BNB Fishing mag | Oct 2018

Special snapper stocks feature

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October 2018

Gold Coast whiting

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Mud Island fishing tips Prime time for tailor on beaches Mixed Moreton Bay species

Flathead still firing Tinnie restoration Landcruiser Mountain Park

Boat review

• Sea Jay 5.38 Avenger Sports

Freshwater features

Brisbane River jewfish

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 1

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Inside this month Fraser Island

Moreton Bay

P9

P34

Cape York

P56

around the bottom end of what is an acceptable level and urgent intervention is required.

Awesome, bring it on I say, as the problems with snapper can’t be sugar coated despite plenty of people being in denial.

Since the last set of changes to size and possession limits were introduced in 2011, stocks have steadily declined and clearly drastic changes are required to arrest that constant decline.

OUR COVER

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: Rural Press DISTRIBUTION BY: Fairfax Max. recommended retail price $4.50 (includes GST).

CORRESPONDENTS: Editorial contributions are welcome, as is news from clubs, associations, or individuals; and new product news from manufacturers. Entire contents copyright. Nothing may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. It is the responsibility of advertisers to ensure the correctness of their claims and statements. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.

G IN

FISH ING ’S

A

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* continued P4

Ben Collins Daniel Tomlinson Ben Collins, Ashleigh Bartlett Jo Hendley

RA

www.bnbfishing.com. au

EDITOR: SUBEDITOR: ADVERTISING: PRODUCTION:

AUST

NOVEMBER edition will be on sale in news­ agents from October 26. See subscriber offer on Page 68 to go in the draw to win a Lox Yoshi LS7023 rod, Lox fish-measuring mat and Crucis hoodie valued at $367!

Bush ‘n Beach Fishing magazine is published monthly by Collins Media Pty Ltd ABN 43 159 051 500 ACN 159 051 500 trading as Collins Media.

E TUR FU

PETER HAMLYN (main) captured this quality whiting in the Nerang River, WAYNE YOUNG’S article Page 22. DARREN RAMA (left) with a beautiful Hinze Dam saratoga, article Page 20.

ASHLEE LEVY caught this jewfish on a soft plastic, KEITH STRATFORD’S article Page 12.

It’s no good clutching at straws and saying maybe we’ve had a bad season or two, as snapper stocks are in trouble and we need action.

The recent press releases say the plan is to rebuild stocks.

A nice notion, but let’s face it, what has been in place over the past seven years has in no way stopped the decline, so what is going to be done?

When you dig deeper, catches have been declining across all sectors since 2011 (including recreational and commercial) and only a mug or someone with some form of twisted agenda would try to tell you the fishery is healthy and intervention is not required.

The commercial logbook data tells a damning story.

I’m happy to make some bold statements on this issue as I was on the last Rocky Reef Working Group and have an indepth knowledge of the fishery from well prior to that period and since that time.

Back in 2011, some of us were seething with the changes that came in as they only applied to the recreational sector and we knew well that what was introduced then would be insufficient to halt the decline.

How right we were, and look at the mess snapper is in now, seven years down the track, because the decision-makers at the time took the easy option and only hit the recreational community hard.

There was even that silly little knee-jerk reaction of a six-week closure they sneakily introduced that applied at the wrong time of year based on flawed use of catch data.

The decision-making bureaucrats at the top of the food chain back then did a very poor job and

ATI ON

by BILL CORTEN

CI

In Queensland, it is suggested the stock level is somewhere between 1023 percent of original biomass and developing a new harvest strategy is a priority, as anything below 20 percent rings big alarm bells.

Another way of putting it is: stocks have virtually flatlined somewhere

Offshore

O

S

NAPPER has become a topical issue of late, with a release from Fisheries Queensland indicating snapper stocks in the state continue to be overfished and action is being taken to develop options to rebuild the stock.

Snapper stocks.............................by Bill Corten........................................P3 Fishing Mud Island......................by Brian Webb......................................P7 Southern Moreton Bay...............by Sean Conlon....................................P9 Ocean-fed river systems............by Keith Stratford...............................P12 Wilson Fishing puzzle page......................................................................P13 Power Boat Anglers....................by Mick Clutterbuck.........................P14 Targeting tilapia...........................by Mark Templeton...........................P16 Happy houseboat holiday..........by Leeann Payne...............................P17 Inshore action improving...........by Darren Rama.................................P20 Spring on Gold Coast..................by Scott Van Burck...........................P21 Wonderful whiting........................by Wayne ‘Youngy’ Young...............P22 Take the five-fish challenge........by Brad Smith.....................................P23 Hatching plans to hit rivers.......by Gavin Dobson................................P24 Ballina round-up.............................. by Brett Hyde............................................P25 Big bass biting early...................by Gary ‘Squidgie’ Palmer..............P26 Midday mulloway........................by Tye Porter.......................................P27 Tin City beach fishing.................by Nathan ‘Nath’ Palmer.................P28 Warming water wakes fish......by Peter Wells....................................P30 Fraser Island trip tips..................by Sean ‘Skip’ Thompson................P32 Extended fishing trip...................by Joel Johnson.................................P34 Hervey Bay.....................................by Tri Ton..............................................P35 Fishing wide off Fraser...............by Heath Zygnerski...........................P36 Bundaberg Region.......................by Brad Young....................................P37 Sea Jay boat review...................by Ben Collins....................................P39 Insights into insurance...............by Nautilus Marine...........................P41 Tinnie restoration.........................by Jordan ‘Grinner’ Koschel...........P42 Kayaking........................................ by Neil Schultz...................................P45 Snapper stocks feature........................................................................P46-49 Charter Directory.................................................................................. P50,51 Stanage Bay..................................by Pee Wee.........................................P52 Gladstone Region........................by Gary Churchward.........................P53 Capricorn Coast............................by John Boon......................................P54 Prime time at Hinchinbrook......by Todd Eveleigh...............................P55 Cruising Cape York..................... by ‘Billabong’ Bazz Lyon.................P56 Landcruiser Mountain Park......by Greg Bell........................................P57 Readers Forum..............................................................................................P59 Monduran Dam............................. by Donna Gane..................................P60 Recipe.............................................by Melissa Frohloff...........................P62 Borumba Dam bass.....................by Callum Munro...............................P62 Freshwater Impoundments.......by Matthew Langford.......................P63 Gowrie Creek history..................by Noal Kuhl.......................................P64 Competition info...........................by Paul ‘Chief’ Graveson.................P65 Glenlyon Dam................................by Brian Dare......................................P66 Trading Post..................................................................................................P67 Subscription form.......................................................................................P68

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Snapper stocks a serious issue

P63

PRO TE CT

The smile on Peter Martin’s face says it all. At 9.75kg, it was his snapper of a lifetime.

I

N what should be seen as an initial win for recreational fishos, the NSW Government has stated there will be no loss of fishing rights or access under the recently proposed marine park plan extending from Wollongong to Newcastle.

Big bass

HIN G T R A D E

I’d like to thank everyone who provided feedback to the government on this important issue as it helped highlight the devastating impacts these marine parks were going to have.

However, the battle it not over, despite winning the first round, as NSW Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair has indicated the government is still working towards a marine park that protects key marine habitats, species and the environment.

I’m sure I share the view of many fishos who want a sustainable fishery, but action taken needs to be based on scientific evidence, not some push by the Greens or used as a bargaining tool to try to gain the Greens’ votes or preferences.

Closer to home, another fishery management issue that is going to generate plenty of debate is the current review of the snapper stock assessment for 2018.

Snapper are iconic fish for Queenslanders and a popular target for many inshore and offshore anglers.

In this edition we have a special feature on the snapper stocks, with a few different points put forward in order to generate some honest debate about what is really happening with the stock.

As I have always said, changes to fishery management policies need to be based on facts and scientific research.

And while some may argue there are still good catches of snapper being taken, which is correct, especially when they are actively breeding, the catch rate throughout the rest of the year is far from where it used to be or should be.

I think a key indicator here is the recorded catch from the commercial sector, with commercial snapper fishos not even reaching their quota.

This indicates there is a problem to me, because if these fishos aren’t able to catch snapper, less fish are obviously around, which is very concerning.

That said, previously there have been plenty of reductions in the allowable take of snapper for the recreational sector in the form of size and bag limit changes, so it might be time the government looked at reducing the quota of the commercial sector even further.

Another area I think needs to be addressed is the overall view of anglers, with a move from ‘catching’ to ‘fishing’ looking more and more necessary.

I know we should be able to take a feed home, but it is also important to remember why we are out there – for the enjoyment of the sport.

Bagging out may not be what we should be aiming for, instead just having a cracking day on the water.

Something to think about anyway.

It is also well worth reading Bill Corten’s article this month as he highlights some key points regarding the stocks.

Bill has many years of first-hand knowledge and experience pertaining to the snapper fishery, so we should all take note.

Ben Collins

August prizewinner

Congratulations to Greg Stonier, Tingalpa who has won a a monster BNB Fishing prize pack valued at over $350!

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 3

Snapper stocks a serious issue * from P3

I may be a bit tough here, but they didn’t demonstrate any subject knowledge of their own, were a very aloof group and badly out of touch with their stakeholders.

They may have had letters after their names but had they ever got their hands dirty enjoying the pleasures of fishing?

Most likely they have since moved on or been moved on.

Back then, a lot of nasty background politics was being played by fishing sectors.

Some smoke and mirrors data was thrown around to support biased opinions and while a broad range of options were considered by the working group, the easy option for government was to slam the recreational sector and hope the decline in the fishery halted.

Well, the extent of the problem was badly underestimated and what was required was far more than a Band-Aid effort.

Greg Young with a very solid jewie.

‘

W O H H IT W AT W S OO BN R A E R Y A 0 E 1 Y 0 1 NTY RA W A RR ANTY

WAR

After being burnt last time around, I won’t become used in the process again, but can clearly see big changes across the board this time as the stakes have been raised much higher following the latest stock assessment and independent review of the findings.

I get the feeling Fisheries Queensland has learnt from past mistakes and I feel for the individual officers dealing with identifying the way forward because there are no easy options.

No silver bullet exists and some tough and most likely unpopular decisions will be made that affect all sectors.

I suppose they’ll have to put up with some of the same old protagonists who are in denial submitting their silly flawed dinosaur arguments against change.

Eventually, when the heat in the oven is really turned up and those making the most noise opposing change run out of wriggle room, there will be compromises.

It will be an interesting process for sure.

The bottom line is the working group members are only there in an advisory role and some may struggle with that while others revel, but the real pressure will be on the people at the top in Fisheries to get it right this time.

What I expect to see this time around is changes that affect all sectors for the first time ever in Queensland.

Given what happens in some other states, some of the more likely options could include: • Spawning season closures for all sectors; • Further reductions in recreational bag limits; • An increase in the minimum legal size; • A strict quota introduced for the commercial sector based on what Fisheries Queensland estimates the fishery can sustain (and that won’t be much); and • A reduction in the number of commercial licences and licence holders entitled to participate in the fishery.

I’m not saying this is what is going to happen; simply the types of interventions listed above are what’s required to achieve the notion of rebuilding stocks.

Other options are probably in the too-hard basket.

Some unpalatable stuff is in there and we will hear more as the process gathers traction.

It is a tough road ahead and changes of some kind will eventually occur to stop the spiral and avoid a potential longer-term collapse in the most heavily fished areas.

Remember, it is a lot easier to

work with the decision-makers than to keep fighting the inevitable.

From a recreational perspective, if it is handled correctly, this won’t mean the end of tackle shops, destruction of the boat-building industry, demise of marine electronics innovation, failure of the charter industry and the collapse of the Queensland economy.

It will require a period of intense education, dealing with best-practice survival methods for fish being released, minimising the impact of overfishing popular locations and most importantly, changing the culture of why we go fishing.

I can see more emphasis being placed on appreciating those fish that are caught and the pleasure of going fishing instead of trying to equate the take home catch to the dollar value of what it costs to get out there.

People who currently fish for the wrong reasons will drop out of the fishery and the void will be filled with those who appreciate the finer points of fishing, not catching.

Perhaps that will be a good thing in the long term.

Fisheries officers have been doing some great work lately, with some positive progress in cleaning up the rubbish that has been occurring.

I will be watching the process of ‘rebuilding snapper stocks’ with great interest and there will be optimism mixed with a tinge of scepticism too.

There are a few photos with this article of nice fish caught by people who appreciate what ‘fishing’ is about.

Greg Young’s jewie was a cracker of a fish that managed to place him as top dog on a special day of fishing with his

group of good mates whose company I enjoy.

David Mason’s snapper was caught while feeding among a massive school of baitfish and thanks to the power of the livie, he was extremely happy with his best snapper to date.

The icing on the cake was Peter Martin’s 9.75kg snapper.

Pete is an Ormiston local I’ve known since the old Redland Bay Fishing Club days and he just loves fishing when he can get out.

His previous best snapper was caught about six years ago while fishing Harry Atkinson Artificial Reef, and now aged 74, he thought it would be his biggest ever.

When Pete came on the boat with me recently he brought his old overhead rod mated with a spin reel and 30lb mono.

He wasn’t worried about whether he caught a fish, he just wanted a good time and he got a lot more than he bargained for.

It’s fair to say he isn’t as fit as he used to be, so he and I shared the load with turning the fish’s head on the lighter line and worked carefully together to ensure he didn’t lose the fish.

He knew he had to dig deep if he was going to claim bragging rights and we were so happy for him when his 9.75kg snapper was landed.

You couldn’t wipe the smile off his face for ages because he knew this was his snapper of a lifetime.

It was the one he had been trying to catch for many years and it was a very special moment shared by all on board.

That is what I call fishing and we all need to sit back and appreciate what we still have in our fishery.

David Mason held a great snapper that went 7kg, his best to date.

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Cleveland Upholsterers & Marine Trimmers

Remember to be a mate these school holidays and check your bait

I

F you are heading off on a relaxing holiday and intend to do a spot of fishing over the next few weeks, there are a few things you can do to help protect our pristine waterways from exotic diseases.

It is still unclear exactly how white spot disease entered southeast Queensland, however evidence so far suggests the likely pathway was through imported prawns

being used as bait.

That is why Acting Chief Biosecurity Officer Malcolm Letts is urging fishers to be a mate and check your bait before you throw a line in.

“There are just a few simple steps that every fisher can take to ensure our waterways are kept free of disease,” Mr Letts said.

“First, wait until you’ve reached your destination and get your bait from a

local bait shop or catch your own.

“Imported prawns bought from the supermarket are too risky to be used as bait because they may contain diseases such as white spot disease, and as we have seen already, they can have a devastating effect on our seafood industry as well as our environment.

“Also, if you are fishing within the white spot movement restriction

area, which runs from Caloundra to the NSW border and west to Ipswich, then you must remember not to take prawns, yabbies or marine worms caught in the area, outside the area.”

Bait bought within the movement restriction area cannot be taken outside the area either.

“These rules are in place to stop the spread of white spot disease to other non-affected areas,” Mr Letts said.

Grant Street Business Centre Unit 4, 7-9 Grant St, Cleveland Q 4163

“Our last round of surveillance in April showed white spot disease is still prevalent in the Moreton Bay region, especially around Redcliffe Peninsula and Deception Bay. “Therefore, we must do everything we can to ensure it does not spread.”

For more information about white spot disease or to view any maps of the white spot restriction area, visit biosecurity. qld.gov.au/wsd

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NSW fishing lockouts off the table T

HE NSW Government has committed that there will be no loss of fishing rights or access under the proposed marine park sites put forward by the NSW Marine Estate Management Authority.

Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair said he had received extensive feedback from both local communities and anglers and is confident fishing is not the key threat to the sustainability of our marine environment.

“The feedback we have received has been robust but vital to being able to make this deci-

sion,” Mr Blair said.

“While consultation will continue, I felt it was paramount to allay the uncertainty and fear the fishing industry is currently experiencing.

“I am a keen fisher myself and understand both the economic and social values the industry brings to our state.

“MEMA put forward this proposal because they had identified 25 areas that require better management to ensure their sustainability.

“What is now clear is the proposed management methods and in some cases the sizes of the sites of-

fered up a narrow option that unfairly impacted on low-risk activities, such as fishing and spearfishing.”

As a result, the NSW Government has taken lockouts off the table.

“We are confident there are many other ways to manage these sensitive areas, that have fishers as part of the solution and we will continue to explore these options for the rest of the consultation period,” Mr Blair said.

“This decision does not change the fact we are still working towards a marine park that protects key marine habitats, species and the environment we all

know and love.

“In order to manage them and protect them for future generations we need an approach that is accepted and sustainable for the people of NSW. “I encourage everyone to continue to have their say as we work to deliver a final marine park solution in the coming weeks.

“In 2011, we made an election commitment to deliver a marine park strategy that was based on risk assessments and consultation rather than empty ideology and slogans.

“We remain committed to that promise and will continue to do the hard

Pilfering pro crabber pinched

A

CLEVELAND Magistrate has fined a commercial fisher more than $5000 for interfering with another licensed crabber’s pots in southern Moreton Bay.

Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol District Officer Matt Davidson said the successful court prosecution was a reminder to all fishers that interference with crabbing apparatus will not be tolerated.

“Under Fisheries regulations, it is an offence to interfere with fishing apparatus, including crab pots that don’t belong to you, and this includes disturbing or lifting the apparatus,” Mr Davidson said.

“Stealing fishing apparatus you didn’t set is a criminal offence and those caught will be referred to the police.”

Mr Davidson said Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol received

a complaint from a licensed fisher who set 15 crab pots to the northern end and east of Pannikin Island in early April 2017.

“The fisher returned the next day to find only two of his crab pots left in the area where he’d placed them, discovering the other 13 to the west of the Island and just south of the Alan Robb Beacon,” he said.

“The crabber put his pots back in the water where they’d originally been set and went back the following day to check them, finding a further five pots had been moved.

“When Fisheries officers attended the area, they found the fisher’s five pots at the area known as the Alan Robb Beacon.”

Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol investigated and found evidence to charge a licensed commercial fisher with two counts of interfering with fishing apparatus.

The fisher pleaded

guilty in the Cleveland Magistrates’ Court and was fined $5000 plus court costs, with no conviction recorded.

People who suspect illegal fishing activity should report it to the 24-hour toll-free Fishwatch hotline on 1800 017 116.

Don’t engage with the person, as this can com-

work to make sure we get an outcome that is sustainable now and well into the future.”

Consultation on the proposal closes on September 27.

Be quick to have your say at marine.nsw.gov.au

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For more information on Queensland’s fishing regulations, visit fisheries. qld.gov.au, call 13 25 23 or download the free ‘Qld Fishing’ app from Apple and Google app stores.

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PHONE: Five crab pots located near the Alan Robb Beacon.

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Page 6 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

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A respectable jewfish captured around Mud.

Fishing Mud Island I

USED to love fishing Mud Island in the ‘80s when it wasn’t so crowded and fish were easier to catch, however times have changed and with carparks forming on the eastern side on any calm day, you now have to pick your days.

Your best bet is when the wind is blowing about 15 knots and it stops many from venturing out.

Snapper are the main prey here, however being a junction area, a huge assortment of species comes through, including pelagics.

Very shallow areas can hold large bream, while snapper are best chased in the 5-11m zones.

This island was heavily dredged for coral in years gone by, which can be seen closer to the shoreline, however it is still one of the most consistent of the bay islands for both quality and quantity of snapper.

Mack and longtail tuna will hunt baitfish around the island in the deeper areas to the north and south, at times accompanied by doggy and spotty mackerel.

Tailor and grass sweetlip also frequent this island through most of the year, along with the odd tuskfish and spangled emperor.

It is still one of the better spots in the bay to hunt big bream.

The eastern side has reasonably extensive reef areas that cannot be missed most days with all the boats around it.

The northeast, west and to a lesser extent close-in areas to the south of the island can also produce pan-sized fish.

Dusk, dawn and night are the prime times for this area, though the deeper areas can fish well throughout the day (though not too consistently).

Keep it simple with baits of pilchard, mullet, herring and squid on lightly weighted hooks to suit your bait and as light a line as you can.

I feel 6-8kg is perfect.

Any heavier and the bite rate drops off and any lighter you start to lose good fish.

Mud Island isn’t that far past the reclaimed Brisbane River mouth.

It can look a long way at times but is only a 15-20-minute trip in a tinnie.

In most conditions under 15 knots it is safe for small boats (depending on the skipper), just as long as it wasn’t blowing 30 knots the night before.

