook into it!

Heavy tackle

Speaking of getting your hook into something big, as you well know, there’s really no limit to what can be caught on soft plastics. Our experiments with over-sized Squidgy Bluewater prototypes have already produced hook-ups on marlin of 300 kg and more. Having watched those amazing “Air Jaws” jumping shark documentaries on TV, we can tell you that if great white sharks weren’t a protected species these days, we’d seriously consider crafting me a metre-long rubber imitation seal pup surface lure and having a crack… can you imagine the top-water strikes!?

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Seriously, beyond the incredibly versatile light and medium outfits already described, it’s possible to fish plastics effectively off all manner of gear up to and including full-blown blue-water game trolling outfits.

In fact, offshore jigging and trolling gear is just about perfect when fishing really heavy lead-head jigs with rubber tails or magnum drop-shot rigs for reef and bottom dwellers or various pelagics, while the same tackle can also be used to troll for these and other fish, or to cast lures, if the reel is designed for this purpose.

As mentioned earlier, heavier beach, rock and jetty rods based around 3 or 4 m rods and big threadline, overhead or sidecast reels are also spot-on for casting large plastics from shore-based locations in search of mulloway, kingfish, snapper, tuna and so forth. As always,

the ‘finesse’ concept explained earlier should be applied to all of this tackle, and a great deal of thought given to optimising the balance, sensitivity, ‘feel’ and power of the gear to achieve the best possible results. A big part of getting this right lies in choosing the correct line, and it’s no secret we are huge fans of the modern gel-spun polyethylene (GSP) ‘super lines’ in this role. But that’s another story for another time!

POSTSCRIPT: You can read all of this great information and lots more in the book “On Soft Plastics” written by Starlo & Bushy, published in 2005 by AFN Publishing of Melbourne.

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Fishing around George Town Damon Sherriff George Town and Low Head are fantastic spots to do some estuary and fresh water fishing. I have spent most of my life fishing the Tamar River and its surrounds. A large majority of that has been around the George Town Low head area. It is a universal area with many fishing options.

Pier Pontoon at York Cove

This is one of my favourite pontoons on the Tamar River.

There are many species to be caught off this pontoon. These include garfish, silver trevally, snotty trevally, mackerel, couta, salmon, cod, flathead, pike and the occasional gummy shark. The gummies must be released as it is a gummy shark nursery. All fishing methods will work off the pontoon that includes soft plastics, bait, lure and fly. This will depend on what species that you are fishing for.

Garfish

The bigger gars are always caught during the winter and early spring.

Small bait suspended below a small quill float is the most productive way to catch them. Bread dough, bread, chicken and maggots are the most affective bait for gars. Berley is also very important with garfish success. I prefer bread or bread crumbs but fish bran also works well when spread into the water in small amounts. A light outfit is ideal for garfish, around a 2000 sized reel and a light spinning rod rated at 1 to 3 kilos. Garfish are fantastic to eat and are well worth the effort.

Silver Trevally

Silvers can also be caught off the Pier pontoon during certain months.

Winter and early spring seem to be the most productive. Berley is essential to silver trevally success.

Chook pellets and fish oil is highly

Fly fishing Competition News

Tasmania is to host the 2007 Oceania Fly Fishing Championships. This biennial event is a competition between Australia and New Zealand and also hosts invitational teams from other countries.

Australia and New Zealand will both field 2 teams of 5 competitors, and initial acceptances have also been received from Canada, Japan and South Africa to each field a team of 5.

This competition has developed into a real tussle with New Zealand currently holding the Oceania trophy and leading Australia 3-2 since the inception of the competition. Further to this some great friendships have developed between the Australian and New Zealand Teams over the past 10 years, making the competition even more keenly contested.

The competition will run from Monday the 19th of February to Sunday the 25th of February, 2007. Practice days will occur on Tues, Wednesday and Thursday and the competition will consist of 5 x 3 hours sessions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

There will be a presentation dinner for the winning individuals and team on Sunday night the 25th of February.

The event is to be based in the Central Highlands at either Bronte Park or Tarraleah Chalet. Venues for the competition are likely to be Arthurs Lake, Penstock Lagoon, Bronte Lagoon, the Derwent River and a second river venue which is yet to be finalized.

Joe RILEY of Longford is Captain of the team. (The Captain is a non fishing role in fly fishing competitions more aligned with a coaching position, i.e. control of the team in regards to planning, tactics etc).

Sponsorship and volunteers are being sought for this event, could any person interested in assisting contact Brian McCullagh on 62485769 or Joe Riley on 0419569765.

Tasmanians form a major part in the Australian Fly Fishing Team for the 2006 and 2007 World Fly Fishing Championships.

T h e 2 0 0 6 Wo r l d F l y F i s h i n g Championships are being held in Coimbra, Portugal from the 9th - 17th September, 2006. Tasmania has two representatives from the team of 5 anglers competing in Tasmania has 4 competitors of the the event.

Rick LEHMANN of Meander.

10 anglers competing in the Australian Paul ELLIS of Launceston.

Team.

This event is expected to be on small Gary DONAGHY of Tarraleah. rivers and primarily a competition catching Warren DEAN of Devonport. trout as Portugal does not have other target Craig CAREY of Longford. species such as grayling.

Paul ELLIS of Launceston.

Fishing News - Page 34

The Pier Pontoon is a fantastic fishing spot and is just off the main street in George Town.

The Pier Pontoon looking from the southern side of York Cove.

The 2007 World Fly Fishing Championships are be held in Kemi, Finland from the 13th - 20th June, 2007. Tasmania has two competitors for this event also.

Jonathan STAGG of Relbia.

Joe RILEY of Longford.

Jim DAVIS of New Norfolk is Captain of this team.

This event is to be hosted on the large open rivers of Northern Finland, and targets trout, salmon and grayling, which all abound in these rivers.

Selection for representative teams comes from qualifying at the State and National Fly Fishing Championships which are held each year.

The Tasmanian Fly Fishing Championships are held on the 3rd weekend in February each year, the next being 17 and 18 February 2007. Any angler is welcome to enter the event, teams can be entered in groups of 4 as there is a team emphasis on the competition and medals are awarded for both individuals and teams. (While anyone is welcome to compete in the Tasmanian Fly Fishing Championships, you must be a member of Fly Fish Australia to progress to the Nationals. Membership $50 p.a.).

The top 1/3rd of the field of individuals qualify for the National Fly Fishing Championships. This is the event from which the representatives are selected. Anglers must finish in the top 15 of the Nationals to qualify for selection in a representative team.

The National Fly Fishing Championships are held each year, 2006 being held in the Clare Valley South Australia.

Any enquiries in relation to competing or assisting with the hosting of the Tasmanian Fly Fishing Championships can be directed to; Brian McCULLAGH on 62485769 or Joe RILEY on 0419569765.

2006 Tasmanian Fly Casting Championships

On the 4th May 1864 the birth of the first trout in Australian waters took place at the Plenty Salmon Ponds. This magnificent venue created with great foresight by our forefathers hosted the 6th Annual Tasmanian Fly Casting Championships on the 9th April 2006.

Event organiser Peter Hayes said a total of 46 competitors from 10 state-wide clubs competed in dry fly and wet fly accuracy casting events.

In addition to the Open, Womens and Junior ‘Champion of Champions’ the club teams event was keenly contested. A mild sunny day with light winds provided excellent casting conditions.

Event sponsor ‘Plenty Salmon Ponds’ provided a $1000 cash prize to be shared between the three top scoring clubs. Bridges Brothers tackle store in Hobart also donated a first rate Reddington Fly rod as a lucky entry prize.

