Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Issue 116 2015 June

June - July 2015

TASMANIAN FISHING and BOATING NEWS — ISSUE 116

10 TUNA TIPS

Page 5

SPEY AND SWITCH CASTING Learn to cast into next week.

Page 12

SOUTHPORT LAGOON

Discover this awesome location.

Print Post approved 100003074

Page 24

JETTIES AT GEORGES BAY Boat free fun over Winter.

Page 31

WINTER FISHING IS FOR WEIRDOS Craig Rist is a Winter weirdo and happily wears that badge. His cure for the Winter blues is on page 24.

$5.95

Yep, fish too much during Winter in Tasmania and you are classed in the weirdo category.

Of course anglers see nothing wrong with that.

There are broadbill, southern bluefin tuna, garfish, Australian salmon, flathead, flounder, gummy shark and many other fish still to catch. And there are some all year round waters for trout. However, some think it rather odd to do the Winter fishing deal.

Many are more than happy to put on a few extra layers and get outside. Frosty days more than often mean a still day follows. Enjoy Winter fishing, look for a high pressure system and embrace a weather forecast that predicts a hard frost.

Anyone can be normal - get a little weird this Winter.

Ten Tuna Tips — Joe Mangan

5

Stuffed Fish – Repairing your old leviathans — John Wilesmith

8

Trout – Lastseason highlights — Daniel Hackett

10

Spey and Switch Casting – Distance the easy way in fresh and saltwater — Peter Hayes

12

Southport Lagoon – Heaven on earth in Tasmania — Mike Stevens

16

Curing Your Winter Blues — Craig Rist

24

Customising Soft Plastics — Steve Starling

29

Shore Based at St Helens – Jetties around the bay — Jamie Henderson

31

New Products

35

Marine Fishing News

40

Position Vacant Advertising Sales

Black and Gold Yep Flapper

Advertising sales for Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News, plus some other publications and websites.

Initially one or two days a week, but that may change.

Work mostly from home. Fishing experience helpful, but not essential.

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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

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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

Fishing News - Page 2

Integrity, honesty and a pleasant manner are essential.

Care for current customers while developing new accounts.

Explain to customers how advertising in a targeted magazine and website/facebook will help promote their products effectively.

Prepare and deliver sales presentations to new and existing customers to sell new advertising programs, and to protect and increase existing advertising.

Develop promotional ideas for customer’s advertising.

Mike Stevens talks fishing with Chris Wisbey ABC Statewide

All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. Print Post approved; 100003074

MUST have a good selling track record - preferably by phone.

Keep informed about clients’ products, needs, problems, advertising history, and business practices to offer effective sales presentations and appropriate product assistance.

MUST be able to work to deadlines.

Ensure advertisers needs are met. Deliver more than is promised.

Apply in the first instance by email only to mike@tasfish.com For subscriptions go to www.tasfish.com, phone Mike 0418 129 949 or pay by Paypal to mike@tasfish.com - One year $36 - two years $68

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Crazy Kayak/Canoe Clearance SAVE HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS ON FLOOR STOCK - Here’s your chance to grab a quality kayak at never to be repeated prices

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NEW STOCK Richter Tuna Lures. These

sought after lures are catching Bluefin like crazy at Eaglehawk Neck this season and we have them in stock. Priced from $16

Penn Squall 50VSW game combo Limited quantity

HOT PRICE $399 Shimano TLD50 LRS 2 speed combo $429 Other options available

Red hot Shimano deep drop ELECTRIC COMBO

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37 Wilson St, Burnie Phone: 6431 6500

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

Fishing News - Page 3

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

NOW $300

XRT waders were $560 Sizes: S, LSS, XLS, XLSS, XXLS.

Riverworks - XRT boots were $300 now $150 Sizes: 1 x 11, 2 x 12 Chota boots were $250 now $120 Sizes: 1 x 11, 2 x 12, 1 x 14 Vision boots were $275 now $120 Sizes: 2 x 12 Aquaz boots were $200 now $100 Sizes: 3 x 11, 2 x 12, 4 x 13

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

Great winter deals while the boss is away

SAGE 65 models in stock from $395

Call in and see John for a great deal or layby for the new season.

TFO Fly Rods - $350 with tube TFO Practice Rod - $90 SCOTT Radian - In stock now $950

SIMMS - World’s Best waders Freestone waders (far left) $350 Guide wader (left) $690 Simms vests $145 - $320

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

FLY LINES

Scientific Anglers, Rio, Airflo From $80

Fly Fisher

Essential

105 York St, Launceston. Ph: 03 6331 8944 www.essentialflyfisher.com.au email: essfly@bigpond.net.au Fishing News - Page 4

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

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10 Tassie Tuna Tips Preparation is everything

Pretty easy guess where this nice chubby fish is from.

Joe Mangan

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here is still plenty of time left to hook up with some big tuna - off Tasmania’s coast. You often hear about the one that got away and that can be heart breaking. However with good preparation the risk of losing a fish of a lifetime drops enormously.

3. Look after your catch

1. Keep an eye on the sky

There is no better indicator of tuna activity than feeding birds. Sea birds are your eyes in the sky and can indicate tuna activity from miles away. Not only can they indicate what direction are school of tuna might be heading, they can also tell you what type/size of bait the tuna may be after. For example, my favorite bird to see dropping from the sky is the gannet. These birds hit the water over 100 Kph to snatch baitfish from below the surface. Gannets generally target large bait such as mackerel, sauries and redbait. In comparison, the small crested terns that skip across the waves, penguins and small pied cormorants are generally preoccupied with much smaller bait such as pilchards. You can use this information to help you with the size of lures you are running behind the boat.

2. Be prepared for the hookup

When that reel lights up and all hell breaks loose, don’t stop the boat. Tuna are a schooling fish, they feed in numbers and are very rarely on their own. If a reel goes off, ensure that you maintain your trolling speed for a good 20-30 meters before backing off and settling in for the fight. You can often turn one hookup into several by adopting this method.

Strikes often come without warning, so make sure the boat is prepared. Ensure gaffs and landing nets are within easy reach and not stuck under other items and gimbal belts and fighting harnesses are correctly adjusted.

Once you have boated your tuna, take the time to look after it. Tuna should be bled as soon as possible with an incision made just behind each pectoral fin. Get your fish onto ice as soon as you can, especially during the warmer months. If you really want high grade tuna for the table, after bleeding the fish, remove the side fillets and put them straight into ice. This will take up less room than the whole fish and will preserve the quality of the meat.

4. Use a variety of lure sizes, colours and types

Tuna lures come in such a growing variety of types, sizes and colours that it can be overwhelming when looking at what tuna lures you should use. Of all the lures I carry with me in every tuna trip, I still find myself using the same 4-6 lures! Nothing beats confidence in the stuff you’re pulling behind the boat, so if you’re having success with what you have, stick to it. As a rough guide, run a mix of lure types including deep diver style lures (Rapala, Halco and Yo-Zuri make some tough, realistic styles) pushers and jet-heads. Most of the bait tuna are chasing rarely exceeds 9 inches in length

with a great majority of it somewhere between 6 and 8 inches. This fact is far more important than colour.

Blue/silver, pink/brown, lumo/green and black/purple colour combinations are all proven tuna catchers in Tassie waters.

5. Keep your equipment in good order

Too many tuna are lost to poorly maintained gear or faulty, cheap equipment. My thinking is if you are prepared to spend the money on fuel and get up at ridiculous hours to chase tuna then why skimp on ensuring your gear is going to work for you? You don’t have to line your boat with gold reels, but there are a few simple, cheap things you can do to maximize your chances of landing a good fish. After all, tuna have a habit of finding weak points in your equipment! Make sure your line is in good condition. Monofilament line deteriorates in sun light meaning all of your line has a limited life. If you are hesitant about replacing your reels with new line every season, wind on the top of the line from one reel straight onto your other reel, thereby putting the unused line at the top of reel and the older line at the base of the spool. Ensure the drag mechanisms on your reels are set to the line you are using and that they are running smoothly. The ceramic inserts in the rod guides are easily damaged and can become very sharp and abrasive if unchecked, if you have roller guides, ensure they are rolling freely.

6. Before each tuna trip, use a hook file to sharpen up the points on your lure hooks.

Fishing News - Page 5 www.tasfish.com - Get the knowledge - Get the fish.

7. Fish bait balls efficiently and….

Effectively!

When baitfish are forced to the surface by their predators from below and are being bombarded by birds from above there is no better place to be than amongst this action. Seals, dolphins, whales and tuna often make up this feeding frenzy but it never lasts for long. Therefore it is important to fish this opportunity efficiently. Worst thing you can do is barrel straight through the middle of the bait school, more often than not, this will disperse the bait that have been bottled to the surface and leave you fishing blind. Maneuver your boat so that you can make circular sweeps around the feeding frenzy. As you troll around the school, you can cut angles to cause your entire spread of lures to swim right through the bait school without causing any disturbance to the bait school. When cutting these angles, don’t be afraid to drop your speed or cut a tight enough angle so that your spread of lures plummets down deeper. Also, be respectful to other boats trying to get in on the action, the ocean is a big place but bait balls may only be a few boat lengths in size. Allow other boats plenty of room, especially if they are hooked up.

7. Bad weather is your friend but not at the expense of safety

It is no secret that rough weather brings on the tuna, especially Tasmanian Southern Bluefin. I have rarely had a positive result when conditions are flat, sunny and clear.

Overcast, blustery, drizzly days from the south-west are legendary for stirring up the bluey’s. When planning your trips, monitor reliable weather forecasts right up to the morning you plan on launching the boat weather conditions in Tassie change quickly, what could have been forecasted a few days ago may have changed by the time to hit the water. If you plan your trips carefully, you can maximize your chances by fishing likely tuna conditions without sacrificing safety. Always have an escape plan organized in case conditions turn bad. Be mindful of land structures and travel times to protection if things get nasty. Ensure all your safety equipment is in date and in good working order.

Fishing News - Page 6

8. Make a plan and stick to it, don’t chase the ocean.

Prior to your trip, do some research! Use online fishing forums, tackle shops, social media updates and fishing updates to find out what’s happening in the ocean. With the fishing and weather knowledge, you should be able to put together a rough plan of what your day should involve. Are the fish in close or are they wide? Have they been favoring a particular area? Are they targeting are certain lure style or colour? All this info can help you make the most of your time on the water.

9. Ensure your lures are swimming correctly

When trolling, watch your lures as much as you can.

You will be surprised with what you see if you make an effort to watch the spread instead of what your mate packed for lunch. Subtle clues are often lost when not watching the lures. Make sure your lures are swimming the way they were designed to. Diving lures should be diving, not skipping cross the water due to excess trolling

speeds or rough conditions. Use rubber bands or flat line trolling clips to help keep your lures in the water should they keep breaking the surface. Pusher lures, jet heads and skirts should be just under the surface and depending on their design, breaking the surface temporarily to leave an air bubble trail behind them.

Make sure they’re not spinning upside down either; a toothpick inserted into the top of the lure can help maintain an upright swimming position.

10. Adopt a good fish fighting technique!

Good fish fighting techniques can reduce your fight time dramatically. Ensure your gear is set up correctly and that you are using your gear to the max of its capabilities. Use your legs more than your back to lift the rod during the fight and don’t bring the rod up to high, once the rod passes a 90 degree angle, it begins to lose power. Ensure that the driver of the boat is staying off the fish, and that the lines are clear of the prop leg and the hull of the boat.