Mud fishes better when a bit of wind is on from the west to southwest.

Plenty of decent fish are to be caught once you have the placed sussed out.

My PB snapper was an 8.5kg model caught in only about

Moreton Bay

by BRIAN WEBB

1.8m of water on bait.

Follow the boats to get an idea of the reef layouts, as you’ll find some really good ledges and reef flats on the northern and eastern sides.

It’s deeper closer to the island on the southern side, while the western side is better for bream

and squid at this time of year.

Until recently, most of my fishing had been at anchor and I have never been much of a troller.

Trolling becomes a bit of a nuisance with a front-steering petrol motor on a half cabin * continued P8

Mud Island.

A western Mud bream.

This grass sweetlip came from around Mud.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 7

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Fishing Mud Island for a variety of species * from P7

if you like to fish from the back of the boat away from the canopy as I do.

However, late last year I invested in a Minn Kota iPilot bow-mount electric trolling motor with a wireless remote control and have enjoyed the experience of letting it drag the boat around very slowly (around 1km/h) criss-crossing an area that interests me.

Of course, being a GPSguided thing, I can set the iPilot to take me back and forth over that criss-crossing path all day and night with no further effort on my part.

Being a committed bait fisho, it makes sense that if I am going to troll, it will be bait I troll.

In this case I have been using pilchards and yakkas on ganged hooks, but with enough lead to hold them close to the bottom.

Yes I lose a few hooks in a place like Mud Island but whatever will be, will be.

It is still early days for me with the trolling motor, so I will probably experiment with different sinker weights to hold the bait at different water depths as I troll.

On each of my last two trips I have returned with snapper of about 65cm, which is a good eating size.

I am also more inclined to be a night fisho and have found my previous practice of having one working rod and a second with an unweighted floater does not work in the dark while slow trolling.

Though the bow-mounted electric will take the boat along the specified path, moving at such a slow set speed means the orientation of the boat will change in the current and wind.

The boat swinging around means in the dark an unweighted floater can find itself wrapping around either the electric motor or the outboard leg, so having a floater out becomes a nuisance.

Hence when trolling at such a slow speed, I just use one rod that I hold

onto and feel for bites, no differently than if I was anchored.

The outboard leg still needs to be down while under the electric’s power as the boat will swing around fairly erratically if there is not an effective rudder/keel under the boat to stabilise its movements.

I am still learning to maximise my successes with the leccy but so far I am very happy with it.

Don’t believe all the hogwash that bait doesn’t work at Mud. I’ve been fishing the place for years with bait and have had far more success than the plastic fishos, who at one stage of their lives also fished with bait.

While I believe in plastics and have used them on quite a few occasions, I simply know bait works better.

Being there for sunrise is generally required if you want to hit the hot bite period.

However, I have often been the last boat still fishing at 2-3pm when everyone else has buggered off and gone fishing somewhere else.

When a school of pan size snapper comes on the chew, you can be hooking fish four seconds after splash down, which is heaps of fun.

This happens to the northeast of Green Island as well, particularly in a northerly.

10 Mud Island fishing tips 1. Take a good mixture of bait and plastics if you’re going to try both.

2. Change your drift line slightly each time if you get no hits. If you catch a fish or get a good hit, drift back over that mark a couple more times.

Don’t motor over an area you intend to fish when going back around to start a new drift. Snapper spook easily on shallow reefs. If you get nothing after four or five drifts of an area, try somewhere else.

3. Keep an eye on the sounder for baitfish. At Mud, as long as you’re in the correct general area, this is much more impor-

tant than finding structure.

4. You want to be mainly fishing in 6-10m of water.

5. Get there for sunrise, as 7am is too late to start.

6. Don’t motor anywhere close to other boats.

Drifting past is OK, but don’t start a drift in front of another boat that is drifting a line already.

7. Use as light a jig head or sinker as possible. I only ever use 1/8oz or 1/6oz jig heads and 2-3 ball sinkers.

8. Mud Island can at times be a very frustrating place to fish. Keep at it and sooner or later you’ll get a good feed (may take a few trips or you may score first up).

9. If your boat is around 5m, fishing in 15 knots is OK. It might be a little bumpy but it’s safe. A northeasterly and northerly can make the trip back to the river very lumpy, as can a southeasterly once you are clear of the island.

10. A fair few squire

were caught at the mouth of the Brisbane River this winter, and while I have not heard a lot of reports lately, that doesn’t mean they are not there, especially around the rock wall.

Mud Island is a fertile ground on all sides but beginners will usually do well drifting around the eastern side.

However, it is so rich in underwater structure that plenty of places are worth exploring on all sides, especially as the eastern side can be a bit lumpy at times.

Plenty of people do well there in the daytime but

my best experiences have been after dark when the sounder comes alive with fish arches.

Also beware that the island is heavily patrolled by water police and fisheries officers all hours of the day and night.

Don’t go out there without the correct safety gear or take undersize fish because you will be stung with decent fines.

I find Whyte Island one of the best ramps for accessing Mud. It has plenty of parking, is regularly patrolled by the port authority and the two-lane ramp has a pontoon.

A flathead from the boat passage.

Solid longtail tuna can make their presence felt at Mud Island at times.

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A nice cod caught on a trolled Zerek Ripper Diver.

Lex boated this 50cm squire in the Broadwater as by-catch while chasing flathead. It was quite a pleasant surprise.

Extra guide means more options for Moreton Bay Fishing Charters T HE fishing has been pretty good over the past month and should continue to be so.

Fortunately the good weather has outshone the bad.

Some snot weed is around, which is pretty normal for this time of year but nothing that can’t be dealt with.

We’ve had both boats running charters this month, so we’ve been able to cover a lot of ground and have caught plenty of fish with bait, trolling hard-bodies and casting

Southern Moreton Bay

by SEAN CONLON

plastics around at the right parts of the tide.

By running two boats we’ve been able to cover a lot of ground, catching fish from out past Peel Island all the way south to the Jumpinpin area.

We’re not pulling fish out of just one location, which tells me the fishing is quite good at the moment.

Most days we encounter a variety of species in each area, on different

types of ground using different techniques.

Hopefully this continues through October and onwards to Christmas (as long as the weather holds out!).

All the techniques work but over the past month trolling hard-bodied lures has been the standout.

This technique has hooked the better-quality fish and it didn’t matter whether it was jewfish,

cod or flathead.

Trolling hard-bodies is a great technique for weekend fishers if the conditions aren’t quite right for bait fishing or casting plastics.

Let’s say you have wind against tide, or the fish are not really on the chew but you can see them on the sounder.

When trolling a lure you can use the boat to troll the lure in the direction you want (over the fish or the ground you’re trying to target), annoying the fish until eventually one of them takes a strike.

And usually it’s the biggest fish in the school.

The other thing about trolling hard-bodies, no matter what fish you’re chasing, is you’re covering a lot of ground.

This can make a huge difference when not a lot of fish are around, but as I said, you need to have the technique correct for the species you’re targeting (and this is the type of stuff I teach at my tuition days).

Another thing to remember is to match your lure colour to the water colour. * continued P10

Rebecca scored a 65cm flathead on a trolled Zerek Bulldog Crank.

The author was lucky enough to have a few casts on the charters this month, catching this squire on a Zerek Live Cherabin.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 9

Andrew hooked this cod on a recent charter with Wazza.

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Page 10 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

WITH SEAN CONLON

This customer went on a flathead tutorial day with the author and caught and released this 70cm-plus lizard.

Simon picked up a 71cm lizard on a Zerek Bulldog Crank while trolling the shallows around the Moreton Bay islands.

More options for Moreton Bay Fishing Charters * from P9

I am amazed how different-coloured lures work at different times of year, and as the water colour changes I can see a colour that worked a month ago now catch nothing.

My golden rule is dark lure in dirtier water, clearer or lighter and brighter lure in cleaner water.

Also ensure your line is in good order and you’ve got your knots down pat.

Good fish will test your gear.

If you have been a bit sloppy and said to yourself “that knot will be all right” or you didn’t check your line to see if it was nicked, it could all end in disaster when that prize fish you’ve been chasing

for years is lost beside the boat.

Always pay attention to the details.

I see a lot of information on rods, reels, lures and techniques but the fundamentals can make the difference between catching fish and losing a cracker.

Another thing that’s really important is a goodquality sounder, especially when trolling those deeper areas with a rubble bottom.

You need to know how to read it and what you’re looking at so you can spot fish and see when you’re over good bottom.

Without that knowledge you’re just fishing blind.

If you’re covering lots of ground when trolling, side scan is invaluable for seeing and marking things like wrecks, caves and bigger structure.

Remember we are now running two vessels.

Warren (Wazza) is driving the 6m vessel catering to bigger groups of up to four people for bait and lure fishing, while I am running the smaller 4.3m vessel tailored to lure fishing and fishing tuition.

We have a new Facebook page to complement

the Moreton Bay Fishing Charters page.

Check out the new Bay and Estuary Guided Fishing page to see our recent catches.

If you’d like to join us on a charter, call Warren on 0433 732 310 to go on the 6m boat, and if you’d like to join me on the

4.3m boat or learn more about our fishing tuition course called ‘Ticking all the boxes’, phone 0432 386 307.

After a trip with us you will have the knowledge to catch more fish, more often in Moreton Bay. Until next month, stay safe on the water.

The author got his dad out for a fish and he snared this lizard in the Coomera River while trolling hardbodies.

This happy customer landed a cracking jewfish on a trolled Zerek Ripper Diver on one of Wazza’s charters.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 11 7/9/18 11:20 am

Big flathead like this one will be around in numbers during October. The author landed this fish by casting a soft plastic among weed beds at Donnybrook.

Ashlee Levy jigged this solid jewie up on a Gulp Crazy Legs.

Ocean-fed systems providing plenty of fish

O

CTOBER is my favourite month for chasing mangrove jack in southeast Queensland.

Mangrove jack will be very active this month.

Trevally will turn up regularly while chasing mangrove jack this month. Brett Enders found a school of them in the Pine River.

The weather is warming and plenty of hungry jacks will be willing to eat lures and baits.

Flathead are another good option this month.

The ocean-fed systems on the Sunshine and Gold Coasts will have good numbers of big lizards lined up along the deep edges towards the mouths.

A lot of smaller fish school in the same areas during breeding season, so it’s not uncommon to catch a wide range of sizes when targeting deeper water.

The Brisbane River has still been fishing well.

Jewfish have been really active, with good fish over the metre mark turning up.

October and November are generally very good for jewies in the Brissie.

Fish between 80cm and 90cm are common and can turn up in numbers.

I have had great success at this time of year by using prawn imitations.

You need to get the lure into the zone where the fish are feeding, so jig

Jewfish have been a common capture in the Brisbane River recently. The author jigged this 97cm model on a Berkley Gulp Crazy Legs.

Page 12 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

Local Luring

by KEITH STRATFORD

The wharves towards the mouth of the river are the most popular areas for anglers looking for a jewie or threadfin salmon. head selection is very important.

Most of the fish-holding areas in the river range from around 6-15m in depth.

The majority of the fish in the river will be feeding in the bottom half of the water column, with most fish feeding very close to the bottom.

These depths rule any jig head under about 1/2oz out of the equation.

When the tide is slow, it’s possible to get a 3/8oz down to the shallower areas but a 1/2oz head is generally a better option.

The wharves towards the mouth of the river are the most popular areas for anglers looking for a jewie or threadfin salmon.

It can be feast or famine looking for fish along these wharves.

One day plenty of fish will be there and the next there’ll be nothing, even on the same tide.

It’s always worth a look every time you fish the river, as this area produces lots of quality fish.

Mangrove jack October is one of my favourite months for chasing the elusive mangrove jack.

The water will be warming with the increase in air temperatures and the big bad red fish will be hungry and cranky.

Mangrove jack are a

very popular target for many anglers, especially those who enjoy casting lures into structure.

They are very addictive fish and it can take a long time to work them out.

Some anglers take years to catch their first jack and can end up with plenty of stories about the one that got away.

There are more jacks around Brisbane than most people think.

They rely on structure to feed and will rarely be caught too far away from it.

They tend to roam around a bit more at night and can be caught slightly easier, especially on baits.

I have had good sessions live baiting deep featureless holes at night.

These holes are more productive if some form of structure like rocks or trees are close by.

The most productive time is the lead-up to the full and new moons.

Three or four days before the moon is my favourite time for this style of fishing.

Though catching jacks on bait at night is fun and very productive, I get much greater enjoyment out of targeting them on a variety of lures during the day.

I always keep a good range of gear and lures on board when targeting

jacks because it gives me a better chance of finding out what is working best on that particular day.

Casting surface lures is about as much fun as you can have while chasing jacks.

It gets very addictive and is by far the most visual and exciting way to catch them.

Unfortunately, it can also produce less bites than fishing deep.

I like to throw a few poppers around early and if I miss out, will switch to a sinking lure.

Trolling is another great way to get hooked up to a mangrove jack.

It’s a brutal way to catch them too, with most fish nearly tearing the rod from your hands on hookup.

It’s a very difficult technique to master and it takes loads of hard work to get everything right.

It teaches you a lot about how lures swim and their diving capabilities and also brings other factors into play like line diameter and how the current affects lures down deep.

My good mate and fellow scribe Brad Smith is a gun troller and he regularly nails big jacks for his clients in the Tweed and Nerang rivers during the warmer months.

He has been trolling for these thugs for many years and has put just about every type of lure and every brand of braid into the dark caves of the Nerang River.

He’s got a really good system and a great range of tough diving lures ready to tackle the red thugs of the estuary, so if you want to get among some action and learn a stack of information, give him a call.

Get out and enjoy what October has to offer.

It’s a great time to be on the water, with pleasant temperatures and a great variety of species to target.

I hope to see you on the water. www.bnbfishing.com. au

PUZZLE PAGE w i l s o n f i s h i n g.c o m ACROSS 1. Oceans (4) 8. Mostly caught near wire weed (5-5) 9. Difficult at Christmas with a rod (4-4) 10. Sailor’s travelling aid (4) 12. Type of leatherjacket (6) 14. Pro anglers expect high returns (6) 15. Tuna become this (6) 17. Cattle farm food-why not fish farms (6) 18. Fillets are cooked by one (4) 19. Atoll lairs (4-4) 21. A tasty crimson jaw (3-7) 22. A fish not found on Venus (4) DOWN 2. A species for Her Majesty (6-4) 3. Angler’s favourite location (4) 4. A grunter not welcome in fresh water (6) 5. Famous French-made lure (6) 6. A souvenir off the beach (8) 7. A few partners a fish fillet (4) 11. Native fish to an area (10) 13. Ruler of the sea (8) 16. Music played when this appeared in Jaws (6) 17. Australia’s largest freshwater gudgeon …. cod (6) 18. Found unwanted in the Murray-Darling (4) 20. A lot caught in the surf (4)

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 13

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Lucky Zeniou was looking bright with a nice snapper.

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Both Blackers and Lucky hadn’t wet a line since November last year due to various commitments and their gills were certainly very, very dry.

The seed was planted with an early favourable WillyWeather forecast at the beginning of the week.

Seabreeze didn’t look too bad either, so Lucky got on the blower to Blackers who was enthusiastic to say the least.

A day later, joy had turned to pain in the form of a Bureau of Meteorology screenshot showing 20 knots and a decent sea.

Determined, the lads kept watching the weather while becoming more confused with BOM, Willy and Seabreeze showing inconsistent results and forecasts changing significantly with every new report.

Friday night finally came around and they had to make a call.

The result was to sleep on it and make the call in the morning.

Saturday morning saw them attend their regular ‘middle-aged crisis’ exercises before finally making the decision to try an afternoon session as it looked to be the only chance they would have.

At best the weather looked ordinary, except east of South Passage Bar, but at least they were giving it a shot.

As usual, Lucky met Blackers at the ramp about half an hour after he had agreed to.

Lucky was still trying to get his mind on the job, having already forgotten tie-down straps and a prop flag, so who knew what was going to happen next.

Blackers on the other hand was having a bit of ‘skipper withdrawal’, as can happen when you own a couple of boats that haven’t been wet for some time but have to deckie for someone else.

Maybe next time.

Once on the water, the lads were off to the South Passage Bar for their first

Power Boat Anglers

by MICK CLUTTERBUCK

crossing in a number of years.

The bar was on the last half of the incoming tide and pretty calm, making for a quick and smooth ride.

They decided on the northern channel, hoping for some protection from the northwesterly wind predicted for later in the evening.

The other reason was it might be a little easier to find in the low-light mid-run-out tide on the trip home, particularly in a northerly.

Heading offshore, the weather was better than expected, allowing them to punch along at 27 knots quite comfortably.

First stop was a tossup between the 33s or a recently found spot to go chase pearlies.

Pearlies got the nod and with not another boat to be seen, it looked like they would have it all to themselves.

The first ‘test drift’ was a cracker, with Blackers soon having line peeling off his floater spool, and after a short fight a 2kg snappery squire was on the deck.

This was closely followed by Lucky’s line being hit solidly, but it soon went slack, revealing the dreaded pig tail of line when it surfaced.

Bad line, bad knot, who knows, but not the best way to start.

Thankfully things held together from then on, with the lads bringing in a couple of fish every drift.

Very few undersize fish were being caught and at one stage they hooked up simultaneously, with squire on three lines.

Blackers had a doubleheader (and threw the 35cm fish back) and not to be outdone Lucky did the same, also returning a legal fish to the water.

He was duly rewarded with a sizeable sand flathead of 55-60cm on a paternoster.

Blackers finally got his pearlie at about 40cm, along with a nice venus tuskfish to give the box some variety.

At about 5pm a strong current came through from the north, making it difficult to hold bottom.

The water temperature had also increased from 20C to 22C. They had seven squire in the boat as well as the other species, so with the light starting to dwindle and not wanting to be greedy, they decided to pull the pin and head home.

The trip back through the bar was a little lumpy in the middle of the run-

out tide, and the water depth got to 2.5m at one point, making things interesting in the low light.

Slowly and surely they pushed through the pressure waves, determined not to get wet, particularly as they had already had a swim that morning.

Finally inside the bar, the trip across Moreton Bay at night was smooth and uneventful, just how

you want it to be.

Bring on the next trip.

Next meeting The next club meeting will be held on Monday, October 8 at our new meeting venue of Club Manly (bowls club) located at 26 Faine St, Manly.

Come along to check out the new digs and meet the members.

Until next month, safe boating.

Blackers overlooked the arvo’s catch.

A snapper from near the 33s.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 15

Targeting tilapia from land-based locations n Servicing your fishing gear

N

OW the winter cold is just a memory, we are excited about getting back out there!

Logan Willoughby landed this quality flathead.

If you want to try something a little different, get the family or mates into chasing tilapia on light gear.

Pound for pound, these fish fight incredibly hard and will give you a run for your money.

They are an introduced pest fish, so we must not put them back into the waterways after capture.

They must be humanely dispatched and disposed of away from the water to ensure any eggs or live offspring held in the mouth do not return to the water.

The good thing is you do not have to travel far to find tilapia.

Some of my easy to reach spots are: the Zillman Waterholes off Sandgate Rd at Zillmere, Little Cabbage Tree Creek beside Hungry Jack’s at Aspley, King St Bridge at Clontarf and of course Lake Samsonvale, but you will need a Stocked Impoundment Permit to fish the lake.

You don’t need any special gear to catch this fish.

A basic bream, whiting or flathead setup will do the trick.

Use a pencil or basic float, a size 4 long-shank bait-holder or size 2 Kirby

Northern Moreton Bay

by MARK TEMPLETON

After you catch tilapia you need to dispatch them in a humane way; we use a brain spike, which is very quick and clean. hook and a bit of the humble old garden worm and you’re in business.

A few tilapia fishos don’t bother with a float, they just send the bait out there using a sinker and keep the bait on the bottom.

This is another good method, however I would rather my bait covering more territory, as achieved with the float.

After you catch tilapia you need to dispatch them in a humane way; we use a brain spike, which is very quick and clean.

Once dead, we find they are a lot easier to photograph and you have less chance of the fish flicking out of your hands and back into the water.

So do your bit for the environment, get the kids out there and remove a few of these pest fish from our waterways.

If you are unsure how to identify them, drop into Tackle Land Sandgate and have a look at the tilapia we have on display.

We can even show you a few other spots to have a crack at as well.

We recently had the opportunity to give young gun Tyler Browne a chance to do some testing on the Squidgies Bio Tough soft plastics and this is what he found: “Lately I was given the opportunity to road test some of the new Bio Tough soft plastics by

Squidgies, including the new Little Critters.