Results: Champion of Champions: Gary Baird, Launceston Champion of Champions Women: Lisa Hayes and Lydia Lee Champion of Champions Junior: William Horan Champion Club $750: Tasmanian Fly Fishers, Launceston 2nd Place Club - $250: Van Diemans Fly Club, Launceston 3rd Place Club - $150: Kingborough Angling Club

recommended for berley. The best baits are bluebait, whitebait, pilchard fillets, chicken breast and prawns. A light spinning outfit with a soft tip is recommended. A sabiki rig or bait rig is also worth a shot when targeting silver trevally. A friend of mine targets silvers in the Tamar and has caught them up to 2 kgs in weight. Silvers tend to hang around structures which include cunji beds, moorings and channel edges.

gram silver slice lure to catch these fish. A fast retrieve should entice a strike when the fish are about. I recommend a slightly heavier outfit for this sort of work. A 7 to 8 foot general purpose rod matched with a 4000 size reel is a good choice for spinning with heavier lures and weights. It’s a good idea to use around 6 to 8 kg mono for catching yellowtail kings and blackback salmon which occasionally turn up off this platform.

Snotty Trevally

Off Ainslie House

RIF F

’S

This is a great spot for snotties when they are about. They are quite easy to berley up. The same berley mix as used on the silver trevally is adequate for these as well. A sabiki rig baited with chicken breast and thigh is by far the most successful type of bait. Also bluebait, peeled, prawns, squid and pilchard fillets are all worth a shot. A similar outfit to the silvers is the way to go. Snotties are mainly taken during the colder months. June, July and August seem to be the pick of them. Blue warehou or snotties are fantastic sport on light tackle and are great to eat when fresh. The water depth at the pier pontoon is around 4 to 5 metres at low tide and you can easily see the bottom and is possible to sight your trevally which is great fun especially for the kids.

’s

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The Monument at George Town

This is a great spot to cast lures for Australian salmon, pike, couta and the occasional rat. (kingfish) It is a very convenient land based platform at the end of the main street. You cast out into very deep fast flowing water. The bottom is quite snaggy so bait fishing is not recommended.

SH

Pike/Couta

Pike and couta can be caught land based from the George Town monument nearly all year round. All that is needed is a 40 to 60

This is one of Low Heads number one big salmon spots. Directly off Ainslie house is an inner channel which separates itself from the main stream of the main channel.

It is a red hot feeding ground for black back salmon. They are regularly caught up to 2 kilos in this area. A boat is not necessary but is a big advantage.

Australian salmon

Salmon fishing in this area is best at high and the low tide change. Low tide is probably more productive. Drift spinning is the most effective method. Trolling is also popular but can put the fish down due to excess outboard noise. Saltwater fly fishing is also another popular way to catch big salmon off Ainslie.

White or silver bait fish patterns work best.

A fly dropper can also work well just above your lure. Big salmon can school up ion the edge of the channel in very shallow water, ambushing anchovies as they move out into the deeper water. Sometimes there will be no signs that the fish are there. Birds are not always an indicator. A few bow waves or a water disturbance may be the only indicator that big salmon are in the area.

Two Mile Reef

The Pier Pontoon in George Town is a great place to take the kids. is a great spot to chase southern calamari.

Just 10 minutes run east of the Low Head lighthouse, Two mile reef is a small anomaly which is semi submerged at high tide. It is covered in bull kelp and rubble reef. It is a top spot for squid.

lot of mess. Don’t get stuck on any one colour as they regularly change the colour that they are biting on. Calamari is my favourite eating seafood and is worth the effort. Cuttlefish are often caught while chasing calamari and equally as nice to eat.

Southern calamari

George Town, Low Head area has some fantastic fishing in a close proximity. Fresh to saltwater it has the lot. Giant makos to brown trout, it is a very diverse area.

The ideal depth is around 3 and 10 metres over reefy bottom. Drifting is by far the best way to catch squid. If you can, a light southerly wind is the best breeze in this spot. The use of a sea anchor is a must if you’re drifting to quick. I find 2.5 to 3.5 inch squid jig works the best. A prawn style squid jig or a baited squid jag suspended under a float works the best. A light spinning outfit is all the\at is needed. A landing net is a must. Always net your calamari mantle first. Leave the squid in the water for a few moments before lifting it aboard. This allows the squid to de-ink itself and saves a

Damon Sherriff

SP ORT. N. F H

This is one of my favourite spots off shore during spring and early summer. This

Damon and Sarah Sherriff have recently taken over Good Sports in George Town’s main street. Call in next time you are passing for the latest report on the lower Tamar.

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Fishing News - Page 35

Jan’s Flies

Review

Other flies for the start of the season should include matukas, woolly worms, yetis and fur flies. All can be of various colours. These flies should be most successful fished on a weighted line with various retrieves. Fishing in shallow water a floating line will do, otherwise the fly is down in the weed to quickly.

Partridge of Redditch are releasing into Australia their new range of Flash Point hooks which I have just been handed to review.

The range consist of hooks which will compete in the traditional fly fishing range i.e. Dry Fly, Wet Fly, Emerger/Sub surface and Klinkhammer. Added to these is the re-appearance of the traditional Limerick style of wet fly hook. The Dry, Limerick and Wet hooks all have a dull bronze finish while the Emerger/Sub surface and Klinkhammer have a dark chrome finish. The Wet Fly and Limerick Hooks come in a heavy gauge steel, while the other styles come in a light gauge wire, which appears to be quite strong for such a fine hook. The Dry, Wet and Emerger hooks all have a good wide gape, and a short chemically sharpened point.

These hooks appear to be everything that we expect from modern fly hooks and will compete well in the current range available for fly tying. Best of all these hooks come in packs of 50 and retail at around $12.50. Comparable hooks from Black Magic are about $8.00 for 30 and Kamasan are $7.50 for 25, making the Partridge hooks a cost effective choice.

Added to these traditionals are a range of hooks well established in European fly fishing circles.

Gold Head Long Shank, Dirty Harry, Czech Nymph, Moulded Lead Czech Nymph, Moulded Lead Grub.

Jan Spencer Fly tyer for the World Champion 2000 Australian Team

I was reminded the other day when I received my trout licence renewal in the mail that the new trout season was close. Hopefully this season will be better than last with more constant insect hatches.

In mirror conditions the other day (2-7-06) I saw fish smutting late in the afternoon in Swan Bay, Great Lake, there were a number of these fish close enough to the shore to cast to without getting ones feet wet.

These fish are always hard in these conditions, a very small spent dry fly, black in colour with a tiny grey duck wing will sometimes entice a take. To fish these flies a very light tippet is required, so playing a reasonable fish will have to be done with great care or the tippet will break.

The other alternative is to fish a small buzzer pattern, the most productive method being to hang the buzzer just under the surface; this can be done by greasing the leader or having an indicator of some sort, but the buzzer I have the most success is tied normal body and thorax, but with a CDC feather tied over the thorax with the points of the feather pointing toward the sky. Being a CDC feather on a small hook this will keep the head up and let the body hang down, again a fine tippet needs to be applied so care must be taken playing a fish.

Buzzer

Hook: Long shank—size 14 to 16 Thread: Black Butt: Green Lurex Body: Black Seal Fur Thorax: Black Seal Fur Wing: Dark, Natural CDC Take thread at least two thirds around the hook shank.

Tie in green lurex and make three turns around hook shank, cut excess lurex away.

Dub on black seals fur for body, keep the body fine, and finish the body well back from the eye.

Tie in CDC feather for wing, now dub in thorax, and be sure not to make the thorax too bulky.

Pull the CDC feather over the thorax firmly; tie down with thread leaving the points of the feather over the eye of the hook. Whip finish, cut thread away, varnish thread making sure not to get any carnish on the CDC feather as this will ruin the feathers floating abilities.

If fish are taking consistently, place fly in front and hopefully the fish will find your presented fly.

