Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Issue 064 2006 October

Print Post approved; PP 702512 00027

Issue 64 October - November 2006

$3.95

Silver trevally are keenly sought in Georges Bay. It is a bay that has shown a huge improvement since netting was stopped in the last few years.

See page 18 for details.

• Sex and bream • Curries River Dam • Fishing the edges • Flinders Island • Lead line tips • Mako sharks • Jan’s flies • Georges Bay • Soft plastic techniques • Jigging for trout

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CONTENTS

Hot prospects

4

Fishing the edges - Peter Hayes 5 Fabulous Flinders Island - Joe Riley 8 Deep water jigging for trout - Leroy Tirant

12

Sea Fisheries news 13 Soft platics - different techniques - Tom Crawford

14

Nymph under dry - Joe Riley 15 St Helens - My backyard - Jamie Henderson

18

Bream and sex - James Haddy 24 Curries River Dam - Damon Sherriff 26 Fishing and boating directory 27 Classifieds and subscriptions 28 Chasing mako sharks - Tim Anderson 29 Leadline trolling - essential techniques - Bill Presslor

32

Jan’s flies - Jan Spencer 34 Reviews and Fishermans basket 35

My Say Some might hear me on ABC radio Saturday mornings. Chris Wiseby phones me around 6.40am to get a fishing report and we waffle for a while.

It really isn’t much of a fishing report and that isn’t surprising at that hour, but we do cover some interesting areas. A few weeks back he asked what I was dressed in and I replied that I had the full kit on - waders, vest, net hanging on the chair. It was all complete rubbish of course, but I explained that in order to get in the fishing mood I had to dress for it.

And I often believe that is the case in many fields. Business people dress like they are serious about business and good guides always look like they know what they are doing.

If you dress like you mean business (fishing business) I am sure you change your mindset. And in fishing

it is not expensive to look the part. Good gear, rods, reels are all comparatively cheaper than ever.

China has seen to that. Buy the good stuff, dress the part and even if you catch nothing you will look the part.

And if you go home without fish just say you practice ‘catch and release’ these days.

This issue has some great stories from mako sharks to Flinders Island and sex. Yes, bream sex, by James Haddy - a highly regarded lecturer at the Australian Maritime College.

James will enlighten us more in the next few issues as well so look out for that.

If you have an area of fishing you would like us to cover why not drop us an email and we will see what we can do.

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

Hot Prospects

for October and November Little Pine Lagoon has been producing some well-conditioned fish in recent weeks and October / November should see increased numbers of tailing browns hunting amphipods under low light conditions. Stoneflies have the potential to get fish looking up in Arthurs, whilst mayflies may make an appearance from mid November under favourable conditions. Brumbys Creek should provide some excellent sight fishing as the weather improves for red and black Spinner feeders, however don’t neglect the rest of the South Esk catchment as late spring sees some sensational fishing on the middle Macquarie and upper South Esk Rivers. Make the most of the change in the seasons and get out there.

George Clarke The trout fishing is looking promising for the coming month with Bronte and Arthurs Lake already producing some very nice fish. Fish have also been spotted tailing in the Bronte region.

Bream are just starting to fire up and with the Tas Bream Classic being held over the next 2 months the results are looking promising to say the least.

There has be plenty of activity with good sized Australian salmon being caught through out the Derwent and particularly off Bruny Island.

Whiting have been caught around the Cremorne area and are all good size’s.

Tom Crawford With a calm and sunny winter Garfish have been there for the taking since late March. They should continue to fish well into late October along the channel banks in Georges Bay. Good catches of up to 50cm have been regularly caught with anglers able to catch their bag in a couple of hours.

Lance Newman It’s been a bit blowy on the West Coast recently but it hasn't stopped the annual pilgrimage to the Boom Camp on the Gordon River. The trolling has returned some nice big fat browns.

There have been a few blackback biting in the harbour around the rock wall close to the entrance coming in with the clear salt-water before it gets mixed up with the tannin waters of the Gordon. You can always get a feed of cocky salmon on the spit at the entrance to the harbour as well.

Burbury is fishing OK. Level is low but anglers are pulling in good numbers of rainbows and a few browns. Rug up as it is still a bit cool.

Mike Fry – Ormiston House B & B

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 OCTOBER Sat 7 ABT Bream Comp, Derwent (qualifier) Leroy Tirant 64278854 Sat 21 ABT Bream Comp, Scamander (qualifier) Leroy Tirant 64278854 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. Neil Morrow 6233 8930 Sat 18 Sun 19 Boating & Leisure Show. Lindisfarne Motor Yacht Club. Mark Chivers 62439021 Sat 19 Nov Take a Kid Fishing, Hobart Wharf Fiona Ewing 62339073 JANUARY 2007 Sun 7 to Fri 12 Jan. Bronte Fly Fishing School Bronte Lagoon Martin Hulsman 6424 3648 Sat 13 Jan Take a Kid Fishing. St Helens Wharf Quenton Higgs 6336 5474 Sat 13 & Sun 14 Jan Tamar River Snapper Competition Libby Simmons Thu 24 - 28 Jan Back to Pedder competition supporting camp Quality Baden Oates 6247 6882 0419 884015 FEBRUARY Thu 8 to Mon 12Feb Wooden Boat Festival, Hobart MARCH Date to be advised St Helens Game Fishing Classis APRIL Date to be advised Easter Game Fishing Competition, St Helens MAY 19 & 20 May Inland Fisheries Open Day, Liawenee Canal Neil Morrow 6233 8930

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Learn to fly fish, brush up your skills or learn advanced techniques. Whatever your level these workshops are designed to inspire, entertain and educate. You can spend many years learning fly fishing skills - or you can fast track.

These live in workshops are based at our comfortable 20 bed convention centre on the banks of Brumbys Creek, with a purpose built casting pool right next to the centre.

This is a superb location for a fly fishing weekend getaway. We invite you to come along and have some fun with like- minded people while you gain a lifelong benefit from this experience.

Your skills will be improved enormously as will your enjoyment of the sport.

As the key instructor Peter Hayes has been the National Casting Champion a total of 10 times in addition to winning the National Fly Fishing Championship.

Additionally, Peter’s knowledge gained from a lifetime of casting and fishing, plus twelve years of guiding experience in the highlands and lowland rivers is bound to rub off on all participants.

Peter has run casting clinics for many years in Australia and New Zealand.

Course cost is $300 per person and covers tuition, accommodation and meals. Places are limited and filling quickly.

Stay on packages

As participants of our courses you may choose to stay on and take advantage of our facility on the edge of Brumbys Creek. The fishing here can be sensational (see the article in the current FlyLife magazine, issue 45).

Should you choose to stay on after the Sunday the bed and breakfast cost is $65/person/night. You can self cater your evening meals or visit the local hotels or restaurants.

Workshop dates

Beginner/intermediate Fly Fishing and Casting weekend: 25, 26 November Intermediate/Advanced Fly Fishing and Casting weekend: 24, 25 February For more information or to book your place contact Peter: 0448 905 125 or email hayes@flyfishtasmania. com.au

Fishing the edges History of my experience

You know, it’s a funny thing. I started guiding a dozen years ago and whilst I had a big, flash, fast sportfishing boat (which incidentally I still have) I never used it to catch fish from it except in windlane and dun fishing situations.

In the first couple of years I mostly used the boat to move from shore to shore where we wade fished. Shane Murphy taught me this.

I often watched the other two major guides drift fishing and thought that they had it wrong. We were catching more than our share of fish on the banks. I now know those guides well and of course they were catching plenty of fish too.

I don’t know what happened, or when it happened but somehow I shifted away from using our legs in shallow water to using the boat in more open water. In some ways I am a lesser guide for it.

The late, great, John Brookes use to say that you can never remember a fish caught out of the boat but you remember many that you catch from the bank. I think it is true. If we wade the water the fish swim in we seem to get to know the individual fish better, and his immediate environment that we also are part of.

When fishing from a boat in open water we happen to drift onto (sometimes by accident, rather than design) our quarry. They become more like faceless free range chooks rather than individually hunted trout.

In the past few seasons I am pleased to say that I have moved the guided experience back to ground level rather than up on water level. I know the clients are appreciating it more. John Brookes was right. Give it a try. Get out of the $20 000 boat and get a life.

Get out of the boat and fish the edges. The rewards might be better than you expect and the exercise will do you good.

One of the main reasons you should consider fishing edges more often is that the fish are only there for one reasonto feed. This is a good start if you are trying to catch them.

More often than not edge fishing also involves sight fishing which for me is why I like to fly fish.

Availability of Food

You need to have an understanding of why the fish might be on particular edges before you mess around too much.

Certainly unproductive edges can waste a lot of time. Early in the season fish love to forage on newly flooded ground.

These fish are often opportunistic and they will eat anything presented properly. Understand that unless there are mountains of food available in this shallow water the fish will be very flighty. Low light is best and the Kiwis have a term known as ‘change of light’ fishing. Definitely best to look early and late in the day for the best fishing as the fish are more likely to ‘shore’.

Areas like the western lakes offer good shallow water edge fishing. Sometimes great sport can be had all day long if it is a little rough and heavily overcast. Keep in mind though that if there is no food on the edges the fish will remain over the more productive deeper weed beds. It’s about the availability of food, nothing else.

As the season progresses and the water warms up the aquatic life becomes more active. This whole group of lake dwelling underwater tucker has great trouble coping with big waves and turbulent water. Use the wind as your friend to tell you which shores you should be fishing. I am very rarely concerned about surface food being blown onto a particular shore.

I am acutely aware of the currents along shorelines and drawing off points that stir up the aquatic tucker. If you can find a shore that a good wind is acting on at say, 45 degrees then you will find an underwater minestrone soup for fish.

Fish these edges ‘across and down’ as you would a river.

You will be surprised at the number of fish you can catch from a 50 metre length of shoreline in this situation. They will be hungry too. No short takes, just strong aggressive pulls from good fish that will push all the smaller fish away from the food.

Edge features

Keep an active eye out for geographic features along the edges that will help concentrate fish. I can think of Creely Bay just north of Blue Lake Lodge.

Here the bay is a consistent gradient except for a gutter running in at the south end and one at the north end.

The only reason the fish will be on the edges is food. Look for gutters, old wheel Apart from giving slightly ruts and structure. Wade and walk slowly looking for movement of any kind. more depth which the trout like, the gutter has been a silt trap for many years. The weed grows better and there is a different type of weed in the gutter. This helps attract the Light flies, rigs and methods food and then the fish.

In shallow water you need to sort out a couple of Another example is every 700 metres or so down the west methods of fishing so the fly doesn’t hang up on the side of Brazendale Island there are large rock outcrops. These bottom. The first is to hang a fly under wool or a dry fly. A outcrops continue into the water and are reefs with big rocks good friend calls this rat turd fishing. Often the fly is a black and holes. Ideal holding habitat for trout. It is amazing how and peacock or small dark nymph hence the inference. when it is impossible to catch a trout on the lake I can usually I like to use a slip knot a few inches above the fly get one from each of the outcrops. I think these are resident and insert a small piece of greased sheep wool. About a fish that take out of aggression because our flies swim through cigarette butt in size maximum. The wool is naturally greasy their house. I always let go these fish so we can dro p in on so it floats and off white so it is inconspicuous. If you use a them when we need to. dry instead of the wool you run the risk of the trout taking Some time ago I fished Bronte a bit. We used to fish from the dry. This is ok until the nymph catches weed during the the bank where there were 4WD tracks entering the water. fight and this can pull the dry out backwards (just as you Amazing how many fish we caught casting out along the would remove a hook from your skin if pinned) wheel tracks. I told many people that fished down there a bit A second method is to use a very light wet fly. I use and rarely did anyone ever recognise the opportunity they so light gauge hooks and dress them in various formats often walked past. to represent nothing in particular. The flies hardly sink The yank, who designed the Tom Jones, fished Cairn and often bulge the water as I move them. Use seals fur, Curran, in Victoria, where sheep tracks entered the water. possum fur, cdc or rabbit.

Catching fish with sheep poo in the stomachs highlighted this fact to him. ‘Fish use these tracks as highways to move around’ he said.

Fishing News - Page 5

Greasing the leader to within an inch or two can be an effective method too. Especially when small light flies are used. If it is calm and you are fishing inert to the fish it is simple to get the strike right on the movement of the leader. The only downside is that if you have to move the fly much the leader surface tear sometimes puts fish on edge and you can bugger things up.

Try to use as long and as fine a leader as you can. Especially in shallow, calm water. Long leaders help keep the line landing noise away and you can often get many presentations to wary fish.

Using a short leader often only gives you one shot so if you do this make sure it is on the money.

Keep moving until it is time to stop

It’s important to keep moving when you are edge fishing. That is, until you find the fish. I often recklessly cover the area without fishing. When I start spooking fish, I slow down and fish and sometimes come back to an area of spooked fish an hour after the event.

Having said that, when you find a few fish sit on them for as long as you can - there is a reason they are there. They will have plenty of mates around and sometimes it is better to sit quietly and wait for the next sucker rather than go tearing off all over the place.

Peter Hayes

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Fabulous Flinders Island

It’s not everyday you get to fish what is arguably the best saltwater fly fishing in Southern Australia. Where the fishing pressure is decreasing rather than increasing, where you can have a bay full of Australian salmon, trevally, and big flathead rumoured to be up to 10lb all to yourself, unless you live on Flinders Island. I’ve just had a ’working’ visit to the Island for 2 weeks, during this time I regularly found myself with a fly rod in my hand firmly attached to Australian salmon, the majority in the 3 - 4lb range, with the occasional one up to 7lb.

Prior to leaving for Flinders Island I made a few enquiries with the locals about how the Australian salmon were running up in the North East river, the reply was “You can walk across their backs, the river is full of them”. Now this sounded promising but I’ve heard these reports before, so with guarded optimism I made my usual thorough preparation, throwing a couple of fly rods, waders and a bag of salt water flies in my bags a couple of hours before I had to catch the Airlines of Tasmania flight from Launceston to Whitemark.

North East River is somewhat surprisingly situated at the North Eastern Tip of Flinders Island, which coincidentally is smack dab in the windy 40 degree parallel. Flinders Island has two major towns being Whitemark, which is in the middle of the island on the Western shore, and Lady Barron which is the Southern port. The North East River is about 54km from Whitemark by Palana Rd, then North East River Rd. Flinders Island has a population of between 500 and 600 people at any given stage, the island has previously been heavily fished by professional boats from the both Flinders itself and also from the Tasmanian mainland. About the only benefit of the ever soaring fuel price is that fishing pressure is reducing and two of the eight fishing boats on Flinders have recently ceased fishing due to costs associated with the fuel price rise. Further to this the professional salmon boats that used to net the mouth of the North East river have ceased this fishing which has seen an obvious increase in the quantity of Australian Salmon in the area.

Tasmanian gardening guru Mark Hay with a nice salmon taken on a soft plastic lure.

Anyway I landed at Whitemark on Sunday the 20th of August, got settled into my accommodation and ready for work the next day … after my first trip to the river. Early start Monday, the tide had started to run in just prior to day break, so off I raced to the mouth of the North East River. I only

had 1½ hours, but fishing with a fast sinking line I managed four salmon, a nice trevally, and the crème de la crème of sports fish in Tasmania, a wrasse. So far so good, the salmon weren’t too big, and I wasn’t exactly walking across the river on them but I scored straight up.

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Fishing News - Page 9 20/7/06 10:20:27 AM

The next two outings proved fruitless, fishing the mouth of the river on the flood tide, and also up in the bay. I did manage a couple of ‘hard fighting’ wrasse in the half to three quarter pound range again but those claims by the locals were looking pretty shaky.