I found these lures very durable and able to withstand the sharpest of teeth.

I have even thrown these plastics at tailor, but nothing can stop a determined tailor from biting off the lot, so get used to re-rigging!

Additionally, I found these plastics very flexible, and the Wrigglers and Fish generate an amazing amount of action and vibration in the water.

These are some of the best plastics on the market and allow you to catch more fish per plastic, which all soft plastic fishers love as it minimises hurt on the wallet.

The new range of plastics come in six different colours to suit any fishing scenario you may come across, from the beach to rocky foreshores, estuaries, jetties and offshore in the boat.

The Bio Tough plastics come in sizes from 70120mm (as well as the 40-60mm Little Critters), which gives a good range with which to target anything from whiting to jewies and so many more species.

With such an awesome range (and more to come), abundant colours and sizes, the hardest thing to work out is which one to use first.

Cast these plastics into

areas you know hold fish and let them do their job.

You’ll come up trumps!”

This is the time of year when the annual trip away is planned down to the last detail, numbers are confirmed and deposits paid.

Unfortunately, one of the key things overlooked just about every time is your pride and joy, your fishing rods and reels!

When everything is being packed, you wipe the dust off your gear and think, ‘I should get this serviced before I go.’

Unfortunately, rods and reels need more than a couple of days to be serviced properly.

Parts need to be ordered, sent out and fitted.

So allow two weeks as a minimum for your reels to be returned all spruced up and ready to go.

Rods that need new guides fitted will take on average about a week to complete.

Some people think we can just pop those round things back into the centre of the guides, but this is not so and unfortunately we need to remove the old guide and fit a brand-new one.

So don’t wait until the last minute, get your gear in for a service at least a month prior to departure to avoid a heap of frustration and disappointment!

Be safe out there and maintain the passion.

Rebuilding snapper stock a priority for new fishery working group

A bream caught on a Squidgies soft plastic.

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0402 703 519 Page 16 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

Q

U E E N S LAND’S new Rocky Reef Fishery Working Group will be asked to identify options to rebuild the snapper stock, which continues to be considered overfished.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner announced the new working group, which will provide advice to the government on managing fisheries including snapper, pearl perch, teraglin jew, yellowtail kingfish, cobia and mahi mahi.

Mr Furner said the Queensland Government’s Sustainable Fisheries Expert Panel had considered the latest snapper stock assessment, including an independent review and agreed with the findings.

“Snapper is an iconic species and it is important that management arrangements ensure Queenslanders can continue to catch and eat snapper into the future,” Mr Furner said.

“The new Rocky Reef Fishery Working Group will now review all the information as a priority and recommend options to rebuild snapper stocks

through development of a harvest strategy for the fishery.”

Mr Furner said changes to size and possession limits introduced in 2011 have not been sufficient to improve snapper stocks since the previous stock assessment in 2009.

“The latest scientific advice is the biomass of the east coast snapper stock is 10-45 percent of the original biomass,” Mr Furner said.

“The Queensland part of the stock, which has been considered overfished for the past six years, is potentially lower at 10-23 percent of the original biomass and anywhere below 20 percent is cause for concern.”

Sustainable Fisheries Expert Panel Chair Assoc Prof Ian Tibbetts said despite uncertainty about the exact biomass level, there are clear signs snapper stocks are in poor condition.

This includes declining catches from both the commercial and recreational sector, fewer older fish in the population and declining numbers of juvenile fish in Moreton Bay recruitment surveys, particu-

larly since 2013.

“The Sustainable Fisheries Expert Panel was set up to provide independent, evidence-based advice on fisheries management and has recommended urgent and strong action to rebuild snapper stocks,” Assoc Prof Tibbetts said.

“Snapper has been classified as overfished for many years and there are no signs of recovery despite management interventions, marine park closures and by-catch reduction in Moreton Bay. “There may be some environmental factors

such as water temperature affecting the stock, however, local action still needs to be taken.”

The Rocky Reef Fishery Working Group, made up of commercial, recreational and charter fishers and science/ conservation representatives, will meet in September to consider the snapper stock assessment and options to rebuild the stock.

The group will also develop a harvest strategy for pearl perch, which is considered to be a depleting stock.

As part of the Queens-

land Government’s Sustainable Fisheries Strategy, clear biomass targets have been set and harvest strategies are to be in place for all fisheries by 2020.

The stock assessment of Australian east coast snapper (chrysophrys auratus) is available online at era.daf.qld.gov. au/6341 For information about the Rocky Reef Fishery Working Group, visit daf.qld.gov.au/businesspr ior ities/f isher ies/ sustainable-fisheriesstrategy/fisher y-work ing-groups

Photo: Fisheries Queensland

www.bnbfishing.com. au

The author with the first jew for the trip jigged up on a Zerek Fish Trap.

Robert got stuck into the jewies, landing several to 115cm.

Happy houseboat holiday A

FTER a bit of a drought in the fishing department, it’s certainly good to be back on the water a bit more often than we used to be.

One of the highlights in the past month was having time out from work

Fishing Australia

by LEEANN PAYNE

to spend four nights fishing around the Jumpinpin area while staying on a houseboat.

It’s been a few years

The Sapphire Lady was a fabulous vessel for getting out and exploring the Gold Coast and southern Moreton Bay.

since I was last on a houseboat but they have the advantage of you staying within the vicinity of the fishing while also being able to have a break on the houseboat to recharge the batteries, and there’s no driving home tired after a big day on the water.

Coomera Houseboat Holidays is situated on the Coomera River and we chose to stay on the Sapphire Lady.

It is one of the outfit’s smaller boats but offered plenty of room for us with

a large living area and great entertainment area.

With four adults and two children on board, we certainly didn’t feel crammed in.

The staff helped us with loading our mountain of gear, gave us a briefing and in short time we were out of the marina and on our way.

It took a little under two hours to get to the anchorage just south of the Bedrooms and central to many of our flathead trolling/casting runs.

On top of that, it was only a short distance from Jumpinpin Bar. Rob’s parents Barb and Errol joined us and we

were lucky they were happy enough to look after the kids while Rob and I had a couple of sessions by ourselves.

We were putting in a few days of pre-fishing for the Gold Coast Flathead Classic but lost sight of that goal and targeted the large numbers of jewfish showing up in Jumpinpin Bar instead.

In short, the jew fishing was nothing short of insane on the first day (which was a Tuesday), and only two other boats were fishing a couple of hundred metres to the west of us.

We had the bar to ourselves! * continued P18

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 17

Happy houseboat holiday on Gold Coast * from P17

A smorgasbord of fish is to be found at Jumpinpin Bar, including mack tuna.

What we also had to ourselves was a couple of exceptionally large schools of bait that were being hammered by birds from the top and fish from the bottom.

Though not knowing exactly what they were (they looked like sardines), they were so thick that a couple of times John said he could see the bottom, not realising the ‘bottom’ was wall-to-wall fish.

It was actually good not having another boat around because so many anglers drive flat out through the schools of fish and disrupt the feeding and fishing.

With so much bait around, there had to be predatory fish, and on my

first cast on flatty gear I hooked a rather angry jewie that was not going to give in.

On light tackle I remained hooked up for almost a minute, however I knew it wouldn’t last too much longer and the leader chafed through.

I hooked another on heavier gear but once again the fish busted me off.

Third time lucky and after casting my lure to the side of the bait and letting it sink, I jigged twice before coming up solidly on the fish.

I had forgotten how hard these fish pull and I was thrilled to play the jew to the side of the boat where Robert landed it for the mandatory photos.

Motoring slowly eastwards back to the bait, we noticed the school had moved closer to shore.

After positioning the boat, we made a couple of casts to the edge of the school.

Rob hooked a very nice jewfish, followed by another and then a flathead, with all the fish coming from the bait school, which was located along the ledge that juts out from North Stradbroke Island.

Had little Johnny not been in the boat, we would have kept fishing, however the wind had picked up substantially, the waves had built up and standing was an issue, so we headed back to the houseboat for brunch.

We then began looking for flathead, which just weren’t playing the game for us at all.

The fishing for flathead has been quite mixed this year, and though we’ve had some good sessions, it certainly hasn’t been the great flathead fishing we are used to and I’d call it one of the poorest seasons we’ve had.

It was also a bit disheartening to see several netters thoroughly working the banks in the vicinity of Tipplers and the surrounding islands.

I understand they need to make a living but it’s still frustrating.

For the second morning on the water we were joined by Scott Fleming * continued P19

The commotion when landing a jewie.

Scott demonstrated the effectiveness of the Zerek Fish Trap.

Available in 6, 8, 10, 15, 20, 30 & 50 lb in Hi Viz Orange Page 18 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

A lovely little flathead caught off the back of the houseboat.

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The kids enjoyed getting off the houseboat and running amok on South Straddie’s beaches.

Happy houseboat holiday on Gold Coast * from P18

from Wilson Fishing, who came along to do some practice for the Flathead Classic.

Once again the jewfish side-tracked us and we found ourselves back at

the mouth of the bar.

The bait wasn’t visible from the surface and the birds weren’t working, however the sounder still showed large bait schools.

In this session we utilised 110 Zerek Fish Traps

A glimpse of how much water was covered at Jumpinpin Bar.

and the newly released 160 Fish Traps and pretty much just cast and jigged them back to the boat.

The 160 Fish Trap is not yet available in shops but our samples were well and truly smashed by the jewies, with six landed for the morning.

Scott also hooked a mack tuna and judging by the words that came out of his mouth, I really don’t think he likes catching them all that much.

After an eternity of playing it in, it was released and finally it was decided flathead should be targeted.

However, it was slow going; really slow.

We fished all the renowned flathead haunts and tried a few new areas

in search of clean water and caught a couple here and there but no particular area really fired.

The weed was atrocious as well, with the lures forever being fouled up.

Having said that, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay on the houseboat and being so close to where the fishing was.

The kids had a fabulous time fishing from the houseboat, feeding the ducks that came and said hello as well as playing on the beaches and pumping yabbies.

For information on Coomera Houseboat Holidays, visit the Facebook page, head to coomerahouseboats.com.au or give the wonderful staff a call on 07 5502 6200.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 19 12/9/18 13:30

A nice Broadwater tarpon caught on a soft vibe.

Grant with a big Wyaralong tilapia.

Inshore action improving immensely

W

E are in the middle of spring, the weather is warming and fishing is improving.

This brassy trevally was hooked by casting into a bust-up.

Nathan Hugget scored a quality Somerset bass.

Page 20 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

A stonking Somerset bass that nailed a 20g Damiki Back Drop.

The transition period can be a tricky time of year for most fishos.

Offshore is a bit touch and go as snapper are getting quiet and we are waiting for the mackerel and dolphinfish to move in.

Inshore fishing on the other hand has been really good.

In the Broadwater, the snot weed has begun its yearly run, but if you can find little stretches of clearer water, that’s where the fish generally are.

Fishing deeper channels in the Broadwater has seen anglers come across schools of tarpon, which are great fun on lighter gear because they mimic barramundi as they launch out of the water, shaking their heads to throw the hook.

The only thing to be mindful of is they have rough mouths, so a heavier leader will reduce the chance of bite-offs.

Flathead have been biting well around Jumpin-

Nerang Rooster Report

by DARREN RAMA

pin and the flats nearby.

Using a mixture of soft blades and soft plastics will see you getting into the fish.

Good numbers of flathead should continue to be caught throughout the whole month.

Trevally are starting to show up early of a morning and late of an afternoon.

They’ve been harassing baitfish and small jelly prawns, so surface fishing for trevally will pick up over coming weeks.

Good size whiting have been hooked in the Nerang River on smaller hard-bodies trolled at a medium walking pace.

Something I’ve found a big help on the water lately is a pair of Spotters sunglasses.

I picked up the Grayson series with Nexus lenses and couldn’t be more impressed.

Not only is the visibility amazing, but they really

reduce glare and eye fatigue, so I go home at the end of the day not feeling tired from spending all day squinting.

Spotters are still made in Australia, and I recommend the Nexus lenses as being perfect for anyone who fishes early in the morning and late in the afternoon.

Freshwater fishing has been great in the first month since bass season reopened.

A lot of people have taken the opportunity to work the rivers for bass.

It’s still a little cool so they are a bit reluctant to take surface lures but a slower retrieve can entice the strike.

Small jig spins and unweighted soft plastics are doing well.

I’ve been fishing the impoundments more lately because the quality of fish has been awesome, with all dams producing big healthy fish.

Hinze is shifting to an edge bite again, with 45cm fish a common capture.

Fishing small jerkbaits and jointed minnows has been most successful of late.

The dam’s level is dropping due to the lack of rain and visibility is high, so the more realistic action, the higher the chance of landing fish.

Saratoga’s breeding season will almost be coming to a close.

Being mouth breeders, when they finally decide to release their young they will feed up and that will be our chance to get a few more on the board.

I fished Somerset Dam for the first time recently and was shown how good a fishery it can be.

I targeted the deeper flats and finding those flats on the sounder can be as simple as marking a 1.5-3m drop-off.

Most times I found fish stacked on the sounder and fishing with metal spoons and micro jigs worked wonders.

I was surprised how common 50cm-plus bass were.

Another dam that has been fishing well is Wyaralong, not just for bass but tilapia and carp as well.

The thing people often overlook is how commonly a carp or tilapia will take a lure intended for a bass.

You can often find a school of fish holding under the boat and they will take a variety of lures.

When you find out they are carp and you’re using 4-6lb gear to hook a 4-6kg fish, it can be awesome fun.

Just keep in mind they are pests and some days it’s not hard to fill three garbage bags full of them.

When fishing a southeast Queensland impoundment, make sure you have a valid Stocked Impoundment Permit because this permit covers all dams.

To make it easy, you can buy your permit online at qld.gov.au/recreation/ activities/boating-fishing/ rec-fishing/dams Good luck this month, hopefully you can snag a few fish.

See you on the water.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Spring has sprung on Gold Coast

F

ISH the Deep needs to make space on the office desk, as for the third year in a row the charter outfit has won the Small Business Award for Tourism and Events.

This is very exciting and has rewarded many long hours at sea.

Winter is long gone, though Gold Coast residents couldn’t complain as they experienced a very mild season with many sunny days and the fishing top-notch.

The continuing run of high snapper numbers has kept the charter industry very busy.

Most trips for both charter vessels and recreational fishers have resulted in bagging out on snapper.

After months of inactivity for most charters with poor weather and the nonproductive period of the Commonwealth Games, the vitality of such a strong winter season has seen many regular fishers returning to charters.

The winter and now spring waters have brought snapper not only in numbers but also in size.

Cobia, on the other hand, have been scant.

Normally cobia are a regular catch during whale season, however the so-called ‘cobia patch’ has been very hit and miss this season.

Float lining with pilchards and squid as well

Fish the Deep

by SCOTT VAN BURCK

as live baiting with yakkas and slimy mackerel have been the methods of choice for snapper, rather than straight ‘bottom bashing’.

Snapper are attacking the float lines with ferocity.

Though patience is required among the customers as only four lines can be floated at one time, there is not a long waiting period between the fishers on the rods.

The snapper quality and numbers show patience is a virtue.

Quality pearl perch, the most flavoursome fish in the sea, are gracing many dinner plates.

Their sizes have been mighty impressive of late.

Gold Coast fishers appreciate the many other species that frequent these waters, such as rosy jobfish, venus tuskfish, mulloway, moses perch, cobia, samson fish and mack tuna to name a few.

Kingfish have been in small numbers after their late arrival to the Gold Coast, though recent days have seen improved numbers and quality.

Maybe they are waiting for the school holidays, which will be upon us by the time this edition goes to print.

Amberjack have been

the better bet, and customers are taking home quality fish.

Though not true mahi mahi season, Fish the Deep managed to snag a few during August.

Hopefully this is a positive sign for the upcoming summer.

The current along the 50-fathom reefs has been in favour of making the trip, with quality fish regularly snared.

Sometimes it is a question of whether it is worth the fuel expense getting out to the deeper reefs, but of late it certainly has been.

The charter industry has

been informed tracking of vessels will start soon.

As this tracking will only occur on commercial vessels, I cannot see how 0.05 percent of all anglers fishing being tracked will help or improve the Queensland fishing industry.

Some ‘bright’ bureaucrat will soon learn this unsustainable and expensive exercise will not improve fish stocks.

Fisheries Queensland needs to look not only at the commercial operators but also the recreational fishers who take more than their allotted quota of various species.

As spring continues with sunny days, hopefully the quality fishing will continue into following months.

Happy fishing.

Lindsay Harm caught one of the few cobia encountered this year.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 21

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Len ‘Snowy’ Hargraves with a lovely Coomera River whiting.

Pete and a late-afternoon whiting from the Nerang River.

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While you can catch whiting all year round on the Gold Coast, it is at this time of year when they become more plentiful and easier to find.

For the next five months they will be downstream, within easy access of their spawning grounds in the Gold Coast Seaway.

Main fishing areas will be between Sundale Bridge and Isle of Capri in the Nerang River and Paradise Point in the Coomera River.

Preferred fishing times are between 5pm and 10pm, though not because this is the best fishing time because they can be caught all night long.

Rather, these times give you a good chance to have a look around before dark and set up, then get back home without spending all night on the water.

Us old fellas need a good night’s sleep.

One of the questions always asked is what tide is best when planning trips – run in or run out.

After 25 years of whiting fishing on the Goldy, I can honestly say either one.

The biggest difference between tidal flows is on the different tides the whiting may move into other areas to feed.

This is where knowing your location and having several spots to fish during both the run-in and run-out tides is very important.

The most popular location in the Nerang River is the Council Chambers.

Very few local whiting fishos won’t have fished there.

It’s a great spot but can be extremely crowded on weekends leading up to both full and new moons, which are supposedly the best times to fish.

While these times can be good, it is certainly

Broadwater Region

by WAYNE ‘YOUNGY’ YOUNG

more relaxing and enjoyable to fish without the crowds and the fishing is still very good on all parts of the moon phase, as long as you use a good bait and technique.

For bait, nothing beats the three types of bloodworms: mangrove bloodworms, Redcliffe rockies and Cribb Island bloodworms.

All are great and will catch plenty of whiting.

Unfortunately, they are all hard to dig and expensive to buy.

The technique used for successful whiting fishing is basically a ‘do very little’ style.

Again, this suits a lazy fisher like myself to a tee.

Most whiting fishos will use multiple rods.

I prefer to use three because the only time you are holding them is to cast and to wind in a fish.

I run a 7’ Wilson Live Fibre out the side of the boat, a 9’ Gary Howard Estuary (the best whiting rod I have ever seen) out the back corner and a 10’6” Snyder Glas Crusoe Island out the back.

This may seem extreme, but it is amazing how many times one rod will out-fish the other two by a considerable margin.

Three rods is the maximum permissible per person in our area.

Using 4 or 5 ball sinkers means the lines will stay where they are cast and not tangle.

Rods are cast out and laid as flat as possible and not held at all.

You simply closely watch the rod tips and the first indication of a bite will be a slight quivering of the rod tip.

Don’t touch the rod because the whiting is merely tasting the bait.

Normally, a few seconds later the same thing will happen.

Again, don’t touch the rod because the whiting is softening the bait using its

crusher plates.

After a few seconds the rod will bend over as it takes the weight of the fish.

Simply lift the rod to set the hook and then wind the fish in.

Sounds easy but being patient enough to sit there and watch a very tentative bite can really test your nerve.

Now let’s talk tackle.

Six-pound Schneider mono line is preferred.

There are thinner lines out there but none stronger that will stand up to a few hours of whiting fishing.

Trace is 6lb as well.

Main line can be used but my preference is for fluorocarbon leader because it tends to sink more in the water and keep your bait on the bottom better.

Trace length is important as well because of the larger sinkers used.

I’ll run anything from 1.5-2m to make the bait look as natural as possible.

While specialist worm hooks are available, they are expensive and have too long a shank.

Remember what I said about the worms?

They are too dear and too hard to get to be filling up a long-shank hook.

A short-shank size 4 bait-holder hook will work just fine, with the barbs on the shank of the hook helping to hold the bait up the shank and hide the hook inside the bait.

Preferred locations in the Nerang River are Isle of Capri all the way downstream to the Council Chambers, and both east and west channels of Chevron Island.

Also try from The Southport School down to Sundale Bridge, however this tends to be where the smaller male fish hang out.

