BNB Fishing mag | Apr 2020

Awesome autumn action

4

50

$

Includes GST

April 2020 Print Post Approved PP100001534 Volume 31, Number 4

Prime time for prawning Peel Island fishing tips

Top spots in the tropics Urban angling for tilapia Big bass fire following rain Moreton Bay snapper secrets Threadfin salmon around Mackay

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Page 4 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 SCB 261x370mm Ad BNB 03-20.indd 1

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Inside this month Whiting

Moreton Bay

P20

P14

Fresh water

Stanage Bay

P58

P49

For anyone who knows me, I don’t do this very often, but plenty of prawns are around.

I gave my mate Benny

OUR COVER

MELISSA FROHLOFF with a decent pocket of prawns from a recent trip in the Great Sandy Strait. The prawns are on now, so check out MELISSA’s article on Page 31 for tips on catching and cooking them.

Ben Collins Daniel Tomlinson Kacie Hubbert Jo Hendley, Lisa Jones

Phone (07) 3286 1833 Fax (07) 3821 2637 Email: ben@bnbfishing.com.au Internet: www.bnbfishing.com.au PO Box 387, Cleveland, Qld 4163 Unit 2, 39 Enterprise Street, Cleveland, Qld 4163 AFTA PRINTER: Spotpress DISTRIBUTION BY: Fairfax Max. recommended retail price $4.50 (includes GST).

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AUST

MAY edition will be on sale in news­agents from May 1. See subscription form on Page 60 to go in the draw to win one of two Old Dog Boxed Limited Edition Handcrafted Timber Lures valued at $150 each.

a call one afternoon and we planned to head out the next morning to chase a few.

We had a high tide around 7am, so I had Ben meet me at my place just before 5am to head out and work the last two hours of the incoming tide and first two hours of the outgoing.

Why did we pick that part of the tide to chase the prawns?

Simply, the word on the street was that’s when most of the prawns had been around.

As usual, I’m not too keen on going out if not a lot is around.

I’d rather go out during prime time to give us the best possible chance to catch some with the least amount of work.

Popping the boat in the water, we headed straight to the Saltworks because that’s where the prawns had been.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by at least 20 boats, so we tried to find a quieter spot.

We ran around a few of the usual prawny areas but didn’t find enough on the sounder for us to have a shot at, so we headed back and prawned with the crowd.

There’s nothing wrong with going with the crowd, and every time I’ve done it I’ve been lucky enough that everybody’s been quite sociable and well mannered.

Even in those close quarters I’ve had a bit of a chat and laugh as we all try to catch ourselves a feed.

ATI ON

by SEAN CONLON

CI

Unfortunately, I have not been able to line up even one charter with good weather.

On the plus side, I got out and chased a few prawns.

Southern Moreton Bay

O

T

HE weather has not played the game over the past month.

N

FIS

AS

S

Prawning session in southern Moreton Bay

PRO TE CT

When you catch this many prawns in the net every cast, it doesn’t take long to get a nice feed.

Prawning Moreton Bay..............by Sean Conlon....................................P5 Peel Island and surrounds........by Brian Webb......................................P9 Urban angling for tilapia............by Tom Laszlo.....................................P12 Reader’s Report............................by Darren Kettley...............................P14 Fishing options during April.....by Keith Stratford...............................P15 Freshwater flush..........................by Sean Bekkers...............................P16 Beach whiting tactics.................... by Sean ‘Skip’ Thompson.....................P18 Wading for wily whiting............... by Clint Ansell..........................................P20 Autumn offshore action..............by Scott Van Burck...........................P21 Good vibes on Gold Coast.........by Brad Smith.....................................P22 Spotties around Brunz................by Gavin Dobson................................P24 To brown and back.......................... by Brett Hyde............................................P25 Fishing set to improve at Iluka.... by Tye Porter.............................................P26 Gearing up for Cape York.............. by Craig Tomkinson................................P27 Sunshine Coast.............................by Grant Budd.....................................P28 Easter camping joy......................by Paul ‘Chief’ Graveson.................P29 Tin Can Bay........................................ by Chris Rippon........................................P30 Prawning Great Sandy Strait....by Melissa Frohloff...........................P31 Recipe.............................................by Melissa Frohloff...........................P31 Tide Times......................................................................................................P32 Hervey Bay.....................................by Tri Ton..............................................P32 Fishing in Bundaberg region.......by Joel Johnson.................................P33 Competition Dates.......................................................................................P33 Mixed month in Bundy...............by Brad Young....................................P34 Productive prawning..................by Mick Clutterbuck.........................P35 Readers’ Forum.............................................................................................P36 Puzzle page....................................................................................................P36 Boating & Marine..................................................................................P38-39 Boat Review..................................by Ben Collins....................................P38 Insights into boat insurance.....by Nautilus Marine...........................P39 Charter Directory..................................................................................P42-43 Gladstone Region........................by Gary Churchward.........................P44 Capricorn Coast............................by John Boon............................................P45 King threadfin salmon.................... by Jason Kidd...........................................P47 Stanage Bay..................................by John Glanford...............................P49 Hinchinbrook News....................by Team Crackajack.........................P50 Four days in the tropics..............by Brett Parks.....................................P51 Guide to snakes................................ by ‘Billabong’ Bazz Lyon.......................P52 Caravanning trip...........................by Todd Eveleigh...............................P53 Volunteering..................................by Bill Corten......................................P54 Freshwater impoundments.......by Matthew Langford.......................P56 Bass fishing...................................by Neil Schultz...................................P57 Glenlyon Dam................................by Brian Dare......................................P58 Trading Post..................................................................................................P59 Subscription form.......................................................................................P60

HIN G T R A D E

U

NFORTUNATELY, it looks like Australia is in for a tough few weeks or even months due to the worldwide pandemic that is COVID-19.

There are so many unknowns at this stage, which makes it hard to plan.

However, one thing is for sure: we will be doing our best to produce and deliver the mag each and every month, so be sure to grab it from your local newsagent or subscribe to have it delivered to your door.

You might need some good reading material, especially if we go into a ‘lockdown’ here in Australia, but fingers crossed that doesn’t happen.

In addition, the weekly e-news will continue to be sent out at the end of each week.

If you haven’t signed up to receive it, jump on bnbfishing.com.au and follow the pop-up to register.

A bonus of subscribing to the enews is each week one lucky subscriber wins a $50 The Tackle Warehouse voucher.

You can’t beat that – $50 to spend in store or online, which is a great way to top up your tackle box.

Despite the virus situation, good fishing is still occurring along the east coast.

Prawns are around in great numbers, with all the local haunts producing.

Check out Sean Conlon’s, Mick Clutterbuck’s and Melissa Frohloff’s articles to get a few tips on catching these tasty critters.

I’ve been lucky enough to get a couple of trips in, though I’ve had to work to get a good feed.

Timing your trip correctly seems to be the key, so check out our Facebook page for up-to-date info, but generally an hour or two either side of high and low tide has been the prime time.

However, if the weather cools quickly or we get more rain, prawning might become a little tougher.

The upside of this is snapper will come on the chew.

Just a reminder: there is an annual closure for snapper and pearl perch from July 15 to August 15, so the next couple of months will be the best time to target them.

As we go to print, we have been notified the National 4x4 Outdoors Show, Fishing & Boating Expo will not proceed as scheduled on March 27-29.

This is in line with the Australian Government’s announcement pertaining to gatherings of 500 or more people.

While it is not ideal, the safety of the public is paramount.

Potential new dates for the event have not been released as yet but we will keep you informed when they become available.

This may be the same for many other major fishing and boating events, which we will notify people about via our e-news and Facebook page.

Unfortunately, these changes are out of everyone’s control.

Fingers crossed everything gets back to some form of normality in the not-too-distant future so we can get back on with our lives.

Ben Collins

February prizewinners

Congratulations to David Kee, Stokers Siding NSW; Peter Smith, Logan Central; and Rowan Pandergast, Thorneside who have each won an Okuma Avenger 3000 spinning reel valued at $69.95!

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 5

You know when you see this on your sounder you’ve got a pretty good chance of getting a net full of prawns.

Benny got a few good casts in, which definitely helped in picking up a feed of prawns.

If you haven’t cast netted before, it’s not too hard. The author can even throw one with his dodgy back.

Prawning session in southern Moreton Bay * from P5

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Now it’s not essential but it helps to have a good sounder and know what you’re looking for.

I am lucky enough to have a 12” Lowrance so can pick up the prawns quite well.

When sounding for prawns, just remember the transducer is at the back of your vessel, so when you see the prawns starting to come onto your screen, they’re already behind you.

So when my sounder showed me I was on top of the school, I put the boat in reverse and backed up about a boat length, which put Ben (casting from the front of the boat) genuinely over the school.

Doing this proved quite important in getting good pockets of prawns.

Another thing that really helped increase the catch rate was having a net with a bit of weight to allow it to get to the bottom quicker.

When it was on the bottom, we would keep the boat over the top of the net and give it a few little jerks.

Not lifting the net off the bottom, just jerking it up and down to help get the prawns into the top pocket.

We were using the Wilson Ezy-Cast series of nets.

They come in 9’, 10’ and 12’ sizes.

The 10’ lead weight net with bottom and top pockets works well in water up

Tick all the boxes and catch more fish!

FISHING TUITION

to 3m, then in deeper water I use the 12’ top pocket Pro Chain net.

As I said, I don’t prawn terribly often, but I have found these nets catch plenty and don’t break the budget.

Another word of advice: if you haven’t thrown cast nets a lot, don’t wait to have your first throws in the middle of everyone because it will only end in tears.

Go somewhere else and have a few casts to build confidence before moving into the crowd.

I like to practice at home on the lawn, but definitely practice in the boat too because it’s totally different when the boat is moving around and you’ve got limited room to cast.

Everything changes when 40-50 boats are around you.

Anyway, back to mine and Ben’s day chasing prawns.

We returned to the crowd and by this stage were greeted by about 40 boats.

I pulled up on the outside of the main bunch, Ben got ready with the net, I sounded up a nice patch of prawns and Ben’s cast netted a nice pocket of prawns.

We kept doing this for another few hours as the tide was running out.

While we didn’t bag out, we got ourselves a nice Esky of prawns.

We noticed when we got into the middle of the tide and it started to run harder we picked up fewer prawns.

In the end, for the effort versus reward, we decided to head home and were back at the ramp just before 10am.

We had a great morning session and came back with a nice feed and plenty of time to get a few things done in the afternoon.

Let’s hope this weather tidies up and I will get back out on the water doing the things I love: fishing charters and tuition.

As we all know with our jobs and lives, we are time

poor, so if you can learn more to optimise your time on the water, then why not?

Remember: knowledge is the key.

If you’re interested in any off or on-water tuition classes or you just want to do a charter, don’t be afraid to give me a call on 0432 386 307 or send me an email at seanconlons fishing@hotmail.com You can also check out the Sean Conlon’s Fishing Charters and Tuition Facebook page.

Often if you don’t know where to begin prawning, just look for the boats as a place to start.

Having a good sounder can make all the difference.

You can even see how the net stays open as it’s heading down and then lands on the patch of prawns on this side-scan shot.

These are the two nets the author uses. The 10’ for shallow water and the 12’ Pro Chain for deeper water.

The average size of prawns was not bad for a feed.

From the water to the frypan: chilli, garlic and honey prawns. Yum!

WITH SEAN CONLON

A four-hour off-water course for up to four people covering: Target species BOOK TODAY Moon phases Weather and tides Techniques Environment Tackle tips

0432 386 307 seanconlonsfishing@hotmail.com Page 6 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Expanding FADs program reeling in fish and fishers

A

PROJECT to boost the worldclass fishing experience in southeast Queensland waters has been expanded with the installation of 15 new fish-attracting devices off the coast in early March.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the FADs are floating buoys tethered offshore to attract fish.

“We’re creating a worldclass fishing experience

by investing $1 million in these structures that will attract sportfish species including mahi mahi (dolphinfish), cobia and wahoo,” he said.

“Fishing is one of the hundreds of reasons people come to the Sunshine Coast.

“More fish means more tourists, which means more tourism jobs.

“In December last year we installed FADs in 10 locations from Double Island Point to the Gold Coast.

“They’ve been very popular.

“One charter boat operator even reported catching 80 mahi mahi in one trip, with the majority released to fight another day.

“We want to ensure more people experience this and that is why another 15 devices are being deployed from Fraser Island to the Gold Coast.”

Mr Furner said the FADs have also taken some of the pressure off snapper and pearl perch, which are currently over-

fished and stocks are very low.

“We are building a legacy of a sustainable fishery for our children and grandchildren,” Mr Furner said.

“This initiative will help to strengthen world-class recreational fishing in Queensland, while giving snapper and pearl perch stocks an opportunity to rebuild.

“By encouraging recreational fishers to target species other than snapper and pearl perch, we

can ensure our kids and grandkids will be able to enjoy fishing for these iconic Queensland species in the future.”

Mr Furner said the Queensland Government wants to see fishers elsewhere in the state have access to this world-class experience.

“When we launched the program last year, we asked fishers to have their say on the proposed locations and suggestions for other places to install these FADs,” he said.

“We’ve listened and over the next few months we’ll deploy these devices in north Queensland so our state truly becomes a global offshore fishing destination.”

FADs are for the benefit and enjoyment of all and we remind people not to moor on the FADs and to be courteous to other people fishing in the area.

To see a full-size map of all the FADs in southeast Queensland, along with their GPS co-ordinates, visit bnbfishing.com.au/ expanded-fad-programreeling-fish-fishers

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OAT owners are urged to ensure their hulls are regularly cleaned to minimise any further spread of an exotic marine pest known as white colonial sea squirt, after it was recently found in Queensland.

Biosecurity Queensland general manager John Robertson said the white colonial sea squirt (didemnum perlucidum) was an invasive species originating from the Caribbean.

“Over the past decade it has established itself in interstate Australian waters, but this is the first detection in Queensland,” Mr Robertson said.

“It’s not possible to eradicate this pest, and while its impacts in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and NSW are not considered major, we don’t want it getting a foothold in Queensland.

“The sea squirt is white in colour.

“It fouls submerged and floating infrastructure such as pylons, pontoons, boats and buoys and can overgrow native marine species.”

Boaties should perform regular maintenance and cleaning of their vessel to prevent spreading the pest, including: • Apply antifouling paint; • Clean your boat in a dry dock or slipway (out of the water); • Look out for any attached pests; and • Check and clean gear including pots, nets, fishing and diving gear and anchors and ropes before moving between locations.

More information is available at qld.gov.au/ environment/coasts-wa terways/marine-pests The specimens in the Gulf of Carpentaria were found during a marine pest survey, while the Mackay detection was the result of the Queensland Seaport eDNA Surveillance (Q-SEAS) marine

pest pilot program.

Biosecurity Queensland will continue to monitor the extent of this species through the Q-SEAS marine pest program and work closely with port authorities and maritime industries to minimise impacts.

If you see a suspicious marine organism, please report it to Biosecurity

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For images and further information, visit bio security.qld.gov.au This detection, along with other recent isolated marine pest detections in Queensland highlights the ongoing threat of marine pests and the importance of continuing surveillance activities.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 7

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Plenty of fish this size are to be found.

Peel Island and surrounds

P

EEL Island is inhabited by a variety of sea life including dugongs, turtles and dolphins, jellyfish following the currents and, of course, the odd shark.

The island is a popular overnight and weekend anchorage for vessels, and Horseshoe Bay on the southern side is a great spot for sheltering from northerly wind, particularly during summer.

If you plan to camp on the island, now Teerk Roo Ra National Park, you will need to contact and book with the National Parks and Forests website.

In its early days Peel was a leper colony, and the remnants and old jetty in the western shallows are protected as part of the heritage site.

From the Spit to the top northwest corner is a green zone.

I work on the principle that once you reach the 2m contour, the green zone commences.

Another green zone is further north on the maze of sandbanks where the Amity Banks are located, as well as a couple of small ones in the Rainbow Channel.

The island is fed by the channel, which stretches all the way up to Amity Point township and finishes near One Mile.

Peel and Harry Atkinson Artificial Reef are the two mostfished areas in Moreton Bay, and on weekends it’s often hard to find space to fish due to the number of boats.

The Rous Channel also has an effect on currents around the northern side of Peel.

The Rous lies about 5km from Manly and 2km northwest of Amity.

The reefs around Peel hold a variety of fish from snapper to grass sweetlip, spangled emperor, cod, tuskfish, trevally and squid.

Bream, the odd flathead and whiting can be found from the Platypus wreck across to Bird Island.

Moreton Bay

by BRIAN WEBB

Peel Island is also known to produce the occasional coral trout, nannygai, parrotfish and even juvenile red emperor.

If you have time and are after a feed of whiting, head north along the banks to the mouth of the Rous and Fishermans Gutter or outside the

green zone on Amity Banks.

Fish the weed beds because a feed of diver whiting is usually available, along with good squid.

The deeper water around Goat Island is one of my favorite jewfish areas and, * continued P10

Swarms of jellyfish follow the currents off Peel Island.

The diversity of species available includes little blue parrot and multitudes of small snapper.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 9

Fishing Peel Island and surrounds * from P9

A variety of pelagics can be found around the island.

though it sporadically holds reef species, the current can get strong.

While the Rainbow weed beds hold grassies, spangled, tuskfish and squid as well as pelagics off Amity Point, the waters north of Peel towards Harrys carry school mackerel (doggies), the odd spotted mackerel, mack tuna and quite often longtail tuna.

Myora Reef also holds spangled emperor at times.

The houseboat wreck at 27.30.348; 153.19.303 lies southwest of Peel, and though it’s worth the effort, fishing on top of the wreck will end in a multitude of snags because a

Target tuskfish with the right bait.

Peel Island and surrounds attract an assortment of fish.

Page 10 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

trawl net lies over the top of it, so it pays to fish to one side.

This area, Hole in the Wall and around the beacon at South West Rocks fish best on the run-in tide.

If intending to fish Rainbow Channel, beware of the strong currents that inundate this channel.

It is the highway from South Passage Bar for large sharks and pelagics moving back and forth.

Birds give away most of the bait ball positions but trolling the edge of both sides of the channel with spoon lures, paravane boards or Halco Laser Pro 160/190 lures can result in a pelagic hook-up and occasionally kingfish.

At times, structure such as the rock walls near One Mile and Amity Point, and the pylons around Dunwich, will produce good-sized bream and grunter.

The waters from Peel across to Green Island can get very rough, especially with a strong northerly or southerly blowing.

The ramps at Raby Bay and Victoria Point offer the option of running with a northerly or punching into a southerly rather than travelling sideways across to Green.

On Peel’s north side is Lazaret Gutter, which is a small channel that cuts

through the reef and ends in an anchorage.

The drop-offs southeast of this entrance down to Douglas Light are the main areas to fish for snapper, sweetlip and tuskfish, and the shallows near the Bluff often produce squire and grassies.

Off the Spit beacon lies the West Peel Artificial Reef.

These co-ordinates (27.29.842; 153.18.642 – 27.29.842; 153.18.945 – 27.30.384; 153.18.642 – 27.30.384; 153.18.945) form the rectangle for the artificial reef.

Two popular ways of fishing Peel’s drop-offs are anchoring with a berley trail and casting soft plastics and lures toward the drop-offs while drifting.

It’s not hard to catch a keeper if you put in the time and effort, and the weather and tides stay on-side.

I predominantly target blackspot tuskfish at Peel.

If these fish are not playing the game, I’ll chase squire and sweetlip.

Or I’ll head up the Rainbow Channel and target a catch along the eastern drop-offs.

The only baits I use are rock crabs and legal size sand whiting on very heavy rigs.

This is where a downrigger comes in handy for fighting the strong currents.

Another option is to use a single paternoster rig.

The key to catching fish on bait around Peel, especially snapper, sweetlip and the occasional moses perch, is to fish as light as possible because these fish have seen plenty of boats and have had loads of bait thrown at them.

Fishing with soft plastics at night generally works on two principles: silhouette and sound.

First, use larger-sized plastics such as 7” in a dark colour because the bigger lures make better silhouettes against moon and starlight.

Second, noisy vibration lures similar to Jackall TN60s are easy for fish to find due to the sheer racket they generate.

Both methods work to get the attention of snapper, especially the bigger variety on dark nights.

Care must be taken when fishing these shallow reefs at night, as a dropping tide and shallow reefs can catch you out.

If anchoring for a night’s sleep, head to the relative safety of Myora or Horseshoe Bay. During winter, anchoring near the cross-channel marker at the bottom of Goat Island and floating a live bait in deeper water can attract reasonable-sized jewfish and tailor.

Fishing the shallows from the Bluff across to South West Rocks can entice good-sized flathead, and often whiting at quiet traffic times during summer when less boats are at anchor.

The attraction of Peel is it produces a variety of species, often more than other islands in the bay.

Sounding near the artificial reef, coffee rock and wrecks, you can find nannygai around 3545cm in size.

When fishing for snapper, I recommend using berley.

I’ve caught legal snapper and found my berley in their stomach numerous times, and the best berley is what you’re using for bait.

People worry about overfeeding snapper, but with how much these fish can hold in their stomachs and the amount of small fish around, I don’t think it’s possible to overfeed your quarry.

Berley does attract unwanted species but I don’t mind this because it means the berley is working.

For a successful trip, I

recommend fishing this island during the week when fewer boats and jet skis are around.

When considering where and what time to fish, remember it all comes down to wind and tides.

I prefer outgoing tides in the northern shallows and find afternoon tides best.

The place to target is not on the top of the shallow grounds, but on the drop-offs, as that’s where the fish will end up as the tide recedes.

Trying to fish on top of the shallows with bait is too hard because you’ll end up losing loads of gear due to the number of snags.

For night fishing, I prefer the waning crescent moon.

My theory is the dishshaped moon holds fish, but once it tips over it empties the fish out, making them harder to find.

So, what time of year is best?

I have caught snapper all year round in the bay, big and small, and though catches improve in cooler conditions, summer produces some decent fish.

The author’s mackerel and tuna setup.

Plenty of grinner are unfortunately common in Moreton Bay.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 11

Urban angling for tilapia

E

VER since I can remember going fishing as a youngster, tilapia were a regular catch from Oxley Creek and North Pine Dam.

A decent haul after an hour’s fishing.

Cooper’s new PB at 47cm.

Unfortunately, they have rapidly spread in the past decade and seem to have infested almost every waterway.

I live near Oxley River in the western suburbs and while riding bikes with the kids have observed the populations of tilapia in the creeks and ponds as we ride along their fringes.

My youngest loves fishing and was keen to go and catch a few.

Unfortunately, Brisbane City Council by-laws forbid fishing in lakes and ponds within parks and recreation reserves.

Fortunately, the rules allow you to fish watercourses (meaning creeks and rivers).

Most neighbouring councils also share similar rules and can be found by using your local library resources.

Phoning a council call centre will get you a different answer every time you speak to a new person, so to avoid running afoul of the rangers, you’re best to check the rules yourself.

I will add that the list of prohibited activities in parks includes golf, motorbiking, camping and more.

A white sign will list

Urban Fishing

by TOM LASZLO

other activities prohibited in that specific location, and occasionally fishing may be one.

Impatience in kids is a real impediment to fishing, so we choose our spots based on visual confirmation active fish are present.

Smaller fish tend to swim around in schools aggressively attacking any bait thrown in their direction.

The bigger fish often sit in the shallows and are harder to trick into being caught.

Since the wet weather in recent times, many longdry drains and creeks are flowing again and the tilapia have moved back into them and are quite active, so you’ll see plenty of movement under the surface.

I make a dough out of some tuna oil and old bread that is just firm enough to mould over a small hook.

This can be dropped straight off a bridge to a school of tilapia that will hang around with minimal use of berley.

Kids are perfectly happy catching small fish one after another.

Being a pest species, filling a bucket with as many as you can catch cannot be a bad thing.

The bigger fish are

smarter and require a bit more stealth and skill to catch.

The method that works best for me is a long rod with a small hook and worm.

I cast it just near the fish basking in the shallow water and let the worm sink to the bottom.

If the fish hasn’t noticed it, I twitch the bait a little to get its attention.

These fish will often just watch the bait for a long while, but eventually the wriggling worm will prove too tempting and the fish will pick it up and hold it in its mouth.

Trial and error has taught me that if you strike at this point, you pull the bait straight out of the fish’s mouth.

They are the slowest eaters I’ve encountered, so be sure to keep waiting.

If the fish turns away from you with the bait in its mouth, you have a good chance of getting the hook to connect by lifting the rod tip.

The setup of our rigs is designed to be as stealthy as possible and I have found 6lb line to be the best.

Lighter line than 6lb doesn’t have enough abrasion resistance to fight bigger fish and heavier lines spook them.

Use tiny hooks for small

fish and size 8 hooks for sight casting bigger ones.

Because we avoid using floats and sinkers, Alvey sidecast reels and longer rods are our choice for the creeks.

Spin gear works fine too, but the little guy gets better distance with the bigger rod.

The longer rod also helps with casting over fences, long grass and so on.

A net with a long handle is handy because the little hooks may not survive an attempt to winch a fish straight up.

Brisbane has a whole lot of reserves along creeks that are infested with tilapia and carp.

Kedron Brook, Ithaca

Creek and Zillman Waterholes on the northside are worth checking out.

Bulimba and Tingalpa creeks to the southeast have been productive lately too.

The best time to have a go is from the middle of the day to late afternoon.

This makes a quick fish after school or work quite possible because you probably have to drive or walk right past the fishing spot on your way home.

Please remember that tilapia are a declared pest and must not be returned to the water, kept or left on the bank.

Bag up any catches and bin them as soon as you are done.

Even the author had time to catch one.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 13

Secrets to catching big snapper from a small boat

F

ORTY years ago, I was just a young lad when my father introduced me to the wonderful world of boating and fishing.

Darren with a nice night-time snapper.

Jason scored a couple of snapper.

I looked forward to winter.

Dad and I would set the alarm clock for the crack of dawn, put the 18’ half cabin boat in at Jacobs Well and zip out to Jumpinpin for a morning fishing for bream.

I remember it was so cold that tears would stream out of our eyes and snot would run down from our noses as we poked our heads up through the zipper opening of the canopy on the way out.

We used yabbies back then and catching bream was great fun.

But one thing I didn’t enjoy was watching Dad struggle hand-winching the heavy half cab onto the trailer.

It was so heavy the rear of the car would nearly scrub on the tyres, not to mention the hassle of towing it and reversing it up the driveway at home.

Well that was about 1977 and I’m in my fifties now, and one of the things I like about going fishing these days is I don’t own a big boat.

By choice I only own a 4.2m tinnie.

It’s not 1977 anymore and while slipping a yabby on a hook for bream was great fun back then, let’s aim a little higher in 2020.

Further on in this article when referring to tips about catching ‘snapper’ in the shallows, note I’m not referring to 35-50cm squire.

While they are great fun to catch on light gear, we are talking about those elusive 65-80cm (or even bigger) trophy size Moreton Bay snapper.