Joe Mangan

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

SQUIDEZY Cleaning squid or calamari can be messy. The SquidEzy™ enables novices and experienced alike to clean squid quickly without the usual mess and effort.

Whether you are the fisherperson with the catch, the helper who has been given the bucket of squid to clean, or the cook who wants to keep the tentacles, fins and ink sac, you will find this set of tools a great help!

Sold as a pack of 3 to suit most sizes of Squid $21.90 Penn Squall Combo

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Pflueger Salt & Tamar Terror Rod

Daiwa Electric Rods and Reels

Finnor O/S Spin 4500

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Huge Range Instore

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Stormy Seas Zip Out Sleeves Jacket

$379 Zerek Pelagicz 18cm

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Halco Laser Pro

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Samaki Pacemaker 18cm

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PRO ANGLER 17T The new Hobie Mirage Pro Angler 17T is a fishing machine with comfort, stability and room for everything you need, including another person. Plus, it’s powered by the patented Hobie MirageDrive pedal system. The PA17T is the perfect platform to teach a young one how to fish, take your family member out, or simply fish hard with your best fishing buddy.

Riverworks Drymax Neoprene Waders

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Hark 2 Door Smoker

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Cray Cooker With Gas Burner

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$299 Trading Hours - Monday - Friday 8am-5.30pm & Saturday Mornings 8am-12.30pm - 6-8 West Tamar Road, Launceston - tamarmarine.com.au - 63316188

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What to do when your fish is stuffed Fish mount restoration by John Wilesmith.

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’ve been practising fish taxidermy for several years, starting with skin mounts and fibreglass reproductions, and more recently have taken on the restoration of old mounts.

With modern day products and techniques there is no reason why a properly crafted fish skin mount should not last a lifetime. However, we’ve all seen old (and some not so old) mounts hanging on pub walls, in fishing shops or in mates sheds that have weathered badly over time .

Not all old mounts need a make over. Those with least deterioration may still look rather discoloured but are best left alone with the vintage look and have a charm, character and history of their own. The worse for wear jobs with the curled fins and shrivelled heads can certainly be brought back to life.

Symptons

The signs of a prematurely aged skin mount are fairly obvious. They can typically lack colour and are often light brown or yellowish in appearance, sometimes with little detail or spot pattern. The body may also appear distorted. The head and gill covers can show signs of shrinkage and grease bleed with unsightly wrinkled areas

A sad and tired representation of a great catch before restoration. and discolouration from yellow to dark brown or black.

An improperly installed or wrong sized glass eye will also add to the unnatural appearance. Fins are thin by nature and are particularly vulnerable to the elements , they may look curled, split and lacking colour, also very brittle to the touch.

Cause

Years ago when big trout were plentiful, and taxidermy techniques not so readily available, many big fish were subject to rather crude practises, the results of which can be seen hanging on walls today.

Colour fade and yellowing may be due to a number of factors. The yellow/light brown is the fishes dried natural skin showing through. The mount may not have been painted at all initially, or very sparsely with a low grade paint and ultra violet light has taken its toll over the years. It can also be caused by over application of varnish.

Head discolouration and wrinkling is due to shrinkage and grease bleed. If the fish’s natural head was used on the mount these problems will occur if the head was not thoroughly de fleshed or de greased before mounting.

Greasy cold water fish such as trout and sea fish are prone to this. It can also be noticeable at the fin butts and along the back of the fish, again if the skin was not de greased .

Frayed, curled and split fins are also a common problem. Quite often no protective coating or paint was applied to the fins, that combined with continuous sunlight and heat will make the fins become very brittle and distorted.

Unnatural body shape and misaligned fins is usually due to incorrect set up of the skin in the first place , or an unsuitable filler used under the skin to form the body of the mount.

I’ve covered the most obvious points here, there’s other issues that can occur such as cracks and indents , improperly fitted eyes and loose attachment to display board, all of which can be fixed.

Remedy

Most damaged skin mounts can be restored with minimal repair work. In more extreme cases where damage is extensive the best option is to virtually start from scratch by making a mould of the worn mount and casting a modified fibreglass copy.

Sometimes all a mount needs is a fresh paint job . It is fairly straightforward fix and will transform the look of the fish , giving it life especially when finished with the appropriate varnish. It has been said that a poorly mounted fish with a good paint job will look far better than a well mounted fish with a poor paint job!

Head distortion and discolouration is a bit trickier to fix if the customer wishes to retain the original head on the fish. The shrunken and discoloured areas need to be cut out of the head to ensure accumulated grease is removed, a resin is then used to fill and re model the damaged areas. Sometimes it is easier to remove the head and replace with a fibreglass cast copy. In fact, to prevent these problems occurring in the first place it is preferable for the taxidermist to use a cast copy of the original head when first making the mount.

Fin and tail damage can be repaired and fins strengthened to assure the problem doesn’t re-occur, if too deteriorated they can be removed and replaced with an artificial copy.

Conclusion

All fishermen have a sentimental attachment to their prize catch on the wall, it’s a permanent talking point amongst fishing buddies with many memories and yarns

Two beautifully restored mounts.

Fishing News - Page 8

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

swapped over the years.

T he mount should justify not only the size but the beauty of the original fish. It’s always a shame to me to see stuffed fish that are a shadow of their former glory and relegated to the shed and in some cases not even hung on the wall, especially when the mount may not be particularly old and would have cost a bit to be done in the first place.

Minimal restoration can make major improvement to the look and life of a mount, without altering it drastically and losing the charm and character of the original fish.

One aspect that often gets over looked is care for the trophy. No skin mount, no matter how well made likes extreme heat. We all know how hot fishing shacks can get once the log fire is stoked up. Use a bit of common sense and don’t hang your trophy in close proximity to a scorching hot flue, the heat will take its toll over time. If you wish to hang a trophy in that sort of environment then maybe opt for a fibreglass reproduction.

Don’t be put off by this article or by what you’ve seen hanging on walls from having a skin mount trophy made.

Not all fish are suitable for skin mount but trout certainly

The Miracle Worker

Dr Mark Dramatic before and after shots. are, and at the end of the day most anglers opt to have their actual fish hanging up as opposed to a plastic copy.

If you’ve got a big fish you want immortalised, do a bit of research before you get the job done, and if all correct techniques and products are used by the taxidermist then your trophy should last a lifetime and will not need a restoration job in the future.

John Wilesmith

Can repair, renovate, rebuild, replace, redesign or renew just about anything to do with boats, trailers, propellers and other general engineering stuff.

If it is busted, bent, broken or dinged.

Dr Mark can fix it For new boats, new trailers, general fabrication, design or rewires.

Dr Mark can do it Miracles - No problem Spongers, idiots and time wasters are not welcome.

The miracle is getting Dr Mark started - then there is no stopping him. P.S. He loves cash.

Aluman Engineering 424 Hobart Rd, Youngtown TAS 7249 6343 3341

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

Fishing News - Page 9

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Last Season Highlights

by Daniel Hackett Five pounds from Brumbys Creek

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Bigger than average fish, spookier than normal fish, and a dependence on sight-fishing techniques’–these are the three descriptions that sum up the 2015 / 2016 fly fishing season for me.

The fishing was great on the northern rivers, almost from opening day. The low river levels during September were pretty worrying, but gee the river fishing went off with a bang. Dry fly was the go, and the Fastwater Dun became the go-to pattern. There’s always a flip-side though, and the traditional highland frog-season and backwater fishing didn’t really happen, so a few trips to Little Lake and the back lakes were pretty woeful.

Penstock provided the best of the highland fishing, with the transfer browns from Arthurs being caught hand-over fist on Gold Humungus patterns.

Onwards into November and December, and with a bit of welcome rainfall, the back lakes finally filled and spilled. Though the frog-season was already done and dusted by the time the rain came, both the river and lake fish put on excellent condition, and the fisheries were primed for a great summer. It was during November that we began to experience some excellent brown trout fishing in the Meander above Deloraine, for the first time in a few seasons. Let’s hope the rainbow trout stocking experiment of recent seasons has been deemed a failure, and the territorial browns are left to provide brilliant fishing. During this period was also the only time that we fished the Top Weir at Brumbys, with some massive fish taking the Pheasant Tail Red Spinner. A highlight was a five pounder, but before we got a chance at any of the other brilliant fish, the Hydro turned all flows off for the season, leaving an agricultural drain behind.

Sadly, if the Hydro continue to manage Brumbys purely for hydro and irrigation requirements, excluding environmental and social impacts, then Brumbys is on its last-legs as we know it.

Fishing News - Page 10

December was a brilliant month out west, with black spinner days and tailing evenings. I was lucky to spend nearly three weeks guiding in the Western Lakes during December, and it was the best I’ve had. Average fish size was up, hatches were consistent, and the weather was co-operative. Down on the rivers and the rainforest creeks running off Ben Nevis began to fire, with huge snowflake caddis hatches and loads of fiery brown trout.

Even the wild rainbows of the Mersey River were fatter than average, with our Scruffy fly being a consistent producer.

January and February entered the hardest period of fishing for the season, mainly attributable to the number of low-pressure troughs crossing the island, and to a lesser-extent the lower than average rainfall.

Low pressure troughs (often marked by easterly weather patterns) change the fishing markedly. Hatches become less predictable and more scattery, and brown trout feed more cautiously. We worked on achieving good fishing during these bright and typically calm conditions, and by making sure that we were in the right place at the right time, and by relying heavily on sight-fishing tactics, we were able to keep the catch rates up. And with the fish fatter than ever, it was worth the persistence. We topped off February with a seven-pounder, and a few cracking hopper days on the South Esk from Avoca right through to Evandale (the Mini-WMD Hopper was our best pattern). The great caddis hatches continued on the headwater creeks.

After a week-and-a-half of shocking weather in March, it was great to have more typically settled autumn weather kick in. We experienced a few great days of polaroiding on the plateau, one day of which we polaroided fish non-stop for three hours, and the Bruisers Bug proved to be the fly of the day. The Mersey also began to fire, and a fresh flush of water down the

A lovely little creek fish from March South Esk brought the black spinner on, and created some great fishing levels in the lower Meander. The southern rivers were also showing their best, with the Florentine, Styx and Weld all producing some pretty spectacular fishing.

As the season begins to wind-down, the Mersey is still fishing great, the Meander will fish well right through to closing day, and the little creeks have consistent sight-fishing in most conditions. We’ll spend a day fishing the lower-Derwent for big trout, predating on whitebait as they migrate back to the ocean, and even shift our attention towards landing some of the large Australian salmon hitting the East Coast. A handful of Surf Candy flies should do the trick. And then there are the jassid hatches – they’ve been falling on Little Pine and further out west. Seems like there’s a heap of options even in April!

Daniel Hackett, RiverFly 1864, Launceston

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

MY BOAT — SURTEES 6.7 Sport Fisher Jason Ivory - Statewide gamefisher and family man.

I’ve been asked to give a review on my Surtees 6.7 Sports Fisher and why I chose to buy this particular boat. My name is Jason Ivory.

After many years fishing from my old 6 metre plate aluminum boat I was looking to upgrade to something slightly bigger and better riding.

Originally I was thinking of buying a 6.5 metre fiberglass boat to get the comfort in the ride. I also wanted a few creature comforts in a lock up cab with room to sleep on the boat for overnight stay.

The one thing that worried me about going to a fiberglass boat was the weight when towing, as I do a lot of fishing statewide - from Strahan to St Helens, Eagle Hawk Neck and Southport. I fish these places many times a year and living in Devonport most destinations are three hours or more towing a boat.