In the Coomera River, the sandbank at the tip of Paradise Point and the

stretch of river between Hope Harbour and Sanctuary Cove can be good.

The run-in tide is definitely preferred in the Coomera because catfish can be a problem on the last half of the run-out tide.

You might find it helpful to paint the last 45cm of your rod tip white to make it easy to see at night.

Using a second anchor out the back of the boat to hold the boat still and

straight is very important when it’s windy or there’s lots of boat traffic.

Remember, if you’re not catching fish, move!

About 30 minutes is plenty of time to catch a whiting.

A quick move or two could be the difference between half a dozen fish and your best-ever fishing trip.

‘Til next month, fish for the future.

Becky showed off the variety of species available on the Goldy.

Gary with a lure-caught flathead from one of the local creeks.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Take the five-fish river challenge I T has been fantastic to receive a bit of much-needed rainfall, as just like our poor farmers on the land, we fishers and our local rivers also need life-supporting rain.

October is a great month for anglers because it is what I call a transition period, meaning the cool weather and cold water

Gold Coast Guide

by BRAD SMITH

are warming in readiness for summer.

This presents the opportunity to target winter species such as bream, flathead and jewfish as well as our summer species including whiting and

mangrove jack.

To have the luxury of being able to target such a wide variety of species in one day promotes a fun day and an overlapping challenge for estuary sports anglers.

Try trolling deep-diving minnows along structural areas for jacks.

Surface fishing with Bassday Sugapen lures caught these whiting.

The challenge of trying to catch one of each species in a day will definitely suit lure anglers more than bait fishers because lures offer a wider variety of manoeuvrability to suit the different species.

To succeed in such a challenge, you will need a variety of lures as well as a combination of light and heavy equipment and a well-chosen area with the structural habitat to suit the target species.

Being in the right place at the right time based on the time of day and tides is another major part of the planning.

This is how I attack the challenge.

First I choose my area, which will be one of the very long retained rock walls that fall into quite deep water and can be found in the Tweed and Gold Coast areas.

I would start very early in the morning with a coinciding tide change.

Mangrove jack and jewfish would be the first victims as they are by far the hardest species to catch.

My first technique would be to bring out the heavier equipment and start trolling a combination of deep and shallow-running minnow lures along the rock wall, which allows you to cover a lot of territory with your lures in the strike zone.

Trolling enables you to run the shallow divers higher up the wall and the deeper divers along

the deeper part of the wall where it meets the bottom of the river.

While you are trolling for a jack or even a jewie, keep a close eye on your sounder for any baitfish schools or bream that might be laying up along the length of the wall.

If I mark a school of bait or bream I would bring in the trolling lures and swap to light equipment.

I’d attach a small blade lure, drop it vertically and jig.

This can give you the opportunity to pick up a bream or even a flathead that might be lying on the bottom under the bait school.

If while still early you can land a couple of the species on the list, especially mangrove jack, your challenge day is off to a flying start.

Once I have exhausted all the opportunities the rock wall offers, I would move to the nearest deep hole in the river. * continued P24

This flathead was caught while jigging a blade under a bait school holding close to the bottom.

This nice jewfish took an Atomic vibe in a deep hole in the Tweed River.

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www.frogleysoffshore.com.au Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 23

Hatching plans to hit the rivers n Beaches n Offshore n Squid

O

CTOBER means offshore current and northerly wind to me.

When trying to catch a list of different species on lures in one day, expect to hook the odd surprise like this bass.

Take the five-fish river challenge * from P23

And you have to remember the clock is ticking with the task at hand.

Once you arrive at the deep hole or holes, use your sounder to identify any bait or jewfish marking close to the bottom.

Again, I would vertically jig a small blade or soft plastic because you are back in the game for bream, flatties, jewfish and maybe even the first whiting.

By now it is heading for the middle of the day, so I would move to the nearest very shallow area and start throwing surface poppers around because this technique is a

magic way to get whiting on the board.

It is not uncommon for a bream or flatty to take a surface lure as well.

It should be a given that you to have the bread and butter species out of the way by now, which allows you to finish the project and go back to the hardest species (jacks and jew) if you haven’t

already caught them.

It should also be mentioned that other species might be caught during the challenge, such as estuary cod, trevally or tailor.

To complete a challenge like this is not only very rewarding but it will also improve your abilities and skills as an angler.

A bream crunched a Zerek Fish Trap lure.

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This also means it’s time to head up the river and chase some of my favourite fish.

Flathead will be on the chew, mangrove jack will be starting to bite more savagely, trevally will be actively hunting prawns and herring and whiting will be cruising for a feed.

Here in the Brunswick Valley, much-needed rain has coloured the water a little and improved the fishing out of sight.

Mud crabs are going into pots and whiting are finally starting to bite.

The water has been gin-clear for months and frustrated anglers know the fish are there because they can see them, they just can’t catch them.

It is absolutely amazing what a bit of a fresh does because now the bream are back on the bite, mostly still on the bottom half of the tide when the water is dirtier, but it’s great to have them grabbing baits again.

Small white pilchards have entered the river and trevally are busting into them.

Over the next two months the white pilchards will increase in size and so will the trevally.

Whenever we have white pilchards, we have tailor too.

If fishing the mouths of our local rivers and creeks this month, it will pay to have a rod rigged with a small metal slug ready to lob into any spontaneous surface activity.

Regular readers will know I don’t make a habit of fishing the beach frequently.

As the weather warms in spring, I enjoy the occasional wander down the sand with a light rod and

Tweed to Byron Bay

by GAVIN DOBSON

If fishing the mouths of our local rivers and creeks this month, it will pay to have a rod rigged with a small metal slug ready to lob into any spontaneous surface activity. a small tackle box in a bucket.

Keeping it light is the key to making this enjoyable for me and a few metal slugs, some light sinkers, whiting hooks and a knife is all I take.

A recent short walk brought me much pleasure as a plan came together.

I had one pilchard in the bucket, which I waved around on the shore in a retreating wave until I saw the V shape of a worm poking its head up.

Extracting the worm from the sand, I threaded a few centimetres of it over a long-shank whiting hook and gently flicked it into the wash at the end of a blind gutter.

It took a while and a few small picks from baby dart until I felt a good whiting on the line.

A few minutes later another even bigger one was in the bucket, but half an hour of further fishing proved unsuccessful.

It was getting late and time to tie on a 35g Laser slug.

I spun and spun and right on dark the lure stopped as a 1.6kg tailor grabbed it and made a few jumps.

It put up a great fight on the light gear but I was successful in landing it and headed home very relaxed and satisfied.

It was a good little feed too, with two very different types of flesh.

Tina loves whiting (who doesn’t?) and Keira and I are partial to a feed of tailor.

Every year I must sound like a broken record, but in dry springs you should head well upriver towards Murwillumbah for most of your fishing, but especially for whiting.

Often mud crabs are a bit empty at this time of year, so chuck them back if they feel a bit light.

Sand crabs are out and about in the Tweed, so give the lakes a go or try around Fingal.

The blue water will be a bit difficult for the next few months.

It’s definitely spanner crab season though, so for those interested in a feed, the next two months are prime time.

Pick a sandy spot in 45-50m of water and you should be bringing up full dillies.

Of course it’s not all doom and gloom on the fishing front.

When the windows of weather allow, snapper are available to be caught this month.

In close will be patchy but the deeper reefs will produce.

Float lining in the 42-45-fathom depths will see good snapper coming aboard.

Deep Southern out of Tweed and the Seven Mile off Byron are a couple of good areas because you can line up longer drifts if the current is pushing.

If the current is off, then bottom bashing the deeper reefs will still produce fish, it just gets a bit harder to line up the right days at this time of year.

In close, a few jew will still be lurking around willing to eat a wellpresented yellowtail or pilchard.

Spring can often mean cobia but who knows with these fickle fish.

If you hear of some around, the Plonk Hole off Black Rocks is probably the most likely area at this time of year.

Squid are something we don’t often fish for in this neck of the woods but lately the shallow reefs have been full of them.

It pays to keep a squid jig on the dashboard because they have been following in hooked fish.

The last one I got was massive and followed a hooked red rock cod to the surface.

I tied a squid jig on and cast it out and it was only a matter of seconds before I had it.

I knew it wouldn’t be fussy if it was prepared to eat a red rock cod!

While I caught that squid because I saw it, I kept the jig in the water for the rest of the trip and captured several more.

I’ve even hooked them on bait jigs, so for me it’s just a matter of remembering to fish for them, because they are very welcome in my boat.

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Page 24 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

A lovely feed after an afternoon beach walk.

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Kalon with a snapper caught off Ballina.

Oliver scored a tuskfish off Ballina.

Offshore on when weather allows

H

ELLO and welcome to this month’s edition of BNB.

Finally we have had some much-needed rain here on the Northern Rivers.

Unfortunately, as is usually the case here on the north coast, we managed to get our allotment of rain along with the rest of the state’s allotment as well.

Over 200mm has fallen in the past couple of weeks, and if the long-range forecast has an element of truth to it, we are in store for plenty more.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed it comes a little bit at a time, or we could be looking at an early season flood.

The saving grace in all the rain we have been blessed to receive is it has predominantly fallen over the coastal fringe and not inland where it could lead to flooding issues.

The other positive to the recent rain is it should fire up the food chain, which will in turn see the prawns and other food sources get a much-needed kick along for the start of the summer season.

The weather has been hampering offshore fishing of late.

Strong wind and large seas have limited the days when most boaties have been able to venture out.

On the days when we have been able to get offshore, reasonable snapper, flathead and tuskfish have been taken from the 32-fathom line.

With the current fairly forgiving at present, those who like to use lures have had success on bright soft plastics and slow-pitch jigs in the 60-100g range.

The close reefs haven’t fired like they usually do at this time of year, but I am hopeful that if the weather settles, we will see hot action in these areas over the coming month for both snapper and mulloway.

While fishing off Ballina, Malani managed to capture this snapper.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Ballina Bait & Tackle

by BRETT HYDE

While the current has settled, it should also provide the chance to spend some time on the 48s chasing pearl perch and kingfish.

At this time of year it can be a little more difficult to target kingfish because the slower current allows the baitfish to move around more and they aren’t as compressed, so the kings don’t tend to be as interested in chasing a feed.

The slower current does however make it easier to get a live bait or jig down in this depth of water, so take the chance to fish these grounds while it is much more comfortable.

Lately the kingfish have been responding a little better to jigs with bright colours and silver flash to them, but this can change on the day, so it is wise to have a couple of different colour options available.

Back in the Richmond River, the rain and weather have had less of an effect on the fishing compared to offshore.

The cooler conditions have certainly slowed the flathead but we are still seeing some numbers between the Burns Point Ferry and Wardell Bridge, and even the occasional fish in the lower reaches of the river.

The shallower areas are holding the better concentrations of fish, but they have been difficult to tempt.

The best baits have been white and blue pilchards and prawns as these food sources have been showing up in the river.

Good numbers of luderick are in the usual spots such as Prospect Bridge, behind the CBD and over on the Porpoise Wall.

The hardest part of catching

Cope with a flathead he caught in the Ballina canals.

them has been getting your hands on quality green weed, as the rain has destroyed much of what was growing locally.

I suggest bringing weed with you if you want to chase them in the near future, or look at alternatives such as some cabbage from the rock platforms including those at Shelley Beach and Flat Rock.

With bass season open as of September 1, we have already seen quality fish in some of the smaller creeks as well as the main Richmond River.

The rain has had a few of the frogs moving around, so it may pay to try surface walkers early in the day and then revert to reaction-style baits such as beetle spins or spinnerbaits to entice the bass later in the day.

The water is still fairly clean upriver at this stage, so I recommend sticking with more natural colours such as green and brown.

If we see more rain and the water starts to gain colour, then you may have to switch and try darker colours, giving the surface lures a miss until the water clarity improves a little.

The rock platforms, breakwalls and beaches have been a little hot and cold over the past month.

This has been mostly due to the cooler weather following the recent rain, along with rough surf.

These conditions have produced a few mulloway up to 15kg, which have mostly been taken using lures, while the smaller school-sized fish have been showing plenty of interest in worms and squid.

Reasonable bream are still showing up on the incoming tide along the walls, with most fish taking mullet fillets, squid and pipis floated along the walls with little or no weight.

The size of tailor on the beaches seems to have dropped away over the past month, but the number of fish has continued to be fairly strong.

Plenty of fish have been taken during the day using metal spinners, while the slightly better-quality fish are still coming at night.

As has been the case for the past few months, the better fish have been happy to hit a blue pilchard on gang hooks, as opposed to the mullet and bonito fillets many anglers favour.

Well that’s all from me for this month.

‘Til next time, tight lines!

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 25

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S I sit down at the computer, the rain is tumbling

It’s not too heavy, just enough to get the grass growing and the bass moving to the drains that criss-cross our area, waiting for any bug to fall foul from the deluge.

Hungry bass will be rising to the surface and taking bugs with gusto.

What a way to open bass season.

And from all accounts, plenty of bass are being caught.

The upper reaches of the Richmond River seem to be the place to be.

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www.bnbfishing.com.au Page 26 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

Evans Head

by GARY ‘SQUIDGIE’ PALMER

Try around Wyrallah and Lismore or even further up at Cawongla where I have caught heaps over the years.

Just remember you may need to ask permission to enter some farmers’ land.

Most farmers are OK with it, but if the answer is no, just move on.

Early season bass don’t normally take to topwater presentations but they are at the moment.

This could change soon as they go deeper.

Early in the morning I would bring out the walk the dog lures and cicada imitations and give them a go.

If no luck, I would head to my Bassman Spinnerbaits box and cast them right up close to the cut banks and tree-laden areas.

If you are not touching the banks and snagging in the trees, you are not close enough.

Some early season big bass have been caught around Swan Bay, as Adrian Melchior and his young bloke Anthony have been slaying them.

The key is to be up early and on the water just as the sun wakes up.

Start by casting at the left-hand banks heading upriver to Lismore.

The launching point for me would be Coraki, or you could head into Lismore and work your way down to Coraki.

If you come to a cane drain, don’t drive past as bass will be there.

I find spinnerbaits best in cane drains, though mind you I have caught a few big flathead in the drains around Lismore.

If you launch at Coraki and head up the Casino arm, you’ll find a few nice deep banks on the right where very big bass hang out.

Sometimes enticing them to bite can be a struggle, so you may need to pepper the bank until you really piss one off.

Heading into the upper reaches of the Casino arm, I have found good schools of bass.

It is also where I hit a log that cost me big money to repair my Honda 50hp motor.

Well it cost my insurance company a bit.

It is a great area for bass and many a comp has been won from the upper reaches of this arm.

Now for the Evans River.

Bream, flathead, whiting and salmon are on the chew.

I just don’t like salmon.

They are great fighting fish but don’t belong to our area.

They are cold water fish and as a norm don’t go north past Stockton near Newcastle, however they have adapted to warmer water.

These fish just eat and eat and never stop.

When they are full they spew up and start to eat again, destroying our bait grounds.

This started to happen when they closed the Eden cannery, but it has been reopened and hopefully we will see fewer salmon on our shores.

Yes I know some people love to catch them but at what cost to our fishery?

Salmon are crap to eat unless you make fish cakes, so let me ask you this: do you prefer tailor on a plate or unpalatable salmon?

I know where my vote goes.

Out on the headlands, any of them are a Mecca for fish from bream to tailor, jewfish, mackerel (though they are thinning out), cod and snapper.

You just never know what you will catch out there.

As a bonus, you can sit and watch the whales pass by.

Heaps of whale pods are passing at the time of writing.

Why pay heaps to go out

to sea when with a lazy walk up the hills you can see all the whales you want.

Fishing and whale watching, what a day out you can have on the headlands.

Out in the deep blue, snapper, trag and pearl perch along with a few mackerel are biting.

If there is no current out wider, bar cod are on the menu, as are blue-eye trevalla.

Now, if you have not had your head in the sand you would have noticed the (recently failed) push to create one big marine park extending from Wollongong to Newcastle.

Once again we have these pen-pushing fools trying to make these areas their own, so they alone can frolic in the splendour of our coastline.

This state government is going to sleep with the Greens for votes to keep themselves in power and they don’t give a damn who they tread on to do it.

We fishers have a voice and we should use it.

We have to stop sitting back and saying “she’ll be right mate” because it won’t be.

It is very serious this time and we will lose it if we don’t stand up and fight.

And don’t sit there and

think ‘well it’s not my area’.

Hello, if they win this one, look out for your area next.

I can remember the last push to take our fishing grounds where I interviewed Peter Garrett and he said: “We want all the east coast as a no-fishing area.”

We fought it with Ecofishers then and won but now I’m not so sure.

I see Steve Starling has done a bit and so have a few other influential fishers, but I really don’t think it’s enough, despite having won the first round.

We need to get onto our elected pollies and pester the hell out of them until we win full stop.

If not, writing for fishing mags, TV fishing shows and anything related to fishing will be gone and our kids will end up playing video games until they’re old and grey.

I have no idea how to play video games and don’t want to start now.

Get onto your computers, look up the proposed NSW marine park and voice your displeasure.

I’ve said my piece.

‘Til next month, remember: limit your kill, don’t kill your limit.

Tight lines and smelly fingers.

A solid kayak-caught bass for Damon.

Damon with a skinny water bass.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Midday mulloway n Beach action n River wrap

O

VER the past 27 years I have regularly told anglers large jewfish can readily be taken from headlands on lures during large swells in the middle of the day, and last month I was lucky enough to get a few action shots to prove it.

The fish in the accompanying pictures weighed about 20kg and was released after spending about 15 minutes reviving in a rock pool.

No, I don’t have a picture of it being thrown back in because the angler wanted me to video the release on his iPhone, but the big girl did live to fight another day.

I must point out that whether you like it or not, not all fish are fit for release after capture and I urge all anglers to be a tad realistic and keep and eat any fish showing signs of undue distress, or more importantly, signs of heavy bleeding.

Luckily for me, the two headlands I spin here at Iluka allow me to wash the fish up onto moss-covered rocks, which significantly reduces the chance of scale loss, as would be experienced when landing most fish off a breakwall, for instance.

Both locations also have

Just Jew

by TYE PORTER

nice rock pools we can put the fish in to recover from the fight and remove lures.

Be aware that once hooked onto a big fish during big swells, it is extremely difficult to evade any bigger than normal wave that might hit you during the fight, so it pays to fish with a friend.

The angler in the pics releases the majority of fish he lands from breakwalls by using a large landing net instead of a gaff.

Whether you choose to eat or release is your choice and no-one else’s, but remember the new jewfish possession limit in NSW is one fish over 70cm per person.

September saw plenty of good size jewfish taken inside the Clarence River on live mullet and soft plastic lures, while over on the Yamba breakwall the T-Piece continued to yield nice fish to just over 25kg on large hard-bodied minnow lures and live mullet.

Here at Iluka, the southern end of the Bluff fired for big jew on both minnow and feather lures each time the swell kicked up

and this trend should continue through summer as the large shoals of white pillies move in along the beaches and headlands.

The Bluff also saw plenty of small turrum around the 7kg mark taken on lures but unfortunately very few tailor have been sighted, which is somewhat unusual for this location.

Main Beach has produced the odd big chopper, however the hours be* continued P28

As long as there is enough white water, big jew can be taken from the headlands on lures all day.

Young Grafton angler Jake Hyatt celebrated his birthday last month by catching nice bass to 38cm in the Clarence River near Grafton.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 27

Midday mulloway * from P27

ing spent catching them has hardly made the effort worthwhile.

Back inside the river, anglers have been bemoaning one of the worst luderick seasons ever seen, but I suppose it was a result of all those greedy amateurs, and for goodness sake don’t tell Fisheries or the tossers in the socalled Advisory Committee or luderick will be made a protected species.

Good catches of pansized flathead are being boated from Iluka right upstream to above Brushgrove with soft plastic lures, green prawns and white pillies being the best baits.

Whiting are yet to move into the river in any numbers, however this should begin to change towards the

end of the month as the weather warms.

Bream and swallowtailed dart have been thick as fleas in the surf zone on both Yamba and Iluka breakwalls, with beach worms and live yabbies accounting for most fish.

Reasonable mixed bags of dart, bream and big tarwhine have been reported from the beach along Shark Bay, so things are looking good for this month.

Bass are being caught far and wide throughout the Clarence River system, with Grafton father and son team Mark and Jake Hyatt having a ball catching and releasing top fish above Grafton on lures.

