Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Issue 114 2015 February

February - March 2015

TASMANIAN FISHING and BOATING NEWS — ISSUE 114

I Built a Boat

The Editor builds a drift boat.

Page 5

Kayakin’

Setting up with Jo Starling.

Page 12

Game Fishing News

The latest news and info.

Print Post approved 100003074

Page 28

Great Lake

A day — Dawn to Dusk.

Page 40

Colossal Kingfish in Tassie Jamie Harris with an awesome yellowtail kingfish from Tasmania’s NW coast. See more on page 20.

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Who would have thought monster kingfish would be a regular catch in Tasmania?

Last issue we saw reports on some very big King George whiting. These are a recent phenomena and they are becoming a common, rather than rare, catch. Now we have large kingfish. These rockets share a similar story to the KGW. First the rumours, then an occasional photo, followed by some good

catches of small fish and now some of Tasmania’s best anglers are targeting, and catching big fish.

Search, find and catch missions for large kingfish are now a reality, and with water temperatures rising markedly in Tasmania over the last few years what comes next?

Wading boots FROM $90 HUGE RANGE and DISCOUNTS DISCOUNTED WADING BOOTS Riverworks DISCOUNTED WADERS

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Snowbee boots were $130 now $90 Sizes: 11, 12, 13, 14 Korkers boots were $200 now $100 Sizes: 1 x 9, 2 x 10, 1 x 15

Many other boots to choose from including a huge range of Simms

SIMMS World’s Best waders

SAGE 65 models in stock from $395

Freestone waders (far left) $350 Guide wader (left) $690 Simms vests $145 - $320

SCOTT Radian - In stock now $950

FLY LINES

Scientific Anglers, Rio, Airflo From $80

TFO Fly Rods - $350 with tube TFO Pratice Rod - $90

HARDY Fly Rods - Zenith #6 $770 HARDY Reels - from $280

Fly Fisher

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105 York St, Launceston. Ph: 03 6331 8944 www.essentialflyfisher.com.au email: essfly@bigpond.net.au Fishing News - Page 2

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

Game Season Super Special

Kingfish Slayers

Shimano TLD50 LRSA 2 Speed Combo $449 or $499 spooled

The NEW Dog Tooth Ika skirted Jigs

We gave these lures a run recently and Kingfish climbed all over them.

56 gram 3/0 Hook $12.95 112 gram 5/0 hook $14.95. These will catch most pelagic species and are super versatile to use.

Call us for other options

Zuker’s Tuna lures.

The most consistent Tuna catcher for the last 20 years

$29.95 each or 3 for $70 Rigging available.

Instinct and Strada Bream Lures

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We’ve got all you’re deep drop fishing needs covered Electric Reels.

Shimano Plays 9000 $849 Shimano Dendou-Maru 9000BM $1399 Daiwa Tanacom 1000 $639 Daiwa Tanacom Bull 1000 $839 Call for even hotter deals on combos Deep Drop Rods, LED lights, Lumo Light Sleeves, Deep Sea rigs, Hooks, Leaders, Braid, crimps and lots more. Talk to the people that know this fishing from top to bottom

Instinct Flasher Rigs Great for Flathead, Gummy and Snapper

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37 Wilson St, Burnie Phone: 6431 6500

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

Fishing News - Page 3

I Built a Boat — Mike Stevens

5

Tuna from a Tinny — Matt Byrne

10

Kayakin’ – Packin’ the ‘Yak — Jo Starling

12

Luring Summer Rivers — Adrian Webb

15

Boat Ramp Etiquette — Mike Green

19

Yellowtail Kingfish — Jamie Harriss

20

Small Stream Therapy — Brendan Turriff

24

Tuna Time — Kelly Hunt

28

Gamefishing Predictions — Kelly Hunt

37

A Day on Great Lake — Craig Rist

40

New Products

45

Marine Fishing News

48

What a windy and abnormal January we had. Of course, we have and expect, sea breezes, but southerlies and easterlies have haunted me on the few days I have got out for a fish.

I don’t particularly subscribe to the ‘when the wind is from the east the fish bite least’ theory. But over January the days when I fished in cold easterly weather I had some pretty poor results.

But on some other days with variable winds on Arthurs I had some good results.

I do love February and March when Tasmania experiences milder weather, lessening winds and some delightful early morning midge fishing.

Great Lake has some prime fishing this time of year and Craig Rist goes through a day on this superb water.

As he says it is not an attractive lake viewed from the shore, but from a boat the clear waters reveal a different vista and some absolutely outstanding fishing.

Game fishing really takes off now, and whether you chase yellowfin, bluefin, broadbill, marlin or our latest game fish - kingfish you are in the hot part of the year. Check out Kelly Hunt and Jamie Harriss’ exciting salt water fishing options.

Mike Stevens

Mike Stevens talks fishing with Chris Wisbey ABC Statewide

Saturday mornings 6.40 a.m.

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

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

For subscriptions go to www.tasfish.com or phone Mike 0418 129 949 One year $36 - two years $68 includes postage.

Fishing News - Page 4

Black and Gold Yep Flapper

Red Rascal pre-rigged Yep Split Tail

Two best plastics in Tas. - Will catch any fish Fish caught include: Brown trout Rainbow trout Brook trout Australian salmon Flathead Silver trevally Pike Barracouta Weed whiting

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

Wrasse Black bream Mullet Cod Find them at your local tackle store.

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I Built a Boat ‘Suits a man and his dog or two good friends’ Mike Stevens

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rafting something with your own hands can be incredibly fulfilling. I have a trade background as a fitter, machinist and toolmaker and have made many things from metal, timber and other things over many years.

Some time ago I thought I would build a small drift boat and searched the internet for some plans. There are hundreds of plans online from free to a few hundred dollars. Like most things in life it is wise to spend enough to get what you need.

Drift boats are most common in the USA and used there mostly for floating downstream on rivers.

The design is characterized by a wide, flat bottom, flared sides, a narrow, flat bow, and a pointed stern. A rocker is designed into the bottom along an arc from bow to stern of the boat. They are sort of back to front and can be rowed either way depending on the situation and speed of water. Drift boats have a very shallow draft and are very easily manoeuvred, spun around and held in fast water.

Drift boats have become more popular in recent times in Tasmania and we have many waters for which this style of boat is ideal. At least a three guides now use them and a few locals have either built or imported different styles.

The idea I had been following for some time was to build a small drift boat using plywood and the

‘stitch and glue’ method. Stitch and glue is a very simple method that uses the plywood and formed bulkheads for strength and shape.

There are generally no frames and very few, if any screws – everything is held together with epoxy and fibreglass.

So after many hours of looking I found a boat designed by Paul Butler called a Mini Mac. This is a smaller version of an American Mackenzie River drift boat.

Anyone that has looked at or understands American drift boats will know there are many styles – often specifically designed for an individual river – or even part of a river. Some are designed for heavy white water and only to be rowed.

They have quite pronounced bows and a lot of rocker. Rocker is the curve forward and aft in what are generally flat bottom boats. Some boats are able to be fitted with a small outboard so they can be motored upstream.

Boats range in size from around 12’ to 16’ and the internal capacity varies enormously – as does the beam and weight.

The Mini Mac caught my attention for a number of reasons.

It was small, light, attractive, stitch and glue, fast and easy to build and inexpensive.

I clicked on the ‘add to shopping basket’ icon and paid my $80 or so via Paypal for some full size paper plans. A week or so later they arrived with construction

A celebration of a job well done - and some fish well caught.

Suits a man and his dog.

The Mini Mac is perfect for Brumbys Creek.

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Fishing News - Page 5

instructions, but being a tad busy they sat on a shelf for a few weeks.

My wife was stuck down with a severe migraine one weekend and that meant I stayed at home in case I could help with anything. Anyone who has ever suffered from this debilitating affliction will understand how horrible it can be.

This put me in a situation of not going far and being on call if needed. So out came the plans and the booklet for a bit of a study. As with all instructions you should read them several times and fully understand the process before even thinking about starting. You may also take some time to have a look at some forums that will details the trials and tribulations of people who have built the same boat you are about to start.

I did all that and was now prepared for the construction stage. A bit of googling and off I went to Bunnings to collect some sheets of AA grade marine ply. The plans called for 4mm and 6mm, but I decided that as Bunnings didn’t have 4mm I would try and do the whole job with 6mm. Instead of three sheets of 4mm and two sheets of 6mm I did the whole job with four sheets of 6mm.

I am told the Bunnings marine ply is relatively heavy and lightweight marine ply can be sourced.

Not bothered by that, I checked on my wife and set about transferring the plans from paper to ply. Simply tape the plans to the ply and then with a small punch or nail mark through the paper onto the wood every 50mm or so. These marks are then joined together, or lofted, using a flexible strip of timber to get the correct curve. It can help to have a mate here, but it is possible on your own.

The setting out probably only took two hours and then it was out with the jigsaw. The sides are identical so by clamping two sheets together the four pieces that form the two sides are cut at the same time and they will be identical.

There is also a transom, two pieces for the bottom/ floor, three bulkheads, two decks and other pieces such as butt blocks.

The centre seat can be made a number of ways and as there is plenty of ply left, I used this for the seat.

So after day one I had the boat panels, less the seat, fully cut out and sanded to remove the rough edges.

Then I sat down and read the booklet again.

Whilst I wanted to keep this little drift boat as a car topper and light I did have plans to fibreglass it inside and out so I asked David Mercer from Penguin Composites the best way to go about it. He suggested fibreglassing both sides of the ply before assembly started, so that is what HE did and sent it back to me with all sheets fibreglassed both sides. I had also butt jointed the two pieces that make up each side as well as the two pieces for the bottom.

Next step is where the ‘stitch and glue’ technique comes in and everything starts to come together and it starts to look like a boat. Along all the edges where the sides meet the bottom, transom and bow holes are drilled every 50 to 75mm, or as necessary, to tie everything together. They must correspond, because through these holes are placed zip ties or copper wire; these are the ‘stitches’. The transom and sides are now ‘zip tied’ loosely together. It is very floppy arrangement Fishing News - Page 6

Cut out and all panels fibreglassed.

Sides and transom stitched together; above and below.

Sides, bottom and transom stitched into shape.

Stitches removed and all external joints are filled with thickened epoxy.

Rounded fillets are then run on the inside of all joins. now and probably time to call in a mate. The bottom is then fixed with temporary screws through the to a base (bench or solid plank) and blocked up 25mm each end to give it the correct ‘rocker’.

Then the sides and transom are man handled and pulled to fit over the floor and base. Sounds simple and you can do it on your own, but a mate is a lot of help. Then it is a matter of ‘zipping’ the floor and sides together. You now have a structure that looks like a boat. A temporary spreader is placed to keep the sides in the correct position and do whatever is necessary with clamps or straps to get things square and lined up. This is critical as the next step starts to firm things up and if not right here is is hard to change later on.

Now comes the glueing part of the ‘stitch and glue’ process. Epoxy is mixed and used to glue between the stitches on the sides, transom and bow. Let it set, removed the zip ties and then fill in the gaps, both inside and out with epoxy glue. Sounds simple, and it can be, but don’t hurry it and don’t over do the glue as it is hard to clean up afterwards. If you can get away without sanding and grinding so much the better.

Adding the bulkheads and fillets are next. The bulkheads really start to stiffen the structure up and you can fit these, keeping in mind you need to be able to form internal epoxy fillets as well. Ensure the process allows you to get to these internal joints.

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Above; external joins are strengthened with two layers of fibreglass tape.

Left; When gluing up the gunwale strips you can’t have too many clamps.

Getting good epoxy fillets is the most difficult part of the process and it is very important. These are structural as well as cosmetic and plenty of time should be taken to get them right. The structural aspect is that the load is spread over a broader area than just the butt joint.

It is usual to add some sort of filler to get the epoxy used to a thickness often described as consistency of peanut butter.

Gunwale looks great with hardwood, cedar, plywood and another hardwood strip looks attractive.

When applying the epoxy fillets many people mask to about 15mm of the corner and work to this edge.

Once epoxy sets it is very hard to move so err on the neat side. Preparation is everything.

Adding the decks and seat is a continuation of what I have described and if you take it slowly and well considered you will end up with a great looking boat.

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Fishing News - Page 7

The gunwales are strengthend by using a several thin timber strips either side of the side panels. You can get fancy here and use contrasting timber colours. I used readily available 30mm x 6mm hardwood and a strip of western red cedar. These are glued on with epoxy and you will need many clamps. So ring around your mates and borrow all you can. Once the gunwale strips are glued and set you will need to run epoxy fillets under these – once again to add structural strength.

Structure almost complete with seat, below ready to fit.

The outside edges of the bow, transom, and chines are now covered with fibreglass tape. I used two layers, but this depends on use how many layers you want to use – not usually for strength, but for longevity bumping over rocks etc.

I had a couple of goes to get the rowlocks in the correct front-rear rowing position as well as the height.

This will vary depending on your size. Once I got that correct I made new oarlocks and permanently attached them.

You can individualise your boat in many ways to suit your fishing style with compartments, seats etc and with the stitch and glue method it is easy.

Some may want to finish the boat with epoxy, varnish or marine paint. Be warned here though the finishing will take as long as the main build, but you can end up with a thing of beauty.

The first trip ironed out a few issues, such as getting the oar length and position correct. The next trip was a huge success with a 14 fish day. The Mini Mac is easy to row and it can be car topped easily. It has plenty of storage and with a fully sealed compartment it is unsinkable.

This project so excited me I have asked my son to design a slightly bigger plywood drift boat, but still keeping it light weight. Hamish is a naval architect and not long after I gave him some dimensions he had a new drift boat designed for Tasmanian waters. It will be around four metres overall and still be able to be a car topper.

You will be able to buy the plans and construction book, precut basic kit, or assembled to various levels.

Full details and costs will be in the next issue or if you are interested in plans or a kit contact mike@tasfish.com

Almost done.

Launch day went well. Some adjustment was needed to oar/rowlock height, but it rows and manoeuvres beautifully.

Just recently a successful business man and friend said he had never built anything with his own hands and at 70 he thought it was time he did. He loves boats and fishing and is confident he can build a beautiful drift boat.

Mike Stevens

The bottom is finished with graphite mixed into the epoxy. As it scratches and wears it becomes more slippery.

Fishing News - Page 8

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6-8 WEST TAMAR ROAD. LAUNCESTON. TASMANIA 7250 PHONE (03) 6331 6188 FAX (03) 63342681

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Fishing News - Page 9

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Tuna from a Tinny Matt Byrne

Oliver Byrne loves his fishing.

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una season is well upon us and as Matt Byrne writes, with some preparation, a Tuna out of your tinnie is a real option proving that you do not need all the top end gear to get amongst the action.

Every single angler has a new goal or something they aspire to, whether it be catching a wild 10lb Trout, a Tasmanian Snapper or more recently perhaps even hooking a Broadbill swordfish. Yes, with the right amount of money you could indeed hire the top guide or the big boat with the gun crew and probably shortcut a lot of time and effort in achieving your dream fish, but would it be truly as satisfying I ask as having done it in your own boat, in your own backyard and with your own tackle?