I have been dealing with Hadley and the team at Deegan Marine in Ulverstone for many years and trust Hadley and his experience. I sought Hadley’s advice — we discussed the pros and cons of what I was considering and then he said I think you need to take a look at this boat, it fits everything you require and will be easy to tow.

This was the beginning of the end of the search really as the 6.7 metre Surtees ticked all the boxes.

I wanted a hard top, lock up cab, bunks up the front for overnight stays and room for a toilet in the cab for those long days fishing. It had everything I was looking for.

The only thing left unanswered was the comfort of the ride. Hadley then set about giving me a test ride.

Hadley said it’s no good going on a calm day you need to get in it when it’s rough to appreciate the ride of the Surtees.

A few days went by and Hadley gave me a call and said come over after work and we will take this boat for a run, Bass Strait had thrown up some pretty choppy stuff with around 1.5 metres of wind-blown chop on it.

I thought this will be a good test and to the credit of the boat I was pleasantly surprised by the ride and comfort of this boat and once the 380 litres of water ballast was locked in to the water ballast keel, the boat only got better to ride in.

I’ve now owned this boat for just over 2 years and cannot fault it one bit, the ride is sensational, lock up cab allows me to store gear in there safely or to have those overnight stays. It’s easy to tow for its size and the aluminum trailer helps keep the tow weight down.

The 200hp Honda is excellent with great fuel economy and as Surtees slogan say’s these boats are built by fishermen for fishermen and after spending many hours on my Surtees they are correct.

Surtees have put a lot of thought in to the usability of these boats, there’s a place for everything with plenty of storage. The quality of the workmanship is a credit to Surtees.

My boat is very well finished, the welding is spot on, the finish paint and the Nyalic finish make keeping the boat clean easy.

I’ve fished all over the state in my 6.7 Surtees now and have done many hours on the water in her. It has handled every type of sea condition with ease and comfort for the crew.

There’s always that time when the weather turns nasty unexpectedly but I have great confidence in the Surtees and it handles these conditions with ease.

Simply put, I feel the 6.7 Sport Fisher is a boat batting well outside its size and as I spend most of my time game fishing from this boat it’s nice to know I have a good boat around myself and my family.

I would highly recommend anyone looking for a boat to look at the Surtees before buying. This boat wasn’t on my list of boats to even consider looking at and I ended up buying one Jason Ivory.

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

Fishing News - Page 11

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Spey and Switch Casting is Easy and Really Cool

by Peter Hayes Whilst I’ve been familiar with spey casting for many years it wasn’t until just three years ago that I realised the full potential of it, the forthcoming groundswell towards it and the usefulness of it for Tasmania.

Fishing News - Page 12

Sage visit to Tasmania

During 2011 Marc Bale, Sage’s International Marketing and Sales Manager visited Tasmania and stayed at my Cressy lodge. Marc was in town to help build brand awareness and one night, during the dinner conversation, I asked Marc a few questions about fly rod sales.

Yo u m i g h t b e interested in this, as am I, and you might be surprised at some of the answers.

My first question was ‘Marc, which company supplies the most fly rods in the world’ ?

His answer was Sage sell more than anyone else – they are head and shoulders above all other companies.

Marc Bale from Sage.

So Marc, who supplies the second highest number of rods? ‘Sage warranty Peter’ was his answer. It seems that Sage’s warranty department ships out more repairs annually than any other new rod company sells rods !

Another question that I thought would get a straight forward answer was ‘Marc, what is the biggest selling fly rod in the world’? I assumed, probably like you will, that it was going to be a #5 weight — 9 foot. You could have picked me up from the floor when he said that it was a #5 weight — 11’6” Switch rod.

Marc went on to explain to me that people all over the world were learning to fly fish using two handed rods or switch rods. It had not occurred to these people that fly fishing could be done with a single hand! Get that !

My Tasmanian crystal ball tells me there might just be something in that. So, for the past three years I have put

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One of the World’s great spey and switch casters, April Vokey was recently in Tasmania. an enormous amount of time and effort in perfecting Switch casting and Spey casting. This winter I am going to do a road trip through the North West United States focussing solely on Spey casting.

What is Switch and Spey rod casting

Let’s look at the line weight issue first. For some reason, that I don’t understand in regard to weights of switch and spey rod lines you need to add three line weights above the single hand rod line weight. So, when I talk about a #5 weight switch, or spey rod line or rod I am talking about a normal single handed line of #8 weight. A #8 spey rod would use a #8 spey line but it would be the equivalent to a #11 in the single hand world.

Switch Rods

A switch rod is a rod that lets you use it by switching to either single hand use or two handed use. Typically they are lighter weights and shorter lengths. One that I favour is a #4 weight 11’6” Sage One. The line is similar to a normal #7 and as such can carry relatively heavy flies. In single hand use prodigious distances can be achieved because of the length of this high tech lever.

If I were to switch over and use two hands the casting becomes effortless (for the technical minded the rod becomes a type one lever instead of a type three. If my top hand simply operates as a pivot point on the upper cork grip my lower hand only needs to pull in toward my body perhaps 10” at 20 MPH and the rod tip goes forward 10 feet at 200 MPH).

Spey Rods

Are designed to be used only with two hands. The most powerful one I own is a 15’ #10 weight. It is scary how easily, and how powerfully, I can cast long distances with it. The fact that the line is equivalent to a normal 13 weight means that it can carry huge, heavy flies with ease. The thickness and strength of the rod means I can play big fish too.

Of course this is what the Spey rod was designed for. My understanding is that Spey rods and Spey casting were developed on the River Spey in the UK. It is a big river with a run of big salmon. Long casts were necessary to cover the water. Heavy flies were mandatory and the fish were big and powerful.

Benefits of Switch and Spey Rods

• A relatively small back cast area is required.

• Quick casting cycle times are possible – ideal for fast saltwater school species.

• The relatively heavy line can cast heavy flies.

• Long distances are possible.

• Greatly reduced effort - ideal for young, old or injury prone anglers.

• A dynamic roll cast delivery is safe as the fly never passes your body.

• Changes of direction are easy and instant.

• It is a fun way to fish compared to a single hand rod.

Prominent Spey casters visit Tasmania

How lucky are we here in Tasmania to have visits from two of the highest profile fly fishers on the planet, and all in this past year.

April Vokey

April is a great Spey casting exponent. She has fished that way in her native BC, Canada since she was young.

April would have to be the most prominent female fly fishers in the world and she built her world-wide reputation on the back of Steelhead fishing with a two handed rod. Her recent Spey demonstrations in Launceston were well received. For her diminutive size it is remarkable how far, and how easily, she can cast.

Interesting is the fact that April loves her Bob Clay bamboo Spey rod like no other. (I know how she feels -maybe it is like I love my Nick Taransky bamboo spey rod)

Simon Gawesworth

I first met Simon in 2000 when we competed against each other in the World Fly Fishing Championships in Bristol, England.

Like me, Simon had come from a long and successful tournament casting background: he is one of only a handful of people to represent his country at world level in both fly fishing and fly casting championships.

He was a formidable competitor ! What Simon does not know about fishing is not worth knowing.

Simon recently visited Northern Tasmania where he spoke at an Australian Fly Fishing Museum cocktail

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Fishing News - Page 13

Rio flyline’s Simon Gawesworth demonstrating switch and spey rods on the South Esk River in Tasmania. party and demonstrated Spey casting on the South Esk river the following day. His appearances were well attended and I for one was super impressed with his ability to inspire, to teach and to cast a spey rod.

At days end Simon and I cast together under the moonlight on my casting pond.

We shared a gin and tonic and he continued to cast. I did not think there was anyone on the planet more passionate about the cast than me – I was wrong.

A recent saltwater trip

There I was, a month after April and Simon’s visit, standing knee deep on a sandbar. The wild southern ocean pounding just a kilometre behind me, huge rugged peaks of the southern Tasmanian wilderness in front of me, and a channel full of clear blue incoming tide at my feet.

The casting was beautiful. It felt beautiful, it was effortless and fluent - smooth. I am sure it looked good. I can truly say that it did not matter if there were no fish there. But then….. it happened. I should have known better. In a spot like this it was impossible to

pull a chartreuse and white Clouser for any great distance through the water without it being eaten.

Cast after cast was eaten until the fish became a distraction and I happily cut off the hook so that I could keep up the casting practice. Watching those super smooth, powerful Vee loops sail off into the distance does it more for me than pulling in fish.

Then came the garfishing. I bet the dozens of gars I caught using the switch rod were the first ever gars caught this way in Tasmania. I don’t mind saying it but my two companions would not have caught a quarter of the fish that I caught. In this case the long fine tip #4 — 11’6” switch rod and fly line was a superior gar fishing pole than the conventional spin rods.

So, give it some thought. Get in early my crystal ball is not very often wrong.

Peter Hayes Peter is conducting spey and switch classes. Go to www.peterhayesflyfishing.com for details.

If I could only choose one?

Fishing News - Page 14

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Southport V I S I T I N G R E S E RV E S Lagoon Magic Winter Fishing

Southport Lagoon

Mike Stevens

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Sunrise on calm waters is a sight to behold anywhere in the World.

old weather can strike anytime in Tasmania and a of us – Southport Lagoon. It is south of Southport lot of people complain about the cold constantly. with the turnoff past Hastings and the Ida Bay Railway.

To Hobart Anglers are no different, but, like bush walkers it just I had heard of it and it has always been a difficult place Cave means more appropriate clothes. And if there is a huge to access. Some recreational anglers accessed it from winter frost you know the day will be calm and bright Southport by boat, waiting until the weather forecast and a joy to experience. So while it can be wild, cold, was good and less than a metre of swell on the barway. bitter and wet look out for approaching high pressure That was not an option for us. We wanted to camp a systems, plan a trip, and rejoice in the short calm winter few days and take a small boat and an off road camper. days. The fishing can be grand. 5 The road from Hastings is extremely rough, suitable for 63 C635 Two inshore fish that are C fun to catch over Winter are high clearance 4WDs and has potholes that need a GPS garfish and flounder. Both are pretty reliable fisheries, to navigate through. Soft-roaders and town all-wheel but preparation is the key. In fact it is the key to catching drives won’t cut it here.

Lune most fish.

Peter was the forward scout and had a couple of days Southport River With the latter fish in mind my good friend, Peter with his children first before they had to leave, then I Hayes, had been watching the charts looking for a followed with Don - a man known to be very keen on weather window to try a new water, unknown to either hunting and gathering.

Measured kilometres from my home in Launceston it is near enough Ida to 310 kilometres. A long way in Bay Tasmania, but not in most places.

However with a couple of stops for coffee, traffic in Hobart, numerous Southport Lagoon Track road works on the Midlands Highway (high clearance 4WD only - 5.9 km) and the very rough last six kilometres it took five hours. I am an unhurried driver, and there are few good things in life that happen quickly.

When we arrived at Camp Southport Dinghy launch area Peter had a pretty satisfactory setup, boat in the water, fire going and gin and tonics dispensed. We sat and Southport Lagoon planned for a while and with a calm, Camping Ground cold night around us we gathered Southport The Spit (accessible

by SMD water) up our new (surface mounted Lagoon diode) flounder torches and headed into the dark around 11pm. We had great plans.

A6

Access

CONSERVATION AREA

C 63 5

Track closures

Southport Lagoon

The Southport Lagoon Conservation area covers 4280 hectares with the lagoon covering 1060 hectares. It is one of the most pristine saltwater lagoons in southern Australia with very little impact over its entire catchment from humans. Most of it is less than one metre deep and it has extensive seagrass beds. It hosts the world’s smallest endangered seastar. Please value and care for it.