October is the month to start drowning an octopus for a big jew on the river side of your local breakwall on the big spring tides during the

middle of the day, but failing that, use a whole or sliced squid or a live yellowtail at night.

Along the beaches you will start catching good numbers of flathead on soft plastic lures from the shallow dead-end gutters along the open beaches, while inside the rivers use live herring and mullet in the deeper channels for crocodile-size flatties.

Big cobia will also begin to appear in the shallow warm waters of Shark Bay off Woody Head, with most fish being boated within a few hundred metres of the beach.

All in all, October should be a cracker month for fishing in the Clarence Valley, so get out and get amongst them before the dogooders ban us.

‘Til next month, safe fishin’.

The author and friends prefer to leave the lure in the fish until they know whether it will survive the fight. Taking it out as soon as the fish is landed means the fish is out of the water for an unnecessary amount of time before being placed in the revival pool.

Welcome to Tin City.

Tin City a trip back in time H I and welcome to this month’s BNB mag.

To start, I would like to ask for everyone’s support to help us NSW fishos and ask you all to jump on and join the Stop The Lockout Facebook group.

The more members we can get in the group, the more help we will have to stop this government taking fishing grounds off us with no scientific evidence or understanding to back up their claims.

We recreational anglers always seem to be the ones getting blamed for overfishing these places and it’s an absolute joke.

Even though we have just won the first round, we need all the help we can get.

If you jump on the group you will see all the details, which you can add your comments on, and also a link to voice your opinions to the government.

From myself and fellow anglers down here, thank you in advance for all the

3WAYSFISHIN – Newcastle

by NATHAN ‘NATH’ PALMER

help you can give us.

Moving on to the fishing, it has been OK along Stockton Beach, with good catches of tailor, salmon, jewfish and whiting from the scattered deep holes along the beaches, with not too many crowds of an early morning.

We can thank the cold for that, as it’s still very crisp early in the mornings.

It’s worth trying out the front of Tin City.

Most local anglers know where this place is but if you’re new to the area, get onto Google Maps and you can see where I am

Hydraulic boat steering for a hard day’s fishing Go wherever and whenever the fish are biting with confidence!

Made in Australia for our tough marine environments.

talking about.

If you travel along Lavis Lane to enter the beach, when you hit the sand just drive down to the water’s edge, turn left and drive for about 15 minutes to reach the ‘city’.

It’s well worth the drive to check it out.

Here is a bit of history about Tin City and why it was built.

In the late 19th century, shipwrecks were very common along Stockton Beach.

In fact they were so common that two sheds were built to hold provisions for shipwrecked sailors.

Apparently, during the great depression in the early 1930s, a group of squatters constructed a few more tin shacks to live and fish there but most were torn down to make way for the army camp, however, some remain.

The last time I went for a walk through there in about 2000, some fishos were still living in a couple of them but maintenance is no longer allowed and the elements are taking their toll on this old place.

I don’t think anyone is

living there now because the sand has moved in and taken over the last few shacks.

The shacks are in need of urgent repair but it’s still well worth the trip to take a look at.

Tin City would have to be one of my favourite fishing grounds and it’s a great spot for jew, whiting and tailor.

So if you want to go for a nice drive to take in some history and enjoy a great spot to wet a line, Tin City is a must.

Grab the kids and check it out.

Moving up towards Birubi Beach, this is a great spot for getting fresh baits such as worms and pipis, and one of the best whiting beach fishing grounds I’ve ever wet a line at.

Worms and pipis are everywhere here and it’s great to bring your kids along for some fun because it’s one of the safest beaches going around.

Your kids can walk out 50-100m and not have water go over their knees, and you can feel at ease knowing there are no rips on a low tide.

Whiting seem to get stuck on a low tide in some of the deeper holes here and you can almost walk up on them and scoop them with a net, but as the tide starts to come back in you will get some crackers out of these holes.

After having fun with your kids, it’s time for lunch.

And while you’re waiting on the tide to come back in, grab the kids and

* continued P29

Photo courtesy of Vindicator Boats.

For product information and to find your nearest authorised dealer contact Graham HyDrive Engineering Pty Ltd – Queensland Unit 12, 73-75 Shore Street, Cleveland 4163 T: 07 3821 6580 E: qld@hydrive.com.au W: hydrive.com.au Page 28 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

An amazing shot of an old shack.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Tin City a trip back in time * from P28

head into town, this time leaving via the Anna Bay 4x4 track.

When you hit the tar, just make a quick righthand turn and head into Anna Bay, where you’ll find everything you need from a small surf fishing town.

I recommend dropping into the local watering hole (Anna Bay Tavern) and checking out the menu as the beer is always cold and the meals are amazing.

And if you like the place, come back and check in to the Birubi Beach Holiday Park because it has every-

thing for us big kids and the little ones as well.

It’s a great safe park for the kids to hang out and ride their bikes after dark to leave you well relaxed.

Heading into Newcastle Harbour, tailor are still on the chew around Stockton’s large breakwall, with great numbers at the end of the wall and the odd jew turning up in the mix.

If you’re looking for live baits, the old wreck on the Stockton side has heaps of yakkas, and a small hook with any oily bait will get you a few.

It’s well worth the wait if you’re chasing jew because they are around,

EN

Birubi Beach Holiday Park.

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OR

✩

you just need to put in the effort.

If chasing blackfish, some good weed is under Stockton Bridge.

Grab a bit of weed and then head back to Stockton breakwall.

Fishing the Newcastle side will get you a few fish and late afternoon has been best.

I’m getting ready to target them in the next few days because I haven’t chased them much this year with my busy life.

I can’t wait to get a few for the table because I think they are great table fish.

I grew up eating blackfish with my old man because he loves targeting these fish and I couldn’t wait until he got home with fresh slabs of luderick.

Fishing for flathead is still on every angler’s list and a few crackers are still around up past Stockton Bridge hunting the shallows over the sandbars.

As I’ve just come back from holidays from Townsville, I dropped into a few tackle shops there to grab a few lures I want to try for chasing flathead in the shallows.

You can’t go past a few Gold Bombers for barra that also work well for flathead.

I have a few other colours to try too, so I hope to have some pics of my successes in the next

month’s edition to give you a look.

Heading up into Hexham has been worthwhile, with bream, flathead and smaller legal size jewfish caught.

If you launch at the Tomago boat ramp and head upriver you’ll find so many spots to target all these fish.

I recommend you find deep holes out of the current and use either plastics or bait.

Just put the effort in and berley up to stay a while over a turning tide.

I know a few spots that have been working well here and they’re not hard to find, with eddies running all along the edge.

Just pick a spot and see how you go.

Remember your crab traps because a few are still around in the deeper holes, and if you’re staying there for a while I’m sure soaking a mullet in the traps will get you one or two.

Well, that’s me for this month.

I hope you can help us out by jumping on to the Stop The Lockout group and speaking up about these stupid green zones.

The government is taking away too many spots we like to fish and it’s got to stop.

Remember to stay safe on the water and I’ll catch you next month.

The 1973 Sygna wreck.

The sand is moving in and taking its toll on the shacks at Tin City.

It’s sad to see the shacks wasting away.

S E D BY

✩n✩Bay rs

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 29

Warming water wakes fish

O

Cooper Lau with a well-pinned spanish mackerel hooked on a soft plastic.

Bob Major showed off an early season mangrove jack.

g in m o c u o y r a e h t n o w h ’ The fis 3 Poly is easier

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CTOBER is a great time of the year to be an angler.

No matter if you are land based or in a boat, this time of year is when things start to warm up.

The water temps are climbing and the fish are starting to feed.

The rains have begun to come through and as such the estuaries are holding angry packs of trevally and more enthusiastic mangrove jack, while offshore we can expect some pelagic fun.

The upper reaches of the Noosa River towards Lake Cootharaba have started to produce good numbers of mangrove jack.

Lure anglers are getting the best results by throwing deep into the snags with baitcasting gear.

Have a go with weedless paddle tail plastics and poppers including O.S.P Louder and Lucky Craft G-Splash poppers.

Trolling hard-bodied diving lures has worked well for anglers going over the various rock bars while on the move.

Lures to use include Lucky Craft Pointers and Jackall Squirrels in gold and red.

Further downstream and near the mouth of Lake Cooroibah, decent size jewfish have been taken on plastics and soft vibes.

Plastics in the 3” size range are working well on 1/4oz jig heads.

Try Squidgy 80mm Paddle Prawns in White Lightning and Bloodworm colours and use plenty of scent.

Heading away from the lakes and towards the marina, the ski run has seen good numbers of smaller GTs, big-eye trevally and jewfish.

These fish love little 2”-3” prawn-style plastics, especially Noosa’s favourite the Gladiator Prawn.

If fishing around the lower estuary, then surface fishing for trevally on first and last light is a safe bet.

Lighter leaders provide the best action and 70mm stickbaits are best for these areas.

Be sure to have the smallest Bassday Sugapens and Atomic Bulldog lures in your kit.

Mangrove jack, threadfin salmon and jewfish can also be caught at this time of the year in the upper section of the Maroochy River.

Fishing the top end of Coolum Creek and the stretch from Coolum Creek up past

Sunshine Coast

by PETER WELLS

Dunethin Rock is a very good option.

The structure around the motorway bridge in the Maroochy River has been fishing well during the low-light periods for legal size jewfish, trevally, tailor, jacks and big flathead.

These fish will all take a well-presented lure and the jewies love a 4”-6” paddle tail worked slowly.

Live baits including prawns and poddy mullet have been the go-to baits and work best on the finer-gauge Mustad Penetrator hooks when snelled together.

It pays to put the hours in, as this spot is not always willing to give up its secrets.

The Noosa and Maroochy river mouths have played host to quality bream, trevally, flathead and whiting.

Big baits work well here for the bigger species and light pea sinkers and whippy surf rods keep things fun when fishing for smaller bream and whiting.

On the beaches, medium size dart and tailor are hanging around the gutters along Noosa’s North Shore Beach and Peregian Beach.

Pillies, bonito strips and gang-hooked pilchards on 2/0 hooks have been the best baits.

Don’t forget when using softer baits to employ some bait wrap.

This will keep baits on the hook during casting and prevent smaller fish from running away with your bait after two bites.

Jewfish have been active after dark along Mudjimba North Shore Beach and up at Double Island Point.

During the day, the gutters along Marcoola Beach have produced whiting, bream, dart, tarwhine and flathead on peeled prawns and mullet strips fished on the start of the run-in tide.

Fishing for flathead with soft plastics along the beaches has been working exceptionally well of late, with the 4” Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ rigged on a 3/8oz, 4/0 TT jig head a standout.

If fishing off the headlands, be sure to have some larger stickbaits handy as tuna will often pass close by.

Hooking one of these when land based is a real thrill.

It is important to have a rod of 8’ or longer and at least

500m of quality braid to cope with the blistering runs.

Offshore from Double Island Point and on the Barwon Banks we’ve seen great captures of late, with the wider ground home to pearl perch, snapper, jewfish, cobia, gold-band snapper, tuskfish, a few solid red emperor and amberjack.

Berkley Gulp and Z-Man StreakZ 5”-7” jerk shad soft plastics rigged on 5/0-7/0 jig heads have been very effective.

Be sure to pack some heavier jigs including the Palms Slow Blatt Long 150g with 4/0-5/0 assist hooks, as trevally, cobia and amberjack love these.

Chardons Reef has seen good pelagic captures, with the occasional solid yellowfin and longtail tuna coming through.

In close, we should start to see the first of the mackerel run, with plenty of bait gathering during the early morning high tides.

Be sure to scan for bird action and have a cast.

Take a look along the Halls Reef stretch in Noosa and north of Mooloolaba towards Old Woman Island.

Be sure to have a range of slugs and stickbaits in your tackle box.

These work best when rigged with Decoy Sergeant single assist hooks for quick and easy unhooking and having a single tow point once the fish is hooked.

Out wide, the southern end of the Hards and the northern end of the Barwon Banks have turned it on for amberjack, pearl perch, snapper, tuskies and cod.

North Reef is the pick of the spots, with the majority of bait holding on and around the reef.

Expect to catch pearl perch, tuskies, snapper, cobia, jewfish and tuna.

Sunshine Reef should have quality coral trout and sweetlip on the menu.

For all the best advice, the gear you need and to find where the fish are biting, call into Davo’s Tackle World Noosa or visit our store at Marcoola, Davo’s Northshore Bait & Tackle.

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Page 30 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

“Sorry, we missed it!” The BNB team apologises that the Wilson Fishing Live Fibre RLF46FRO game rod was left out of the 2018 AFTA Trade Show Award winners page published last month.

The rod was a deserving winner of the Best Game Fishing Rod category, accruing 37 percent of the vote. Visit wilsonfishing.com to find out more.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 31

Fraser Island trip tips Q

A few tailor for a feed about to be filleted on the Ice Box Bloke Filleting Table.

A nice flatty hooked on the new Cocunut Ice colour from Z-Man.

UEENFISH, estuary cod, lemon shark, dusky whaler, mackerel, grunter, giant trevally, silver trevally and golden trevally – all are fish associated with bay or offshore boat fishing, but these were just some of the species we caught from the shore on our latest annual Fraser Island trip.

Throw in our other more ‘common’ land-based catches including tailor, whiting, flathead, bream, tarwhine, dart, long tom and small jewfish and you can see the incredible variety on offer from Fraser’s beaches and flats.

Tailor tips Despite all those exotic species on offer, tailor continue to be the fish most anglers visiting Fraser Island love to chase and for good reason.

They are tough, scrappy fighters for their size and can often be found in schools, which means good fishing fun.

At the time of writing, the tailor fishing was best in the southern to middle parts of the island.

Yidney Rocks/Happy

The author with a shark caught on his first attempt at slide baiting on Fraser’s western side.

Fishing Trip

by SEAN ‘SKIP’ THOMPSON

Valley saw a concentration of schools in late-August and early September, with a few schools in nice gutters up to Dundubara.

As per last year, the tailor fishing north of the closure zone at Waddy Point has been very poor, with only a couple of fish reported on lures just north of the closure area at Waddy Point.

With any luck, the schools will make their way north for anglers there in late-September and October, when the bigger fish also arrive.

While lure fishing is a lot of fun for tailor, we found as per usual, bait fishing is the most productive technique when the gutters have a bit more wave action/sloppier conditions from southeasterly wind.

However, as soon as the beach conditions improve from westerly wind, lure fishing comes back into its own, with lures much easier for the fish to see as they have a straighter, more natural retrieve across the gutter between waves, rather than being caught riding up and down regular waves.

For us, ONDAs from Kingfisher Lures, gold and silver 55g Halco Twistys and Duel Adagios (125) in pink worked best.

On a final note, I am often asked where to find a good tailor rod that isn’t going to break the bank.

With the now-high cost of transporting rods in tubes on planes, my interstate mates now store a spare tailor rod at my place for their Fraser Island trips, and further, I have a spare of my own, which I bought after a mate had one break and

got stuck with limited and expensive choices on the island.

I’m pleased to say our purchases of the 4.15m Tailor Taker and 4m Fraser Island rods from the Jarvis Walker Aurora range have not only stood the test of time, but have caught as many fish (including mulloway to 13.5kg) as their much more expensive counterparts.

While talking tailor, I thought I’d run through a quick and delicious tailor recipe.

Though tailor might not be the greatest-tasting fish in the sea, this special method turns them from a fairly average-tasting fillet to a much better one.

Simply cut the bloodline out of the fillet (you will be cutting the fillet in half by trimming the bloodline), then cut the remaining parts of the fillet into small bite-size pieces.

From there, crack a couple of eggs in a bowl and mix the pieces in there, giving them a good coating.

Then transfer the pieces into a plastic bag filled with Panko crumbs.

Give the bag a good shake to cover the tailor pieces, then cook them in rice bran oil (which has a much higher smoking point than most oils) on high heat for about a minute each side and enjoy!

Slider action After learning more about the intricacies of slide baiting from Don Butler and the team at Kingfisher Australia at our Ontour Fishing Australia co-hosted information session, I went armed with a new Poseidon Coastline 13’6” rod, slider

rigs and grapnel sinkers.

For those not familiar with this style of fishing, the concept is a simple one.

Use a light but powerful graphite rod capable of throwing weights from 5-7oz to cast a grapnel sinker as far as you can into the surf zone/over a ledge into deeper water.

I used an Alvey reel with 40lb line, so chose a shortbutt rod, but you can also use heavy-duty spin or overhead reels.

Then you want to attach the slide clip with a bait onto your line and essentially shake it down to where your sinker lies.

See the video on my Ontour Fishing or the Kingfisher Australia Facebook page for how to do this.

Ideally, you want to use a live bait to increase your chances of catching species including snapper, mulloway, spanish mackerel and giant trevally.

Dead baits will also work, though can catch a higher proportion of sharks.

The best slide bait locations off the beach at Fraser are in the rips or openings to gutters, and ideally you want to wade out to a shallow sandbank at low tide and cast them into the parallel gutter behind the main inshore gutter.

While we tried this near Ngkala Rocks and off the beach north of Yidney Rocks, my success came

from a completely different location.

I figured that since the ledge to deeper water is so close to the flats on the western side of the island at a number of locations, I would slide bait from the calmer western side while the other boys chased flathead and other species on lures and whiting on worms.

Luckily enough, the very first time I tried this, I hadn’t even shaken my live queenfish all the way out to the sinker when all of a sudden I saw two distant leaps out of the water and felt the line go slack.

This was the shark taking the fish and pulling the sinker from its hold.

Quickly I wound up the slack line and struck hard.

After a solid but reasonably quick fight, I landed a 1.25m dusky whaler shark on the western shore.

About 30 minutes later I landed a 1.4m lemon shark before I decided to ‘take a break’ from the hard work and throw plastics for flatties instead!

Back on the main beach, we came across the Kingfisher boys and they landed a bunch of sharks in the 2-3m range and a spanish mackerel during their stay at Orchid Beach.

Give slide baiting a go, as it will work off most deeply shelving beaches.

Mix your baits up, including big beach worms * continued P33

The Coconut Ice colour struck again, this time on a grunter.

Slide traces are used to get big baits in to deeper water, by clipping the slide clip to your line and shaking it down to where your grapnel sinker lies. Baits that generally are too big to cast out are ideal for sliding. Most popular place to use this method is off deep water points, where one targets big sharks with either a dead or live bait. Edible species are also targeted with the slide trace, namely GT, Jewfish, Kingfish, Queenish, Spanish Mackerel, amongst others.

TYPICAL BITE When using big baits one stands a better chance of hooking bigger fish and generally the bite is felt with a heavy pull or sometimes, slack line, do not strike, simply drop your rod tip and reel in to the fish. Striking too early will result in burn off, often line peels off the reel with great speed as the fish makes a strong run. Some fights can last for many hours, the trick is to save as much energy so that you have enough power to pull when its most needed...

TIPS Always check your knots, make sure your hooks are sharp and that you have enough line on your reel to handle your species. A .50 to .55mm abrasion resistant mono is recommended for sliding, any line with thinner diameter is susceptible to burn off. Always make sure the slide clip runs freely and is facing to where your sinker lies. Sliding baits is easier off a high vantage point, or if you are sliding with current into deeper water. Try making your bait as drag resistant as possible with the hooks standing proud when baited. The use of a grapnel sinker is very important as big baits need anchorage in strong current; the bigger your bait, the heavier your sinker needs to be.

Page 32 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

Dorian from Kingfisher Australia with a 2.4m dusky whaler caught from Orchid Beach on a slide bait.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

The author’s mate Till picked up this grunter by casting a plastic over a deep ledge on low tide.

Chris with a flathead hooked from the edge of some weed beds at low tide.

Fraser Island land-based fishing trip tips * from P32

for mulloway.

To buy Kingfisher Australia slide bait gear, visit kingfisheraustralia.com. au or shdot.com.au Flats fishing As usual, our boys’ trips to Fraser Island wouldn’t be complete without flats fishing with lures and bait fishing with live worms and yabbies.

As mentioned above, we caught a fantastic variety of fish on soft plastics, small hard-bodies and live bait off the western side of Fraser Island this year.

My previous articles this year on Fraser have covered the techniques, but basically you want to be targeting the entrances of creek drains, basins or drop-offs with lightly weighted TT Finesse (light-gauge) jig heads from 1/6-1/4oz and soft plastics such as Z-Man

Slim SwimZ, Curly TailZ and MinnowZ. While Motor Oil has been our favourite colour in clear water for many years, this year we tried the new Midnight Oil colour (which is Motor Oil but with flecks through it) and this really performed well in sunny conditions.