Gold Head Long Shank

The name says it all, a long shank hook with a gold bead already glued into place. A simple idea to make fly tying a bit easier. This is a good idea, but we will need to weigh up the cost of individual hooks and beads against this hook as they retail about $10.50 for 10.

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Fishing News - Page 36

Dirty Harry - (BMN Big Mouth Nymph).

Here is a hook that a Toyota Landcruiser couldn't straighten. Super short shank, extra wide gape, heavy gauge wire. This hook was developed for extra bushy flies such as that infamous English fly, The Blob. This hook will find a place for those who like a short hook that won't straighten under any pressure.

Czech Nymph

A curved barbless hook with an out turned point.

Widely used in Europe for tying grub type nymphs, for the technical the Hydropsyche nymph.

Moulded Lead Czech Nymph

The same hook as above, however this has a moulded lead body tapered to shape. Due to the costs involved in making moulded lead bodies, this hook will really be a niche for the serious river or competition fisherman. The moulded lead body gives the best weight possible while maintaining a slim profile. These will retail about $10.50 for 7 hooks.

Moulded Lead Grub

A hook has a traditional straight point and barb rather than the curved out point of the barbless czech nymph. Pricing is the same as the Moulded Lead Czech Nymph.

As I said, I've only just been handed these hooks, and haven't had a chance to see them perform 'In the field'. I will do a further review next issue once I've had a chance to tie with them and fish them a bit. I will also show a couple of Hydropsyche nymphs tied on the Moulded Lead Czech Nymph, because they work just as well at home as they do in Europe.

Joe Riley.

You could win a stay at Derwent Bridge if you subscribe.

See page 33.

Exploring new dimensions in hook design 2

F LY F I S H E R

At Partridge we take pride in our ability to supply hooks to meet innovative and emerging fishing styles. We listen to anglers then research and develop hooks to meet their specific angling requirements.

YK4AL NEW LEADED GRUB SHRIMP HOOK

CZL NEW LEADED CZECH NYMPH

CZ AUTHENTIC CZECH NYMPH

BMN THE BIG MOUTH NYMPH

IN IDEAL NYMPH

TWH THE WET 0

0 2 2 4 6

2

A reversed grub hook with a wide gap that gives a live action by twisting in the water.

Available in sizes: 8, 10, 12, 14, 16

TDH THE DRY

An obvious choice to be introduced in a leaded version.

Available in sizes: 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16

These hooks match the famous nymph hooks used in the World Championships. The incurved and offset point gives very secure hookholds even though they are barbless.

Available in sizes: 12, 14, 16 GHLS GOLD HEADED LONG SHANK

J1A LIMMERICK

0 8

2 4

0

6 8

The name says it all—a perfect dry fly hook.

Available in sizes: 8, 10, 12, 14, 16

2

Still recognised as one of the best hooks ever designed. A welcome return to the fly tier’s bench.

Available in sizes: 6, 8, 10, 12

Ideal for heavily dressed patterns or those that require additional buoyancy.

These hooks also make great ‘blob’ flies. The wide gap ensures the point of the hook is not masked by the dressing.

Available in sizes: 10,12,14

4 6

Based on the YH1A nymph hook, the bead is superglued to the hook.

Available in sizes: 8, 10, 12, 14, 16

An all-round wet fly hook great for nymph, standard wet fly patterns and wake flies.

The neat micro barb and strong point ensure great hook ups.

Available in sizes: 8, 10, 12, 14

Designed to offer a base for most standard wet fly patterns. A great all-rounder.

Available in sizes: 6, 8, 10, 12, 14

15BN KLINKHAMER

15BNX KLINKHAMER EXTREME

The original design for the tying of the world famous Klinkhamer nymphs, designed by Hans van Klinken the originator of the pattern. Also good for many emerger/buzzer patterns.

Available in sizes: 16,18,20

Exactly as designed by Hans van Klinken. It is now possible to make it according to the original plan.

Available in sizes: 16, 18, 20

AUSTRALIAN IMPORTER AND DISTRIBUTOR: Clarkson Imports: Phone: (03) 9758 7722 Fax: (03) 9758 7788 Email: rod@piscesfishingtackle.com

FLYFISHER AD.indd 2

Fishing News - Page 37 4/07/2006 3:59:41 PM

Early season trolling - improve your catch rate

During our hot Australian summer months, with long days and short nights, the metabolism of trout and salmon in our impoundments goes at full bore! As we enjoy our summer holidays, fish that are reaching maturity are generally packing on the weight in preparation for the rigours of spawning and the coming cold weather. The arrival of winter and cold weather generally means that fishing pressure slows while trout are spawning. After the spawning period, the trout and salmon that have spent much of the winter months in colder water will now start to leave this winter habitat and move more readily into other areas that offer optimum temperature, structure and food sources.

Water Temperature

Water temperature, both surface and at depth, play an important role in a trout’s behaviour. Knowing preferred temperatures for any given species is always a good starting point to assist with locating fish. Keep in mind that each body of water or fishing location will be different when considering water temperature. Water temperature has a direct influence on spawning fish but also plays a big role in the daily patterns of any fish species. As little as 2 degrees in temperature can often spell the difference between fish in the net and failure. With the numbers of temperature probes available today there is no reason why anglers can't monitor temperatures at almost any depth. An accurate temperature probe can be purchased for as little as $20 and can be a great help in locating the optimum temperature for whatever species you target.

Water Clarity

Water clarity plays an important role in any fish behaviour or activity. Water levels in many impoundments can vary enormously at this time of year depending on rainfall (and or snowfall) and this can cause discoloration through suspended silt or debris. Discoloured water will often necessitate using fluorescent coloured lures or even lures with rattles and or attractors. This fact alone can make trolling, and most other forms of fishing, fairly challenging. To increase your chances

of success think carefully about your location, the speed you will troll and the technique you will use to present your lure, fly or bait.

Locating Fish

Fish often make use of different areas according to the season or time of year and this seasonal appropriateness as well as the availability of forage or a food source is the key to consistently finding fish. Prime locations for targeting active fish during the early season should include areas like the mouths of any inflowing streams or rivers, shallow points or break-walls that jut out into deeper water, and shallow shelves or drop-offs with weed beds are all likely spots to hold active fish. Structure in any lake or body of water can encompass a range of factors. When referring to structure its necessary to consider the range of structures in a given species environment. Generally most anglers think of structure in terms of submerged trees, rocks etc. Structure also includes elements like bottom configuration, bottom contents, water movement (such as the mouths of inflowing rivers), vegetation, drop offs, submerged points, water depth and shade.

If you happen to be prospecting a new area or body of water, watch your sounder carefully.

The depth of any structure will determine how fish use it. Extensive weed beds in very shallow clear water are unlikely to be frequented by predators in intense

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summer daylight, but can be exceptionally good in late winter/spring as fish seek warmer water temperatures. Any structure used by fish needs to be at a depth that is appropriate for a given species requirements. Bottom content including rock base, weed beds, boulders, sand or mud can all make a difference to your success. Don't waste your time pursuing an area that doesn't have the right bottom structure to attract the species you are targeting. Structure or the shape of an area alone doesn't attract fish. The best fish attracting areas generally show a combination of structure (including weed beds), depth and available food. Fish often make use of different areas according to the season or time of year.

To be really successful in the early season means not only using the right techniques and gear, but developing an understanding of fish species and their environment.

Experiment

When you find an area of an impoundment (or river ) that looks like it has potential, be patient, and give it a thorough going over. One of the keys to success is to change your presentation (lure fly or bait ), change depths and trolling speed until you hit on a combination that works for you! You may find that you will have to make multiple passes in an area before you figure out what the fish want.