Navigating the lagoon is interesting and you are encouraged to be aware of the marked channel and follow it. A speed limit of five knots applies and boats are limited to fourteen feet and 15hp, although much smaller boats will suffice.

We had a four metre boat and five horsepower motor.

It was dark, cold and calm as we set off on our flounder, and hopefully, flounder mission. Peter had some success the previous night so we were confident. On the bow we also had an electric motor and when we arrived at the chosen shore this was deployed as our propulsion for the night.

Day use facilities

Phytophthora

Fishing News - Page 16

A small boat will do, with a tiny outboard.

These guys caught plenty of fish. Most of the lagoon is so shallow you could walk to shore.

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Southern Ocean

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

Fishing News - Page 18

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This was to be a boat based exercise, unlike the ‘olden’ days when floundering meant a motorcycle battery towed around in a floating inner tube, connected to a sealed beam, that gradually lost its grunt. No, this was comfort floundering. Don was positioned on one side and me on the other with Peter on the electric motor.

Pretty simple stuff this. Peter would motor us along and look for fish as we searched and scanned with the outstanding hi-tech lights. As peter was up higher we had a couple of different perspectives.

Once a flounder or flathead was spotted Peter would simply motor over to it and we would attempt to spear it. Sounds easy, and a number were. The flathead were a little harder, but over the evening we managed around 25. Not a lot, but a lot of fun. By the time we had a nightcap it was after 3am and bed was a delightful place.

Don got up for a twinkle at dawn, but he was not heard nor acknowledged. ‘Should have seen the beautiful sunrise’ he told us later. We were hiding from the cold.

Day two was a late start and it was unknown whether we were having breakfast or lunch. It didn’t matter as there was no time frame, nor were we worried about tide or hordes of people – there were none.

When we did get on the water early afternoon it was more discovery than fishing for a couple of hours and it is great to travel slowly and see how this lagoon is made up. The water is crystal clear and as mentioned earlier, mostly less than one metre deep. Some of it looks barren, but there are also extensive weed beds.

The habitat is extraordinary. We had a few casts with plastics and Peter cast a fly. Don caught a flathead first cast, and then a few more. At some stage, after an hour or two, we continued our discovery mission and arrived at the mouth of the lagoon.

The tide was making and pouring into the lagoon – an ideal spot to find some Australian salmon, but after a couple of casts we noticed an intruder – a huge seal.

Fifty metres away we could see Sammy tossing fish around – playing with it rather than eating, but by the size of him, or her, the smorgasbord had been long. Fish know danger – and they were avoiding this area, so we moved off and tried for some garfish.

Vast shallow sand flats are a feature of the 1060 hectare - virtually unsullied by humans

Unspoiled, unpolluted and virtually untouched.

Given we didn’t really know what the lagoon had to offer we just did what we would do elsewhere. For garfish we wanted some tidal flow, seagrass nearby, berley and patience. We had all that happening and twenty minutes later the garfish came up the berley trail. Peter was using his fly rod – with bait attached and out-fishing Don and I easily. We also caught some small salmon and kept a few for dinner that night.

So that part of the day ended with completing a tour around the rest of the lagoon and back to camp.

We cooked garfish, flathead and salmon for tea and they were all outstanding. Whilst we all know how good flathead is – as is garfish, the salmon was just as good.

It is a great table fish if bled, kept cold and consumed straight away. A lovely feast cooked by Peter. A couple of beers and a wine satisfied our thirst.

We chatted about what time we would go back out for the flounder, but then there were some sprinkles of rain and some light, but annoying, wind gusts – something you don’t want when searching for flounder as the ruffled water cuts your vision enormously. So we sat and waited – yes, no, maybe?

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Fishing News - Page 19

Innovation and the modern technology of strip lights attached to the chines make this the ultimate flounder boat.

Our contemplative mood was broken as we saw visions of a space craft coming towards our camp – powered by a four horsepower Yamaha. The water was glowing and moving – should we hide? What was it? We had seen some fishers earlier in the day motoring about – perhaps it was them, but what was the glow? Where they being chased by some luminescent underwater monster? Our interested was piqued. We had to see this – and were drawn to the light like suicidal moths.

I could see the headlines now ‘Three anglers disappear without a trace from Southport Lagoon’.

Clunk, bang they arrived with the aura now surrounding their boat. They didn’t seem to care, so

maybe there was no threat. Clunk, bang again – then ‘give us a hand mate’. We approached – to find the boat was surrounded by an aura of LED strip lights.

These ran up both sides and across the front. This was an innovative way to fish for flounder I had not seen – hidden from all in a southern Tasmanian lagoon. This was masterful. We must know more. Shortly after boat two arrived – also surrounded by a southern lighting aura – sounds distinctly like Southern Aurora, but water based, not heavenly.

These innovative people should be on the television series Shark Tank. They had fixed LED strip lights to their boats under the waterline, shining brightly and revealing any flounder, flathead or other sub-marine within reach of their flounder spears. By the look of their haul, it was an impressive way to fish. Whilst well

under their possession limits they had enough fish to last a week or two.

Also quite innovative was the side sponson extensions that had been added on to house batteries and extra gear.

These added to stability as well and made great sense.

This boat was designed for the job and was perfectly capable. With three people on board the operation goes something like this, I was told.

‘One person is on the tiller of the little 4hp motor and with lights switched on we simple motor along giving hand signals when we see a fish. There is no stopping or starting, and because the motor is a bit noisy only hand signals work. If we miss spearing one there is soon another. We find the flathead spooky and more difficult, but we get a few.’

Don Urquhart and Mike Stevens having a bit of fun with Australian salmon. Bled and eaten fresh they are great table fare.

Fishing News - Page 20

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The ultimate setup for Southport Lagoon: Toyota, cartopper and off road camper trailer.

Camp visitor: The Crescent Honeyeater is found in a variety of habitats, from coastal heaths, wet sclerophyll forests to mountain forests. It is mostly found in damp gullies or in thick tea-tree scrub.

It feeds on nectar, fruit and insects, foraging mainly on understorey shrubs. It usually feeds singularly or in pairs, but may be seen feeding in small flocks.

The call is a loud, metallic, ‘egypt’.

Some berley to encourage the garfish and then a baited hook on the fly rod was Peter Hayes highly successful way to get a feed.

The spears were three prong, but with the middle prong removed. The batteries, spears and all other paraphernalia was stored in the side sponsons, which kept the main floor area free. It a great arrangement. The little 4hp motor had an integral fuel tank so that helped keep the floor space free as well. Within a few minutes the boat could be setup – and conversely it was easily disassembled, put on the flat tray and on the way home.

This was the ‘norm’ for them and whilst we have the latest rods, reels, flounder lights, Gortex, camper trailers, hi-tech head torches, boat loaders, electric motors etc., we could not compete. Back to basics we should go.

‘Twenty five bucks for a five metre strip’ we were told, referring to the LED light strips. I will be buying some to retrofit to my twelve footer, Peter wanted some and Don as well. The rain started and some breeze as well, so that ended our prospects of a night chasing flounder again. We felt quite inadequate and deflated now anyway, so perhaps it was best we didn’t try and compete with the local knowledge.

While all this was going on Don slept. He has missed the ‘light show’.

Not such a late start the next day, but again breakfast approached lunch, before we moved much. Peter wanted to stretch some flyline using his Spey/Switch rod and suggested we do a little video. Over to the mouth we motored, looking for some salmon. Sammy had gone and we were soon onto them every cast.

While we were shooting the video and Peter had to cut the barb off as he was catching salmon every cast.

I am mightly impressed with Switch rods after Simon Gawesworth demonstrated them at the Australian Fly Fishing Museum earlier in the year. The ease with which anyone can learn to cast long distances effortlessly is

Atillah with a nice bream he caught using nippers he pumped.

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Fishing News - Page 21

astounding. Scan the QR code below to see the short video we shot.

We caught up with some other locals that were there for the day and learned a little more about the lagoon. It is a place to treasure and take care of so your grand children can Peter and Don are not looking too experience the way enthusiastic, but breakfast was the world used to outstanding. be.

The road is very rough and it is not a place to go often. Weather can be critical depending on the fishing you want to do. It would be a heavenly place to take your kayaks and spend a few days.

Two staff from Parks and Wildlife came to do a tidy up and we had a chat. They cut back some encroaching shrubs from the designated camp spots and maintained the bio-toilets. The facilities include two double toilets and ten camp sites.

Take your own wood.

So if you want a winter break and see a good, slow moving high pressure system heading towards the south east of Tasmania keep Southport Lagoon in the memory bank.

Mike Stevens

Southport Lagoon - Visitors information Access

Access is via a 5.9km long, high clear ance , 4WD dr ive route r ated moder ate to hard.

The tr ack commences 1km south of Ida Bay off the Lune River Road. People using this route must be exper ienced four wheel vehicle dr iver s. Off-road 4WD tr ailer s are per mitted but standard 2WD tr ailer s and boat tr ailer s are not per mitted.

All vehicles must keep to the for med tr ack.

PLEASE NOTE: dogs are not per mitted in the conser vation area.

Please be consider ate of other s as the Lagoon Tr ack is used by other recreational user s such as walker s and cyclists.

Track etiquette

If fitted, please use UHF channel 10 to talk with other tr ack user s on your way in or out of the lagoon. This is to enable you to choose an appropr iate place to pull over to allow another vehicle to pass.

You are requested not to dr ive in company or in convoys but r ather spaced apar t by sever al minutes to avoid tr ack congestion and going ‘off tr ack’ to allow other s to pass.

Passing bays are mar ked with guide posts.

These bays are designed for use by one vehicle at a time .

Track closures

Please be aware that tr ack closures may occur at any time dur ing the year. This may be due to vehicles going off the designated tr ack or wet conditions which will lead to unacceptable environmental damage occur r ing or where safety is an issue . Phone Par ks and Wildlife Ser vices, Huonville Office 03 61217031. Ur g ent tr ack closures may occur on total fire ban days.

It is recommended that you contact the Par ks and Wildlife Ser vice before visiting the lagoon dur ing these per iods.

Enquiries or exhibitors phone 0497 176 229

11 -­13 SEPT 2015 TH

TH

Day use facilities

Basic facilities are available for use by day visitor s including a picnic table , fireplace and toilets.

Phytophthora

Phytophthor a is a fungus, which tr avels in soil attacking the root systems of plants and it can kill susceptible plant species.

The tr ansfer of soil on vehicles, footwear and tent pegs will spread the fungus.

To reduce the spread of phytophthor a always star t your tr ip with a clean vehicle and equipment. Remove all dir t from the vehicle , including under neath the vehicle and mudguards. If possible under ta ke tr ips in dr y conditions.

Camping

SILVERDOME, LAUNCESTON Fishing News - Page 22

Ten individual campsites are provided near the NW edge of Southpor t Lagoon.

The maximum capacity of the entir e campground is 40 people . Each campsite is numbered and camping must only take place at these numbered sites.

Campsite bookings are not required. The maximum stay per mitted is one week.

Br ing your own water.

Rubbish bins are not provided, please take all your r ubbish when you leave .

Composting toilets are provided.

To ensure they wor k cor rectly it is impor tant not to place any foreign objects, por table chemical toilet contents or r ubbish into the toilet system.

F i res

Fires may only be lit in the designated fireplaces provided, however the use of fuel stoves is recommended to reduce environmental impacts..