I had pre-arranged for a mate to come over from Launceston for my rostered days off, I had been telling him about the local’s claims of salmon everywhere and of my early success so I was beginning to worry that I would end up with egg on my face. He landed at the airport at 5pm, and after a few beers that evening we launched into the same routine as before, up before dawn straight up to the river, fish hard around the run in, a couple more hard hitting, dirty fighting wrasse in the ½ to ¾ lb range for me and a couple of six inch cocky salmon for him, we were really hitting our straps now.

The stroke of brilliance we needed came in the form of a small boat I secured the use of for while I was on the island. After lunch we pottered out from the boat ramp in the North East River, (the boat ramp is actually just a patch of beach). We put the boat in and employed good old trout fishing tactics, drifting until you find the fish.

From that point on the only way to describe the fishing is, insane. The locals were right there were actually Australian salmon everywhere. They weren’t running in and out of the bay but had taken up residence in the deeper water throughout the estuary. That afternoon we accounted for about 40 salmon in the 2-3lb range, we were using a sinking lines and blue and white Clouser Minnows, and Mark my mate also used soft plastics on a braid line spinning outfit. Nearly every cast into a deeper hole resulted in a firm pull on the line as the salmon attacked the fly, if the salmon did not connect first time they kept attacking the fly up to four or five times until they did hook up. Using trout gear in a 6 weight fly fishing set up or a light spinning rod with the soft plastics the salmon put up a pretty fair show, the fight from them was long and hard, enough sport to test the gear and the angler to the limit.

The next day we went out in the boat straight away and found a basin area where the water was evenly about 8ft deep.

This is further inland from the ramp and can be found by following the channel until it shallows up for a short time and then drops into the clear open water. Once we found this area we found salmon which were constantly on the feed, it also contained the largest fish in the run. These salmon were

visibly hitting bait fish here and there on the surface, regular boils and slashes at the surface were everywhere and the only way to describe the quantity of salmon in the area was a moving mass. We anchored up in this area and proceeded to catch salmon after salmon after salmon, this time with floating lines pulling clouser minnows and salt water style boobys as poppers in the surface. The water was very clear at this time you could see the salmon attacking the booby, slashing at it several times before hooking up.

Sometimes the school would come at the fly with a dozen fish arguing over who was going to have brunch first. The action was heart stopping, big fish visibly smashing the fly and constant double hook ups. We didn’t count but at the end of the day we came up with a realistic estimate of 100 salmon the majority around 3lb – 4lb and some up to 7lb.

Wanting to check that the estimate was realistic a couple of days later when Mark had gone home I went back for a 3 hour session. I got there at dead low tide so I anchored over a hole in the channel to catch a few silver trevally. In 1¼ hours I caught 13 trevally and three salmon twitching a well weighted Crazy Charlie along the bottom using a fast sinking DI7 line. Then I changed to a floating line and moved up into the basin where in the next 1¾ hours I landed a further 34 salmon, once again pulling a Booby through the surface. It seems the estimate of 100 salmon a few days earlier was a pretty conservative one.

One of the prime places on Flinders Island is North East River.

The abundance of salmon can be quite staggering for visiting anglers. However the locals often treat them as a nuisance.

This is pretty well how the fishing remained, towards the end of the week the salmon did appear to thin out a bit, but they were simply replaced by increasing numbers of trevally.

On the weekend before I left, my family flew over from Launceston and we had a midday fish with the kids using soft plastics. They caught trevally, salmon a couple of smaller flathead and my 5 year old daughter landed a beautiful tailor which would have been about 2½ lb in weight.

Flinders Island really is a slice of heaven close to home, I barely scratched the surface of the fishing available around the island between working shifts on this stay. Beach fishing for flathead and gummy shark and more salmon around the rocky points are easy land based options. Summer time sees runs of very big King George whiting, more snapper are appearing every year, and there are plenty of small to medium yellowtail kingfish for those who are willing to seek them out. There are charters avilable to fish around the connecting islands and also to chase big pelagics such as tuna and shark out on the open ocean if that takes your fancy.

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87-91 Harrington Street, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000.

Fishing News - Page 10

Email: fishconn@bigpond.net.au

Ph (03) 6234 4880

Fax (03) 6234 8024

Some anglers treat the wrasse as a hinderance to good fishing. If you want a good fun sportfish though they are hard to beat.

Car hire and accommodation are available on Flinders Island, the closest accommodation to the North East River is at Killiecrankie. I wasn't able to find any formal boat hire on the island. Airlines of Tasmania fly to Whitemark from Launceston several times a day, getting a seat is usually not a problem except for late flights on Friday and Sunday.

If you want a family break and where you can fish, and they can too Flinders Island can not be beaten. The author’s children seem very happy with their catch of Australian salmon from the North East River.

One last thing make sure when you are there to fish around the reefs on the rocky shores, you never know when the wrasse of a lifetime will appear from under the kelp and savage your hapless fly.

Joe Riley.

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A photo from the 1960s that hangs in the pub showing the potential of flathead fishing around the island. The locals assure fish like this are still caught, but are not saying where.

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GO BEYOND Fishing News - Page 11

Deepwater jigging for trout and Atlantic salmon How often have you been trolling around and have seen fish on your sounder showing up in depths of 20-40 ft or more? Even in today’s modern world where an angler can buy a 5cm lure that will dive to 20ft or so it can still be frustrating trying to get your lures to the right depth to target these deep fish. But there is a fantastic exciting and easy way to target deepwater fish!

Rattling, lipless or sinking vibes

Call them what you will, these under utilized lures are deadly in our freshwater lakes and rivers when jigged vertically in deepwater. Many manufacturers make these lures. These are weighted and shaped in a gumleaf - come fish type profile and have a built in rattle. This shape and combined rattle, coupled with a tight shimmy action when either on the drop, or on retrieve and you have a combination that drives the fish mad and induces them into striking.

Lets start from the beginning so you can get an understanding of how this type of fishing works and you’ll hopefully soon be out pulling fish from deepwater, that you didn’t think you could target.

Sounders

Deepwater jigging is almost impossible to successfully do without a sounder of some sort, even a cheap unit will do the job. My first tip will be don’t trust your sounder to identify fish for you as they can’t reliably do this. When your sounder shows fish signals on your screen it is telling you that there is something in the water column that that echo signal has bounced off. These could be weed, structure, air bubbles or lots of other things, but your sounder will not always know what is fish and what isn’t so it shows all returning echos as fish. So how do we fix this problem? The best way to start is to turn off the FISH ID and FISH ALARM options on your sounder, adjust your sensitivity up around 95% + and learn to interpret the raw sonar returns on your screen yourself. This isn’t as hard as it sounds as fish will appear on your screen as blobs or arches and you will at least be more confident in targeting them.

Rods and reels

I prefer short slower tapered rods with a soft tip for this sort of fishing. The soft tip helps absorb hits from big fish as they come out of the blue. A soft rod also helps the lure get a nice tight shimmy action going. Rods from 5’4”-6’are good lengths.

Match your rod to a reel of 2500-3000. I sometimes prefer these bigger reels because of the extra line capacity. Mono and braid both work for this kind of fishing but I prefer 4-6lb braid and rod length of leader of about 8-10lb breaking strain.

Technique

Once you find fish on your sounder you basically have to keep directly above them, a Minn Kota can help do this or if its windy, try tying up to trees and target the fish around them. You have to fish these lures vertically straight up and down right on the fish’s nose. When you drop your lure down to the required depth keep a tight line and at no point do you want any slack in your line because if a fish hits your slack line they can bust you off. Keep in constant contact with the lure and use slow deliberate lifts by raising your rod tip from water level to about shoulder height and then drop rod tip slowly to follow the lure back down to keep in contact. This is all you have to do to work these lures, it’s just a slow lift and drop.

I have used this technique in Great Lake, Arthurs, Burbury and to catch Atlantics at Barrington in water up to 40ft deep. It is very effective early season when the surface water temperature is cold and the fish are in the warmer water down deep. What really got me going on this was I finding it to cold to troll on some early season days so I looked for other ways to catch fish and succeeded.

Leroy Tirant

Try these techniques from the shore where deep water can be found.

Great Lake can be ideal in places.

A good quality fish finder will take much of the guess work out of the equation, but any fish finder is better than none.

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Fishing News - Page 12

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Recreational Sea Fisheries News - October 2006-07 Recreational Sea Fishing Licensing Year

The 2006-07 recreational sea fishing licensing year begins on 1 November 2006 and runs until 31 October 2007.

Anyone who currently holds a recreational sea fishing licence will be receiving a licence renewal notice in the mail in midOctober. This year, licences will be able to be renewed and varied via an automated telephone service making renewing your licence even easier. Licences can also be renewed on the internet at www.fishing.tas.gov.au/licence and in person at Service Tasmania. Anyone applying for a recreational sea fishing licence for the first time will need to purchase their licence via the website or Service Tasmania but will be able to use the telephone service to vary or renew their licence in future years.

2007 scallop season

The scallop dive season will re-open again in 2007 from 1 March to 30 June 2007, following a successful scallop season this year. Licensed fishers reported good catches of scallops but there is some evidence that not everyone is following the rules. Once fishers have caught their daily bag limit of 40 scallops they must stop fishing for the day. Exceeding the daily bag limit by making multiple trips is illegal and puts stocks at risk. If you see anyone breaking the rules, call Fishwatch on 0427 655 557 and help preserve the fishery for the future.

Rule changes for the 2006-07 season

The new licensing year sees some changes to the recreational fishing rules, including changes to the rock lobster rules and abalone size limits.

Rock lobster rule changes

The rules regarding the Special Rock Lobster licence where changed following the review of the Rock Lobster and Giant Crab Management Plan. From 1 November 2006, a recreational fisher who holds a rock lobster licence (either rock lobster dive, ring or pot) may apply for one 14 day special rock lobster licence per season where their possession limit will be 15 rock lobster instead of 10. The daily bag limit of 5 rock lobster still applies during the special licence period.

Fishers will now be able to purchase their special rock lobster licence directly from the new telephone service, licensing website or Service Tasmania, instead of via the Department of Primary Industries and Water, Licensing Section.

The other change to the rock lobster rules has also come about following the review of the Rock Lobster and Giant Crab Management Plan. Under the new rules it is now prohibited to take rock lobster with a line, regardless of whether the fisher holds a rock lobster licence of any type.

This change ensures that rock lobster cannot be taken without a licence and that the three rock lobster licence types, pot, ring and dive, are the only legal methods of taking rock lobster.

Abalone size limit changes

From 1 November 2006, the minimum size for blacklip abalone taken from any part of the State other than northern Tasmania will increase from 136mm to 138mm. The increased minimum size is based on scientific research on abalone growth rates, which shows that blacklip abalone in these areas need to be larger than previously thought before they begin to spawn. The increased minimum size will ensure that abalone have the opportunity to spawn before they can be taken by fishers, thus maintaining the sustainablity of abalone stocks.

The size limit for greenlip abalone taken in the Perkins Bay area in north-western Tasmania has also been changed with a reduction in the minimum size limit from 140mm to 132mm.

The north-west greenlip fishing zone has been significantly reduced and renamed the Perkins Bay Greenlip Area.

Other recent rule changes

Most changes to recreational fishing rules come into effect at the start of the new recreational fishing licensing year (1 November) to give fishers a set time of the year to check they know the latest rules. To keep up to date on any rule changes you can get a copy of the Recreational Sea Fishing Guide at any Service Tasmania, visit the website at www. fishing.tas.gov.au or call the Recreational Sea Fishing Line on (03) 6233 3603.

Unmanned lines (Set Lines)

Bay, Great Oyster Bay and the Mercury Passage. No squid, including calamari, may be taken or possessed in this area during the closure period.

One of the recent changes to the rules for marine rod and line fishing that not many people are aware of are the rules governing unmanned or “set” lines in many inshore areas.

Under the changes that were introduced in 2004, the use of set lines, which is any line with one to five hooks that is not in physical contact with a person or attached to a vessel, was prohibited in shark refuges and most estuaries. To avoid lines being classed as set lines, fishers fishing from the shore, rocks, jetties and wharves must remain in physical contact with their line/s at all times. Fishers fishing from a boat must be in physical contact with their line/s, or the line/s must be attached to the boat or they will be classed as a set line. Set lines are prohibited in many of Tasmania’s rivers and estuaries so check if there are set line restrictions in your area before you next go fishing.

Expressions of Interest for 2006-07 Fishwise Community Grants closed at the end of July and all successful applicants have received a letter inviting them to complete a full application form. More than $350,000 in Fishwise Community Grants was available for projects that improve the management of recreational sea fisheries and community understanding of fishing issues. Anyone can apply for a grant, including fishing clubs and organisations, councils, community groups, individuals, students, and research organisations, so get your thinking hats on and develop a project idea to submit next year.

Calamari/squid area closure

Need more information?

A seasonal closure of the calamari fishery off the east coast has been declared to protect spawning southern calamari when they are most vulnerable. The closure is for three months, from 15 September 2006 to 14 December 2006, inclusive. The closure applies to all Tasmanian waters from Lemon Rock south of Wineglass Bay to the northern end of Marion Beach south of Maria Island and includes Coles

Fishwise community grants

For more information on recreational sea fishing: call the Recreational Sea Fishing Line on (03) 6233 7042; or visit www.fishing.tas.gov.au DEPARTMENT of PRIMARY INDUSTRIES and WATER

Australian Fishing Tackle Association annual tackle show Amongst the usual big players such as Daiwa, Shimano and Alvey at the Australian Fishing Tackle Association exhibition (12 to 14August) at Broadbeach convention centre this year were plenty of new small businesses pedalling innovative wares.

Maybe you’d fancy a kite (similar concept to the NZ kontiki) to deliver and drop your bait in the perfect spot, a LED light that attaches to the peak of your cap allowing hands free fishing or the Rolls Royce of fly vests that has everything, and I mean everything, plus doubles as an excellent rain/weather jacket. No question there was something for everyone!

With over 140 exhibitors 2006 was arguably the biggest AFTA event to date and it was a great opportunity to talk to manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers that you can only catch up to at this event. I managed to bump into several Tassie tackle shop owners who were busy sussing out new products to satisfy even the most ardent and fastidious of you anglers out there looking for different ways to deceive our scaly friends.

Of course Daiwa and Shimano has massive displays featuring new lines in both rods and reels ranging form the very affordable to premium products well out reach of my wallet. One accessory I was taken with was a ripper of a two-man tent that would be perfect to stow in your boat for an overnight at a far-flung corner of a lake or river.

Supported by coiled thin graphite poles you just throw it on the ground and it erects itself! Shimano have come up with a goody here.

Having just been through the procedure to remove several sunspots from my face I was particularly interested in the Go So Adventure Wear range of caps and hand protectors. I have always fished in long sleeved shirts but it’s the UV radiation reflected off the water that really damages the face and back of the hands. As a young bloke you don’t give much thought to this but it all comes home to roost in later years let me assure you.

Check out all these products at all good tackle shops and good fishing.

Quenton Higgs

Friendly fly fishing competition at Arthurs Lake The Tasmanian Chapter of Fly Fish Australia is holding a friendly competition at Arthurs Lake on the weekend on 28th and 29th October 2006.

This competition is not for any title or qualification, but to introduce more fly fishers to competition angling, to share knowledge and skills acquired from this challenging form of fly fishing.