Locating fish and their food sources without the aid of sonar can be a tall order. Using a good quality depth sounder such as the Lowrance LCX25C for this task will allow you to target schools of baitfish and weed beds that are likely to hold food for a hungry predator. When searching likely locations for fish it pays to keep in the back of your mind that you are looking for habitat that fish are comfortable in, but you also need to consider the environment for their prey or forage.

Options

One of my favourite choices of presentation for early season conditions is to troll a fly behind some type of an attractor, usually a dodger or flasher. Trolling flies are by their very use, intended to be submerged, and designed to look their best when moving under the water, not necessarily on top of it. Most dry flies struggle to provide a good imitation of a bug or insect when submerged. Trolling flies should provide the right mix of colour, either bold or subdued, the suggestion through shape of the prey your target species actually feed on, and movement to attract fish.

Choices for tying trolling flies can include almost any type of material. Fly tying materials like chenille work well because they will soak up water and make the fly heavier. Adding material like tinsel or mylar for contrast can also be useful.

Heavier flies are useful because they help keep the fly from trying to float toward the surface. Tube flies and weighted flies are a good example of this phenomenon. Keeping the trolled fly on the same plane as the leader pulling it is what a good presentation is about. The choice of leader material between the dodger and fly is very important, and can spell the difference between fish in the boat and going home fishless.

Most flies (unlike bibed lures) have little or no action on their own and your choice of leader determines what action from your attractor is imparted to the fly. As a generalisation long leaders in the range of 400mm to 1m are to long for use with flies. Short leaders between 150-300mm are usually your best choice. This is one application where the choice of a stiffer line is the preferred option, as stiff short leaders will impart more action to the fly than a long limp leader.

Trolling flies can be presented on flat lines, with the aid of snap weights, lead core lines or downriggers to fish a range of depths and conditions. Trolled behind a dodger or flasher they can be extremely effective. I have successfully used flies up to about 100mm long to target both trout and salmon.

The drawing below depicts a typical set up for rigging flies and attractors.

The Soft Option

Another alternative for early season trolling is to use one of the new soft plastic swimbaits. Well known in the north American market as the hot producer for cast and retrieve applications when chasing bass, swimbaits are a versatile lure that are effective for many species including trout.

Although there doesn’t appear to be a universal definition for “swimbaits” within the tackle industry the term seems to

Bill Presslor trolling Great Lake. As one of Australia’s most knowledgable trout trollers Bill stresss attention to detail is very important. encompass two main styles of lures. Minnow or shad shaped soft plastics are the norm, while the hybrid wood/plastic varieties such as the original AC Plug, a hard wooden body with soft plastic tail, also fall into this category. Many of the hybrid style lures also have a bib, which allows them to float at rest but dive when retrieved or trolled. Soft plastic swimbaits usually either float or sink at various rates depending on the plastics formulation and the lead content. Storm lures have now also brought out a new suspending model, the Suspending WildEye Swim Shad.

Swimbaits generally have a wiggling tail action, but also gain action from the shape of the plastic body itself as well as the addition of a jig-head, if used. Many of the soft plastic models available also closely mimic the complicated action generated by bibed or diving lures known collectively as crankbaits. Swimbaits are available in a huge range of sizes from about 25mm long to the monster catching models over 300mm available from companies like Storm Lures. From boot or paddle tails to split tails and curl tails there are a host of swimbaits to cover almost any application or depth.

Another big plus for swimbaits is there cost, you can easily buy 2 or 3 swimbaits for the cost of one hard body minnow style lure. When you add the ability to readily accept the new scents formulated for soft plastics it’s easy to understand why this style of lure has so much potential.

Rigging

number of things in common with trolling flies. This style of lure can greatly benefit from the addition of an attractor.

For flatlines, lead core line or downrigging with swimbaits the action from a small flasher or dodger can really improve your results. Attractors such as dodgers or the new Mylar wing airplane attractor (available from Pieces) give this style of lure a lot more movement than the tail wiggle common to this style of lure. The new Mylar wing airplane attractors do not have the drag of normal in line attractors such as cowbells or ford fenders and are very easy to troll.

Some of my favourite soft plastics for trolling include the Storm WildEye Swim Shad in both the rigged weighted model and suspending models and the small WildEye Finesse Minnow. Another range of swimbaits that I’ve had good success with is the Bass Assasin and Berkley range of soft plastics.

Get away from the crowd!

One of the most important things you can do to improve your chances of success is to getaway from the crowds. If you’re a newcomer to any particular impoundment it’s very hard to resist the temptation to fish where everyone else is. Local knowledge is always useful and can put you in the picture when confronted with the challenge of working out how to fish a new body of water. Most newspaper and radio reports, as well as tackle shop gossip will tell you that the hot spot is in a particular area. Undoubtedly a lot of anglers will catch fish in these areas, but a lot of boat pressure can really put the fish down, especially in shallow lakes. Ultimately your goal of a trophy fish will mean that you’ll have to find your own hotspot!

Concentrating on your target species preference for structure, temperature and food source can make all the difference to your success!

Bill Presslor

Some swimbaits come pre-rigged with a single large upturned hook behind the head and some with both the single hook and a belly treble hook. If you use the single hook model it often pays to run a stinger hook to stop short takes. This can be rigged much like putting a stinger on a spinnerbait. Slip a treble over the point of the single hook and pin it in the back of the bait, then use a piece of tubing on the single hook to stop the treble from slipping. You can also rig a stinger with a short piece of braid or Dacron and tie it to the back of the single hook. The unrigged models of swimbaits can also be You could win a bundle of books if you subscribe. rigged to run weedless, by burying the hook in the soft plastic See page 33. body, handy if your flat line trolling in areas that contain a lot of snags and weed.

To troll swimbaits I have found that the medium ( ¼ ounce ) weighted lures and suspending models work well for flat line trolling. Most • Over 30 years experience on of these models will troll to all types of motors • Approved about 1.2 to 1.5m on .22mm insurance repairer to boats and monofilament and about 1.8 motors • Propellor rebuild and to 2.0m on 10lb. Braid. Speed refurbishing • Repairs of all types is fairly critical with the lighter models, to fast and they will - including skegs etc. roll. The heavier models can • Contact: Cyril Stevens stand a fair bit of speed and Phone 6431 3082 Fax 6431 1255 can easily be trolled at a speed with Cobra style lures. Trolling swimbaits for trout has a

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Fishing News - Page 39

Fisherman’s Basket Reviews by Mike Stevens unless stated otherwise

Platypus Lo-Stretch

There must be hundreds, if not thousands of different types of monofilament in the world. I know there are not many different manufacturers, but they all make many types within their brand, and most manufacture under several brands.

In Australia we have Australian Monofil, a company that started in 1898, and one of the world leaders in the manufacture of mono and braid.

Australian Monofil also manufacture for other companies.

Platypus is their own leading brand in Australia and highly renowned by anglers. I was given a spool of their new Lo-Stretch, IGFA rated line, to try just recently and I did have a chance to test it at Marrawah on the north-west coast.

It says on the packaging‘Experienced anglers only’ which I suspect is just a bit of marketing. It also says ‘New 3 layer formula allows minimum stretch for rapid reaction. Thin diameter and enhanced sensitivity improves catch rate.’ Maybe this is also just marketing blurb, but maybe not.

I have many reels spooled with no (very low anyway) stretch braid.

In my experience braid is sometimes extraordinarily good and at other times unsatisfactory. It is great for bream and soft plastic fishing when the smallest twitch of the rod imparts the same movement in the lure. I find it unsatisfactory when using heavy metal lures on big salmon. It seems to me a lack of stretch allows the fish to throw the lure, or the lure pulls out more easily. I like to land fish very quickly as well, and this may also be a contributing factor. Nevertheless many more fish are landed with stretchy mono than with non-stretch braid.

Now though we have a combination of less stretch than conventional mono and more stretch than braid. Do we get the best of both – or the worst of both?