Firewood is not supplied. Vegetation including dead br anches from within the conser vation area, must not be used as firewood.

Chainsaws are not per mitted in the conser vation area.

Fires must not be left unattended and must be fully extinguished before you leave .

On total fire ban days no fires are allowed. Only gas/fuel stoves are per mitted to be used.

Wh at t o br i n g • • • •

Fuel stove Firewood Dr inking water Rubbish bags

B o at i n g In fo r m at i o n

Southpor t Lagoon is an ideal destination for kayaker s and canoeists.

A designated dinghy launch point is located at the campground. There is no boat r amp. Boats will need to be car r ied to the water.

The maximum allowable length of dinghies is 14ft and the maximum engine size is 15 HP. Lar ger boats and boat tr ailer s are not per mitted.

Vehicles can be par ked in the day use area and dinghies must be car r ied to the water on foot.

Posts that mar k the lagoon’s deep water channels which should be followed to avoid damage to shallow seagr ass beds.

Per sonal motor ised water cr aft such as jet skis are not per mitted.

A 5 knot speed limit applies to the entire lagoon.

F i s h i n g In fo r m at i o n

The most common species of fish are flathead and flounder.

Hook, line and spear s are per mitted in the lagoon.

Bait tr aps, all nets and specialist lines are prohibited within Southpor t Lagoon. This includes set lines, longlines and droplines.

War n i n g

The lagoon is classified as ‘smooth water s’ but recreational fisher men should take extreme care around the lagoon mouth and bar-way due to strong cur rents, breaking waves and the sand bar which changes.

Strong cur rents can occur in the channels at any time , par ticular ly at ebb tides.

Beware that the lagoon has extensive shallows of 1 metre or less in depth.

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4-STROKE

F2.5 | F4, F5, F6 | F8, F9.9, FT9.9 | F15 | F20 | F25, FT25 $200 $250 $300 $350 $400

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Fishing News - Page 23

W Curing the Winter Blues

Put some warm clothes on and embrace the world. Winter fishing can be great.

Craig Rist

Winter Great Lake

Great Lake is productive all year round.

Great Lake is one of a handful of year round trout fishery in Tasmania that offers the die hard trout fisher a place to wet a line in fresh water.

During the months of June and July, the brown trout that have finished spawning are looking to regain condition quickly. The Great Lake Galaxia will be high on their opportunistic diet at this time, making lure and streamer fly fishing a viable option. Shore based fishing is a good bet at this time of year with Browns hunting Galaxia along the rocky shorelines. They also take advantage of the abundance of Stick Caddis over the weed beds and muddy bays. Fur flies, Woolly Buggers and streamers are great flies to use at this time of year.

A size 10 Montana Nymph with a green or yellow thorax and marabou tail is one of my favorite go to flies at this time, because I believe it represents both baitfish and stick caddis in one fly.

If the thought of flogging wets for hours on end is not your thing, then a light weight 2 kg spinning outfit with a handful of small 5 to 6 cm bibbed lures and soft plastics can be a very productive way of catching a few winter Browns and Rainbows. Some good winter shore base locations are Christmas Bay through to the Bee Hives, Swan Bay directly below the pub and Elizabeth Bay along the Western shore, just to name a few. Many other locations around the Lake that have weed beds and rocky shores within a cast, are also worth while.

Fishing a shore with an off shore wind makes casting easier but it’s not always the best place to find the largest concentration of fish. At this time of year it’s often the shore that has the wind blowing into it, that holds the most fish. This is often the case when the wind as been blowing in the same direction for a couple of days as this quickly accumulates those poor swimming aquatic insects such as Stick Caddis, along these shores. The wave action from this wind also hides wading anglers and softens the entry of hard hitting lures or fly lines Fishing News - Page 24

that might otherwise spook fish in the more sheltered waters. When fishing shores with the wind blowing into them the stress of casting directly into the wind can be eliminated by simply wadding out and casting along and back into the shore . Another way is to fish these shores from the comfort of a boat using an electric outboard or just drifting back into the shore. A boat also gives you the ability to search a lot of water to find more fish.

With that said, shore base fishing during winter can offer surprising results for those who want to brave the cold for the day or just a few hours before retreating to the warmth of the car, shack or pub.

A size 10 Montana Nymph with a green or yellow thorax and marabou tail is one of my favorite go to flies at this time, because I believe it represents both baitfish and stick caddis in one fly.

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Winter Australian Salmon

The winter run of Australian Salmon into our estuaries and along the coastline are highly anticipated by anglers and go a long way towards curing the winter blues. The majority of these salmon rarely push up enough bait to attract flocks of birds to give them away, so the run of Salmon could go unnoticed if it wasn’t for word of mouth from keen anglers that have done the hard yards to find them. Sometimes you just have to go looking for them with a sounder or trolling lures in known Salmon destinations around the State to find them. In today’s multi media world it’s not hard to work out where people are starting to catch Salmon. A good start is the fishing reports from the local news papers, Face book, fishing forums and of course Tas Fishing and Boating News web site to offer some inspiration and somewhere to start.

Salmon are drawn into river mouths and estuaries all around the State. Rivers and their estuaries such as the Duck, Leven, Forth, Mersey, Rubicon and Tamar in the North of the State are well know Salmon haunts during winter. These rivers and the nearby beaches and rocky coastlines are well worth exploring. On the East Coast, Georges Bay always seams to hold a few schools of salmon throughout the year. It’s really hard to say when salmon are going to turn up in any location as they constantly move in and out of an area with the changing weather and tides. One week they will be there in numbers and the next they will be gone. The best times to search an estuary or river mouth with a lures or a sounder is during those low light periods of early morning or late afternoon during the last 2 hours of Australian salmon are great fun and readily available over Winter. the incoming and the first 2 hours of the outgoing tide.

Trolling is a very effective way to Casting and trolling lures need only be target Salmon, particularly along deep 5 to 7 cm long. Silver metal lures with a channels and rocky coastlines where fish splash of red or blue do well as do hard move up and down the water column body bibbed lures with white, green or with the bait-fish or krill they are feeding blue coloration’s. Salmon are well suited on. to fly fishing and can be targeted using Trolling various depths is an easy the same fly rod and reel used for trout. way to locate these fish, but once you A full sinking or sink tip fly line works have found them it can often be more well when using surf candies, Deceivers beneficial to turn off the outboard and and Clousers in all white, white and red, drift or anchor the boat to cast lures or white and yellow and white and olive. A flies. This is often the case when the bit of flash tied in doesn’t hurt either. schools of salmon you encounter are in Flies are usually cast out and allowed to skinny water of 1 to 3 meters. These fish sink before retrieving them back using are often spooked out into the deeper a fast erratic strips using a single handed water when boats using motorized retrieve or a double handed retrieve with outboards pass over or near these the rod tucked under your arm. Small schools. If you are fortunate enough to surf fishing poppers trimmed to match Marsh Slider Hook Packs be on the water with other boats that the size of the bait fish, make great have like minded anglers who are willing poppers for salt water fly fishing and to drift or anchor when fishing shallow work really well on Australian Salmon • Super Strong Body water, the sport had from these fish can when you have fish busting through a bait ball at the surface.

A fl oating or • Weedless Rigged be spectacular. Berley such as a frozen block of minced up fish and oil is a intermediate line works best on poppers, • Jighead Rig great way to hold any passing schools with a short fast retrieve used to keep • Strong Body Roll of Salmon close to the boat. With the them in the water and in the strike zone, • Seven Colours salmon right at the stern of the boat a like a wounded bait fish. This is exciting To suit • 3.5”, 4.5”, 5”, 7” & 9” very short cast can produce fish after fishing and they will even take these 5”, 7” & 9” fish. This can be a real winner for kids tiny poppers dead drift if you can land and those of us who are not used to it among the mayhem.

FOR MORE INFO repetitively casting lures or flies to catch PLEASE VISIT these fish.

D A H S T A L F THE !

E T E L P M O C FAMILY IS 4.5”

3.5”

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Fishing News - Page 25

Wrasse

The humble Wrasse (Parrot fish) and the Blue Throat Wrasse are often regarded as a poor table fish and are sometimes disregarded as a desirable target species. But these fish can be just what you need to liven up a dull Winters day on the water. Parrot Fish have a motility yellowy dark grey colour while a female Blue Throat Wrasse has a brown coloration. The male Blue Throat Wrasse has a more burnt orange and white coloration with striking blue colour under the lower jaw, giving them its name. These fish live close together among the rock and kelp and are quite aggressive and competitive when food is introduced. The bite from these fish can be fast and furious once you have located them on an inshore reef. A simple paternoster rig, baited with some hardy squid or octopus tentacles is all you will need to get in on the action. Once hooked these fish fight hard with a short burst of power to get back into the kelp, but soon tire of this and come quietly to the boat or shore. I have seen them take deep diving lures and soft

Wrasse - eat them or not? Give Peter Spencer’s recipe a try.

Abbie Donohue getting excited.

plastics and they are quite willing to take a small red and white Clouser fly, if you are ever tempted to sink one down into the kelp and tease it back up using short fast strips. They put up a great fight on fly gear and can liven up the day when the Salmon are not playing the game.

As for being a table fish, well I think we are quite spoiled here in Tasmania and often over look these fish because of the other premier table fish we have in our State. However being able to produce some of the more desirable table fish doesn’t always go to plan. Wrasse on the other hand are much easier to find and catch. I don’t mind the taste and texture of a fresh fillet from a Blue Throat Wrasse that has been bled and skinned. I have served Blue Throat Wrasse up to people without

telling them what it was and they often comment on how much they liked the taste of this white flesh. I have also just discovered a new way of preparing and cooking Wrasse by turning them into fish patties or fish cakes.

The recipe was passed onto me by Peter Spencer who inherited this simple recipe for cooking Wrasse from his father. Using a fish patty recipe to lift the texture and taste of fish such as this makes a lot of sense and definitely turns them into tasty seafood dish that is free of bones and very easy to prepare.

Peter Spencer’s Wrasse Patties

500g of parrot fish or Blue Throat Wrasse 250g of mashed potato 1 egg 1 cup of bread crumbs 1 tbs dried or chopped fresh chives salt and pepper to taste

1. Remove the scales, head and guts.

2. Boil the Wrasse until the flesh is cooked 3. Remove the fish and peal off the skin. Remove the white meat using a fork to leave the bones on the fish frame.

4. Peal and boil the potato and mash with milk and butter 5. Combined the egg, mashed potato, shredded fish, chives and salt and pepper into a bowl and mix well.

6. Divide mixture into flattish fish patties and coat with dried bread crumbs or flour.

7. Heat oil in a pan and cook until golden brown.

Serve with sweet chili dipping sauce. Garnish with fresh chives or fresh coriander This basic recipe can be tweaked to your own taste by adding curries, sweet chilli, fish sauce and garlic. The possibilities are endless for these fish patties.

Craig Rist Fishing News - Page 26

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Lures for Yellowtail kingfish Australian salmon and pelagics UNBREAKABLE

NORSTREAM Baitfish Lures Jig them, let them drop, high speed or slow Solid Welded Stainless Steel rings Single Mustad Big Gun hooks Pilchard, Blue mackerel, Whitebait glow 25 grm, 40 grm

Look for the red cards at your local tackle store or phone Clarkson Imports 03 9758 7722 to find a stockist.

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Fishing News - Page 27

Tie better flies — Be a better caster GUARANTEED RESULTS - OR YOUR MONEY BACK ‘Hayes on Brumbys’ Lodge will host the Cressy Muz Wilson Memorial Tie In. This is a ‘live in’ fly tying weekend on 12/13 September 2015.