For me, there is something incredibly satisfying about doing all the hard work in researching your target species, knowing its habits, preparing your gear, learning from your mistakes and of course in the end experiencing

the thrill of landing that target fish. Small boat tuna fishing has all of that and much, much more and in this article I will detail everything I have learned about what is arguably one of the most adrenaline filled forms of fishing, targeting high speed Tuna out of your tinnie.

Timing and species

Before we get carried away talking about boats or even tackle, targeting any of our Tuna species in Tasmania is all about timing and weather, given they are a seasonal species in Tasmania. While we can traditionally expect the first of the Tuna (Albacore) to be caught around Christmas time at St Helens and well off the continental shelf, the inshore action for small boat anglers really doesn’t heat up until early to mid February. At this time, the inshore water temperatures will have warmed up significantly to around 17-18 degrees plus and with those temperatures will be inshore concentrations of baitfish activity and arrow squid which are prime food items of our Tuna species. Come February, Albacore, Striped Tuna and Yellowfin Tuna are the key target species, yet within a matter of weeks, the first of the Southern Bluefin Tuna will often be caught. A week or two can be a long time in Tuna fishing in terms of increased action and as we then head into March we are ready for that period of the Tuna season where literally A tinny does not stop you tuna fishing. Ensure it is not too small anything is possible, including a though, watch the weather, take no risks and ensure you have all Striped Marlin! the safety gear and more.

Fishing News - Page 10

Your boat, the weather and where

So the Tuna have arrived and there is hype in the air about getting in on the action out of your own boat.

Stop right there! Firstly and most importantly, consider the size and capability of your boat. While a few may disagree, I personally consider anything below 15ft to be too small for inshore Tuna fishing and whilst I have seen smaller boats out in the elements, I personally think they are best suited to fishing the bays and estuaries. The east coast of Tasmania is really not a place you want to be if the weather takes an unexpected turn. It is only you that can know the capabilities of your own boat and you simply need to be realistic about what you can or maybe can’t do.

Whilst by law you must have all the necessary safety gear on board your boat, before you plan a trip, make sure it all works! E.g. Stormy life vests recently serviced, radio and bilge working etc etc. Make sure you have appropriate clothing on hand and aside from your Stormy life vest, a good set of waterproof overalls are worth their weight in gold in keeping you both dry and warm all day, which is very important when you will be putting in long days trolling in the elements.

Other important preparation as far as your boat is concerned should be that you attempt to have a clutter free work space in your boat where everything has its own place of storage including rods, gaff, tackle boxes, fish bins etc. The last thing you want is to be tripping over things or trying to clear things out of the way when you get that double hook up! Take more than enough fuel is the other point and take note of how much fuel you use in order to gauge what is a sensible amount to have as ‘reserve’.

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As far as weather patterns go that are mostly conducive to small boat Tuna fishing, it will naturally depend on where you fish but my general rule of thumb is that any wind of around 5 – 15 knots blowing from south west, west or north west is just about the safest wind to fish any of our east coast hotspots. Combined with a 1-2 metre swell and taking into account a sea breeze, you will be more than comfortable in these conditions.

Any other wind direction on the east coast should be handled with a lot of caution with a close look at wind speed and swell before organising a trip, but mostly anything blowing around 15-20 knots means you won’t be fishing. Naturally, those clear days with consistent 5 -10 knot winds will be fine from any weather direction.

Again, you have to know what weather is fishable and not fishable for your boat.

In terms of locations, the two prime small boat Tuna fishing bases are really St Helens and Eaglehawk Neck.

A short run of just a couple of miles in either of these locations and you are right amongst possibly some of the best Tuna habitat there is in Tasmania. As far as St Helens goes, launching at Burns Bay boat ramp is your best bet to quickly and safely reach the inshore grounds, whilst off Eaglehawk neck you may either launch from Pirates Bay or my personal favourite, out of Fortescue Bay (despite the rough gravel road in!). All areas offer quick protection from the weather if the wind did happen to turn unexpectedly.

Tackle and techniques

When it comes to tackle, 15 kg set ups are a good all round option and give you that bit of extra strength and line capacity if you do happen to hook something big.

By all means, have some lighter 5-8kg outfits on hand such as we do, but be choosy about at what times you use them e.g. when you have located some schools of small Albacore or Striped Tuna.

Overhead rod and reel combos from brands like Shimano (TLD range) and Penn are exceptional value for money and if well looked after, will last for many years.

That said, there are some great threadline reels on the market these days that will also do an amazing job on all Tuna species, with brands like Penn, Finn Nor, Daiwa and Shimano all offering quality reels in the 6000 – 9000 size. When matched with a 10-15 kg spinning rod, you have a very versatile combo which also offers you the option of casting lures.

When it comes to line, I do like the 15kg monofilament from Playtpus but any of your favourite mono will do the job fine. The most important thing is that you have plenty of line on your reel, 200-300 metres minimum.

You also have the option of using a quality braid like Finns, but remember that braid has zero stretch which makes pulling a hook on a hard fighting fish like Tuna, a greater possibility.

It’s at the business end that seems to confuse some people and here I mean lure choice. The first point is that you do not need a tackle box full of Tuna lures but it is essential to have a range of both skirts and deep divers.

I find it often pays to keep your lures on the smaller side in the 12 – 16 cm category as this is predominantly the size range of our baitfish. As far as skirts go, Boone or Williamson brands in lime green, pink, purple/silver combinations are a must have especially for Albacore and Striped Tuna. As far as deep divers are concerned, Halco Laser Pro’s in the 120 – 160 size range are hard to

A nice little bluefin. beat in the King Brown, Pilchard and Red bait colours, as are Mac Bait lures in green, blue/silver and purple/ silver combinations. All of these divers get down to that 2 – 2.5 metre range and are simply dynamite on Tuna in all manner of weather conditions. One word of advice on these deep divers however is to replace the treble or dual hooks with single hooks, as like other anglers, we have had problems with well hooked fish dislodging particularly the trebles all too easily. In relation to leader size, you want to keep some movement about your lures so keep your trace in the 100 – 150 lb size. Too heavier trace material and you will affect the performance of your lures.

When small boat tuna fishing, set up of your rod holders and where you run what lures is very important.

If the weather is not too breezy I will run four rods, a skirt on each of the side rods (positioned near horizontal) with the lures ran well back out to 30 metres.

I will also run another two rods (positioned vertical) just in from each gunnel and attached to those will be two deep divers with these run in closer at 15 metres. This configuration results in no tangles and enables me to determine what the fish are taking. If the deep divers are working best (as they often do), then we run all 4 deep divers and vice versa. Sometimes, the wind will allow you to run a lesser amount of gear but in a small boat, two or three rods working well is far better that a four way tangle up! Often the conditions will determine what you can do, but if I am restricted to using less gear then I will run the deep divers every time as they are definitely a standout performer.

The greatest tip when tuna fishing is to use your sounder to locate prime water temperature breaks and in turn baitfish presence. When you locate good concentrations of bait GPS it, fish it hard and fish persistently. You will not catch Tuna if you aren’t prepared to do the trolling miles that are required on some days.

A well laid out and organised boat is essential.

On that point, some say Tuna fishing is often best described by long periods of boredom and short bursts of madness and I was reminded of exactly this last year, two days before the Bluefin Tuna championship at Eaglehawk neck when we had trolled 4-5 hours solid without turning a reel and in fact from our observations, the other 30 or so boats out that morning hadn’t done any better, things were quiet despite a lot of bait being about. Nevertheless we persisted and at 12.30 pm on the dot after all the boats had cleared off for lunch and the sea had literally flattened out to a mill pond, we trolled across yet another bait ball when the fish struck out of nowhere. Struck it did (breaking the rod holder in the process) and in the first few seconds that fish made a blistering run of 200 metres before we could even turn the boat! Gaining some line on occasions but never really in control, we wrestled that fish for 40 minutes and backed up chasing it for a mile and a half when the line went slack. That fish stayed deep the whole fight and although we didn’t see it, we both agreed we had lost a very big Bluefin, just how big we will never know, 100kg or more quite possibly. Lamenting a lost opportunity but feeling happy about matching it with the big boats, we went back to the same bait ball and had a further 6 hook ups on smaller school Bluefin and Albacore. The whole point is that persistence is definitely key and you will eventually find what you are looking for if you stick at it.

The great thing about Tuna fishing is that at some point Tuna have to feed. By nature they can’t stop swimming which means they are forever burning energy and in need of regular protein. If bait is hard to locate elsewhere, persist your trolling efforts around structure as the fish won’t be too far away from hunting out prey. St Helens has some wonderful reef systems like Merricks and Pulfers, Whilst Eaglehawk Neck has the Little and Big Hippolyte as well as sheer cliff faces like the Lanterns where many a fish has been captured including some world record fish. All of these areas are well within reach of the small boat angler and what’s more while you are waiting for a strike, you will not find more picturesque surrounds to be doing it in.

2015 season ahead

As I write this, news filtering in of more Albacore being caught near the shelf from St Helens, Bicheno and off Eaglehawk Neck has me excited about what is in store for the season ahead. If it’s anything like the 2014 season, we will be catching Albacore and Striped Tuna well into May/June and Southern Bluefin well beyond that!!

This season there are more boxes to tick out of the tinnie including tuna on soft plastics. Fortunately Purefishing have recently sent me some 13cm Berkley Jerk Shads that I’m sure albacore and striped tuna would only be too happy to climb all over and I can’t wait to try deep dropping them. Then of course there is a Eaglehawk Neck kingfish. They are on the bucket list.

Our 17ft Powercraft dinghy is ready to go, so is our crew and as soon as we hit February we will be out there chasing Tuna out of our tinnie. It’s great fun so get prepared, do your research and have a go at this adrenaline charged form of fishing, but beware, if you’re a keen trout angler like I was, once you experience this, there is no going back!

Matt Byrne

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

Fishing News - Page 11

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Start-up Kayaking Part 1 - Packin the ‘yak

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Speed and stability can be affected by the distribution of your gear.

Get the balance right for optimal performance. Note the tool holder mounted to the side of the icebox... try to use every available space.

ave you been exercising your grey matter, thinking about getting into a kayak for some fishing fun?

There’s a lot to think about, and the thinking doesn’t stop once you’ve carefully chosen your vessel. You’ll also need to put a lot of thought into setting it up for action, as Jo Starling explains.

Being a relative newcomer to the world of ‘yak fishing, I still climb the sport’s steep learning curve each and every time I go out. That’s one of the many great things about fishing… it’s just like a braided river; regardless of how well you think you know it, there’s always another ‘stream’ to explore!

You might assume that UNCOMPROMISING FISH DEMAND UNCOMPROMISING LURES AND THE ZEREK PELAGIC Z DELIVERS. stepping into a kayak for a fish will not be a big stretch BRUTALLY STRONG ABS BODIES from your everyday fishing 6X TREBLES activities, but give it a go THROUGH BODY WIRE and you will soon realise 2 SIZES 140mm AND 180mm how very different it is.

WEIGHT BALANCED FOR TRUE RUNNING Of course, the fishing TROLLS TO 10 KNOTS nitty-gritty won’t change.

NATURAL BAITFISH PATTERNS Your lure, bait and tackle 12 COLOURS choices still come from the same knowledge bank you FOR MORE INFO take out with you on each PLEASE VISIT and every trip… that’s not what I’m talking about.

Jo Starling

SBT LOVE REDBAIT

PELAGIC Z

Fishing News - Page 12

This is not an article about hooking up to a fish. It’s an article about successfully getting your hook in front of a fish, without tipping yourself out of your kayak in the process!

I’ve discovered that a kayak is the ultimate critic of your organisational prowess. Get it right and she’s a kind and benevolent mentor, rewarding you with ease, peace, pace and even fish. Get it wrong and you soon find yourself in a tangle, bested by the beastly biatch with an uncompromising mantra—one we’ve all heard before: Prior Preparation and Planning Prevents Poor Performance.

That’s right, folks. Whilst all forms of fishing require planning and preparation, in my opinion, kayak fishing takes the proverbial cake. Why? The answer is simple… limited space.

At risk of sounding like a new-age hippie, the truth is that successful outings in the kayak require you to be much more ‘mindful’ and ‘present’ than when boat or shore-based fishing. To my mind, it’s similar to the awareness you need for line control when fly fishing, only with even more tangle-hazards!

You will launch for each trip with the same hopes and dreams that you take aboard any other vessel; only in a kayak you have limited deck space. This is much more easily managed if you are intending to troll, but if (like me) you’re a castaholic, it’s a whole new game in an entirely different arena!

No room to can-can

Your kayak workspace is tight, even in the generous models purpose-designed with fishing in mind. Staying onboard and safe comes down to being organised, as the standing space you do have will barely be enough for your two feet… it’s certainly not a dance floor!

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The author’s logical layout has developed over months of trial and error.

Along with your tootsies, you’ll have to stow at least your rod or rods, landing net, tackle and paddle, not to mention all those other vital little odds and sods. These all need to be strategically located for easy access—and careful planning is required as a poorly placed spare rod or net handle is just waiting to mess you up, especially in windy conditions! Such tangles can prove not only frustrating, but also damaging to rod tips, etc., if you don’t realise your predicament in time.

The likelihood is that you’ll reconfigure your new kayak several times before you find the set-up that works best for you. I’m still tweaking mine, but I reckon I’m getting pretty close now. Here’s a quick overview of my set-up routine and storage configuration for my Slayer Propel 13… you may well choose a different ‘yak, but hopefully you’ll find this thought process useful … and a warning: pimping your ‘yak is very addictive!

Streamline a simple, systemic set-up

Your primary concerns need to be maximum functionality from minimal gear and convenient, easy reach accessibility.

As I like to release any fish that I’m not going to eat fresh, having a live well is important to me. It enables me to keep my fish alive and well whilst I reorganise my kayak for photos. Some kayaks come with optional keep tanks, but I haven’t yet seen one that allows for a quality fish to be kept alive for successful release. For this reason, I recommend finding yourself a low profile icebox that will fit snugly in the rear of your kayak.

My icebox plays a pivotal role in my kayak forays, as it is so much more than my live well… it’s the storage and transportation container for all my peripherals— sounder, batteries, tools, tackle, rod holders, bailer—you name it, I keep it packed carefully (and dry, of course) in the esky. As your kayak is likely to require you to do your set-up on the water’s edge, this system makes lugging all your gear from car to kayak a lot easier! Plus, if you’re diligent, you’ll always know that you’ve got everything you need.

Once you’re set up, you simply plug in the esky bung, strap it into place and scoop in some water to start you off (for stability and speed I don’t fill it to more than 5 or 6cm deep to start with, but it’s always good to have a little water ready for when you need it… it’s that “prior preparation and planning” thing again).