These days I either fish alone or with my two sons Jason and Tim. We have been exploring the bay on and off for 30 years and have spent

Reader’s Report

by DARREN KETTLEY

countless hours experimenting at different locations with a variety of fishing methods.

A lot has been written about catching snapper in the bay, but this article highlights that you don’t necessarily need a big boat or to travel long distances to achieve great results.

In a small boat, you soon realise trying to fish open waters is too weather dependent, so a long time ago we dedicated our time to fishing the shallows around the Moreton Bay islands in depths of 6m or less.

Having a game plan I always have a plan in mind a couple of days before a fishing trip.

Of course, the weather is the first check.

In a small boat I want a wind speed of no more than 10-15 knots.

Next is knowing where I intend to fish.

If it’s the western side of an island and the forecast is a 10-15 knot easterly, I know it may be a bit uncomfortable getting across open water, but once up close to the western side of an island it will be calm, safe and enjoyable to fish.

In a small boat, the more exposed islands like Mud are best kept for the cooler months, as in summer the afternoon northerly wind can make the mouth of the Brisbane River and in fact all of the open bay a dangerous place to be.

We have found in summer some big snapper can be caught in the more sheltered southern bay anyway.

One of our recent trips to Macleay Island resulted in plenty of sharks being caught, but we also landed a nice 80cm beast of a snapper in just 5m of water.

Spend some time explor-

ing Google Maps and sites like Navionics to look more closely at depth contours surrounding islands.

Just like flathead and whiting, as the tide comes in, snapper move up to the shallows for a feed.

Dark nights with a rising tide can be a lot of fun, though it’s best to pick your spot early in the shallows before dusk, anchor up and berley, berley and berley again.

As darkness approaches, going into stealth mode is important.

No shining lights on the water and no dragging anchor chains into the anchor well.

Just as many quality snapper have been caught during daylight, however fishing midweek when there is little or no boat traffic increases your chances enormously.

The single best piece of equipment that enhanced our fishing results was an electric motor with the ability to hold the boat in one spot.

This eliminates even thinking about using the anchor.

The ability to quietly move into our fishing spot without noise, the flexibility to move a metre or two and hold us there quietly and continuously is a game changer.

Bait and tackle I’m old school.

I’ve tried and tried with soft plastics and while some smaller snapper have been boated, plastics and I just don’t get along.

I understand the increased sensitivity of using braid and fluorocarbon leaders, but I’ve lost way too many bigger snapper due to either hooks pulling, leader being bitten through or having been spooled using light gear and a 2500 series reel.

Bigger snapper in the

shallows hit like freight trains and for me, it’s mono line all the way.

I use a 7’ rod with a sensor tip, a 5000 series reel, 12lb mono main line, 20lb mono leader and a single 8/0 circle hook.

Once boated and you’re staring inside a big snapper’s mouth, an 8/0 hook can suddenly look really small, so don’t think for a second an 8/0 is too big.

It’s not uncommon to watch as the reel screams and, in no time, 100m of line peels off.

The larger-capacity reel gives time to tire the fish out without being spooled, and the mono provides plenty of stretch.

Rods, reels and tackle don’t have to be expensive either.

Plastics and lures do have their place in my tackle box, though for the purpose of catching bait.

If you think buying a packet of frozen squid, some stinky old pilchards or a frozen packet of prawns from the servo is good enough, don’t bother wasting your time targeting big bay snapper.

Part of the game plan is allowing hours of time on the way out, or even the night before we intend to fish, to catch our own fresh bait.

It’s honestly that important.

And hey, it’s another learning curve and skillset to add to your list, and enjoyable too!

Fresh baits such as herring, pike, garfish, mullet and tailor are great, but

our number-one bait is locally caught fresh squid.

Learn how to load up on these babies and watch your results improve.

Baits don’t have to be live, but fresh baits are so important.

They should also be big, as big baits equal big snapper.

Technique Earlier I mentioned fishing the calm side of the island.

Not only is it important for the serenity and enjoyment of not having to maintain your balance the whole time, and most importantly, not spilling your beverage, but it’s getting back to that stealth factor again.

Little or no water slapping against the hull also means less noise.

Another factor when it’s nice and calm is your baits are not being pulled up, down and all around – they will sit naturally in the current, which minimises snags and ensures the bait stays wellpresented and hopefully looking somewhat natural near the bottom.

Once baits are deployed, the rods are set in holders with rod tips kept nice and low, almost parallel to the water, not in 45-degree rod holders.

Keep rods in holders at all times with drags set correctly.

I’ve seen combos not correctly set in holders disappear into the depths in the blink of an eye! * continued P15

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The author’s best snapper from Mud Island.

The author boated a solid Mud Island snapper.

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Fishing options abound during April

A

PRIL is the first of the transition months between warm and cool water species.

Fish that prefer warmer water such as mangrove jack will be feeding hard this month before the water temperature rapidly drops in May. Some of the best jack fishing occurs in April, with a lot of big fish over 50cm landed and lost.

Good areas to look at this month are bridge pylons, deep holes and deep rock walls.

Bait fishing with live baits, pilchards and mullet fillets presents the most consistent way to land jacks, but it’s more rewarding catching them on lures.

Mangrove jack can be very destructive to inferior lures and hardware.

Remember to replace

Local Luring

by KEITH STRATFORD

any weak hooks and split rings before attempting to land a jack.

It can take hours to get a bite from a jack some days and the last thing you want to go wrong when the hooks find the mark is gear failure.

The by-catch can be good when chasing jacks, with estuary cod, trevally, barramundi, flathead, sharks and Queensland groper all possible.

Rain has continued to fall and kept the rivers and creeks around Brisbane quite dirty.

This has pushed the bait out from the upper reaches and we should see good action on a variety of species during April.

Flathead numbers will increase this month.

It can be difficult to find flatties in numbers during the warmer months and their size is generally pretty average too.

If you can find an area holding prawns that isn’t being cast netted, a few flathead will be hanging around.

Soft vibes and plastics jigged through the deeper holes work well.

The Brisbane River will be the pick of the spots around Brisbane in April.

Good schools of threadfin salmon and jewies are around the Port of Brisbane towards the mouth.

Some of the schools are the largest most anglers

Big snapper from a small boat * from P14

Once the bait has been taken, the initial run is something special.

When using circle hooks, no strike is needed to set the hook, simply let the fish load up the rod and hang on.

Most of the time the hook design does its job and penetrates right in the corner of the mouth.

Striking hard only increases the chances of pulling the hook straight out.

Keep your rod tip high to minimise the chance of being rubbed off on structure.

After that, patience is a must.

Keep the drag at a moderate setting and don’t be tempted to tighten it.

Hold on as you watch

your line peel off the spool.

At about this time you will be glad for that extra-capacity reel.

Hopefully this inspires you to have a closer look and explore the shallows around our Moreton Bay islands before automatically thinking you need to travel too far out in bigger boats.

have seen for many years, which is a really good sign.

A quality sounder is a huge help when fishing a big river like the Brissie.

A unit with a side-scanning feature will save a lot of time when looking for fish along the wharves.

It’s not uncommon to sound a large stretch without seeing a fish.

They seem to move in and out from under the wharves among the pylons and it can be nearly impossible to know when they will emerge.

I don’t go out of my way to chase threadfin salmon in the deep water.

I find them way too difficult to release well.

Bombing them back to the bottom with a release weight is probably the most effective method, but the way the sharks are honed into boats sitting on fish these days, I doubt many threadies survive anyway.

Luckily they are suburb eating, even though they’re a bit of a nightmare to fillet.

There’s nothing wrong with keeping one for the table, but sitting on the fish and catching a heap doesn’t do the fishery any favours.

Snapper should be in good number in the river during April.

Some good-quality fish over 60cm inhabit the river at times.

They put up a hell of a fight when hooked around structure.

I’ve been smoked plenty of times when fishing lighter gear.

I find snapper really like fluoro plastics in the river.

Prawn imitations and paddle tails in 3”-4” sizes work really well.

Mud crabs have been on fire.

Some of the rivers are still quite dirty and lots of crabs have been on the move.

Filtering through the undersize males and females has been a mission, but well worth the effort.

You’ve got heaps of options to choose from during April, so get out there and into the fish.

I hope to see you on the water.

Mitch Levy got stuck into the mud crabs on a recent holiday from Canberra.

Snapper in the Brisbane River like bright lures.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 15

Flathead took a liking to this presentation on the drop in the early morning light.

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Freshwater flush essential for a thriving ecosystem

I

F you’ve been on the east coast of Queensland lately, it shouldn’t come as a shock when I say we’ve had a lot of rain.

The southeast Queensland estuaries have changed from the nice clear water we enjoyed for ages to a brown tannin colour as far as the eye can see.

It’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to fishing though, as a lot of systems rely on a good flush of fresh water.

When speaking to local anglers and the wider coastal community, everyone tells me we need it and still more, with little substantial rain for a few years now.

The creeks and tributaries had been slowly silting up, and to add to the argument of needing rain, crabs and prawns rely on a good flush to get them moving throughout the estuaries.

On a different note and something that I didn’t know until a recent trip up to Mon Repos near Bargara, even the turtles coming up the beach to lay their eggs are impact-

Pro Staff Pointers

by SEAN BEKKERS

ed by drought conditions.

The rangers explained that a lot of turtles have been coming up the beach, only to return to the water without laying because the sand dunes don’t have the required moisture content.

So, though a large amount of fresh water can be frustrating for the recreational fisho hitting his or her favourite spots, on the whole, a big dumping of rain is a good thing.

Two things I’ve focused on while fishing my local estuary are the locations and my presentations, as both play a big part in landing fish despite an influx of fresh water.

Locations The most obvious locations to persist are those with a lot of fresh water.

Just because the clarity of the water has changed doesn’t mean the fish have moved on.

As I mentioned earlier, the bait (fish, crabs, prawns) just get flushed around.

With this in mind, you should always be on the hunt for areas that are holding bait or have the potential for bait to be flushed past like a buffet.

Two locations I fished recently were discoloured by the fresh, and instead of moving on I chose to run darker-coloured presentations in Z-Man 3” MinnowZ and Slim SwimZ, along with a presentation that would act a bit like a crab, a 2.75” TRD BugZ. Because the day was a little overcast, running these darker colours or those with UV-reactive qualities often works a treat.

I’ll talk more about colours and patterns a bit later.

The area I chose to work had very distinctive sections the bait was getting funnelled towards.

The first spot had the tide banking up against a shoal of oysters and small rocks, creating a nice back-eddy.

Even with the fresh, this looked promising.

The second area was a section of deeper water (3-5m) that had two distinct drains flowing into it.

This was very easy to spot because the dark water was being discoloured further by the muddier sediment being flushed out.

Both these areas produced eating size flathead and the bream kept it interesting on light gear.

It is worth noting both locations had bait flicking on the surface and my sounder also showed a small amount of bait.

To help increase my bite rate, I follow the flush of the tide.

This is a successful

technique I use when a lot of rain has fallen.

Having access to a watercraft helps, however with a bit of planning you can make it work even if land-based.

On low tide I’ll head out to where the push of the incoming tide is making its way past structure, including weed banks, mangroves and rubble patches.

The new flush of the tide has cleaner water and often fires the fish up.

Once again on another trip I tried a couple of spots, the first being a rubble patch in 8-10m that produced smaller reef species such as cod and snapper, with the occasional eating size sweetlip coming to the party. * continued P17

Sweetlip loved the flush of crustaceans due to the fresh.

Page 16 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

A flathead taken from very dark/murky water.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Freshwater flush essential for a thriving ecosystem * from P16

The second spot was a little rock bar in about a metre of water that had cleaner water pushing past it.

I opted for a Z-Man 2.75” TRD BugZ rigged on a TT Lures NedlockZ jig head with the idea being to throw the BugZ upstream of the rock bar and get it to imitate a small crab or squid drifting past.

It is safe to say we were on a winner with this technique because it produced a steady flow of

bream ranging up to mid30cm specimens, with the occasional long-tom coming in for a chew as well.

The water in this area was very clear compared to the rest of the estuary and once again it was holding lots of bait.

Change your presentation Over the past few years I have developed a milk run of spots that produces quality fish time and time again.

Having favourite lure patterns and presentation goes hand in hand with

locations that have produced quality fish for you in the past.

Have you ever gone fishing and done everything right and not even had a look in for your efforts?

Often it is because the fish aren’t tuned in to the presentation.

With fresh water hammering my favourite spots recently, it was time to step away from my favourites.

Imagine lying on the bottom of the area you’re fishing and looking up at the bait.

This flathead took a liking to a TT Big EyeZ and Z-Man 3” MinnowZ combination.

On a bright sunning day in crystal-clear water, the bait is going to be bright or clear looking.

Do the same thing in strong current and with less water clarity and the bait is going to appear darker and as more of a silhouette than an actual colour.

In the locations I mention above, I used three different presentations, all in a darker colour or with UV-reactive qualities.

My three presentations were a Z-Man 3” MinnowZ in Hot Snakes colour, a 2.5” Slim SwimZ in Green Pumpkin and a 2.75” TRD BugZ in Hot Snakes and The Deal.

On this occasion they were all rigged on pimped-out TT Lures jig heads: Big EyeZ, DemonZ and NedlockZ, respectively.

Who doesn’t like a pimped-out plastic!?

Though I caught fish on all of them, the standout was the 2.75” TRD BugZ, and with the number of crabs and prawns being flushed around the place, it wasn’t hard to see why.

In the water and resting on the pause, this presentation looks like a crab going about its business.

When held up off the bottom with a shaking retrieve, it looks like a small squid.

In the way of scents, I always add something.

I have tested the reaction with my daughter’s fish in her tank and there was definitely more interest in the presentation with scent added.

I always run Pro-Cure scents on my plastics and let’s face it, when the bite is tough, this can be the game changer between getting a bite or not.

Finding fish when the system is getting smashed with fresh water isn’t that much different to when conditions are normal.

Find areas that hold bait and keep an eye out for the weed bank edges, rocks, pylons, jetties and basically anywhere that is going to provide shelter for the bait.

Locations still covered in fresh are a little slower, and you really need to work an area and slow your retrieve right down to tempt a bite.

Slow rolling the plastic with long pauses can make the difference and produce fish.

In areas with cleaner water, the fish can be much more aggressive and keener to hit the presentation.

Overall, the freshwater flush has been a good shake-up for me to explore new ground and tune in to areas I normally don’t fish.

In the tackle box is a list of my gear used on these trips.

Screaming drags.

This bream munched a Z-Man BugZ during a long pause.

Tackle box •O kuma Helios SX 7’, 1-3kg and 2-4kg rods • Okuma Helios HSX-30 reels • Platypus P8 Braid 8-10lb • Platypus Stealth FC leader 10lb and 15lb • T T Lures 3/8oz, 3/0 Big EyeZ jig head and ZMan 3” MinnowZ in Hot Snakes • T T Lures 1/4oz, 1/0 DemonZ jig head and Z-Man 2.5” Slim SwimZ in Green Pumpkin • T T Lures 1/10oz, size 1 NedlockZ jig head and ZMan 2.75” TRD BugZ in Hot Snakes and The Deal

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 17

Beach whiting tactics part two: technique and baits I N all fishing styles it is often the small things we don’t realise we are doing wrong that cost us the most fish.

A well-presented worm bait will always catch more whiting than a clumped-up mess.

A slow retrieve was quickly snaffled by a whiting and the author was on.

Page 18 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

This can all change when we learn from the good days on the water and think about why and how we got things right.

Last month I covered what to do and not to do in relation to locations and tackle for beach whiting.

This week we are going to cover the dos and don’ts in relation to techniques and bait choice.

Technique – what not to do An important lesson for any species and style of fishing is to adapt your fishing techniques to the location you are fishing.

Some people mistakenly assume if you fish for a particular species one way, that same technique applies for wherever you target them, including the beach.

Not so.

Whiting is one such species.

Let’s take the example of the estuary angler who tries to replicate their successful technique from the estuary to the beach.

This hypothetical angler is a regular whiting angler in the Coomera and Nerang rivers.

While lobbing a whiting rig with a 5 ball sinker in 3m of water at the edge of a sandbank might work in fast-flowing rivers like the Nerang on the Gold Coast, it doesn’t mean

Fishing Tips

by SEAN ‘SKIP’ THOMPSON

Some people mistakenly assume if you fish for a particular species one way, that same technique applies for wherever you target them, including the beach. Not so. you should apply that technique to the beach.

One of the biggest mistakes I see beach anglers make is applying these deep-water techniques to the beach.

They lob their bait out as far as they can to the deepest part of a hole or gutter with a thumping great ball sinker.

The bait is anchored to the spot in an unnatural manner in a part of the gutter that will only see species like big dart patrolling it during the day.

The other thing you want to avoid when whiting fishing from the beach is casting and letting your bait sit when the fish aren’t there.

This applies even if you are fishing at the right part of the gutter, say along the edge of a shallow sandbank dropping into a shallow gutter or just behind the shore dump.

If the fish aren’t there, don’t just sit and wait!

Likewise, while persistence can pay off in many aspects of life, persisting in the same gutter that is not producing fish (during the peak time of the tide) is not a wise strategy.

Technique – what to do The secret to the right technique when whiting fishing is adapting to the beach environment.

A great technique pop-

ular with many whiting anglers is casting and retrieving.

Whiting prefer a moving bait, so you want your bait to appear as a live worm or yabby trying to flee.

No reel does this as smoothly and slowly as the Alvey sidecast, and as an added benefit, if you feel a timid bite, you

can wind backwards on the Alvey to give the fish more line.

Long traces with the lightest sinkers possible also allow your bait to move around naturally in the current and the less resistance a fish feels when it picks up the bait, the better.

There is an odd exception to this moving bait rule though.

This is when whiting are feeding right behind the shore dump.

In this case, tossing your lightly weighted bait just behind the shore dump can see the bait quickly washed up onto the beach.

In these circumstances, lobbing a 4 or even 5 ball with a long trace just behind the shore dump to hold it there can pay off.

No matter your technique, if after 10-15 minutes you have caught no fish, or the fish stop bit* continued P19

A nice catch from the beach on a low afternoon tide.

The results of well-presented baits.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Beach whiting tactics part two * from P18

ing, move to the next gutter of similar formation.

Given the small window with the tides, it is best to have scoped these spots out beforehand so you know how far you have to travel between gutters.

Beach conditions – what not to do I’ve seen some anglers swear black and blue by the solunar calendar and fishing ‘peak times’.

I’ve no doubt the bigger tides around the lead-up to the moons play a part in bigger and more whiting biting, because my fishing diary has proven this over many years.

However, to stubbornly stick to fishing the predicted peak times regardless of fishing conditions is not wise.

For example, anglers can’t expect good fishing for whiting when big seas and swell are rolling in and stirring up the sand and making it extremely difficult for the fish to forage without being thrown about.

Likewise, in the calmest glassed-out days on the beach anglers can’t expect whiting to be in the shallows right by the shoreline with birds overhead, four-wheel-drives roaring past and anglers in clear view.

Beach conditions – what to do The solunar calendar should be just another tool in the angler’s kit, but not the only or most important one.

Beach conditions, in terms of swell, seas, wind and water temperature are also of critical importance to the fish.

Off the beach, a light to moderate southeasterly swell can bring the whiting in close to shore to feed under the cover of a gentle ripple on the water and protective cover of foam over where they are feeding.

Likewise, warmer water from a change in wind direction can hit the switch for whiting after days of northerly wind have brought in colder water to shore due to the coriolis effect.

Finally, as mentioned in

part one in March, in periods of glassed-out conditions, anglers should look for nearby structure in the form of rocky outcrops or beach corners that will hold cover and protection for the fish and attract baitfish.

Baits – what not to do You can choose the right location, have the right gear and even use the right technique, but it can all amount to nothing if you use the wrong bait.

Summer or yellowfin whiting are much fussier in bait choices than their winter whiting counterparts.

For this reason, common winter whiting baits such as frozen prawns and squid will not cut it on the beach for quantity or quality.

Even common beach baits like worms and pipis are inferior if they’ve come out of a freezer.

The other problem I see with people fishing the beach is bait presentation.

A squashed-up glob of worm around the gape of the hook just does not present well to the fish.

Baits – what to do Forget the frozen bait when you are chasing whiting off the beach.

The best bait without doubt is live bait.

Live beach worms and even live bloodworms are awesome, despite the latter not being a natural bait of the beach.

Likewise, live yabbies will do well but are harder to keep on the hook in the waves.

Pipis are a good back-up bait but will tend to catch more bream and tarwhine than whiting.

If you can’t catch or access live worms or have access to the other baits mentioned, frozen beach worms are the next best bet.

However, their quality will really dictate their success.

The frozen worms one well-known bait company distributes are usually black, thin and sloppy not long after they defrost.

Don’t waste your time if the frozen worms are thin and a dull grey or black when frozen.

Instead, look for firm and thick beach worms covered in a red dye.

These look much more natural and stay on the hook heaps better.

Finally, presentation of baits is critical for beach whiting.

The best way to present a live worm or yabby is to thread it along the shank of the hook and over the eye so it sits nice and straight and not clumped.

Add some pieces of red tubing above the hook as an added attractant for the fish.

I hope you got something out of this two-part series.

Until next time, I’d love to hear any feedback on my articles and posts on my Ontour Fishing Australia Facebook and Instagram pages.

A light southeasterly breeze put a nice ripple on a shallow whiting gutter.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 19

Wading the flats for wily whiting H I everyone, at the time of writing our local rivers had begun to clear after the recent heavy rain events.

The author with a school jew hooked on a small blade and light tackle while fishing a deep hole in the river after the rain cleared.

The bulk of the fish are in the lower to middle estuary reaches, taking advantage of the feeding opportunity created by the floods flushing baitfish and prawns downstream.

Allan caught this 80cm estuary cod on a live winter whiting during a jack charter.

The author’s father-in-law Harry with a healthy whiting captured while wading and fishing with yabbies during a family holiday at Noosa.

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The author and his dad Dennis with two good size jacks released after some photos. Night is the most productive time when chasing these fish.

Broadwater Guide

by CLINT ANSELL

This is giving us fun sessions on charters, with a wide variety of fish biting.

Good size mulloway, cod, mangrove jack, whiting, flathead, flounder, bream, tarwhine, grunter, trevally, squire and tuskfish are all available.

Mangrove jack will continue to feed aggressively until the water cools in May, when more flathead and tailor turn up.

Live yabbies are working very well, as are small blades and vibes in flashy, dark and UV colours.

Find the bait balls on the fishfinder and you will find fish.

Use live legal size whiting, prawns and mullet for the bigger fish.

The trick is timing the tides to make the most of bite periods.

Not enough tidal flow and the fish will be dormant, too much and it’s hard for them to feed and for us to fish.

Think like a fish!

April is a great time to be fishing the Gold Coast estuaries.

The weather can be unpredictable but we will get some fine days perfect for fishing the Nerang River and Gold Coast Broadwater.

I find the Seabreeze website quite accurate with forecasts when planning the next day’s fishing, but I always check the Bureau of Meteorology’s forecasts as well.

If you’re not into lure fishing and just want to get the kids out of the house, head to the huge yabby banks in the southern Broadwater.

They can be easily accessed in the last two hours of run-out tides.

Just look for the little holes and pump three or four times per hole.

Sometimes the better sizes and numbers of yabbies are buried deeper.

One of my favourite ways to fish is wading for sand whiting.

All you need is a light 6.26 rod pm and a 1000 or 1-4kg 2500 size reel filled with 6lb monofilament or fluorocarbon line.

Braid is not necessary and makes it harder to retie your rigs during a hot session.

You can use a small running sinker on a trace but I prefer no sinker at all, just a size 8 short baitholder hook.

Pull up to a yabby bank in the last few hours of the run-out tide and anchor just off the edge of the bank.

First, hop off with your yabby pump, sieve and bucket and get enough bait for about three to four hours of fishing.

Then return to the boat and drop off the pump and sieve.

You will need a shoulder bag at this point to make the session easier by keeping your hands free while fishing and unhooking fish.

These are available at most tackle shops and the good ones have compartments for a bait box.

Fill it with a mini tackle kit comprising swivels, spare hooks and sinkers, a set of long-nosed pliers, a fish-measuring tape or ruler and the whiting you catch if you’re after a feed.

Place a small bait container in the bag and fill it with water and yabbies.

Then grab your rod and start hunting.

Good polarised sunnies help you spot the fish.

Your eyes will become accustomed to seeing the shadows the whiting cast over the sand.

Most of them are in ankle-deep water, so fish with the wind behind you and walk slowly over the top of the bank if it’s covered by water, or just off the edge if it’s dry at low tide.

Start by throwing a few yabbies into the water a couple of metres in front of you to call in the fish.

You will notice smaller whiting appear first to grab a free meal, with the bigger ones a bit warier.

Then grab a yabby and pass the point of the hook just through the underside of the tail and no further.

This way the yabby stays

alive and looks more natural.

This is further enhanced by using no sinker and fluorocarbon line, which sinks faster than mono.

If you spot a bigger whiting, try to gently cast towards that fish and let the yabby sink to the sand by keeping the line slack.

A careful, smooth cast is essential to avoid losing the yabby.

You can often watch the whiting grab the bait metres from you and take off in a hurry to escape from other fish wanting to steal its food.

Be sure to have your bail arm open when feeling a bite to ensure a good hook-up, and let the fish run for five seconds to ensure a solid hook set.

Then flick the bail arm over and slowly lift to set the hook and fight the fish.

Whiting go hard in shallow water!

If you’re not getting bites, wade around until you find a school.

As the tide starts to run back in, move to the shal-

lowest edge of the water lapping on the bank.

The whiting will be there waiting to access the yabby and soldier crab holes.

This form of fishing is as relaxing as it gets and very rewarding.

Be aware of stingrays as you wade, and be as stealthy as possible so you don’t spook the fish.

And of course, adhere to size and bag limits.

For added fun, cast and retrieve surface lures for aggressive strikes from whiting in shallow water less than half a metre deep.

Early morning is the best time before the waterways get noisy.

The locally made MMD Splash Prawns are great lures for this form of fishing.

To book a charter with Brad or me, or if you have any fishing-related questions, SMS 0432 990 302 or email fishingwith clint@gmail.com You can also find us on Facebook by searching for Brad Smith Fishing Charters.

Flashy lures like this Ecogear ZX40 catch the attention of flathead in dirty water after rain.

Brendan was pleased with this surprise mangrove jack caught trolling over sand in the middle of the day.

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Page 20 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

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A black marlin gently held aloft by Chris Cox, Clarke Willacy and Ashley Ball.

Autumn action intensifies

A

S we said goodbye to summer, Australia reflected on the disastrous bushfires that erased many homes, thousands of hectares of farmland and a billion animals, as well as the precious human toll.

Following on from this disaster, many were then faced with flooding.

However, the positive to the floods was that farmers received essential rain, breaking a 10-year drought.