This weekend will honour the very wonderful Muz Wilson. The world is a much lesser place without the Great Muz Wilson in it. His innovative fly designs, his superb fishing ability, easy going, helpful and generous spirit will be dearly missed.

This weekend will provide an opportunity for all keen and budding fly tyers to get together and share the many wonderful things this great sport has to offer. Not the least of which is fly tying.

This is a start of the season fly tying party where you will not only have a wonderful and entertaining time you will also learn much from some of the best.

Bill Beck Bill is based at Little Pine over the trout season and has spent many years guiding in Tasmania. In the off season he ties flies. His Cat Fly is, like him, - legendary. It is not his only creation though and he has a lot more to share.

Bill Is one of the anglers that I have the greatest respect for and I’ve talked Bill into being the dinner speaker on the Saturday night and that is something you do not want to miss.

Fishing News - Page 28

Ray Brown Professional tyer of 30 years, Ray will also be with us on the weekend to demonstrate many ‘tricks of the trade’.

Peter Hayes will be swanning around contributing, for what it is worth, from his experience at two world fishing championships and 21 years as a guide on Tasmanian rivers and lakes.

Cost: Total cost for the weekend is just $270. A 1/3 deposit must be paid online to book your place and the balance is payable at the event.

Twin share accommodation, all meals, tying tuition and fishing on site is included.

Spaces are limited so don’t mess around - book your place immediately so you don’t miss out.

Casting Tune Up and dinner - Fri 11 Sept.

An additional afternoon will be added to the Live In Tying Weekend (Friday 11th Sept - 12 noon to 5 pm) for those keen live in weekend tying guests that are able to, and wish to, come early and join in a ‘Tune Up’ fly casting course program.

Fly tying & C asting Sept 11, 12, 13 Better casters catch more fish.

We will tidy up your basic casting stroke making you a more efficient and effective caster. Learn techniques like double hauling that will add many meters to your cast. A little formal casting tuition can go a long way to helping you catch more fish next season.

Cost: For the afternoon casting tuition, Friday night dinner, twin share accommodation and breakfast is $165/person and must be booked and paid in full, online to secure your place. www.peterhayesflyfishing.com

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C

Customising your soft plastics Pimping Colours Steve Starling

The colours of some lures can seem a bit “over the top”… until you consider nature’s own amazing palette!

W

inter is a great time for tackle tinkering… Reel maintenance, fly tying, replacing the rusty trebles on lures, or even pimping up your soft plastics for the coming season! As Starlo explains, customising the colours of your plastics isn’t hard. It’s also great fun, and can be highly effective!

In this occasional series of features, I want to look at the fascinating subject of customising soft plastic lures.

In my opinion, this is an avenue of tackle tinkering that far too few anglers explore. Most buy their supplies of soft plastics from the tackle store and seem to assume that these versatile lures must be used in exactly the form they were packaged in by the manufacturer. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth!

Perhaps this notion that the maker knows best and that anglers shouldn’t “fiddle” with their products is a carry over from the world of hard-bodied luring. Beyond perhaps upgrading or replacing hooks and rings, very few anglers actively modify hard-bodied lures made from metal, plastic or timber. There are exceptions to this rule, of course. For example, some switched-on trout chasers have been adding bright, pea-sized red spots with lighter-coloured halos to their minnows, plugs and spoons for years, especially when fishing the pre-spawn and post-spawn runs of trout in autumn and spring. I first helped to popularize this custom colouration more than three decades ago, and gave it the name “spotted dog” in my writings. That label has stuck, and has even been picked up by some commercial lure makers. But I certainly can’t claim to have “invented” the actual spotted dog pattern. In fact, it was first shown to me by a very canny Finnish trout fisher named Erkki Norell in the early 1980s, and it had been used in his home country (with great success) for at least a generation or

The “spotted dog” pattern that Starlo named and helped to popularize through the late 1980s and ’90s remains deadly on trout, and is a classic example of how well customised colours can work. This pattern can be applied to soft plastics, too. two prior to him telling me about it. There is very little under the sun that is truly “new”!

The spotted dog pattern works because it mimics the flank markings of mature, pre-spawning brown trout and apparently triggers territorial aggression in other pre-spawn trout. It is one of those rare examples of a colouring tweak that can dramatically increase your catch rates, at least when used in the right place and at the right time.

How important is colour?

I’m often asked to rate the importance of colour in the lure selection process, and over time I’ve developed a stock standard response to that common query. It

goes something like this: “Colour isn’t usually all that important, but when it is important, it can be critical!”

In other words, in my humble opinion, colour isn’t very often the single. key, criteria in successful lure selection… but on those relatively rare occasions when it makes a difference, colour can make a huge difference.

This answer might sound like a cop-out or a riddle at first glance, but it’s not meant to be. What I mean is that, most times, the running depth, size, action and speed of your lure are all far more important issues than its colour. But sometimes, just sometimes, you can get all of those other key factors exactly right and still only catch half as many fish (or less!) as a fellow angler who adds a particular colour choice to those other selection criteria.

We’ve all been in that boat (or on that stretch of bank) where one colour or even one particular shade of colour out-fishes everything else by a country mile.

Not having that tone in your collection is a bad situation to find yourself in. This is one reason why those of us who are serious about our lure fishing amass such large and diverse collections of hardware in every hue of the rainbow. You just never know when that day will dawn on which purple or pink or puce or passion fruit pavlova is the killer colour!

No hard rules

I wish there were hard and fast rules for colour selection when lure or fly fishing but, unfortunately, there aren’t. I can give you some broad guidelines I’ve come up with over more than four decades of fishing, and I’m happy to do so. For example, I tend to use natural, neutral, life-like and fairly subdued tones in very clear water, brighter colours in dirtier water and very dark, solid colours like black, midnight blue or purple

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Fishing News - Page 29

make and test colour modifications right there in the field.

Most permanent marker pens will colour soft plastics, although it can be hard to add significant changes and variations to lures that originally have a dark-based colour scheme. Just as in house painting, it’s much easier to put dark over light than vice versa.

For this reason, anglers with an urge to try some onwater customization would do well to consider packing some white plastics or other light colours in their kit.

These provide an ideal base for creative customization.

Purpose-made pens

A bream taken on a pale-coloured Squidgies Pro Prawn that has been dipped in red dye. at night and in filthy water. There are sound principles behind those general rules of colour selection, but they should never be regarded as more than a starting point and a basis for experimentation and observation.

Exceptions abound.

Matching the hues and patterns of baitfish or other prey items present in the water where you’re fishing almost always makes sense, too. Less easy to explain is the frequent success that comes from matching the water colour itself, or the tones of the target fish you’re pursuing. But I have seen these principles work far too often to ignore them: Green lures in greenish water, or brown lures in brown water. Naturalistic redfin-coloured lures for catching redfin, life-like trout fingerling patterns when chasing trout, and so on.

Certainly, these species are known to be cannibalistic at times, but I suspect there’s a little more to it than that. It could just be that the eyes of these predators are particularly sharp and well attuned in that band of the spectrum containing their own species’ colours. Such an adaptation would make sense. We may never know the full reason for sure, but these are still colour selection principles well worth observing and testing, like the ones described earlier.

One drawback with most of the standard permanent marker pens you’ll find on the shelves of your local newsagent or stationery supplier is the very strong, chemical odour of the ink or dye they dispense. I doubt that this smell is attractive to fish!

Fortunately, there are some purpose-made lure marking pens and dip-able dye pots on the market that not only lack that acrid chemical whiff, but have actually been impregnated with odours that are claimed to be attractive to fish.

The best of these products that I’ve used to date come from the imported Spike-It range. These products, which can be hard to find here in Australia, include lure pens and fast-dying tubs of dye that are actually intended to bond with the molecular structure of most PVC-based soft plastics, and which are “flavoured” with a range of scents including garlic, shrimp and what the company describes as “gamefish”. Over the years, I’ve had good results with all of these, on everything from Murray cod to mulloway.

make it an old, worn, ripped or otherwise damaged tail.

(I’m pleased to report that Spike-It’s Dip-N-Glo dye is perfectly compatible with the Squidgies softies that I have a close personal involvement with.)

Secondly, avoid spilling or knocking over an open bottle of this stuff! It will badly stain carpets, boat decks, clothing and the like and, if it’s a scented variety, the odour will linger a long time. I spilt so much garlic scented Spike-It in one of my earlier boats while competing in bream and bass tournaments that the vessel’s interior ended up smelling like a very old pizza delivery van!

Less is more

My best advice when using these purpose-made pens and dyes to modify and customize your soft plastics is to tread gently and use only subtle applications of aftermarket colouration. Think in terms of adding highlights and features, rather than a total re-paint. Sometimes, less is more. It’s also desirable to maintain the translucency and semi-transparency that is so often a feature of highly productive softies. Don’t make them opaque with an overly heavy application of marker dye.

Adding a flush of colour to the tail or gill area of an artificial bait can sometimes work wonders. So, too, can the addition of lateral lines, gills, spots, scale patterns and brighter eyes. Where these pens and dyes really come into their own, however, is on those occasions when the fish are showing a clear preference for a particular tone that you don’t happen to have in your lure collection.

That’s the time to grab a white, clear or pale plastic and paint it up to match the hatch.

Lure customising can become quite an addictive pastime, and playing with after-market colours is just the start!

Steve Starling

Spike-It lure customizing pens are ideal for the task of pimping plastics, but you can use ordinary permanent markers as well. This is a saratoga from Top End waters, but the concept Spoilt for choice is just as valid on popular Tasmanian target The range of lure models, patterns, sizes, actions species. running depths and, yes, colours on the market today is nothing short of mind-boggling, and can actually become confusing, even for experienced anglers. We all want to be armed for as many potential on-water situations as possible. However, it’s just not practical to cover all the bases every single time… Not without your tackle collection completely taking over your boat!

Land-based anglers are obviously even more restricted than boaties. Hard decisions need to be made about what to pack and what to leave behind, especially if you’re hiking any distance to fish.

One way to free up your choices in the colour selection department is to carry some form of marker pen collection, or a couple of fast-drying dyes, and to Fishing News - Page 30

Spike-It’s lure pens are probably the most useful and versatile option. The dip-it tubs give a very strong colour that stays on the lure extra well, but you’re obviously limited in the patterns you can create. Normally, you need to dip either the head or tail of the lure into the tub, and you’ll end up with a distinct two-tone effect.

However, this can be great for the tails or heads of shads and fish-shaped soft swim baits, for example.

Two words of warning about the dip tubs: Firstly, they can react badly with some makes of soft plastic and actually dissolve or eat away at the lures. So, always test one tail from a batch first and, if you’re short of lures,

Jo Starling with a tropical saratoga from Top End waters, taken on a soft plastic she’d “pimped” using coloured marker pens.

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S

Shore Fishing St Helens Catching a feed without a boat Jamie Henderson

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s many of us fish on a tight budget these days, what with mortgages, living costs, family expenses, kids and cars etc, owning a boat is quite often low on the list of priorities. With this in mind being able to maximise your shore fishing opportunities and make the most

of your feet is as important as the tackle you use to do it with. What follows is a quick look at shore fishing options around Georges Bay, St Helens, and the tackle and techniques needed to take home a feed of fish.