Speaking of planning ahead, lanyards are a must-have item! When a big fish is on, your cool, calm and collected demeanour can evaporate quickly and it’s easy to find yourself as frenetic as a whirlwind trapped in a shoebox.

It’s common to shove things out of the way in the heat of the moment. Lanyards on nets, waterproof bags, etc. are a very good idea… and therefore should form part of your esky pack.

So, like every good Aussie—remember your esky!

Make it an integral part of your set-up and storage plan.

Focus on landing your fish

Now let’s look at locating everything in your ‘yak. As we’ve covered, you’ll probably adjust your

It’s at the crucial moment of landing your fish that poor planning will become obvious.

A little forethought goes a long way.

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Fishing News - Page 13

A recent outing shows the author’s evolving setup: landing net upright behind seat, complete with lanyard; fish-measuring paddle within reach, but thinking several times before you settle on your final configuration. I’m fairly confident in saying that most of your inspiration for improvement will come when you’re working on landing your fish. It’s at this point that any flaws the efficiency of your workspace will boast their presence. So, if you keep the needs of this in the forefront of your mind whilst planning, you’ll achieve a better set-up faster.

Finding spots for all your gear really comes down to your needs and preferences. I like my sounder to be on my dominant hand side, for example, as I tend to tweak it a bit. Despite what side you choose, you should be able to read and reach your sounder while seated… that’s a no-brainer.

Any spot on your ‘yak that is not active standing and/ or fishing space should be utilised for storage. Consider turning your seat back into a pocket/pack for extra tools, spools of line, additional tackle, etc. My ‘yak boasts a “first class” seat, which allows me to store tackle trays and tools underneath and out of the way. It’s really important to ensure you are able to keep your scissors, pliers and lip grips (if you use them) readily accessible, so think carefully about what goes where.

Most kayaks will have a storage zone in the bow. This is a great place to keep your dry pack, food and drink, (and, in fact, anything that you are only likely to need occasionally) as reaching gear here whilst in open water can be tricky.

Once you have the placement of all your equipment sorted out, you should consider the “how” of the placement. I learned from bitter experience that battling Fishing News - Page 14

stowed to the bow to make room for more frequently used items; packs for tools are behind the seat… a-ha! Time to investigate behind-seat storage.

to free your landing net whilst simultaneously fighting a fish will only result in tears… one battle at a time folks!

Make sure that you resolve your “how” in such a way that your gear is secure enough not to become flotsam, but not so secure that you can’t easily loose it when needed.

Spare rods and nets are best secured behind your seat, with enough space that you can stand and cast without entanglement. This may seem obvious, but it’s worth stating in case your holders require drilling… that’s something you don’t want to get wrong.

In the interest of less clutter, I’ve chosen a paddle that doubles as a fish measurer... That’s one less thing I have to carry! I stow it out of the way as I use a pedal kayak and so don’t need it much, but it is within easy reach for measuring and those occasions when I do need a paddle. If you choose to go the same way, always make sure that you stow it with the zero mark closest to you, allowing for quick and trouble-free measuring… it’s all those ‘Ps’ again!

If you are one of the many ‘yakkers who choose a paddle only kayak, then I can’t stress strongly enough the importance of your paddle placement and management.

Seriously consider some form of lanyard… the worst possible outcome is losing your only form of propulsion!

Regardless of what make or model you choose, fishing from a ‘yak will force you to streamline everything, from your tackle to your movements. It will demand a simplified, yet well-honed approach if you are to reap rewards, which in essence is what makes it so much the sweeter when you get it right.

Jo Starling

Success! After the celebrations are over, it’s imperative to take the time to re-stow your gear so that you’re ready for the next hook-up.

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L

Lures in Summer rivers Adrian Webb

W

ell now with the Summer weather well and truly here it’s time to change a few tactics fishing the rivers during these warmer months. Lower water levels and warmer water temperatures is something that the trout don’t like all that much. I have found the best water temperature for trout is between 11 deg C and 18 deg C above and below these temperatures and the fishing can become quite tough and even more so in Summer if the water temp reaches above 20 deg then the trout tend to shut down.

Early mornings can be superb on a river - fish or not.

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Fishing News - Page 15

Spin fishing with lures for trout during the warmer weather can be quite frustrating, you have to keep persisting to catch a few fish. There are so many insect hatches all over the rivers and lakes that makes it very tough fishing for the spin fisher. Great conditions for the fly fisher though. The fly fisher will always do better than the spin fisher during the Summer months. You’ll see trout rising, sipping insects from the surface in most sections of long slow flowing runs. Then you will come across trout leaping from the river trying to snap up a caddis moth, dun or black spinner that is hovering above the water. I have seen some massive hatches of insects during my trout fishing days on rivers during the Summer. It’s these days on the river when you know you’re going to do it tough.

That’s when the fast water runs come into play as these will still be holding both browns and rainbow trout.

It will be your best chance of catching a trout with a lure. Fishing fast water is not easy, it is rocky, slippery and very hard going in most sections of the river. Tough it out and you will be rewarded with some fine trout.

Tackle and Set Up

The rods, reels and line that I use for river fishing for trout all season are as follows: The rods are all 1.8meter Diawa Procast light weight 1kg-3kg coupled up with small Okuma 15a reels and 4lb clear or brown mono line to a swivel and anti-kink, from there it’s 400mm trace of 6lb mono with a snap swivel attached followed by a

Fishing News - Page 16

blade spinner on the snap swivel. An anti-kink to me is a must when using blade spinner as they stop line twist which occurs when spin fishing with blade spinners. I always fish as light as possible and the weight of my blade spinners are 1.5gms. These are a variety of Black Fury’s, Aglia’s and Bug spinners. The hard body lures are all floating models, 2-3gms in weight and range from 50-70mms in length. These are 0.5-1.2 mtr shallow running minnow type lures in rainbow and brown trout patterns, plus I do have a few small Ralala CD-1’s in rainbow and brown trout pattern too. When using hard body lures the anti-kink is not necessary. I have used a variety lures for close on 50 years now, blade spinners and hard body lures are the only type that I fish with.

I have been the Angling Club Champion for the past eight years in a row, so I know how good it gets when using light tackle.

If you have a set up that you’re comfortable with then don’t change it, you may just need to change your line to 4lb and purchase some new lures, and a different approach to your river fishing. I’m only stating the ones that I use have been successful for me, there are plenty of other models out there that will probably do the same job as mine. Remember the lighter your tackle the better your catch rate will be. Call into your local tackle store, they will have the variety of lures for what you’ll require for fishing the rivers.

How and Where To Fish

During the Summer, remember the long slow flowing stretches of a river will rarely give up a fish unless you are on them at first light or very late in the afternoon when the water temperature is much cooler and the sun is off the water. Fast water sections always fish well during the warmer weather as there is more oxygen in it created by water rushing over the rocky sections of the river. Trout will sit in small pockets behind rocks that have small flat water behind them and will pounce on anything that passes by. Fish can be found in small pockets of water along the river bank too. It is here that you will find Summer fishing for trout at it’s best.

I use small metal blade spinners and these work a treat in the fast water too. It’s just a matter of casting the spinner up and across the river, then by keeping the rod tip at approx 50-60degs to the water, retrieve the lure at the same speed as the flow of the river and hopefully you will soon bag a trout. By keeping the rod tip high it stops the spinner from bouncing on the rocky river bottom and also from possible snags. Another way is to cast on a slight angle up and across the river still with the rod tip high, very slow retrieve just to keep the line tight and let the spinner drift downstream with the flow of the river. Once the line and lure is opposite or has just passed you (facing the opposite side of the river) then slowly retrieve the line, this also produces many hookups.

This can be done by using small floating hard body lures too. Some sections of fast water will be fishless, but this

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is just a part of what you have to contend with when trout fishing in fast water. Do not bypass any water as you will be surprised where trout will be holding up.

I have caught trout in water that many fisher’s would bypass as it’s only been no more than 70mms in depth.

The Weather

On bright sunny days with clear skies I always use the spinners with a black blade because trout’s eyes are very sensitive to light, so you should not be using a shiny or bright coloured lures in these conditions. To catch trout and be successful in doing so, you really have to be in the river wading for them. By being in the river you have more access to some of the best sections of a river that will be holding trout. Then it’s just a matter of casting into pockets of water and working the lure across the river and back to you at the same speed as the water.

If you retrieve the lure too fast it will more than likely spook the fish more rather than attract it, so getting the speed of the lure is quite necessary for a good catch rate.

If there are sections of the river were the sun is on it, then work the areas that have shade along them from the vegetation that grows along the river banks. These shaded areas regularly hold trout. Wide open spaces and slower shallow runs rarely hold trout on hot, clear days, but on overcast days the trout will venture into

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Fishing News - Page 17 20/01/15 1:57 PM

these sections of the river more often. Some of the best fishing in Summer is when it is a humid day with light drizzle. I have had many great sessions on rivers in these conditions. It’s worth getting a little damp being in the river in these conditions that’s for sure.

This is when you can use a variety of spinners and hard body lures of different colours. Metal blade spinners in black, copper and gold all will produce some very good catches of both brown and rainbow trout in this type of weather. Hard body minnow lures in the trout patterns previously mentioned earlier will still work too, as will many other hard body lures on the market today and there are plenty to choose from.

Best Fishing Times

The best time to fish for trout throughout the Summer months is at first light up until around 9.00am or when the sun hits the water, after that then your mainly wasting your time. If you’re not an early riser then do as I do now days and that is go late in the afternoon.

I will hit the river after 5.00pm when there is shaded areas along the river banks and you can work those areas and runs until the sun gets much lower and the whole river is covered in shade. Both early morning and late afternoon are some of the best times to be on a river especially the mornings when the air is crisp and cool.

So if you want to catch a few trout over the Summer period, then follow my lead and I’m sure you will pick up a fish or two.

Remember

1: make sure to use light tackle.

2: get in and wade the river.

3. Fast Water — trout just love it in the Summer months. Spinning from the river bank is really a waste of time, besides that, you are missing out on getting to some of the best sections of river that is holding fish.

One other thing is don’t bother fishing the small rivers and creeks at this time of year either, with low clear water trout spook at the slightest movement. You may still catch a few but they stress too easily in these conditions and their survival rate is very low. It’s best the small rivers are left alone during the Summer months..

As the Summer draws to an end and the weather starts to cool, then it’s time to change a few of the tactics with the river fishing. Trout will soon become more aggressive as Autumn approaches and they will take almost any thing you throw at them. This is when you can use a variety of coloured blade spinners. With the hard body lures, well I’ll still stick with the same models and patterns that I use each and every trout season rain, hail or shine.

Adrian Webb

The Mersey has some good rainbows.

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Fishing News - Page 18

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B

Boat Ramp Etiquette Mike Green

Hi Mike I have been listening to you Saturday on ABC radio since you started and always enjoy it.

I think it’s time to have yet another article on boat ramp etiquette. Let me explain.

After a very early morning start my family were returning mid morning to a very popular east coast ramp - Triabunna.

Mid morning is a popular launching time so I expected some delays in getting family and boat back on land.

What I did not expect was unfortunate demonstrations by several fellow boaters of poor seamanship, lack of boat ramp etiquette and ignorance of rules.

Triabunna is a dual ramp so there should not have been any problems. But this day there were.

Whilst waiting and circling to get a spot a poor boater had backed his boat down and tried without success to start the motor - well problems like that happen.

But for some reason instead of simply pulling the boat away from the ramp they decided to launch the boat, successfully blocking both ramps when they man

It is remarkable how much trouble some people can get themselves into at a boat ramp. handled the boat around from the ramp they launched from. They then drove their car away.

In the mean time a second boater backed his boat down the now clear ramp - obviously unaware of boats awaiting to berth, of which there were a couple.

His motor started but they discovered that they had left the bung out and the boat was rapidly filling.

Luckily they were still on the trailer and were able to pull the boat out. But instead of moving away from the ramp to drain the water they only moved sufficiently up the ramp to drain.

Now both ramps were blocked by the motor failed boat and the bung left out boat.

A half hour later the ramps were clear when both of these boats were successfully either launched or removed from the water.

I then was able to motor in and tie up, ready to get the trailer and land the family and boat.

As I was walking up the ramp towards my trailer another boater decided to reverse his boat (by directing his wife) onto the ramp I was tied up at.

When I asked if he could move so I could recover my boat he asked could I wait five minutes whilst they launched.

This would have meant me returning to my boat, untieing it so they had room to launch, followed by circling around, waiting for them to launch, park their trailer, board and then me re-berthing.

When, somewhat frustrated at this response, I repeated my request that was met by accusations of me being rude and unreasonable.

At this I explained that I had been waiting over half and hour and indicated that the rules stipulated that boaters landing had priority over those launching.

This was met by ‘show me where in the rules that applies and again accusations of being unreasonable’.

At which, admittedly somewhat more frustrated, I said ‘well I’m not moving my boat and I am off to get my trailer that was less than 50 metres away so please would you move’.

Luckily he instructed his wife to move away and I was able to finally recover my boat.

As an aside, as my wife, who is a master of trailer backing and boat retrieval, was pulling myself and our boat away from the ramp he was launching his on the second ramp. A wait by him of less than a couple of minutes.

So the points to be made in my view are: • before backing boats down a ramp get the boat and trailer ready for a speedy launch: • check bungs and make sure boat safety chain is still attached • if the motor fails to start - pull the boat away from the ramp and don’t launch your boat • if you leave the bungs out - pull the boat well away from the ramp to drain it - the final draining can occur as you again back down the ramp.

• incoming boaters take precedence of launching boaters - be aware of what is happening on the water not just the ramp • don’t get frustrated • be open to reasonable requests Hope this makes a good tale - with added humour it would be stupid if it were not true.

Cheers, Mike Green

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Fishing News - Page 19

K

Yellowtail Kingfish

J

amie Harris, like many anglers from the north west coast, is a fishing nut. And also like many Burnie and NW coasters he has spent many hours driving too and from the east coast chasing game fish. Whilst the nearby west coast has some great fishing it is often wild and unfishable. Bass Strait has some good mako and gummy fishing and Australian salmon and flathead as well. But recently another fish has arrived on the scene that is as good a game fish as there is, great to eat, tough to catch and now it seems readily available – yellowtail kingfish.

Jamie chased these as long ago as ten years, like many anglers, around Elephant Rock off St Helens. Elephant Rock was one of the first areas where kingfish were regularly caught. Clarke Island, below Cape Barren and Flinders Island was also a hot spot, but a lot of boat was needed to get there. So it was a bit elusive but that only hardens the resolve of keen anglers.

Coming at you — statewide Mike Stevens interviews Jamie Harris

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Just a couple of years back this size fish were a rare and unexpected catch.

Now they can be targeted, but make sure your gear is up to it.

In the last ten years though there have been more and more reports of kingfish from around the state.

King Island, Tamar and Derwent rivers, Great Oyster Bay, Port Sorell and Ulverstone have all become places to chase kingfish. So it seems for one reason or several Tasmania is experiencing an influx of another species that was once uncommon. Kingfish now join King George whiting as a premium fish and one that can be targeted – and caught.