Likewise, the new Coconut Ice colour (a light pink and white) performed very well in slightly darker water and towards dusk.

In general, when we used a slow hopping technique, we tended to catch more bottom-dwellers like flathead.

However, with a variation in speed to slightly quicker long lifts and drops, we picked up more variety including grunter, queenfish, trevally and bream.

In terms of bait fishing, our best results were achieved on the run-out

tides, particularly those closer to dusk.

Fishing with live beach worms produced better results than yabbies and the fish were very close to shore when a bit of ripple was on the water, however when conditions turned glassy, you needed to target the slightly deeper drains and holes further from the dry shore.

Darker soft-sand areas are also more productive because these normally hold bait like yabbies, compared to the barren hard sand that is much less productive.

So keep an eye out on the sand for those subtle differences when fishing the flats for whiting, Accessories and extra All good fishing trips can be made that bit more enjoyable or productive by having a few accessories that make life easier.

This year we all cov-

ered our sinkers on our beach fishing rigs with Plonker Pads, which are Velcro pads that enclose your sinker and rod (or hooks and rod) and avoid tangles between rods and worse still, banging of the sinker on the car’s roof or windscreen.

You can find these for sale on the Plonker Pads Facebook page.

For filleting, we used an upgraded version of our long-loved The Ice Box Bloke Filleting Table.

This new version incorporates a three-way connector to a tap and spray hose, which made cleaning the board regularly between fillets a breeze.

These boards also fit two filleters very easily and are extremely sturdy, unlike some of their cheap imitations.

Finally, once we had finished our filleting, we packed and labelled the

fillets we were taking home to family in strong, specially designed snaplock bags and vacuum sealed them.

For this we used a fantastic new mini rechargeable vacuum sealer called Vaclock, which is very inexpensive, small and incredibly easy to use.

It ensured all our fillets were air free for freezing and kept them in as best condition as possible for later eating.

These are available at vaclock.com.au All in all, it was another great Fraser trip and I hope you have enjoyed this four-part series on Fraser Island.

For more tips, reports and information about beach, bay and estuary fishing, crabbing and prawning, be sure to jump on and like my Ontour Fishing Australia Facebook page.

The author’s brother Rossco with a golden trevally on a Daiwa Double Clutch.

Soft plastics can lead to a lot of variety on the flats like this small GT on a Z-Man MinnowZ.

The new mini Vaclock vacuum sealer worked a treat on the fillets.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 33

Tide Times Sponsored by

AUSTRALIA EAST COAST - BRISBANE BAR

WADDY POINT - FRASER ISLAND

Page 34 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

Exploring Fraser Island’s northwest coast

C

OMING into the cooler months always excites me, knowing it is usually the period of calm oceans and clear skies for the most part with the occasional windy change pushing through.

After a fairly blowy start to the cooler months leaving me little chance to head offshore, I knew the only way to get out there was to plan a week-long adventure so our odds of good weather stretched past just the two days of the weekend.

Hopefully by sharing our adventure, you will pick up some handy tips before embarking on a similar journey yourself.

We were set to head off on a journey to Wathumba Creek on the northwestern side of the famous Fraser Island.

Being based in Bundaberg, we would be crazy to go any longer before exploring the beautiful Great Sandy Straits.

In no time my girlfriend Leeah and I were pushing our shopping trolley through the supermarket and stocking up with tinned food and supplies because we would be completely self-sufficient as we were travelling by boat to a campground with no facilities.

Wathumba Creek is a fairly well-known destination and for good reason, being one of the most picturesque locations in the area, but it is still remote, being about 50km by sea from Hervey Bay township.

What drew me to plan this trip during August was not only the nice cool temperatures, but the better chance of having southerly wind that the western side of the island is mostly protected from.

During the week prior to leaving, the forecast was reading favourable for getting over there, but any time after that it could take a turn for the worse.

The most important part of our trip preparation involved water and fuel.

We had to plan for the extremes and some more to ensure our trip was full of enjoyment and not danger.

We planned for above and beyond our required drinking water, knowing we could always use the extra for washing up and showers.

Fuel was at the top of my priority list.

I had to ensure we had enough fuel on board to get us to our destination and back in any conditions, including plenty of fishing trips in between.

It’s vital you plan trips like this carefully because it can end up seriously bad if the wrong things happen at the wrong time.

I was confident my calculations were correct and all that was beyond our control was the weather.

The day had come and we were on our way to Urangan boat harbour where we didn’t waste time getting the boat in the water and making tracks for the giant sand island in view.

Fishing Trip

by JOEL JOHNSON

Having only explored a small part of Fraser by land in the past, we were both extremely excited to get over there, and the weather gods surely did produce the goods, with glass-out conditions and crystal-clear water.

We made it through the channel markers and across to the creek entrance in good time, stopping along the way to wave hello to the pods of whales migrating through the Straits.

When we arrived in the creek, we almost had to pinch ourselves to make sure it all wasn’t one amazing dream, with glassy clear water and white sand leading to fantastic camping grounds on Teebing Spit.

It truly couldn’t get much better.

Thankfully we had planned the trip to perfection in relation to the tides because this creek really drains out on low tide and without any knowledge of the channel and hidden dangers, high tide was a big help.

Not to mention how it makes carrying iceboxes and camping gear up the beach a much shorter walk.

The following morning, after waking early in the hope of heading out in the boat on a fishing mission, we set out and made it a whole 15m from camp before bottoming out on the sandbank.

Low tide was torture!

Watching the dead flat ocean lap the beach only 100m from us with no way to get out there was painful.

Oh well, plenty more kept us busy until the tide pushed in, but definitely expect to be land locked at low tide.

We finally made it through with the incoming tide and headed northeast towards Rooney Point, where we found a hive of activity.

It’s amazing what life a strong current mixed with 30m-deep water only a

> Hervey Bay > Fraser Island > Sandy Strait

stone’s throw from land can bring.

Big schools of bait, birds, whales… it was all happening!

After a couple of hours of trolling and sounding for reef, we headed into the shallows off the point to anchor up and have lunch, but as we approached the sand flat I noticed what looked to be a bait ball hugging the shoreline in less than a metre of water.

Thinking there might be predators surrounding it, I flung a small metal lure among them and hooked up instantly.

As it turned out, the ball was not bait, it was a tightly bunched school of tailor.

It was an awesome sight to see these fish in such shallow water and certainly great fun on light tackle.

Unfortunately, our Rooney Point fishing tales didn’t improve from this point on.

Having little to no waypoints made it very difficult to find good structure, but in terms of a scenic place to visit, it was definitely one of the trip highlights.

Our journey back to camp brought us past a gravel patch that had snapper written all over it.

Right on sunset, Leeah and I landed nice pinky snapper but nothing monstrous like we’d hoped.

From this point on we were battered with a northerly wind change that only gave us an hour here and there to poke our nose out the creek mouth.

Thankfully the wind swung in our favour for the trip home and we made it back with no troubles whatsoever.

Some key pieces of information to take out of this, not only for a trip to Wathumba but to any place of a similar description: plan for maximum fuel consumption (rough conditions) plus extra to be well on the safe side; take plenty of water and basic first aid; and plan your trip in relation to the weather and tides and

don’t be afraid to pull the pin if it’s too dangerous.

If heading to Fraser, ensure you buy a camping permit through National Parks and Wildlife, and while you’re on the website, it pays to read up about dingo safety and other precautions if you’re unfamiliar.

If you do plan on travelling to Wathumba Creek or anywhere on the western side of Fraser Island, I warn you, it is one incredibly beautiful part of the world and you will not want to leave in a hurry.

These stunning destinations are right on our doorstep, so get out there and make the most of them!

A beautiful migrating humpback whale – a very common sight when visiting Fraser Island during the cooler months.

A great pinky snapper Leeah Bahr hooked using live bait on sunset.

Leeah with a quality tailor caught in the shallows of Rooney Point.

Get into the best fishing action!

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COMPETITION DATES COMPETITION

DATE

LOCATION

2018

Kane with a cracking diamond trevally.

Snapper action mostly absent n Big trevally n Longtail tuna

W

INTER is long gone and it was a very interesting winter indeed.

Again a hot snapper bite seemed to evade us, though we caught the occasional great fish on heavy soft plastics.

Some light soft plastics in grub patterns worked well too.

When I did find a good bite, my old mate the tax-

Fraser Guided Fishing

by TRI TON

man ruined some potentially epic sessions.

It is a worry to be losing fish so comprehensively to apex predation.

Another worrying event is dolphin predation.

In places like Moreton Bay it has been a com-

Khan scored his first golden.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Callan boated a PB snapper.

mon occurrence for many years.

A local angler recently reported watching dolphins getting ‘easy pickings’ at the Southern Gutters just north of Hervey Bay. I have yet to experience

it in Hervey Bay, but was often their target in Moreton Bay. The upside is dolphins are very intelligent and usually miss the hooks.

They normally crush the fish behind the head and spin the body off.

Feeding dolphins is a big no-no.

They soon equate humans and boats to an easy feed, and from there it progresses to eating undersized fish that are released.

The next step is stealing your mackerel and snapper.

So, do not feed them!

Anyhow, back to the winter wrap-up.

Even if the snapper didn’t play, the big diamond trevally sure did.

Most were snared on small plastic grubs, and the bite was usually very gentle.

Persistence was key, as the trevally in the area were not always chewing.

A few smaller diamond trevally and pennant fish were mixed in too.

Pennant fish in other parts of the world are known as diamond trevally.

My understanding is what we know as diamond trevally are Indian threadfish.

Confused?

Well I guess that’s why we have scientific names.

Other fish caught with the diamonds were golden and brassy trevally, with the occasional snapper thrown in.

Towards the end of winter, the fish became much more obliging.

Longtail tuna were everpresent.

Not always busting on surface, but often hooked deep among schools of trevally and snapper.

Most were sub-metre fish, with the occasional biggy joining in every now and then.

Longtails aren’t too fussy because they are not * continued P36

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WIN Television Oct 20-21 Family Fishing Classic

Lake Monduran – Gin Gin masa-fishstocking.org.au

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Lake Callide Family Oct 27-28 Fishing Classic

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Lions Mary Valley Nov 3-4 Family Fishing Classic

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 35

Glen held one of the pigfish family that took a hussar bait.

Dean enticed this red with a mullet fillet on a paternoster.

A few days fishing wide of Fraser W ITH spring in full swing, we are heading into what can be one of the best times to go fishing on the Gold Coast.

Glen was rewarded with a solid red that hammered a hussar fillet.

The transition period, as it is often called, gives anglers several options as winter and summer species present themselves on the local Gold Coast reefs.

You can literally catch anything at this time of year.

If the water temperature in close stays low, we’ll see the snapper hang around, while out wide wahoo and marlin will

Mawson nabbed a metre-long queenfish.

Snapper action mostly absent * from P35

keyed in to one specific baitfish and will take a variety of soft lures as well as vibes and jigs.

Obviously the main concern is getting the lure down in front of them.

Another feature of winter is whales.

Around here it’s usually humpbacks and the occasional southern right whale.

In my experience, humpbacks are more animated and curious creatures.

I have never had right whales ‘mug’ the boat.

Humpbacks have longer pectoral fins, so that may also help you ID them if the head doesn’t break the surface.

You are not permitted to approach whales

and dolphins with your vessel.

Guidelines are available at environment.gov. au/marine/marine-spe cies/cetaceans/whaleand-dolphin-watching Please read this and play smart.

Obviously, if the marine creatures play around you while you are fishing, then there is not much you can do.

I recommend you pull up any rigs when you see whales approach your vessel.

Better safe than sorry, I believe, even though I have not snared a whale myself.

I have known of others who have, with some whales caught on the anchor.

Other times you may be on the move and the whales are in your path.

Page 36 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

Stop and let them manoeuvre around you, as sometimes this is when they decide to come and play.

Let them do their thing and slowly power off in a steady and deliberate fashion.

At times they may play for 30 minutes before they get bored of you.

Enjoy it, because they are not always in that mood.

You will notice quickly if they intend on having some interaction with you.

They will change direction and move towards you.

This may not be too obvious if you have been stationary for a long time but the first thing that hits you is the mist from an exhalation.

It’s just magic.

Gold Coast

by HEATH ZYGNERSKI

start their annual run.

The ever-impatient mackerel fishers will be waiting for the first run of spotties that usually happens once the water temperature hits that magic 23C mark, when the first cicadas can be heard or Christmas beetles appear, depending on who you talk to.

I always use the water temperature as the indicator.

It’s been a fairly quiet snapper season this year, with fish being caught (though mostly out wide) but you’ve had to work hard for them in close.

The size of the fish has been down on last year also, but that’s just Mother Nature working in a cycle as she does.

Cobia have been very quiet, with no real size being caught.

The fishing on the Gold Coast has been a bit slow and a good weather window presented itself midSeptember so we decided to again head to Double Island Point and chase reef fish wide of Fraser Island.

We changed our tactic this trip, heading up the night before to get a good night’s sleep and an early start the following morning.

The bar was a bit choppy as we headed out just after the turn and encountered a few rain squalls.

We were rethinking our plan just as we hit deeper water and the seas abated for us to make the 80km run north.

With the water still just over 20C, we had high hopes of a good mixed bag of reef fish.

However, at the end of our first day we only had a handful of parrotfish to show for our efforts and we had worked hard for them.

As we anchored for the night and the northerly picked up, so did the current, which made conditions unfishable.

An early night was had.

Up early the following morning, we were greeted by calm seas and a light breeze as we headed to some rocks we had marked the day before.

Good shows on the sounder had us excited but again the fish seemed to have lockjaw.

Finally, about 2pm a very timid biter was coaxed into actually taking a bait and a solid red was landed; our first for the trip.

A couple of subsequent drifts didn’t yield any further fish, so we moved on.

Again, as night fell the wind and current picked up.

I threw out a line but got hammered by sharks, so we again hit the sack in high hopes the next day would be the day we’d get something more substantial in the box.

Conditions were magnificent again first thing, and with an early start we had plans to hit pinnacles as we came across them.

We saw plenty of shows

on the sounder but the fish just didn’t want to play ball as we moved from rock to rock.

We had been in two minds about whether to hang out another night or make our way to the bar just before sunset, and had decided to let the weather guide us.

As the morning wore on, we decided we would head in for the night and park just behind Fraser for a good night’s sleep.

It was on one of the last rocks we tried that we hooked up solid on a good fish that had to be worked hard, even to take the bait.

The first hellish run had us calling it for a shark and it continued to fight like one until we spotted that beautiful deep red colour down deep and a good size red was slipped in the net.

We hit the rock again and true to form, bites that would have been called for a bream ended up being a solid red.

We were thinking our luck might have changed but a few more drifts of the rock were all quiet, so we turned the nose for home.

As we entered Wide Bay

Bar, we found it in really good condition and soon enough were anchored just inside magnificent Fraser for the night.

Every time I see Fraser Island I just want to get off the boat and jump on it.

It’s such a special place and with our annual trip fast approaching I can’t wait to hit the beaches with the gang.

The local bars on the Gold Coast are changing daily.

Tweed River Bar is still messy and shallow and you need to use caution on the run-out and during a bit of swell.

Currumbin Creek Bar is a minefield, with winding small gutters and a few that are blind on the low.

Boats have been getting out but please be careful.

Tallebudgera Creek Bar is narrow and shallow.

The dredge is currently working on the big sandbank up near the bar.

You still need to keep an eye on the Seaway, as the bank just outside is snagging the swell and can catch you off guard.

‘Til next month, stinky fingers to you all.

There’s nothing better than sitting in calm waters inside Fraser Island watching the sun go down after a good trip.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Monduran Family Fishing Classic reaches 20-year milestone n October 20-21, 2018

M

ARK these dates on your calendar now: October 20 and 21, 2018 for the Monduran Family Fishing Classic.

Monduran Anglers and Stocking Association had very humble beginnings 20 years ago when the group began to develop its dream of creating a successful stocked bass and barramundi fishery close to the southeast corner of Queensland.

Raffles at the local pub kicked things off, soon to be followed by the annual fishing competition.

While Lake Monduran was first stocked with native fingerlings including cod, silver and golden perch, saratoga and barramundi by Department of Primary Industries (Fisheries Group), these early trial species did not appear to be successful.

When MASA was formed in 1997, the focus of stocking was to be bass and barramundi.

The challenge of fundraising for fingerlings became a little easier with the start of the annual WIN Television Monduran Family Fishing Classic.

In the early years the focus was on working to cull the extreme numbers of fork-tail catfish in the dam to reduce the threat to fingerlings.

In these early days, camping was included as a part of your entry fee because of the limited facilities and no caravan park.

Being able to leave your boat in the water overnight and the location of weigh-in stations in the upper reaches of the dam were great features of the competition.

I can also remember the addition of the new showers behind the office/ kitchen area, which were very welcome in the early years.

Big changes were to come when the Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme was introduced in 2000.

Anglers bought a shortterm or annual permit to fish the dam, with funds distributed to the various impoundments.

Funding from the permits ensured stocking would continue and be much easier than in the foundation years.

Lake Monduran is a little over 70km north of Bundaberg and 20km north of Gin Gin. It has a surface area similar to that of Sydney Harbour (5340ha), a capacity of 586,000ML and an average depth of 11m.

The dream of establishing the most southern barramundi fishery was cemented when an International Game Fish www.bnbfishing.com. au

Bundaberg Region

by BRAD YOUNG

I attended many of the early competitions and enjoyed the strong comradery of the founding members as they began developing what could now be considered the best family fishing competition in Queensland.

Association record barramundi was landed on December 12, 2010 weighing 44.64kg, measuring 134cm in length and with a girth of 107cm.

Anglers from all over Australia and overseas now visit Lake Monduran in the hope of landing a metre-long barra.

I attended many of the early competitions and enjoyed the strong comradery of the founding members as they began developing what could now be considered the best family fishing competition in Queensland.

Looking back, those there at the very beginning should be proud of what has been achieved and the positive impact fishing at Lake Monduran has upon the local business community.

You can register online

via masa-fishstocking. org.au, at the event, at Tackle World Bundaberg or by sending a cheque/ money order (including full name, date of birth, address and phone contact) to MASA, PO Box 220, Gin Gin, Queensland 4671.

Annual coral reef fin fish closures are approaching Please remember to mark October 6-10 and November 5-9, 2018 in your fishing calendar and black them out as they are the periods of the two coral reef fin fish closures for 2018.

The timing of these closures is based around the moon phases and the times when many popular reef fin fish gather to spawn.

Respecting these closures helps to preserve our

fish stocks for the future.

Please ensure you are also aware of which species are classified as reef fin fish and those that are not.

Many other species can be caught during these closures but it is generally wise to steer clear of areas where coral reef fin fish are likely to be caught to avoid any risk of breaking the law.

Local fishing reports I’ve heard reports of solid flathead being taken in our local estuaries.

We have been experiencing a few 30C days, so it will not be long before the jacks begin to stir in our local creeks and rivers.

Whiting should also be available during the smaller tides between the new and full moons when the tidal run is a little more manageable.

As we approach the end of October, some bream may make their presence felt.

Our local estuaries usually have a summer run of bream but with the lack of decent rainfall since Easter, it will be interesting to see when and where the bream make their appearance.

On the freshwater scene, Lake Gregory (bass) and Lake Monduran (barra) should also start to see some action.

My rule of thumb is after a few days of warm/ hot northerly wind I see

no point fishing the salt, however these conditions usually see the freshwater impoundment water temperatures rise and make them a great place to target.

Remember to buy your SIPS permit before you hit the water.

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…

THE 7TH ANNUAL

Mary Valley Family

Fishing Classic

Borumba Dam near Imbil

Nov 3-4

• Entertainment • Prizes • Food on site

FIND US ON FACEBOOK: MARY VALLEY FISHING CLASSIC

www.gympie.qld.lions.org.au

find us on facebook • Win prizes • Post your brag • Chat to readers shots and writers • Join in on the fun • See who’s catching banter what • Have a laugh

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 37

BOATING & marine

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Discover the 7.4m The Centre Cabin is available as a 7.4m boat – the largest built yet by Formosa.

The 740 has a sharper deadrise of 20 degrees, without compromising the optimum stability Formosa boats are known for.

The 740 features the V2 Plate Hull, larger deck space, higher sides, a 300-litre fuel tank and more room for underfloor auxiliary fuel/water tanks.