After an enterprising summer with perfect weather, the Gold Coast was blessed with a variety of fish and no one went home empty-handed.

Dolphinfish supplied fishers on either half or full-day charters with quality eating.

The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries assisted the increase of mahi mahi by placing fish-aggregating devices in reef areas, aiding the feeding and breeding of the species.

MAKING CHOPPY

FEEL LIKE GLASSOUT

Fish the Deep

by SCOTT VAN BURCK

This has enabled the recreational fisher and fishing charters to catch this popular fish.

Marlin arrived in February, and this new decade saw unsurpassed numbers caught, tagged and released.

Marlin charters tagged and released over 30 fish on several full-day trips, a number not seen in the past few years.

Through February, marlin were Fish the Deep’s main target because the results proved to be most gratifying.

Many customers were over the moon, and remarked they never thought this extraordinary fish could be added to their bucket list of catches.

These intriguing fish were most often caught with live bait.

Plate-sized snapper have made contact with Gold Coast

Jaxon He with a solid wahoo.

waters, giving us a taste late in the season.

The 30-day snapper and pearl perch fishing closure, from July 15 to August 15, will harm what is already a tough year.

We’ve seen a huge drop in tourist numbers as coronavirus attacks the world, blown out and dangerous seas during February and March, and now heavy rain and strong wind has charters tied to their pontoons.

This is not putting fresh fish on tables.

The classic catch of the season was red emperor, which are not normally seen in Gold Coast waters and had local fishers commenting on how long it had been since red emperor were caught here.

On one day out, mackerel were in classic numbers and those on the water were ecstatic with their catches.

With the mackerel chasing baitfish close to the coast, the boats didn’t have to travel far offshore to score the triumph of a good feed.

Marlin remain in healthy numbers and first-rate quantities of cobia were gracing many a barbecue.

Quality fishing during summer should see freezers healthily stocked until boats can return to deep water and replenish the many species available to Gold Coast fishers.

With the change of season, fingers crossed marlin and mackerel will hang around for another month or two.

Enthusiastic fishing to one and all.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 21

This screenshot from the author’s sounder shows a vibe hopped at even 50cm intervals along the bottom.

Mulloway of all sizes can’t resist vibes, like this one caught by Pitto.

This picture clearly shows how vibes imitate real baitfish.

Good vibes on the Gold Coast

G

’DAY everyone, as we discussed last month, the fishing was fantastic and it still is thanks to the record rainfall in February.

In this month’s article I will pass on some tips for using vibration lures.

They are both easy to use and of course highly effective.

Three main styles of vibe lures include hollow plastic models with a rat-

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tling ball bearing inside, soft vibes and finally metal vibes, which are commonly called blades.

Not only do these lures appear realistic in the water, when used correctly they look like common baitfish, and most importantly generate strong vibrations in the water.

All fish have lateral lines that run down the side of their bodies and are designed to pick up vibrations in the water.

This is one of the main reasons vibe lures work so well.

In recent years I have favoured vibes over the common soft plastic lures because soft plastics are fitted with a weighted jig head and single hook that only gives one point of exposure for fish to successfully grab.

Vibes, however, come fitted with two sets of treble hooks that are more reliable when it comes to increasing your hook-up rate.

Vibes can be used in both shallow and deep water, which makes them very versatile, and they appeal to almost all species of fish.

They can be cast and retrieved with a hop of the rod tip and a gathering of the slack line via a wind of the reel.

If the wind and tide allows, I like to cast the vibes out and let them sink to the bottom, drifting without winding them in at all.

It is important to make short and consistent movements with the rod tip so they hop up and down evenly across the bottom.

I like to keep the hops to short intervals, which can be done by implementing even 50cm flicks of the rod tip.

When fishing deep water with vibes, I use my sounder to find bait schools and fish holding close to the bottom, then position the boat directly above and lower the lures straight down to the bottom and into the target zone.

Once on the bottom, I use the same short and even 50cm jigging action as mentioned.

The main tip is when you jig the rod tip up, you must then release it immediately to let the lure

flutter straight back to the bottom.

I emphasise this because most fish take the lure as it sinks, which means the flick up is what gets their attention, while the take occurs on the drop.

On the odd occasion I have even cast vibes at fish such as trevally busting the surface.

I then retrieve the lures at a reasonable speed, which

keeps them subsurface.

This has netted good results.

In a nutshell, all anglers should have a couple of vibes in their tackle boxes because they are fun to use and catch many different species.

Take care and get out on the water as much as you can because the fishing is really good and will continue to be all through the oncoming winter.

A variety of hard plastic, soft plastic and metal vibes.

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Flathead cannot get enough of a well-worked vibe.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 23

Mick eased this nice spanish to the boat on light line.

Roger with a hard-fighting GT.

Spotties stop back in to Brunz

I

T’S nice to see the return of spotted mackerel after they’ve been absent for a few years.

Spotted mackerel are fun to catch, but for the best eating, get them cold quick smart.

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These crazy little fish are as frustrating as ever but when they decide to bite, they can really turn it on.

A lot of people don’t like them as much as the larger spanish mackerel.

People mention a couple of reasons for this.

Apparently, they don’t fight as well!

Well they aren’t going to on the heavier spanish mackerel gear, are they!?

Fish for them with 12lb line to see what they can do and you’ll be surprised.

They are faster than spanish and their take-off speed is electric.

On light line they will come to the boat several times and take off when they see the gaff.

Pound for pound, they fight equal to or better than spanish on appropriate tackle.

You’ll get more bites on light line too.

The other reason people don’t like them as much is the flesh isn’t as firm as spanish.

This is true and they

Tweed to Byron Bay

by GAVIN DOBSON

need to be iced in a slurry as soon as captured.

I must admit I prefer spanish on the plate but there’s nothing wrong with a bit of well looked after spotty either.

I’ve shared a few fun trips with mates recently.

Pat Carroll came for a run and caught spotted mackerel and a couple of spanish.

I mentioned I was going to get the camera out and then promptly forgot, so no pics of Pat this month.

Hugh came down for another month in the caravan park and I’ve got no pics of him either.

Unfortunately, the first trip we went on saw sharks eat everything we hooked.

On the next trip, Hugh’s son-in-law Roger came too and Hugh kindly let Roger pull the big fish in.

We lost a few mackerel in various ways through no fault of the angler.

I think the order of spanish mackerel losses due to unfortunate events was: sharked, pulled

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hooks and broken wire trace.

Roger then hooked a fish on a live bait that took a heap of line and then stopped, before turning and taking a heap more line in a northerly direction at a slow and steady pace.

A spotty rod then went off and I told Roger to pull the spotty in because I thought his fish had been sharked.

I said to Roger and Hugh that instead of breaking the shark off I would leave it on the line and hopefully prevent it from eating the spotted mackerel Roger was now fighting.

Getting the spotted mackerel in the boat took a few minutes and the photos a few more minutes, as did resetting the baits.

I decided the shark was now well and truly unimpressed and it was time to break it off.

It had arced around from the north and was headed south for Julian Rocks.

As I wound the line, whatever was on the end started coming in and I said to Roger it might not be a shark after all, so he’d better pull it in and finish what he had started.

It took a while and my speculations as to what was on the end went through a few different species (not including the extinct cobia) before the circling pattern under the boat made me settle on longtail tuna.

When I finally got a glimpse of colour it was a brassy yellow and I had to change my mind again to giant trevally.

With some patient rod work, Roger finally had the big GT in his lap for another photo session.

An interesting effort when you consider he put the rod in the holder and landed a spotted mackerel in the middle of the fight.

Another capture of note was when my mate Mick came for a run.

The first bait to go off was on the spotty gear

and after a minute or so it became apparent Mick was not fighting a spotty but most likely a good spanish.

The threat of sharks is an ever-present worry but all you can do with light gear is keep the pressure on.

Mick did a great job and landed a solid spanish.

We got more spanish and spotties in fantastic conditions, so all in all it was a great day.

The weather went a bit sideways through Hugh’s stay, with buckets of rain.

This pushes the whiting down the Brunswick River and we went out to make the most of it.

We captured some good fish but it wasn’t too much fun hiding under our raincoats and there wasn’t even a break for me to get the camera out.

The next day there was a slight window in the rain and wanting some good whiting photos we headed out again.

Unfortunately, the gap in the rain was just long enough to get the boat ready and once again we sat in a water-logged tinnie not game to get the camera out.

At least it wasn’t cold and we still caught a few fish.

Hopefully the mackerel hang around for a couple more months yet.

April can be a funny month for mackerel around here.

Some years they fire but others they go a bit quiet.

April and May are the best months for wahoo.

I haven’t heard of too many yet, which isn’t a great sign, but they could turn up any time.

Jewfish should be around, though most boats will still be focusing on mackerel.

We usually get a hit of tailor in early April too, however sometimes they only want garfish.

A good supply of garfish is in most bait shops at the moment, which is always a good thing, so it might pay to stock up.

Garfish have been in short supply over the past few years but are easier to come by than toilet paper at the moment.

Then again, most things are. www.bnbfishing.com. au

To brown and back around Ballina H ELLO all and welcome to this month’s edition of BNB.

The weather gods are not giving us a reprieve across the Northern Rivers.

Having said that, they are not being terribly kind to anyone at present.

Over 600mm of rain was deposited in the area and plenty found its way into the Richmond River.

At the time of writing, the river was a lovely shade of brown, though it clears fairly quickly and we’ve had clean water push back up to the Burns Point Ferry on larger runin tides.

Fingers crossed, if we don’t receive another significant amount of rain in the near future, fishing should really fire up around Easter.

The discoloured water pushed out to sea for a couple of kilometres during the flood, but it has since cleaned up significantly.

Recently, we had our first reports of mackerel on the close reefs, however since then wind and swell have made it nearly impossible to spend any serious amount of time on the water.

Good numbers of mackerel have been found at Brunswick Heads and Coffs Harbour for those who can’t wait for fish to show up locally.

The fishing should be fairly productive in close, with the water temperature hovering about 25C and a reasonable amount of live bait available.

If you don’t want to play in the crowds chasing mackerel, mahi mahi (dolphinfish) will be hanging around the fish-aggregating devices.

Live bait will be the best option, so make sure you take the time to collect a few before heading out wide.

The larger dolphinfish have been showing plenty

Ballina Bait & Tackle

by BRETT HYDE

of interest in skirted lures being trolled and it will pay to pack a couple for your next trip.

Natural blue-coloured and luminous lures have been good choices over the past couple of months.

The current has slowed, with reports of one to three knots on most days.

For the most part, the slower current is fishable and could mean snapper, teraglin jew and flathead coming from the 32-fathom line over Easter.

If this is the case, soft plastics, slow-pitch jigs and octopus jigs will all be worth trying.

We should also see pearl perch, amberjack and kingfish on the 48-fathom line.

Make sure to visit your local tackle shop before your next trip and check out the new lure available from Mustad.

It’s an octopus imitation called InkVader and, for an artificial lure, it’s super realistic, right down to the dissolvable ink tablets to insert into the body to simulate ink squirting.

Made of a super-tough material, this lure should stand up to a heavy beating from offshore fish.

They are available in a range of colours, various sizes and eight different weights to suit many target species and any depth.

Back on the beaches and around rock platforms, chopper tailor have begun to appear.

Most anglers have enjoyed catching a feed on metal spinners as well as the usual bait such as pilchards and mullet.

Quality bream and flathead have started to appear around the rocky areas at each end of the beach.

Natural-coloured soft plastics have worked

quite well, as have worms, white pilchards and pipis.

Bream and tailor numbers should continue to improve over the coming months as we draw closer to winter.

The pick of beaches are Angels, Seven Mile and South Ballina, with nice gutters discovered on a couple of the other beaches, proving it pays to try a few spots because fish move around.

As I said earlier, we are seeing clear water push back into the river during run-in tides.

This has brought in good-quality bream from the beach, and they are

happy to grab prawns, mullet and squid as well as natural-coloured soft plastics.

Flathead have a similar appetite, with betterquality fish taken around the porpoise wall and the deeper sections behind the CBD. Larger soft plastics and vibes have worked quite well, as have live and cut bait such as mullet and bonito.

With the bigger tides recently, mud crab numbers have improved considerably.

They’ve shown up in North Creek above Prospect Bridge, in Emigrant Creek around the highway bridges and in the main river from the ferry to Wardell Bridge.

The deeper channels have produced, and I

would say it’s due to more salt water sitting beneath the fresh, meaning cooler water for fish.

Before I wrap up, I want to remind you about the 2020 Pottsville Beach Sports Greenback Fishing Competition.

It’s on over the June long weekend from June 6-7.

Make sure you check it out because it is a great family fun fishing comp.

With categories for the whole family and eight fish species that can be weighed in, you’ll find something for everyone.

The wonderful people at the Cabarita Lions Club are running the event, with thousands of dollars in prizes up for grabs, so get your entries in now.

Well, that’s all from me.

‘Til next time – tight lines!

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 25

The annual Lions Greenback Fishing Competition: June 6-7

W

E are now a few months away from the 25 hours of Greenback Fishing Competition on June 6-7, 2020 – the NSW long weekend.

It is time to mark the calendar on the wall and your digital devices, sign up to greenback updates and follow www.lionsgreenback. com Start planning your trip for one of the best all-volunteer-run fishing events on the calendar.

After 30 years of the Greenback ‘Tailor’ Fishing Competition held annually at Cabarita Beach, the second year of a new era has continued, with the 33rd Greenback event to be held at Pottsville Beach.

The Lions Club of Cabarita Beach Pottsville Beach has partnered with the Pottsville Beach Sports Club.

The 2018 competition introduced the inaugural 2018 Fowler NSW v QLD Shield.

Competitors’ points were allocated to the state they nominated.

NSW won the challenge in 2018 and 2019.

With the first State of Origin game on the Wednesday before the Greenback Competition weekend, the comp’s Origin shirts are again a wanted item.

In 2020 the online event management system will again be used and is inte-

grated with the lionsgreenback.com website.

Boundaries for the competition have no geographical limit other than you must be in NSW or Queensland tidal waters.

Sign-on will be via a scan of an online ticket starting at 8am Saturday in three locations (Gold Coast (online only), Pottsville (online/ cash) and Ballina (online only).

We have $35,000 in prizemoney, fishing and camping goods.

All entrants will get a complimentary ticket in the Lions Charity Raffle, a Sunday breakfast and the chance to win lucky prize draws on Sunday morning.

We are planning to have over 800 competitors attend the event as well as their families and friends.

Currently 50 sponsors are on board to ensure a successful comp.

Our 2020 major sponsors are Pottsville Beach Sports Club, Tweed Coast Marine and MadKeen.

The removal of boundaries and providing Ballina and Gold Coast sign-on locations for online ticket holders has given entrants more time for fishing.

The size limits are a combination of NSW and Queensland regulations.

Bag limit is 15 fish per competitor in the interest of sustainability of the competition.

Page 26 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

These changes open the opportunity for all fishers to have a go at the divisional Champion Tailor and heaviest bag prizes.

Entrants will be able to fish up and down the coast at their favourite Queensland and NSW secret locations.

The prizewinning fish will need to be brought back to Pottsville Beach Sports Club on Sunday at 9am sharp.

The online registration and ticketing system payment options include PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, money order, cheque and bank transfer.

Once payment is approved, you will receive an entry ticket with a QR code/ barcode.

Turn up on June 6 at your chosen sign-on location to have your QR code scanned and pick up your sign-on bag, numbered pass and away you go fishing!

The Lions Charity Raffle has the following prizes: First: your choice between a $6000 Tweed Coast Marine boat package or $5000 cash from Pottsville Beach Sports Club.

Second: $6000 Tweed Coast Marine boat package or $5000 cash from Pottsville Beach Sports Club (depending on first prizewinner’s choice).

Third: North Star Holiday Resort $1500 voucher.

Fourth: MadKeen $250 voucher (fishing apparel).

Fifth: $150 cash from Asphalt and Concreting Services and Solutions.

Entrants who register online before May 1, 2020 will be entered into a prize draw for a $200 Ashmore Palms Holiday Village accommodation voucher, $50 BCF voucher and fishing magazine subscriptions.

The standard entry rates for men and women have been set at $50, seniors (55-plus) at $45 and juniors (16 and under) $35.

For those who cannot use an online system, there is a form to download, complete and subsequently email or post.

The event will officially close at 2pm on the Sunday, so the Queensland entrants have time to travel home.

For those who want to stay, the Greenback after-party will entertain until late.

For more information, call Debra on 0451 064 448 or visit lionsgreenback.com

This photo from last year shows what anglers hope to be repeated this month after a disastrous March for land-based fishing at Iluka.

Misery in March but things must improve W

HAT a shocker month March turned out to be on the fishing front here on the beautiful Clarence Coast of northern NSW.

Prior to the second cyclone of the season travelling south way offshore near Norfolk Island, we had to persevere two weeks of crappy 20-25-knot southeasterly wind and an ocean that looked like weekold dishwashing water thanks to the piddling flood that occurred in late-February.

If that wasn’t enough, the above weather was replaced with 35-knot southerly wind and 4m swells, which just about hammered the last nail into March’s coffin.

Look, to be fair, if catching bream is your cup of tea then you would have been happy as a pig in mud because these critters were the one species that seemed to thrive on the crap conditions.

They were taken from the beaches, breakwalls and inside the Clarence River in excellent numbers.

Not being able to get a proper crack at the headlands for jewfish or the walls for tuna, my youngest son Mischa and his girlfriend Rebekah spent many a night whiling away the hours at the local boat ramp.

They used bait to catch and release bream one a throw, reaching what could have been their bag limit of 10 fish each on most nights.

With all the dirt that came out the mouth of the Clarence, only one jewfish was weighed in and that was a nice 29kg specimen taken from the Yamba wall on a hard-bodied lure.

Mischa spun the dirt on the river side of the Iluka wall

Just Jew

by TYE PORTER

with hard-bodies for jew, but after donating way too many lures to sharks, he gave it away as a bad joke.

I actually waddled out the breakwall in search of tuna on the only day that looked half decent and while I saw a few fish, nothing came within casting distance and I have not been back since.

At the time of writing, no pelagics had been taken.

I suppose the only bright side to this is April and May are traditionally the best months here at Iluka for land-based tuna and mackerel fishing, so there is still hope yet.

Again, due to the wind and swell very few big tailor were reported, with only a handful of fish taken from the sheltered northern side of the Second Bluff on Back Beach.

The dirty water inside the river forced local luderick guru Wayne Franklin to fish the more sheltered rocks at Shark Bay using cabbage, which turned out to be a memorable day as Wayne returned home with his personal-best fish that weighed in at a cracking 1.45kg.

Offshore fishing was severely hammered by the conditions, though a few die-hard boaties launched at Woody Head and fished the more sheltered waters of Woody Bay for half-decent snapper and the odd spotted mackerel.

The only other marine species that has been around in big numbers is the tasty old mud crab, however, with the amount of share farming

(pot raiding) that goes on, I couldn’t be bothered.

After last month’s predictions going so pear shaped, I am hardly game to guess what will happen this month, however if Mother Nature just gets out of her foul mood, then things should be all good and catches will return to some sort of normality.

April is the month to start sneaking around the lower reaches of the river systems in search of schools of flat-tailed mullet that move downriver each winter.

If you can find these little critters, then you are halfway to finding the jewfish that move into the rivers in good numbers to feed on them.

When using live mullet for bait either inside the river or off the beaches, I never ever use any weight on the line – I simply free swim them and let them look as natural as possible.

Once I get a bite, I simply let the fish drop the rod top and then drive the hooks home because all the crap about waiting for the second run is just that: crap.

Last year I had reasonable success throwing lures around the river for jewfish instead of live baits and I reckon I will be doing the same this winter, even though the hook-up rate is far, far lower.

I wish I had better news to report, though I suppose that’s fishing and the bright side is things can only improve.

Until next month, safe fishing. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Gearing up for Cape York H

I, it’s Craig Tomkinson here.

With April upon us, the wet season will begin to back off.

The run out wide will start easing and the weather will get cooler.

And I will get older as I turn 56 this month.

I have a few things on this year including some trips north.

The first with my mate Dave Kowitz is a boys’ fishing trip for three to five weeks to Janie Creek on Cape York around May 6.

Needless to say, I am in Cape York mode, which translates to plenty of preventative mainte-

Noosa to Fraser Coast

by CRAIG TOMKINSON

nance on all my gear.

Because 99 percent is near new, it’s just a matter of jacking up each wheel on the four-wheeldrive and boat trailer and checking the wheel bearings have no movement.

If they move, I’ll nip the bearing nut up a bit.

I’ll check the brakes, make sure all suspension rubbers are in good condition and test all bolts are tight.

Then give all the motors, diffs and gear boxes an oil

The author’s EPIRB back from GME with a new free battery is good to go for another six years. The only cost was the $10 for postage.

Peter Coppock bought his 3.4m tinnie 25 years ago with this bomb-proof outboard.

The 1981 15hp Johnson Seahorse two-stroke outboard hadn’t seen action in 20 years.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

change and new filters.

It’s also time to drain the radiator, fit new hoses and change the coolant because it’s been a few years since these were done.

Packing will begin closer to the date.

Having never camped at Janie Creek before, I am looking forward to whatever happens.

We decided on this spot because it’s 25km from Kerr Reef and 30-40km to other areas of reef I haven’t fished.

Another consideration is if it’s windy, we are just a couple of kilometres from local reefs.

On returning home, the boat will remain loaded, the 4WD will get an oil change and I might go to Inskip Point to catch crabs and squid.

Then I’ll repack the 4WD and hook up the caravan as Donna, the kids and I head up to the tip of Cape York for the June/ July school holidays.

On the fishing front, in close off Noosa should be great, though I haven’t been out of late.

Working two shifts a day and on weekends mowing the lawn and spending time at home, I just haven’t felt like going fishing.

Regardless, grass sweetlip should be in numbers around Halls and Sunshine reefs.

Pillies and fresh squid dropped to the bottom on a running sinker rig should catch a hefty feed of fish.

Nice buck mud crabs have been caught in the mouth of Lake Cootharaba.

Though not plentiful, the pots have been full and this should continue as long as there isn’t another flood in the Noosa River system.

A mate of mine Peter has taken the plunge and bought an 8m trailer boat.

He sold his 4.9m AMM plate boat on a near-new Vindicator tandem-axle alloy trailer, his 6.2m Kevlacat with fresh Yamaha F115hp outboards and his latish-model 79 Series dual-cab LandCruiser to buy a second-hand 3000 Kevlavat sitting on a relatively new tri-axle alloy trailer.

One of the older motors on the 3000 dropped a valve on the inspection day, so Peter got the boat package $20,000 cheaper.

He bought two brandnew 250hp four-stroke Yamaha outboards from Frank and Glen Watson of Watson’s Marine Centre in Gympie.

The motors were fitted and trials done, with a top speed on calm water of about 81km/h.

To say Peter was happy was an understatement.

Peter has since had the boat cabin gutted and rebuilt to suit him.

Being an ex-Coast Guard vessel, it was set up for looking for boats and people, not for fishing and

overnight trips.

Hopefully, once the water trials and teething problems have been sorted I’ll get to go fishing in this weapon.

The boat has an FCV295 Furuno colour sounder with 1kW and 2kW transducers for reef fishing and hunting the deeper waters and has been rewired with heavy-duty wire to run big electric reels.

On the bow is a freespool stainless steel anchor drum winch that is playing up.

Peter plans to replace it and add a big Mason Supreme slide plough anchor to make anchoring a pleasure not a chore.

Peter has also bought a Ford F350 heavy-duty 4WD as the tow vehicle because it can tow up to eight tonnes on a 65mm ball.

His tri-axle alloy trailer needs modifying before it can carry the big Kevlacat loaded with fuel and gear.

Peter is aiming to chase red emperor and deepwater fish around Tin Can Bay, possibly Gladstone and even Cooktown.

With the new setup and 4WD he’ll be able to do that, no worries.

Another mate, another Peter (Coppock), was talking about the 3.4m tinnie he bought about 25 years ago.

He used it for a few years and then it sat in his shed for 20 years and didn’t start it in that time.

When he asked if the motor would still be all right, I said to bring it around and I’d have a look to see if we could get it

going in decent time.

The 15hp Johnson Seahorse two-stroke outboard looked in good nick for a 1981 model.

I gave the starter rope a pull and it hadn’t seized.

I thought, well, that’s a good start.

We dug the fuel tank out, cleaned it and fitted a new primer bowl.

Then we mixed up some two-stroke fuel, hooked up the fuel hose, put the earmuffs on the motor and turned on the tap.

I pumped up the fuel and tried to start the old girl.

Nothing happened.

So I took out the spark plugs and they had fuel on them but it looked like it was flooding.

We checked the motor was making spark, which it was.

I tapped the gap on the spark plugs a little closer and refitted them.

We took the carbie off and cleaned the jets, making sure the needle and seat were not stuck, then refitted it and pumped the fuel again.

We gave her a few pulls and away she went, running after 20 years!

It was even pumping water.

We let it run for 20 minutes before stopping her.

Then I changed the gearbox oil and it was black.

Peter is now buying a new water pump impeller and fuel primer bowl.

He will drop around once he’s got the parts and we will fit them – then I think he’s going crabbing!

The old Seahorse motors are bomb proof.

‘Til next month, be safe on the water.

Nice buck mud crabs caught from Lake Cootharaba.

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Autumn action on the Sunny Coast continues

W

ITH what can only be described as a long, hot and very wet summer, I am looking forward to enjoying cooler weather.

Roy and Linda Helling were happy with their spotted mackerel and yellowfin tuna.

Photos: fishingnoosa.com.au

Braithyn Smith with a 53cm mangrove jack.

A good-sized spanish mackerel hooked by Jonny Beck.

Autumn is the time of year we see a crossover, more noticeable offshore where the summer species hang around and cooler water winter species start to show in greater numbers.

We still have to plan trips around rain and solid swell windows but the results can make it very worthwhile.

Offshore from Noosa the local reefs of Jew Shoal and Halls Reef are still go-to favourites for the big spanish mackerel patrolling these areas.

Jew Shoal tends to fish better at first and last light because the boat traffic is not as intense.

Anglers will often buzz over this shoal on their way out to deeper reef marks and the noise from motors shuts fish down.

If after pelagics, you would be wise to fish around spring tides.

During higher tidal flow, certain current directions will hit the shoal and create pressure edges that big fish love.

A quality sounder such as the new Humminbird Solix will be able to map the area and show where any fish are holding.

By using the down and side scan, you can drop baits in the correct spot every time.

Sunshine Coast

by GRANT BUDD

Halls Reef is often frequented by kayak anglers and these fishos usually come home with the standout fish.

Slow trolling big dead baits is the predominant method, so break out whole bonito, slimy mackerel, garfish and sauries.

Grab a tinsel head to add some extra flash on your gang or stinger rig and off you go.

For boat anglers, try running a rig 50-60m out the back.