I suspect the former.

I tested this line fishing large poppers in a howling wind on the north-west coast. The full spool of 8kg line was loaded onto my Penn Spinfisher 6500 and fitted on perfectly. The line was not too stiff and ‘springy’ as I find some line is for Tasmania’s cold weather.

Have you noticed how some line will actually spring off the spool with no help at all – it really annoys me and mostly it is because it is too stiff for our cold climate. It often doesn’t happen in hotter areas.

Fishing News - Page 40

The Lo-Stretch didn’t do that and cast superbly – I did have a few knots of wind to contend with at times. Now the thing with poppers is that stretch is the enemy – as the popper does not ‘pop’ as well if everything isn’t well connected. Try pulling a heavy sinker along the carpet with ten metres of light line – nothing happens while it is stretching and then the sinker shoots forward and stops – it is not a consistent pull. The low stretch was excellent in this regard giving good action and a consistent gurgling popper action that was desired. Yes, we also caught a few fish and I found the balance and lower stretch of this line compared to other mono a real advantage.

Check it out at good tackle stores.

8lb line you can probably spool 6 reels. That works out to $1.50 per reel. Fantastic value and good quality.

You will not find it at all stores, but it is readily available. Tell your favourite tackle store to contact Abtas for supplies.

Norstream XPL Braid

Araty Diamond mono

You will see elsewhere a review on low stretch mono made in Australia by Australian Monofil. I love Australian products and prefer to buy them whenever I can.

Araty Diamond is not made in Australia, but Brazil. It is a copolymer line and one I find very suitable for Tasmanian conditions. It is very limp and suited to cold Tasmanian conditions better than most lines I have used. It has a clear, nondescript colour that I like, comes on spools varying in length depending on breaking strain, is inexpensive and thin for the breaking strain.

The line is pretty much sold by weight of the total line, although is doesn’t say that: 6lb is around 960 metres; 14lb – 550 metres and 20lb – 411 metres.

6lb is about .2mm or .008 inches; 8lb - .22mm or .009 inches. Cost per spool seems to around $10.

Araty Diamond stretches a lot. It is one of the things I like about it – for certain circumstances. When line does stretch the need for a super smooth drag is less important, whereas if using nonstretch braid a super smooth drag is essential. I also like it for inexperienced anglers as the chance of breaking off a fish is hugely diminished.

Being fine diameter means long casts are easy and for trout trolling I never forget Greg ‘Lofty’ Hynes, of Lofty Lures fame telling me the two most important elements of trolling were line diameter and speed. Thinner is better.

Economy is also very important to many people. With a spool of 6 or

The recently released Norstream XPL Braid is produced from 100% Dyneema, with increased abrasion resistance, resulting in a material that is soft, durable and has high shock absorption qualities. Manufactured under strict quality control in Japan, this line is braided from four separate filaments to achieve the best possible breaking strain. Manufactured with a round profile to facilitate perfect spool loading this braid has a silicone coated surface to ensure longer and smoother casting in cast and retrieve applications. One major benefit for trolling applications is the colour coding of this line, every ten metres the line has a different colour allowing the angler to monitor how much line has been released for consistent results.

Enquiries: Clarkson Imports

Highland Princess

Highland Lake Boat Hire has added the “Highland Princess” (formerly the “Bronte Spirit”) to its fleet of hire boats in time for the coming fishing season beginning in August 2006.

The Highland Princess is a 5.5 metre aluminium pontoon boat complete with a comfortable cabin that has 360 degree visibility. It is under survey and licensed to carry 7 passengers. It is well suited to family and group fishing as the cabin provides additional room plus cooking facilities. There is plenty of deck room fore and aft providing adequate fishing space for all on board.

3 pontoons make the “Highland Princess” an extremely stable boat and very safe for persons of all ages. It is well suited to passengers unaccustomed to boating or fishing which allows the

ardent fisherman to include the family for a pleasurable day or weekend excursion.

The “Highland Princess” will operate exclusively in the Bradys chain of lakes meaning it will be able to operate in Bradys Lake, Lake Binney and Tungatinah Lagoon. It is reported that the lakes have been well stocked with fish of all sizes (fingerlings, yearlings and adults) this year including some quite large salmon. The Bradys chain, while offering excellent fishing, is one of the most scenic of the highland lakes and offers a wide range of scenery when viewed from the water.

As with all highland lakes, weather plays an important part in the success of the day but be assured being able to slip into a warm cabin and sip on a freshly made cup of tea or coffee make for a very pleasant day out. The “Highland Princess” is a unique type of boat very safe and well suited to highland lake fishing. Bookings can be made through either Kim or Carol by phoning 03 6272 5563 or 0438 725 562.

Kokoda Weather Pod

I love this little weather station. It just sits on the desk and gives you a whole lot of information that is often not easy to find. For example it shows a history of barometric pressure of the previous 12 hours and form this it predicts the weather for the next 12-24 hours. It doesn’t pretend to be more than 70% accurate, but is anyone ever spot on.

To be fair though the weather predictions only comes as five variations from sunny through slightly cloudy, cloudy, rainy and stormy. Nevertheless it is quite handy if you are planning to slip out fishing for the afternoon.

Of great interest also to anglers is the moon phase which will give you a good idea in regard to the height of tides. You will still need your tide tables for predicitons, but it will tell you whether the tide will be a spring or neap tide.

It also records maximum and minimum temperature and humidity, but these are indoor measurements.

Other handy information is the clock, date and alarm.

Retail price is around $50

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The 350 Sea Sprite weighs in at a light 50kg. This model has an anchor shelf and is available packaged with an 8hp Mariner outboard, with a maximum horsepower rating of 15hp.

Stacer 399 Proline

Now $300

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Innovator Rods

Xtream Rubicon 8’ 4/5-2p $249 Now $160 Xtream Goulburn 8’6” 6# 2p $249 Now $160 Matrix Freestone 9’6” 6# 3p $379 Now $250 Matrix Flats 9’ 8/9 3p $379 Now $250

The 399 Proline is the first of the vee-nosed, shallow-bottomed estuary going Stacer boats to carry four people. Weighing in at 110kg, it’s easy to handle and is available packaged with a fuel efficient 15hp outboard.

Stacer 449 Sea Horse

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SA Mastery 6/7 $325 Now $225 SA Mastery 7/9 L/A $149 Now $90 Ross Evolution $695 Now $420 Rythym $525 Now $320 Flywater 1 $230 Now $135 Hardy Ultralite Disc L/A 9/10 $395 Now $250 Shimano Freestone 6/7 $325 Now $220 Felty 789 $549 Now $320 810 $569 Now $320 911 $399 Now $350

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Mail Orders Welcome Phone 6234 3791 Fax 6234 4062 71 Bathurst St, Hobart (Next door to Book City)

The 449 Seahorse embodies all the benefits of an open boat: manoeuvrability, fuel efficiency and durability… but one thing really sets this model apart… Stacer’s unique EVO hull. This, plus the added size of the 449 Seahorse makes this boat suited to enclosed waters and open bays.

Port Sorell Marine Phone 6428 7124 Shopping Centre Club Drive Shearwater

Open Hours: Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm Sat: 9am to 12 noon Fishing News - Page 41

North-west Coast Australian Salmon

The small town of Marrawah on the rugged west coast is home of the famous land based fishing platform called Sinking Rock. Make sure you pronounce it Maru-war if you want to fit in. Many of you would have heard of this spot or are probably already regular visitors to this great place, but for those of you who are not it is not as far out of the way as you think and it’s easily accessible.

Marrawah lies some 25 minutes west of Smithton, just follow the signs and you won’t miss it. Once you arrive at Marrawah take your first left just past the pub and keep driving until you come to a gravel road, and just a few kilometers further and you’ll arrive at Nettley Bay. From here you can fish the main rock near the carpark or walk 20 minutes or so to right to Sinking rock. Tackle stores or the friendly locals will point you in the right direction.