The competition will consist of a briefing at the Miena Community Centre on Friday 27th October at 7.30pm. There will be 2 x 3 hours sessions, boat and shore on Saturday and Sunday followed by a complimentary BBQ at Pumphouse Bay. Session times will be 7am to 10am, 11.30am to 2.30pm.

Teams or individuals are welcome to enter, 2 boats are required to be supplied per team of 4 anglers.

Registration fee for the competition is $60 per individual or $240 per team, which includes Public Liability Insurance, Gift vouchers will be awarded to the winning team.

Any funds raised will be used to support Tasmanian representatives at International Fly Fishing Competitions.

So come along, fish with past and current members of the Tasmanian and Australian Fly Fishing Teams, learn new skills or pass on some of your own.

Enquiries and entry forms are available from Brian McCullagh Ph. 62485769, or Joe Riley M.0419569765.

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Trying different soft plastic techniques

Over the last couple of years soft plastic fishing has been growing in Tasmania and it is apparent that it is here to stay.

Through my work at The Fishing Connection I have been able to watch countless numbers of customers buy their first packets of soft plastics and jig heads and through simple or no instruction for the technique they have returned with what would seem impossible results.

The technique of soft plastic fishing can be as simple or advanced as you make it and in this article I will delve deeper into some of the more advanced techniques that I use to fish for bream and trout.

By now most people have heard or been shown the simpler methods of fishing plastics using a jig head and plastics.

The following is a description of other methods of fishing plastics using special hooks and weights to target fish at different depths and times of the year.

Equipment

This is one area that fisherman really want to make sure they spend their money wisely. You need to get a speciality rod. This means you need to purchase a rod which suits a particular purpose or technique. There are many speciality rod manufacturers on the market but one of the better know is G.Loomis. They make hundreds of different rods for different situations. Such as their 6”10’ DSR820S. This is a speciality drop shot rod, but is perfect for all situations.

A fast action rod is preferable, at least 6 foot but preferably 7 foot. This is because it allows better line and lure control as well as helping to obtain more powerful hook sets. Don’t be afraid to use a heavier leader of around 8 – 12 lb, this will be more abrasion resistant especially when fish take you around snags.

Braid is essential, the response, and strength compared to diameter makes braid a very good fishing tool.

Texas rigged worms

One of my favourite methods of fishing plastics is the Texas Rig. Basically the hook is passed through the front of the worm or minnow and the hook point is turned back towards the head of the lures. The best hook I have found for this is a Gamakatsu G-lock. By rigging the lure like this you will in affect make it weedless. This means you can cast it up into weedy and snaggy areas with out fear of loosing your lure. You will need a use a special sinker designed for this method which is shaped like a bullet, it is pointed at the front end is hollowed out at the back. You can use the weight running or fixed by simply sticking a toothpick in the front of the sinker.

Use the lightest weight you can. The lighter the sinker, the more natural action the lure will have. In most situations a 1/16 to 1/8 ounce sinker will be heavy enough in water less than 6 feet deep; a 1/8 to 1/4 ounce sinker for 6 to 12 feet; a 1/4 to 3/8 ounce sinker for 13 to 18 feet and a 3/8 to 1/2 ounce sinker for water deeper than 18 feet. To fish this method cast your lure into the desired area and let it sink to the bottom click your bail over, keep as little slack in your line as you can. When the lure is sinking do not twitch it, instead let it come to rest on the bottom. After the lure has hit the bottom raise the rod tip a little and then let it fall and retrieve the slack line. Make sure you watch your line closely often fish will pick it up on the drop. By watching your line you may be able to detect a bite before you raise your rod again. If you do feel a bite strike quickly. If you find the fish is tapping the lure twitch it slightly and this may entice a strike. If nothing happens let it rest for about 10 seconds and raise the rod tip slightly again and repeat this until you hook a fish or it is time to cast again. Often the fish will pick up the plastic on the bottom and sit with it and you will not be aware until you lift your rod tip and in affect hook up.

Fish your lure slowly, do not be in a rush to get your lure back to cast again. Each cast can take up to 2 minutes in the retrieve if not longer in some cases. It is important that you always be observant, have patience and concentrate on your presentation.

The Carolina rig

I use this technique when I am searching for fish, bream in particular, You use a heavy sinker up to 1 ounce which will helps maintain contact with the bottom and it is important you do not use sinkers that have square edges as they become snagged quite easily. The hook rigging is the same as a Texas rig which makes the lure weedless. The sinker is running and Fishing News - Page 14

Wacky Rigging

A Carolina rig brought this Swan River bream undone.

is stopped using either a swivel or a float stopper, I prefer a float stopper but it is up to you. When you retrieve the lure the sinker bounces along the bottom and the suspending worm will dart and rest on the bottom like a bait fish. The more pauses you have in the retrieve the better the presentation.

I recommend the lure be about 60cm away from the sinker. The advantage of using a float stopper is that you can vary this distance easily. Use a nice heavy leader so as to not have snap offs when casting quite heavy weight.

Drop shotting

Drop shotting is basically using a sinker at end of your line to keep your line vertical and then suspending lure above the sinker. A hook is tied to the line using a Palomar knot. The hook is kept straight and the soft plastic is attached through the nose. The sinker is lowered to a certain depth and the hook can be altered to suspend near the schooling fish. This is a particularly good method to use in conjunction with a sounder. Often bream will sit 1 metre above the bottom and strike nothing unless it is directly in front of them. By using a sounder to find where they are suspending you can alter your hook to sit directly in front of the fish. With a slight twitch of the rod tip this technique can bring even the most fussy of bream undone.

There are many different hooks you can use for this technique, I like to use a size 4 octopus hook but you can use anything really.

I prefer to tie my rigs ahead of time, this can save valuable time on the water for fishing.

Braid is essential for this technique as it allows you to keep your line tight at good depths. Monofilament line tends to bow in the water and this can make this sort of fishing very difficult.

You can use most kinds of sinkers for this technique but I find swivel sinkers are the best. Using a snap swivel you can easily attach different weights depending on what depth you are fishing. There is however special designed sinkers for this technique but I have found them not to be essential but more a novelty. Some of these sinkers are designed to cut the line when they are snagged up.

Another technique for drop shotting is using a regular jig head instead of a sinker, this allows you to fish another plastic but also fish the bottom without having to alter your rig.

There are many ways to tie your hook to your leader but it is essential that the hook lays at right angle to your leader.

This is a rig used with mainly worm style lures. It is designed let you give the worm the most action it can possibly have. You need to tie the hook directly to the main line. I recommend you use a size #4 octopus hook. Insert the hook approximately half way along the lure. Turn the hook so it only penetrates half way through the lure and then bring the hook point out the same side it entered. You then jig it erratically and quickly but allow it to drop slowly between jigs. This is a very unnatural looking technique but seems to work quite well.

The thing to remember with all these techniques is that a little more time spent preparing and rigging can make the difference between a fish and no fish. Using these techniques can drastically increase your bag limits, so it is important you limit you catch, not catch your limit.

If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate come and visit me at The Fishing Connection in Hobart.

Thomas Crawford

A texas rigged worm. Special sinkers are required for this virtually weedless rig.

Drop shot rigging is relatively simple. A Palomar knot is used to attached the hook at a predetermined distance from the sinker.

A regular jig head and second soft plastic can be used in place of the bottom sinker.

Below: A simple rig, the Carolina is a good rig for searching. A sinker can be fixed, or wedged using a float stopper in front of the soft plastic.

The hook can rigged conventional or weedless.

Wacky rigs such as this can be very effective at times.

Surface Spinning

Although not practiced in Tasmania a lot surface fishing with plastics can be a very effective method of catching bream and trout. Although I have found bream tend to hang quite low in the water column they will often come up to surface and take a lure. To fish this I find curly tail lures work best, I use Squidgy resin heads or Gamakatsu jig 90 hooks. You need to cast your lure up in to shallows and raise your rod tip high in the air. Slowly wind your lure back and let the tail of the lure break the surface.

A couple of good Derwent bream caught ‘drop shotting’.

Nymph under Dry - double your chances Those who fish the rivers around Tasmania all enjoy the sight of a black spinner drifting along a riffle disappearing in the slight swirl created by a good sized brown sucking the fly through the surface film of the water.

As October and November approach the prospects of this type of fishing improve by the day. Fine, calm warm days bring on the hatches of mayfly and other insects as waters warm in keeping with the weather.

Early on in spring however these sessions are usually short and sporadic and the wise river fisherman needs to have plenty of strings to his bow if he wants to achieve success between hatches and falls. One of these ‘strings’ is the Nymph under Dry. Nymph under Dry is at first glance an extremely simple concept, tie a nymph to your dry fly and drift the dry and nymph together and watch the dry fly for a take. Nymph under Dry can be fished in this simple manner, however like any form of fishing the more attention you pay to detail the more reward you are likely to reap. When fished intelligently this technique is deadly, and will account for plenty of fish in the quiet times trout are not rising freely to a dry fly alone.

Here is the set up and how best to fish it, the important thing to remember is contact. As with so many types of sub surface fly fishing, the important thing is to have contact with the fly, a take and rejection of the fly can happen swiftly and they need to register straight away if contact is to be made with the fish who has inhaled the fly under water.

In nymph under dry the contact needs to be between the nymph and the dry fly which you are basically using as a strike indicator. In this package you also need to take into account the depth of water you are fishing and the size and weight of the flies you are using as these will effect how deep your nymph gets. I keep a jig of pre tied dry fly and and tungsten bead head nymphs on a foam pad on my vest, all of the dry flies and nymphs get bigger as the droppers get longer, this way I can change quickly from a shallow set up with small flies

to a larger set up for a deeper run, just like changing a single fly.

Trout in Tasmanian rivers are rarely selective in the form of underwater food they receive. I say receive purposely because, by their very nature, trout sit in sheltered lies where the effect of the current on them is minimised. This way they don’t expend much energy while a hatch is not in full swing and food is not in abundance. While in these lies potential food items drift past them on the current and the trout need to decide whether this food is acceptable or not. It is often an instant decision, so they rarely scrutinize heavily and will usually take a range of nymphs in various sizes, including size 8 bead head nymphs. You can fish these large nymphs confidently in deeper water, knowing they will drift along close to the bottom, suspended by a similarly large dry fly.

If you have any doubt about large nymphs being taken by trout, take a look at some of the rocks on rivers around the State, you will soon see the size of some of the sub-aqueous food items available to the trout. Little rivers like the Liffey and Lake rivers in the north and Tyenna in the south have large stonefly with a nymph that crawls out and hatches on the rocks in the river. These nymphs are regularly a size 6 hook

length, and are a great meal for a small fish sitting in wait should they dislodge into the current at any stage.

The flies:

Bushy, buoyant dry flies are the most suitable choice for the top of the set up, a bushy dry fly will hold up a weighted nymph in a similar size range to itself. Flies like the Humpy or Royal Wulff are ideal, particularly in faster slightly turbulent water. On smoother water a parachute fly tied with a bright post material is also a good option, provided the choice of nymph does not pull the fly under too easily.

Fishing News - Page 15

There are many choices for nymphs, however tungsten bead head patterns are my favoured option when fish are in holding positions near the river bed. The weight of tungsten compared to it’s relative size is excellent. A tungsten bead head nymph sinks quickly and will get down to a required depth moments after hitting the water, meaning it will fish Only a small fish, but great fun to effectively for longer on catch using a nymph under dry. your chosen drift.

As a general guide for nymphs, apply the following nymph spot where you just ‘know’ a fish is likely /bead sizes, and match the dry fly in a to be cover it with multiple casts as inches can be feet and you will often not quite get corresponding size to the nymph. the cast right to induce a take first time.

Pay attention to deeper runs along Hook size Bead the bank, pockets created by under water 8 3.8mm rocks and the seams that flow out behind 10 3.3mm them. Fish in front of submerged rocks 12 2.8mm also as fish can sit in the shelter created 14 2.3mm in front of the rock as the flow divides 16 2.0mm around and over it. Riffles are always When attaching the nymph to the good holding spots as there are multiple dry, tie the leader to the nymph in the holding lies for fish in a given area, work New Zealand ‘truck and trailer’ style. these areas methodically.

Tie the section of leader to attach the nymph onto the bend of the dry fly A couple of alternatives Long, smooth, slow moving pools hook. Measure out the appropriate length of leader and then tie the nymph to the provide an opportunity to drift smaller tippet. Droppers are not used because nymphs on a longer leader under a dry. they are not in direct contact and a nymph Here you lengthen your cast, and make can be taken as soon as it hits the water. long drifts in the manner previously described. As the water is not turbulent Again as a guide try the following; the nymphs should settle into a drift with good contact to the dry fly and takes will Hook size Distance to nymph be easily seen.

8 1.2m When fish are smutting or taking 10 900mm tiny emergers, you can fish a very small 12 600mm fly behind a sighter dry fly in the Nymph 14 450 - 600mm under Dry style this way you will know 16 450 - 600mm how close your tiny #18 or #20 emerger The deeper the run the longer the is and can get a visible clue to a take by a distance between the nymph and the dry. pull on the dry fly.

Finally, Nymph under Dry is a very This technique is good to water about 1m deep, but because the likelihood of losing effective method of fly fishing rivers. It contact with the nymph increases as the does have limitations as do all techniques. tippet lengthens, the effectiveness of this Heavy turbulent water and deep water over one metre are both limitations to method decreases correspondingly. the effectiveness of the method but as I said at the beginning this is only one Method Remembering contact is the important string to the river fisherman’s bow, and key in sub surface techniques, the best way there are other techniques to deal with to fish Nymph under Dry is upstream with these situations.

Give Nymph under Dry a run between a straight leader between the dry and the those dun hatches and spinner falls this nymph.

Working upstream, cast a straight line spring. It is a technique that will catch so it can drift naturally down a current trout, not just now but thoughout the seam or riffle. Casts do not need to be whole season whenever our beautiful long, particularly when you are fishing Tasmanian rivers are at settled levels rippled water, trout in this type of water suitable for fly fishing.

Joe Riley are easy to approach and will not spook until you are right on them provided you move carefully and slowly. Fish a short line casting about 30ft in front of you, let the flies drift back taking in slack, keep the rod high from the start and raise it further as the flies get close to you. Fishing with a ‘high stick’ you have a more direct line to the dry fly and a strike can be made easily, quickly and more effectively.

Watch the dry fly intently and any pause or pull of the fly under the surface should be met with a quick strike. Also don’t be surprised when the dry fly gets eaten and remember the strike to this take will need to be a more measured response in keeping with normal dry fly fishing.

Now work the river carefully, probing every likely lie with a cast. If you find a Fishing News - Page 16

Fish a short line of 10 metres or less. Keep the rod high and make sure you keep the slack line under control.

Sweep back as the fly nears and watch the dry fly intently for any pause or take.

The author is a very keen fly tier and keeps a full arsenal of nymphs and drys especially for this style of fishing.

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St Helens - a bay full of fish in my backyard As we move through spring, and summer looms ever closer, the days grow longer and the temperatures get warmer.

We dust off our fishing gear, service our reels, respool with fresh mono or braid, check lures for rusty hooks - all the while reminiscing on seasons past, and wonder what adventures the new season holds for us. What species will we target this year, what new frontiers will we explore, what records will we strive for and more importantly how many days off do we have to get it all done in.

As work commitments, family commitments, household chores and financial strains eat away at our precious fishing time we are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to satisfy our inner fisherman as efficiently as possible. All of a sudden that week away to Flinders Island gamefishing with the boys becomes a weekend on the coast with the wife and kids, so being able to cram in as much fishing variety as possible, whilst pleasing everybody, becomes a priority.