Perhaps it is warming water that has encouraged the kingfish to move south, but almost certainly the banning of floating kingfish traps in NSW in 1996 made a huge difference. Progressively after this kingfish increased in numbers in lower NSW, then Port Phillip Bay and then jumped down to Tassie.

Tagging programs have shown widespread movements of kingfish from NSW to New Zealand and many large scale movements of more than 500 kilometres along coastal waters.

Yellowtail kingfish (Seriola Ialandi) are distributed throughout temperate waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans and in Australia from central WA to lower

Queensland. Maximum age is thought to be around 21 and can grow to 190 centimetres and 70 kilograms.

Females mature at around 83 centimetres and males around 47 centimetres.

Like many fish, the cooler the water the better the fish is as a table fish. Kingfish make great sashimi from cold water – and Tassie has plenty of that.

Mike Stevens recently spoke with Jamie Harris and he revealed a few of his thoughts on kingfish.

Structure and bait

The fishing grapevine was leaking stories about NW coast kingfish, so after some success at St Helens I decided to try closer to home. After seeing a few photos of good size Hoodlum (Kingfish) from around the Woolnorth area about four years ago, I decided that I had to get up there and get in on some of this action.

Kingfish love current, bommies (structure) and baitfish. From Smithton west there is plenty of shallow water with massive tidal flows and endless bommies, rocks and structure. This was the place to look. I must emphasise here it can also be very dangerous for the

same reasons. Please take care especially when you have strong winds against tide. This causes very rough conditions and nothing is worth putting yourself and crew at risk. I won’t fish if conditions predict more than 10 knots of wind.

The places to start looking for kingfish are where the smaller baitfish regularly hangout. Baitfish hug the reefs, rocky outcrops and bommies and this is like a big berley pot for kingfish. Mix in some good current and that is even better. It is why Elephant Rock off St Helens was so good, and still is – plenty of baitfish.

For me the kingfish seem to bite best around two hours either side of high tide. The fish are still present and follow your lures, but they are not as keen. Initially I like to troll for kingfish to find them and that can be fast and with big lures. Even marlin size pushers are not too big. They are not shy and the bigger the bubble trail the better they like it. Seven or eight knots is not too fast will get the lures working at their best. You can run a bit slower using six to eight inch plastics and one to one and a half ounce jigheads. I like the minnow style rather than paddle tail plastics.

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Fishing News - Page 21

eddies caused by strong current over a bommie is a favourite haunt and it doesn’t necessarily need to be deep. The kings will come into as shallow as two metres of water if their food is there and if you don’t have a boat you can still find a few hot spots. There are some good shore based options at Woolnorth although access to private land can be difficult unless your in the know.

Water temperature can be a factor and on the NW coast it has been around 16 degrees, which seems to be a minimum to get them active. It is warming up now so I expect the kingfish to be around for at least two or three months.

As I explained earlier the conditions in this area with shallow water, fast tidal flow and strong winds can make for challenging boating. Don’t go out if strong winds are expected; tell people where you are going and what time you expect to be back; ensure you have more than enough safety gear and take two boats if you can.

This is a developing fishery so enjoy it and only take what you need for a feed.

Jamie Harris

Just an average kingfish — and one of about 20 for the day.

Casting with the big minnow plastics is very productive once you have found some fish and they often hit it on a fast drop. The paddle tails tend to hang up and drop more slowly and they are not as good.

Kingfish like ‘fast’ When they are in the mood you will not be able to wind a lure fast enough to get it away from them and It is not uncommon to see 30-50 fish hooning around under the boat once a fish is hooked.

It doesn’t seem to matter what the lure is, as long as it is large, fast and erratic. If you can get a single fish fired up, then the whole school will go nuts. Jigging, surface lures or just a high speed erratic retrieve is the way to go.

The slow roll, constant retrieve will be mostly ignored.

You must work the lure, wind as fast as you possibly can, Big sharp rod lifts and short pauses. Anything you can to add action will be a positive move. Get a big reel that has a high speed retrieve – and probably nothing smaller than a 6000 spinning reel will do.

I use 20lb or stronger braid and a 60lb mono leader and have still been getting smashed up and broken off regularly. It is important to have first rate gear and to be able to put the pressure on straight away.

Always be on the lookout for bait schools, either on the surface or on the sounder. Kingfish show up as bigger arches around the bait, so watch carefully and adjust your sounder to maximise your chances. Kings love a well presented livebait also and this is possibly the best way to fool a bigger fish. A live salmon, mackerel or squid held a couple of metres under a balloon will always fire up the sometimes fussy eaters.

Where to find kingfish

Any of the islands around the far NW Coast including Woolnorth and around Robins Island.

This area is well known for its run of Australian salmon, and if they, or mackerel are there, the kingfish will be close by – or even underneath them. The big Fishing News - Page 22

Even a 5000 size Shimano Stella can be a bit small. Check out the current.

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Fishing News - Page 23

D

Drains on the Brain Enrich your soul Brendan Turriff

I

t’s your day off work and you’ve been awaiting its arrival, pondering thoughts of blue-sky days, huge hatches and chubby trout. Reality closes in and as soon as you awake from your slumber, the cold front arrives before the coffee is even brewed. A quick trawl of Internet-weather forecasts worsens your enthusiasm – howling winds, occasional showers and plummeting temperatures. There are still options out there but would you be comfortable? Would you enjoy success? Should you stay at home constantly checking the social media feed to fill the void of your miserable woes? No, you should fish!

Tasmania boasts a diverse trout fishery, as you might know, renown for amazing sight-fishing on shallow lakes and historical mayfly rivers but in between all of this hides some little-known gems, smaller than a river and closer to being defined as a creek. A place where wading is optimistic only due to the lack of water, not its risky depth. These are creeks and rivers on a microscale and they are tight enough to tangle great numbers of your flies! These are positively enticing and there are hundreds of kilometres of them winding their way throughout Tasmania - enough for you to fish for the rest of your life, probably.

I like to call them drains, though that term lacks the romance they truly deserve. Decadent drains would be more apt. Technically, some are given the name ‘river’ or ‘creek’ but some of these allocations are open to interpretation! Whatever they are called, they allegedly hold water and if they have water, there’s a good chance they have trout.

Research

Before you head off uninformed into the scrub – just hold the bus. If you are a trout angler looking for new water and you don’t use the Internet, you are doing it wrong! Google Earth has been fulfilling dreams for years and you should jump on board. In saying that, many anglers think that this is the only way to research satellite imagery and maps but sometimes, I find that Yahoo Maps and The List have better resolution in particular areas. With the latter option, it gives you the capability to select between topographical, 1:25,000 maps, satellite images or Google Earth so opens up a whole new perspective. The beauty of these tiny waters is that many of them exist beyond the boundaries of private property, enabling an easier means of access, either by car, foot or by mountain bike. It goes without saying however, that you obey any signage where applicable.

Fishing News - Page 24

The easy way

One of the more simple ways to assure success of finding a tiny trout water is to explore tributaries of larger rivers and streams, especially if these are known to hold trout. The only prevention to the upstream movement of trout is a significant barrier like larger waterfalls or man-made structures, like dams. Sometimes, you can find yourself fishing tributaries of tributaries and so the list goes on. Some of these waters are so small that they fail to get a mention in larger reference material like Greg French’s Trout Waters of Tasmania.

All the gear and some idea

To fish these waters, you are going to need some gear.

For me, the only way to fish these waters is with a fly rod.

You could get away with an ultra-light spin rod in some circumstances, but we’re talking of pretty small fish here so it goes without saying that some lures out there on the market could be half the size of these mini-munters!

It is probably best to explore this type of water with the smallest and lightest fly rod you have. Once you are addicted to ‘twig fishing’ you could explore a dedicated outfit. I use a 7’10” two-weight rod, though anything from a zero-weight to a four-weight could be a good option. The most common weighted rod in Tasmania is likely to be a five or six weight rod and these are just getting a bit carried away on these tiny waters. Emphasised by the fact that most of them are nine foot in length.

Leaders need to be similar in length to your rod, perhaps a touch longer. The main reason for this is to allow for an efficient bow-and-arrow cast when required.

I say when because they will need to feature in your casting repertoire! Your leader should taper down to as much as 2-3lb. Any fish breaking this strain here is not a fish, it’s a tree.

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CE ADDIS SSENTIALS

Unless you’re a gear hoarder and camera enthusiast like me, less is more in terms of accessories and tackle. A minimalist approach is far less cumbersome. Some line, floatant, nippers, forceps and a handful of trusty flies in a vest or simple shoulder, hip or chest bag should be all you need. Many flies will do the job, though at this time of year you shouldn’t need anything but a dry fly. A size #16 Royal Wulff or Iron Blue Dun is a great start. Be sure to carry some grasshopper and beetle patterns too.

If you are on a day mission with quite a task ahead of you, be sure to tell someone where you are headed, and take a small day pack with any food and water required, along with first aid kit and snake bandages. Organised crew these days also look at GPS, EPIRB and SPOT Messenger options, which are all great ideas for the wandering whisperer.

Got style

For the most part, standard fly-casting will see you through on these waters. On occasions, the need to move yourself to the left of the bank (for a right-hander) and lay your cast to the side will be of great benefit. Small roll-casts will also be of helpful in some tight runs with obstructions to your back. The bow-and-arrow cast also works wonders where you are left with limited casting options. Briefly, the basic aim is to have your entire leader out the end of your rod with maybe a few inches of fly line. Hold your fly by the bend of the hook, while aiming the butt of your rod forward at approximately 45 degrees. Pull back as far as your arm allows and let go, avoiding all humans and trees in the process! Give this a practice to experiment with the correct distance and presentation to allow a fish to gobble your offering.

It’s cool, man

Surprisingly, a number of these small waters become havens for trout seeking cooler water higher in the height of summer or when water levels become low and oxygen-depleted. Couple this with the fact that some hidden gems also become spawning grounds for trout later in the season and you have the recipe for a secret sauce. Keep it bottled, share with your mates and relish in its goodness!

Just because these fish are often small, it doesn’t mean they are easy. They require the same amount of stealth and approach as any other trout water. After all, they are by-and-large wild and wily brown trout. It is true that there are many other alternative waters that will give you a chance at a much bigger size of fish, but exploring the tiny options is not only satisfying, it will give you enormous scope when the weather caves-in, diversify your knowledge of our fishery and enrich your soul.

Brendan Turriff

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Fishing News - Page 27

T

Time for Tuna

Bluefin, yellowfin, broadbill and more Kelly Hunt

Tasmania’s first Bluefin for season 2015- Leo Miller

T

he Southern Bluefin Tuna scene in Tasmania has always been popular across Australia, but it is really starting to attract some broader attention. This is in some part due to Tasmania’s fishing being far enough away that it does not feature in Australia’s main stream media. Facebook has changed this in a very short space of time. Anglers have linked up and made friend requests across the country and now if someone catches a good fish anywhere in our nation, the nation’s keen anglers know about it. Tasmania has many reasons to find favour with anglers across Australia, so let’s start running through a few.

Proximity from shore.

The more time spent fishing on the mainland offshore, the more I see how lucky and spoilt we are in Tasmania. The grounds we can target Bluefin tuna are so close to the ramps of the south east coast, mainland people I speak to barely believe it. The coastline we fish in also lends itself to being quite safe and comfortable for all levels of experience. There is often quite a number of ways and areas to fish should the wind and weather be a bit ordinary. This is not something you can do if you are 20 + nautical miles offshore. The fishing in Munroes Bight is so close and often protected that it must take some getting used to for some when they first experience it.

Amazing surroundings

It is again something as Tasmanians we all take for granted, but HEY how good is the scenery we fish in.

Fishing News - Page 28

It can be a very long day travelling looking for tuna and if the gods are not with you, quite boring, next minute you turn a corner and WOW ! The views and scenery are spectacular and something no everyone can get a chance to experience from the oceans perspective. If you have nothing to look at but open expanse of sea the day can drag on forever and ever, sapping energy and concentration. On the grounds in Tasmania there is always something spectacular to take in. Pirates Bay out to the Hippo’s and all the way along Munroe’s Bight to Tasmania island will have you entertained with the sort of geographical eye candy that makes calendar printers swoon. This keeps you alert and engaged so when that bird feed appears or the line screams you are ready to go.

Fish numbers

It is obviously important to have some fish to play with and Tassie has had some fantastic seasons of late.

The school size Bluefin have been plentiful and quite easy to find. School fish when feeding on bait really fire up the birds and this creates a visual spectacle that is easy to locate. These feeds can be inshore or out to sea some way, so keep your eyes up. While the schoolie size SBT get the anglers excited, nothing fires the fishing scene up like the first Jumbo capture. These fish have been frequenting Tasmanian shores in numbers not seen in ages. Gone are the myths of these big fish only travelling in small groups. They have come in big numbers and feed hard. Stay as long as the bait will hold them and then power off.

The season

Traditionally here in Tasmania we have a 4-6month season usually starting around the end of February and often running through to August. I say traditionally as last season just went on and on. Leo Miller managed to catch the first reported Bluefin for this season on the 28th of January so fingers crossed he had some cobbers.

What is very interesting is that Leo caught the fish at 500m of water depth while chasing a Swordfish. Crazy stuff indeed. So if you are looking to come down and have a fish around the area keep your eyes on a few Tasmanian fishing facebook pages. Once the reports of Bluefin start to drift in plan a trip for sure.

Eaglehawk Neck

Eaglehawk Neck has a solid reputation for producing record catches of SBT and the area holds a lot of quality Bluefin. This is due to its ability to attract and hold bait fish on the many sea structures that abound in the area.

Depending on the time of year the bait can vary from squid, Redbait, Mackerel, Sauries and even mini Leather Jackets. YES mini leather jackets were seen last season in the bellies of many fish. Pete Bailey who fishes with me was very keen to hammer a single nail on top of some of our hard bodies to replicate a Leather jacket. Thankfully we didn’t have any hammers on board.

The following is a simple circuit of the Neck’s main fish holding areas. Weather permitting, traveling this route should have you come across fish or get you to parts of the seascape that a bird feed is easy to see and

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work over. If you do find a fish or two , make sure the skipper marks that point on the sounder and you get back over that spot after landing a fish as soon as you can.

The good thing about fishing out of Eaglehawk Neck, as mentioned, is the accessibility to the fishing ground. This is why it is a great place for anyone at all to come and have a crack. Beginners and the more experienced alike can have a great time out of Pirates Bay or Fortescue Bay looking for tuna. You can do so with a big chance of finding fish in relative safety with tackle of any style. Overheads as well as bigger spinning reels will allow you to catch the school size fish which are plentiful. Its when the Jumbo’s come to town that the traditional overheads like the International range from PENN come into their own. These overheads have a lever drag which you can pre set and adjust as the fight goes on. Big spinning reels are harder to judge critical line drag with the precision needed when fishing a particular line class.