The main target that we fish for here is Australian salmon , but gummy sharks, couta and pike are common bycatches.

Average salmon here are 1-2kg but 4kg+ fish are not uncommon. Most rocky spots on the west coast has bull kelp growing to the waters edge and on the reefs and good knots and strong line are needed to muscle these powerful fish away from the kelp. Take plenty of spare lures and terminal tackle because the big salmon and the kelp can be unforgiving.

Tackle.

A strong 10-12ft rod is a must. A light 10’graphite rod with a powerful butt is preferred for spinning as a heavy rod will fatigue you quickly if you intend on doing a lot of lure tossing.

Match your rod to a quality highspeed threadline in the 4500 – 6000 size range and spool up with 10kg line. I prefer mono as opposed to braid to spin with as the stretch factor soaks up the big hits and the headshakes of salmon better than braid.

A good strong, long, rod is necessary to keep the fish away from the kelp.

On my bait rod I run 15kg braid, the zero stretch makes it far superior to mono for feeling bites on the bait.

Lures.

It’s hard to beat the trusty Raider on salmon , although any chrome slices or baitfish profiles will also work. I always use a dropper fly or 2 inch squid unless the salmon are to thick and big to lift two at a time. On some bright days the fish can shy away from lures and will only go for the smaller droppers.

Another lure worth trying are deep divers, you won’t see many people using them but they are definitely a favourite with the salmon. On three separate occasions I have caught two fish

Peace of mind when boating

For further details contact: • Lindsay Deegan Marine; 102 Eastland Drive, Ulverstone, Ph. 6425 2238 • Maynes Marine; 119 New Town Road, Hobart, Ph. 6228 3999

Or phone Honda, freecall 1800 80 75 90 Fishing News - Page 42

on the one lure(one fish on each treble). You can only cast these lures half as far as metal lures but most of the strikes will come within 10 metres of the rocks.

A personal favourite and perhaps the most entertaining way to fish for salmon is with a surface popper. They cast a mile and crank it back fast with starts and stops and on days when the salmon are thick they will smash and crash the popper sometimes all the way to the rocks. They work best on dull rough days as do most salmon lures. Don’t be scared to use large poppers, as the this will attract the larger fish and they are the ones to first attack. Strike Pros, Kokoda, and Smiling Jacks all work well.

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Above: A baitfish spewed up by a salmon.

Right: Poppers are a really exciting way to fish.

Salmon will often smash them within just a few metres of the rocks.

Left: Good sized salmonare common from Sinking Rock and they are often not fussy about what they take.

Bait.

On bright days at times the only way to catch a fish is to run a bait under a big attractor float. A single 2/0 chemically sharpened hook at least a metre under the float works the best.

Ganged hooks are okay, but the salmon seem to swallow baits better with a single hook. A small barrel sinker just under the float adds casting weight and also helps keep the float upright.

Bottom fishing can also be very productive on rough days. A simple paternoster rig will do the job. I like to tie my own rigs out of 1015kg mono. Wire traces are not a good idea for salmon. I can’t ever remember coming home fishless from the Marrawah area. Sinking Rock itself is so good because it faces north so it is protected from the big southwesterly swells.

It also runs into deep water with a sandy bottom. Any of the good rock platforms on the west coast will hold salmon. Most spots though face west and can only be fished safely on calmer days.

Beachfishing.

The beaches around Marrawah are fairly flat and don’t have many good gutters for consistent fishing. About 15 minutes south is the Arthur River. In the warmer months when theres not too much freshwater in the river big bags of small to medium salmon can be caught from the beach at the river mouth.

Just remember to only take what you need for a feed. Small slices, soft plastics and trout gear is the go here.

Many of you would have heard of the huge W.A salmon that are caught all along the Great Australian Bight to S.A. These fish range from 5-10kg+ with average fish being 12-14lb in the old scale. Every year there is a small run of these fish here in Tas further south around Sandy Cape. If you are lucky enough to tackle these brutes make sure your drag is properly set or your rod may be dragged into the drink.

The beaches here are steep and have awesome gutters. Big gummy and school shark can be taken here after dark.

I recommend going with someone who knows the area well because the creek crossings and soft sand can be very trecherous.

Four wheel drives with winches and or quad bikes are needed to access the cape area.

Sandy Cape is remote and along way from anywhere but if you have the gear and are keen it could prove to be the most productive trip of your life.

If you decide to explore the wild west coast, make sure you pack your waterproof clothing as well as good strong boots and even a change of clothes can be a good idea.

When arriving at your chosen spot take your time rigging up and study the swell whilst doing so. Always keep one eye on the waves and never turn your back on them. If you snag a lure or lose a hat or any gear near the waters edge never go after them as waves aren’t forgiving and have tremendous force.

Gear is replaceable, you are not. Respect the ocean and be prepared and you will be in for some great fishing. See you there.

Jamie Harris

Nettley Rock copping a good westerly. Great care is needed when fishing any rocks.

Sinking Rock is largely protected from westerlies, but still cops pleanty of weather.

A cuppa is a welcome reward after a couple of hours on ‘the rock’.

Fishing News - Page 43

Trout fishing in August/September John Orchard Saturday 5 August heralds the official start of the 2006 trout season, and with it comes that perplexing question – where to go for the opening weekend?

A relatively dry summer, followed by what has been to date a dry winter is sure to see most lakes at a low level; not something that the average angler gets excited about as a rule however, this can lead to a very exciting opening indeed.

This guy’s lost his marbles I hear you say, everyone knows it fishes better if the lakes are full – not necessarily so!

In fact, provided the weather is kinder to us this season than last (wind wise), we may well be facing one of the best early season starts in a long time!

How can this be you ask.

Early in the season the water is cold and there is little or no insect life. Trout, following the rigors of spawning, are in need of a good feed without having to expend too much energy to obtain that food – what better place to find easy nutritious tucker than stick to the established weed beds in search of such goodies as snails, shrimps and scud - low lake levels also offer the angler easy access to these weed beds as well.

Whether its wet fly fishing, spinning, trolling, bait fishing or the “plastic fantastic” that takes your fancy, there are plenty of fish to be found as they raid the early season weed bed “pantry”.

The other added advantage of low, early season lake levels is that frost and snow will “kill off ” weed that would otherwise quickly choke the shallow bays when the water temperatures begin to rise.

When the spring rains begin to fill these shallow bays and the trout become more energetic and look to the shores for frogs and tadpoles, there will be some fantastic “sight” fishing to be had as well.

Where should you head and what should you use? Lets look at some of the best early season bets around the State and what lures to use.

In the north-east Blackmans Lagoon should fish well early this season, water levels are up on last year and Blackmans is famous for its ability to grow big trout—due to the incredible food base in the lagoon. Couple this with the Inland Fisheries Service stocking program and you have a recipe for early season success without having to brave the cold highland temperatures.

Some Northern Tasmanians are sure to head for Curries Dam or Four Springs.

For those heading to Curries Dam try out the Berkley Gulp smelt, this “Plastic Fantastic” enjoyed great success there last year and is sure to fare well again this season.

Early morning and late evening at Four Springs is a great time to try out the Pegron PM2 (hot pink with black banding). During the day Tillins #37 (pink and yellow) and #14D (green/ gold with red dots) or the infamous Tassie Devil #39 (rainbow trout) will be hard to beat.

In the Central Highlands Great Lake is sure to take some beating. This lake has fished well all year round and the low levels will ensure most anglers will be able to target the weed beds with good success. Try Tassie Devils #59 (green/gold) and #51 (christmas tree) or Jacks Sprat BM9 (brown trout) and BM22L (rainbow trout), all four of these lures performed well over the past season.