This will see it sit lower in the water column and possibly get a bite from any spooked fish you may have driven over.

The key to trolling is to go slow and put the boat in and out of gear.

This sees the bait rise and fall, effectively swimming it, which helps create interest and eventually a hook-up.

Further out, Sunshine Reef has been holding a great mixed bag of reef fish and pelagics.

If after a pelagic, always use the trusty pilchard floater and be prepared to adjust its descent with a small ball sinker if there is current.

This is a great place to pick up coral trout, sweetlip and pearl perch on plastic lures and jigs.

A good plastic to cover a few options is the humble jerk shad or flickbait in 4”-6” sizes on 3/8-3/4oz jig heads.

These get down quick and should the tuna or mackerel surface, you can cast at them because they represent a convincing baitfish profile when jerked back at speed.

A gang-hooked pilchard fished hard on the bottom also works very well here.

Short powerful rods and strong reels are required.

Wilson Live Fibre rods coupled with a long and heavy leader will help prevent getting dusted by big fish.

Out wider, North Reef has served up mixed bags of bigger reef fish including estuary and maori cod as well as longtail tuna, spotted and spanish mackerel and good-sized cobia.

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Many big fish will sit mid-water, so when the currents are light enough be sure to drop a big slimy mackerel floater.

Cobia will also take slow-fall jigs such as the Nomad Tackle Buffalo and Shimano Coltsniper Wonderfall in the 100g range.

Be sure to have drags set accordingly because really big cobia will head straight to the bottom in a few seconds.

Double Island Point has been popular during lighter swell and wind.

Anglers have been reporting good numbers of scarlet sea perch, cobia, gold spot wrasse, sweetlip, tuskfish and even big red emperor.

DI has a reputation for big fish, so be sure to use 30-80lb lines depending on what you are chasing.

Sharks can present a problem, and going heavier certainly helps outrun them if your arms and back can take it.

Away from the reefs, surf fishing has been hit and miss with the swell and wind.

The best time for bigger fish, namely jewfish, is around the new moon because evening high tides are favoured and occur on this moon phase.

Be sure to use fresh worms, mullet, bonito and squid on simple singlehook paternosters or running light gang hook rigs.

Keep lines as light as possible to lessen drag from any surf and keep disturbance to a minimum.

During the day, if the wind is southeasterly, the southern side of the Noosa River mouth is a great option.

The Noosa Bar has many channels and drop-offs, so break out the light gear and use lightly weighted baits to locate flathead, whiting, dart, bream and grunter, to name a few species.

The Noosa River continues to provide anglers with options, especially during adverse conditions.

The beauty of Noosa’s geographical location

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means during any given wind direction you can find a sheltered spot.

We are seeing a flurry of mangrove jack and the Noosa River holds plenty of these prized sportfish.

There are many ways to tackle them, though using quality gear is a must.

Low-cost reels offer only light drags and cheap rods have poor actions.

If lure fishing, the new Samaki Archer rods have great backbone, especially the baitcast models.

As for reels, any of the 150-200 size baitcaster reels are suitable, so a 200 size Shimano Tranx on heavier tackle would work.

This reel is designed for saltwater use and packs a punch.

Heavier, courser braids like Shimano PowerPro and other four-strand braids will provide the best abrasion resistance.

The individual fibres are thicker and thus provide greater resistance against snags.

Sufix 832 has amazing wear characteristics and is a great option for heavy cover fishing.

These braids are also easier to pick out should you get an overrun, where super-fine PE braids dig in and are harder to pick out from a monster bird’s nest.

Of the many ways to target a jack, lure fishing is the most popular and the Noosa River has a big prawn population.

Grab one of the many prawn soft plastics or prerigged prawns and try anything from slow rolling to letting it drift in the current on a weedless hook.

Take a look at the Atomic Prong for a soft plastic and if snag bashing is your thing, grab a Gold Bomber because this is one of the most popular lures here.

If you want to try catching one off the top, nothing works better than a Bassday Sugapen surface lure or slow-popped Lucky Craft G-Splash 65 or 80mm in MS black.

Moving away from jacks, we have a large population of flathead, which can reach over the magic metre mark.

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with your lure choice for flathead.

Big flathead will eat smaller 30-50cm flathead, which should be a hint.

Glide baits are becoming more popular and the Megabass ISlide 175mm is the perfect size for working the various flats.

To launch one of these you will need a swimbait rod capable of casting in excess of 2oz, so check out options from Wilson, Dobyns and Abu Garcia.

Braided lines will need to be around 30lb to cope with the weight of the lure but the rewards are definitely there.

Take a look around the Noosa Marina, Lake Doonella and the river mouth dropoffs.

Elsewhere, trevally, bream and whiting can be found through the river depending on rainfall.

If it has rained, stay in the lower estuary and fish during the last of the run-in and start of the run-out tides to make the most of the cleaner, saltier water.

A simple running sinker rig with a mullet or squid strip is a cracking option, as are beach worm and prawn chunks.

Have the correct hooks according to bait type and size to ensure the best presentation.

For lure anglers who like to get up early, have a crack with smaller surface poppers and stickbaits to tempt trevally chasing baitfish.

If you try around pontoons and jetties during first light you may even get to tangle with a jack.

These fish often feed in darkness and will be on the prowl alongside trevally, so be quiet on your approach to get the best results.

If surface luring isn’t working, grab a soft vibe such as a Samaki Vibelicious and fish the drop-offs and points until the sun rises.

These lures will grab the attention of just about anything that swims, so have a few types and sizes available.

The fresh water has seen big changes, with the vast majority of dams and lakes having had a flush of rain and sitting at 100 percent or close to it.

Borumba Dam has www.bnbfishing.com. au

been fishing well for a multitude of species such as yellowbelly, bass and saratoga.

The surface bite is still strong and, with a break in rain, the mornings and late afternoons are worth a try.

Once the sun pops up, smaller 1/4oz spinnerbaits, vibration jigs and jig spinners have been connecting with fish.

Casting these into a weedy point and working them back out with various retrieves will soon have you figuring out what is working on the day.

Take a look at the various options from Hot Bite because these have been hooking superb fish of late.

Lake Macdonald has seen cabomba weed return with a vengeance due to extended summer heat.

After a recent visit to the ramp my trailer looked like it had been underwater for years when I pulled it out.

If this happens, be sure to pull all weed from trailers before leaving and use the ramp’s boat wash to help prevent the spread.

This weed is highly invasive and quickly chokes inlets and creeks.

Once on the water, head into the Three Ways area to drop vibes and run deepdiving hard-bodies for best results.

The fish appear to be sitting deep, so use your sounders to help find them.

Once you locate a break in the previously mentioned weed along the edges, you can extract some cracking fish and using suspending jerkbaits will prevail here.

Look at the many colours of Zerek Tango Shad for a costeffective option.

Be sure to have a valid Stocked Impoundment Permit and be safe on the water.

For all the latest information and up-todate bar and fishing reports, log onto fish ingnoosa.com.au Don’t forget to drop into Davo’s Tackle World, Davo’s Boating and Outdoors in Noosa and Davo’s Northshore Bait & Tackle in Marcoola for all the right equipment, bait and advice to get you catching.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and remember: tight lines and bent spines.

Some of the local women ready to sail.

A couple of finely tuned athletes in motion

Easter camping joy in southeast QLD

W

E’RE just about ready for another few days of camping and thank goodness the Easter long weekend is upon us.

How times have changed and how important are the vehicles we use to transport us to our adventure locations.

I fondly remember the words of living surf legend George Greenough as he described he “could feel the swell building” while sleeping in his car on the slopes of Lennox Heads.

He could feel the vibrations through the car as the growing waves crashed onto the headland.

Camping out in the 1970s was a far cry from what we have today with our solar panels, deep-cycle batteries, LED lights, 12V fridges and rooftop tents.

Our vehicles have become the working centre of our campsites.

This is fantastic for overnighting while fourwheel-driving through the inland bush or travelling along one of our coastal beaches.

Throw out the swag as the light begins to fade and you’re ready to lay the head down after an adventure-packed day.

As the sun begins to rise, you roll up the swag, boil a cuppa and cook brekky before setting off on your way once again.

Stiff competition between camping outlets has had a positive impact for the everyday consumer.

Brands including Kings now supply reasonable products at a price to meet everyone’s budget.

I currently use the 3sq m free-standing marquee and Big Daddy king-size swag.

Used together, they make a quick and easily set up campsite.

Keep an eye open for the specials and you could buy both products together for under $250.

You would be hard pressed to beat the state forests around the Mary Valley when looking for a place to enjoy off-road tracks for 4WDing, staying at one of the many campgrounds in the valley.

If you have young ones or are young at heart, you may choose to take advantage of the Imbil Easter Carnival on Easter Satur-

Outdoors

by PAUL ‘CHIEF’ GRAVESON

day, April 11.

Last year was the preliminary event and all who attended had a brilliant time.

This second year is simply a must-do.

Imbil is a small town in the heart of the Mary Valley, situated just a couple of hours’ drive north from Brisbane.

The good-old country hospitality and charm will embrace you as you arrive to the valley.

This is why Tonia and I chose to live in the region.

We’ll miss this place and the people as we become homeless drifters on our adventure.

OK enough of the reminiscing and back to the carnival.

The local SES sets up an alternative route around town and the main street becomes a festive hive of activity.

The local area has a population of artisans who use the occasion to display their crafts and creations in a market atmosphere.

The entertainment ranges from home brew competitions to bush poets and local musicians providing live music.

A vast variety of foods and coffees are available, as are plenty of activities for the kids.

I understand there will be an expo of lifestyle talks specific to living in our region.

The highlight of the day is the Yabba Regatta, in

which organisations and schools submit teams to take part in a boat race up the main street.

I vaguely remember a few tongue-in-cheek moments as the Mary Valley Stags rugby league team showed their athletic skills and abilities in the not-so-aquatic competition.

It is such a great day and if you’re not in the valley camping, it is still worth the drive for a day trip from Brisbane or a quick jaunt from the Sunshine Coast to join the family fun.

I believe this event would be the icing on the cake for a family choosing to camp in the valley over the Easter long weekend.

To avoid disappointment, I would contact any of the below listed

campgrounds asap.

All are a short drive from the main street of Imbil, the exception being Imbil Camping Retreat as it’s an easy stroll along the banks of Yabba Creek.

• Imbil Camping Retreat: 0447 135 471.

• Lake Borumba Campground: 07 5488 6662.

• Kumbak Kamping: 0447 945 441.

• Borumba Deer Park: 07 5484 5196.

Right across the road from Imbil Camping Retreat is a relatively new skate park for skateboards, inline scooters and bikes.

The park has a very family orientated vibe, with picnic tables at the end of a jacaranda-lined avenue.

A canoe-launching facility provides access to Yabba Creek, so it is a great little precinct for the youngsters and young at heart.

A range of other accommodation exists in the valley, from cabins to houses,

providing something for all tastes.

We also have Honeybee Country Cottages at 20 Hasthorpe Rd, Kandanga.

The whole complex has concrete paths, no stairs and wheelchair access to every unit.

Most toilets and showers are designed for clients with special needs, so I’m proud to say we really have accommodation covered for all when visiting the Mary Valley.

Take it from me, if you’re looking for a camping site over Easter or a special day trip, join us here for the Imbil Easter Carnival on April 11 and take advantage of the wholesome country hospitality.

This will be our last carnival as residents of the area and I’m looking forward to saying goodbye to all and expecting to see a lot of new faces over the weekend.

Cheers, Chief.

Everyone loves the Easter bunny.

Easter Carnival is a great day for the kids.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 29

Winner, winner fish dinner – Simon Williams collected his winnings.

Simon with one of his winning fish.

April fishing fun to continue at Tin Can Bay

G

Mitchell Cooper held one of 25 jacks from an overnight session.

Simon’s competition-winning 51cm jack.

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’DAY fishers.

I hope you’ve been keeping well and have been able to get out to catch a couple.

Our catch and release 2020 Mangrove Jack Fishing Competition wrapped up on February 29 at noon and boy, what a close finish it was!

As we said at the start of the comp, it was going to come down to the time the fish caught were registered.

And it rang true at 3.19am on the final day, when Simon Williams sent me a message via Facebook with his latest upgrade.

Good job I was actually awake mate, but that’s another story.

Simon said he was just about to pull the pin but decided to sling out the last of his live bait, with little hope because of the very slow night he’d been having.

Simon said as soon as the poddy mullet hit the

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Call Chris & the team on 07 5486 4744 At the Marina Emperor St, Tin Can Bay www.tcbchandlery.com.au Page 30 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

Tin Can Bay

by CHRIS RIPPON

water it was game on, and after a short tussle he reeled in a 50cm-plus model, securing him the top spot.

As it turned out, this was the last fish measured in for the comp.

For the final weeks of the competition, we had a huge amount of rain at Tin Can Bay and some very dirty water flowing as a result, but the diehards got out there and fished hard.

The jacks were loving the dirty water and turned it on.

Mitch who works in the shop had one session boating 25 mangrove jack, with only three under 40cm and the biggest coming in at 51cm.

So, who won what and what was the biggest fish for the comp?

The longest total bag was won by Simon Williams with 152cm.

Simon took home the Blade N Tails and ATC Virtuous reel combo as well as a Wilson tackle bag loaded with tackle.

The largest fish was also taken out by Simon with a 51cm jack, earning him the B.J.’s Custom mangrove jack rod.

Though Simon’s was not the only 50cm-plus jack of the comp.

The mystery length went to Joe Cox with a 43.5cm model.

Joe won a half-day charter with Great Sandy Straits Sport Fishing.

Also worth a mention is Mitchell Cooper who had a total bag of 151cm and took out second largest bag, and Ron Cox who came in third with a total bag of 147.5cm.

We had 64 registered anglers take part in the catch and release competition, with a total of 95 fish registered and most of the crew managing to upgrade a number of times.

All the anglers said plenty of jacks didn’t make the cut.

The fish we saw were fat, healthy and in great condition, with 40cm fish pulling like 50cm models

and 50s like 60s.

A great sign of the mangrove jack fishery we have here in Great Sandy Strait.

Going by the final total of full-registered bags, we calculated 17.54m of mangrove jack end to end – and that was only 39 fish.

That is one big red line!

Due to the success of this year’s comp, we’re looking forward to the 2021 Mangrove Jack Fishing Competition.

It will be a blinder, so we expect to see more anglers registering for the contest next year.

Thank you to our sponsors for providing such great prizes – Wilson Fishing, Brodie Spedding from B.J.’s Custom and Jonathan Mallard from Great Sandy Straits Sport Fishing.

We would also like to thank the competitors who helped make the event a resounding success.

Now to what else has been caught in Tin Can Bay over the past few weeks.

Despite the dirty water, we have had reports of good-sized squid catches.

The Lady Woodward has been a hot spot and the Yamashita W A R jigs have again been slaying.

Good catches of mud and sand crabs have been on the cards and don’t our crab pots know it.

Don’t worry, we always have plenty in stock.

Barramundi have also been loving the dirty water, with a mixture of live bait and luring producing the goods.

To date, the biggest I’ve been told about was a 106cm fish that took a live mullet.

Recently, only a handful of days have allowed most fishos to get offshore, and when they did the reports of spanish mackerel were good.

The only problem was the taxman, yet again.

Mixed tuna schools appear to be everywhere out the front, so the sashimi is a little hit and miss depending on the species

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you find yourself connected to.

Reef fish were playing the game and good-sized snapper, tuskfish and grass emperor added to the welcome fare.

Just an FYI, anyone who has good fishing and boating pictures of the Tin Can Bay area, feel free to send them in to chan dlery@bigpond.com We love to see what you’ve been getting up to.

And don’t forget, we run a monthly fishing photo competition on our social media forums, with a $100 in-store credit up for grabs every month for the best photo submitted

of any species.

Check out our Facebook and Instagram pages to view previous entries and winners, then get out there, catch a couple and send us a pic for your chance to win.

Well crew, that’s about it from Tin Can Bay this month.

We hope you get out for a fish in coming weeks.

Don’t forget, if you’re in town over the Easter break, we’ll be open over the long weekend, so pop in and say hi!

Find us at Tin Can Bay Marina, Emperor St for all your boating and fishing needs.

Cheers and tight lines.

Your Shop for Boaties and Fishos Mitchell showed off good-sized mud crabs.

Mal Kay with a fatty of a 45cm mangrove jack.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Prawning the Great Sandy Strait W than one.

E have welcomed the rain in more ways

The fresh has certainly got the prawns running.

Nothing beats the sound and feel of prawns flicking in the cast net.

Update yourself on the Fisheries Queensland legal limits as a boat limit of 20 litres of prawns now applies if two or more people are on board, in addition to individual limits of 10 litres per person.

Prawning

by MELISSA FROHLOFF

Prawns have been schooling in the deep holes in the estuary systems of the Great Sandy Strait.

We have found two hours either side of low tide produces the best numbers.

You can locate patches of prawns on your sounder and you’ll find they look

like clumped speckles.

It’s also possible to spot prawns in the shallows when motoring around in depths of 1-1.5m.

They will often skip across the surface to escape the boat and engine noise.

The schools will move around, so you will need to

Col and Wendy with a nice catch in a top-pocket cast net.

go looking to locate them.

Three main styles of cast net are on the market: top-pocket, drawstring and standard.

We like to use a 12’ toppocket cast net to catch prawns.

The larger the drop, the larger the circle.

In deeper water, prawns will flick to the top of the net trying to escape and get caught in the top pocket, but often you will have a few left in the bottom pocket as well.

A top-pocket net makes it easier to clear the net of prawns.

The majority of prawns will skip and tunnel up into the top pocket, so a quick release of the drawstring to clear the prawns out of the net and you will be ready for your next cast.

A 1” mesh net is preferable because it allows the small prawns to escape and you only catch the better quality.

A drawstring net is effective in both shallow and deep water.

The net closes on itself and draws up and traps the prawns.

An easy release of the centre cord and the net is opened and prawns released.

A standard net only has a bottom pocket.

The bottom pocket is ef-

fective in shallow water.

It is recommended to use a net size you feel comfortable throwing.

You should pick your days wisely because the wind can make it harder to throw your net.

Throwing a full circle over a school, no matter what size drop, will catch more prawns.

Everyone has a preferred style of net and method of throwing.

Mesh size and drop is determined by the preference of individuals.

To cook a batch of green school prawns, use 10 litres of sea water in your crab cooking pot, a cup of salt and bring to the boil, then boil for two minutes.

Add them to a slurry of icy cold sea water and add an extra cup of salt.

This will set the prawns as they cool.

Taste them after 15 minutes and add more salt if required.

If we get more rain over coming weeks and the creeks run fresh again, it is possible the prawns will move out closer to the mouths of estuaries.

Try my tempura prawn recipe out, which you can find elsewhere on this page.

It is simple, tastes yummy and you can make it your own with your favourite dipping sauce.

Dwane with a batch of freshly cooked medium prawns.

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by MELISSA FROHLOFF Tempura prawns on the menu.

Crispy tempura prawns Ingredients • 1kg green prawns, peeled, deveined and tails intact • 1 cup self-raising flour • 1 cup rice flour • 1 cup plain flour • Enough cold soda for a thin batter • Rice oil, to deep fry Method 1. To make the tempura batter, combine self-raising and rice flour in a mixing bowl and whisk in enough soda water to make a thin batter. Don’t overmix the batter because this can overstretch the gluten in

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the flour and make the batter tough.

2. Refrigerate the batter for two hours.

3. Dust the prawns in plain flour.

4. Heat the rice oil in a wok on medium/high heat. Dip prawns in batter and lower into wok.

Cook in a couple of batches.

Allow to cook for a few minutes until golden.

5. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel, then repeat with remaining prawns.

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The author held some quality school prawns.

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Cracking mack! John loves tuna.

Colin with a solid queenfish.

From heat and humidity to hefty wind at Hervey Bay

W

ELL we’ve gone from heat and humidity to seriously hefty southeasterly wind and showers blasting the Fraser Coast, something we really do not need.

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Page 32 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

But rain is a regular occurrence in autumn here, so I’ll just have to suck it up and wait until the poor weather passes.

On the plus side, tuna numbers have been increasing but are nowhere near what we experienced last year.

At this time of year, we usually get smaller longtails and mack tuna.

It is the numbers game we love in autumn.

As always, small chrome lures and Z-Man plastics retrieved fast have been the go, but bait is bigger and the fish are less fussy, taking topwater lures more readily.

Topwater lures that skip, such as the Cotton Cordell Pencil Popper, and sinking minnows similar to the Palms GIG and Maria Rerise, will do the trick.

Big tuna are still about, but like anything, the higher the weight class, the smaller the number available.

So if you do see them, please use heavy tackle and get them in as fast as you can.

Use at least PE3 line with 40lb leader and a stout, powerful and comfortable rod.

And if you’re a beginner, I suggest a show of restraint by not targeting these fish.

Earn a few stripes on sub-10kg fish first and get comfortable with backbreaking battles.

Losing a big animal to a shark or prolonged battle will only hurt your chances of catching decent numbers in future.

You can see tuna have what it takes to reach massive sizes, and obviously they have the resilience to thrive.

We need these big fish to reproduce as often as possible to ensure the future of the fishery.

As always, other pelagics can often be found roaming near the tuna bust-ups.

Of late it’s been medium-sized queenfish, yet larger specimens are mixed in, just making the magic metre mark.

Though not always busting up like tuna, queenfish fins will scythe through the water’s surface.

In the right light, you can see the sun reflecting

Fraser Guided Fishing

by TRI TON

off their mirror-like sides.

More often I’ve seen them marking on the sidescan sounder.

They can be taken on metal lures spun fast across the surface as well as small topwater lures.

However, the good old Z-Man StreakZ will account for most sub-surface hook-ups.

School mackerel are proving Esky-fillers for anglers spinning metal lures.

A few larger spanish and broad-barred mackerel may join the mix too.

If they get a little fussy, try a few rips and jigs in the retrieve.

However, this may result in lost lures because as you pause, the fluttering lures are more likely to get snipped off as fish come charging in.

Mackerel are swiping attack predators and will often maim prey with razorlike teeth, hence at times you won’t feel you’ve been snipped.

Looking at how my leader gets shredded, I hypothesise it’s sometimes a gang of mauling fish, so the fish that gets your lure will not be the one that snips the leader.

Many fish will school with mackerel, so expect the odd by-catch of tuna to stretch the battle time out for added fun.

Scraps will fall to the bottom during razor-gang attacks, so you never know

> Hervey Bay > Fraser Island > Sandy Strait

what will eat a metal lure after it hits the bottom.

Reef fish will often scoff a cheap metal lure.

You can find plenty of reef fish among the bait getting pushed to the bot-

tom, such as coral trout, grunter and nannygai.

It can be difficult to separate targets on your sonar because they hang tight to structure and a large quantity of bait can obscure their presence.

When I target reef fish without the presence of other predators, I often look for clusters and

clouds on the sonar and side scans, which may suggest bait or life.

And among that mix is where I often find the species I’m after.

Anyhow, with more wind and rain forecast for Hervey Bay, I recommend you do trailer, boat and reel maintenance.

Oh, so much fun.

Paul and the result of his first Hervey Bay cobia encounter.

Lorinda loved catching big larry longtail.

Get into the best fishing action!

Full and half day tours All levels of experience Experienced guide

www.fraserguidedfishing.com.au > 0427 230 261 www.bnbfishing.com. au

Rainfall producing hot fishing in Bundaberg region T HE Wide BayBurnett area and much of Queensland has recently seen significant rainfall, breaking the drought and relieving the struggling environment.

Drought, as many know, stretches far beyond land.

The saying “drought on land, drought at sea” has been proven before my eyes after seeing how much our rivers and creeks have benefitted from the recent run-off.

Bundaberg Estuaries

by JOEL JOHNSON

Freshwater run-off is vital to a healthy marine ecosystem, providing nutrients on a microscopic level to feed and aid life of all shapes and sizes, all of which contributes to a healthy system.

For example, a mangrove jack’s primary food source is mullet and

A great-looking mangrove jack that couldn’t resist the author’s Zerek Absolute Shrimp lure.

Brenton Dunn with a good haul of prawns in the cast net.

A solid bream fell victim to the Atomic Prong.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

other small fish.

The food chain continues right down to types of vegetation that will often rely on the nutrients brought by freshwater run-off.

Once you look down the ladder, it’s not hard to see the truth behind the drought saying.

Thankfully rain has fallen, allowing our land, rivers, creeks and oceans to see the benefits brought from above.

Rainfall often boosts the numbers of prawns thanks to the wonderful nutrients washed down, and for many people it’s time to grab the cast nets and have a go at catching dinner.

But what’s the next best thing to do, other than catching a feed of prawns?

Taking advantage of the hungry fish that are on the hunt for their dinner of crustaceans too!

Though I love to cast a fresh or live bait on the odd occasion, lure fishing is my favourite method of fishing overall, especially in the rivers and creeks.

With the murky water still being pushed out a couple of weeks after our last significant rainfall, now is the perfect time to be testing some lures.

My go-to prawn imitation lures are the Zerek Absolute Shrimp and Atomic Prong for their incredibly lifelike look and presentation in the water.

Often prawn lures require some input by the angler, with a flick-flickpause retrieve always proving effective for me.

Having to give a lure action can be daunting for many people because often they don’t know what style of retrieve works best.

However, that is one of the best things about lures because you can experiment with every different retrieve until something works and then refine the technique to ensure success.

Another excellent pro of prawn soft plastics is you can work them through the whole water column to suit where the fish are, as opposed to diving lures where you have to keep changing lures to suit different depths and areas in the water column.

River prawns will inhabit a range of locations, from tiny mangrove creeks to deep channels and weed banks.

This means they’re constantly moving, giving a range of predatory fish a good chance to score food.

Often species such as bream, flathead, mangrove jack and even barramundi will opportunistically feed, meaning if a likely looking meal swims into their strike zone and

they’re in the mood to feed, they’ll attack it.

Rocky ledges and rock bars are excellent places to start your search for fish.

There’s nearly always life around rock bars, with plenty of little hidey holes for crabs and other crustaceans, as well as pockets and ledges for predators to sit effortlessly waiting for their prey to swim by.

When using a prawnimitation lure, you simply have to mimic a prawn in a way that entices a predator sitting in the area.

It’s notable that when fishing areas with structure, you must fish as close as possible to this structure, and depending on the tide or current, lure positioning can be extremely important.

When fishing fairly strong currents around structure, I tend to cast as far up-current as possible and hop the lure past the structure to match the natural movements of the prey I’m trying to imitate.

You can tweak your lure weight to suit the current and ensure it is light enough to look natural and not get snagged, but heavy enough to make it down to the strike zone.

You don’t need to go out and spend big dollars on the highest-quality lures because sometimes cost doesn’t equate to quality.

It’s most important to choose lures that suit the style of fishing you will be doing and the species you will be targeting.

Pick a snagless lure if you will be fishing around structure, choose a deepdiving lure if you plan to fish deep channels and so on.