Pirates Bay

Waterfall Bay

Yellow Bluff

Starting off

Many great captures are from literally “around the corner”. “Waterfall Bay” is approximately 1.5km from the ramp and is usually by-passed by most anglers on the way to “The Rock” or Tasman Island. Waterfall bay has produced quite a few jumbos in the past few seasons and is always worth a look, especially of the birds are working. It’s the first port of call for us when we are out having a look about. If we are prospecting and looking for fish we will have a 6 lure spread out and happy to pair back to 3 or 4 once we know what lure they seem to be favouring. Reducing the amount of lures once the fish are located allows you to turn on the GPS mark you will have laid while also speeds the ability to get lures back in the water.

Next stop heading south and another place renowned for holding bait is “Yellow Bluff ” and the area to the east of Yellow Bluff called “Foxies Reef ”. This rock step runs for around 2km seaward, and is also quite often forgotten about in the haste to get the more traditional fishing grounds.

Generally Waterfall and Yellow Bluff are usually less occupied by seals and quite often allow the angler to run a lighter line class and battle the fish for longer without being interfered with by our fury little friend’s.

If no luck move further to the is the mouth of Fortescue bay, always worth a look and a good spot to drop the spread in about the area of the Thumbs and drag them through to the Lanterns, especially later in the season. This area is worth a mention to the smaller boat owner. There are very few areas in Australia if any as safe to fish for SBT that Fortescue bay. The Bay is sheltered from most directions and has a nice boat ramp to leave from. Given a good weather forecast even an open dingy can have a crack at catching some Bluefin. Heading out through the mouth of Fortescue bay with your spread already set you will get a very clear picture as to conditions. Should they be favourable a clockwise rotation over to the Thumbs, across the open water to the Lantern’s and repeat will have you “toona fish’N”. Good weather and your confidence will have you reaching out further towards the “little Hippo” and back into the Lanterns

The Thumbs Hippolyte Rocks

Fortescue Bay The Lanterns

Hippolytle Rocks

Big Hippolyte Rock is a world renowned Southern Bluefin Tuna haunt and lies further East of Fortescue Bay in full view. Big and Little Hippo rocks are bait magnets and in turn attract a lot of attention from fish that like to feed heavily on the pelagic bait that hold up on the undersea bottom formations and transitions.

You will pick up tuna anywhere in and around the rock.

We tend to spend a lot of time dragging lures around the south western side of the Hippolyte and down and

around the little rock. It is a fantastic place to start and the venue for a lot of people to catch their first ever SBT. There is a couple of spots to keep an eye on. Be sure to keep an eye on the reef off the far south East tip of Big Hippo as it has caught out a few skippers and in a heavy swell show caution to “The reef ” in between the Big Hippo and Little Hippo.

When the ‘Rock is not “Rocking” try dragging your lures back over to the Lanterns and down the southern

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Fishing News - Page 29

side through into Munroe Bight. There are some named locations that are worth a try, the first of these being “Red Dirt” These areas have nicknames from the locals and charter operators and always worth a try due to past captures. The next stop heading south is “The W”, while not known to many it has accounted for some good Jumbo sized tuna over the years.

Keep pressing South and Cape pillar is the next hot spot heading south and a favourite for charter boats, especially in a Southerly breeze/swell as it provides good protection and hold good fish as well. This area has excellent water movement due to the meeting of current and tides. This is fantastic to fire the fish up but can also provide some funky sea conditions so be aware. We like to run a line from inside the Pillar and out about 2km due South East. Working this area over usually produces a fish or 2.

Tasman Island

The run out and back from The Pillar will give you fair indication if the prevailing weather will allow you to get to Tasman Island for a lap. Tasman Island is a stunning bookend to the days fishing. The area around the island is very fishy and pretty well anywhere around the Island you can hook up a SBT. Work the area over combining tight runs past “The Monkeys” and an out loop wider to deeper water and back in. Other good spots are under the light and at the “Tumble Downs” on the North eastern side. Tasman Island is no place to be caught in freshening breeze and growing swell, add a tide change to the mix and it is far from pretty. Skippers need to be on the ball and keeping an eye on conditions at all times. If the weather is a bit ordinary just put this circuit into reverse and head home the way you came.

SOME TIPS TO REMEMBER Weather

The first thing to do when putting a trip together to chase Southern Blues is make a plan. When traversing out to sea and maybe to the shelf, it’s more about a weather window than the weekend. No one wants to be out there when it is too windy and rough. Study the weather and take some time off if needed. If you can

manage some time off for good behaviour you will avoid weekend bottle necks at the boat ramps and when you do get on the water it won’t be a Regatta! When looking at the weather there are a number of good sources, but most importantly DON’T shop around. I see people swapping from one weather forecast app to the next

Best not to get caught out in nasty weather in a trailer boat Fishing News - Page 30

just trying to find the one report they want to see or hear. Pick a site or phone app that you trust and can understand then stick to it. I personally like BOM for Tasmania as it’s the source relied on for all the other algorithms. Why do other sources vary ?

It sounds like a silly habit, but it also raises a good question: Why do weather forecasts vary depending on which app you use?

The forecast process starts with data and observations that come from weather stations around Australia and the regions that affect our weather. Satellites, radar, reports from volunteers, and weather balloons all collect information about the atmosphere and funnel it to the Bureau of meteorology (BOM) These details and measurements are fed into supercomputers run by the government (BOM) Supercomputers take those initial conditions and then use mathematical equations to come up with a forecast.

There’s no perfect algorithm because Australia is so big that’s impossible to have observational data for every parcel of air. All weather applications use the same baseline of data, but the outcomes are determined by the experience of the meteorologists and the quality of the super computers. That’s why I stick with BOM. Straight from the horse’s mouth and full of other scientific data that once understood is sensational for weather analysis.

Shop around for best forecast at your peril…

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Pack the boat

6 hours trolling for little or no return. More often than not you can see the fish surface feeding but not hook any. These are the very times to try something different. We tend to be set in our ways and not try too much very different, but we should ask ourselves why. If we can see the fish, we know they are there, but are not taking what we have on offer. WHY NOT do something different. Read up on some different ways to approach the same problem.

The problem is.. I can see fish, they are feeding yet they are not on the end of my line !

Why not ?

Break it down…

Pack your pride and joy early, not the night before.

When shooting for a weather window to go green on, the boat should be packed, stacked and sorted. This also goes back to planning. If you are going to target a species on a hot bite don’t take every rod you own and every piece of tackle. This is about taking the gear you need and some spares. Five squid rods and a few flathead bashing outfits is not what you want rolling about the boat when hooked up to a Southern Bluefin. Make sure you have the gear packed nicely and everyone knows where it is stored. When three reels go off on a three way hook up, the last thing you want to be doing is screaming out ”where’s the harness??? Where’s the gaff ???”. A clean well organised deck is crucial to fighting a fish in calm conditions and becomes paramount when things get bumpy.

Keep your eyes peeled

Bird life is only one of the significant signs you should be looking for when trying to find feeding Tuna.

Surface disturbance and or current lines should also be investigated. Anything floating in the water may be of interest to bait fish so in turn could have some bigger predators hovering about as well. Concentration and attention to detail is most important. By all means have fun and have a laugh, but be systematic with your sweeps of the ocean and surroundings. It is a long way to come to miss a group of feeding Tuna a nautical mile to your starboard. You will get to sense when the birds you are looking at are up to something. If you see Gannets climbing and looking cagey that is the time to get across to them and have a look. Don’t be into much of a rush to leave a feed that has produced no strikes. Come at it from different angles and work the area over extensively before moving off.

Mix it up

Trolling skirted lures is the traditional domain of the Bluefin hunt, but if you close your mind to other ideas you will miss a lot of opportunity. There are a number or reasons to use other tactics at your disposal and try some sub surface lures. SEBILE lures manufacture a number of lures that are attractive in this space. Quality and strength is paramount and Sebile have this in spades. Just as important is function and fit for purpose. The Sebile Bonga Jerk is a fabulous lure when running skirts over the top. The Bonga will handle skirted trolling speeds of 5-8 knots with ease. We have run one right under the prop wash on short corner with a lot of success. To maximise the lures deeper running potential you can run them well back in a shotgun position just out of the prop wash. The idea of the sub surface lure is to raise those fish within striking distance. If they are being stubborn and you feel you need to get deeper down to them, look no further than the Sebile Koolie Minnow range. They are a premium deep diving lure that will run sweet to 5 knots. We find that once a decision has been made to raise fish we have seen on the sounder, slowing down and presenting divers over skirts works well. How many times do we see bait on the sounder and continue to have little or no luck doing the same old thing. If you are not catching fish after doing something for hours, this is the time to do something different. Get the divers back twice as long as you normally would and go half Fishing News - Page 32

Birds can spot a bait ball from a long way off.

With practice you will spot those birds as slow. Troll over those bait schools a couple of times and this may raise those fish that have shut down.

Don’t panic!

Once you have hooked a fish the hard work has been done. You have found the fish. Have the skipper put a way point down and settle into the battle. There is no need to try and rip the fish’s head off and get him to the boat in 10 seconds flat. Get a sense of the size of the fish and play it out. Let the fish run if it wants to, it is hardly going to wrap a pylon or reef section out in deep water. Tire the fish and it will be easier to land later. Work together with the skipper and keep the battle over the rear corners of the boat. Tuna won’t tend to fight on the surface. Once they know something is up they will fight deep and hard. The skipper will need to be on his toes to keep the fish in the best position and circle around to keep the line away from the gunnels.

If you are a crew member on a boat all ways try to think where the best place for you will be. Be mindful of your positioning in the boat in regard to ballast and also skippers view to the angler. If the skipper cant see the line angle and what the angler is up to should the fish move quickly a good fish can be lost. If you sense the fish tiring, work the Tuna up closer to the boat but watch for it circling under the boat. The angler must be ready for this and have the rod out of the gimbal and tip in the water should they need. You can use a Tuna’s propensity to circle at the end of a fight to your advantage. No need to leader the Tuna over to you roughly, just allow the fish to circle around and as it comes into range fire a gaff shot. If you miss, stay calm and hit him on the next lap.

New techniques

Tuna can be super easy to catch and the very next day super frustrating. Many times we have heard the words “oh you should have been here yesterday, they were eating everything” This is normally after spending

Downsize

The fish could be flighty and getting spooked in some way. This can happen on bright sunny days with very little surface chop on the water. The big heavy leaders we use just in case Mr Jumbo comes along can be enough to have the fish shy away. If you think this is the case have some lighter leaders ready to crimp onto your lures. You can go down to 100lb to prove a point and start to get some hook ups. Good quality fluorocarbon leader is the domain here. Fluoro is said to have the same reflective index (RI) as water and hence supposed to be next to invisible to fish. The issue here is never being to talk to a fish to confirm. What is able to be confirmed is the much better abrasion resistance fluoro carbon has over mono. This can be worth its weight in gold if that bigger fish turns up. Momoi and Cinnetic make some of the best leader going about, but there is heaps available.

Seaspin Coixedda 100 by Dogtooth Distribution

Stickbaits

They are feeding on something that I am not offering so I need to either upsize or down size. This can be tricky as with Bluefin tuna in Tasmania they can get fixated on something quite small and this makes it hard to get a hook that is strong enough yet small enough to fool the fish. Last season very late in the year we came across schools of nice fish feeding hard on inch long squid. Tough gig

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MY BOAT — SURTEES 6.1 Game Fisher Warren Moore - Part time working and a lot of time fishing

I named my Surtees 6.1 Gamefisher ‘Watershed’ for two reasons, firstly, every bloke needs a shed and my boat is my shed on the water; secondly, it was a big move for me to change from my previous boat and dealer, so it was a, watershed, moment for me buy another brand from another dealer - a Surtees from Hadley Deegan at Deegan Marine – and I cannot be happier with the choice of both boat and dealer.

Over a year I reckon I spend almost as much time in my boat, on the water, as I do at work – one of the advantages of being self employed – I have a bit of flexibility when it comes to when I work and when I can do other things – mainly fishing!

The Surtees 6.1 Gamefisher is easily handled one-up.

I reckon 80% of my fishing time in the boat is on my own. Everyone says they want to go fishing with me but, in reality, they all want two weeks’ notice! The weather forecasts are pretty good these days – but not that good. Most of my friends also want to socialise – a social life and, the life of a maniacal fisher just don’t mix (thank goodness!).

Watershed is a 6.1 metre alloy hardtop from Surtees in New Zealand. I actually visited the Surtees factory in Whakatane to see how they went about making boats – my boat in particular. I found the guys at Surtees to be interested in what I wanted and they were happy to customise the lay-out and fit-out to suit my purposes, my gear and the way I fish – at no extra cost! I thought this was a refreshing approach because, in my experience, not many larger scale boat manufacturers are interested in customisation or, in

having the customer hanging around. Surtees know a lot about making boats for fishing and they do a lot of fishing themselves.

I fish all around Tasmania including the Continental shelf on both east and west coasts;Three Hummock, Hunter and Robbins Islands; Pedra Branca and Maatsuyker Island, and a lot of time ‘out the front’ off Burnie – where I live. The 6.1 Gamefisher handles the rougher stuff really well (within reason) and the hardtop is brilliant.

I originally thought the hard top would be too hot in summer but this proved not to be the case – we live in Tasmania afterall! As a result, I fish all year round doing about 200hours a year on the motor.

Watershed has a 150hp Evinrude ETEC which I am very happy with – I’ve done about 800 hours on the motor with no problems at all. I like the lighter weight, high torque, good fuel consumption and easy starting of the ETEC. I know there is a diversity of view points about the ETEC but I’m not sure if the broader data supports these views. I’ve had four stokes previously (Suzuki and Yamaha), all of which were good but the biggest difference I find between the four strokes and the ETEC (and the most valuable for me) is the increased torque from the two stroke – not interested in ‘holeshot’ but definitely interested in not being continually on and off the throttle, particularly in a large, following sea.

I think anyone buying and using a boat has to plan on any aspect of the boat/motor/trailer package to go wrong at some stage – are all mechanical devices after all. For me, this is where the choice, reputation, capability

and capacity of the dealer is absolutely critical. As a number of people say, in relation to boats, unlike cars, when they go wrong, you can’t get out and walk home!

Right from the outset I found Deegan Marine to be professional, interested, keen to do business and with high level technical knowledge across all aspects of the boat/motor/trailer package. For example,Watershed is my sixth boat but Deegans were the only dealer I have dealt with to offer and provide a test drive – not a big thing in the scheme of things but important to me.

The purchase process worked very smoothly (albeit taking a long time– but that was more my anticipation than poor process from Deegans and the boat did have to be built!). Hadley took the time to go over my previous boat with a ‘fine tooth comb’ to ensure that all the goods bits from the my previous boat made it into the new boat – made life very easy for me and it didn’t mean I had to take the time (again) to customise the new boat – straight into the fishing!!