Georges Bay is my home base and it offers the family everything they need, providing a wide and diverse range of estuarine species and is fast becoming recognised locally and on the mainland as the saltwater sportfishing capital of Tasmania.

It is the perfect destination for family based fishing, offering sheltered waters for small craft, excellent launching facilities, easily accessible jetty’s and wharfs for the land based angler and a wide range of fish species to satisfy both simple fishing for the kids and specialist sportsfihing for the dedicated angler. What follows is an overview of some of the fish available through spring and summer and tackle and techniques on how to target and catch them

Leather jacket

The humble old leatherjacket are available in Georges Bay all year round and are a staple table fish of many families, they are relatively easy to catch and hang around jetty’s and wharfs grazing on the barnacles and weed growth on the pylons which make them a great target for the kids. Whilst fish of up to 3-4lb are regularly caught around the bay 1-2lb

The author fishing in what is his back yard. examples are most common and only require the most basic of fishing tackle to catch. If fishing from a boat a basic handline with 12-15lb line or short 5’6” boat rod and matching 4000 spinning reel spooled with 10-12lb line will do the job. If fishing from a jetty or wharf a rod with a bit more length, 6-7’, and matching spinning reel spooled with 10-12lb line will be needed to haul the fish up. When fishing for leatherjacket the use of long shank hooks is a must, sizes 1-2 are perfect for the bay, as the fish have very strong teeth and jaws and will bite through the line very easily. The longshank hooks give a bit

more security against bite offs although I have seen fish bite clean through a hook shank. Just about any bait available at a tackle shop will work for leatherjacket, they tend not to be fussy eaters, however personally I have found a piece of squid or peeled prawn flesh to be very effective, just be careful not to have any bait residue on the line anywhere near the hook as the fish will bite through your line. A basic paternoster rig with the sinker on the bottom and 1 or 2 hooks above it is all that is needed keeping the whole outfit nice and simple. The leatherjacket is an under rated eating fish and exhibits a firm

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white flesh with a very sweet taste, however peeling the skin off the fish is a must. Once skinned and filleted they are a great eating fish to take home for the family.

Australian Salmon

The Australian salmon would have to rate as one of the most popular sports fish this country has to offer and Georges Bay finds itself home to large schools of fish reaching sizes of up to 6lb through the spring and summer months. Since the banning of commercial and recreational netting in the bay the salmon have come back with a vengeance and as each year goes by larger schools and larger fish are showing up and being caught by the average angler. Once again good quality basic tackle is all that is needed to target this species, average fish sizes tend to be around 2-3lb mark and can be caught with spin tackle consisting of rods of 6’6” in length and 3-6kg matched to spinning reels in the 2500-4000 size range spooled with 8-12lb line.

Australian salmon respond well to a number of different baits such as bluebait, whitebait, squid, pippies, sandworms and prawns but ‘matching the hatch’ is always your best option and if the fish are chasing bait schools then the smaller fish bait is the best option. As spring approaches large schools of whitebait, small pilchards and anchovies move into the bay and this is what the salmon follow staying for most of the summer feeding on the masses of baitfish available.

While the salmon are focussed on the bait schools it is prime time to target the fish with artificial means such as lure, soft plastics and saltwater fly. When the salmon schools are boiling on the surface a few different techniques can be employed. By far the most common is trolling lures behind a boat, whilst this seems an easy method it is not the most effective as the noise from the outboard motors tends to put the schools down and move them around too much.

A far more effective method is drift spinning, by this I mean motoring up wind or up current of the school of fish switching the motor off and drifting down onto the fish casting lures or soft plastics ahead of you, this keeps the school up on top and quite often you end up right in the middle of the school with fish all around you. The boat itself can also act as a large F.A.D. (fish attracting device) as it casts a large shadow in the water and the baitfish quite often try and find refuge underneath keeping the school of salmon all around your boat.

The salmon tend to roam the bay following the bait but likely spots to start are the main channel leading out to the barway and the Moulting Bay area, all the while keeping a lookout for hovering birds and pelicans on the move.

Lures such as Halco Slices and Twisty’s, Raiders, Snipers and Norstream Sluk lures in the 15-30 gram sizes work wonders especially if retrieved at high speed, even skipping the lure across the surface can attract savage strikes from hungry Salmon and makes for exiting Visual fishing. Soft plastic lures such as Squidgy Fish in True Blue, Black and Gold and Silver Fox, Squidgy Flick baits in Evil Minnow, Slick Green and Dark and Stormy, Berkley 3” Bass minnows in just about any colour and Snapback 4” Minnow and Finesse Jerk Bait are all deadly on salmon. When the salmon are marauding a bait school simply casting out a soft plastic and letting it sink down slowly will usually result in a hookup if not either a straight retrieve back to the boat or a twitch-and-drop retrieve will be effective.

If targeting salmon on fly tackle a good #8 weight fly rod with plenty of backing should subdue all but the largest

Tasmanian soft plastic combo Fishing News - Page 20

Leatherjackets are common, big in size and tasty.

The most productive way to catch Australian salmon is by drift spinning.

Tailor to 14 pounds have been caught in the bay. This specimen weighed close to 6 pounds.

specimens with leaders tippets around 10-12lb. Flies such as Lefty Deceivers, Surf Candy’s, Epoxy minnows and Clousers will all work well and once again either a fast stripping retrieve or let the fly sink then fast jerky retrieves back to the boat with intermittent pauses will result in savage strikes from the salmon. Sometimes putting the flyrod under your arm and double handed stripping at high speed will result in savage takes from timid fish. This technique is often effective in firing the fish up and get them in the mood. Whilst not considered by some as a good table fish if dispatched immediately after capture, bled, filleted and placed on ice will offer quite a tasty meal on the BBQ that night with the smaller fish being the sweetest.

Silver Trevally

In the last few seasons in Georges Bay a run of unusually large silver trevally have been turning up during spring and staying all through the summer. Fish of up to 600mm fork length and 5lb+ are being caught by switched on anglers willing to move about searching the bay for concentrations of schools, fish of this size have never been seen in the bay until recent years, evidence once again that the ban on netting is improving the fishery all the time. Trevally averaging 300350mm fork length seems to be most common and can be caught with much the same tackle as the Salmon. However these fish seem to be much fussier about the baits they will eat and require a little more attention to detail in the presentation.

Trevally will respond very well to a good berley trail and nothing works better than Stimulate Ultrabite Prawn pellet burley with some tuna oil added to it and slowly but consistently introduced to the water column. Small pieces of peeled prawn flesh, pippies or chicken breast meat floated unweighted down the berley trail appearing as natural as possible are very effective as are the use of sabiki rigs with small pieces of bait added to the hooks. The bite from a Trevally can at times be very subtle and requires a bit more concentration from the angler to strike at the right time but once hooked can test light tackle out to its limits.

One technique that is becoming more and more popular with sport fisherman chasing these XOS trevally and one that offers excellent and very exciting sport is the use of soft plastic lures and light tackle. Soft plastic specific high modulus graphite spin rods of 6’6”-7’6”(2-5kg) in length and spin reels in the 1000-2500 size range spooled up with 4-6lb Fireline GSP line and 6-8lb leaders are perfect. This type of tackle enables the angler to make long accurate casts with very light jigheads and plastic lures, detect the small and subtle takes of the trevally and offer a huge amount of fighting power needed to keep the large fish from finding the reefy bottom, pylon or rock formation they live around.

Finding the schools of trevally is the first part of the puzzle, they like a bit of current and some structure but do tend to move around a bit so the main channel leading out to the barway is a good place to start, drifting the channel with the incoming tide along the edges and around the pylons seems to consistently produce fish. Jigheads in the 1/16th to 1/8th size are perfect for this technique and by far the best plastics I have found are the Berkley 6” Sandworm in Natural, Berkley 2” Powergrub in Pumpkinseed or Bloodworm and the Squidgy Wriggler in Bloodworm or Avocado. Cast the plastics out and let them sink and sit on the bottom for a moment, quite often the fish will pick it up off the bottom, then either a slow lift and drop all the way back to the boat or alternatively small

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hopping twitches combined with slow lifting will draw strikes from the trevally. Once hooked trevally are awesome fighters on light tackle testing drags and leaders to the limit and are heaps of fun whilst also being a reasonable table fish.

Tailor

A fish once viewed as being a mainland only species is now showing up in Georges Bay every year with great regularity around springtime. Large schools of small “chopper” tailor averaging 1-2lb patrol the bay ambushing bait schools and can be seen boiling on the waters surface leaving clouds of chewed up bait fish in their wake. Whilst most of these fish are only relatively small on average, specimens of up to 14lb have been landed in the bay….yes that’s right 14lb. That is a trophy fish in anyone’s book and gives an indication of the type of sports fishery that Georges Bay has become in recent years.

Tackle for these tailor is identical to that used for salmon.

Spin tackle consisting of rods of 6’6” in length and 3-6kg matched to spinning reels in the 2500-4000 size range spooled with 8-12lb line. Tailor respond extremely well to spinning with lures, once again patterns and styles identical to those used for salmon however Tailor have quite sharp and nasty teeth so the use of a small wire trace can be quite an advantage if bite offs persist. In this case the use of soft plastics can become quite expensive however the Snapback range seems to stand up quite well.

The schools of tailor seem to roam the bay in search of the baitfish so look for bird activity, particularly the Pelicans, as they like to feed on the same baitfish and follow the same technique of drift spinning as for the salmon. The Tailor are a very soft flesh fish but do exhibit a fine flavour if treated the same as the salmon, bled immediately and placed on ice firms the flesh up slightly and eaten fresh that night is best as they don’t fare well being frozen.

Any basic estuary outfit will be adequate for catching mullet, 6’-7’ rods rated 2-5kg with sensitive tips and reels in the 2500 range spooled with 6-10lb line are perfect with hook sizes ranging from #6-#2 depending on the size of the fish being targeted at the time. Mullet are certainly far from the best eating fish in the sea but do however have a dedicated group of fans that will tell you otherwise, particularly those who like to smoke fish. They are certainly not my cup of tea but worth the effort for those just after a basic feed of fish and they are easily targeted from the many wharfs and jetty’s situated around Georges Bay

Mullet

The yellow eyed mullet is the mainstay of any Australian estuary and Georges Bay is no exception. Present in the bay all year round they are an ideal fish to introduce the kids to fishing and to keep you occupied when other species are quiet. With the introduction of just about any berley mixture into the water column schools of mullet will mill around looking for a free feed, bait such as small pieces of squid, prawn flesh, pippies, maggots and bread dough either drifted unweighted down the berley trail or under a float will result in solid hookups. Mullet will also at times respond to small soft plastic lures such as #1 Squidgy Wrigglers in Silver Fox, Avocado and Bloodworm as well as Berkley 2” Powergrubs in Pumkinseed and Silver Ghost.

Moulting Bay

Georges Bay St Helens township

A bream tournament in January 2006 proved beyond doubt the abumdance of bream in Georges Bay.

Bream

As the Christmas months approach large schools of quality bream start to move around the bay, hanging around wharfs, jetty’s, moored boats and oyster racks feeding on the barnacles, mussels and small crustaceans that abound in the rich waters. The bream and trevally seem to hang out together quite a bit and where you will find one you will generally

find the other. Once again effective use of berley will attract schools of fish to your area, whether from a boat or from the shore (jetty, wharf). Baits such as peeled prawn flesh, pippies and mussels work well as do freshly pumped nippers and small black crabs. A standard running ball sinker rig is ideal combined with an octopus style hook in sizes #2 through to 1/0 to match the bait being used. Also unweighted baits drifted down the berley trail wont be refused by a hungry little bream.

Small bream are abundant all around the bay near any sort of structure and will keep the kids occupied all day, however if its larger specimens you are after than targeting them with soft plastics is for you. The same soft plastic specific tackle used for the trevally is also suited to the bream, high modulus graphite spin rods of 6’6”-7’6”(2-5kg) in length and spin reels in the 1000-2500 size range spooled up with 4-6lb Fireline GSP line and 6-8lb leaders are perfect.

Plastics such as Squidgy Wrigglers in Avocado, Bloodworm, Flash Prawn and Silver Fox, Squidgy Flick Baits in Slick Green, Evil Minnow and Sashimi Shrimp, Berkley “GULP” Sandworm in Natural and Camo, “GULP” 3” Fry in Pumpkinseed and Watermelon and Berkley 3” Bass Minnows in Pearl Watermelon are all dynamite on Georges Bay bream.

Area’s to concentrate are around any structure, wharfs, jetties, pylons, oyster racks, moored boats, shallow rocky points.

Techniques and retrieves that are effective are the same as those used for the trevally however bream can be very fussy at times and mixing up the retrieves is important to find one that will trigger the fish into striking. One of my favourite areas for bream is the sandflats, some of the largest bream come from up on the shallow sand and mudflats in less than 1 metre of water. One of my favourite techniques for this area, so long as there is very little weed, is the use of hard body lures. Lures such as Halco laser Pro 45, Strike Pro Pygmy and Small Fry and Rapala’s in the 5-8cm range are all dynamite lures on large bream patrolling the flats. I start with a basic long cast and slow winding retrieve back letting the lure just bounce its bib across the sand. If this does not bring a strike from a fish then a pause every now and then and small twitches in the retrieve may trigger the bream to attack the lure, once hooked on the shallows the bream will peel line off your reel and carve up the flats testing the light gear to its limits.

Flathead

With the many sand flat and mud flat areas around Georges Bay it is of no surprise that good numbers of flathead are caught throughout the spring and summer months. The bay lends itself to being a bit of a nursery for flathead with great numbers of small juvenile fish, an indication of a very healthy fishery, however as spring approaches the abundant, nutrient rich mudflats become a veritable treasure trove of tasty food items for the flathead to feed on, the fish putting on condition very quickly and anglers have no trouble catching a feed of legal sized fish as summer approaches. As the tide rises the fish will move up onto the flats feeding on all manner of items such as small crabs and crustaceans, prawns, shrimps, sandworms, nippers and small baitfish all being dispersed as the water floods the new ground. As the tide recedes the flathead will sit on the drop offs and gutters on the outer edges of the flats waiting in ambush of any tasty morsel moving past them. It is at this stage that the angler has the best chance of capture as the fish will attack nearly anything that moves past it, baits such as squid, bluebait, pippies and prawns are all good however nothing beats a freshly pumped nipper from the sandflats at low tide. Flathead respond well to bait that is

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moving so a slow drift over the flats or a slow retrieve sliding the bait across the bottom will be very effective.

Flathead are also a prime species for targeting with soft plastics and from my experience this technique results in much larger than average fish most of the time. My favourite plastics lures for this method are #2 and #3 Squidgy Fish in Gary Glitter, Killer Tomato and Silver Fox or #3 and #4 Squidgy Wriggler in Avocado and Killer Tomato. Sitting up on the mud and sand flats in 2-5 metres of water is ideal and the technique involves casting out as far as possible and letting the lure fall to the bottom, then a slow lift and draw hopping it all the way back to the boat, every now and then throwing in an aggressive whip into the retrieve to get the attention of any interested fish nearby.

The same basic estuary spin tackle as used for the salmon, trevally and tailor will work for bait fishing, rods of 6’6”-7’ in length and 3-6kg matched to spinning reels in the 2500-4000 size range spooled with 8-12lb line. The same soft plastic specific outfits also used for trevally will be ideal for targeting flathead on soft plastic lures, high modulus graphite spin rods of 6’6”-7’6”(2-5kg) in length and spin reels in the 1000-2500 size range spooled up with 4-6lb Fireline GSP line and 6-8lb leaders.