There’s no point buying a popper if you’re heading out deep-sea fishing, even if the lure does look amazing.

It’s a good idea to have a range of lures in your tackle box, but ensure you have a purpose for them when buying.

Knowing the prawns were about since the rainfall, we had to get our weekend fishing fix and the local rivers seemed an excellent option.

Fishing land based, we headed to some local rock bars located on a river system that has recently been thriving with prawns.

First fishing the Atomic Prong mentioned earlier, I was nailed by a solid bream, and not long after changing to the Zerek Absolute Shrimp I was smashed by a quality mangrove jack.

With action like this, there’s no doubting they were hungry and on the hunt for a prawn feast.

By fishing smarter and finding out what is running in your system, you can really hedge your bets when casting a line.

COMPETITION DATES COMPETITION

DATE

LOCATION

2020 LAFMA Carp/Tilapia POST- Wyaralong Dam – Lloyd Eradication Comp PONED Willmann 0429 614 892 Moura Muddy Water POST- Moura –Zelma Lewis Family Fishing Classic PONED 0428 971 932 ABBT* Bass Apr 18-19 Boondooma Dam – Russell R2 Nowland 07 4167 8183 Boyne Tannum Apr 29- Gladstone – 0428 743 474 Hook Up May 1 boynetannumhookup.com.au Moreton Bay Family May 1-4 Redland Bay Amateur Fishing Club Fishing Challenge moretonbayfamilyfishing challenge.com Wynnum May 4 Wynnum – Fishing Classic ozfishmoretonbay.org ABBT* Bass May 9-10 Wuruma Dam – Russell Nowland R3 07 4167 8183 Fitzroy Barra Bash May 13-16 Rockhampton Tournament fitzroyriverbarrabash.com.au ABBT* Bass Jun 6-7 Cania Dam – Russell Nowland R4 07 4167 8183 Greenback Fishing Jun 6-7 Cabarita Beach – Comp lionsgreenback.com Weipa Fishing Jun 7-9 Weipa – Classic weipafishingclassic.com VMR Bundaberg Jun 26-28 Burnett Heads Family Fishing Classic vmrbundabergfishingclassic. com.au Evans Head Fishing Jun 26- Evans Head – Classic Jul 3 evansheadfishingclassic.com.au Hooked on Theodore Jul 3-5 Dawson River, Theodore

Margery Joyce 0448 931 338

E: joyce@southendcattle.com ABBT* Bass Aug 29-30 Somerset Dam – Russell Nowland R5 07 4167 8183 SCF Research & Sep 11-14 Sunshine Coast Sustainability Comp scfaustralia.com WTF Women That Fish Sep 25-26 Fitzroy River, Rockhampton Barra Classic wtfwomenthatfish.com.au Flathead Classic Sep 29- Gold Coast

Oct 2 flatheadclassic.com.au ABBT* Bass Oct 10-11 Borumba Dam – Russell Nowland R6 07 4167 8183 Lake Callide Family Oct 31- Callide Dam – Kris Lassic Fishing Classic Nov 1 0417 616 322 *Australian Basstasstic Bass Tournament

To have your competition listed in the calendar please phone (07) 3286 1833, email design@bnbfishing.com.au or fax (07) 3821 2637

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 33

Speed of change astounds around Bundaberg n Crabs n Spanish mackerel n Bream

H

OW quickly things can change.

We have moved from a prolonged period of drought and very dry conditions to a prolonged period of rain and moisture in the atmosphere.

All our creek, river and estuarine systems will benefit from the recent rainfall, with nutrient levels lifted and prawns and crabs on the move.

Given the forecast for a cyclone to our north, it appears likely we will continue to experience further wet conditions in the lead-up to the Easter break.

With my big boat out of action as a result of my prop having a disagreement with a tree stump at Sandy Hook, the local freshwater barrage ski area, I have been using my tinnie to access the creeks and rivers.

Sadly, I missed a couple of prime opportunities to head offshore over the past month or so.

I have, however, had the chance to drop the crab pots on two occasions, as soon as the salt made its way into the estuaries again.

Unfortunately, while I did have crabs in the pots, I had to release them because they were undersized males.

With the crabs I caught on the most recent full moon, I expect things will get better on the next new and full moons in March and April as the salt continues to push upstream and the crabs make their way back into the upper reaches of the creeks and rivers.

Make sure you take the time to ensure your pots are legal, marked correctly with your contact details and attached to a float or tied to a fixed object above the waterline on the bank.

The muddies I caught and released were not very full by the way they felt.

As winter approaches, the crabs should be feeding heavily and filling with meat as a result.

Mark those next moon dates on your calendar.

Offshore producing Those anglers who have been able to take the opportunities as they appear to head offshore have enjoyed good levels of success.

I can only hope a few more opportunities oc-

Bundaberg Region

by BRAD YOUNG

cur before Easter for me to fit in an offshore jaunt.

Most reef areas have produced fish, including those close inshore.

Those who headed further afield also enjoyed good success.

Mackerel on the hunt The large migration of butterflies, which commenced around the release of last month’s edition of BNB, is a signal to me that spanish mackerel will be on the prowl in their usual haunts offshore.

I have found late-February and March are usually good months for this species before it cools a little too much and they move on.

As I have stated in previous articles, my favourite time of day is from pre-dawn to early light because once the sun gets too high in the sky, these fish tend to shut down.

If I can target them at the time of a new moon, I feel extra confident because my theory is they have been swimming all night in the pitch black with little opportunity to feed.

So as soon as there is some light, they have the opportunity to see their prey and catch up on feeding.

I would be interested in readers’ experiences regarding the feeding patterns of this species (my email at end of article).

Use big hard-bodied lures such as Rapala Clackin’ Magnums for these fish and always have a metre or so of wire trace and a shock leader of about 10m linked to your main line, especially if using braid.

The shock leader will help to reduce the chance of hooks pulling as a result of the fish making a run and/ or shaking its head.

Trolling for spanish requires a speed of eight or nine knots, which is faster than most other forms of trolling.

Remember when tackling a big spanish that the fish will take at least three long runs before it begins to tire.

It will almost always have one run left for when it sees the boat and is on a short line.

This is when the shock leader comes into its own.

Page 34 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

If you do land a spanish, take the time to bleed it into a live bait tank/kill tank before icing it to ensure you enjoy the best eating possible from this excellent table and sportfish.

Prepare for bream It will not be long before the first of the winter bream begin to make a show.

Interestingly, bream were available right through summer in some areas.

The current fresh will help to ensure we have a good winter bream season with plenty of feed in the water.

Another big fresh flush as the result of a cyclone could make things interesting, especially if rainfall is high and a big fresh needs to clear.

If you are new to the Bundaberg region or are focusing on bream as a new species, you will find our region has quite a few areas from where you can target bream, with both landbased and boat-based options available.

When I first arrived in Bundaberg in 1993 and was speaking with an obviously experienced local fisher adjacent to the boat ramps in the town reach, I was given some sage advice.

It was explained to me the beginning of the bream season is traditionally the Bundaberg Show Holiday in May. Usually, by this time the weather and the water has cooled, presenting the conditions that bring on the bream.

For those familiar with the renowned bream fishing around Jumpinpin in the 1960s and ‘70s, it is worthy to note the Burnett River in Bundaberg had a similar reputation.

This was a result of the long rock walls in the Burnett providing excellent habitat for the scavenging bream.

I will provide more of an update in future editions on how, when and where to best target this species.

As always, I can be contacted via the Bush ‘n Beach website, by email at fishnboat@ bigpond.com or post at PO Box 5812 Bundaberg West Queensland 4670.

Until next month…

Catch, shoot upload and earn

R

E C R E AT I O N AL fisherfolk who come across great waterway scenes or who land superb catches against stunning backgrounds can now make money from doing what they probably would anyway – taking a few photos on their mobile phones.

An Australian-designed and developed photography app, PicTrax, has been engineered to create a unique Australia-wide catalogue of great mobile phone shots.

Postcard-style waterway locations are expected to be a major section of the PicTrax app given the widespread appeal trophy fish photographed in impressive waterways inherently have.

The person taking the photo has the choice to remain anonymous.

The free PicTrax app, which is available on Android and Apple platforms, also geographically pins the photo to the event’s location and interfaces with directions on how to travel to it.

Each amateur or professional mobile phone snapper who uploads the photo to the app then earns money in direct proportion to the photo’s popularity.

The popularity is determined by the number of votes it receives from people who view it.

Once the photo reaches a minimum threshold, the credits earned can be taken by the photographer in cash.

The app also holds the photo as a personal travel and events diary for the person who took the photos.

It can be shared with family and friends.

Even if the phone is lost, the photographs and their pinned locations remain intact on PixTrax.

The app was conceived and created by Brisbanebased Obelia McCormack who self-funded its development.

“The app brings an unrivalled level of individuality to the photos, allowing the mobile phone photographer to use it for one-off events, to create a major social following, or any level in between,” Obelia said.

“PicTrax also has a 19-point, easy-to-read chart comparing its features with those of Instagram, Google Maps, Pinterest, Tripadvisor, Facebook and YouTube.

“The nearest of them has only 10 of PicTrax’s 19 dynamic features and the rest, while perhaps great for other purposes, are not even close to the design direction of PicTrax.

“We’re always using are smartphones to snap the places and events we want to remember.

“PicTrax is primarily about the impressive views, outlooks and landscapes as well as the events held there.

“It’s not about a photo of a meal or a 21st birthday.”

That’s a keen difference between PicTrax and other apps – it’s scenery and happenings, rather than people pulling funny faces.

“We’re actually already building our own, unique, photographic libraries,” Obelia said.

“PixTrax provides a

platform to share those libraries as a source of information for others as well as ourselves, and for the smartphone photographers to be financially rewarded for doing so.

“The app’s website pictrax.com also includes tutorials to show how it’s done, but a key objective was to make the technology incredibly user-friendly and simple.

“We’ve been able to achieve that.

“As well as being designed for the amateur

snapper, PicTrax also provides opportunities for budding professional photographers to publish a portfolio URL and create an avenue for image sales.”

PicTrax users are required to agree to the PicTrax Terms of Service, which among other things, requires users to declare they have the legal rights to take, upload and display their photos.

The app and further details can be accessed at pictrax.com

PicTrax app founder Obelia McCormack.

The type of image you could expect to find on the app.

Announcing the 15th VMR Bundaberg Family Fishing Classic

A

FTER running another successful Family Fishing Classic in 2019, Volunteer Marine Rescue Bundaberg has announced dates for the 15th Classic.

The 2020 event will run over three days from

June 26-28 in an area adjacent to the VMR base at Burnett Heads, near Bundaberg.

The 2019 Classic attracted 1528 registrations, with hundreds more present for lucky draws and raffle results.

The 2020 event will be run along similar lines

Kurtis with a 22kg spanish mackerel.

to previous years, with fishing commencing at 6am on Friday, June 26 and closing at 10am on Sunday, June 28.

Three Quintrex boat and trailer packages are the lucky draw prizes, with the Friday evening program including mystery weight draws,

raffles and a lucky draw for one of the Quintrex boats.

Plenty of hot food, beverages and fun will also be on offer.

The program, conditions and entry form are available on the Classic website vmrbundaberg classic.com.au

The aquarium.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

A sink full of banana prawns.

Catfish in the cast net.

Productive month for prawning

T

HE big boss commodore Rob was away sailing the high seas this month (not sure if he needs to have an extended stay abroad yet), so Helaine stepped up to chair the first meeting for the year.

The turnout was pretty good and due to a fair bit of catching for the first time in a few months, things didn’t kick off until about 7.45pm.

Welcome to new members Tony George and Craig Howard who signed up in the off season.

Craig owns a cat and will add to the growing list of twin-hull owners.

It seems a while ago when it was just Peter Butterworth and his boat Kellogg’s as the lone cat team, but numbers are slowly growing to give current twin-hull owners Brendan and Jeff some company.

Cruise Craft owners shouldn’t start worrying yet, though.

The next big activity on the club’s calendar is our beach fishing weekend on March 28.

It’s always a great weekend for families and shows the members can actually catch fish with line under 40lb – well some can anyway.

Junior and senior trophies will again be up for grabs and our numbers are looking good so far.

Club competition off-

Power Boat Anglers

by MICK CLUTTERBUCK

shore fishing trips have been non-existent due to the weather, though one of our keen members ventured to 1770 to try his luck.

Jeff took a couple of his mates with him with high expectations of catching a good bag of reefies but they got absolutely hammered by sharks.

Jeff said between the three of them they only managed to boat 28 fish over three days and he estimated at least another 70 were lost to sharks.

They even watched a released hussar swim down and away before doing a U-turn and heading back to the boat, seeking protection next to the leg of the motor.

Jeff also said it was the worst trip he’s ever had at 1770.

For a bloke who has spent so much time there, that’s really saying something.

Just to top things off, the southerly change came in 24 hours early and made for a very uncomfortable trip home in 18-knot winds, with chop blowing directly up the tunnel of the cat.

On a brighter fishing note, Dale and Robin shared the good news

that the prawns are thick around the Saltworks in southern Moreton Bay, and their size has been good too.

It isn’t taking many throws to bag out, even when you are in the middle of the mosh pit and boats are hitting you every couple of minutes.

So get out there and net some while they are still around.

I headed out from Nudgee on a recent weekend to try to get into them.

I had planned to get to the ramp and out well before sunrise and most of that was going well until I stopped to get ice.

I put the bag, keys and my wallet on the gunwale while I climbed in to put the ice in the Esky, only to bump the keys down one of the rod holders.

I spent the next 20 minutes trying to fish the things out and finally hooked them with a repurposed wire bucket handle.

Arriving at the ramp, it was pretty obvious it was going to be a crowded day outside.

No parks were free and I and plenty of others had to park outside.

My big gripe here involved the boat parks oc-

A surprise school mackerel in the cast net.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

cupied by a single vehicle without a trailer, while plenty of single vehicle spots were free down the other end.

On the water, the carpark continued, but all the boats did make it easier to find a starting point to chase the prawns.

I hung around the edges, watching my sounder and only casting when I detected a show.

Things were quiet early and I got a few here and there with a mixture of greasy bait prawns and some nice bananas.

On one cast I thought I was onto a good bunch, with decent banging in the net, though it didn’t feel quite right.

Once at the surface, I found the source of the thumps was a small school mackerel of about 40cm, which was quickly sent back to grow a bit bigger.

One promising show turned out to be a heap of catfish about 75mm long.

They’re buggers of things to get out of the net and you need to go carefully too.

I stayed out a bit longer than I had originally planned, just so there wouldn’t be as much traffic back at the ramp.

As I motored slowly down Nudgee Creek I crossed what looked to be a decent show, so turned around and had a shot.

I picked up about a dozen in the first shot, though they were not as big as the ones outside, probably medium/large I’d call them.

I kept going at them for the next hour or so and ended up with around five to six litres of bananas and two litres of bait prawns.

I was pretty happy with the catch for a casual trip but keen to get back out again because they didn’t last long once I got home.

Hopefully things will be happening at Woodgate over Easter.

Next meeting The next meeting will be held on Monday, April 6.

Meetings are held at The Club Manly (bowls club) located at 26 Faine St, Manly.

Until next month, safe boating.

Prawns from Nudgee.

Tiger prawns from the Saltworks.

Have your say: Commonwealth Fisheries Resource Sharing

C

ONSU LTATION is now under way to inform the development of the Commonwealth Fisheries Resource Sharing Framework.

The Government is committed to delivering the framework to provide a clear way to ensure fair access to our shared fisheries resources across the commercial, recreational and Indigenous fishing sectors.

The discussion paper sets out a proposed approach to develop resource sharing arrangements across fishing sectors.

The Government wants to hear directly from all those involved with Commonwealth fisheries to better understand complex fisheries resource sharing issues, and to learn about stakeholders’ needs and expectations from a framework.

The public submissions will help inform the draft framework, and to ensure fair and reasonable access to our shared marine resources in Commonwealthmanaged waters.

Having a vibrant and strong fishing industry is a key priority for the Morrison Government.

Your input will help us manage Commonwealth fisheries resources carefully and sustainably into the future, to the benefit of all Australians.

To have your say on the Commonwealth Fisheries Resource Sharing Framework discussion paper, go to haveyoursay.agri culture.gov.au/sharingfisheries-resources The Commonwealth Fisheries Resource Sharing Framework supports the plan to grow Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to $100 billion industries by 2030.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 35

Young Jack Green with the results of his first prawning session in which he bagged out near the power lines in southern Moreton Bay. He is hooked on prawning for sure.

Andrew Green

Havanna with a bream from Victoria Point.

A 75cm south coast red taken off the stones in a few metres of water on fresh squid.

Jem Abbott

While recently fishing with Coastal Connections Sports Fishing off Cardwell I caught my first-ever barra and it went 103cm.

The trip was my 60th birthday present from my wife and two sons.

The fish was released after a quick picture.

Larry Budd

When you go for a flick with a mate at Lake Samsonvale and somehow manage to land your first bass and it measures 51cm.

Adam Nicholls

A Burdekin River sooty that ate my Berkley Shimma Fork as it went through the rocks.

Will Holt

To have a photo of your catch featured in Readers’ Forum, simply email ben@bnbfishing.com.au with a good-quality picture, your name and details or hop onto our Facebook page and send us a message.

■ Readers Forum ■ Readers Forum ■ Readers Forum

WIN a BNB prize pack worth over $50!

PUZZLE PAGE Spot 10 differences

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BASKET BONNET BUNNY CHICKS CHOCOLATE

DUCKS EASTER EGGS FAMILY HAPPY

Page 36 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

HOT CROSS BUN HUNT PARADE TRADITION TREASURES

WIN a prize pack worth over $50!

For your chance to win, simply solve page or email design@bnbfishing. the puzzles, take a picture and mes- com.au before April 20, 2020. sage the Bush ‘n Beach Facebook GOOD LUCK!

Congratulations to John Lowik on being the winner of the March puzzle competition! T&Cs: One winner per month. One entry per person. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Fitzroy River Barra Bash is back bigger and better in 2020

T

HE 2020 Fitzroy River Barra Bash, Australia’s richest barramundi fishing tournament, is now open for registrations.

Anglers will be vying for a share of the $20,000 guaranteed cash and prizes on offer at the Rockhampton event.

Limited spaces are available, which runs from May 13-16, 2020.

The competition is designed for all anglers.

From the experienced to the novice, and everyone in between, contestants are encouraged to enjoy everything the Fitzroy has to offer, whether that be a baby king salmon or a

metre barramundi!

To participate in the tournament, you need a team of two anglers, with registration costing $450.

Limited spots remain, so register today!

In addition to the two-day barramundi tournament, in 2020 the Frenchville Sports Club will play host to the Fitzroy River Barra Bash recovery party on Saturday, May 16, with free live entertainment from 1pm and the draw of a Stessl 440 Apache Pro boat with 50hp Yamaha outboard motor valued at $30,000.

While all tournament participants will receive an entry for the boat, ad-

ditional entries are open to anyone over the age of 18.

All you need to do is make a purchase of selected items at the Frenchville Sports Club or buy raffle tickets for $5 each at the club reception from midMarch onwards.

If the winner is present at the draw, they will also win a Minn Kota electric motor to go with their brand-new boat.

Minister for Tourism & Industry Development Kate Jones welcomed back the competition for its third year.

“We invest in local events because they give us a great opportunity to showcase the region and provide a boost to the economy,” Ms Jones said.

“Fishing is hugely popular in this region and the Fitzroy River offers the ideal backdrop for a competition like this.

“I encourage keen anglers of all abilities to get involved.”

“We also want these visitors to experience everything we have to offer and come back next year, supporting local businesses and jobs.”

Rockhampton Regional Council mayor Margaret Strelow said, “Council is thrilled to support the 2020 Fitzroy River Barra Bash and its aim of increasing tourism to the Rockhampton Region.”

“Our Advance Rockhampton team has worked

hard to build awareness of ‘Fishing the Fitzroy’ so we are delighted to see events like this further promote how great it is to fish in the Fitzroy.”

Livingstone Shire Council Mayor Cr Bill Ludwig said, “The Livingstone Shire Council is excited to come on board this year to support the Fitzroy River Barra Bash with the event having fishing opportunities in the wider Fitzroy River Delta area which includes parts of our Shire.”

“Building this event is a win-win for everyone who lives in our region.”

The 2020 Fitzroy River Barra Bash would like to thank all sponsors, without

whom this event would not be as successful: Queensland Government, Rockhampton Regional Council, Livingstone Shire Council, Channel 7, Lion Nathan, Beastwear, Bidfood, Barra Jacks, Bluefin Sports, Coca-Cola, Morrison CQ Agencies, POSCOM, Diageo, CommsCentre, Linbridge Builders, Venom, Capricorn Enterprise, Daiwa, Edge Rods, Humminbird, Minn Kota, Fishtec Solutions, EJ Todd, Rapala, Shimano, Storm, Zerek and finally Bush ‘n Beach Fishing magazine.

For all the details and to book you and your mate, go to fitzroyriverbarra bash.com.au

Shimano Beastmaster 9000 electric reel

T

HE new Shimano Beastmaster 9000A electric reel possesses unprecedented power, speed and durability.

TT Deluxe Z-Man Bait Binders

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HE ultimate storage solution for your 10X Tough Z-Man soft plastics is here!

Z-Man soft plastics are best stored in their original packets and the TT Deluxe Z-Man Bait Binders feature extra-heavyduty rings designed to fit the pre-punched, reinforced holes located in the bottom corners of

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Z-Man packets.

Other features include larger, heavy-duty zips, a carry handle, water-resistant, durable material and an internal pocket for storing a jig head tray, leader and snips.

Available in Small (single) that holds about 10 packets of Z-Man 3” MinnowZ (more packets in less-bulky models) and Large (double)

that is designed to hold around 20 packets of Z-Man 3” MinnowZ (more packets in lessbulky models).

By clipping your ZMan packets straight into the binder, there is no need for clear plastic sleeves to hold the packets and take up space in the binder.

It is quicker and easier to access plastics and

there is no need to remove the plastics from the binder where they can then be misplaced or blown into the water.

Check out the TT Duluxe Z-Man Bait Binders at your local Z-Man dealer.

Small binders have a SRP of $19.95 and Large a SRP of $39.95. w w w.t ack let act ics. com.au

The Beastmaster utilises the upgraded brushless Giga-Max Motor that offers 10 percent more deadweight winding power than the previous model, taking it to 19kg from 17kg, along with 25kg of Cross Carbon Drag output.

Regardless of the load

applied to the reel, the Constant Speed Mode maintains a consistent retrieve speed without loss of cranking power during the fight.

Meanwhile, the HeatFree system allows for heat to be released from vents in the side plate, ensuring reliable performance.

To reach the significant depths required when fishing the continental shelf, the reel can be spooled with up to 900m of PE8 braid.

The new Beastmaster also features an aluminium cold-forged clutch lever and sharp LCD screen with an easy-to-operate English menu.

The Beastmaster is backed by Shimano’s 10-year warranty and is ready to lift monsters from the deep.

Available from March 2020 with a RRP of $2269.95. www. sh i ma nof ish. com.au

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 37

BOATING & marine

Ocean Craft 2900 CarToppa W HEN considering buying a car topper, one of the key requirements is to check how much weight your car can legally carry on its roof and then obviously match that to the weight of the boat.

The Posilift hull provided a smooth, dry ride.

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tubular sides are designed means you only need about 1.4m of roof rack width, which again will suit many four-wheeldrives.

Its overall width is 1.9m, giving the impression of being a bigger boat.

That’s very beamy for a boat with an overall length of 2.9m Another notable figure

D

is the depth of the boat, which at around 70cm gives you plenty of room inside.

A flat floor is an option but will add weight (and was not fitted to the test boat).

Similarly, this customer did not want the foredeck casting platform with hatch, which is something I would consider because

it provides extra storage.

Another option is a bench seat, but if you are solely looking for a car topper, I wouldn’t necessarily tick that box, especially since the wide tubes were quite comfortable to sit on.

If fitted with the maximum 30hp, this boat would be a rocket.

Even with the 18hp and three people on board we averaged 30-35km/h flat out, depending on tide and wind.

* continued P39

The 2900 CarToppa was quick with 18hp on the back.

OR

S E D BY

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NEW RELEASE C-CHANNEL RANGE

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by BEN COLLINS

A lot of four-wheeldrives can carry between 100kg and 150kg, however you need to also consider the weight of the roof racks and/or boat loader when doing your calculations.

The overall gross vehicle mass also needs to be adhered to, so make sure you check this out as well.

Taking this into account and given its total weight of 79kg, the Ocean Craft 2900 CarToppa fits the bill.

I recently tested this boat, fitted with an 18hp Tohatsu two-stroke, and while this specific boat will be used as a tender for a client, it presented a great opportunity to have a run.

My initial thought when first laying eyes on the 2900 CarToppa was it might be too beamy to be a car topper.

However, the way the

N

EN

Not the test boat, but this picture shows you the option of a fore deck.

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Page 38 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

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BOATING & marine

Ocean Craft 2900 CarToppa * from P38

As mentioned, the test boat was specified as a tender, with the optional Buoyancy Craft Foam O Float all-round fender fitted.

The fender is kept in place via a sail track and ensures no damage to either craft when rafting

boats together.

Interestingly, the fenders can be inverted and act as a spray deflector when operating in choppy conditions.

However, the well-designed Posilift hull does a good job already of ensuring a very dry ride.

One of the benefits of

buying an Ocean Craft is it can be customised to your needs.

A massive list of optional extras makes this the perfect car topper or tender.

This style of boat is also available in a length of 3.3m, which I feel would be the perfect size to use as a car topper, especially as it only weighs about 95kg.

If you were looking at an even larger model in

this style, it is possible to get them up to 4.6m in length, but the weight increases to 250kg by this size, so you would need to carry this boat on a custom-made camperstyle trailer.

Whatever the boat you need, there is an Ocean Craft to suit.

For more information on this or other models in the range, check out ocean craft.com.au or give Mike a call on 0416 293 686.

The unique Posilift hull performed well with the 18hp Tohatsu.

A boat for every budget...

GULF RUNNER 490 side console

This is a big 2.9m boat.

Change of distributor for Suzuki Marine

S

UZUKI Motor Corporation shall appoint Suzuki Australia Pty Ltd., being a 100 percent owned subsidiary company of Suzuki Motor Corporation Japan, to handle the Australian marine market from January 1, 2021.

Suzuki Motor Corporation is very excited to make this announcement to the Australian public.

By appointing Suzuki Australia as the sole distributor of marine products, Suzuki will have total synergy in how the entire product range of outboard motors, automobiles, motorcycles and allterrain vehicles are supplied to the Australian consumer.

For the past 18 years The Haines Group has distributed Suzuki marine products in Australia.

Suzuki Motor Corporation would like to thank The Haines Group for the hard work and exemplary manner in which the

group has represented Suzuki over this time.