My experience indicates that the most important part of the relationship with a boat dealer is not that things go wrong, but what happens when they do go wrong. Like other dealers in the past, Deegans and I have had our issues but the biggest difference for me, is how Deegans have dealt with them – professionally, competently and a focus on the customer – me!!

Anyway, I think that’s enough from me, its Saturday, the water is flat and I still havent ‘nailed’ the elusive snapper off Burnie yet!

Check out Surtees Boats at surteesboats.com

www.deeganmarine.com.au – Ph: 6425 2238 – 102 Eastlands Drive, Ulverstone www.tasfish.com - Get the knowledge - Get the fish.

Fishing News - Page 33

If you can manage to find a skirted lure that gets the job done all well and good, but if not there is another trick up your sleeve. Fish being instinctive creatures can decide to feed or strike purely due to an offerings action through the water. This is where stick baits and surface lures have started to find favour. Any time you are a bait fish and you look to be in anyway wounded you are in trouble. BIG trouble. Fish while being instinctive are also opportunistic and if he can get an easy meal they will do so in a heart beat. Fish that are zoned in on tiny squid will still come at the right lure if it looks wounded enough.

They come in floaters , sinkers , pencils and poppers.

Get them into the back of a school of feeding fish and rip them through and try and impart as much action on them as possible and then rest them. You may even need a rest yourself as it can be hard work. Then get the lure working again and give your best wounded bait fish rendition. This is also very exciting fishing when it all comes together. Of course casting lures into a school of tuna is not going to happen with your overhead outfits so get into a tackle store and let them know what you want to try. They will be able to use their experience and knowledge to fit you out with just the combination and lures that have been working locally.

Softplastics

We all know how life like and wounded a well made soft plastic can look. These things are next to impossible to best in action when jerked and let to sink. There are a number of very good brands out there to try and I am sure there would not be an angler out there unfamiliar with the Berkley range. Head into any good tackle store and look at the Ripple shads in a range of sizes and of course the Gulp Nemisis are hard to beat. Pair these up with some Nitro Saltwater jig heads and you will have a strong combination ready to tempt the fussiest tuna.

Casting

Sending stick baits or big plastics into a bait school needs a little forethought and some other style equipment. Using any available wind and swell to drift down on to a school of finicky Bluefin is the preferred method. Spooking them is not the ideal outcome and by sneaking up on them and getting a couple of casts into them is the go. The gear you will need to get a bait into the zone will be a little different to what you may ordinarily have on board. A longer rod more suited to casting is preferred teamed with a bigger spinning rod around 5000 size or larger. If fishing outside any GFAA competition a spool full of braid will be handy. Braid is a considerably better medium for casting in this situation and will allow for longer casts to cover more ground each attempt. If getting to the fish without spooking them is an issue the ability to cast from a distance will help I hope this gives you some ideas of where to go and how and some tips on how to be successful in Tasmanian waters chasing Bluefin. It’s a great place to spend a couple of days fishing, or a week when the Jumbo’s are about. The Eaglehawk neck area has lots to do for families as well and is rich in History and many worthwhile tourist attractions. Hope to see some of you real soon.

Broadbill

If you are an offshore angler in Australia and not heard about the Broadbill captures here in Tasmania Fishing News - Page 34

Elated fisherman Leo and Simon Turner you may as well reside on the moon. It has lit up those game fishermen and women that know the mystique of the Broadbill Swordfish. These fish are an iconic species to the game fisherman as they combine two things, intrigue and difficulty of capture. The Swordfish brings both these and more to the party. Tasmania has become a place of interest as we seem to have some massive specimens.

The Broadbill gets its name from the bill that can be one third the length of a mature adult fish. They will use this weapon to great effect and are quite dangerous.

A Sword has the physique of an American gridiron Linesman and all his prerequisites.

Speed and power

Massive shoulders that run down maintaining bulk all the way to a tail that has a thick powerful wrist. These things are mad and will attack all comers while looking to

feed and will even take on a submersible or two if in the wrong mood. That is why over the long years of history the Xiphias Gladius has been aptly named the gladiator of the sea. Accounts dating back to the 1800’s have depicted angler and Broadbill battling it out for hours.

Be prepared for a long battle should you hook one up and keep an eye on the forecast and weather conditions.

Who would have thought

So it looks like Tasmania is becoming THE place to be when targeting massive Broadbill Swordfish. The fish anglers are encountering are in excess of 200kg and the frequency of incidence is very surprising. The recreational anglers have combined with TarFish, the GFAA and local government to instigate a satellite tagging program to get a real understanding of the local population. It is very important that the fishery be understood and some fishing parameters be formulated.

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The potential of the fishery should it be looked after and maintained has the ability to drive a charter business model similar to others around the world where the big Swords frequent.

How to catch a sword

The general methods that have been tried and tested internationally are accepted ways to hook Swords. These involve drifting at night and setting a range of baits at various depths from 20-150m below the surface.

Squid, mackerel or small tuna are the preferred baits.

This traditional thi still certainly works, but there are techniques that allow you to cover more ground and also target one particular spot of interest. Those looking to cover more ground can develop a slow troll. Slow trolling is carried out at boat idle speed using a whole squid, tuna, or a fresh belly flap. You can rig this behind a softhead skirted trolling lure and then set to swim deep using breakaway sinkers or a downrigger. You can also utilise the smaller glow sticks and sew these into you bait to create a visual aspect to your offering. This style of attack is again better utilised at night over peaks and bottom structure you believe the Swords may frequent.

Daytime fishing

There have been a number of incidental sightings, captures by commercial guys and people hoking Swordfish while using electrics. However there has been one group of people fishing on the vessel “Choonachaser” that have set the state and national fishing scene on fire by replicating captures using day time methods. This crew skippered by Leo Miller has lead a wave of interest and success from other anglers following their methods.

I had a chance to talk to Tasmania’s Lord of the Swords to get a feel of what they were up to.

Kelly Hooch Hunt: G’day Leo and thankyou for your time Leo Miller: No worries Hooch it’s a pleasure to have a chat and share some info on creating an exciting new fishing activity in Tasmania Hooch: So what got you started in thinking the big girls might be a prospect here in Tasmania.

Leo: We were seeing some people over the years get smashed on their electrics while fishing for Blue eye and the like and after hearing some of the battle stories they just sounded like Sword fights. Long liners had managed to see a few each year and the latitudes are very similar to New Zealand so we decided to have a go at them.

Hooch: You have done well during the day, but that’s not where you started ?

Leo: Yes that’s right we initially targeted them at night as from what we had read this seemed the easiest way to find them. It is quite common knowledge that they come closer to the surface at night. However we had no luck.

We then started working out how to deep drop baits and use break sinkers to leave a bait presented in 400 to 700m of water. There was some considerable trial and error, but we feel we have perfected it.

Hooch: Awesome ! Now I understand you don’t want to give to much away , but can you let on some of the rigging you are using.

Leo: Yeah for sure. The easiest method is a thin braid like Platypus pre-test you can then roll a bimini twist

Leo and his crew swim a Broadbill after tagging it. and cats paw that to a double on about 100m of mono top shot. We use 300lb JEM wind ons and 400lb leader.

Large hook either J or circle (12 to 18/0). We also add a light source in somewhere – Glow stick or duralite diamond or electralume.

We then just pick our spot and drop the bait and wait an hour or so. Check bait and re set. Often given the depth and mono top shot you won’t see a bite, but will find you have a fish hooked when retrieving baits.

Hooch: If you are lucky enough to come up tight on one, what is your advice Leo: They swim straight to the top usually; either jump or swirl on the surface and then dive back down.

This is when the battle starts in Ernest…. See what I did there. Ernest..as in Hemingway.. Old Man of the Sea Hooch: I actually think that was a giant marlin cobber?

Leo: Any Hooo…. They like to fight straight up and down and under the boat so you’ll need to drive off them a lot.

You will need a flying gaff and a good secondary gaff and a winch or block and tackle to get larger ones on board.

Hooch: What are your thoughts around baits ?

Leo: Baits can be big and need to be tied up well as the Broadbill’s first action will be to slash them up. My crew and I use squid, fish fillets, whole fish like blue eye or small tuna. The exciting thing we have found is the bycatch. We have caught good sized tuna and sharks.

Blue eye and Rays bream are also often caught and given the hook size they are often good fish.

Hooch: Where is a good place to start setting a bait ?

Leo: They tend to like some sort of structure or drop off on the edge of the continental shelf and feed on bottom and mid water fish. I am sure this is the same as they other species that haunt these areas. They like the up wellings and current movement and food these water movement brings in attracting what they see as bait.

There is no thrill that can match hooking a massive swordfish 500m down and battling it both on the surface watching jumps and then down deep battling their nonretractable fins and double caudal tail. They fight hard and tough and can be very stubborn and hard to budge; sometimes you’ll go an hour or more without gaining line. Be prepared, practice and persevere; the rewards are worth it!

Hooch: Well thank you Leo much appreciated.

Kelly ‘Hooch’ Hunt

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PENN 80w has the line capacity to get the job done Fishing News - Page 35

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Fishing News - Page 36

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M Marching Towards Great Gamefish Kelly Hunt

M

arch is a period of happiness and sadness for Tasmanian anglers. Happiness for the anglers that rely on warm currents or warm weather as there is still some of that. Sadness for those anglers that love their daylight savings as March has the days noticeably shorter working to the date in April we play with clocks.

Do NOT despair as there is still lots and lots to enjoy angling wise.

Kingfish

Kingies are about and those anglers that have found them early will be honing their skills to perfection. While being a species of fish that feeds hard when hungry they can also frustrate when sighted but not nailing any of our offerings. The shore based angler must look for some points or areas that promise some reef and broken ground. Look for some water movement in those times you try your luck and be prepared to up your retrieve to incite a bite. I am not sure if it’s the speed news travels now days, but it would seem there are more Kings being caught and this year they look to be of better size. Traditionally they have always been found travelling with the schools of upsized Salmon, but they are really making Tasmania home of late and expect to catch them well into March.

It’s fish of this quality we are looking for in March

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Fishing News - Page 37

Locating a pocket of Kings is best done with lures and soft plastics. Offerings that will take a bit of pace as you wind them in swiftly. Soft plastics that are elongated and a bit longer that what you would normally through will work well. The numbers of fish reported in early February and the varied and different locations they were caught suggest a session in the boat would be a great deal of fun. Lures that you would use for Salmon are fine and so are the rods and reels. Be warned though an upsized specimen of 10kg will take you to task quickly on such gear and be a lot of fun. If you are trying to target the bigger fish that have been about this year opt for a deeper diving lure with a badly wounded fish action. Slow trolling squid tentacles and small live baits on down riggers is a proven way to catch BIG Yellowtail Kingfish on the mainland. Maybe it is time we gear up for that in March

Yellowfin

March is that time of year serious offshore game fishers huddle around rocking backwards and forwards mumbling about fish with a tinge of yellow in the fins.

The mighty Thunnus albcares of Yellowfin tuna is on everyones minds. It’s a fish that is very much sought after and a prize trophy. Pound for pound these babies are the fastest and the most agile of all the tuna we face here in Tasmania. To land a good sized Yellow is an angling feat not a whole heap of Tasmania’s can lay claim to.

When they do you can often tell as they have their chests puffed out so far they can over balance and fall over. . .

A big plastic does the job.

In all seriousness the Yellowfin is a true athlete of the ocean and is also fantastic eating when looked after. Yes ! that’s right I am going to go on about bleeding the fish well and having some ice on board to chill the fish down.

Healthy striped marlin ready for release Fishing News - Page 38

It is actually a fact that after a big battle tuna species can suffer what is known as “burnt tuna syndrome”. This is where the fish has over heated in the battle and continues to do so while on the deck after capture. This can leave the flesh tasting muddy and not very appealing. If you go to the trouble of catching it, a little more trouble wont hurt to make sure you have some ice. Don’t be one of those people that say “ oh blah blah blah tastes terrible”…. After leaving the guts in the fish all day on the deck of your boat.

Yellowfin love a temperature break and current line. If you find some water that is dramatically hotter (4 – 6 degrees) than where you just come from work up and down that area until you can get a sense of where that temp break is and where it runs.

You can use the sounder to plot marks and instead of naming them just log the temp readings. You will soon getr a picture of what might be going on around you. While traveling and plotting some temp keep an eye open for bait schools as well. If you start to have a temp break and some bait , you have found an area that is worth working over. Come over the ground from all angles working the bait from the warmer water to the colder and vice versa.

Yellowfin are also a species of fish that don’t mind traversing the shallow ground to get to where they want to go. Many spots along the East Coast of Tasmania have held and had Yellow fin feed in water as shallow as 50m. Don’t get hung up on any special lure needed to target Yellowfin

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in Tasmania. If you have a good spread of lures that mimic the Tasmanian pelagic bait you are on the money.

A couple of brown and light orange skirts will keep you in good stead as they will replicate the squid we start to see offshore and around in March. It has been a while since we have seen a good run of “Yella’s” in Tasmanian shores. When we do see them they are normally good sized fish of 50kg or better. With the water temp and quality we had out wide in February I am going out on a limb and suggesting we may see some this year. Don’t let me down though, get out and drag a spread. Destinations like Bicheno and Triabunna are prime Yellowfin haunts.

They are also great places to take the family while you are dragg’in lures for hours offshore.

Marlin

We have more marlin in our waters than any of us give credit. The waters wide of St Helens, Bicheno and Triabunna in March need more boats out with the right gear having a red hot crack. The lion’s share of the blue water anglers in Tasmania open their accounts on early season mako sharks then cool their heels until the Albacore and then SBT’s arrive further south. There is a fantastic striped marlin fishery going to waste. The fish caught in close around St Helens each year are incidental catches and those willing to gear up and fish wide in the blue water on and just wide of the shelf will be rewarded.

Just imagine if we started talking about the Yellowfin as marlin bycatch. Teasers are where it is at when trolling for marlin. Mirror teasers, daisy chains, Boone birds, marlin mudflaps.. it doesn’t matter. As long as you have something creating a splash and surface disturbance you are on the money. Lures can be a mix of your skirts that have proven to match the local bait and a couple that are a little larger than the norm. Slipping a couple of bigger lures into the spread on short corner and short rigger won’t hurt. Make sure they are a quality lure from a decent manufacturer. They will need to work well, cup lots of water and as they go under the surface pull down bubbles to create a smoke trail. With the last of the daylight savings weeks to use up, get out off St Helens and Bicheno and find a hot arvo bite !

Triabunna Seafest

Picking right up from where it left off from last year Seafest is shaping to be once again Tasmania’s biggest fishing competition. In only one short year the Triabunna weekend has managed to gain the attention of many of Tasmania’s offshore fishing fraternity.

Triabunna and the Seafest format not only caters for the game fishing club members but also caters for the fishermen and women that just want to come along and have a go. March should have the waters of Triabunna and offshore of Maria Island teeming with life. The anglers last year all hit the shelf and many did quite well.