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Fishing News - Page 31

Georges Bay has a good variety of shore fishing options from sandy flats to rocky shores as well as the many small jetties around the bay and these offer a great place to start especially where the kids or family are concerned. To ensure a successful outing on a wharf or jetty the use of berley is paramount, this will attract fish from a wide area to your fishing position and keep them there for your session. A small berley pot with a couple of handfuls of berley pellets and a capful or two of fish oil is all that is needed and dropped down a foot or two under the surface. Try not to introduce large amounts of berley to the water column at once as this will only serve to feed the fish and they will soon move on, the effect you are looking for is a constant, steady stream of particles floating down to the bottom……a little bit often is better than a lot at once.

Once the berley has attracted schools of fish to your area then a standard paternoster rig, small bomb sinker on the bottom with two hooks above, dropped to the bottom is by far the best all-purpose rig to use.

Place a piece of bait on each hook such as prawn flesh, whitebait, pippies or freshly collected nippers and the action should come thick and fast. Fish such as Silver Trevally, Leatherjacket, Mullet and Bream will all respond well to this method as will Australian Salmon to a lesser extent. Another great technique is to use an unweighted bait tossed out in amongst the berley trail, a size 4-2 long shank hook, short 12 inch trace to a swivel onto the main line is enough to be able to cast provided there is no wind. Just let the bait flutter down amongst the berley and float in mid water and you will be surprised what fish respond to that.

As many of the fish feed on the small bait fish that frequent Georges Bay, at times the water around the jetties can be black with bait fish, the use of small baitfish imitation lures such as 10-15gm Halco Twisties and Gillies Baitfish and Pilchard as well as soft plastics like Berkley 3” Bass Minnows and 70mm Zerek Flash Minnows can be very effective. Just a simple cast and retrieve with an erratic motion will be all that’s needed for any small Salmon or Tailor to jump on it.

Some areas to concentrate on are the main wharf area towards the main township, the small T-Bar shaped jetty in Beauty Bay just along the waterfront, Kirwans jetty along the shoreline a little further from Beauty Bay (both of these can be seen from the road driving into St Helens) and the Parkside jetty just after the St Helens Point turn off. All of these jetties produce good fish on a regular basis and are a great spot to take the family.

If a crowded jetty or wharf is not your thing then there is plenty of good wadable shoreline to concentrate on. Starting in the township a quick wander along the foreshore and around the main wharf along the rocks can produce good Bream and Trevally as well as Mackerel and Salmon. I find that a small soft plastic outfit is an ideal way to target these species and flicking small bait fish imitations up along the pylons and along the rock walls will produce fish as well as unweighted baits being let drift about naturally. As you move over the bridge on your way out of the town there is a small oyster encrusted rock wall that you can climb down to at low tide, this gives casting access to the pylons under the bridge and the rock wall itself can quite often hold good numbers of fish.

From this point almost all the way around the waterfront is a walking/bike track and from here you

Kirwans Beach is probably the most productive jetty in Georges Bay.

Parkside jetty is only a few hundreds metres along St Helens Point Road.

Beauty Bay is protected from the prevailing northerly breeze. It also has toilets. can access quite a lot of good fishable shoreline with a good mixture of rocky bottom, sandy shore and muddy flats. Here the same soft plastic outfits and lures will work well or a simple running sinker rig of a small ball sinker down to a #1 or 1/0 octopus or long shank style hook, baits such as those mentioned above will be ideal for these areas as well.

When looking for a likely spot to target with the baits I prefer the shorelines that have some shallow mud or sand flats close by that have plenty of small crab and nipper holes in them as this is where the fish will feed as the tide rises over them. Target the drop offs on the edges of these flats when the tide is low and fish up on the shallows as the tide rises over them. When the tide

• Training Wall

• Stockyard Flats

• Town Wharf • Beauty Bay • Kirwans Beach • Parkside is low or receding good Flathead will sit in the deeper water facing up ready to snatch any food item washing down off the flats and they will rarely refuse a well presented bait. If you keep a small bait container on your belt with a handful of pippies, crabs and live nippers in it and cast these out onto the flats as the tide comes in with a very light weight no Bream or Trevally worth its salt will refuse. One of my favourite areas in the bay to do this is the Stockyard Flats near Akaroa. It is easily accessible by car, has a good little parking area and is easy to wade, just being careful to keep your eye on the tide when it rushes in over the mudflats. Fish such as Bream, Trevally, Flathead, Leatherjacket, Garfish, Mullet, Taylor and Squid can all be caught in this area using any of the means mentioned above, most of the bait you need is right at your feet and can be collected at low tide.

The Gear

As you will be spending most of your time on your feet good footwear is a must, the many wharfs and jetty’s around Georges Bay can have nails, bits of sharp wood, metal spikes and all sorts of nasty things to damage your feet on them so be prepared and don’t go barefoot. If the jetties are not your desirable hangout then a good set of gumboots or waders will be needed to wade the shallow shorelines. I use a pair of neoprene thigh boots for the cooler months but when summer

is here just a pair of shorts and an old pair of sneakers does the trick, just remember to keep a towel in the car.

A good wide brimmed hat or cap to keep the sun off your face, a long sleeved shirt to keep your upper body and arms protected from the sun, plenty of sunscreen and most important of all a good pair of polaroid sunglasses. These not only give you an advantage of being able to see in the water better but protect your eyes from harmful UV glare from the waters surface as well.

A good quality 6’6” or 7’ spinning rod or nibble tip rod is perfect for most situations both off the jetty’s and around the shorelines, matched to a small spinning reel in the 2500 to 4000 size will be perfect for the job and will give good service for a variety of techniques. For soft plastics the same reels matched to 7’ to 7’6” high modulas soft plastic spin rods will be great weapons for targeting Bream and Trevally particularly and make even the smaller Salmon great sport.

A small tackle box in a waist bag or small back pack with a handful of small size 1 & 2 ball and bean sinkers, #1, #2 and 1/0 size hooks in both octopus and long shank varieties, a couple of small silver lures in 10-20 gram range and a few different soft plastic minnow patterns matched to appropriate jigheads is all the wandering angler needs.

Jamie Henderson

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The Gnome has gone The world is a lesser place with the passing of Muz Wilson Peter Hayes

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t is so sad for me to know that the Great river gnome, Muz Wilson will no longer cast a fly into any water on this planet. Last month Muz lost his year - long battle with the wicked C. I spoke to Muz on several occasions over this past, difficult year and each time some of his wisdom, and recent insights, rubbed off on me. One of the good things, if there is such a way of looking at it, about Muz’s imminent death was that because of the terminal nature of his cancer his super and insurance companies had agreed to a full entitlement and early payout of some of his funds.

Muz was cashed up for the first time.

Muz had always had crappy old cars so he went and bought a WRX sports car and he loved driving it for 4 months. Muz had never travelled overseas, but held a deep and strong desire to fish in Montana.

Muz’s doctor did not think it was a good idea to travel as he was so ill.

He sought another opinion. The second doctor said “ mate, you wont be here for more than a year, if I were you I would go tomorrow”. He did.

Muz was one of the most lovable and generous spirited men I have met. He did not have a malicious bone in his body and he bought joy to many. He thought differently to the rest of us. He was a unique individual and I am envious of that part of his character. His time on the earth affected many people in so many ways. He has left a legacy in how those that knew him, think and fish.

The following is a short interview that Peter Hayes did with Muz some time ago.

The tense has been changed to respect his passing. (Ed)

Fishing News - Page 34

Muz Wilson, an innovator, clown and outstanding angler

Five minutes with Muz

Muz Wilson was one of Australia’s best known fly tyers and more importantly one of the most innovative fly designers on the planet.

In the industry and among his friends they called him the ‘River Gnome’ Muz looks, and behaves like I would imagine one would. He certainly had my children convinced.

One evening late in the season there were six good anglers fishing on Brumbys Creek. The fishing was slow. We all returned to the lodge just after dark and someone who had not gone out asked how we went.

My seven year old son Lachlan immediately replied that the River Gnome was the only one to catch a fish. Lachie said it with such conviction that his younger sister Maddie followed on with ‘yeah he caught it on his Fuzzle Fly and he lost 4 others’. They believed he was a gnome.

Muz knew fish — really knew fish and there is much I learned from hanging out with him. That evening was a good example. He had seven fish come to his fly while the remaining five anglers had one. I don’t think it was as much about the fly as his method of fishing it.

Muz explained to me and the kids that you must do a musical tune retrieve. It worked for him. I may write about that later. Nick Voce taught Muz to tie flies some 20 years back. They met in a tackle store at Camperdown and struck up a lifelong friendship. His fishing skills were originally honed in Victorian waterways and he probably knows more about catching bream on fly than anyone else in the country.

Muz was an intelligent man. He was educated with many life experiences.

Most obvious to me was his passion for fishing and all things related, his generous spirit and his lateral thinking skills. It is a combination of these that enabled him to be a leading edge fly designer.

Muz played with hooks and feathers, and everything else he could get his hands on. I really mean he played, it was play to Muz nothing more, nothing less, but I was also awe of his technical tying skills. I lost count of the number of original patterns he developed and his uncanny ability to develop new tying techniques for obscure materials was amazing. If you ever had a chance to see the Gnome at play you were privileged.

Some of the developments he was responsible for that spring to mind are: Development of the SLF material and the BMS fly. Rolling furs and other materials in see through waterproof tape to make Damsel and stick caddis bodies.

Taking the UK based booby pattern and turning it into a yabbie for mainland Australian lakes.

Developing the Fuzzle Bugger which in my opinion is a huge improvement on what was considered one of the world’s greatest flies a Woolly Bugger.

Upside down minnows that are snag proof and the Hammerhead bream flies.

He also developed a new upside down foam and CDC dun that is revolutionary.

Favourite fly:

Stick Caddis. Because of the memorable fish it caught and the type of fishing it was used for — ambushing or hunting or setting a trap and watching it unfold.

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

If you only had one day left to fish:

Mongolia, to catch Taimen. They are 6 foot long fish that eat dry flies in rivers.

Most inspirational angler:

Blimey! Ohhh! A really tough question.

I like reading Geirach and Randall Kauffman for stuff he has done. Wulff is the pioneer of everything. Morse and Weigall. Bill Beck is an absolute vulture and Jim Allen would be another inspiration. What I like about Jim is he is not too technical just get it out there.

David Scholes I can relate to stuff about Northern Tasmania Rivers and flood plain fishing like in Western Victoria.

First fish on a fly:

A little rainbow out of Bullen Merri on a Black Matuka. First memorable fish was a one kilo brown from the Hopkins River, sneaking along, working pools with a very small Red and Black Matuka on a size 12 hook. I bought it from Ray Long in Geelong.

Peter Hayes PS do yourself a favour and look up Muz Wilson on the Youtube links or scan the code.

This link will take you to a short video that was done at the Australian Fly Fishing Conclave in Melbourne some six or so years ago. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=X0cSNz9qU1s or http://bit.ly/1FveNoD or an interview with Kristina Royter at: http://bit.ly/1dglGmi

World Leading Fly Line designers coming to Tasmania Scientific Anglers designed the first modern plastic-coated fly line way back in 1952.

SA’s international sales manager Jeff Pierce, along with their chief research and development engineer, Andrew Bosway are visiting Tasmania in August this year.

Jeff and Andrew travel the World seeking to understand the needs of anglers everywhere.

SA understands the importance of the Australian market and its long term support of Scientific Anglers.

‘We want to meet the Australian people who have made Scientific Anglers the world leaders they are today and educate them on the current technologies that our products offer.

‘We cannot wait to visit and may have a few surprises in new lines in development for people to actually cast on their own rods.’