Flathead are considered by most of the fishing public to be one of the best eating fish in the sea and those caught in Georges Bay are no exception, whack a simple fillet off each side, remove the rib bones, a quick dip in some batter or dust with some crumb mix and you have a dining experience fit for kings.

beds mostly up and down the main channel leading out to the barway. Squid can be quite easily targeted with the use of good quality squid jigs in the 3.5” size, popular colours tend to be orange, blue, green and red head/white body. Good quality spin tackle consisting of rods 6’6” in length and 4000 size reels spooled with 10lb line are all that is needed and a good quality net if fishing out of a boat. It is best to net the squid and leave it in the net in the water for a few seconds to let it squirt all its ink out before bringing aboard, saves a lot of mess in the boat. Water of about 10-15 feet in depth with good sea grass beds around it is a good place to start searching for squid, simply casting out the squid jig and retrieving with a steady lift and drop retrieve back to the boat should result in a take and a steady pull back from the squid. If after a dozen casts or so there is no action move to another spot and try again, if the squid are around you will generally see some action relatively quickly.

Squid tend to hang around in pairs or groups so if you catch one get your jig back into the water quick smart and quite often you will catch 2 in as many casts. Another technique is to use a squid darpin hook, the squid barbs on a shaft with no lure, and place a piece of large bluebait or whole small fish (such as a mullet or mackerel) on the shaft. Place this under a squid float with a couple of feet of trace and let it drift about with the current and wave action. This can be done whilst casting and retrieving you jig and can quite often be a very deadly technique. As you can see Georges Bay offers a huge

Mackerel

Whilst they don’t offer much to us as a sport fish or even as a table fish, although smoked they do come up relatively tasty, the mackerel, like the mullet, are a mainstay of our estuaries and are just as common in Georges Bay. Just like the mullet they will respond to a good berley trail and can be caught using the same tackle and methods as mullet on baits and soft plastics. They are a perfect species for kids to catch as they are easy to attract and will take a variety of baits such as bluebait, whitebait, squid, prawns and pippies and can easily be targeted from the jetty’s and wharfs as well.

Squid

Late winter through to early summer see’s good quality squid throughout Georges Bay, they hang around the seagrass

The breakwall at the mouth is well fished.

Jetties are scattered around the bay and it seems the few closest to town often offer the best chance of a feed such as this silver trevally from Kirwans Beach. variety of fish species and fishing options as we move through spring and into summer. The water temperatures warm up and the aquatic life becomes very active creating a perfect environment for fish and bird life. Some other species such as sea run trout, garfish, elephant fish, kingfish, snapper and gummy shark also show up on a regular basis but require a bit more time, effort and expertise to catch consistently but are possible. The options are endless and we see more and more species showing up as each season passes, fishing improving all the time and species sizes becoming larger and larger. So next time you have a weekend spare and need to get your fishing fix grab the family and head east to Georges Bay where the sun is always shining and the fish are always hungry, and while you are here stop in and see me, Jamie, at St Helens Bait & Tackle for all your tackle and tips on the East Coast.

Jamie Henderson

Fishing News - Page 23

Unlocking the secrets of bream sex Dr James Haddy is a lecturer for the Australian Maritime College at Beauty Point. Over the past 10 yrs he has actively researched a variety of aspects of the biology and physiology of black bream.

Below is a brief summary of some of his findings on reproduction in black bream.

An old timer "Merv" at Swansea once told me that he goes bream fishing once the cherry trees had flowered. Well it's that time of year again, the stone fruit trees have flowered and many of you are dusting off your bream rod. What have flowering fruit trees got in common with bream fishing I hear you ask? Well actually a lot! You see, after the winter solstice on June 21 the days start to get longer. The fruit trees respond to this change in day-length by initiating their reproductive systems to produce flower buds. Similarly, black bream also respond to this environment cue as it signals that spring is on it way. Bream detect the change in day-length by using a small photosensitive gland called the pineal gland.

The pineal gland is located on top of the frontal brain lobes where the skull is at its thinnest. As the days start to get longer the pineal gland is sensitive to the longer days, due to more light, and secretes less melatonin. In response to these decreasing melatonin levels a suite of hormonal changes occur that prepare the fish for the up and coming spawning season by stimulating the fish to produce eggs and sperm.

This is a complex endocrine cascade that stimulates various physiological responses from the brain, pituitary, gonads and liver. Day-length however is not the only environmental cue that regulates reproductive activity in bream with temperature, dissolved oxygen levels and salinity also playing a part in coordinating their reproductive activity. As a result, different estuaries across Tasmania display marked differences in the timing of reproductive activity. As a general rule the small shallow coastal estuaries with small water catchments will heat up quicker than larger deeper systems that have rivers flowing into them sourced from cold highland rain and snow melt. As a consequence these smaller systems tend to fish better earlier in the season than the larger estuaries as the fish increase their reproductive, feeding and schooling activities sooner.

During winter bream are dispersed throughout the estuaries and their gonads are very small weighing less than 2% of their total weight. However, once the bream detect that the seasons are changing the females start to produce yolk for their eggs and males start to put energy into developing their testis. During this time bream start to school up and begin feeding regularly to supply the increasing energy demands of their developing gonads. After forming into "small schools" they swim up the estuary into the upper estuarine reaches. This is usually a riverine section of the creek or river flowing into the estuary. As more bream arrive on the spawning grounds they form into a densely aggregated school. Recent research in NSW indicates that in some estuaries the density of bream can reach values as high as 1 individual per square meter over a 2 kilometre stretch of river. At this time the gonads of a bream have grown significantly and can contribute up to 20% of the total weight of the individual. Many science studies use the seasonal variation in the gonads size to define the spawning season of a fish by calculating the gonad to body weight index. This is known as the gonadosomatic index. Figure 1 displays the seasonal variation of this index and highlights that reproductive activity is highest between September to December in Tasmanian bream. Another way scientists assess fish reproduction is by visual examination of the gonads. In winter the ovaries are small and a clear orange colour. This is an inactive or immature ovary (see figure 2). Eight weeks after the winter solstice the eggs start accumulating yolk and the ovaries become granular in appearance. This stage many of you would call "in roe" but Fishing News - Page 24

Bream are a long living fish. Big specimens can be very old. Consider carefully how many you take.

surveys find the majority of eggs in the upper riverine environment where zooplankton is also abundant (see figure 3). Sometimes, due to excessive rain the spawning sites are flooded by a flush of cold fresh water. During these events the bream cease all reproductive activities and their reproductive hormones disappear from the blood. If the flood is severe enough, they will retreat to the lower reaches of the estuary.

Once the flood has abated the bream will return to the upper riverine environment to resume spawning. This is evidence that bream are a stress sensitive species. Furthermore studies in Tasmania have shown that when bream are placed in a confinement tank, such as live well, the stress event causes the complete shutdown of their reproductive physiology within 1hr.

However whether these fish recover from this stress and/or the speed at which they resume spawning activities after being stressed is currently unknown.

Bream spawn on a daily basis at dusk and through hormonal regulation they also control the number of eggs being released.

It is therefore difficult to estimate how many eggs a 1 kg fish will release on any given night, but over the spawning season she is likely to release between 1-3 million eggs. As a consequence of producing so many eggs, the eggs are very small measuring only 0.70.8 mm in diameter (see figure 4). The egg possesses a single oil globule which provides buoyancy to the egg and essential nutrients to the developing larvae once hatched. Although hatching is temperature dependent the egg will usually hatch within 1.5-2.5 days. At hatching the young bream measures only 2 mm in length, has a large yolk sac, is totally blind and has no mouth or anus. This stage is known as a yolk sac larva (see figure 5). During this time the larva relies on its yolk and oil reserves to develop a functioning digestive system and eyes so it can see, capture and digest prey. On day 4-5 the young bream takes its first meal on a small zooplankton measuring 0.05 mm. Over the next 50 days the young bream develops through several larval stages until it metamorphoses into a juvenile bream.

Juvenile bream grow relatively rapidly until they reach sexual maturity. On Mainland Australia bream mature between 2-5 years of age. Females mature at sizes between 1720 cm whilst males mature between 14-19 cm (fork length).

However, there are concerns that the size at maturity in some Tasmanian estuaries is much larger than these values. As a result research is underway to assess the size of maturity of Tasmanian bream. After a bream reaches maturity its growth slows down dramatically. For example, Tasmanian black bream grow at an average rate of approximately 100 g a year.

Therefore that 1 kg bumper bream we all like catching is most likely to be around 10 yrs old (see figure 6). So next time you catch a big one think about how long it is going to take before it is replaced. You just never know you may even get a bigger buzz out of seeing it swim away to spawn another day.

scientifically we call it vitellogenic due to the accumulation of the yolk protein vitellogenin. Once the eggs have sufficient yolk and the environmental conditions are right, a proportion of eggs undergo a final maturation stage. During this stage the egg takes up water and the yolk and oil droplets coalesce.

This stage is known as hydrated, but some of you may call this "ripe". Just before dusk these eggs rupture out of their follicles and become loose individual eggs in the ovaries cavity. This stage is known as ovulated, or "running ripe".

This stage is the spawning stage and only last for about 1 hour at dusk. This final maturation process and ovulation can be switched on and off depending on the environmental condition the day before. This way the bream ensure that eggs are not spawned when conditions are inappropriate such when a spring flood occurs.

Black bream are a unique fish species as their entire life cycle can be completed within the estuary they live in. As a result many intermittently opening coastal lagoons also support good black bream populations around southern Australia. However all prime bream estuaries possess a good section of riverine environment. The riverine environment is an excellent place to spawn for bream as small zooplankton is abundant, which will be a rich food source for their babies (larvae). However, sometimes the bream arrive on the spawning grounds too soon. So they must wait until the environmental conditions become suitable for spawning. Typically bream spawn in spring and early summer when the water temperature is between 14-26oC, the dissolved oxygen is above 50% saturation (5 ppm) and when the subsurface salinity is above 11 ppt.

However there is an increasing suspicion that female bream also require a visual cue of zooplankton density prior to initiating spawning activity.

This suspicion is supported by evidence that bream rarely spawn in an open estuarine environment where suitable Figure 1. Seasonal changes in Gonadosomatic index in wild water quality parameters are also Tasmanian bream. The dotted grey line indicates the winter solstice. present. In addition, egg density

Figure 2: The macroscopic appearance of black bream ovaries at different stages of development.

STAGE 2: Immature Ovary small clear and orange

Figure 3: A typical bream estuary showing the distribution and abundance of bream eggs during the spawning season.

Figure 5: A recently hatched bream yolk sac larva. The eye and lens is clearly visible but it is yet to become pigmented and develop the sense of vision.

Figure 4: Bream eggs 18 hrs after fertilisation.

STAGE 3: Vitellogenic Ovary orange with opaque oocytes visible through epithelium 26572e19.9_amc_15x4

STAGE 4: Hydrated Ovary orange with hydrated oocytes visible through epithelium

18/9/06

2:13 PM

Figure 6: A sectioned bream otolith (earbone) showing 15 annual bands. The banding displays a rapid growth in the first 2-3 years and markedly slowing down thereafter.

This fish measured 368mm in fork length Page 1 (405mm TL) and weighed 1190 grams.

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Fishing News - Page 25

Curries River Dam

Soft Plastics

Soft plastics have taken off Australia wide. Local anglers are having good success with SPs. The most popular lures are Squidgies size 1 and size 2 in the fish pattern. The colours would be garry glitter and black and gold. They both seem to work well. Berkley also make a good range of soft plastics. The 3 inch drop shot minnow in the colour pumpkin seed and pearl watermelon an re the most successful colours. Eco products eye ball tails are also a great soft plastic. The colour pumpkin seed and water melon seed are the best colours at Curries River dam.

Curries is a challenging water. It has had its ups and downs over the years but now thanks to the IFC its stocks are getting back on track. Curries is not every anglers cup of tea. The catch rate is normally lower than in other areas but the fish taken from Curries are of excellent eating quality. They have bright orange flesh due to the good diet of yabbies and galaxia. Curries is a man-made dam which was completed in 1979. It was constructed for George Town’s domestic water supply. After the dam was finished it wasn’t opened for trout fishing until 1990. Since then the dam has mainly been stocked with brown trout and rainbows but some liberations of Atlantic salmon and tiger trout have been released over the years.

Curries is a deep dam in areas. Originally it was a river and there were wild stocks of trout in the river before it was flooded. There is ample scope for land based anglers as there is a corsway which you can drive across to the other side of the dam. This is a popular fishing area and it separates the dam in to two halves. The northern shore is a more popular spot for angling. Most of it is cleared and has steep banks that drop off into deep water. The southern shore is not as popular. It is quite reedy and shallow and has poor access.

Some of the fly fisherman do prefer this side because of its large weed beds.

hook. I like the Daiichi 2171 size 8. This hook is very strong but light. A heavier hook will sink the Power Bait and defeat the whole purpose of using it. Power Bait is designed to float up off the bottom above the weed line so it is in the trout’s face. You can use it on a running sinker or paternoster rig.

Bait Fishing

Lures

There are many good spots that anglers can bait fish effectively.

Most of the northern shore and corsway has quite deep water. The most popular bait would be wattle grubs and scrub worms. There are some local anglers have taken their bait fishing very seriously and use mudeyes. Kelvin Housego is just one of those locals and he is well known around the Gerorge Town area as the cormorant of Curries River dam. He has mastered using a mudeye suspended below a bubble float. Kelvin catches his own mudeyes by hand. He searches around the shores under rocks and logs to collect his bait and has great success on them. Although he puts in many hours at Curries, it does pay off. Kelvin catches more than most and occasionally catches a 7 or 8 pounder.

Power Bait is also worth a shot. Sherbet and rainbow putty are the most popular colours. The trick with Power Bait is to use a small

Fly Fishing

Curries is a great place to take kids, but the fish can be difficult.

Fly anglers do well mainly using wet fly patterns which imitate the galaxia which populate the dam. Through the warmer months fly fisherman have success on mudeye patterns. The shallow marshier areas are preferred by most fishermen.

Curries is a great spot to take kids. There are plenty of wide open safe areas for them to run wild. Also some great fishing can be had by young and old. Just be aware that Curries river dam is now no longer open for night fishing. It is restricted to day light hours.

All bait tackle and supplies are available at Sport ‘n’ Fish in the main street George Town.

Damon Sherriff

Curries is a fantastic spot to troll, drift spin or spin the shores. The deep water on the northern side is very productive when using lures. Cobras, spinners and rapalas all work well. My favourite lure on Curries is the Tillins king cobra # 63 which is known as the Christmas tree colour. Other good lures are Ashley spinners # 14D, #29 and #22. Tassie Devil # 48 is also worth a shot. Rapala floating minnow 5 cm brown trout and rainbow are also very productive.

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Fishing News - Page 27

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Makos of the North West Beginnings

As spring sets in most creatures have already, or are set to begin a fornicating frenzy and all though my thoughts at times are dominated by similar images, the approaching game season is steadily turning the tide toward thoughts of chasing mako sharks from our local ramps. These mighty adversaries are available in numbers on occasions and in my experience the jumbo triple figure numbers are more prevalent in the early part of the season.

I am told the water temperature has reached around 11 degrees is slowly rising, and with it (somewhere around mid to late spring), will come hordes of mackerel, squid and couta.

The arrival of these species is a sure sign larger visitors are present. These bait species are great fun to catch and make an excellent distraction whilst waiting for the arrival of a shark.

Although the temperature is far less critical than the presence of bait, check of the sea surface temperature chart (SST) can be made on at the CSIRO web site is the next most accurate test of the water temp other than sitting out on it.