The Haines Group’s efforts and subsequent results in building the brand, developing a strong dealer network and satisfying many thousands of customers provides both Suzuki Motor Corporation and Suzuki Australia a solid platform to launch the next phase in an exciting future.

Suzuki acknowledges and deeply thanks The Haines Group.

The Haines Group and Suzuki Australia have commenced co-operative and constructive discussions and begun laying the transitional groundwork to ensure the Suzuki outboard dealer network continues being fully supported and motivated in driving the Suzuki brand in the period approaching December 31, 2020, guided by the proven leadership of The Haines Group, and also beyond in partnership with Suzuki Australia.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 39

BOATING & marine Insights into boat insurance

B

USH ‘n Beach has brought Nautilus Marine Insurance on board to expand the fine print and provide readers with clear, easy-tounderstand and helpful tips on protecting their boating assets.

One-word safety directions, two-word warning signs, three-word promotional slogans, four-word road safety messages – when it comes to defining issues succinctly, it’s a very popular approach.

And likewise, when it comes to boat insurance, six words are used very frequently when insured parties fill out their claim forms after a mishap.

So, let’s have a look at some of the ones most commonly encountered by boating insurance specialist Nautilus Marine Insurance, with the intention of helping you to avoid a similar mishap: Winch-wire Claim forms often explain that the cause of the mishap was the winch-

wire not being connected, or that the winch was not clicked into gear, at the time the boat slid off the trailer and landed on the boat ramp.

Clearly, the winch-wire and safety chains holding the boat to the trailer should remain connected during the launch process.

They should remain connected until the boat has completed its path down the ramp and has its chines in the water.

Similarly, upon retrieval, the boat should have the safety chains and winch-wire connected before it is towed back up the ramp.

The premature disconnection of safety chains and winch-wires is a common cause of boat insurance claims.

With no form of connection, the small bumps on a boat ramp, a touch of the brake pedal or accelerator, or even just the angle of boat ramp, are often enough to dislodge the boat onto the ramp with an

expensive crunch.

Winch-wire and safety chains safety tip: they’re called ‘safety chains’ for a reason.

Keep them connected.

Tell your crew for the day that the winch-wire and safety chains are not to be disconnected without your express order to do so.

Bungs Leave them out and you could be in strife – very serious strife if you’re already well out to sea when you discover the bungs are missing.

Keep a launching checklist in your car when you go boating and make sure the word ‘bungs’ is on it.

The skipper is always responsible for checking the bungs are in – the role should never be delegated to someone else.

Autocratic?

Yes, but it’s also the best way to avoid any confusion.

Theft You can reduce the likelihood of suffering loss and inconvenience

by fitting locks to the boat’s trailer coupling and/or one of its trailer wheels.

Also consider fitting a locking pin if your towbar has a removable boxsection tongue.

Before buying insurance, make sure you’ve told your insurer exactly where and how your trailer boat will be stored.

Many will not insure a boat stored on the street – clarify this with your marine insurer and check your product disclosure statement.

If a thief does steal your boat, marine insurance specialists such as Nautilus Marine will take care of the claim provided it falls within the terms of the policy and you have complied with the conditions set out in the PDS. Theft tip: Take precautions to prevent the theft of your boat, its contents and your trailer.

Rogue Rogue waves are unexpected occurrences.

They are generally re-

garded by marine scientists and bodies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration service in the US as being at least twice the size of any other neighbouring ocean wave.

They can result from intercontinental swells meeting while travelling in different directions at different speeds, even in relatively light wind.

They can also be triggered by storm systems.

Yet marine insurance claims in relatively sheltered local waters frequently refer to the vessel’s owner having encountered a ‘rogue’ or ‘freak’ wave.

Sure, there are some areas such as north of North Stradbroke Island off Brisbane, where rocky volcanic formations, strong currents and tidal flows frequently create severe turbulence.

But that in itself doesn’t constitute a ‘rogue wave’.

Rather, it is simply an area where boaties frequently encounter waters far more turbulent than neighbouring areas.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology always notes that wind and wave forecasts are an average and winds can vary 40 percent above what is predicted.

In fact, on its MetEye service for boating forecasts, BOM notes: “Some waves will be higher, and some lower, than the significant wave height and three to four times a day waves may be nearly double the significant wave height”.

It also notes on its daily forecasts: “Wind and wave forecasts are averages. Wind gusts can be 40 percent stronger than the forecast, and stronger still in squalls and thun-

derstorms. Maximum waves can be twice the forecast height”.

Therefore, they are not so much ‘rogue waves’ as ‘expected waves’, which have been forecast to appear.

Rogue safety tip: Plan your boating trip around the likelihood of encountering them.

Ensure your boat and boating skills are capable of meeting the challenge these larger waves will present.

Plan for the big wave, not the average.

Have your lifejacket on beforehand.

Mechanic Only competent specialists should undertake critical work on your boat.

Your otherwise-competent auto mechanic mate with a ‘this one should do’ attitude to fuses is not automatically the best person to undertake work on your boat’s electronics.

Use a marine electrician.

Determining liability and the best course of action becomes complicated when electronics ‘fizz’, or when pumps don’t pump, or when cooling systems don’t cool thanks to the engagement of questionable ‘mechanics’.

Mechanics safety tip: Only allow qualified marine tradespeople to work on your boat.

Parking You’ve had a brilliant day on the water, the boat has been washed down, gear put away and it’s time to park the boat.

Unfortunately, that’s also probably the most likely time for you to have a mishap with your boat according to the regularity of this word

appearing on insurance claim forms.

Be it grazing the fence, gate, garage entrance, another vehicle, a tree – there’s no shortage of obstacles that can be encountered when parking your boat at home.

And that’s before considering whether you also might have forgotten to take the rods out of the rocket launcher, fold down the marine aerials or raise and secure the motor into its travel position.

Parking safety tip: Walk around the boat for a final check before parking it.

Double-check the intended path you are going to take and ensure children, pets, neighbours, bicycles and other distractions are not in the way.

As always, check your PDS and if you have a query, ask your insurer for clarification.

Any special conditions and excesses should always be explained clearly in your insurance policy’s PDS. If you need further information, you can contact Nautilus Marine Insurance on 1300 780 533 or nautilusinsurance. com.au for any boat insurance requirements.

Win a Nautilus Prize Package Nautilus will also be answering your boat insurance questions of a general nature and will be offering a great bimonthly prize to the best questions received.

The prize is a Nautilus Marine merchandising pack comprising a collapsible chiller bag, handy marine sports bag and cap.

Just email your questions to qld@nautilusin surance.com.au

Any advice contained in this article is of a general nature only and may not apply or be right for you as it does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any advice provided in this article, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

AMM 4900 sea class centre console

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07 3889 7380 | 7 Leonard Cres, Brendale Q 4500 Page 40 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

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BOATING & marine

Sorting out small chips and other paint issues

L

EADING marine products retailer Boating and RV, which has stores at Capalaba, Slacks Creek, Tingalpa and Townsville, has joined with Bush ‘n Beach to bring you a regular column with some serious information and news about general boating products.

Here, director Aaron Hunt looks at how you can repair small thumbnail-sized chips in your fibreglass boat as well as other paint issues.

Thumbnail-sized gelcoat chips really bring down the appearance of a fibreglass boat.

They’re often the first thing you see when you walk past your boat… and they’re certainly the first thing a potential buyer will see if you are selling your vessel.

So, repairing them makes great sense at a number of levels – it improves the look, reinstalls the integrity of the finish and also helps stop the chip from growing.

Forget about how they got there – that could have been anything from a belt on the boat ramp, someone retrieving the anchor too enthusiastically, a stone being flicked up

when towing your boat, any one of myriad causes.

But the focus now is on repairing it.

Obviously, any sizeable ding or vicious gouge should be referred to a fibreglass repairer, or one of the boat manufacturers who see repairs like this as a worthwhile business stream.

But for those thumbnail chips that are unsightly but not deep, the repair generally starts with some sort of two-pack process – a filler and a hardener that are mixed together to make a strong bond.

You’ll often hear them referred to as the gelcoat and a catalyst.

If you’ve ever used products like Araldite to repair ceramics, it’s not unlike that process.

But for boats, forget about glues.

You are looking for products like Septone Gelcoat Repair at about $30 for a 400g container.

It is a quality product.

The first step is to clean the surface thoroughly – you must remove all dirt and grease as well as any flaking gelcoat.

Mask around the repair with cardboard box packing tape.

You should also ‘feather’

or smooth out the edges of the crack using a fine wet and dry sandpaper.

Feathering provides a gradual change from the deeper area to the undamaged area around the chip.

You have a short time to work the filler into the crack before it starts to harden.

So, apply just enough to fill the chip in one application.

Wipe off the excess material around the repair, but not the repair itself, and allow perhaps 30 minutes or more for it to dry, which will depend on the humidity and temperature.

Then use a fine wet and dry paper, say 200 grit and then 600 grit, to finish the repair.

Clean off the area again thoroughly and then apply polish as you normally would.

The next level up is for larger repairs where brand-name products such as Epifill or Norfill come into their own.

Larger non-structural dings can be undertaken as a ‘cut and repair’ operation.

Any repair that looks too daunting or critical in terms of structural integrity, probably is.

It will require a professional assessment of the damage, some precision cuts and the laying of new fibreglass cloth – it’s the total fibreglass repair path.

I’d recommend you save yourself the agony of later problems and take your boat to an approved fibreglass boat repairer.

If you don’t, you also could be jeopardising your insurance cover.

But back to the ‘larger than a thumbnail, smaller than a serious ding’ repair: you will be using an epoxy filler from the ranges nominated above.

Again, the process is to properly repair the site of the damage as well as that immediately around it and again, the process is the same.

Cleaning thoroughly, removing any loose particles, feathering the damaged area into the neighbouring material and then cleaning again.

Again, it will be a twopart process with a base filler and a hardener.

A key reason why you must use repair products designed for marine use is they need to be totally waterproof and formulated to protect against solvents such as spilt fuel, as well

as not being susceptible to shrinking once applied.

Again, you work the mix into the damaged area and feather it out to the sides before removing any excess before it dries.

Again, it’s the sanding process moving through a series of wet and dry paper grades until you reach a very fine finish.

But with this type of repair, you will probably be finishing with a topcoat of paint.

Whether repairing fibreglass or timber vessels, you need to know what material you are dealing with.

Is it gelcoat, single-pack or a two-pack paint?

You can put a singlepack finish over a two pack, but not a two pack over a single pack.

The finish will also determine what is required in terms of a primer undercoat.

Norglass has a product called Pri-Coat, which is an off-white combined primer and undercoat, which is a single pack.

And while on the subject of repairs and paints, if you decide it’s time to paint your tinnie, once again you will be starting with a solvent wash to get rid of any grease or dirt.

Just because you can’t see it with the naked eye, does not mean that it’s not there.

A Norglass product called Shipshape PrimerUndercoat is a two-pack epoxy paint with primer and undercoat as well as a hardener.

Only ever buy products that are of high quality and state they are for below-water use.

It doesn’t mean you apply them while wearing a scuba tank and diving mask – it means they are suitable for immersion and use in water.

Another feature of these ranges is where two tins are required, they are packaged together in the right proportions.

You can apply Shipshape Primer-Undercoat with a brush, roller or

spray gun and then finish with a two-pack topcoat, again with a brush, roller or spray gun.

According to how you are applying it, you might need to add thinners so it will run smoothly.

And a final word of caution, do not use automotive-style pink bog.

Use a fibreglass boat filler product.

The automotive bog would need to be sealed and in a world where you have the right choice or the wrong choice that you then need to try to correct, go with the right choice in the first place.

For any boat paints or minor repairs, feel free to contact me via the Boating and RV website and I’ll come back to you with an answer, or call into one of our retail outlets.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 41

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 43

Jacks have been turning up in odd places. Sebastian caught this one on a vibe fished along a deep rock wall.

Smaller barra like this 60cm model will be more common after the fresh. This one took a 3” plastic fished over a rock bar in the Calliope River.

Fish deep to get down under the fresh

F

Gladstone Harbour has been fishing well for fingermark. Phil picked up this example fishing a 65mm vibe down an isolated drop-off.

ish deep to get down uTIME is flying this year.

Already it’s April and the first hints of cold weather will start to be felt towards the end of the month.

Easter and the school holidays are in the first few weeks and with the rain we received it will be a great time to travel and explore this beautiful country.

Not only will the rains influence the fishing, but freshwater rivers will be running.

Where many waterfalls have been dry, they are now in full flow.

These will hopefully run for some time and give everyone a chance to get out and see them.

Several can be found inland from the central Queensland coast and most are within an hour

Gladstone Region

by GARY CHURCHWARD

or two’s drive.

It was great to see constant widespread rainfall across Queensland in the past month, not just over the coast, and the green contrast to the brown scenery from last year is amazing to see.

Hopefully the rain has brought enough relief to our agriculture sector and cattle farmers to help alleviate the stress and lift some spirits.

All the rivers and creeks around Gladstone have had a flush, the Boyne River downstream from Awoonga Dam has not been affected as much though, with the dam sitting at about 70 percent in early March.

The Calliope River was

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pretty much a no-fish zone for much of February and into March, with the rain run-off from inland turning it a nice coffee colour.

Once the fresh stops coming down, the river won’t take long to start clearing and the fish will move back upriver.

Some good fish were still caught in the rivers while dirty, mostly on live baits in deeper water where the salt pushed in under the fresh.

Chasing the cleaner water around the mouths of the rivers and into Gladstone Harbour has seen the best results.

As the rivers clear, expect to see schools of herring and bait pushing back upriver.

Species including blue salmon and grunter won’t be far behind.

Expect to come across good numbers of smaller barra that have been able to move freely between the fresh and salt water.

Typically, these smaller fish will be found on shallower rock bars and snags, while bigger fish will be more common in deeper sections.

As the temperatures cool towards the end of April, barra will slow a little.

For the same reason, April is probably the last month to actively chase mangrove jack with high success.

Jacks have been a standout over summer, with numbers and quality caught that I haven’t seen in recent years.

Gladstone Harbour is fishing well for fingermark from 40-65cm.

Look for isolated deeper rock bars and drop-offs.

Alternatively, start around the many headlands and follow them as they drop into deep water.

Vibes are probably the best option for lure fishing these areas, letting you get down quickly through the current, with the vibration attracting fish.

A paternoster rig fished

on the bottom with either a live herring or fresh-cut bait will also catch a few.

Grunter is another species that has been firing in the harbour.

You will catch the odd one when chasing fingermark but they prefer slightly shallower water and a broken rubble bottom to hard structure.

Some cracking big bream have been caught and while they often get overlooked, can be great fun to chase on light line.

Mud crabs improved with the fresh, moving when the main rivers flooded.

Often the best place for pots is the deeper, saltier water.

As the water quality improves, move your pots back around the mouths of creeks and drains as the crabs head back into these areas.

Prawns were thick as they got flushed out.

It was easy to get enough for bait and keep the bigger ones for a feed.

The Fitzroy River was still receiving run-off from inland during the middle of March.

It will take some time for the river to recover after the fresh stops flowing.

Depending on what rain is received now, it could be late April or early May before the upper reaches are anywhere near fishable on a reliable basis.

Port Alma will be a prime place to find good schools of fish, especially threadfin salmon and grunter as they move down looking for cleaner water.

Barra will also move down the river, just not to the same extent as other species.

It was great to see all the little creeks and lagoons running between Gladstone and Rockhampton because it has been a few years since we received enough water for it to happen.

April is a great month to be on the water, with both our warm and cooler weather fish an option at some stage.

Cheers and happy fishing from Gladdy. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Alternative options on the Capricorn Coast

R you.

AIN, glorious rain, oh how we’ve missed

At the time of writing a familiar but long-missed sound is drumming on the roof.

It’s what we have been waiting for and I’m very glad to hear it.

Drains and creeks are alive with freshwater runoff and the Capricorn Highway being flooded in the regular places is a familiar sight of late.

The Fitzroy River is now a chocolate mess, with weed in various places.

Speaking of weed, when the gates first opened back in February, water hyacinth backed up from the barrage on the freshwater side as far as the eye could see.

It looked like you could walk across, it was that thick.

A surely impressive sight but a sad one because that weed is an introduced species that seems to have flourished in local waterways.

Don’t let the dirty water deter you from fishing the Fitzroy.

Just because the system is full of fresh doesn’t mean the barra aren’t there, it just means you

Capricorn Coast

by JOHN BOON

might have to change tactics to hook up with a chromy.

The most popular form of fishing when the water turns brown is live baiting.

Dedicated bait fishers will go to great lengths to secure quality livies such as spangled perch.

There seems to be a bit of secret squirrel going on as to where you can get a good supply.

Just remember they are a freshwater species, so a cast net can’t be used.

If you can locate them, they will take small prawns, shrimp and worms.

The reason they are so popular is because they are hardy little buggers.

They can swim around all day with a hook in their back and then be placed back in the bait bucket with an aerator and used the next day.

Popular places to soak a live bait would be any of the new fishing platforms such as the mouth of Moores Creek and beside the north side boat ramp.

The viewing platforms from the new bridge to-

wards the barrage always seem to have a few baits thrown off them.

My biggest piece of advice would be to try multiple locations until you find areas that work.

No point going back to the same place if you’re scoring doughnuts.

Try putting a bit of thought into your locations.

Look at places that could be funnelling points as well as current lines and back-eddies.

Last month I took an in-depth look at catching mud crabs and this month it is time to really apply those tips and techniques.

With all the fresh, the muddies will be on the move.

They should continue to march right into June/ July.

One of my best crabbing trips was on the full moon in June, so even though everyone says the crabbing shuts down during winter, it can pay to drop a pot or two and find out for yourself.

With the Fitzroy running fresh, where else can you go for your piscato-

rial pleasure?

Port Alma will have areas that should start to clear once the gates shut.

If the Fitzroy is still pumping out dirty floodwater run-off, it might be hard to find clean salty areas.

I would start looking around the Conner Creek area because this is the most reliable location for water clarity.

If you can find concentrations of barra and threadfin salmon in the dirty water, it would be a good idea to grab a few live baits if you’re struggling to get a bite on lures.

I would rather throw lures all day but in the end it’s all about getting results and fish on the deck.

Coorooman Creek would be well and truly worth a look during April.

The water should be fairly clean around the neap tides and a bit of fresh mixed in with some salt should see muddies on the move, so make sure you throw in a few pots.

Whenever we fish Corrie, we always seem to get a massive by-catch list.

Sometimes they are * continued P46

Konner Faulkner and his PB thready from the Fitzroy.

Bill and Blake Weder with a nice haul of Port Alma muddies.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 45

Football legend Matty Sing loves his barra fishing. A trip with Brenden Warren produced this top 94cm salty.

The author captured a nice school thready in Coorooman Creek.

Alternative options on the Cap Coast * from P45

A cracker nanny pulled from a Capricorn Coast wonky hole.

Dan Baker and a solid nannygai taken on a slow-pitch jig.

Page 46 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

only small but lots of different species inhabit this area.

Barra are the usual target but we also catch mangrove jack, threadfin and blue salmon, cod, fingermark, steelback salmon, grunter, flathead and the list goes on.

A few of the locals know this estuary as ‘Starvation Creek’ but I can assure it’s far from it.

Moving north will see you entering Waterpark Creek and Corio Bay. I would expect Waterpark to be fairly tanninstained this month, with the bay cleaning up nicely.

Obviously, it’s going to depend on local rainfall and conditions.

Barra should be fairly active in the bay.

Locating schools on a side-imaging sounder can be the easy part, while getting that all-important bite can be difficult.

Just remember the Easter school holidays will see a lot of boat traffic, so please be courteous to others while on the water and at the ramp.

If you see someone struggling, ask if they need a hand.

A bit of patience and assistance goes a long way.

Since the beginning of the year, offshore has been fishing really well.

I can remember at this time last year it was almost impossible to get out wide due to the weather.

This year, quite a few windows to head wide have presented.

Fantastic reports have been filtering through from up north between the pinnacles and Cape Manifold.

Some of the largemouth nannygai schools have been super thick.

I know a few blokes who have managed to get their bag limits in only a few hours.

We have been getting beaut nannygai as well.

Slow-pitch jigs like the Palms ZetZ Slow Blatt have been doing most of the damage.

The best thing about using jigs is you don’t make a mess of the boat with bait – it’s top clean fun.

Vibing for nannygai is another technique rapidly taking off in this area.

If you can get your favourite barra soft vibe to the bottom in the depth you’re fishing, give it a go.

We haven’t put any time into it yet because we’ve mostly dropped slowpitch jigs, but we’re keen as mustard to get into it.

Sharks have been an absolute pain in the backside, with most fishos reporting multiple fish taxed on each spot.

The only way to beat them at their game is to move to a new location, boat a couple of good fish and then change spots.

These anglers have been doing the right thing and moving on once the sharks move in.

There’s no point doing the hard yards just to pass on the rewards to the taxman.

Another option is to fish more isolated structure.

Places like wrecks seem to be shark havens.

Bommies and high bait concentrations around main reef areas will also hold higher-than-average numbers of sharks.

On our last trip we fished the flat areas 3050km from the Rosslyn Bay Harbour.

We didn’t lose one fish to sharks while everyone else got hammered.

The Fitzroy River Barra Bash brought to you by the Frenchville Sports Club is fast approaching.

It will be held in May and run from Wednesday the 13th until Saturday the 16th.

Registration and briefing will be on the Wednesday from 5-9pm.

On Thursday, fishing starts at 6am and finishes at 5pm.

On Friday, it’s lines in at 6am and up at 2pm, which will be followed by the presentation from 5.30-10pm.

Saturday will be a family fishing day, along with the drawing of the major prize (boat, motor and trailer package).

If you would like to be part of the comp, you can give the club a ring on 07 4926 1828 or search Frenchville Barra Bash on Facebook.

This is one of the biggest saltwater barra comps in the region.

This will be its third year running and as promised it looks to be bigger and better than ever.

Competitors will chase barra as the main target, with prizes also on offer for king threadfin salmon.

It’s a catch and release, lure/fly-only event.

The aim for your team of two is to catch 10 barra for each day.

Once you hit 10, you upgrade from there.

So basically, once you get your bag, go and search for upgrades.

Conditions have been tough the past two years, with only a few teams getting their bag of 10, so it will take planning to get numbers.

If you haven’t fished a barra competition and would like to but you’re a bit hesitant, the FRBB would be the perfect comp to get into it.

The Frenchville Sports Club has an awesome

line-up of administrators who make everything really easy, from registering to competing.

Plenty of friendly faces at the briefing will point you in the right direction.

If you need a helping hand, come and introduce yourself and we can have a good yarn about all things FRBB. Here’s my prediction for what’s going to happen during the 2020 FRBB. As I have already said, the Fitzroy River will continue to bounce back after minor flooding earlier in the year.

As long as the bait starts pushing back in, the barra will follow.

Places like the Conners area at Port Alma will hold good barra numbers and water clarity.

Bobs Creek through the centre of Balaclava Island will also be worth a search.

Some of the slips and snags hold good numbers of big barra, so be prepared to get down and dirty.

The Casuarina cutthrough will be a good place to look, but the first day of the comp will be a day before the neap tides, so this area might still be dirty.

The side creeks in this area should be clean, with good numbers of fish hanging on timber.

Coorooman Creek will have good water clarity.

So many barra inhabit the creek, but getting a bite can be tough.

It’s still worth a thorough search and putting the time in.

Waterpark Creek and Corio Bay should have decent water clarity, depending how much rain we get in May. You’ve got plenty of alternative places to look for barra if the Fitzroy is still awash.

Well that’s it for another month.

I hope everyone has been getting out to boat a few.

Take it easy, fish hard and I’ll catch you next month. www.bnbfishing.com. au

King threadfin salmon conditions continue

H

I all, as I sit down to write this, the sounds of thunder and the flashes of lightning are again noticeable in the distance.

This weather pattern has been a fairly regular occurrence most afternoons for the past couple of months: incredibly hot and humid days building to pretty serious storm cells in the afternoons and evenings.

Some of these bigger cells dropped more than

Fishing Mackay

by JASON KIDD

230mm of rain in a matter of hours in some places to the south.

The repeat rains have been timely for the estuaries, creating fantastic fishing and breeding conditions for most estuary inhabitants.

We’ve had good reports of crabs in the estuaries and prawning has been of the charts, with some

Cam was visiting all the way from Ontario and landed his first barra.

the old-timers saying it’s the best it has been for 20 years.

Recently we found a patch of big prawns and just the noise of the motor had them spraying out of the water.

In four throws with a cast net we filled a 10-litre bucket.

It was incredible to witness, and the coming months look to offer more of the same.

This makes for a tantalising scenario for the future of the estuary and all the other species higher in the food chain.

One of the predators that truly thrives in these conditions is the king threadfin salmon.

Around Mackay we’ve got fresh run-off draining out to sea via hundreds of finger drains covering the mud flats.

These are places where the small jelly prawns feed and develop and the receding waters will see them congregate in numbers so vast even a large predator like a metre-plus king salmon can easily consume enough to be content. * continued P48

Sooty Grunter at Eungella Dam

Dam Fish www.bnbfishing.com. au

Joel held a king salmon he caught on a live mullet.

Barramundi at Teemburra

Barramundi at Kinchant Dam

Those

Maddie with her first-ever barra. A solid 80cm fish.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 47

King threadfin salmon conditions continue * from P47

Wes with one of the many king threadfin salmon he got to the boat that day.

f

Jason Kidd

0457 254 740

One we caught recently was well over the metre mark and landed on the bottom of the boat and spat out handfuls of jelly prawns no bigger than 20mm long.

This fish had been filling itself with jelly prawns but a small Zerek Fish Trap bouncing and vibrating nearby was still tempting enough to attack.

Most kings have been caught using live baits.

Small mullet of 10-15cm in length have worked OK but the best results have come on live prawns.

Rig the prawns under a float and let the current carry them along the edges of the banks.

When the prawns are smaller, putting four, five or even six on your hook is a great idea and often works more effectively than a single large prawn.

Having multiple live prawns on one hook will generate much more vibration and noise in the water than a single prawn.

It’s been a little cluster of small flicking prawns floating about half a metre off the bottom that has tempted most fish of late.

Barra have enjoyed this abundance of bait equally and the awesome start we had to the season has continued and doesn’t look like slowing.

Fantastic numbers and sizes of fish continue to be caught, with most taking bait and avoiding lures.

I am not sure if it’s the dirty water or surplus food, but for me nearly all catches have occurred using livies.

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Fantastic numbers and sizes of fish continue to be caught, with most taking bait and avoiding lures.

We have worked lures in locations where we know fish are present yet we’ve really struggled to get their interest.

A wriggling live bait in the same area and it’s a different story.

Of course, this situation has the potential to be reversed, so it pays to be versatile and prepared.

Another favourite species of mine is fingermark.

They are fantastic fun to catch, reasonably good fighters and when you find one, usually a few mates are nearby.