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Put this one down as a must go event.

Keep an eye on Tasmanian Fishing News and the Facebook page for more details leading up to the event.

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Fishing News - Page 35

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Phone David Mercer on 0419 873 886 to inspect and test drive.

Fishing News - Page 36

I struggle cleaning squid until the SquidEzy came along. Old mate Todd Lambert actually bought a couple of sets and gave me one. They come in sets of three. Hopefully you will only need the biggest one in Tas. The promise on the packaging promise that you’ll be able to clean a fresh squid using this gadget in less than a minute - even if you’ve never done it before.

I spoke with the man behind the Squidezy is Rod Cross. He designed and developed the clever gadget to make it easier for anyone to enjoy fresh squid more often.

Squidezy does several jobs while cleaning a squid.

It gives you a firm hold of the squid while you’re removing its inedible parts and takes the effort and most of the mess out of the cleaning and preparation stages.

Ease of cleaning is one part of the deal — the other is safety around sharp knives.

The use of Squidezy goes something like this - push the Squidezy inside the squid separating where the head and internal organs are attached to the hood.

All the internals can then be removed in one piece.

The ink sac can be kept intact.

The Squidezy is then inserted inside the squid, a little nick is made in the tip of the hood and then the membrane can be peeled off easily. The internal pen can then be removed as well.

I could go on, but no need. It comes with instructions.

Squidezy is made of food-safe moulded plastic and it has no sharp edges.

There’s no risk of injury using the device, following the easy instructions.

It’s a clean, quick and safe way to clean squid.

Watch How to Clean Squid at squidcleaning.com and then you will buy a set. The set of three are about $20 and I spotted them at Tamar Marine.

Shimano Grappler rods

These Japanese designed rods are aptly named, as they are perfect for grappling with any species you may encounter while jigging or casting lures offshore — from kings, samsons, amberjacks, various trevallies and dogtooth tuna, to mackerel and southern bluefin.

There are five rods in the jigging series— two light micro rods for fun fishing in close, but also around trap floats, FADs and the like, and then three gruntier rods with PE 3, 4, and 5 ratings.

The casting series consists of four rods that are two metres-plus in length and of two-piece construction for ease of transport, with a near undetectable ferruling system that in no way hampers their performance. These are rated for PE lines from 2 through to 5.

Grapplers are built on super light, high carbon content High Power X blanks, and the componentry is top-notch — CI4+ reel seats on the light jig rods and Fuji reel seats on the rest, Fuji K series SiC guides on stainless steel frames, and custom shaped hard EVA grips, with a split grip design for the light jigging models.

Berkley Gulp Nemesis 4” Combine the fish catching profile of a Jerkshad and the enticing tail action of a grub and you get the Berkley Nemesis. Designed in Australia the Nemesis shape is now available in a 4” size. The tail action of this shape has to be seen to be believed. On the drop or on the wind, the Nemesis tail swims at the slowest of speeds delivering continuous lifelike action.

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Features Minnow profile with curl tail.

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Smaller Solid Rings With the increase in micro jigging and the propensity for anglers to rig their own jigs these days, SureCatch has released two smaller sized solid stainless steel rings that are exceptionally tough.

Now available in sizes 4 (36kg) and 5 (68kg), the SureCatch Stainless Steel Solid Rings complement the existing range of solid rings in sizes 6, 7 and 8, giving anglers the full breaking strain options from 204kg down to 36kg.

Forged for extra strength and built with a seamless ring, the SureCatch Stainless Steel Solid Rings will allow you to rig your jigs and know you have the strength behind you when the going gets tough on oversized fish.

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

Finesse Flat Shads Arrive The incredibly successful Flat Shad from Zerek Innovations has shrunk in the wash and is now available in 3 1/2” and 4 1/2” versions.

It has not been as simple as just shrinking the lure on a CAD model though, the smaller Flat Shads were re-engineered with a softer plastic to maintain the same swimming action as their larger brothers. This softer material is still every bit as strong as the original Flat Shads (5”. 7’ and 9”) and can be stretched to its limits time and time again without the lure succumbing to the pressure.

Coming rigged on a weedless hook, the smaller Flat Shads have the same belly design that allows the lure to fold away under the slightest pressure to expose the hook. This means the smaller Flat Shads can be fished anywhere with minimal risk of hanging up, yet still provide exceptional hookup rates.

But for those who do not need snagless or weedless rigging, the Flat Shad can easily be rigged on a jig head and fished in more open waters with great effect.

The smaller size, the rigging options and the ability to be fished anywhere now mean there is a Flat Shad to take on any fish in Australia. Trout will nail the 3 1/2” version, GT and reef thugs love the 9” version and everything else in between will eat all of the other sizes!

And make sure you look out for the Marsh Slider Hook Packs, designed to fit the 5’, 7” and 9” Flat Shads and provide alternative weight options.

The family of Flat Shads is now complete!

Model Length Weight ZSWFS35 3.5” (8.9cm) 10g ZSWFS45 4.5” (11.4cm) 17g ZSWFS5 5” (12.7cm) 23g ZSWFS7 7” (17.8cm) 61g ZSWFS9 9” (22.9cm) 110g

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Fishing News - Page 37

Broken Promise Will Hodgman

You promised to do everything to stop (freezer factory trawlers) but have done nothing.

Fact: Tasmania’s recreational fishery is worth $93 million a year.

Fact: Tasmania Recreational boat value around $439 million.

Fact: Tasmanian participation in recreational fishery 22%.

Fact: GST to Tasmania from the rec fishery $15 million per year.

Fact: The value to Tasmania of Commonwealth caught fish in the Small Pelagic Fishery is virtually nil.

Fact: Seafish Tasmania Pelagic - Foreign ownership 100% dutch.

Fact: Seafish Tasmania - Foreign ownership 75% New Zealand and 25% NSW. Fact: There are NO access royalties for taking fish in the Commonwealth Small Pelagic Fishery - NIL. Fact: The Commonwealth fishery comes to within three miles of Tasmania’s shores - well within the recreational fishing zone.

Game and recreational fishers want the Premier to fulfill his commitment and stop these giant ships taking the food source for tuna, seals, dolphins and more.

R E Z E E R F S R P E L STO W A R T Y R O T FAC

I spoke with Will Hodgman at Agfest in early May. He asked me to make an appointment with him to work out a way to stop freezer factory trawlers. I have tried and sent several emails, but nothing has happened.

Mike Stevens.

What should we believe?

The Tasmanian Premier must call on the Federal Government to protect the marginally economic small pelagic fish resources for the benefit of the high value commercial and recreational fisheries it supports and the marine environment.

The Commonwealth Small Pelagic fishery is marginally economic at any scale that adequately protects against localized depletion, bycatch of protected species including dolphins and seals, Fishing News - Page 38

and the scientific monitoring requirements that enable confidence over the long term. Neither this operation, nor its predecessor, has shown it can operate in accordance within the high standards of the Tasmanian people.

This fishery produces a low value/high volume product that generates little return to Tasmania and regional Australia. It threatens the marine environment and vibrant and economically vital

recreational fisheries, and the wider commercial fishing industry’s reputation as a producer of high quality seafood.

For the good of all Tasmanian, please Mr Premier, call on the Federal Government to permanently ban the operation of factory freezer trawlers in the Small Pelagic Fishery.

The Super Trawler Alliance.

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

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Fishing News - Page 39

RECREATIONAL SEA FISHERIES NEWS June/July 2015

a new poster, Flatheads of Tasmania, available from Service Tasmania.

Thanks to the Wild Fisheries Management Branch staff and Fishcare volunteers who shared their knowledge and skills during this event.

AgFest Display Popular with Fishers

Recreational Fisheries conducted our regular fisheries education display at AgFest in early May. This year it was a shared display with the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies including live aquarium species attended by hands-on fisheries researchers. We had a great location on Main Street, just in front of the Supertank which all the marine exhibitors agreed was a great addition to AgFest, mesmerising fishers for hours on end.

Displaying a large southern bluespotted flathead during the fish filleting demonstrations stimulated discussion about future flathead management. Recreational Fisheries staff gained valuable feedback from fishers including discussions around scalefish review topics such as size and catch limits. Many fishers indicated they believe flathead catch limits need to be reduced and size limits managed to protect this important recreational fishery. Fishers also learned how to distinguish between flathead species, information which is now featured on

Fishing News - Page 40

Another Great Open Day at Liawenee

Fishcare volunteers again lent a helping hand at the Inland Fisheries trout open weekend at Liawenee from 17-18 May. Held at the IFS Field Station in the Central Highlands, this popular event attracts crowds including many keen junior anglers who watch the annual brown trout run and get a chance to catch one for free in the kids fish out pond. There were over 1000 patrons through the gate into the fish out pond and an overall attendance of over 4000. This year six tagged trout in the pond this year meant the children had the chance to win a prize if they caught one. It’s a great opportunity to try fishing for the first time in a safe and supervised fishing environment.

The Fishcare volunteers role is to help kids learn to fish responsibly such as discussing the legal size for trout and answering questions about fishing for the future. One of the challenges faced by volunteers is managing the time allocation for fishers

to ensure that everyone has a fair go. Many queued for 30-40 minutes so thanks to parents and children for their patience!

Feedback from Fishcare included the following comment from one of our Launceston based volunteers who had a rewarding experience assisting a young boy at the fish out pond. “I helped an intellectually disabled boy yesterday and his dad was hoping he could catch a fish. Luckily 3rd cast I snagged one for him. Never seen a kid so happy and his dad couldn’t thank me enough.

After they left the cleaning station the young boy came up to me and tapped me on the shoulder and thanked me again. And his dad shook my hand. Makes me very proud to be a Fishcare volunteer and that made my day.”

Fishcare has been assisting Inland Fisheries with this event for seven years with this year’s weather the best so far. Fifteen Fishcare volunteers plus staff from around the state participated with duties including one-on-one mentoring at five fishing stations on both pools as well as cleaning and bagging fish. Congratulations to IFS on this well organised event and Fishcare look forward to another successful collaboration next year.

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

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

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Fishing News - Page 41

old glass clunker Islander Campers from Penguin Composites

Outback 2.3m Floor length 2.3m and a side door, the Outback 2.3 slide on caravan is designed to fit extra or freestyle cab size flat tray vehicles. Many options, but typically includes: Sandwich panel construction; Fibreglass cupboards; Fully insulated panels; Electric camperjacks; Security door; Electronic battery management system; 90 litre fridge; 95 litre stainless steel water tank; 6’2’’ x 4’ or 5’ bed; 2 burner stove and grill; Easy lift mechanism Fromforthis pop top roof lifting; Aluminium full pop top section with vinyl sleeve; Approximately 610Kg.

Innovan campers are a ground breaking and top-selling new camper with a solid fibreglass shell that can ‘hinge open’ to provide more space. Their revolutionary patented design allows the Innovan camper toFrom expand from this 1.5 metres above the floor to an enclosed living space with solid walls and a ceiling close to 3 metres high in seconds. Amenities and storage space are cleverly fitted on the interior and exterior of the unit, allowing the Innovan to stay light, mobile and affordable.

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Fishing News - Page 42

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Fishing News - Page 43

son

Australian Made for Australian Conditions

Life’s too short to take chances Way back in 1898, George Ross McPherson bought five pounds worth of Irish Linen and made the very first Platypus fishing line. The rest, as they say is history.

From those small beginnings in a galvanised iron shed with a dirt floor, four generations of McPhersons have continued to create fishing line in our Brisbane factory.

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