This can be found at the following address (www. marine.csiro.au) and follow the link to (lband sea surface temperatures). The page will be an Australia wide map which may take a little time to draw depending on your system and connection. By clicking with the pointer at any point on the ocean will give the co ordinates and temperature in the last 2 days or so depending on the satellite pass over update.

Tools of the trade

There are several items that are required to chase mako or blue shark and the principle item is a boat. Firstly a misconception is the boat does not need to be very large or extremely well equipped. I learnt from Mason Paull (the guru himself) who has been targeting this species on the eastern seaboard for in excess of 17 years and has seen just about all that these fish can come up with.

In the last 5 or so years however he has also taken to targeting these fish more, as a lead up to the East coast season from the North West coast and some of these trips have

been in smaller open boats and have successfully tagged or on occasions taken g ood sized fish. A craft around 5 metres or so is a good average starting point. Weather and sea heights should be checked depending on your boats capabilities as Bass Straight is shallow a n d c a n g e t ve r y rough. The water is only 50 meters deep or so at 10 miles dropping to 60 at 15 – 20 miles. The mako to range between 50 and 250kg and also common to the coast are blue shark between 35 and 100kg.

The commonly encountered size of the mako seems to be between 60 – 90kg and around 50kg for the blue whalers.

Rod and reel combinations can range from 8kg to 24kg and I have found an overhead game reel with 15kg string ample for average and even larger specimens. Several years ago off Burnie I hooked and fought a mako off Burnie in 35 meters of water the fish rampaged around fairly quickly due to the shallow water and required a lot of maneuvering by the driver. We eventually landed the fish 4¼ hours later and it was a lazy 200kg! Our estimations at the time put the fish at 140 to 160kg however it was like a barrel and was carrying a lot more weight than expected.

After subduing and cleaning the beast outside the boat we attempted to pull her in. Mason and I heaved on the tail rope, however despite our best efforts we were unable to raise more than her tail. I submit my contribution to the effort was not a great deal after the long fight and if it were not for pelvic floor muscles the event would have been a messy clean up!! (At one point Mason even commented that he may have been getting weak in his old age although he later retracted this statement).

As a result a long tow home was opted for that had us back at the ramp at 10pm. This highlights that if a sizeable shark is

Peace of mind when boating

If a big mako is hooked a decision needs to made on tagging or landing. Big fish and small boats can represent a safety issue especially if the fish has to be towed home. encountered a decision should be made erring on the side of safety at some in regards to the craft in which your standing is suitable in that the fight may go for some time depending on the gear and location.

The rig consists of a 400lb trace and I have found that the blue 400lb PVC covered multi stand wire is great. Although there are other types both thinner and stainless steel available the PVC wire is readily available, easy to handle boat side and does not cut into your gloved hand. It can be brought pre rigged with a decent hook from most tackle outlets and should be 3 – 4 metres long.

Attached to this a 12/0 hook is a good start and although some prefer larger ones I prefer a non suicide mustard “7766D dura-tin”. The rig is attached to your double via a snap swivel and a rubber band can be used to secure a balloon onto the top of one leg of the double. This allows the bait to be suspended about 6 metres under the water and the balloon is an excellent

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indicator of a strike. A good flying gaff, fixed handle gaff and 8mm tail rope are also required and on occasions the shark may have to be clamed to be handled with the use of a “priest” of some sort.

With bait fresh is best and a whole squid mackerel or a section of couta are great however should be rigged in a way that will allow the point to be exposed running parallel to the bait and penetrate on a take. Sharks are also partial to a slab of tuna if you are able to provide one. Both the squid and tuna are soft and allow the hook to be hidden in the bait and again penetrate on a take.

These fish, like most species of game fish are limited and are under pressure wherever they go with this in mind I again promote tag and or release. I find only taking one or so mid size specimen per year is ample to feed myself and all of my extended family. The fish are extremely hardy and suit well for recovery after release and testament to this I often encounter healthy specimens with numerous long line hooks decorating their jaw lines. If you catch a tagged fish and are unsure what to do take the tag to your local tackle shop and they should be happy to assist.

A dot in the ocean

When selecting a place to start the best advice is find a location with structure on the bottom and bait fish of some form. There are numerous reefs and bommies off the coast

Tasmania is home to some very big makos. Makos are classed as gamefish and they are eagerly sought.

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and although they can be difficult to find check your local sea chart and find a deep hole or rise. Somewhere nearby you will most likely find bait. These patches of bait can often be found in open featureless water and show on the sounder. Most likely the cloud will be couta, squid or mackerel and is a good starting point.

Any bait should not be too difficult to find and on regular occasions I have seen mackerel showering the surface in patches the size of football ovals. These also provide good entertainment whilst waiting for a shark and activity creates activity. Catching these fish is both fun and provides fresh bait and surplus can be used in the burley bucket. If you have braid then bottom bouncing can produce dusky or tiger flathead around 400mm or larger. Deploying a squid jig to self troll in the trail will often hook good number of squid.

I think that a good starting point is around 7 miles which is around 40 to 50 metres of water and the wind should be pushing you along at about walking pace or so. If the wind is stronger then deploy a sea anchor to slow your drift. The speed of the drift governs the size of your trail and the amount of ground you cover. Only experience by trial will best determine drift speed and again this is highly dependent on your vessel weight and type.

When the wind drops away it can be a little annoying for shark as your trail will begin to balloon up although it can still be effective if some ground was covered prior.

We have seen and caught large sharks in very shallow water and for example from personal experience Mason has seen and hooked fish as close as 2km, with this particular mako from the Wynyard area going 130kg.

A friend and I lost one around 140kg just 3 miles from the Burnie break wall, although one this occasion our drift had come from the aforementioned 7 mile mark.

Punch it back

We work on the 3 hour principle as a basic guide to the time taken for a shark to appear. I have been out and seen sharks immediately and some times gone 4 trips or more without seeing one. On other occasions I have seen 3 or more on one trip, so patience and other activities are the key to biding time during the wait.

The other most important factor is burley, some like a flood drifting back as thick as smoke from a grass fire however at the very least all you need is a little…often. A steady unbroken flow of fresh fish being munched up

Unfortunately very few can walk on water ........ but for under 10 grand we can do the next best thing on this 435sf barra deck boat Stacer 435 SF Barra When makos are about strap yourself in and hang on.

in your burley pot with the regular addition of some chicken pellets and tuna oil is perfect for the job. The pellets soak up the oil and take it down into the water column. The trail should be around the width of a small suburban street and you should see a steady stream of small chunks of fish drifting back and down as you drift.

There is some debate between stainless steel and plastic as to the best type of pot.

Personally I prefer the plastic one as when you work a dull thud is emitted into the water which in its self can be an attractant to sharks.

The stainless pots seem to give off a clanging sound which to me does not sound appetising and I think can scare fish (although this is my preference, plenty of success has been had by both so go with what you have). Some regular shark fisherman pre mince and freeze bags of burley and deploy it in the pot or snap top, holed buckets. As the mince melts it breaks up, drifting back with the same effect as punching the pot. The key to success is an unbroken trail so be vigilant with keeping an eye on the pot. Keep the tuna oil up to the pot and work it regularly.

Mako may miss the baits and come straight to the boat which is a fantastic sight. Some of them are a little frisky and can and will have a little nibble on your boat, burley bucket or what ever so be prepared for a few scars.

Scratches to your motor can be reduced by raising the leg a little so the back edge of the cavitation plate is just out of the water leaving the skeg as a sacrificial nibbley.

“Danger” Will Robinson

These fish are a tenacious predator and should always be treated with great caution and respect. I have heard and first hand been party to one such horror story in 2004. After my wife tagged and released a 70kg number another smaller specimen of 85kg arrived and was hooked up. The decision to take the shark was made by the angler, as he was on the first trip of the season and was after some flake.

The fish came easily and was cleaned and left boat side. After some time the fish was pacified and brought aboard where the completion of cleaning was undertaken. Luckily we always put the sharp dangerous end toward the rear of the boat.

Prior to poking life into “Terminator” Mason turned to reposition the shark. At that point it decided to come to life and stood on its tail thrashing around in the boat to a degree that even the gunwale tops had teeth marks in them. The melee went for around 5 minutes to a point where my wife made like incy wincey spider on the dashboard, whilst the rest of us held the tail rope. The shark

was pacified however left the boat looking like a hand grenade attack at the Red Cross blood bank.

It was not all fun and games at the marauding shark had smashed the fuel management unit off the filter. The weather was 3m plus and getting worse and there were 3 other larger shark pacing backward and forward around the boat. Luckily we were able to remove it from the loop and reconnect the motor to the fuel filter system. We headed home happy in the knowledge that it could have been worse… like 200kg of shark!!!

Again safety first and stay out of the way of the sharp end as I have seen entrails and fillets of mako still pulsating several hours after capture and unlike tuna these fish always have something left when they come to the boat. They have earned the reputation of blue dynamite and there energy can be seen when hooked as they often make spectacular jumps during the fight. If you are unsure about this type of fishing and are keen to have a go, I suggest you get someone with experience to give you some advice or go with you.

Anywhere along the coast is great for mako and they can be targeted anywhere from Stanley to Port Sorell all of these locations now have great ramps or facilities to get you on the water. One thing I must mention is that other species of shark other than mako and blue (whaler) shark are encountered in the straight. Those are 7 gill shark and very rarely white pointers. I know of at least 3 encounters over the past 5 years and the white pointers are usually smaller juvenile sharks and can be slightly brown in colour. If you are unsure of the species or can not identify it the rule of thumb is don’t take it because it could land you in a little hot water.

Tim Anderson

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Mon-Fri 9am to 5.30pm, Sat: 9am to 12 noon, Sun: 10-2pm Fishing News - Page 31

Leadline trolling An effective and

essential technique for Tasmania Trolling guru, Bill Presslor takes a close look one of his favourite trolling methods - leadline

Most freshwater trollers have at one time or another had at least some experience with lead core lines. Whether you love it or hate it, lead core catches fish!

Basically, lead core line, a lead wire covered by woven nylon, has been around for over fifty years and was developed as a means of trolling lures deeper than they could be trolled by traditional means. Used in conjunction with downriggers, planer boards and surface or flat lines, lead core lines can add versatility to any trolling spread. They are often the most productive option when you need to get your lures that little bit deeper. In lakes such as Arthurs Lake, Great Lake and Dee Lagoon lead core lines are bound to improve your catch rate.

Advantages of lead core

No matter what you feel about lead core it catches a lot of fish. Lead core achieves depth without making any noise in the water to warn fish of any impending danger. As well, lead core will usually involve long lengths (both leader and lead core) of line in the water which means your trolled lure or bait is a long way from the boat making it much less likely to spook the fish.

Recent research in the USA has shown that there is a lot more to lead core than simply getting a lure deeper.

Most fishing lines (braid and monofilament) float or at least have some buoyancy in the water. Line buoyancy and water resistance as lures are trolled creates a bow or curve in the fishing line. Most anglers have no idea that this phenomenon occurs. Lead core flows through the water differently than monofilament or super braid lines and because of this there seems to be a wealth of myths and misinformation that surround the use of lead core lines. Over the years I’ve had many trollers try to tell me that lead core is only useful down to about five colours out due to the line forming a belly beyond this depth. The laws of physics easily prove that this is not possible and I suspect that what started this fallacy was someone snagging the line after a sharp turn or sudden change of speed. Lead core lines sink at a controlled rate, the line tends to run in a descending straight line from the rod tip to the lure. Due to this phenomenon no significant bow or curve forms in the line while trolling. With little or no bow in the line, as soon as a fish hits a lure fished on lead core it feels resistance and the hook is set. This is the main reason why lead core hooks more of the fish that bite.

A word of caution for the uninitiated! As anglers we have all probably had the old “pump and wind” technique drummed into us since childhood. If you use this method with lead core lines you will lose a lot of fish. The weight of trolled lead core lines, as well as the water resistance, will almost certainly guarantee that even the smallest amount of slack created when you “wind down” will cost you a fish. A better approach I believe is to keep the rod tip up and wind smoothly, allowing the drag to work if the fish goes for a run.

Even very big fish will struggle to pull a long length of lead core through the water for very long.

Segmented lead core

One major difference between how lead core is used in the USA compared to how we use it here is segmentation.

Instead of using lead core as a continuous sinking rig like we do in Australia, most charter captains on the Great Lakes in the USA run segments of lead core sandwiched between a monofilament leader and mono or super braid backing. On large charter boats many captains will have up to a dozen different reels loaded with varying amounts of lead core. This Fishing News - Page 32

When Bill Presslor goes trolling he leaves nothing to chance. The amount of gear he has in his small boat cover every situation. Even with all mod cons Bill still has a firm place for leadline and its effectiveness. allows them to fish several lines at different depths. For most of us this is not really practical, however segmentation is still worth pursuing under our fishing conditions.

Lead core line is not a durable line that can stand a lot of abrasion or flexing. When the line is bent, as in coming out of the rod tip, the lead wire inside the nylon can break. This will eventually wear away the nylon sheath from the inside.

To avoid line failure it is better to fish lead core in segments suitable to reach the targeted depth range you’re after. Doing this allows you to put the entire lead core in the water and have the backing coming out of the rod tip. Obviously the more segments that are fished the deeper the line will run.

Although many charter captains in the USA run up to as much as 20 colours (Each colour is 10yards of line) of lead core for trout and salmon, most walleye anglers use 2-3 colours very effectively. Our conditions would suggest that about 3-5 colours is very effective for our trout and salmon. I always have at least one reel in my box loaded with 10 colours of lead core and I use it a lot! This technique will also work for many of our native species, though I would suggest that few anglers have bothered to try it.

Spools of lead core are available in lengths of 3 colours (30 yards), 10 colours (100 yards) or 20 colours (200 yards) in a range of breaking strains. Keep in mind that the breaking strength of lead core is not necessarily a good indication of its ability to sink. Breaking strains for lead core are determined by the strength of the nylon sheath not the lead wire. The same limitations that apply to monofilaments in regard to their ability to reach a particular depth also apply to lead core.

Heavier breaking strains such as 27lb or to a lesser extent 18lb have a larger diameter and create more water resistance when trolled. For our fishing conditions here in Australia, I prefer to use lead core line of 14lb breaking strain (made by Cortland) for both trout and natives. The biggest advantage with using lighter line is the added depth. 14lb lead core will troll approx 15% deeper than 18lb at the same speed. Lead core line is highly speed dependant, the faster you troll the less depth you will be able to achieve.

For many years I used mono or Dacron as a backing, but I now prefer to use braid. The small diameter for breaking stain of the super braids allows me to increase the amount of lead core I can get on to my reels.

Leaders and the critical connection.

The connection between lead core line and a mono leader is critical to your success with this material. Standard practise for most trollers has been to tie a nail knot to join leader and main line. Some trollers even remove a small section of lead from the line and tie a knot to join leader and main line. I find this method fairly cumbersome and time consuming. To attach my leader and backing to the lead core I use braided fly-line loops made by Vision. These braided loops allow me to use a loop-toloop connection (or any other dependable knot) for attaching my backing to the lead core and changing or replacing a leader (see photo sequence). Leader lengths can vary according to conditions from 1-15 metres, though a leader length of about 2m is what I use in most of our impoundments. For leaders I now use fluro-carbon almost exclusively.

Conclusion

To my way of thinking lead core lines are essential and very effective tools for trolling. This technique can allow you to run multiple lines in areas that are loaded with snags without the fear of losing expensive downrigger gear. Whether you swear by them or at them, lead core can give you another option to add to your trolling arsenal.