When juvenile, they will handle the high levels of fresh water in the creeks like at present, but as they get larger they tend to stay out on the edge of where the dirty fresh and clean salt water meet.

Identifying these areas is not usually hard, with clear

colour changes visible.

Find one of these runlines with nearby structure and you have a good starting point to target fingermark.

They are generally not fussy and will take most presentations from strip baits to live baits, metal micro jigs and soft plastic vibes.

The estuaries and creeks in Mackay and surrounding regions have benefitted from the consistent minor flooding and will continue to do so while conditions remain.

The shorter days are yet to take some of the heat out of the days and daytime highs are still in the mid-30C range with ridiculous humidity.

This time of year in the boat can take the players’ discomfort to quite a high level.

But it doesn’t bother the keen fishos because they know the fish are on.

Mick captured his first king on a cluster of small prawns rigged under a float.

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Page 48 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

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The Dragstar has been tested extensively, with the 130mm models capable of swimming at 15 knots and

the 190mm lures at 18 knots.

This is not just a highspeed lure.

The time taken to get the lure balanced just right shows in its ability to swim across the entire speed spectrum from slow to fast.

The lure features a thicker, strengthened plastic terminal tackle moulding that holds the

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The lure has been developed in two swim depths and two lengths, covering everything from 3m all the way down to 6m.

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Barramundi frequent the estuaries and bay year-round.

You’ve got to be happy with a couple of barra on the boat!

Introduction to the Stanage Bay area

I

HAVE been kindly invited to write an article on Stanage Bay: ‘the last frontier’ for this publication.

Nobody could or would try to replace the Stanage icon and sadly missed Von Ireland who used to write for this area in this magazine.

My name is John and my wife Karen and I own Stanage Bay Fishing Accommodation and the recently purchased Stanage Bay Marine and Accommodation, with our main identity being Stanage Bay Accommodation.

We have lived and operated businesses in this township for the past 14 years.

So let’s start at the beginning for those who have not visited this great area.

Stanage Bay is a quiet,

Stanage Bay

by JOHN GLANFORD

friendly fishing village.

To get here, continue up the Bruce Highway about 75km north of Rockhampton and then turn right onto Stanage Bay Rd. It is 100km to the township from the turn-off, with 20km of bitumen and the rest dirt.

This is an extremely scenic drive if you take it steady and enjoy the experience.

At the time of writing the road was a bit ordinary for the first 30km of dirt.

The rest is holding up well, but as always, drive to the conditions.

We had good rain during February, so the pad-

Fingermark are a staple of warmer northern Queensland waters.

docks are a lush green and the birdlife is exceptional, with hundreds of magpie geese loving the water in the paddocks.

Keep an eye out for the swans, brolgas and emus enjoying this wet.

The cows and kangaroos as well as a mixture of other wildlife on this unfenced road like to share the same bit of real estate as the vehicles, so please be careful.

Upon entering Stanage, you will find this tranquil little fishing village has a lot to offer both the serious fisher and tourist who just wants to admire the place.

The local pub boasts the Crab Pot Bar, which is a great spot to stop for a quiet beer.

The shop has limited grocery supplies and fuel bowsers with unleaded and diesel.

Boat Hire by Phil and Tina is a reputable local company.

And of course, come and visit us at Stanage Bay Marine and get all your ice, bait, tackle and souvenirs or just have a chat to catch up on local information.

The new boat ramp complete with floating pontoon is at the end of the road leading in to Stanage, which makes launching and retrieving boats not only easier but much safer.

Thank you to the Department of Transport and Main Roads for funding this project.

Monster spanish mackerel are always a possibility off Stanage.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Though remote, Stanage has good Telstra mobile phone coverage and a well-equipped dedicated volunteer Coast Guard on channel 81.

Please call these folks every time you go out on the water.

For those who just want to admire the area, we have beautiful and peaceful secluded beaches and caves.

Take a drive off the black stuff and admire some of our hidden beaches.

A drive to Porters Creek is worth the effort.

Stanage boat ramp is classed as open waters, so all the relevant safety gear is required for boating activities in this area.

Unfortunately, or maybe not, Stanage Bay is out of the way for just a day’s drive, so why not give us a call at Stanage Bay Accommodation on 0427 664 000 and stay a few nights to explore this wonderful area.

When available, we have overnight, weekly and long-term accommodation.

We had a number of guests during February who were very pleased with their catches, some of which are displayed in the photos on this page.

The fingermark and barra being caught are of great quality.

The reef fishing has been patchy but some good catches of nannygai and grassy sweetlip are being reported, as well as the much sought-after red emperor.

I believe the good-old spanish mackerel are always here, it’s just hard to get them to take a lure or bait sometimes.

The photo of the one caught in February was a cracker.

Greg caught a GT, got a few trophy photos and put it back in the water.

While we do not know its weight, it was a good catch.

With all the rain, the crabbing is definitely picking up and some proper Stanage crabs are being captured by both recreational and professional sectors.

Until next time, safe travels and enjoy your recreation time, hopefully wetting a line somewhere.

Bumper blackspot tuskfish inhabit the waters around Stanage.

Pelagic speedsters such as queenfish put on a great show, particularly when hooked on lighter gear.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 49

A beautiful barramundi cod caught by Angus. This fish was quickly released unharmed and swam back to the reef as they are protected in Queensland.

Elizabeth was overjoyed with this stunning coral trout. One of many reefies hooked that day.

It’s all happening at Hinchinbrook

A

BIG g’day to everyone and we hope this finds you well.

Presentation day at the Taylors Beach Progress Association fishing weekend.

Best family catch went to the Petersen family.

Taylors Beach Progress Association fishing weekend longest barramundi winner Tim.

Two full-time local guides!

Another month down and the year is trundling along nicely.

It’s been a warm start, with the humidity making anything happening outside uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, the old ‘to-do list’ never stops growing, a bit like the lawn at the moment.

We’ve had rain here and there, with the odd heavy downpour thrown in, which has turned the surrounding rivers a nice shade of mud.

Hopefully we’ll get a good hit of rain to flush the system so the water can start to clean up.

It’s not much fun in the dirty stuff, with logs and debris coming downstream while you’re trying to throw a baitcaster at the snags or move between them.

We haven’t spent as much time on the water as we would’ve liked, but we have had some good days both inshore and off.

Last month, the 2020 annual family fishing competition was held at Taylors Beach.

The competition was organised by the Taylors Beach Progress Association and was a great cou-

Full-day inshore or offshore charters Come on a Hinchinbrook wilderness fishing holiday and tick some of those trophy fish off your bucket list – barra, mangrove jack, coral trout, GTs, sooty grunter, spanish mackerel, black marlin, queenies, nannygai and more!

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Bill enjoyed a day fishing offshore and taking some great catches.

Hinchinbrook News

by TEAM CRACKAJACK

ple of days for those who participated.

In spite of the weather not playing along, with over 200mm of rainfall, it was a huge success.

A total of 236 anglers competed, of whom 98 were juniors.

Multiple categories were available, with awesome prizes up for grabs and we’d like to pass on our congratulations to everyone who got in and had a crack.

A special mention to our little mate Tim, who somehow managed to take out biggest barra and overall length of fish.

We don’t know how you managed it, but well done Timbo!

A massive thankyou to gold sponsors Shadeview Blinds and Awnings at Garbutt, Ziekel Fishing Australia, Profishent Tackle and Hinchinbrook Shire Council.

All up, a total of 38 sponsors contributed to this great event.

Offshore, we’ve had more trips out wide this year.

The weather has been slightly more accommodating than this time last year, though it’s still a little erratic.

Water temperature has been about 30C, which has seen a slight change in fishing around the reef.

For the most part the fish are still chewing, with some stonker coral trout boated lately.

Be ready for these brutes when they hit or you’ll be bricked for sure.

With all the small pickers in the water, you can get a little complacent thinking there are no big fish.

Then bam!

You’re on and the fight begins to keep the fish away from the reef.

Another reason for staying alert is so once you turn them, you’re able to get a good fish up fast before the taxman takes his cut.

Yes, plenty of them swim around and wait for a free feed with the odds in their favour.

Jigging with FNQ jigs in the 60g range has been a good way to open the morning while it’s still cool.

There doesn’t seem to be a favourite colour or return speed at the moment, with fish being taken on both slow and fast retrieves in up to 60m of water.

This style of fishing has produced some hardfighting units, including turrum, tea-leaf trevally, chinaman fish and nannygai, along with coral trout and even the odd redthroat emperor.

A leisurely troll along the edges of the reef using Lively Lures in green or blue – or new wog heads made by Rob – rigged with a whole garfish has produced good results for cobia, giant trevally and barracuda.

Even the odd big spanish mackerel was still lurking around!

We also drifted the depths or anchored up and chased stripey snapper, flowery cod, parrotfish, redthroat emperor, trevally and coral trout.

Inshore has seen dirty water complete with floating obstacles.

If you’re after cleaner water, try the northern end of the Hinchinbrook Channel towards Cardwell.

The bait has been a bit scattered, so you have to travel to find it, though you’re always in for a chance with a few jewfish.

Barra and mangrove jack are feeding well and the usual species such as fingermark and grunter are showing themselves.

Aggressive estuary cod, salmon, flathead and trevally are all hitting lures.

We’ve had success using 5” Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ in New Penny and Golden Boy as well as Morry Kneebone hardbodies in shallow 826 and 808, which dive up to a metre.

Though it has been a little slow most days, it is a great way to fish while exploring all the beauty the channel has to offer.

It truly is an amazing expanse of water and when fish come on, it’s an exhilarating style of fishing.

That wraps up this month.

We hope you all stay safe and enjoy your time out there, whatever you’re doing.

Until next time, may the wind stay low and the fish count high.

From the team here at Crackajack, take care.

Morry Kneebones hard-bodies in shallow 826 and 808.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Four days in the tropical north

I

HAD the pleasure of hosting Belle and Patty for four days of fishing recently.

They’d contacted Fishing Cairns and wanted to head north and chase barramundi.

Both had a lot of fishing experience under their belts, but not too much lure fishing.

The Russell/Mulgrave system was our home for days one and two.

The fishing was a bit

Fishing Cairns

by BRETT PARKS

tough due to neap tides, but the Russell and Mulgrave rivers never fail to impress visitors for their beauty and wildlife.

We were able to get up into the fresh and chase sooty grunter, which were around in good numbers.

We caught some betterthan-average specimens.

Belle nabbed a Copperlode barra.

The author picked up an 83cm barra in Trinity Inlet.

Belle with a little sooty grunter.

A few schools of tarpon were a bit of fun too.

They proved hard to land but great fun to hook.

We also got a jungle perch up beside the boat and the leader was in hand, but the fish managed to evade the obligatory photo and release.

While parts to the south have been getting a good soaking over recent weeks, far north Queensland has missed out.

Every afternoon the clouds build toward a promising downpour, only to see them blow over and leave behind scattered showers.

Just one recent day was an exception.

A river I regularly fish rose over 2m in an hour and a half.

But it was one day only and we need a good week to 10 days of steady rain to get the wet back on track.

The Johnstone River system to the south of Cairns was our home on day three.

The tides were improving and the water nice and clear.

Thick grass beds held plenty of promise and we drifted among them trying to tease out hidden secrets.

Patty landed a nice barra and I managed a big sooty and jungle perch.

The action heated up as we drifted out over a large hole.

The fish were schooled up as the water flowed off the flats into the hole.

A double hook-up was the result, involving one sooty and a little giant trevally.

While the fight was on, much larger specimens came to investigate, including a GT of about 5-6kg.

This was a long way up the river in fresh water.

We headed back down to the river mouth and threw poppers, and despite plenty of interest and a number of touches, we were unable to land one of the many little GTs getting around.

Then Belle hooked a quality mangrove jack

around a rocky outcrop.

After a solid fight and nervous moments including swimming under the boat, the fish was landed and luckily returned to fight another day.

Day four and we decided to head to Copperlode Dam, which is Cairns’ main water supply.

Not only is it spectacular but it holds a good quantity of sizeable barramundi.

We cruised the lake in an electric-powered boat and started our hunt on a wide shallow inlet with plenty of weed cover and old stumps.

Belle had a hit within minutes of our first cast, and it wasn’t long before our first barra was in the boat.

Patty’s strike was particularly exciting, with the fish coming up from the deep and inhaling the lure before our eyes.

We were also lucky to see a cassowary and its chick as we moved between spots.

To finish off the trip we went to Trinity Inlet, right on Cairns’ doorstep.

Justin our guide had secured fresh prawns and we set off in search of more barramundi.

The tide had not yet started to move, and was going to be slow anyway, so we had our work cut out.

Justin made sure we were on the spot, spending time ensuring the conditions were optimal.

We found a huge bait ball and set the anchors.

Within minutes Belle was onto a big fish.

Eventually the large barra showed itself and was landed.

Belle can now boast catching an 88cm barramundi, with the pictures to prove it.

The coronavirus scare has greatly impacted the number of tourists visiting far north Queensland.

As a result, flights are cheap, accommodation has been discounted, and plenty of seats are available on all types of charters.

So if you are looking to listen to the ‘travel local’ campaign, please give us some consideration.

You might take home great memories like Belle and Patty.

Belle landed a nice jack taken on a popper.

Patty, Belle and the author on Copperlode Dam.

Belle with her arm-stretching 88cm barra.

Planning a trip to North Queensland?

Book a charter today!

From barramundi to marlin, jungle perch to jacks, we’ve got you covered. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Patty’s Copperlode barra.

www.fishingcairns.fish 0448 563 586

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 51

Guide to the snakes of the Cape L

IKE many, if not most people who adventure on Cape York, I’m really into the nature of this remarkable region, so here’s a snapshot of some of the snakes that live on the Cape and you might encounter.

An impressive coastal taipan, Australia’s longest venomous snake.

The mild-mannered bandy-bandy.

Josh Lyon with a beautifully marked bandy-bandy.

The black-headed python is one of the more striking snakes you might come across, particularly late arvo or early morning along roads or tracks in savannah woodland areas.

Like all pythons, they are non-venomous but still can deliver a nasty bite when defending themselves.

However, unlike many other pythons, blackheadeds don’t have heatsensing organs along their jaws to help them detect warm-blooded animals.

This is because they mainly feed on reptiles, even venomous snakes, which of course are not warm blooded!

The amethystine or scrub python is Australia’s longest snake, reaching a maximum length of 8m – the largest I’ve seen is 5.5m in Rinyirru National Park.

This relatively slender tropical snake occurs in scrubs and rainforests across the Cape, but ventures into nearby woodlands as well.

They are superb climbers and use their heatsensing organs to stealth-

A pair of male lesser black whip snakes having it out!

This scrub python was curled up having a camp.

A beautiful green python in the Iron Range area.

Page 52 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

Cape York by ‘BILLABONG’ BAZZ LYON

ily sneak up on rats, birds, possums and even smaller wallabies.

While mainly active at night, they sometimes sun themselves on the ground during cooler weather.

A couple live in our shed just out of Cooktown, and they are great at keeping rat numbers down!

The green python is arguably Australia’s most beautiful python, but is found only in the Iron and McIlwraith ranges, as well as New Guinea and adjacent islands.

This stunning snake is nocturnal and largely a rainforest dweller, where it curls up on a branch to ambush passing rats, frogs or lizards.

In Australia, the young snakes are bright yellow and turn green as they mature. Unfortunately, green pythons have been subject to illegal poaching for the black market, and have recently had much of their habitat damaged by cyclones and fires.

One of the more common venomous snakes on the Cape is the lesser Papuan black whip snake.

Fast and quick to flee, these diurnal (day active) snakes are inhabitants of the savannah woodlands and feed largely on small lizards.

Though no deaths have been recorded from this species, medical treatment should be sought in the event of a bite because they can cause a serious local reaction at least.

The two snakes in the picture attached are not mating, as you might think, but engaged in some serious wrestling.

Each is trying to force the other to the ground with lots of head pushing and body writhing.

The eventual winner (the wrestling can go on for a long time!) will most likely earn the right to mate with a receptive female hanging out nearby.

The bandy-bandy cannot really be confused with any other snake due to striking black and white bands.

These snakes are nocturnal and are remarkable in that they feed on blind snakes – small, worm-like snakes that spend most of their time underground.

Bandy-bandys are mildly venomous but inoffensive.

Left alone, they will not bite anyone.

The mulga or king brown snake is possibly the most common large, dangerous, venomous snake on the Cape, living in grasslands and savannah woodlands.

While an imposing reptile, they really do try to avoid contact with humans – the rare exception being if you are in the way of their hidey hole or log.

Then, they may play a determined game of ‘forcing back’ (as do some other large venomous snakes) to gain the safety of their home.

I have seen this quite a few times and it’s obviously best to just get well out of the way.

King browns are not actually ‘brown snakes’, rather they are members of the black snake genus.

Their venom largely attacks blood and tissue, the bite delivered in an almost gnawing manner.

They feed on mammals, reptiles, ground birds and frogs, as is one in the picture.

Like many snakes in the tropics, mulgas can be active both day and night, particularly during the few hours after sunset.

Much smaller but with even more powerful venom is the death adder.

It is unlikely you will see one of these snakes.

Quite secretive, they typically lie among the leaf litter to ambush their prey of lizards, birds and small mammals, often wriggling their tail to entice animals over for a look.

These snakes will rarely move if approached.

They typically lie doggo and will not bite in defence unless you stand on or get very close to them.

Death Adders inhabit rainforest and woodlands, and I’ve only seen them move around to any degree during the build-up storm period and wet season.

The coastal taipan is Australia’s largest venomous snake, and possesses the third most toxic venom of any land snake in the world, just behind our inland taipan and eastern brown snake.

They feed mostly on small mammals and live in a range of habitats from savannah woodlands to rainforest fringes.

These are intelligent but nervous, fast-moving reptiles, and the good news is they would much rather flee than fight, something I have often seen in my snake-catching career.

They can also be very curious.

While the ranger at Jourama Falls National Park near Ingham, we often had a large taipan that lived near the water pump come up and quietly check out our vehicle (with windows closed).

Otherwise, once a taipan’s ‘safe’ distance has been breached, they will defend themselves with astonishing speed and ferocity.

Taipans, though perhaps relatively common, are not all that commonly seen.

They prefer to avoid

contact with humans and usually sneak off at the vibration of footsteps.

The take-home messages with snakes on the Cape are to use a light when walking around at night, because they are often active then, stay alert as you always would in the Australian bush, and carry a couple of compression bandages in the unlikely event of a bite.

I have lived and worked for 40 years in the bush and never been accidentally bitten – touch wood!

First-aid treatment involves wrapping a compression bandage over the bite site, then firmly applying another bandage, starting at the fingers or toes and wrapping upwards towards the bite site.

Clothing can be used if you don’t have bandages.

Splint the limb to prevent movement, and keep still and rest until medical help arrives.

Blood tests are now available to identify the snake involved, so you don’t need to do anything else but that described.

Australia leads the world in snake bite treatment, and these first-aid measures work very well – so long as they are used promptly.

Otherwise on the Cape, we are waiting to see what nature has in store weather wise for April.

Given the late start to the wet season, it may carry into April, so keep tabs on the long-range forecasts.

Either way, it won’t be long before roads start becoming accessible and we can again explore, camp and fish this magical region!

A death adder from the bauxite country near Weipa.

A scrub python on the track to Cape Melville National Park.

A mulga (king brown) having a feed of frog.

A black-headed python on patrol.

This mulga snake was active at night on the Cape Melville track.

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C ARAVANNING & adventure Heart Rock at Pender Bay. Pender Bay campsite on the cliffs overlooking the beach.

Deviating to the Dampier Peninsula I T’S time to recount our visit to the Dampier Peninsula, located north of Broome, Western Australia.

The turn-off is about 30km east of Broome township and heads due north.

The road is only bitumen for 10km and then it’s back to dirt and corrugations.

At the time we were travelling, they were doing major roadworks and there was talk of it being made completely bitumen all the way to Cape Leveque in future.

First port of call was a couple of free camp stays, beginning with Willie Creek.

This is also the home of the Willie Creek Pearl Farm, which offers tours around the farm, scenic helicopter flights, a restaurant and more.

The creek was picturesque, with beautiful turquoise water at high tide, while at low tide it was merely sand flats with a trickle of water running through the deepest sections.

It was lovely on low tide in the afternoons to walk along the creek to the mouth at the surf beach.

We walked past some Australian Customs sites where I believe they dismantle illegal fishing and immigration boats.

It was quite nice to watch the sunset over the surf beach and be the only souls for miles around.

Willie Creek is a 72-hour free camp and you must be fully self-contained.

From here we travelled a little further north to Quondong Point, which was another 72-hour maximum free camp perched high on the red cliffs above the ocean.

We regularly saw whales migrating north throughout the day.

It was also very interesting here at night-time because we were invaded by saltwater hermit crabs.

They were everywhere, including some really big ones!

The kids played with these crabs for hours and they provided plenty of amusement for the whole family.

Another highlight for the kids were the dinosaur fossils that could be www.bnbfishing.com. au

Caravanning

by TODD EVELEIGH

found on the rocks at low tide just south of the main camping area.

It was also a famous spot for sea fog in the morning.

We would wake to a complete white-out for the first couple of hours until the sun climbed high enough and burnt off the moisture to reveal beautiful blue skies.

Of a morning it was truly amazing to sit outside while enjoying a coffee and see that every square centimetre of sand around your van was covered in hermit crab tracks where thousands of them had foraged during the night.

From here we were off to Pender Bay, which is just north of Beagle Bay. The road up was quite corrugated, with lots of bulldust sections.

Turning off to Pender, the tracks were quite sandy but still hard enough to comfortably tow the caravan through.

Upon arrival at Pender Bay Escape we were welcomed by owner Andrew who gave us a run-down of the area and detailed what sites were available.

Pender Bay Escape has toilets and showers, though no power, and was $30 per night for the family.

The campsites are large and very private, with 50150m between sites, so you have your own piece of paradise to yourself.

We managed to get a lovely site, again on top of the red cliffs overlooking the magnificent white sand beaches and crystalclear water.

Again whales were constantly splashing and playing just offshore in the warm waters of the bay.

We could quite clearly see and hear them, with some almighty breaches and tail slapping.

This was hands-down my favourite place on the Dampier Peninsula.

Little goat tracks ran down the cliff and onto the beach where every afternoon a dozen or more kids would play soccer while all the adults sat atop the cliffs having a quiet coldie

and occasionally offering refereeing advice, because as you probably know, kids can start playing for sheep stations.

The water was amazing to swim in at high tide and very clear.

Walking around the point, we found amazing caves to explore as well as a heart-shaped rock and a rock that looked like the knight of a chess set.

The afternoons with the setting sun were truly amazing.

Red cliffs, white sand and blue water all changed colours through sunset.

Just magic.

The other great thing about Pender Bay was the amazing fishing.

A nice road down to the beach allowed visitors to launch boats and car toppers and we were lucky enough to have some amazing weather while we were there.

We only had to run a couple of kilometres out, where I slowly sounded around and found bait balls and rubble patches.

Here we jigged up nice golden trevally, spanish and school mackerel.

We also bait fished, which resulted in sweetlip, cobia and parrotfish.

The marine life around us was just incredible.

Whales, dolphins, turtles and tuna schools were visible almost all day.

The kids had a great time and Bridie landed her PB golden trevally of about 6kg.

Dustin gave me a proud Dad memory by slugging it out for 40 minutes with a 20kg-plus cobia.

I didn’t bring it into a car topper to destroy everything in its path, but got some photos of it in the water alongside the boat.

We only intended to camp three days at Pender but ended up staying a week.

And we would have stayed longer but we were running low on supplies, so we moved on to Gumbanan.

We will definitely return to Pender in years to come.

Gumbanan is located

on the inlet of One Arm Point and boy don’t the tides move around here, with crazy lows to mega highs.

The water literally rushes in and out with the moon.

Camping at Gumbanan Wilderness Retreat costs $34 per night for a family.

The campgrounds overlook the traditional Indigenous mayoorr fish trap.

We went to Gumbanan because it is one of the few places where you can witness and photograph the staircase to the moon.

This is when the full moon rises and the reflection off the mud flats at low tide makes these linelike ‘steps’ from the earth to the moon.

It is spectacular to see but quite difficult to capture with a standard camera.

We used Gumbanan as a base to head over to Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, which is just across the main road into One Arm Point.

Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm offered beautiful meals and cold drinks.

If you bought food and drinks you were welcome to use the infinity pool with a beautiful outlook over Cygnet Bay. The farm also offered tours of the pearling factory and beautiful pearl jewellery for sale.

Unfortunately for Raylene, I wasn’t carrying enough money haha.

It is a little oasis, especially after bush camping for quite a few weeks.

Cygnet Bay is a must see if you are in the area.

We also did a day trip

to Cape Leveque and had a look around the resort there, enjoying nice iced coffees and milkshakes.

The coastline up that way is absolutely breathtaking, especially with the red cliffs, white sand and blue water.

It makes for an excellent place to take some great photos.

We had a ball at the Dampier Peninsula and thoroughly recommend having a look around there.

You’ve got plenty of places to stay and see as well as fantastic fishing on offer.

It’s a great place to take kids and we came across plenty of other families.

When you plan on travelling in this part of the world, you need to take lots of food and water because there are very few shops and most of the water is from bores and not suitable for drinking.

Until next month.

The author with a spanish mackerel.

Bridie’s PB golden trevally.

Pender Bay caves.

Gumbanan’s traditional mayoorr fish trap at sunset.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 53

C AMPING & outdoors

Hereford cattle roadside on the long paddock of a smoky morning.

What a great farm to be volunteering time upon.

Doing it tough whether it be fires, flood or drought

W

ELL we had it all on a recent trip south with the caravan in tow.

This load of hay was paid for and carted to Tumba by the Tumba Batlow Minor League football club for distribution by the Australian Defence Force to struggling farmers.

Clearing the boundary line to commence the Tumbarumba fencing project.

Doing the hard yards in preparation.

Page 54 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

After a spell of dry weather everywhere, we were bracing ourselves for a hot, energy-sapping stay in Tamworth at this year’s country music festival, but were determined to not let that stop us enjoying the event.

Unusual things happened along the way, that unbeknownst to us were the start of the drought breaking.

Out of the blue, light showers started at the back of Ipswich en-route to Cunninghams Gap, then more showers around Stanthorpe, which turned to healthy falls around Tenterfield.

At our overnight stop in Guyra, it rained solidly through the night.

The next morning, a nice tinge of green covered the paddocks and a smattering of water filled small dams for sheep and cattle.

Driving through the Moonbi Range into Tamworth, it was barren, dry and hot.

Not a drop of rain overnight.

A real bugger moment.

We set up camp and watched the growing rolls of dark cloud move closer, keeping an eye on the weather radar.

Et voila, rain in Tamworth and weren’t the locals happy about it.

This morphed into showers and small storms, and as the temperature cooled, the mood around town warmed.

You see, they had been down to less than 10 percent in their main water supply and on Level 5 restrictions, having to truck water into town.