Arthurs Lake is always a popular destination for opening weekend and lures such as Lofty’s #11 and #18, Ashley’s #14D, Jacks Sprat BM9 and BM22L are all good performers around the edges of the lake.

A couple of Jacks Sprat and the infamous Pegron at the bottom.

A range of Knols lures - still available in many stores.

Sea Jay - Trailcraft - Haines Hunter - Allison

Sea Jay Escape 4.15, 4.35, 4.55

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Sea Jay Nomad Sea Jay Capri 4.55, 4.75, 5, 5.35, 5.65

The Capri is the elite of the runabout range.Awalkthroughdashandscreen makethisapopularchoiceamongst fishersandboaties.Choosefromthesmall easytohandle4.55metremodelupto therobust5.65modelthatwillhandle thewholefamilyforafundayorserious fishing.Heapsoffeaturesmakethisan idealrunaboutforTasmania.Easilytowed behind a family car.

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Now located at 14 McIntyre Street, Mornington, Phone 6244 1163 Fishing News - Page 44

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Out in the deeper water the age old favourite flatfish in a frog pattern or “coach dog” are good bets as are the Knols “mouse” range of colours in either shallow or deep diving dependent on how deep you are fishing. These lures are hard to come by now as only a few stores stock them but they are a great trout taker and they have some excellent fluro and frog colours.

In the south of the state, many anglers will continue to fish Craigbourne Dam in search of trophy Atlantic salmon. This water has produced consistently all year round and is a great place to troll deep divers such as Knols “mice” and Rapalas in either dark colours (such as black/gold) or at the other end of the spectrum in bright fluro colours trolled along the edge of the tree line or the deep water in front of the dam wall itself.

Another place that is sure to fish well will be the Derwent River as the sea run trout are already making their presence known. With the annual whitebait migration not far away, this water will only improve as each week goes by.

This is a great time of the year for both fly fishing fanatics and the soft plastic brigade.

Soft plastics such as the Bass Assassin range perform well at this time of the year, cast unweighted (or very lightly weighted) assasins into the area where the trout have just “crashed” into a school of whitebait, and then let the current tumble the “injured assassin” down stream to the trout mopping up injured fish. You need to pay particular attention to your braided line on the water in order to detect the “take” whilst trying this style of fishing otherwise you wont even know you have had a strike.

If you fail to get a take on the drift, a slow “twitchy” stop – start retrieve will often do the trick.

So – all in all it bodes well for the start of the official 2006 trout season, time to pull the gear out and dust off the cobwebs, check for wear and tear and top up your lure and/or soft plastic range; there are some hungry trout out there awaiting your offerings - GOOD LUCK !

The Derwent River should not be forgotten. There are many fishy shores and accessibility is fantastic.

Given the large population associated with a Capital city the fishing pressure is surprisingly low.

Trout can often be seen ‘busting’ baitfish and occasionally if you fish really slowly you will catch a bumper bream.

A smug Quenton Higgs with a nice brownie taken in shallow water.

You could win a new fly rod if you subscribe.

See page 33.

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Managing Tasmania’s recreational gillnet fishery Recreational Marine Fisheries Manager, Howel Williams gives an overview of a little understood Tasmanian recreational fishing method.

Recreational gillnet fishing in Tasmania has a long and controversial history. People either think that gillnetting is wrong and shouldn’t be allowed or that it is a traditional right that is being eroded. Either way there is often no clear understanding of how gillnetting is regulated and how it can coexist with modern objectives of sustainable fishing.

Gillnetting has a long history in Tasmania, being one of the first recorded fishing methods used in the early colony. Of course at this time fishing was about subsistence (where efficiently catching food is important) and this was a major factor in recreational fishing right up until the 1980s. These days fishing for recreation and sport are the dominant values but there is still a significant desire to fish for subsistence (or for bait).

Recreational gillnetting has been a significant method for catching fish in other temperate areas around Australia. Gillnetting is still widely available in New Zealand with few regulations. Limited netting is permitted in Western Australia, while it has been phased out in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

The value that Tasmanians place on access to fishing for subsistence is recognised in our laws. Right up until the early 1990s it was a right for any Tasmanian to use up to two graball nets and one mullet net with no licence required. At this time there was also very little regulation on where the nets could be used, how long they could be left for or how many fish could be taken.

But there were a number of serious challenges to our fisheries that urged fisheries

managers to push for changes. Firstly, there was concern about the size of the fishery and the impact on fish stocks. While we had no good statistics we knew that the fishing population and boat ownership had increased significantly. It was estimated at that time that there were up to 45,000 nets in use (equivalent to about 2,250 km of netting).

The introduction of nylon monofilament also meant that cheap and highly efficient nets were available. And of course, there were concerns from other users, sports fishers were concerned that good fish were being underutilised and the wider community was concerned about poor fishing practices and the impact on wildlife.

Aside from those concerns there were also some demonstrable sustainability problems in some key species such as the shark fishery.

While this had been a major fishery in south east Australia, commercial overfishing had reduced the stock to around 5% of virgin biomass and there was an urgent need to rebuild. School shark use sheltered bays and estuaries in Tasmania for pupping/nurseries and gillnetting in these areas had the potential to catch the pups and kill them.

Initial proposals to regulate gillnetting in the late 1980s were relatively modest, focusing on achieving a reduction in the amount of netting that people could use. The proposals received a great deal of scrutiny in Parliament and were quickly rejected. The reason for this was that Parliament viewed recreational gillnetting as a long standing traditional “right” and that objective information to support claims was lacking and so did not justify the restriction of that right.

While this outcome was good for recreational gillnet fishers it fuelled conflicts with fishers with sport and recreation values, provided scope for criticism from commercial

fishing interests stating that the sustainability problems were caused by recreational fishers rather than commercial fishing and left the sustainability issues unaddressed.

Following this regulatory failure it was obvious that in order to achieve any changes a far better case had to be made and greater community support was needed. In the following years research was commissioned to measure the impact of gillnetting on sensitive fauna, look at the impact of soak time on catch and look at the size of mesh and the type of fish caught. Licensing was also introduced as a means of gaining a better understanding of the number of fishers using these methods.

Armed with better information on the impact of netting the Parliament was more amenable to regulation and over time this has resulted in; licensing, a reduction in the net allocation, reduced dimensions for nets, increases in minimum mesh size, restricted soak times and, in the last year, a prohibition on night netting. Bag and possession limits have also been of some use in curbing the excesses that are possible with netting.

We have also taken a systematic approach to evaluating the compatibility of netting in coastal waters. Netting in sheltered waterways has been assessed to see if it is consistent with any sensitive fauna, high quality angling and potential conflict with other users (particularly confined areas).

There is around 2,500 km2 of sheltered coastal waters in Tasmania. Starting from a very low base in the early 1990s, the vast majority of these waters now have a partial or total restriction on netting within them.

What are some of the other changes that we have seen? Over the past 20 years participation rates have halved. The proportion of fishers who net has consistently fallen and

New Savage cuddy cabin models released at Melbourne boat show

Savage boats have released two brand new cuddy cabin models, the 540 and 520 Bluewater at the Melbourne Boat Show. The very first 540 Bluewater will be given away as the annual prize at the show.

The 540 and 520 Bluewater models combine the very best of the existing Savage features with brand new styling. The presentation of these new aluminium cuddy cabin boats is fresh and is industry leading.

The design features a new style cabin that has a modern cabin form capped off with tinted curved 3-piece windscreen with slick black frame.

Offering the best of both worlds the 540/520 Bluewater has the sleek, fun look of a bowrider with all the space and protection of a cuddy cabin.

It’s diversity extends even to it’s applications with the 540/520 Bluewater easily used for both fishing or a day of family fun on the water.