The weather was perfect and this allowed traveling to the shelf with ease, but there are plenty of excellent sports fish to be found in and around Maria Island and the 100m line towards the shelf. The offshore fishing section will be run by Tasmania’s biggest growing game fishing club. The Game Fishing Club of Northern Tasmania is enjoying a fantastic resurgence in family values and fun with some fishing mixed in. The club is affiliated with the Game Fishing Association of Australia and the I.G.F.A. The Club is a great place to pick up some tips and learn some knowledge to help better find fish and land

March 27, 28, 29

them once you do. The emphasis on family fishing is evident with junior and female members holding current State, National and world records.

There is a separate section for those non-members and the prize list for this category has grown with the interest it has generated. This year will also see a fun fish for kids and a section for those that would just like to fish the bays or sheltered waters around Maria Island.

MAST will again join FISHCARE and TARFISH to provide static displays, information and practical demonstrations.

These bodies do a magnificent job within Tasmania and Seafest if looking forward to their involvement.

There has been considerable support from local Tasmanian business to add to the very generous backing of several big national companies. The committee has worked hard once again to put on a series of events during the day that will keep the kids and relatives amused for hours. Rural Alive and well is on site again with their kids casting competition that was supported generously by Wilson Fishing. This will be just one chance those on the shore will have at taking away a prize.

Boat displays and a number of marine and fishing vendors will also be onsite. The small community of Triabunna has embraced this event and the crew of dedicated helpers ensure that Seafest 2015 will be a ripper.

Make sure that you keep the weekend of March 27, 28, 29 free and get along to Triabunna Seafest 2015

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www.maynesmarine.com.au sales@maynesmarine.com.au Fishing News - Page 39

G

Dawn to Dark

Great Lake is an outstanding all year round fishery - and best in Summer.

Craig Rist A midging trout from an early morning session.

T

here was a time when I thought Great Lake was a barren and unappealing body of water. My opinion soon changed as I discovered the existence of midge feeding trout out in the middle of this Lake back in the late 80’s after reading Robert Sloane’s classic book “The Truth About Trout”. Since then, there have been many new publications from very competent anglers who have spent a lot of time unlocking its secrets.

Great Lake can produce some superb dry fly fishing during the summer months and the best way to experience this, in my opinion, is from a boat. Once you have a boat on the water it opens up so many opportunities to find feeding fish. It also gives you the freedom to cover a lot more water to find fish as the conditions change.

Midge Hatch

Midge pupa can be found swimming to the surface to hatch when the wind drops out in the evening and will Fishing News - Page 40

continue throughout the night and into the early hours of the morning whenever these calm conditions prevail.

It’s always an exciting time to be on the water when you find trout feeding on these tiny insects because of the constant surface feeding activity that is so visible from a boat. It makes staying on the water until dark or that early pre dawn start, so worth the effort. Great Lake trout are accustomed to finding all kinds of terrestrials mixed up with the midge on the water. I think this is one of the reasons why these fish take the larger foam flies so readily. That’s not to say they wont refuse these larger foam flies at times but they do stand out from the carpet of midge on the water, giving these fish the opportunity to eat something 100 times larger with one mouth full. Refusals often happen during those glassed out periods when the sun gets up. This behavior usually changes as the wind creates a ripple or small wave across the Lake to add movement to those rubber legs and to further disguise the fly and leader.

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The clear waters of Great Lake make for exciting fishing especially when you see a trout engulf your fly or lure.

Wind lanes

When the wind starts to blow after a midge hatch, wind lanes are often created. These calm strips of water are clearly defined among the waves and will start to collect many of the remaining midge and any terrestrials that are left or freshly deposited onto the water. In the absence of an early morning midge hatch, a gum beetle fall can be a savior during a hottest part of the day.

Trout will predominantly feed up into the wind in the calm slick of the wind lane as well as the rough broken water on both sides of the wind lane. When fishing very narrow wind lanes I like to drift the boat in amongst the broken water on one side of the wind lane, just to have a better chance of hiding the boat and to make it harder for the fish to see the movement of the casting angler. While on those very wide wind lanes it is often better to position the boat in the middle of the wind lane to reach those fish swimming up the

sides of the lane in the broken water. Sometimes the wind will change direction and start to blow across a wind lane that is full of food and feeding trout. This change of direction, will often destroy the formation of the wind lane and disperse the narrow strip of insects and trout throughout the lake, amongst the foam lines and waves. This is the time to either fish the foam lines or Polaroid the waves for those high riding fish.

Foam Lines

Drifting down the more defined foam lines can be another good way of picking up a few more fish. This is a good option when polaroiding fish in the waves is not a viable option. This changes the concept of looking for whole fish back to looking for signs of fish rising or feeding just beneath the surface. Subtle signs to watch out for is a wake of water being pushed against the prevailing wind ripple or wave or a glimpse of a

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Fishing News - Page 41

head or tail as a fish takes something in or outside of the foam. Distinguishing these signs can take some time to train your eyes. I just go ahead and cast to anything that looks out of place. Quite often if I think I have just seen something odd in the water then there is a very big chance it was a fish. It’s costs you nothing to make a quick leading cast, so back your judgment and more often than not, you will be rewarded. It’s also a good idea to make a series of short searching casts amongst the foam while your looking for fish. This is an effective way of raising any fish that may be hidden under the foam or that swimming too deep to see. In this situation, the best sign of a fish, is the one that is about to eat your fly.

Sharking

If the wind is blowing in a northerly direction and the sun is shining through the clouds. This is a really good time to use the electric or the main outboard motor to travel along the waves to look for fish that are still swimming high in the waves looking for food.

This form of fly fishing is commonly called “Sharking” because of the way the sun light illuminates their shark like shape against the green depths of the Lake. The best conditions to try this are during those hot northerly winds when there is a chance of a gum beetle fall to add to the mix of that early morning midge hatch. The northerly wind also produce a wave that is travelling south down the lake which provides a perfect window to see fish in the back of each wave with the sun positioned perfectly behind you. When there are a lot of fish concentrated in one area there is no need to cover a lot of water to find fish, so an electric outboard is perfect in this situation. Unfortunately this is not always the case and it is often necessary to use the main outboard motor to cover large expanses of water by zig zaging across and down the lake to find fish. Because these fish are so easy to see they are often spotted a long way from the boat. This allows plenty of time for the driver to pull the motor out of gear and the lucky angler to make the cast to deliver the fly with an intentional “splatt”. This heavy landing signals the arrival of something worth eating and a fish will often change direction from some distance to find the fly. I am constantly amazed at how these fish can sense a fly landing amongst waves that are two foot high and white capping. In these conditions they rarely refuse at the chance to eat one of these large counterfeit foam insects, be it a beetle or ant, they really don’t care.

Boat Polaroiding the Shoreline

Ultimately there has to be some form of food out in the middle of the lake to encourage trout to feed at the surface, find the food and trout won’t be too far away.

So when food and fish are hard to find out in the lake, polaroiding the shoreline from a boat can be another good option to find a few more fish. I like to seek out those shorelines that have a silty or weedy bottom with the wind blowing into them. The wind and wave action distributes a lot of surface and subsurface food hard up against the shoreline and can attract a lot of fish. This wave action can also create a dirty band of water, hard in along the shore line. Trout move through this dirty water seeking out the accumulation of stick caddis and other food items that may have been dislodged by the waves or blown in on the wind. I like to sneak along these shores with the electric outboard or simply let the boat drift back into the shore with the wind.

Fishing News - Page 42

Fishing a dry fly along shallow rocky shores can be very productive.

A Day On Great Lake

The weather forecast looked promising, with a warm northerly wind predicted for the Central Highland. I made a quick call to my good friend Jim Schofield, who I know just loves to fly fish this lake from a boat. Jim’s immediate reply was, “when do you want me to pick you up” 3:30 am sound good to me, I said. An early start like this was standard procedure when traveling from Devonport. So right on time I was picked up the next morning with a clear star lit sky over head and not a breath of wind. Things looked good until we drove down onto the Northern end of the lake and were confronted with a lake covered in thick fog. Jim and I both knew that finding feeding fish in thick fog is always difficult so we decided to keep driving south in the hope of finding a bay that didn’t have as much fog.

Brandum Bay did look promising as we drove past, with a small area of calm water directly out from the boat ramp that was not covered in fog. Jim wanted to drive down to check Swan Bay out, which has produced many memorable mornings for him over the years so we kept this in mind and continued south. When we arrived at Swan Bay boat ramp, it wasn’t good, the fog was thick and the wind was already blowing straight into the boat ramp. We both agreed that Brandum’s Bay was going to be our best option to find fish. When we returned, we were immediately greeted by fish rising to midge only thirty metres from the boat ramp. We hastily launched the boat and used the electric outboard to position Jim within casting distance to the first fish. Jim had already tied on one of his own, already chewed, size 10 foam Chernobyl Ant creations. I think he must have run out of Peter Broomhall’s superbly tied and much prettier “Brusers Bugs”. Jim laid out a cast to lead the fish, the fly landed with a splat which always seems to redirect their attention towards the fly. The fish boiled under the fly, signaling a disappointing refusal. Not to worry, there were many more tails and rises coming out of the fog as more fish mopped these tiny midge. The next

fish Jim cast to refused the foam again but he was not discouraged by these refusals because he knows from experience that eventually, he will cover a fish that wants to eat foam. On the third fish the fly was taken without hesitation. Jim soon had a nice Great Lake Brown Trout of around two pound thrashing around in the landing net. We switched places, Jim on the electric and me on the bow ready for the next fish. We both caught a couple more fish before the fog surrounded us and they became even more selective. With our sight limited by the fog we sat quietly and listened for the sound of a trout rising around us. We moved the boat towards the sound of the rise, until the fish came within view. This worked quite well to locate fish but both Jim and I were having trouble judging the length of the cast in the fog which had changed our perception of distance, making these rising fish look much further away than they where.

The fog also puts a lot of strain on your eyes as you look harder than ever to see fish in the white misty fog that is now being lit up by the sun. We managed a few more fish from the fog until it finally lifted. The water remained calm and the true extent of the hatch was

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Enjoy a pleasant Friday evening, auction and discussion with Simon Gawesworth, Rex Hunt, Peter Hayes, Peter Morse and others.

Clarendon; Friday 13 March $10, Saturday is FREE RSVP to 0417 543 815 or australianflyfishingmuseum@gmail.com

Simon, along with Peter Morse and Rex Hunt, will be hosting a pleasant Friday evening discussion and auction (small cost for nibbles and drinks), plus a FREE day of casting demonstration and tuition at the Australian Fly Fishing Museum at Clarendon on the South Esk River.

When: Friday 13 and Saturday 14 March 2015 More details on www.affm.net.au, www.tasfish.com and on Australian Fly Fishing Museum and Tasmanian Fishing Facebook pages.

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

Fishing News - Page 43

revealed with large rafts of midge on the water and packs of fish gorging themselves. What looked like it was going to be easy was anything but, as we had refusal after refusal. Then all of a sudden we would find a dumb one and it would eat. The wind got up as expected and formed a good wind lane from the start of Little Lake Bay to almost the start of Brandum’s Bay. Despite its impressive size and the odd gum beetle being blown past, there just wasn’t the food in this wind lane to keep many fish interested. Jim and I both caught a couple more using the same foam Chernobyl type flies in this wind lane before we moved onto polaroiding fish in the back of the waves. Again because of the lack of food in the water we only managed to find a couple of fish while zig zaging down the lake for more than 800 m. Both fish ate the fly without hesitation, while the outboard continued to idled away in neutral. From here we did a quick run over the bay to see if we could find a concentration of food or fish but the Gum Beetles had stopped flying so there were no fish to be found. We then moved into a silty bay at the northern end of Renolds Neck where the wind and waves were pounding the shore line. As

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An early session looking for fish in windlanes and foam lines. soon as we drifted over the shallow silty bottom of this Bay we found fish. We did several drifts into this shore from a couple of hundred metres out in the lake.

We began by fishing the foam lines until it became shallow enough to see fish on the bottom, once again. This produced quite a few fish late in the afternoon. The cold front was pushing in so we decided to pull the boat out of Brandum bay and tow the boat around to Canal Bay where we could fish the foam lines over the shallow weedy bay. Two more fish were put on the tally after 4 drifts across this bay. Then just before dark with the cold wind blowing we took the boat out in the middle of the main lake to drift

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Fishing News - Page 44

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down a thick foam line in amongst waves that must have been half a metre high.

In the fading light I just happened to be looking in the right direction to see a tail slid through a wave. I picked up my fly and and dropped it a two metres in front of where I had last seen the tail. I waited and waited and was just about to pick the fly up off the water to recast, when a snout come over the fly and ate it. A few minutes later the same thing happened and another fish was brought to the boat to be released. A total of 19 fish between us for the day, in less than perfect conditions. Not a bad way to spend a day on the water!.

Craig Rist

Girls Gone Fly Fishing 28 / 29 March 2015 Spaces are strictly limited so book your place here to avoid disappointment.

Where: Hayes on Brumbys Fly Fishing Lodge, Cressy, Tasmania. Just 30 minutes from the Launceston airport which is 45 minutes from Melbourne and 80 minutes from Sydney.

When: Weekend 28/29 March.

Arrive on the Friday afternoon depart on Sunday afternoon. A come early or stay on afterwards package is also offered for those wishing to stay on and enjoy the unique landscapes and fishing opportunities that Tasmania offers at this special time of the season.

Cost: Live in guests - $360 all inclusive of airport pickups, accommodation and all meals Friday to Sunday afternoon. Tuition on Sat and Sunday including lunch, morning and afternoon tea. Fishing on Brumbys Creek and private stream fishery. Complimentary sparkling wine on the fishing evenings.

Day attendees - $100 all inclusive of tuition, lunch, morning and afternoon tea. Fishing on Brumbys Creek and private stream fishery. Complimentary sparkling wine on the fishing evenings.

Stay on package - $145/night inclusive of all meals.

Activities: • “Understanding your tackle options” – A gear and practical knot and leader tying session that will stand you in good stead for the rest of your fishing days. The emphasis will be on providing an unpressured learning experience to get to grips with the basics, or expand your skills if you know what you are doing.

• “Fly selection and basic tying concepts” – Get a better understanding of what makes an appropriate fly choice and better understand what to try next and why.

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• “Womens’ fly fishing resources – internet and printed material” Ever noticed how fly-fishing gear is actually rarely a good fit for women? Learn what your options are and share ideas.

• “A day with Joan Wulff ” – A chat with Peter Hayes and his diary notes from a day with Joan.

• “Lake and river fishing tactics” – A where and how to start session fishing session that takes the guesswork out.

• “Casting” - Roll cast, False cast, Pick up lay down cast, tight area casting. Improve your casting 10% and you will catch 50% more fish. This session will also teach you how much fun you can have practicing your casting.

• “Fishing on the Creek” – a relaxed complimentary sparkling cocktail session at the end of each day on the rehabilitated private fishery.