Southeast Queensland Tomahawk dealer Formosa Marine is leading the way in Australian aluminium plate boat design and building.

Models are available in the successful Tomahawk range available through Formosa’s dealer, Australian Marine Centre south of Brisbane CBD. The AMC team would be delighted to show off all the boats in stock at 3491 Pacific Highway, Slacks Creek.

You can also be shown around the Formosa factory to see the build process and a variety of models going out the door.

AMC has a dedicated sales team on hand to help you get on the water with the right Formosa Tomahawk model to suit you.

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The Centre Cabin offers plenty of deck space for up to seven people who can find their own space to fish or comfortably lap up the sun during summer.

The aluminium centre cabin gives covered storage, a cushioned interior, protection for the family and your gear and a heavy-duty hinged rocket launcher to easily fold down for storage.

Hardtop options are available on the Centre Cabin for extra protection.

These include the new Enclosed Cabin with lockable roller door and glass windscreen, Fixed Hardtop and the popular Folding Hardtop Visor.

Visit the Formosa website to see the full range of smartly designed options to custom build your Centre Cabin, such as forward cabin seating, bow ladder, folding side seating, removable bait board with bait tank and removable ski pole.

Formosa is also happy to discuss customisation.

The Formosa V2 Plate Hull The V2 Hull features the strength of plate boat construction.

Longitudinal stringers and an underfloor lock cell frame are welded directly to the bottom sheets, creating massive strength and a solid feel underfoot when under way.

Box-style side ribs act as support and house wiring and tubing to keep your deck clean and free of obstructions.

The V2 Plate Hull has the ultimate deadrise for greater trim range, softer ride and quick response, providing great stability and safety.

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Page 38 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

Despite big offshore dimensions, the 700 Centre Cabin will happily run an electric motor on the bow.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

BOATING & marine Check out the footage by searching for BNBFTV

This is a big side console.

Sea Jay’s Adrenalin Hull is a proven performer.

Sea Jay 5.38 Avenger Sports a stunner

I

T’S often said in the marine industry there is no substitute for length, and that is certainly the case with Sea Jay’s new 5.38 Avenger Sports model.

The Sea Jay Avenger Sports line-up already looked pretty good, with models ranging from 4.25m to 4.88m, but this new 5.38m example has raised the bar again.

Not only is it half a metre longer, the beam is 5cm wider and hull 3cm deeper, which makes it noticeably bigger to the eye and improves performance.

Don’t get me wrong, there is no problem with the 4.88 model or any of

Boat Review

by BEN COLLINS

the others in the range, but if you are after a big capable sports fishing boat, the 5.38 Avenger Sports is the one for you.

Obviously, like any boat, making the choice comes down to how you plan to use your vessel and what the finances will allow, but if you are keen to have a big all-rounder, then the 5.38 is worth a look.

The test boat was fitted with the maximum horsepower in the form of a 115hp Yamaha fourstroke.

To be honest, I think the boat could have handled a bigger engine due to its quality hull design and solid build.

In any case, with over half a tank of fuel and two people on board the 115hp Yammie easily jumped the boat onto the plane and quickly hit a top speed of about 74km/h.

With the throttle wide open and the engine revving at 6000rpm, fuel consumption was impressive at roughly 1.85km travelled per litre of fuel used.

However, knock the revs back to 3000-3500rpm and the Yammie delivered numbers of over 3km per litre travelled, and still at up to 40km/h.

These numbers indicate a good match between boat and hull, which is what you want and expect from both these reputable companies.

The Avenger Sports range, aside from the 4.25, all feature Sea Jay’s Adrenalin Hull, which is one of the company’s trademark designs.

Over 25 years of development lies behind the family owned business based in Bundaberg, ensuring a product that has been refined to deliver op-

Heaps of room on the front casting platform.

timum performance and ride.

Also included in the standard package are a plastic anchor well, front and rear casting platforms, side console with glovebox and drink holders, electric motor plate, live bait tank, external keel, side pockets, underfloor flotation and the list goes on.

So aside from some electronics, which can easily be fitted by the dealer, basically everything is included so you are ready to hit the water and enjoy wherever your fishing dreams take you.

It is worth noting Sea Jay can customise the * continued P40

Large side pockets provide good storage.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 39

BOATING & marine

Sea Jay 5.38 Avenger Sports a stunner * from P39

The full transom and rear casting platform make this boat a true all-rounder.

boat if your requirements are above and beyond the standard inclusions.

However, Troy and the team have done a top job of making sure everything is where it should be so you will have years of trouble-free boating.

One thing that often gets overlooked and something Sea Jay should be applauded for is attention to even the smallest detail.

It is evident in the quality of the welding and paint jobs, and in each casting platform, which is

With its deep sides and powerful 115hp Yamaha you’re ready to tackle anything.

cut specifically for each individual boat.

This means you won’t be losing any small pieces of tackle down gaps where the deck meets the side of the boat, and also helps make the boat feel very solid as you punch through serious chop and big waves.

This ability to punch through chop is aided by the solid external keel, which also provides protection to the hull if you must pull up directly on a ramp or rocky ground.

Given this is the daddy of the range, my expectations for a top ride were well and truly met.

It was great to be able to freely walk around this big open sports fishing boat, imagining all the fishing scenarios this boat would be perfect for.

While I have probably harped on about the Avenger Sports’ fishability, it could double as a family fun boat and easily pull wakeboards and tubes all day with the 115-litre fuel capacity and economical power plant.

Something you’ll notice if you go to your local dealer to check out the

5.38 Avenger Sports is its significant depth, freeboard and full transom, which enhance its fishability.

These attributes give you the option of going on offshore adventures while the family is kept safely inside the boat.

Overall, while mainly a dedicated fishing machine, the Sea Jay Avenger Sports ticks enough boxes to double as a fun family vessel to keep the kids and partner happy.

For more information on the full Sea Jay range, check out seajayboats. com.au The website also lists all the dealers to help you

find the closest one to you so you can check out this boat in person.

To see this rig in action, see the video on our BNBFTV YouTube channel.

PERFORMANCE RPM

KM/H

2000 11.3 3000 30.3 3500 40.5 4000 46.8 5000 61.9 6000 73.8

More storage is found under the front casting platform.

Quality aluminium boats to suit tough Australian conditions

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Page 40 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

Rising Sun Townsville 07 4779 0211

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Holt Marine Brisbane 07 3353 1928

Precision Marine Darwin 08 8931 1140 www.bnbfishing.com. au

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-to-understand and helpful tips on protecting their boating assets.

The scenario While it is common for car insurance companies to charge different insurance premiums depending on whether or not the vehicle is being financed, Nautilus Marine does not differentiate on financing when it comes to boats.

So if you are borrowing money to buy a boat, your insurance premium will be exactly the same for that boat as if you had paid cash for it.

And that’s irrespective of whether you financed it under a lease, hirepurchase, chattel mortgage, home loan redraw, personal unsecured loan or any other financing format.

The good news is irrespective of financing arrangements and irrespective of whether a trade-in was or was not part of the deal, the insurance premium will be the same from Nautilus Marine.

However, should you decide to finance the boat from an external source, you will need to advise Nautilus Marine that the lender – be it a bank, credit union, private finance company or whomever – has a material interest in the boat.

That way, if things ever go pear-shaped or the boat is stolen, the right parties will be advised of the insurance payout so they can recover what is due to them.

Be sure to look for the declaration of a material interest on your insurance proposal form.

If you don’t see it, ask about it.

Most new runabouts bought – and in insurance speak that collectively covers all deck layouts including half cabins, cuddy cabins, bow riders, tiller-steer dinghies, centre and side console rigs – have some level of financing involved.

Likewise, if you decide to repower your boat and borrow the money for that new, more powerful four-stroke outboard, you will not be penalised

by Nautilus Marine for you having sourced the money from elsewhere.

But what will affect

your insurance premium will be the new, presumably higher value of your boat with the new engine.

And that’s exactly what you want – a higher level of coverage for a higher value of asset.

If you do repower your boat, it is important to advise your insurer so the new value can be assessed, agreed and reflected in your insurance policy.

Likewise with electronics.

You can still buy a sounder for a couple of hundred dollars, but now there has been a massive up-scale shift in the complexity, level of integration and value of marine electronics.

Electronics now might contribute tens of thousands of dollars to the value of your boat – in fact a couple of years ago a leading manufacturer released an ultraclever mapping function on a recreational sounder module that tipped the price scales to around $25,000.

Since then, display screens have continued to get larger, transducers look in several directions, frequencies change according to the operator’s

wishes… the list of technological advancements and the commensurate increase in total price get higher and higher.

And that’s before we consider a new sound system.

Financing them?

Not a problem.

Just ensure you advise Nautilus of what electronics are now on the boat, the value for which they need to be insured, and your premium will be adjusted to the agreed price.

But also be aware that just because you added $6000 of electronics to your boat, that does not mean your boat automatically and immediately is worth $6000 more.

Once you take electronics out of the box, or once the new, greater version of the device comes onto the market with more grunt and features, your $6000 has just taken a hit in value.

That’s the great thing about dealing with a marine insurance expert like Nautilus – you’re dealing with people who understand boats and boating equipment, which means you have the opportunity to discuss these scenarios before you buy the equipment.

Maybe not always with the first person who answers the phone, but the right person, with the right knowledge, is available to help you.

Check you’re comfortable with the likely ramifications and if it all stacks up to your liking and your capacity to purchase and repay and meet your other commitments, borrow away.

Nautilus won’t be hitting you with a penalty just because it wasn’t your money that financed

the upgrade.

Special conditions and excesses should always be explained clearly in your insurance policy’s product disclosure document.

Always check your product disclosure document and if you have a query, ask for clarification.

If you need further information, you can contact Nautilus Marine Insurance on 1300 780 533 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 bi-monthly prize to the best questions received.

The prize is a Nautilus Marine merchandising pack comprising a collapsible chiller bag, a handy marine sports bag and a 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.

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Learn more at mercurymarine.com.au

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AIRLIE BEACH | Whitsunday Outboard Centre 17 William Murray Dr, Cannonvale Q 4802 P: 07 4946 7286 E: woc@whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au W: whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au

BRISBANE | Manly Harbour Marine 570 Royal Esplanade, Manly Q 4179 P: 07 3893 2199 E: info@manlyharbourmarine.com.au W: manlyharbourmarine.com.au

BRISBANE | Holt Marine 25 Queens Rd, Everton Park Q 4053 P: 07 3353 1928 E: info@holtmarine.com.au W: holtmarine.com.au

BRISBANE NORTH | Brisbane Marine 306 Duffield Rd, Clontarf Q 4019 P: 07 3889 3033 E: info@brismarine.com.au W: brismarine.com.au

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IPSWICH | Ipswich Marine Centre 45 Huxham St, Raceview Q 4305 P: 07 3294 3944 E: enquiries@ipswichmarine.com.au W: ipswichmarine.com.au

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 41

BOATING & marine

River rat restoration under way I HOPE everyone’s had the chance to get out and catch some fish over the past month.

The day the author bought the tinnie. It was begging for a change!

Slowly the frame started to take place.

In this article I’m going to be doing something a little different and talking about the tinnie I’ve decided to build up into the ultimate river/bay weapon.

Getting a tinnie wasn’t really up there on the list of things I wanted to do because I’ve got Shortbill, an absolute weapon of an offshore fishing boat.

In the end, I decided to get a tinnie because Shortbill is really only an offshore boat and isn’t designed to be taken up shallow creeks and thrashed around in tight structure.

With all the fishing options around southeast Queensland, I wanted something set up purely for lure fishing and designed to target the bays and rivers.

Having a second smaller boat gives me many more opportunities to fish other styles and not just be sitting around when the weather is too bad to get offshore.

When it came to buying the tinnie, I wanted something completely bare, something I could turn into my own.

I ended up buying a 3.9m Stacer with a 30hp

Boat Refurbishment

by JORDAN ‘GRINNER’ KOSCHEL

Tohatsu outboard.

As it was going to be set up purely for lure fishing, I decided I was going to make a raised floor throughout pretty much the whole boat.

I wanted something I could comfortably walk on and move around the whole boat quickly and efficiently.

Making the entire boat a casting deck gave me a 360-degree casting range, made it easy to get around the boat when fighting fish and provided endless amounts of storage under the floor, which is what you need when lure fishing, especially if you have a heap of gear that probably won’t get used.

A lot of people have questioned why I decided to design the floor the way I have and many have pointed out I won’t be able to take the boat’s capacity of people out.

The answer has been the same for everyone: it comes down to the style of fishing I will be doing.

I want to be standing at all times when fishing plastics in the shallows or vibing the river for jew-

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www.kareemarine.com.au Page 42 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

fish and threadfin salmon.

Maintaining contact with my gear while standing up increases my catch rate tenfold.

Now I’ll tell you how I designed the floor and what I used to do it.

The tinnie originally had two bench seats, so I decided to keep them in the design for strength and integrity.

The floor frame was built by going straight off the bench seats using 40mm x 40mm aluminium tubing.

I didn’t just start by throwing aluminium into the tinnie, I took the time to sit down and think about the layout and where my storage hatches were going to be.

After a brainstorm, I got a straight edge and level so I knew where the floor frame had to be packed up or down to ensure the ply floor wouldn’t be uneven to stand on while moving around the boat.

I screwed all the aluminium together by using brackets and stainless steel screws and once all together I welded the seams.

You could get away with not welding it because the screws and brackets would be plenty strong enough to hold it, but I decided to weld it for extra reassurance.

Once the frame had been completed it was time to put a marine ply floor down.

I found the easiest way to cut it to fit was to make a template out of cardboard and then trace it straight onto the plywood piece.

This worked quite well and was fairly easy.

A quick tip is to sand the edges round and take a couple of millimetres off so marine carpet can be easily wrapped around the ply sheet.

I’ve still got a lot to do but it’s slowly getting there.

The wiring for all the electronics is my next job, as the Minn Kota goes on shortly, as does the sounder.

I have decided to run a Garmin sounder just like in Shortbill simply for ease of use and familiarity.

I advise anyone who is thinking about the same sort of setup for their fishing tinnie to have a crack yourself.

It is way more cost-effective and you get to put in creative ideas and make it your own.

It may take a little longer on your own but at least you will know exactly what has been done.

I’m sharing a heap more pictures and videos on my Instagram page, so if you’d like to have a look jump on and check it out @jkoschel_fishing.

If you see something you want to know a little

more about, don’t hesitate to swing me a message and I’ll run through it with you.

Remember, if you would like to come for a fish with me, call Moreton Island Fishing Charters on 0413 128 056 and we can arrange a day for you to come out and catch the fish of a lifetime!

The frame was getting close to completion, so it was time to start playing with mounting options for a seat and sounder.

The raised floor and hatch layout.

Sitting pretty in the water waiting for the new Minn Kota and sounder to arrive.

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SAVWINCH.COM.AU Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 43

BOATING & marine

Haines Signature 580BRX introduced to up the ‘sports boating’ game

A

U S T R A L I A’ S m o s t- aw a r d e d sports boat has been reimagined with the release of the 580BRX by Haines Signature Boats.

Page 44 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

The introduction of the 580BRX continues Signature’s long-standing bowrider lineage with its dramatic styling, newly designed seating configuration and exceptional onwater experience, upping the sports boating game in the Australian boating marketplace.

John Haines of The Haines Group said, “With the 580BRX we’ve delivered the best of both worlds.”

“It’s a dedicated lifestyle boat – one that can be used for water sports on dams and lakes but unlike traditional ski boats, its Haines Signature pedigree means it has offshore capabilities to take you where most ski boats can’t.”

The 580BRX encompasses all the traditional traits you’d expect from the brand – quality finishes, superior performance, backed by the legendary Haines ride for superb handling and stability, thanks to its Signature Variable Deadrise Hull.

Clever design, high-end features The new model now comes with a range of new standard features to entice water sports lovers and set it apart from its competition.

Clever enhancements and thoughtful design have been dispersed throughout the boat, starting with its arena-style seating.

Maximising the space on board, the new U-shaped wraparound lounge provides a spacious layout for passengers to deliver comfort and style whether lounging or spectating.

The front passenger pod seat can be replaced with a standard bolster seat, should customers prefer.

Along with the upholstered bow lounge and starboard moulded bolster seat, the 580BRX has capacity for up to eight passengers.

Wet and dry storage compartments for skis, wakeboards, fishing tackle and rods and other gear are provided throughout, including under-lounge seating, side pockets and below deck.

A removable aft seat disguises the Igloo marine Esky underneath to keep cool refreshments on hand.

At the bow, an anchor locker well and hatch is provided as standard, while optional features include a ski pole and oversized transom steps with an extendable stainless steel ladder to provide a swim platform and easy access in and out of the water.

Technology The latest in marine gadgets are also at the forefront of the 580BRX’s credentials, with a newly configured, fully moulded dash introduced to allow for all the latest electronics at the helm.

It houses a Simrad GO7XSR 7” chartplotter/

sounder as standard, however can fit electronics up to 9”.

A premium JL Audio stereo with Bluetooth and two 6.5” speakers also comes standard to provide on board entertainment.

The display model has been fully loaded with seven speakers all up and features the upgraded Simrad GO9XSE unit, offering customers the chance to see what customisations and upgrades are available with the 580BRX. The dash has also been hand crafted to house stainless steel switches, so electronics can be turned on conveniently and literally at the touch of a button by the helmsman.

Other standard features include a USB charging point, courtesy lights, two rod holders and eight drink holders.

The 580BRX is rated from 140-200hp, with the display model powered by the maximum horsepower DF200AP four-stroke outboard from Suzuki Marine to achieve the best possible on-water performance.

Pre-rigging is included.

Crossover functionality For families keen on a practical and functional boat that can be used for

both fun and fishing, the 580BRX delivers on all fronts.

The abundance of storage is a huge drawcard and the fully moulded non-skid floor provides extra safety and comfort when reeling a line in.

Flooring upgrades, such as carpet or Ultralon foam decking can also be optioned.

A 150-litre fuel tank maximises its offshore credentials.

“The entry-level 580BR has been one of our most popular models of all time, commanding enormous praise and respect from customers and the boating industry alike since its release over a decade ago, winning three ‘Boat of the year’ awards along the way,” John said.

“We believe the newrelease 580BRX continues this legacy, but with new features to elevate it to new sports boating heights, particularly for Australian-made boats in the water sports category.”

Both the 580BRX and existing 580BR are available as part of the Haines Signature Boats range.

For more information, visit hainessiganture.com. au or contact your nearest Haines Signature dealer today.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

K AYAKING & canoeing Perusing pedal-powered Hobies

B

ECAUSE my recent annual winter road trips have coincided with the Brisbane Boat Show, it’s been several years since I’ve been able to attend.

There was no clashing of calendars this year though, so I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to visit the show.

A lap around the show’s four halls in the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre revealed, no surprise, boats – a lot of boats.

As I wasn’t shopping for a new boat, I was drawn to a few marine dealers’ stands with electronics on display.

Having been a sonar user since my first canoemounted Fish ID unit in the mid-eighties, I enjoy tinkering with the latest depth-sounding gadgetry.

I was greatly impressed with the quality and features of entry-level units (compared to the Legolike display of the 64 vertical pixel, grey display of the first-generation LCD sounders).

In fact, I was so impressed with the offerings from Lowrance that I grabbed a combo colour sounder/GPS unit to upgrade the one on my kayak (for the princely sum of $99).

Having fished from canoes and kayaks since before that was a thing, I don’t need chartplotters, side scan or the other niceties of advanced units to find fish or fishing spots.

Waypoints from previous outings is all I require from a GPS, and a good sonar display of raw data with enough resolution to pick up thermoclines and bait aggregations will keep me happily catching fish.

With a new sounder for the kayak and a replacement EPIRB for one about to expire in the tinnie, I left the electronics stands to find myself at the most impressive display at the show: the Hobie stand.

As well as what appeared to be one of every Hobie kayak and standup paddleboard in the range, the stand featured a large indoor pool for ‘test drives’.

Several fishing kayaks caught my eye, starting with the recently redesigned baby of the fleet, the 2.9m Sport.

Weighing in at 28kg, the Sport is easy to get onto the roof racks of an offroad vehicle, even for us grey-haired fishos.

Despite its small size, the Sport is a fully feawww.bnbfishing.com. au

Kayaking

by NEIL SCHULTZ

tured fishing platform with water-tight internal storage, moulded rod holders, adjustable seat with ergonomic backrest and of course, the brilliant Mirage pedal drive system.