Fishing News - Page 46

The new design cabin area is well to the front of the boat allowing for plenty of room to move around for fishing and for all the fishing gear.

Also meaning, plenty of space for a picnic basket, watersports gear and the family with seating for up to 5 people.

Andrew Murphy, National Sales Manager, Savage Aluminium is excited about the release of theses new models saying: “The evolution of the Savage Aluminium range for 2006 and beyond is genuinely exciting to watch. We have taken some of the traditional values of Savage like “strength, quality and integrity” and fused them with fantastic new styling, features, performance and appeal to create the Savage boat of tomorrow.

We have taken the best about our products, listened to our dealers and consumers and effected change that really puts Savage at the leading edge.

is now around 5.8% of the fishing population.

The number of nets in use has fallen to 25% of the numbers around in the early 1990s.

We now know that the people making up the fishery are also significantly different from the general recreational fishing community.

They are typically 10-20 years older than the median age and are predominantly male.

Again this probably points to where the strong subsistence values are for fishing and also point to further generational change in the coming years.

Clearly there has been significant progress in striking a balance between sustainable fishing and the aspirations of all users including gillnet fishers. The last year has seen a major reform introduced with the ban on night netting. Despite this, the number of people taking out gillnet licences has held steady suggesting that fishers can still find satisfactory ways of netting. I believe that the major reforms have now been put in place and that gillnetting can find a place to coexist with the rest of the recreational fishery.

But we still have a few challenges and, as with all fishery management issues, they have more than one side to them. For instance, there is concern that fishing adjacent to major rookeries may impact on birds. We are currently working through this issue (although it is interesting to note that the impact of anglers may well be more significant). Another interesting problem is the great usefulness that gillnets perform in removing escaped Atlantic salmon from our waterways. While OK in their place (the farm), Atlantic salmon are an unwelcome and unintended introduction to our coastal waters as they compete with existing native species. The faster and more effective their removal, the better.

The 2006 Melbourne Boat Show was the launch for the new range, and they should attract a lot of attention”.

Savage Aluminium boats now offer more choice than ever, with the very latest in motorcar quality and style paint varieties. Exterior custom paint colour choices include; black, navy, yellow, red and metallic options; grey, electric blue, candy apple red and frost.

Savage’s exclusive SL “SuperLift” Hulls continue to be a feature throughout new aluminium models such as the 540/520 Bluewater. The SuperLift design hull assists with performance out of the hole, greater control, directional and general stability for a safer smoother ride.

The Bluewater perfectly matches your choice of Mercury or Mariner outboard engine for optimum performance.

Features: Curved 3-piece tinted windscreen with black powder coated frame; NEW Improved anchor access with split hatch walkthrough door and revolutionary self draining anchor well to easily secure ground tackle; Internally moulded glove box with stylish tinted lid.; Industry leading wide flat mounting surfaces on both helm and passenger dash for radio and electronics; Passenger storage locker; Grab handles; Cup holders for all occupants; Superior seating for 5; Large upholstered side pockets; A.B.P Level Floatation; Wet underfloor storage box for bait, fish, ice/drinks; Upgraded interior with upholstered rear lounge, cabin cushions and; panels; Dry in cabin storage pockets; Navman Fish Finder and Marine Radio.

Specifications: 520 Bluewater 540Bluewater Length: 5.45m 5.65m Depth Freeboard: 0.7 0.7 Beam: 2.3 2.3 Max HP: 115 150 Max weight on transom: 235 249 Bottom thickness:

3 3 Topside thickness: 2 2 Maximum People: 6 6 ABP floatation: Level Level Formoreinformationvisitwww.savageboats.com.auorcall1800114800

Crushing the competition Melbourne-based Bar Crusher Boats is the 2006 recipient of the Marine Industry Award for Business Growth.

Reinforcing the plate-aluminium boat manufacturer’s success, the award officially acknowledges outstanding achievement and growth in the marine industry.

Bar Crusher director Peter Cleland said the announcement of the award during the recent Melbourne Boat Show was “completely unexpected”.

“We launched Bar Crusher at the Melbourne Boat Show in 2000, so to be recognised with this award at this early stage in our development is fantastic,” Peter said.

“We’ve grown quickly because we listen to our customers and ensure we’re market driven… people today have very high expectations and want boats that are not only built to a high standard, but also provide exceptional performance.”

The beauty of being a medium-sized industry player, according to Peter, is that Bar Crusher is always quick to turn customer feedback into improved design and performance.

“It’s simple, really – we listen, we learn, we improve,” he said.

“Building business fast is also about great relationships with dealers, and we’re very grateful for our dealer partners who work very hard with us to grow Bar Crusher.

“Our Business Growth Award belongs equally to our dealers for their fantastic achievements.”

Bar Crusher’s current range of expertly-engineered, well-constructed and smooth-riding boats is comprised of cuddy, hard-top and walk-around models – from 5.30m to 6.40m in length – suited to a wide variety of fishing and diving applications.

Visit www.barcrusher.com.au to check out the impressive range today!

Further information: Bar Crusher Boats – (03) 9702 8555 or visit: www.barcrusher.com.au

560C

The Solid T Keel, a single piece extrusion designed with a small exterior keel for structural strength and d u r a b i l i t y, i s unique to the 420 Dory and the Quintrex open boat range.

This feature helps with tracking, provides protection when on the trailer and against any debris in the water or when parking up on the beach and also provides a keel-effect when at rest in cross-wind and current situations.

Measuring 4.27 metres overall, the 420 Dory boasts 2mm round swage pressed bottom sheets and has high sides and a deep freeboard measuring 1.07 metres in depth.

The 1.6mm clinker pressed side sheets add superior strength and durability and at a beamy 1.87 metres this model can carry up to four passengers at a maximum 40 horsepower.

The versatile and practical 420 Dory comes standard with a low carpeted floor, fuel tank rack, bench, front and rear seats, glove box and drink holders and numerous options are available.

This is the boat for fun, fuss-free boating and can be purchased as a ‘Instant Boating’ package, including boat, motor and trailer for around $8000. Just add your dealer delivery charges and you’re right to go.

For more information on the 420 Dory and to locate your nearest Quintrex dealer, visit www.quintrex.com.au

420Dory-QuintessentiallyanAustralianicon Australia’s favourite tinnie, the Quintrex 420 Dory, continues its journey as the highest selling aluminium boat in Australia.

Durable, versatile and built to last, this wide bodied model has become synonymous with boating.

Quintrex National Sales and Marketing Manager Damien Duncan said the 420 Dory continues to provide years of fun and enjoyment for all Australians.

“Most have owned or know someone who owns a 420 Dory,” Damien said.

“Light, economical, easy to maintain and user friendly, it’s no wonder it’s our most popular model.

“It’s perfect for creeks, lakes and estuaries with generous storage space in the bow for tackle and safety equipment.

“The 420 Dory also features level floatation as standard, meaning should the boat become fully swamped the vessel will remain in a level and upright position in calm conditions,” he said.

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Quintrex 420 Wide Body Dory Australia’s favourite boat

It is no wonder that the Quintrex 420 Wide Body Dory is Australia’s most popular boat. It is a light easy to manage aluminium boat that is inexpensive to buy and carries out a mulitude of tasks that you might not expect in a boat this size.

A spacious interior gives you room for plenty of for up to 4 anglers and their gear, but still with space to fish. It is a great little boat for lakes, rivers and estuaries. And whilst most will buy it to do some fishing you can still tow the kids around on a biscuit if the fishing is slow.

With up to 40hp on the transom it is a real performer. Generally 30hp will be more than adequate.

A great bream, trout, estuary, lake or river boat for $8490 with 30hp Yamaha. Check it out soon.

Bass highway Somerset Ph: 6435 2200 ‘Where life is better with a boat’ Fishing News - Page 47