The call was made to proceed with the festival because of the economic benefit to the town.

It was assessed that visitors would consume the

Volunteering

by BILL CORTEN

equivalent of one day’s water only, so the punt was taken.

Certainly, crowd numbers were down, as expected, due to bushfire and drought, but you can’t break that indelible country spirit and, in our opinion, it was the best festival yet – you could even get a park wherever you went!

There were contrasts too, such as the big dust storm that blew into town covering everything with red dust.

Then within an hour, a light rain fell, caking our vehicles with large orange dust streaks.

The major dams hadn’t filled because it had been so dry that it would take a lot of water to absorb into the ground before flowing and swelling the creeks and rivers.

Welcome to life outside the big cities.

After our eventual farewells to Tamworth, we opted to take backroads, the ones less travelled, toward the Yarra Valley in Victoria where we had arranged to catch up with friends who were doing it a bit tough.

We stopped for lunch at Quirindi, a well-presented town with nicely mown median strips, neatly trimmed gardens and streetscaping.

Their water comes from an underground source.

This place oozed pride and called out for tourists to stop and enjoy.

An overnight stop at the showgrounds at Spring Ridge was another country surprise.

Electricity for caravans overnight, hot showers and an honesty box.

Another little village crying out for tourists to stop and spend some dollars, and they’re doing

something about it too.

The beer at the pub was cold, the meals great and the locals in town were keen for a chat.

Another storm that night and things were looking up.

Though driving south, the paddocks around Coolah, Dunedoo and Gulgong were extremely bare and livestock in very poor condition.

The lady at the Tourist Information Centre at Coolah described it as ‘desperate times’.

She went on to say they were lucky they hadn’t had a bushfire in the nearby Coolah Tops National Park, as the whole region would have gone up, it was so dry.

The locals were worried about the extreme fuel load in the national park because it was a time bomb.

She explained fuel loads were under control when part of the park was a grazing lease and other parts controlled by Forestry, with four-wheel-drive tracks made available and open access for gathering

firewood and such.

That changed when the Greens exerted their influence, and she thanked goodness it hadn’t gone up in smoke.

An overnighter at Gulgong Showground saw another small storm, with the caretaker mentioning the 10mm fall was the most since May 2019.

Travelling south from Wellington, the country was noticeably greener and the condition of animals markedly improved.

We took a highly suitable and interesting route for caravans through Orange, Cowra and Young, then some backroads before coming out onto Hume Highway at Jugiong.

The Hume was busy, with truckies in fine “f’ing” form on the UHF radio, the general traffic attitudes aggressive and the bad road manners occurring around us.

All indicators that we were getting closer to the big smoke.

Bugger!

The time we spent in the Yarra Valley, about 70km outside Melbourne, was very special.

Rather than burden our friends, we found a wonderful little caravan park on the banks of the up-

per Yarra River where we could chill out as well as spend quality time with them.

A visit to the Four Pillars Gin distillery at Healesville was one of many highlights.

We were very conscious of the impact of the bushfires on the southeastern coastal belt, and at the time of writing, the coast road from Melbourne to Sydney hadn’t reopened.

New fires were springing up south of Canberra and a lot was happening.

We were keen to bend our backs and volunteer to rebuild in bushfire-affected areas where people were hurting, and checked the BlazeAid website daily for details of new camps opening and where volunteers were most needed.

Our return journey to Brisbane coincided with a new camp opening at Tumbarumba on the southwest slopes at the western edge of the Snowy Mountains.

We made contact with the camp co-ordinator and spent several days driving there because they still had a lot to do before becoming operational.

With Tumbarumba situated 480km from Sydney * continued P55

Author in the centre as a job was completed – yahoo!

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4WDING & off - road Doing it tough whether it be fires, flood or drought * from P54

and 470km from Melbourne, we had the opportunity to drive more backroads and see parts of northeastern Victoria we hadn’t previously visited.

Towns such as Mansfield, Beechworth and Yackandandah have interesting history and are a delight to visit, making them worth a trip in their own right.

We headed through Tallangatta and Corryong (The Man from Snowy River country) and camped at a favourite spot on the banks of the mighty Murray River near Towong in Victoria.

The impact of the bushfires was hitting home.

Along the highway near Corryong were copious army vehicles, dozers and end loaders as well as many soldiers clearing roadside damage.

Too many burnt-out houses were visible.

People can say what they like about the Morrison Government, but by golly the way the Aus-

tralian Defence Force supported firefighters and led the way, from the removal of heavy timber and trees to supporting public safety along our roadways, was strongly applauded by locals everywhere we went.

In fact, we didn’t see one greenie volunteering with the clean-up in all our travels and that sentiment was shared by many we spoke with.

Out on the road approaching Tumbarumba, we saw roadside signs warning of cattle ahead.

We stopped to talk to a mum and her daughter who were overseeing a herd of 200 pregnancy-tested Hereford cows feeding roadside on long grass not destroyed by fire.

Dad was around the road further on horseback managing the other half of the herd.

They had lost well over half their pastures to fire and about 32km of fencing.

The roadside agistment was their short-term sav-

Perimeter fencing to constrain the animals with property boundaries was a priority.

Lesson number three from the farmer. It was important to meet his standards.

ing grace until more rain fell and new grass grew in the burnt-out paddocks.

It takes the sale of a lot of cattle and hay to recover the costs of that kind of damage.

You really feel for people on the land doing it tough, whether it be due to fires, flood or drought.

Tumbarumba is one of those special country towns where everyone is welcome, which was evident from our first walk through the town centre.

An RV-friendly town with overnight parking directly behind the main street, a caravan dump point and all the facilities travellers look for.

It was extremely neat and tidy, and everyone said g’day.

We found the BlazeAid camp at the showground and set up our van in the shade.

We were met by the local BlazeAid representatives and invited to a meeting with local farmers while they registered for BlazeAid help.

There were 60 registrations that night alone, with hundreds of kilometres of fencing and other essential work put on the jobs list for volunteers.

An almighty task list that continued to grow daily.

It will be winter before the work is complete.

We spent time assisting the co-ordinators set up the BlazeAid camp and more volunteers arrived.

The first team of volunteers, a diverse group of grey nomads, headed off in two private vehicles to the initial fencing job on Willigobung Rd, about 20km from town (gotta love some of these Aussie names).

The farmer was an older gentleman with an awesome sense of humour and so happy to receive assistance from total strangers.

In typical country style, we had to have a cuppa with him and his wife while we discussed the job and he got to know us.

The next six days, under the guidance of our farmer, we worked hard and got better at remov-

Briefing on the author’s final day.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

ing fallen timber from the perimeter fence line, removing fire-damaged wire, straightening and replacing star picket posts damaged by falling timber, as well as replacing burnt-out strainer and corner posts and stays with steel posts.

We ran a strand of barbed on top, three rows of high-tensile wire and clipped hinge joint fence panelling to the wire.

Straining the wire and attaching the hinge joint was a mammoth job.

Because one of our crew had worked as a farmhand, he and the farmer used the tractor, chainsaw and chains to clear timber, and stayed ahead of us so we could maintain progress.

It was not a simple job, with plenty of obstacles and difficulties.

We looked forward to retiring to the 19th hole at the end of each day for a coldie, a cuppa and, of course, the farm couple’s specialty rock cakes.

We were buggered returning to camp each evening, but the stoic farmer took advantage of the remaining daylight doing his other farming jobs as soon as we departed.

Bloody fantastic for a bloke in his late seventies, doing the work of someone 20 years younger and putting the city slicker greenies to shame every day of the week.

The setup back at the BlazeAid camp was fantastic.

The new amenities block Bridget McKenzie built with the ‘sports rorts’ money supplied us with hot showers and there were excellent hot meals waiting for us each night.

A group of volunteers from Tumbarumba cooked and supplied our food and provided wonderful team bonding sessions after evening meals.

Each day started at 6.30am with a hearty breakfast, and before the daily sign-in and co-ordinator briefing we would grab a provided cut lunch and some bottled water so we could be on the road by 7.30am.

Ruth really enjoyed being one of the team members on the meals roster and helping out with admin during the day.

She loved the other social interaction with the townsfolk too, whether it was at an exercise class or one of the coffee shops, she felt very welcome at any time.

Tumbarumba is one of those great country towns where people pull together to get the job done.

I was told on the quiet

that the farmer we worked with loved the interaction with our group each day, so when I asked if he’d like a social visit from Ruth and I after lunch on our day off, he jumped at it.

The trip around the property on quad bikes with the couple was very special and made everyone’s day, and Ruth got to see what we had worked on first-hand.

As a result of the bushfire, the farmer suffered damage to a lot of pasture, lost heaps of fencing, his hay shed and thousands of dollars of hay.

However, his black Angus cattle, house, main shed and equipment were unaffected.

He had prepared well for bushfire but regarded himself lucky that, in his opinion, damage to his farm was limited, unlike neighbouring farms.

We completed another two days’ work before finishing the job with a skeleton crew because so many other jobs were now being done by volunteers.

It was sad to leave Tumbarumba with so much still to be done, but we had family obligations to get home to and left knowing we had given it a good shot.

The co-ordinators had done a great job getting the camp up and running and smoothing out the inevitable wrinkles that occur with any new startup, and the volunteers we met and worked with were amazing people.

On our way home to Queensland, Ruth and I agreed we had been lucky in choosing Tumbarumba as the place to volunteer for BlazeAid.

Dinner back at camp was always appreciated.

The crew in action.

At last a straight run.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 55

A solid yellowbelly caught on a 5/8oz Bassman Spinnerbait.

Sam with a nice bass caught from the open water of Boondooma.

Soft plastics fished off main lake points can be deadly on Lake Boondooma bass, as Ernie showed.

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At the time of writing, Boondooma Dam was sitting at 34 percent and Bjelke-Petersen Dam at 21 percent.

The rising water levels haven’t seen a huge change in the way fish are biting.

They are still easily catchable, with successful hauls from both dams.

Boondooma Boondooma always offers fishing options.

Early in the day, hit the trees in either the Stuart or Boyne arms for bass, yellowbelly and saratoga among the spindly timber.

I usually start here when the arms are quiet and it regularly pays off, accounting for bass and yellowbelly.

Cruise in tight among the trees with the elec-

Freshwater Impoundments

by MATTHEW LANGFORD

tric motor and cast 5/8oz Bassman Spinnerbaits in the Codman series or soft lipless cranks.

Let the lure sink for three to five seconds and start to retrieve.

Golden perch particularly like lipless cranks cast tight to structure and bass tend to hit as the lure bounces over the underwater structure.

If you’re after saratoga, casting surface lures when the water is still is an effective way to catch one of these prehistoric fish.

It can be nail-biting stuff at times, especially when you hook up to a quality fish.

These techniques are a great way to fish.

Other spots to work are the start of the Stuart and Boyne timbered sections.

Watch out for shags roosting on the left at

y Guided b o rd f g n a L t t Ma

the start of the Boyne because they attract fish overnight with their potent scat.

When the sun is up (around 10am), move out to the main basin and sound for concentrations of fish in the 4.5-7.5m range.

The fish sitting in this zone, called the ‘thermocline’, are suckers for slowly retrieved or burned 5/8 spinnerbaits, 1/2oz-rigged plastics and 18g Nories Wasaby spoons.

Give this a try next time you’re out, but be sure to find good shows of fish on the sounder before casting.

It pays to put the work in to find them.

Areas to try are the main lake points near the dam wall, the gully out from the six-knot zone and spots adjacent to flooded grass through the middle of the dam.

Trollers are getting substantial bass in the main basin trolling 5/8oz spinnerbaits, mainly around Barbers Pole, the dam wall, Leisegangs Ledge and Pelican Point.

Be patient and the rewards will come.

Bait fishers are recording catches in the tim-

bered sections of the dam using shrimp and worms.

Silver perch, bass, yellowbelly and eel-tailed catfish are all catchable and eating quality.

Red claw have picked up since the rain.

Remember if the pots are empty, keep moving them because you might drop a pot on the honey hole.

Bjelke-Petersen As stated earlier, BP Dam (Lake Barambah) has risen to over 20 percent capacity and fishing has been consistently good.

It has been the pick of the dams as far as fish numbers.

Sessions of 20 to 40 fish are not uncommon and, if you put the work in, you can get quality as well.

A few areas reaping rewards have been the open water straight out from the park boat ramp, wide of the Quarry and wide of Bass Point.

Soft plastics rigged on a 1/2oz head have been very effective.

Soft vibes and spinnerbaits are also go-to lures if fish are sitting off the bottom, with a burn and kill retrieve getting results.

Areas not to forget are around the edges of the dam that hold some rocky structure.

Because the water is shallow, fish like to move

into these spots to feed.

Coming into autumn, fish will definitely be in these regions.

Spinnerbaits and blades could become key during this period.

Trollers are catching nice fish around the main lake points, the open water out from the main boat ramps and near the Quarry.

Deep-diving hard-bodies are also accounting for yellowbelly, especially the more fluorescent colours.

Bait fishers are hooking golden perch along the rocky walls around the dam using shrimp and worms as bait.

Red claw have been fairly quiet but are still there to be caught.

Set your pots around rocky structure for the best results.

After the water influx, numbers are expected to pick up significantly.

Fishing charters Don’t forget, you can book a fishing charter with me on BP and Boondooma dams.

If you’d like an awesome day out with all the info and knowledge to catch bass and yellowbelly in our two wonderful dams, make sure you give me a call on 0408 658 592 and I’ll be happy to take you out.

Until next time, tight lines and bent rods.

Australian Freshwater Fishing Charters 0408 658 592 | australianfreshwaterfishing.com Page 56 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

The South Burnett dams have been producing superb fish.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Bass fishing in interesting times T HERE’S an ancient Chinese curse that translates to something along the lines of: ‘May you live in interesting times’.

You could certainly be forgiven for describing the weather patterns of the past month as ‘interesting’.

We’ve gone from desiccated and dusty to waterlogged and green in many areas of southeast Queensland, and further afield too.

The bass lakes along the coastal fringe have rapidly filled, seeing many that support excellent fisheries including Baroon Pocket, Borumba, Hinze, Lake Macdonald and Wyaralong all spilling, with supply levels exceeding 100 percent.

Conversely, travel 50km or so from the coast and increases in water level have been less impressive.

Lake Moogerah is currently at just 39 percent, and though receiving a substantial rise, nearby Lake Maroon has topped out at 61 percent.

My nearest lake and regular stomping ground Lake Wivenhoe has just hit the 53 percent level, with very little noticeable rise in actual water level.

Little has changed in the bass lakes that have seen minor rises in water level, particularly when that rise has been drawn

Fishing for Sport

by NEIL SCHULTZ

In recent years, whenever I’m on the lakes close to home it is usually in the company of grandkids. This means trolling is our preferred tactic and it is still producing enough bass to keep the youngsters coming back for more. out over a month.

Take Wivenhoe for example, not much has changed in the habits of the fish in the big lake, with the possible exception of golden perch becoming less sedentary.

One of the main challenges in Wivenhoe at this time of year and right through the warmer months is avoiding the schools of blue catfish.

Water clarity is still excellent and the surface dross of dead grass and sticks washed from the banks during localised storms have all but disappeared.

Some scattered groups of bass can still be found on the deep flats in the middle reaches of the lake where casting

Dark-skirted spinners with narrow blades are perfect for fast presentations among vegetation.

sinking lures is the most productive method.

In recent years, whenever I’m on the lakes close to home it is usually in the company of grandkids.

This means trolling is our preferred tactic and it is still producing enough bass to keep the youngsters coming back for more.

Trolling has always been an ideal way to cover plenty of real estate in the search for open water bass.

On the flip side are those lakes that have seen rapidly rising water with substantial increases in depth.

Here the bass will move from any cover to which they were relating and often be on the move almost continuously.

Shoreline vegetation that has been inundated will attract cruising bass, drawn to the insects flushed out by rising water.

Mobile fish, along with so much of the lake’s shoreline now fringed with fish-attracting cover, means pinpointing a spot to work over will be problematic.

One of the best tactics when chasing shallow-water bass in this situation is to work quickly.

That involves keeping on the move, ideally with an electric outboard, and making rapidfire casts.

I like to use lures that are relatively weedless and can be fished with a decent turn of speed.

Spinners with willow blades are generally my first choice,

usually in small sizes with light heads and fished on a fastactioned spin outfit.

The high retrieve ratios of spinning reels make quick retrieves less fatiguing, along with making it easy to achieve long-distance casts with light lures.

If the water is significantly discoloured, I’ll opt for either a very dark lure (purple or black) or something that would surprise many seasoned anglers: fluoro red.

The technique is to cast right into drowned vegetation and commence the retrieve immediately.

Move the lure through or past the cover at a fairly fast clip without it planing to the surface.

With the boat tracking parallel to the shore, keep making rapid-fire casts without too much deliberation about pinpoint locations.

Remember, we are looking for active fish that will chase down a lure for some distance, so the aim is simply to cover as much water as possible.

Violet’s purple lure (purple reel, line and rod too) scored this kid-sized bass in Lake Wivenhoe. Note the clean, healthy appearance of the fish from that large body of water.

DAM LEVELS CURRENT AS OF 16/3/2020

DAMS

PERCENTAGE

OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR Atkinson 5 5 5 5 6 6 Awoonga 73 72 70 66 68 70 Bjelke-Petersen * 11 5 4 7 21 25 Boondooma * 27 26 25 28 34 38 Borumba * 88 83 77 64 101 100 Burdekin Falls * 87 80 73 60 103 106 Callide * 41 39 36 32 32 33 Cania * 64 63 61 57 56 56 Coolmunda * 3 3 3 2 30 33 Dyer/Bill Gunn * 2 3 3 3 9 4 Eungella * 99 97 92 85 86 90 Fairbairn * 15 13 12 9 17 18 Glenlyon * 3.5 3 3 3 9 14 Hinze 89 87 86 86 100 101 Julius 84 79 77 73 100 100 Kinchant * 76 69 56 47 59 77 Leslie * 6 5 5 8 12 14 Macdonald 92 86 83 87 103 104 Maroon * 64 60 55 47 61 61 Monduran/Fred Haigh * 72 69 67 61 62 63 Moogerah * 45 41 36 29 38 39 North Pine/Samsonvale * 63 61 60 58 67 69 Peter Faust/Proserpine * 75 74 71 67 68 72 Somerset * 69 68 63 64 78 83 Teemburra * 98 97 91 86 89 98 Tinaroo* 82 76 71 62 67 72 Toonumbar 48 39 33 19 62 69 Wivenhoe * 50 48 47 43 51 53 Wuruma * 76 71 67 60 64 63 Wyaralong 87 85 84 83 101 99 For updates on dams, visit sunwater.com.au or seqwater.com.au *This symbol indicates that a Stocked Impoundment Permit is required to fish these dams.

Fluorescent red has been a secret (oops) go-to colour for the author in dirty water for many years.

Skills still need a lifejacket.

Our lakes and dams are still some of the best spots to enjoy water sports.

But still water can still be dangerous. So when boating, make sure you have the following: - Lifejacket(s) - A signalling device - Firefighting equipment

- Sun protective gear - Oars & bailing equipment

- An anchor - Drinking water

Play it safe on our lakes and dams and always wear the proper safety gear.

In contrast to Violet’s fish, Graham displayed a bass taken on a KC Lure in Moogerah Dam before the rain. Note the numerous red lesions, a sure sign of poor water quality.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

seqwater.com.au Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020 – Page 57

Glenlyon Dam on the rise A S PEN goes to paper, I look up and see the glint of water through the trees at the kiosk.

Chris Sinclair with a 78cm cod hooked on a lure made by Fugly Lures.

Billy Henry with a nice yellowbelly on lure.

An 87cm cod caught by Paul Sollitt, Brisbane.

At the time of writing, boats are being released at the ramp, which is used when the dam is low.

The level is currently just on 14 percent capacity, and we’re hopeful of steady rainfall increasing this between now and May. Though for now, with a little care we can access as far as the cod run.

Fritz White said it’s as low as 600mm at the old bridge at Glenlyon Station.

So as I said, with care you can travel some distance up the dam.

For those who use bait, the creeks and rivers are at last running.

The water is a little brown still, but shrimp can be caught.

Although the stocking group were able to release some 15,000 cod, due to lack of water for the private hatcheries to breed silver perch and yellowbelly, no stocking of these species took place in our rivers and dams this season.

With some luck, both yellowbelly and silver perch will be able to breed upstream in Pike Creek and have the small fry swim back into Glenlyon.

The water temperature of about 20C is suitable for a breeding run and the natural return of fish.

Years ago, when we first asked anglers to help release fingerling, Ron Green and Steve Bradford came back from letting some go.

Ron said it took seven cod fingerling to bait his set line.

I went white with shock.

Everyone helping with the release burst out laughing.

Steve Bradford said he was going to say, “Can’t stop my boat, I’ve got

GLENLYON DAM TOURIST PARK A great place to fish!

• Powered and Unpowered Sites • No Domestic Pets or Generators • Kiosk • Ice • Gas • Petrol • Amenities Blocks and Laundry • BBQs • Hire Boats • EFTPOS • Fishing Permits

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GLENLYON DAM TOURIST PARK via STANTHORPE 4380 Contact Debbie or Brian Dare for more information or for bookings

Ph: 02 6737 5266 E: glenlyondamtouristp@bigpond.com Page 58 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2020

Glenlyon Dam

by BRIAN DARE

too many small fish on board”, if Fisheries went to pull him over.

Most boats would have up to five or seven buckets, holding over 1000 fingerling to be released, and they would return to let more go.

Yellowbelly remain the main species eaten by anglers fishing the storages, followed by silver perch, catfish and cod.

In the late 1990s, fish creek surveys found over 90,000 yellowbelly were kept to be eaten over a nine month period.

No doubt, this is still true of most dams where yellowbelly is the predominant species.

As for catching them, shrimp is the best bait, with lures next in line.

We have seen photos of yellowbelly up to 5-7kg caught on lures or spinnerbaits.

You either cast lures along rock ledges and over weed bed edges or use the trolling method of upstream and back using 75m length.

With the rising dam levels, good fishing can be had by working banks where rainfall run-off meets water in the dam.

Yellowbelly come up the banks and inlets to feed on new grass cov-

ered areas taking moths and other insects as well as small fish also feeding from the rising water.

Early morning and late afternoon is a good time to fish, and is also a good

time for the kids to practise casting.

Not many branches or trees to get tangled on with a rising dam, and all you can hear when fish bite is, “Hey, Mum, Dad, help me!”

The photos show what’s been caught since the rise of the dam level took place.

Better things to come.

Iziah Levington nabbed this 43cm yellowbelly.

Comments on decline of freshwater fishery in QLD

W

ITH the state elections looming in October 2020, let’s get the possession limit of silver perch taken on water storages increased from two to five as it was prior to 2015.

The limit can remain as two on unstocked rivers and waterways.

This sensible change has been made for bass, so let’s see it implemented for silver perch.

Fishing permit price change Five years have passed since the last price hike for Stocked Impoundment Permits.

How much is the permit going to cost now!?

If we had an allwaters licence, rather than just one for fishing stocked impoundments, the government would have accrued about $3.25 million a year to spend on freshwater resources, instead of the $850,000 of the past year.

Overall comment on the fishery I have passed on a format that will bring

Comment

by BRIAN DARE

about $35 million into play using a future fund system that has worked in NSW and Victoria.

You have all seen the proposal I put forward in Bush ‘n Beach, which involves all the major Queensland fishing associations and recreational groups, with Mr Bruce Alvey as chairperson to represent us all.

As suggested previously, a cost of 10c per day, per recreational angler over 18 years of age ($35 annually) for an all-waters licence is genuinely cheap to have $35 million collected and put into a trust find for use on the following: Boat ramps right along the coast fenced and covered by CCTV, fish-cleaning tables, fish-aggregating devices, fish stocking and funding Great Barrier Reef projects.

The licence price should be fixed at $35

for the next 10 years ($10 for a weekly permit), with a fixed price rise of $10 to $45 in 2030.

Only $3.75 million of the above monies is to be earmarked each year for admin costs of running the trust fund, not for running the government’s fisheries department.

The cost of running Fisheries Queensland comes out of state budgets, as is the case for all government departments, with no core funding to come from the trust fund.

So folks, can you imagine the difference $350 million spent over 10 years on our recreational fishing resources will make?

A great boost to the state.

Both major parties have had this format sent to them.

I’ll bet the major parties won’t take it on board, however.

They’re gutless! www.bnbfishing.com. au

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ONLY

42,500

$

• Ski pole socket • Live bait tank • Redco dual-axle trailer • Bimini • QLD regos plus more

Stessco Gulf Runner 490

Stessco Renegade 440

Mercury 90hp 4-stroke

• Front cast deck • Live bait tank • Full pod transom • Painted • Stessco trailer • QLD regos

ONLY

24,990

$

ONLY

38,000

$

Mercury 90hp 4-stroke

• 110-litre underfloor fuel tank • Keeper tank • Casting platform • Low-profile side console

Stessco Catcher 449

Mercury 60hp 4-stroke

ONLY

19,900

$

• Live bait tank • Live well • Front and rear cast decks • Dunbier braked trailer • QLD regos

UNBEATABLE UNBEATABLE

Mercury 50hp 6-year warranty

• Front and rear cast decks • Live well • Dunbier braked trailer • QLD regos

115HP CRUISE SPEED 115HP FUEL CRUISE EFFICIENCY SPEED FUEL EFFICIENCY MERCURY’S NEW 115HP VS. CURRENT FOURSTROKE AND OPTIM VS. CURRENT FOURSTROKE AND OPTIMAX FOURSTROKE g/kWh

MERCURY MERCURY 75-115HP 75-115HP FOURSTROKE FOURSTROKE RANGE RANGE

Stessco Gulf Runner 520

340

340

330

330

320

320

310

310

300

g/kWh

ONLY

33,500

$

Mercury 135hp 4-stroke

• Extended fishing deck • Live bait tank • Deck wash • Offshore safety gear • Dual-axle trailer • QLD regos

Mercury 115 ProXS

• Fully welded side decks • Softride hull • High carpeted floor • Plumbed bait tank • Stessco trailer • QLD regos

ONLY

$

DELIVERS UP TO 14% BETTER CRUISE SPEED ECONOMY

300

290

290

280

280

270

270

260

260

PREVIOUS MERCURY FOURSTROKE 1.7L

BSFC dyno testing; data is an average of 60%-80% rated PREVIOUS NEW MERCURY NEW MERCURY engine speed based MERCURY MERCURY OPTIMAX OPTIMAX on standardMERCU ICOMIA emissions test.

FOURSTROKE 1.7L 2.1L 11 115hp 2.1L 115hp 115hp

* Mercury Finance terms and conditions apply. Photos for illustration purposes only.

Can’t make the yard? Shop online! For quality new and used boats! www.kareemarine.com.au

1776 Ipswich Motorway, Rocklea | Call 07 3875 1600