Reels for lead core lines

One of the few drawbacks with running lead core is that you need to run heavier tackle than for normal flat-line trolling under our conditions. Most overhead reels that we use for trout and salmon aren’t big enough to hold a significant amount of backing and lead core line. If you choose to run large amounts of lead core you will need a substantial reel. The ideal reels for lead core fishing are those that have a large line capacity and a medium to fast retrieve ratio. If you have 7 or 8 colours of lead core out behind the boat slow retrieve reels can take forever to wind in long leads of lead core. Depending on your application good reels include: Abu 6500c (up to 5 colours) Okuma CV45D (up to 10 colours) Shimano Charter Special 2000 series (7-8 colours) Shimano Tekota Series (5-20 colours depending on the model) Penn International 975LD (7-8 colours) Penn 330GTI (up to 10 colours)

Tips for success

• Lead core is very speed sensitive, slower trolling speeds (.5-2kph) will achieve greater depth. Faster trolling speeds will dramatically affect the depth you can reach.

• Lead core lines with a breaking strain of 14 -18lb breaking strain are just about right for our fishing conditions. As with all types of trolled lines, smaller diameters will help achieve greater depth.

• If you want to run two lead core lines on the same side of the boat, run the longer length on the inside and the shorter length on an in line board farther out from the boat, outside of the longer line. When a fish hits, the shorter line will swing back behind the boat above the deeper inside line, avoiding tangles.

• Think carefully about running extremely long lengths of lead core. The risk of tangling lines with other boats in the area becomes much greater when you have long lengths of line out.

Photo sequence

The photos show the steps to complete the connection using Cortland 14lb. lead core, Vision 30lb. braided loops, Loon Knot Sense and Loon UV Torch. There may be other brands that work with this technique, but I know this works and has great strength. Once you have tried this you’ll find it very quick to do, even on the water.

Bill Presslor

1. All the gear to fit a braided loop to lead core line

4. Step 3: Use the UV torch to activate the glue or leave it in sunlight till the glue cures.

7. Step 6: Carefully slide the lead core into the braided loop. Next apply glue to the outside of the loop and work it into the material. An extra dab of glue near where the two lines join is usually helpful.

2. Step 1: cut the lead core line cleanly with a sharp knife.

5. Step 4: Determine how much of the lead core will slide up into the braided loop. This will usually be 70-100mm.

8. Apply the UV torch to the connection for a few seconds.

I usually try to apply the light all around the connection.

You can also use sunlight to set the glue but the torch is faster and very convenient.

3. Step 2: Squeeze a small amount of glue onto the tip of the lead core line and work it into the line. Once set this will stop the nylon sheath from sliding on the lead and bunching up, preventing the lead core from sliding into the loop. Keep in mind that the adhesive (Knot Sense) is activated by UV light so don’t attempt this in bright sunlight.

6. Step 5: Apply glue to the lead core line

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Fishing News - Page 33

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

Brown Bead Head While the winter months have been ticking

by I have been on a couple of northern fishing trips one catching barra, threadfin salmon, trevally along with a couple of dozen other species. Trip number two was to New Britain which is part of New Guinea, we were fishing for the hard fighting black and spot tail bass, they are a remote fish in an absolute remote area of the world. It was a great trip and really is good to broaden one’s knowledge into other fish species.

Anyway back to our own world famous fish trout and like many others I am waiting in anticipation for the better weather to take hold to get the insect life moving and normally with that the trout will be a lot more active. I was travelling in the north-east of the state the other day, stopped by a small stream for a while and watched a couple of small fish rising really consistently so that was a good sign of things to come.

It is normal for the rivers to produce dry fly fishing before the lakes so the rivers are just getting underway. One should always be prepared

to fish wet as dry fly is more often not available. A basic selection of what flies in both small and large sizes are a must to have in one box , exciter flies such Matukas, Woolly Worms, English wets all serve well at the right time. Depending on the depth of water to be fished as what lines should be used, if there is good depth of water and the angler wants to fish the bottom its wise to have a sinking line or there are those like a floating line with a really long leader, so some experimenting is worthwhile to choose what suits the individual.

The following wet fly is one the Spencer’s use from mid September on, it has weight to get down quickly but is light enough to also fish the shallows.

The fly is tied in various sizes from fourteen to eights. The colour is in shades of brown with a rib of amber Swannundaze, it’s this rib, along with the bead head that makes the fly attractive to the trout.

The fly can be fished as a single fly or with others but is always fished on the point.

Hook – Medium to heavy gauges sizes 14 – 8.

Thread – Brown.

Bead – Gold.

Tail – Pheasant feather fibres.

Rib – Fine amber swanundaze.

Body – Brown seals fur with a little tan.

Thorax – Brown and tan seals fur mixed together.

Method 1. Push bead onto hook and push forward to the eye.

2. From behind the bead take the thread the full length of the shank.

3. With a small bunch of pheasant fibres tie in a short tail, tie in firmly, cut away excess tail fibres.

4. Tie in a short length of swannundaze for rib, with brown seals fur, dub on a nicely shaped body two thirds of the length of the hook shank, wind the swannundaze forward in nice even turns to the thread, tie down firmly and cut away excess rib.

5. With the mixed seals fur for thorax form a thorax finishing firmly behind the bead. Whip finish and varnish.

This is a fairly simple fly but very effective for catching trout.

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Fishing News - Page 34

Precision Charters

- bringing you the best After a bumper game fishing season earlier this year, people are already queuing up to make sure they get a slice of the action next year.

This year’s season started early, with yellowfin tuna (some more than 50 kilograms) striking in Tasman Peninsula waters from mid-January onwards. They were quickly followed by large numbers of albacore up to 30 kilograms, which continued to feed in the area, leading to consistent trolling for more than three months. There was a late run of bluefin tuna, which extended well into June.

Drop line fishing on the edge of the continental shelf in 400+ metres was also rewarded with good catches of blue eye trevalla, and reef fishing for stripey trumpeter was particularly good in the Tasman Island area.

With the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting a hot and dry summer, and with the El Nino weather pattern predicted for the coming months, bait fish are expected to be plentiful in the east Australian current. This means that avid fishers can anticipate good quantities of fish in our local waters in the coming season. There may even be more marlin further south this season.

To ensure your slice of the action, it’s never too early to make a booking for a boat charter for you and your friends, family or corporate group.

Before you book, there are a few pointers to keep in mind to ensure a memorable and safe charter boat trip.

When deciding on a charter service, make sure your provider can custom-design a trip for you and your group.

Lynden Chipman, Skipper of the 38-foot flybridge cruiser Precision, knows that a game fishing charter can comprise a considerable outlay, and that not everyone wants a standard 8 hour game fishing experience. He recommends ensuring that your charter provider is flexible, offering a customised experience so you get the best value for your money.

“With Precision, for example, your charter can be personalised and fine-tuned to meet your individual needs and expectations,” Lynden says. “It’s our aim to offer you a unique experience. We’re open to your suggestions, or we can create a full programme for you.”

If you’re after a more relaxed journey, you could consider a half-day, full-day or overnight trip for sightseeing. Precision is a very comfortable and luxurious vessel, which, with its flybridge deck, offers a number of vantage points for admiring Tasmania’s natural beauty.

“A sightseeing trip is a fantastic way to show visitors to Tasmania our spectacular coastlines, cliffs, caves and waterfalls, remote islands, off shore rock formations, and pristine waterways,” Lynden says. “And don’t forget the wildlife, including fur seals, southern right and humpback whales (in season) and dolphins, as well as majestic soaring sea birds.”

A sightseeing tour is also the perfect way for locals to better acquaint themselves with their beautiful environment, or a unique way to celebrate a special event or say thanks to your work team.

If you’re looking for a combination of experiences, look for a charter that can offer you the best of both worlds.

Try a half day of fishing and a half day of sightseeing onboard Precision.

Perhaps most importantly, check that your charter operator has a good record of catching fish!

Onboard Precision, both experienced and inexperienced fishers, males and females, old and young, have caught yellowfin, bluefin tuna and albacore tuna, stripey trumpeter and blue-eye trevalla.

While Precision Charters is not able to offer a guarantee of a catch, owing to variable weather and fishing conditions, Lynden and the team are proud of their record of never sending a group home without a feed of fresh fish.

“If the worst comes to the worst and we don’t catch any big game fish on the day, we’ll cruise inshore and do some bottom fishing for flathead,” he said.

Your catch will be cleaned, filleted and packed in ice to ensure that it will make a perfect dinner to top off your busy and memorable day on the water.

For your own peace of mind, ensure that your charter boat is properly surveyed and holds the required safety equipment, and that its operators have all the appropriate qualifications to make your trip a safe and comfortable.

The Precision vessel, and all the equipment onboard, is in survey in accordance with Marine and Safety Tasmania (MAST). Lynden holds a current Coxswain Certificate issued

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Fishing News - Page 35

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“Honda’s revolutionary Boosted Low Speed Torque (BLAST™) system, teamed with a high-performance gear case with a low 2.33:1 ratio, also ensures very strong hole shot acceleration – so strong it blasts other outboards in this class out of the water!”

Best-in-class top end performance and fuel economy, superior battery charging capacity, low operational costs and, of course, lightest weight in class are among a long list of features.

“Honda engineers strive for continuous improvement – creating new and innovative features to further perfect Honda products,” Mr Davies said.

“When Honda Marine realised an increasing number of boaters wanted programmed EFI in the mid-horsepower range, along with explosive hole shot performance and exceptional fuel economy, design for a revolutionary new model began immediately… now it’s here.

“Honda’s new BF75 and BF90 deliver on all fronts!”

HONDA BF75 & BF90 MODEL OVERVIEW SPECIFICATIONS BF90 DKO BF75 DKO Engine Type Water-cooled Four-stroke Inline-four Displacement 1496cc 1496cc Bore X Stroke 73 X 89.4 73 X 89.4 Compression Ratio 9.7 9.7 Valve Train Sohc Vtec Sohc Valve Per Cylinder 4 4 Max. Output (Usa) 67.1kw (90hp)/5800rpm 55.9kw(75hp)/5500rpm Full Throttle Rpm Range 5300-6300rpm 5000-6000rpm Idle Speed 750rpm +/- 50 750rpm +/- 50 Fuel Delivery System Programmed Fuel Injection Fuel Unleaded Unleaded Lean Burn Control System Equipped Equipped Ignition System Micro-computer Programmed Lubricating System Wet Sump WetSump Starter Electric Electric Alternator 12v–44a (Including Self Consumption)/ 35a Charging Gear Ratio 2.33:1 (12:28) 2.33:1 (12:28) Degrees Of Tilt 68° 68° Degress Of Trim -4° ~ 16° -4° ~ 16° Shaft Length L (20”) 508mm Xl (25”) 635mm Overall Length (Rc) 746mm 746mm Overall Width (Rc) 449mm 449mm Overall Height L: 1566mm Xl 1693mm Dry Weight (Ex. Propeller) Lrt 163kg Lrt 162kg Further information: Honda Marine – (03) 9270 1111 or visit: www.hondamarine. com.au

Fishing News - Page 36

Fisherman’s Basket Reviews by Mike Stevens unless stated otherwise

Velocity Series Fly Rods for 2006

New for the 2006/7 season, the longanticipatedVelocityseries of fly rods represents the most comprehensive range produced by Innovator. Over 2 years in their development and utilising the latest h i g h - e n e r g y, h i g h performance 44-million modulus IM-8 defence grade graphite, coupled with a revolutionary high-impact epoxy resin system, Velocity’s series of fly rods represent cutting-edge fly rod design, technology and manufacturing. Add to this, high-quality componentry, mattstealth finish and Innovators distinctive livery, Velocity Series has redefined fly rod performance. For more details on the range and your local stockist visit www. innovatorrods.com

There are 15 rods to suit all sorts of fishing styles, from light spin through to heavy jig. The blanks are an eyecatching electric blue colour, the guides are high-performance lightweight frames with extra-hard ceramic inserts, and reel seats are graphite to help keep the weight down. Grips are made of fine density cork, although the Deep Jigs and Torium Heavy bluewater rods are fitted with hard-wearing EVA. We honestly believe you will not find better value-for-money in any other rod series on the market today!

Mercury Launches ‘Next Generation’ OptiMax Engines Mercury OptiMax has a resume’ most products could only dream about.

World’s first direct-fuel-injected twostroke outboard and now world’s most popular DFI outboard.

Recognised as having the “Highest in Customer Satisfaction With Two-Stroke Outboard Engines” in 2006 by J.D. Power and Associates. But any champion will tell you; to stay on top you’ve got to keep getting better.

With that in mind, Mercury Marine announces the introduction of the next generation of OptiMax engines. The upgrades to the line-up make the best DFI engine ever built, even better.

These enhancements vary by model but include such things as improved sound level and quality and new styling, plus a new gear case on the 3.0 litre family members.

There are a dozen OptiMax models ranging from 75 to 300 horsepower. The various models are grouped in families of 1.5, 2.5 and 3.0 litres, plus the 3.2 litre “Stroker” 300XS just introduced

by Mercury Racing.

OptiMax, Mercury product development and engineering teams focused heavily on key

FISHLITE – a mighty little LED

With the advent of LED there are all sorts of miniature lights that are easily carried by an angler/bush walker to make those twilight forays a tad more comfortable. No longer do you need to juggle a cumbersome torch between your teeth while you attempt to retie a leader or change a lure. Visual Lighting put out a product called “Fishlitethe Original” which takes just three AAA batteries and Velcro’s to the grip of your rod, it’s that easy.

Plenty of light to guide you over difficult ground, tie knots and all the other stuff you do in the dead of night.

Available from all good tackle shops and check out ad in this issue. RRP $19.95

STARLO STIX Rods

Here’s a range of premium graphite composite rods that are going to get keen fishos talking. Starlo StiX are an exciting new series developed by well-known fishing writer and media personality, Steve Starling, working in close collaboration with rod building guru, Ian ‘Barra’ Miller and Shimano Australia.

This is what the man himself had to say about them: “My new range of Starlo StiX represents the end product of a decade’s intensive development.

They aim to put a top-shelf rod with a ‘custom’ feel in the hands of every angler, regardless of budget.”

Budget boating made easy with Quintrex Press Release Quintrex makes getting into boating even easier this summer with a huge range of ‘Instant Boating’ packages for under $20,000.

Spanning across the Open Boat, Traveller and Explorer, Hornet, Top Ender and Runabout ranges, there are over 29 affordable ‘Instant Boating’ packages available.

Quintrex National Sales & Marketing Manager Damien Duncan said Quintrex’s ‘Instant Boating’ packages make buying a boat both affordable and less complicated.

“Quintrex’s ‘Instant Boating’ packages come standard with a boat, Mariner motor and trailer, excluding the 245, 315 and 340 Travellers which come standard as boat and motor packages as they can all be transported atop a car or caravan,” Damien said.

“These packages ultimately take the confusion out of buying a boat, particularly for those looking at getting into boating for their first time on a budget.

“A first time boater after a small, easy to handle model can purchase the 245 Traveller for as little as $2915, excluding dealer delivery charges.

“Or boaters wanting to try something larger with a host of standard features

can purchase the 435 Coast Runner from $19,984, excluding dealer delivery charges.

“Quintrex’s ‘Instant Boating’ packages can have you out on the water enjoying the long summer days and all that the boating lifestyle has to offer,” he said.

The 245 Traveller boasts level flotation for peace of mind and is built on Quintrex’s unique v-nosed Eclipse hull which aids planing and copes well with choppy waters.