Bookings can be made at www.peterhayesflyfishing. com/coursebooking The InTouch RIO Gold has a taper design that gives incredible loop stability at distance and a front taper that delivers perfect presentation of flies between sizes #2 and #22. The ultra-low stretch ConnectCore provides ground breaking levels of sensitivity for intuitively better cast timing, easier line lift and sharp, precise mends.

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Fishing News - Page 45

“A drogue is fundamental to lake fishing success in Tasmania!”

- Jim Allen A drogue is a device that enables you to moderate the drift speed of the boat. This drifting technique originated on the reservoirs and lochs in UK and Ireland. The lakes of these countries are very much like ours in Tasmania and if the fish are hard to locate there is no better fishing technique than this as it enables you to cover large areas of water in a controlled manner.

Jim Allen, has fished Tasmania’s highlands for 40 years and is some what of a fly fishing guru in these parts. Jim recently shared his thought on drogues.

‘I was first introduced to the drogue when Peter Hayes donated one of his original designs. For the first time I had some resemblance of control over the drift. It was made from a very tough material and the rectangular shape proved a significant advance over the many home made jobs that were around.

The combination of floats and weights keep it at the right attitude in the water, and by adjusting the length of the bow and stern rope you could sail across the wind rather than just drift directly down wind.

‘In heavy wind it improves stability of the boat, but in light conditions it is often preferable to NOT use a drogue and cover more territory. However I will set a drogue to slow the drift, particularly over a weed bed where past experience tells me fish are holding.

It is wise to spend the most time in an area where the fish are.

‘The drogue should allow some water to pass through as this stabilises it. Importantly it should be set to achieve a straight drift and by adjusting the bow or stern line the boat can be steered in a steady alignment down a windlane with minor adjustments on your motor.

‘I often observe what I consider an overuse or misuse of the drogue. I see it deployed as a matter of routine even in the lightest winds. In conditions such as this the drift slows to an almost stalling speed and some drogues sink. This is a disaster in shallow lakes such as Little Pine and Penstock where it can

The new and improved incarnation of the ‘Peter Hayes super drogue’ is softer, more easily set and stores in a smaller space.

dredge up the fragile lake bed. The drogue must float. Sometimes it is advantageous to cover water reasonably quickly looking for fish, so don’t always put it out. If you do come onto some fish have it ready to drop over the side.

‘Over the years the Peter Hayes’ drogue became ‘the standard’ with many of my fishing mates and other Tasmanian boaters. It is made of a tough material and its rectangular in shape proved effective and durable. The combination of floats and weights kept it at the correct attitude in the water.

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‘However they are no longer available, and it also had the disadvantage of being difficult to store in the limited space available in our mostly smallish boats.

‘I recently upgraded to a 4.5 metre Polycraft and installed the Mike Stevens’ upgrade based on the “Hayes” principal. In my opinion the upgrade is “sensational”. This new drogue balances the boat and achieves perfect drifts. The soft mesh design allows for easier storage and ready deployment. I believe the are made locally in Tasmania, so contact Mike if you want one. When deployed this drogue has the perfect balance between flotation and stability in even the most severe conditions that one can experience in the “highlands!”

‘A properly set drogue is as fundamental to an enjoyable days fishing as is confidence in my fly, rod, reel and boat. Don’t go fishing without one, but think about how and when, or even ‘if’ you deploy it.’

Jim Allen These drogues are available from Mike Stevens for $120 or $135 posted. You can also buy through paypal by sending amount above to mike@tasfish. com or phone Mike on 0418 129 949, Peter Hayes on 0409 944 699 or from Tamar Marine in Launceston.

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Zealand paradise. Being a designer and innovator he continues to think up new and better ways of doing things.

A testament to Wayne’s innovative design is the prestigious award he won at the 2012 International Fly Tackle dealer show for his rod clip. The rod clip serves the purpose of a third hand and takes care of your rod while changing flies or lures keeping those expensive outfits safe and secure. From the saltwater flats of Christmas Island to the Gippsland Lakes were yak fisherman are finding this clip ideal for the bream rods when tying new leaders and lures.

To view the complete range of Smith Creek® New Zealand products visit www.mayflytackle.com.au and click on the Smith Creek® logo.

Trade enquiries Mayfly Tackle (03) 9899 0034

DEVONPORT ROTARY BOAT SHOW SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2015 Zerek Cavalla Innovator HLS2 Fly Rods New for 2015 the HLS2 series is the easily the best range of fly rods produced by Innovator since the brands appearance in 1987.

Building on the success of our velocity series our manufacturer approached us 18 months ago concerning new graphite with improved durability and core strength through an advanced multidirectional carbon-fibre matrix which enables our new HLS2 series to be lighter and stronger.

We have taken a great deal of time in ensuring each line class represents it’s true purpose, by this we mean that our creek rods in 3 and 4 weight are medium action, our river and lake rods are medium fast actions and our saltwater series are fast actions.

No need to have a fast action on a creek rod were light tippets, delicate presentations and short distances are its primary use, likewise it is important to have fast action on 7,8 and 9 weight rods where weighted air resistant flies and fast moving species are your primary target. We encourage all fly anglers to visit their local fly tackle retailer and try the new HLS2 series of fly rods, you will not be disappointed in both their performance and presentation from tube to fittings, simply no corners have been cut and they equal rods twice their price!

MODELS: Freshwater range from 7’6” 3wt to 9’ 6wt and saltwater 9’ 7wt to 9’ 9wt Visit mayflytackle.com.au or call Mayfly Tackle on (03) 9899 0034 for your closest stockist.

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Rotary is conducting a boat show at the TS Mersey Navy Cadet grounds, River Road, East Devonport between 11am and 5.30 pm. Demonstrations include the new Barcrusher and Stabicraft range, PLUS an exciting ten-seater hovercraft for joy rides.

There will also be a wide range of boats on display, ranging from executive ski boats from the Horsehead Creek Water Ski Club, championship and vintage speed boats, jetskis, yachts, $100,000 plus motor cruisers to tinnies, surf boats, kayaks, clinker built dinghies and even vintage rowing shells.

Check out the Deegan Marine “Boat of the Show” award at 3pm, with boats presented spic and span Safety, rescue boats and personnel from the Marine Police, Australian Maritime College and the local Surf Lifesaving Club will add further to the day.

Demonstrations of scuba diving, with a diver working in a glass-fronted tank, surf lifesaving rescue and resuscitation and cray pot and net making will keep onlookers amazed at these skills.

Over forty model radio controlled boats will be displayed in the hall, along with the Fishcare caravan and fishing pool and a face painter to transform pirates and mermaids.

The local Dragons Abreast boat and Cancer Council representatives will be on hand dispensing sun screen to keep everyone sun-safe for the day.

You won’t go hungry – an undercover food court will hold the renowned Rotary BBQ food and drinks.

Entry is $5 adult, $2 child and $10 family, each adult entry will receive a ticket in a travel voucher sponsored by Spirit of Tasmania. Along with the Rotary spinning wheel, $1 tickets to win a hovercraft ride, it is aimed at a family fun day.

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Fishing News - Page 47

RECREATIONAL SEA FISHERIES NEWS February/March 2015

Recreational Fishing Survey Released

How many Tasmanians go fishing each year, where do they fish and what do they catch? How much do they spend on fishing?

All these questions were answered when Fisheries Minister Jeremy Rockliff released the results of the latest Tasmanian Recreational Fishing Survey recently.

Paid for by licence fees and conducted every 5 years by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, the statewide survey assesses key trends in catch and participation.

Over 3000 Tasmanian households were surveyed between November 2012 and October 2013 to see if they fish recreationally. 780 of these households, representing over 2000 persons then provided details of their fishing activities over a 12 month period.

Among the key findings: Almost one in four Tasmanians (or almost 100,000 people) went fishing during the 2012-13 survey period.

Males aged between 45-59 years represented the highest numbers of fishers.

Flathead was the most popular recreationally caught fish in Tasmania accounting for 62 per cent of all scalefish. Around 1.6 million flathead were caught with more than 40 per cent released.

Other important species are Australian salmon and southern calamari for sea fishers and trout for inland fishing.

Almost 80 per cent of fishing days were in salt water; the remainder in fresh water.

Fishing News - Page 48

How many fish are taken recreationally by Tasmanians?

A brochure and mini-poster summarizing the results of the survey are available for recreational fishers.

Fishers spent an average of $1000 per person or a total of $93 million on boats, fuel, fishing gear and other equipment delivering economic and social benefits to the local community.

These findings are used in stock assessments to ensure that our recreational fisheries continue to be sustainably managed. Collecting information about recreational fishing is also vitally important in recognising its social and economic benefits to the Tasmanian community.

A free brochure or mini-poster entitled What’s the Catch? summarising the key findings of the survey and copies of the full IMAS report are available from the DPIPWE website at: www.fishing.tas.gov.au/ recreational-fisheries-research. Copies are also available from Fishcare and some tackle shops.

Rock Lobster East Coast Management Strategy

A substantial part of the East Coast was recently closed to commercial rock lobster fishing for the remainder of the quota year (until 28 February) because commercial landings from this area were close to the East Coast commercial catch limit for the 2014/15 quota year.

Recreational fishers may be aware that this closure was part of the Department’s strategy to rebuild rock lobster stocks on the East Coast. This article explains how the strategy operates.

What does the strategy entail?

The 10 year strategy aims to rebuild East Coast rock lobster stocks to greater than 20% of an unfished stock and in excess of the peak stock levels of the mid 2000’s, by limiting the amount of lobsters harvested each year from this region.

Currently, rock lobster stocks between Eddystone Point and Marion Bay are estimated to be below 10% of the unfished or ‘virgin’ fishery (100%).

This is a widely used performance measure in fisheries assessment.

The harvest strategy is based around a package of seasonal closures for both the recreational and commercial fisheries together with a specific regional catch limit for the commercial sector.

This strategy should also help to limit the formation of urchin barrens from pest species the long spined urchin (Centrostephanus) as lobsters are a predator of the urchins.

To achieve the rebuilding goal, the total commercial and recreational catch has to be limited each year. There are a number of different ways this can be done.

For the recreational fishery, a specific East Coast daily bag limit, possession limit and boat limit was introduced and the start of the fishing season in November for the Eastern region was delayed by two weeks. This is an ‘indirect’ means of limiting recreational catch because it does not directly control the total recreational catch.

For the commercial fishery, the eastern region November start date was also delayed by two weeks, but the more significant management measure was the introduction of a regional catch limit or ‘East Coast catch cap’. The East Coast catch cap fits within the total allowable commercial catch quota system which limits the statewide commercial catch. The catch cap explicitly limits the amount of commercial rock lobster that can be taken from a defined area on the East Coast.

How does the commercial catch cap work?

The commercial catch cap zone is between St Helens Point and Penguin Island (Bruny Island). The exact boundaries take into account key stock rebuilding areas and practical operational issues associated with compliance and catch monitoring.

The Minister determines the commercial catch cap for the area each year using scientific advice and a formula developed by researchers at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS). For 2014/15 the catch cap was set at 119 tonnes (27 tonnes less than was caught from this area in 2011/12).

How is the commercial catch monitored ?

Commercial fishing dockets are monitored daily and as the catch cap approaches industry is notified. When the cap is reached, the catch cap area and adjacent waters are closed to commercial fishing for the rest of the quota year.

Commercial fishery Eastern Waters closure In mid January, the Department notified commercial fishers of the imminent likelihood that the commercial

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catch cap would be reached and that the fishery would close on Monday 26 January 2015.

The area will not re-open until the start of the 2015/16 quota year on 1 March 2015. An extended area (in addition to the catch cap area) has been closed to reduce the risk of excess fishing effort in the areas adjacent to the catch cap zone.

Commercial catch updates are on the DPIPWE website at: http://dpipwe.tas.gov. au/sea-fishing-aquaculture/commercial-fishing/ rock-lobster-fishery/east-coast-catch-cap.

How often is the catch monitored?

Catch and effort data is updated annually for the commercial fishery and every 2 years for the recreational sector. Annual stock assessments by IMAS report on the stocks levels (biomass) for the region (along with other stock information).

This allows an annual assessment as to whether the harvest strategy is on track to meet the stock rebuilding goal.

Fishery assessments are on the Department’s sea fishing web page www.fishing.tas.gov.au / Research and Stock Assessments Will there be more changes in the future?

As stocks rebuild there may be a need for adjustment or adaptive management of catch controls. One identified challenge, noting the east coast commercial catch is explicitly limited and the rebuilding strategy requires the total catch to be limited, is the recreational catch increasing in response to the increased rock lobster abundance eroding the rebuilding gains. This, and other

issues would require consultation with the peak bodies and Fishery Advisory Committees prior to further changes being implemented.

Indicative maps illustrating the commercial catch cap area and the stock rebuilding management zone are below.

Need more information?

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

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Fishing News - Page 49

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www.islandercampers.com

Ph: 03 6437 2791 808 South Road Penguin, Tas

Ph: 03 6437 2791 808 South Road, Penguin, Tasmania 7316

FRANKLIN MARINE Open 7 Day s

Your ad can work if it’s here.

Launceston’s Only Authorised Dealer and Service Centre Mercury and Motorguide

Phone Mike Stevens 0418 129949

Call in for all your fishing tackle including full range rods, reels, lures, landing nets and bait. Also life jackets plus diving gear and stuff for all water sports.

8 Legana Park Drive Legana Industrial Estate, P: 6330 2277 E: chris@cjmarineandkarts.com

Full fishing and cray store + gear and bait and all boating gear Drive in parking with boat Ph: 6266 3768

Goes up in 30 seconds RV4 shown

Scott, 53 King St. Scottsdale.Ph. 6352 2357 Julie-Anne, 41 Quail St. St Helens. Ph. 6376 1390

Top Service – Top Price

Fishing News - Page 50

Watch the demo. Scan the QR code.

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

Boat trailer wheel and tyre

St Helens

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

Dunbier and early Holden pattern

around $90ea 62 Hopkins St, Moonah 6228 0274

Hillcrest Tourist Park and Mini Market

100 Chimney Heights Rd. St Helens 6376 3298

Outboard Technology

Gone Fishing Charters

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

Quality service and repairs to all Outboard Motors

Southern Region

Gone Fishing Charters St Helens

David Gillespie 6248 9080 or 0417 562 859

Michael Haley 0419 353 041 mhaleycharters@bigpond.com www.breamfishing.com.au

96 Clifton Beach Rd Sandford Tas 7020

Fish

World class fishing in the heart of the central highlands

Stay in a luxury art deco 3 bedroom cottage Atmospheric Highlander Arms tavern on the doorstep 3 course meal provided each night Catch your own salmon in Tarraleah lake and learn how to prepare it with expert chef 18 lakes within 30 minutes drive

(03) 6289 0111 info @tarraleah.com www.tarraleah.com

cosy wood fires

wine & whisky tasting

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

guided fishing trips

great pub

Fishing News - Page 51

Fishing News - Page 52

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