This pint-sized power packet comes with a 4 horsepower Mariner Outboard, bow eyes, transom handles, glove box, drink holders, rowlock blocks, rear and front bench seats.

The economical 435 Coast Runner is designed with Quintrex’s Flared Bow and the Maxi 2 Transom to provide faster planning and stability at rest.

Standard features include a 40 horsepower Mariner Outboard, full carpeted floor, glove box and drink holders, mechanical steering and a rear beach seat to name a few.

To view the entire Quintrex range of ‘Instant Boating’ packages and to locate your nearest dealership visit www.quintrex. com.au.

customer attributes, such as durability, reliability, noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) and overall ease of operation.

Mercury Marine President Patrick C. Mackey has long been a champion of the OptiMax line.

“From the first day I came to this company, I made it clear to our employees and our customers that Mercury Marine would remain committed to the OptiMax technology,” he said. “We have worked countless hours perfecting it and this next generation of OptiMax engines is the product of all that labour. I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished.”

Mercury OptiMax Platform Manager Mark Klossner said that the decision to make changes to the top DFI in the industry was not made lightly.

“Dependability is our highest priority with OptiMax,” he said. “While the other achievements we’ve made with the engines are great, dependability and reliability were at the top of everyone’s minds during the design process. While each of the OptiMax engine families underwent changes, the most dramatic differences are in the 3.0 litre models, which range from 200 to 250 horsepower.

“We really targeted the noise levels of these engines, and with a few very unique components, we were able to achieve up to six decibels of sound reduction in the 3.0L family,” Klossner said.

“The difference is significant and we know that customers will be thrilled.”

Another significant change to the 3.0 litre family is the adaptation of the gear case that was designed for Mercury’s supercharged FourStroke Verado. A unique and exciting development that allows the gear case to track centrally against propeller torque. The advantage of this versus any other gearcase design is added efficiency, negligible steering torque, low NVH, better fuel economy and higher propeller blow out speed than any competitor. This gear case was designed to withstand the harsh operating conditions that outboards face, especially in large, rough bodies of water.

Although the gear case itself will change, the 3.0 litre OptiMax family gear ratios will remain as they are today. These ratios allow for the widest propping alternatives to meet any boating application.

All three-engine families in the OptiMax product line will have new graphics. Perhaps the most dramatic element in the new graphics packages is the new OptiMax Globe.

“We want the world to know that the OptiMax is the most adaptable, versatile and efficient DFI outboard technology available in the world and that’s the story we are telling with the globe,” Klossner said.

The new OptiMax will feature the next generation propulsion control module (PCM).

The Motorola-designed PCM completes millions of calculations each second, controlling everything from oiling ratios to injection timing.

The PCM also houses the powerful Engine Guardian Software, which monitors all engine functions for faults. If a fault that could be damaging to the powerhead occurs, Engine Guardian has the ability to limit the engine’s power to a reduced safe level until the problem can be fixed or the operator can return to dock.

continued next page....

Fishing News - Page 37

... continued from previous page Mercury’s exclusive SmartCraft technology will also get an upgrade on the new OptiMax engines. One added feature is Descriptive Text, an enhanced information protocol between the engine and the operator. Descriptive Text will give the operator more detailed information about any engine faults or warning horns by displaying the information on the face of a SmartCraft gauge.

Mercury’s exclusive Digital Throttle & Shift (DTS) system will continue to be offered as an option on two OptiMax models, the 200 and 225. DTS provides smooth, instantaneous shifting and throttle response for a sports-car-like feel, and it also streamlines the rigging processes for boat builders.

Fuel economy, one of the greatest strengths of OptiMax, will remain excellent with new OptiMax engines. The OptiMax routinely tops competitive DFI engines in overall fuel economy in independent tests published in boating magazines.

In general, a consumer can expect to use up to 45 percent less fuel than with a traditional two-stroke engine of the same horsepower. OptiMax has also established its fuel economy excellence when pitted against the industry’s four-strokes.

“Mercury has taken the leadership position in DFI with the OptiMax,” Klossner said. “Actually, right now, our DFI market share is at an all-time high, which is a direct result of our dedication to this technology. Once these new enhancements enter the marketplace, we expect it to become even more popular.”

Stock of the 75, 90, 115hp new OptiMax engines are expected to arrive in Australia from September with higher horse powers to follow later in the year.

For more information visit or to locate your nearest dealer www. mercurymarine.com.au

Red Hot southern bluefin tuna As a certain opening line goes, what a season it’s been in game fishing. Reports of good to extreme catches of tuna have been broad, from central NSW to the far south of Tassie.

I have been game fishing and chartering since the mid seventies and cannot recall

A socio-economic study of the Tasmanian gamefishery has commenced. The study is a PhD project funded by the University of Tasmania and the Department of Primary Industry and Water (DPIW), with assistance from the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute (TAFI) and Marine and Safety Tasmania (MAST).

The purpose of the study is to learn about the social and economic importance of gamefishing to Tasmanian anglers and to Tasmanian coastal communities. This type of information may be used to assist in management and policy formulation relating to recreational fisher’s access to gamefish stocks.

The project involves two surveys – one aimed at gamefishers using private boats, and the other aimed at charter boat clients. The first survey involves a mail questionnaire that was sent to 2000 registered boat owners during September. Questions relate to boat ownership, fishing participation, motivations, opinions and expenditure over the 2006 gamefishing season. This will be followed up by a phone survey to cover the 2007 gamefishing season. Participating

anything like the fish size and consistency we have seen this year. From February until August it is also one of the longest productive periods of activity to my knowledge.

I am not able to comment on activity in the north east of the state but in the south east and southern waters the game season kicked off with some good sized yellowfin and a run of albacore from ten to thirty kilos. Quite a few marlin were present on some days but failed to be impressed by a lure.

Things quietened in the Tasman Peninsula area from late March to early April with only spasmodic results on school bluefin. The place to be was the new frontier of game fishing, ‘Pedra Branca’. What a place, described by Dean Butler of Bluewater Magazine as like “fishing in Jurassic Park”! Killer whales, humpback whales, seals, gannets, terns, albatross, mutton birds, petrels, gulls and thousands of seriously big southern bluefin going left, right, up, down and every which way.

Some days they would jump and rip across the surface without the slightest interest in any type of lure you threw or trolled at them, but when they changed their minds, oh boy!

Spooled reels, broken rods, lost lures, six hour fights without seeing the fish after miles of being towed around; this surely is what takes an angler to sea.

HeavenonEarth

Ideal for anglers wanting to fish Lake St Clair or King William or just to explore the area. Self contained 1, 2 and 3 bedroom chalets. Or enjoy one of the luxurious spa chalets for couples.

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.

Derwent Bridge Chalets Phone 6289 1000 or www.troutwalks.com.au

Fishing News - Page 38

Socio-economicstudyongamefishingcommences volunteers will be contacted by telephone each month and asked details of their gamefishing trips, including time spent fishing, catch and expenditure. This type of information will provide a fuller understanding of the seasonal and regional importance of the fishery.

The charter boat client survey is also a mail survey which will ask for similar information. However, this questionnaire will be distributed by charter boat operators during the 2007 season. Questionnaires will be supplied with pre-paid, self-addressed envelopes.

Many of the charter boat operators already contacted have expressed interest in being involved in the study, and further efforts will be made to urge others to participate during the 2007 season.

Generous prizes will also be offered to participants as an extra incentive. However, we would hope that the potential benefits of improved understanding of the significance of this unique fishery will be enough to encourage many of you to become involved.

Should you wish to participate in the 2007 gamefishing survey or learn more about this project, please call Sven Frijlink on (03) 6265 7310.

The biggest tuna landed at ‘Pedra’ as far as I know was 134kg. After a two and a half hour fight on 37kg line a fish estimated at 160-170kg was lost at the boat, the result of a broken trace. Fish of 70-90kg were the norm however some specimens seen jumping were simply massive.

At this point I feel it necessary to stress that Pedra Branca is, by its very location, an inherently dangerous place. Some 30 nautical miles south of Southport (an hour and a bit drive south from Hobart) it is far enough out to sea to require careful planning to make the trip. Enough fuel, all safety gear, proper weather observation and letting others know your destination, ETAs and ETRs are vital.

Don’t overstay time constraints as it’s a long and potentially dangerous journey, especially in the dark. If you haven’t done your homework – DON’T GO!

Back at the Neck

Meanwhile back on the Tasman Peninsula all was quiet, or so we thought. May 4th. as I recall changed all that with the same sized jumbo bluefin finally turning up in numbers with very similar results. You know, getting spooled, broken rods and the like. The best fish landed that I can confirm was 108kg. They didn’t stay as long in the area as they did at “Pedra” but those in the know experienced some of the best fishing in years!

So what does all this mean? Was it a one off, will it happen again next year? For all the studies made by our ‘experts’ there remain many mysteries and to a certain extent that’s how we like it; well I do anyway. If we always knew what would happen every time we fished, the magic, the adrenalin rush of surprise would be lost.

I guess if there is one lesson I, and I suspect many others learned from season 2006 was never be under prepared. Knots, traces, reels, rods, harnesses, gaffs, the lot comes under pressures like never before and there’s nothing more soul destroying than seeing a lifetime fish lost to poorly maintained gear.

One other most important point I would like to highlight about this highly valued and precious resource is correct handling. If you are able to tag and release your fish that’s good but if you take it, understand its delicious table qualities and don’t waste it. Check out some recipes, there are some beaut ones available eg. barbequed tuna steak or sashimi perhaps?

2007? Time will tell if we enjoy another season like fabulous results of 2006 but just in case I recommend you give your gear a serious health check.

Terry Horton

The best value boats you’ll find anywhere - check them out

BLUE FIN 4.0 DISCOVERY Package Includes: • Tohatsu 30hp remote electric start 2 stroke outboard • Dunbier trailer including spare weel, carrier and cover • Painted with stripes and decal • Soft top canopy with zips • Upholstered bucket seats (2) with removable cushions • Internal Port side bracing for auxiliary motor bracket • Wrap around windscreen with centre opening door • Split bow rails • Anchor storage under shelf under deck • Fully carpeted floor with drop down front • Side decks • Rear thwart seat • Tank and battery rack • Rotary steering • Nav light brackets • Bilge pump bracket • Side pockets • Rod holders (2) • Rear side rails • Transducer bracket • Safety gear valued at $315 • Heavy duty marine battery and isolator • Registration of both boat and trailer Other engine options and accessories available.

$13,660 (including GST)

MAKO CRAFT 5.00 CUDDY

BLUE FIN 4.50 WEEKENDER Package Includes: • Tohatsu 40hp cylinder oil injected 2 stroke outboard • Dunbier trailer including spare wheel, carriet and cover • Painted with stripes and decals • Soft top canopy with zips • Lowrance X50DS Fishfinder • Switch panel wire and fused • Bilge pump • 60 litre U/Floor fuel tank with deck till and gauge • Upholstered bucket seats (2) with removable cushions • Rear upholstered fold down lounge with backrest • Full height transom and pod • Port side auxiliary motor bracket • Split bow rails and fairlead with roller • Self draining anchor well and cross bollard • Fully carpeted floor with drop down front • Side decks • Rotary steering • Styled dash board with lockable glove box • Side pockets • Rod holders (2) • Rear side rails • Rear alloy cleats • Safety gear valued at $315 • Trailer tie down straps • Heavy duty marine battery and isolator • Registration of both boat and trailer Other engine options and accessories available.

$21,990 (including GST)

Package Includes: • Tohatsu 60hp 3 cylinder oil injected 2 stroke outboard • Mackay trailer with brakes including spare wheel and carrier • Painted with stripes and decals • Soft top canopy with zips • Lowrance X50DS Fishfinder • Switch panel wired and fused • Bilge pump • Navigation lights • Under Floor fuel tank with deck fill and gauge • Upholstered bucket seats (2) • Rear upholstered fold down lounge with backrest • Full height soft tail transom and steps • Port side auxiliary motor bracket • Split bow rails and fairlead with roller • 1 piece windscreen with dash rail • Cabin hatch • Fully carpeted floor • Side decks • Rotary steering • Full length side rails • Side pockets upholstered • Concealed battery shelf • Safety gear no 2 valued at $315 • Trailer tie down straps • Heavy duty marine battery and isolator • Registration of both boat and trailer Other engine options and accessories available.

$26,600 (including GST)

Check out the fabulous new 509WXR Stabicraft. A fantastic boat ideally suited to Tasmanian conditions.

BLUE FIN 4.3 DISCOVERY Package Includes: • Tohatsu 30hp remote electric start 2 stroke outboard • Dunbier trailer including spare wheel, carriet and cover • Painted with stripes and decals • Soft top canopy with zips • Upholstered bucket seats (2) with removable cushions • Internal Port side bracing for auxiliary motor bracket • Fill height moto well • Upholstered rear quarter seats • Wrap around windscreen with centre opening door • Split bow rails • Self draining anchor well • Bow sprit and roller • Cross bollard • Fully carpeted floor with drop down front • Side decks • Tank and battery rack • Rotary steering • Nav light brackets • Bilge pump bracket • Side pockets • Rod holders (2) • Rear side rails • Transducer bracket • Safety gear kit valued at $315 • Heavy duty marine battery and isolator • Registration of both boat and trailer Other engine options and accessories available,

$15,290 (including GST)

MAKO CRAFT 4.70 RUNABOUT Package Includes: • Tohatsu 50hp 3 cylinder oil injected 2 stroke outboard • Mackay trailer including spare wheel and carrier • Painted with stripes and decals • Soft top canopy with zips • Lowrance X50DS Fishfinder • Switch panel wired and fused • Bilge pump • Navigation lights • Under floor fuel tank with deck fill and gauge • Upholstered bucket seats (2) • Rear upholstered fold down lounge with backrest • Full height soft tail transom and steps • Port side auxiliary motor bracket • Split bow rails and fairlead with roller • Split windscreen with hand rail • Walk through dash • Self draining anchor well • Fully carpeted floor • Side decks • Rotary steering • Styled dash board with lockable glove box • Side pockets upholstered • Rod holders (2) • Concealed battery shelf • Safety gear kit valued at $315 • Trailer tie down straps • Heavy duty marine battery and isolator • Registration of both boat and trailer Other engine options and accessories available.

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102 Eastland Dr. Ulverstone

6425 2238

Stabi Craft 509WXR Deluxe as shown

$40 490

Stabicraft Stability under power or at rest, virtually unsinkable, superior rough water handling.

Be assured - nothing comes up to the same standard as a Stabicraft Look at these features: Folding bimini, rod rack and sock; Walk through windscreen with hand rail; Nav lights; Internal cabin lining; Heavy duty fendering; Deluxe Mackay drive on trailer; Pontoons provide positive buoyancy; Deep V hull for incredibly soft ride; Alloy checker-plate floor; Lowrance fishfinder; VHF marine radio; Evinrude E-Tec outboard.

Stabi Craft 509 Fish’r Boat/Motor/Trailer package from $30 600

We take Tasmania Boating Honda • Mako Craft • Polycraft • Cruise Craft Bluefin • Stabicraft • Evinrude • Johnson • Tohatsu Fishing News - Page 39

Print Post approved; PP 702512 00027

Issue 64 October - November 2006

Silver trevally are keenly sought in Georges Bay. It is a bay that has shown a huge improvement since netting was stopped in the last few years.

See page 18 for details.

$3.95

• Sex and bream • Curries River Dam • Fishing the edges • Flinders Island • Lead line tips • Mako sharks • Jan’s flies • Georges Bay • Soft plastic techniques • Jigging for trout