Next to pique my interest was the newest addition to the line-up, the 3.6m Hobie Compass, designed to be the entrylevel model of the range.

Noticeably larger but only 3kg heavier than the Sport, the new Compass is a sleek kayak with lines reminiscent of the Revolution, producing a stable yet fast fishing platform.

Like most of the range, the Compass includes a transducer cavity for ease of installation of one of the range of compact Lowrance sounders.

Hobie manufactures a sounder installation kit, which includes a purpose-built battery box, rechargeable battery (with a charger), and all the peripheral hardware.

Being the entry-level model, the Compass is more affordable than the rest of the line-up of roto-moulded, sit-on-top kayaks.

This may be the budget model, but it is a very functional fishing vessel that doesn’t lack in features.

Over at the test pool, yet another model caught my eye, the Inflatable 11, a flat-decked sit-on-top kayak with some of the unique Hobie features.

What really interested

me about the Inflatable 11 was its weight (just 16kg) and the ability to pack it into a carry bag only 91cm long.

You could even get this one into the cargo hold on a commercial flight if you desired.

The Inflatable 11 comes

with front and rear deck storage, the very comfortable C Ti seat, twist and stow rudder and the brilliant new 180-degree Mirage pedal drive system.

Oh, and then there was the new incarnation of the old favourite Outback, the huge Pro-Angler 17T, the Compass Duo, the sleek little Revolution 11 and oh, so many other great fishing and touring craft to drool over.

The new Hobie Compass. Though being the budget model in the range, this is a very functional fishing craft.

This is a radical departure from traditional inflatable kayak design. The author wonders if he can convince the wife he ‘needs’ another kayak?

Having been the owner of a Hobie Sport, the author can vouch for its versatility. It’s light enough for portaging over rapids in small creeks yet stable enough for chasing snapper offshore.

Decisions, decisions…

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 45

Special snapper stocks feature

Snapper stocks – what are your thoughts?

A

FEW years ago Bill Corten and I were the recreational fishers on the CrabMAC Committee and were responsible for setting the new guidelines for sand and mud crabs.

What we set back then seems to be working and sandy and muddy stocks seem to be on the incline or at least steady in numbers.

The one rule that we couldn’t get through was the taking of one female.

In other states and territories you are allowed to take jennies, and I don’t think it would have hurt stocks in Queensland as the catch rate for jennies is double that of bucks.

Now a new problem has arisen in the form of snapper.

I believe the snapper fishery needs a serious review, as ever since the last review in 2011 snapper stocks in Moreton Bay have been on the decline and it’s harder than ever to catch a legal 35cm squire in the bay.

The number of boats fishing the bay has basically doubled since 2011.

On that legal size, I believe a 35cm snapper is hardly worth the effort of taking home and filleting compared to a 40cm.

I will most likely be jumped on by a tonne of bricks for the above statement, but if something is not done soon, you won’t be able to catch a legal snapper in the bay in a few years.

As for offshore numbers I will not comment, but good quantities of quality fish seem to be being caught, especially by charter boats.

Identifying options for rebuilding snapper stock is a priority for Queensland’s new Rocky Reef Fishery Working Group.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development

Page 46 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

Comment

by BRIAN WEBB

and Fisheries Mark Furner announced the new working group, which will provide advice to the government on managing fisheries including snapper, pearl perch, teraglin jew, yellowtail kingfish, cobia and mahi mahi.

Mr Furner said the Queensland Government’s Sustainable Fisheries Expert Panel had considered the latest snapper stock assessment, including an independent review and agreed with the findings.

“Snapper is an iconic species and it is important that management arrangements ensure Queenslanders can continue to catch and eat snapper into the future,” Mr Furner said.

“The new Rocky Reef Fishery Working Group will now review all the information as a priority and recommend options to rebuild snapper stocks through development of a harvest strategy for the fishery.”

Mr Furner said changes to size and possession limits introduced in 2011 have not been sufficient to improve snapper stocks since the previous stock assessment in 2009.

“The latest scientific advice is that the biomass of the east coast snapper stock is 10-45 percent of the original biomass,” Mr Furner said.

“The Queensland part of the stock, which has been considered overfished for the past six years, is potentially lower at 10-23 percent of the original biomass and anywhere below 20 percent is cause for concern.”

Sustainable Fisheries Expert Panel chair Assoc Prof Ian Tibbetts said despite uncertainty about

the exact biomass level, clear signs indicate snapper stocks are in poor condition.

This includes declining catches from both the commercial and recreational sector, fewer older fish in the population and declining numbers of juvenile fish in Moreton Bay recruitment surveys, particularly since 2013.

“The Sustainable Fisheries Expert Panel was set up to provide independent, evidence-based advice on fisheries management and has recommended urgent and strong action to rebuild snapper stocks,” Assoc Prof Tibbetts said.

“Snapper has been classified as overfished for many years and there are no signs of recovery despite management interventions, marine park closures and by-catch reduction in Moreton Bay. “There may be some environmental factors such as water temperature affecting the stock, however, local action still needs to be taken.”

The Rocky Reef Fishery Working Group, made up of commercial, recreational and charter fishers and science/conservation representatives, will meet in September to consider the snapper stock assessment and options to rebuild the stock.

The group will also develop a harvest strategy for pearl perch, which is considered to be a depleting stock.

As part of the Queensland Government’s Sustainable Fisheries Strategy, clear biomass targets have been set and harvest strategies are to be in place for all fisheries by 2020.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Special snapper stocks feature

Figure 1: Queensland commercial CPUE for snapper over time as determined from compulsory logbooks (graph copied from Fisheries Queensland 2016 Stock Status Workshop Report).

Figure 2: Commercial snapper catch recorded by Queensland Fish Board between 1937 and 1975.

Review of the snapper stock assessment for 2018 – Queensland component

T

HE report, ‘Stock assessment of Australian east coast snapper, chrysophrys auratus: predictions of stock status and reference points for 2016’, was recently released by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

This is a review of that report, providing a scientific appraisal of the Queensland component of the snapper stock assessment.

This review has found the Queensland catch rate time series (snapper catch and effort over time) are inaccurate, and in some cases dubious, and should not be regarded as reliable indicators of snapper abundance.

The single exception to this is the Queensland commercial logbook time series.

The fishery independent survey in the Moreton Bay region of age group 0-plus snapper, outlined in the report, lacks details on methodology and a robust discussion of results.

Results showing low levels of snapper recruits per hectare in juvenile habitat suited to beam trawl sampling, even in years when recruitment was stable, raises uncertainties about the accuracy and efficiency of the sampling methods.

Consequently, the relationship between the results of the survey and total recruitment of juvenile snapper in Queensland is uncertain.

The known biology of snapper (rapid early growth and small size/ young age at maturity, high fecundity, disbursed and relatively small spawning aggregations in Queensland, ability to live in an extremely wide variety of habitats over huge inshore and offshore areas) and the highly restrictive characteristics of the Queensland snapper fishery (lines only with www.bnbfishing.com. au

limited hooks, weather dependent, very high minimum size limit, very low possession limits on recreational and charter fishers, variability in snapper fishing skills – especially recreational fishers) leads to the conclusion that recruitment overfishing is extremely unlikely, if not impossible.

The presence of very large/old snapper (greater than 70cm total length, 15-plus years old) at low levels in the population indicates the possibility of growth overfishing.

However, if growth overfishing is present, it is not expected to significantly reduce egg production by the total population.

Note: the recent rebuttal comments by Hilborn that the value of large females in population egg production is overstated.

Given the dubious nature of the inputs to the model, especially supposedly declining catch rates over time as an indicator of reductions in snapper abundance, the conclusions that major declines have occurred to snapper biomass in Queensland are questionable and probably incorrect.

The resulting management imperative to rebuild the snapper biomass in Queensland is therefore unnecessary.

Snapper fishery management has been very restrictive in Queensland, particularly since the previous management review in 2008-2011.

From a biological viewpoint, maintaining the existing Queensland snapper management interventions is adequate and responsible, given incorrect projections about declining biomass.

Further restrictions on the Queensland snapper fishery, which might include an increase in the minimum size, reduction in possession limit, further restrictions on keeping large snapper or sea-

sonal fishing closures are regarded as unnecessary, and even irresponsible.

Review details This review provides a scientific assessment of Queensland catch rates used as ‘input data’ to the current snapper biomass modelling described in the report.

These snapper catch rate time series include data from commercial logbooks and Queensland Fish Board landings, historical assessments of charter fishing from old media reports and the series of Queensland annual state-wide recreational fishing surveys to estimate total catch and total effort by the recreational sector.

It also considers the validity of the snapper recruitment surveys in the Moreton Bay region.

The relationship between snapper biology and the snapper fishery in Queensland is described and assessed.

In conclusion, this review provides a critical assessment of the efficacy of the predictions from modelling that the Queensland snapper population is severely overfished.

The publication ‘Stock assessment of Australian east coast snapper, chrysophrys auratus: predictions of stock status and reference points for 2016’ states: • The key population status indicators were snapper catch rates and age frequencies; • The current stock assessment using data from NSW and Queensland was run from 1880-2016; • Stock levels for this assessment were estimated to be low (between 10-45 percent of virgin or unfished spawning biomass); and • Model analyses that used line catch rates (NSW and Queensland data) as the index of abundance estimated spawning

biomass ratios in 2016 between 10 percent and 23 percent.

Catch rate time series as an index of snapper abundance The report on snapper stock assessment released in 2018 states “The key population status indicators were snapper catch rates and age frequencies.”

The fundamental issue in assessing the snapper stock is whether the catch rate time series (catch and effort over time) is proportional to snapper abundance.

This point was strongly made in the evaluation by the expert consultant Chris Francis of the Queensland snapper model by Campbell et al (2009).

The validity of four different time series on Queensland snapper catches as indicators of snapper population abundance is appraised below.

Queensland commercial logbook data and Queensland Fish Board landings Log books for commercial fishers became mandatory in 1988.

Figure 1 indicates relatively stable catch rates for snapper from 1988 to 2015 – except for increases during the period 2003 to 2008 when an investment warning was issued by the Queensland Government.

These short-term increases are typical of fishers’ behaviour following investment warnings – inYear

creasing reported catches in individual logbooks so as to benefit from possible management interventions.

The average catch is about 35kg per day, which equates to roughly 25 snapper per day.

From 1937 to 1975 the commercial catches of snapper were recorded by the Queensland Fish Board.

However, not all snapper caught by commercial fishers were sold through the Fish Board.

For example, fisher’s cooperatives at Mooloolaba and Sandgate operated in competition with the Fish Board in procuring fish from the fishers.

Fishing effort was not recorded.

Therefore the calculation of catch rates from annual landings at Queensland Fish Board depots (Figure 2) is not possible. * continued P48

AUTHOR PROFILE – DR BARRY POLLOCK Barry Pollock (PhD, University of Queensland) has been the scientific editor of a Queensland scientific journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland, for the past four years.

He is often invited to peer-review for other scientific journals on fish biology.

Prior to retirement, he held positions of director, Fisheries Branch

QDPI; general manager, Fisheries Resource Management QDPI; and deputy director, Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency.

He completed many fisheries-related consultancies for the UNDP and FAO, United Nations.

Several recreational fishing bodies in Queensland have requested his scientific advice.

Total snapper kept in QLD

Survey reference

He has served on several fisheries management advisory committees.

Barry was raised at Redcliffe, Queensland and has a long family history of recreational fishing in Moreton Bay, including 65 years of family snapper fishing.

He has a strong scientific publication record on the fish stocks and fisheries of southeast Queensland.

Total weight (tonnes)

1997

RFISH (Higgs 1998)

577,000

519

1999

RFISH (Higgs 2001)

527,116

474

2000

RFISH (Henry and Lyle 2003)

252,229

227

2002

RFISH (Higgs et al. 2007)

296,440

267

2005

RFISH (McInnes 2008)

327,783

552

2010

SWRFS (Taylor et al. 2012)

83,898

135

2013

SWRFS (Webley et al. 2015)

55,625

82

Figure 3

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 47

Special snapper stocks feature

Review of the snapper stock assessment for 2018 * from P47

Charter boat historic catches – from late 1800s to present (Thurstan et al 2014) “Contemporary catch rate data was sourced from the southern offshore Queensland charter boat industry (data provided by Ray Joyce, Pacific Marinelife Institute), which recorded numbers

Figure 4: Queensland recreational fishing effort – overall participation levels decreasing.

Figure 5: Standardised catch rates from the Moreton Bay sampling program of young snapper (2018).

Gold Coast charter catch from 2017.

Page 48 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

of snapper and other fish species landed by charter boats fishing from the Gold Coast from 1993 to 2013. The advantages of this particular contemporary data source as a basis for comparison are it has a reliable measure of fishing effort in number of hours and number of fishers, and the historical data also relates primarily to charter fishing.”

An example of catch exaggeration (from Thurstan et al 2014): “The Brisbane Courier presents the longest unbroken series of catch rates, between 1871 and 1933. On two occasions, reported catch rates exceeded 37 snapper per fisher, per hour.”

Other exaggerations and dubious reports on snapper catches are common in early media reports.

Highly skilled recreational snapper fishers and charter operators report it is physically impossible for a charter group of anglers to catch 37 snapper per fisher, per hour.

The time series of catch rates for snapper from Thurstan et al 2014 compares media reports of outstanding/exaggerated snapper catches (1871 to 1939) with records of Ray Joyce who interviewed charter skippers on the Gold Coast (1993 to 2002).

The Joyce data covers all charter catches even when snapper were not targeted, and many low catches were recorded for a variety of reasons (groups not wanting to bag out on snapper, poor weather, lack of angler skill, use of inferior bait and fishing gear).

A valid comparison would be obtained by comparing ‘like with like’.

In the period from 1993 to 2002, the data should be confined to only the most noteworthy snapper catches.

Numerous such examples are available on the websites of charter operators who target large catches of snapper.

The photo attached is one such example of a Gold Coast catch taken on a short charter in 2017 (all participants with bag limits of four snapper, all over 35cm).

Queensland recreational fishing data – state-wide surveys From Taylor et al 2012: “The statewide telephonediary surveys conducted

by Fisheries Queensland from 1996-2005 (McInnes, 2008) used a different survey design to the current survey. The catch data obtained from these surveys provided indicative catch information for each survey year but could not estimate with confidence the detailed catch and effort statistics such as those presented in this report. The results

from the 2010 survey are considered to be more accurate as the design of the survey gives far greater consideration to known sources of bias (Harthill et al, 2012).”

The problem with the Queensland state-wide surveys 1996-2005 is the catch diaries were subject to ‘recall bias’; the tendency for recreational fishers to exaggerate their catches (both in terms of numbers and fish size).

The latter surveys by Taylor et al (2012) and Webley et al (2015) undertook validation procedures to eliminate recall bias, and hence reduce the estimates of total snapper catch.

The results for the time series of recreational catches in Queensland is the early surveys from 1996 to 2005 overestimate total catch in comparison to the later surveys from 2010 to 2015.

Figure 5 summarises estimates of Queensland total snapper catches by recreational fishers from state-wide surveys.

The accurate Queensland state-wide survey data from 2010 and 2013 shows the total snapper kept-catch has decreased from 84,000 to 56,000.

However, the total recreational fishing effort has also decreased.

In addition, the bag limit for snapper was five in 2010 and four in 2013 – also contributing to decreases in snapper catches.

Considering these factors, snapper catch rates

by Queensland recreational fishers from 2010 to 2013 are much more stable than those used in the current modelling.

Conclusion one: Catch rate time series as an index of snapper abundance The report on snapper stock assessment released in 2018 states: “The key population status indicators were snapper catch rates and age frequencies.”

The fundamental issue in assessing the snapper stock is whether the catch rate time series is proportional to snapper abundance.

This point was strongly made in the evaluation by the expert consultant Chris Francis of the Queensland snapper model by Campbell et al 2009.

In the current review, four different Queensland time series are considered.

The commercial logbook snapper series, 1988 to 2015, appears to be the most accurate.

It shows stability of catch rates other than for a brief period corresponding to the Government’s investment warning from 2003 to 2008.

It is possible that hyperstability may be involved where commercial fishers move to more productive

areas, however the presence and impact of hyperstability needs careful examination.

Fishing power may also have increased, but this is unlikely to be highly significant during the period from 1988 to 2015.

The Queensland Fish Board records of commercial landings from 1937 to 1975 are an unknown part of the total commercial snapper catch.

No matching effort data are available for Fish Board landings data.

Therefore, the calculation of accurate catch rates from annual landings at Fish Board depots in Queensland is not possible.

Comparisons of old media articles with contemporary information on snapper catches by charter fishing (such as in Thurstan et al 2014) are dubious.

The media articles from 1871 to 1939 contain details of outstanding catches, often with exaggerations.

Contemporary data collected by Ray Joyce from Gold Coast charter operators between 1993 and 2002 is not directly comparable with old media articles.

During recent times outstanding catches are often made by charter groups of recreational fishers on the Gold Coast, equivalent to those made in the late 1800s and the early 1900s.

Comparisons of snapper catches over time should have matched the outstanding media reports (discounting for exaggerations) with outstanding contemporary snapper catches by charter operators – not with the Ray Joyce data.

The Queensland statewide recreational fishing surveys used different methodology from 1997 to 2005 compared with more recent surveys from 2010 to 2015.

The early surveys overestimated total snapper catch due to recall bias in the catch diaries.

In addition, total fishing effort has decreased substantially from 1997 to 2013.

Changes to size limits and possession limits on snapper have also occurred during the period of these state-wide surveys.

For these reasons, the time series of catch and effort for snapper in the recreational fishery, based on the state-wide surveys, are not accurate indicators of changes in snapper abundance.

Conclusion two: The snapper recruitment survey in Moreton Bay The accuracy of the snapper recruitment survey results in the Moreton

Bay region is uncertain – given the absence of information provided on survey methodology, and lack of robust discussion of the findings.

It is surprising that such low levels of abundance (such as 10 to 15 snapper of the 0-plus age group per hectare) occur in prime juvenile habitat areas from 2007 to 2013 – prior to ‘recruitment reductions’.

This result alone raises questions about the accuracy and efficiency of the sampling methodology.

The notion that Figure 5 demonstrates snapper recruitment failure for the entire Queensland snapper stock due to overfishing is questionable to say the least.

Snapper biology and fishery relationships In Queensland, snapper reach sexual maturity at 26cm total length and about 1.7 years of age (Stewart et al 2010).

They are serial spawners over a protracted period each year.

They do not form dense spawning aggregations in Queensland like mullet or tailor, but have smaller spawning aggregations at a variety of water depths and locations.

Fecundity is very high, but egg production within the entire adult population by the very large female size-classes is expected to be low in comparison to the small and mid-size females.

Several mainly theoretical/modelling papers have been published in recent years advocating protection of large highly fecund female teleosts.

Other modellers have disagreed.

For example, the rebuttal by the much-respected Ray Hilborn, a fisheries biologist at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Ray argues that “Because superspawners are relatively rare, even in unfished populations, their overall contribution to the population is not particularly great. Accounting for superspawners would make ‘little difference to how you manage a fishery’.”

Snapper have a short planktonic larval stage in open waters.

Juveniles occur in inlets, embayments and other sheltered marine waters, often over sand, mud, seagrass and rocky habitats.

The adult fish are remarkable in relation to the extent, diversity and large area of habitats and depths they are able to colonise.

For example, adult snapper can inhabit estuaries (such as the Brisbane River and Pumicestone Passage), embayments (Moreton Bay and Hervey * continued P49

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Special snapper stocks feature

Review of the snapper stock assessment for 2018 – Queensland component * from P48

Bay), intertidal areas (Peel Island and Mud Island) and offshore to depths of 60m or more.

In these offshore habitats they occur in both the water column and close to the substrate.

These biological characteristics of snapper and the existing constraints on the snapper fishery in Queensland, particularly limitation to only line fishing with limited numbers of hooks, makes snapper unlikely to be depleted by fishing in Queensland.

Other characteristics that reduce their vulnerability to fishing are their dawn/dusk feeding patterns, and most of the adult habitat is subject to weather, which makes fishing difficult/impossible for much of the year.

Recent minimum size limits (35cm since 2002) enable mature snapper to spawn for one or two years before entering the fishery.

The snapper fishery is dominated by fish in the range up to 40cm total length.

However, fish in the range from 30-35cm are extremely common in catches (Figure 6).

At present, the entire recreational catch of snapper in Queensland is made up of 75 percent discards due to being undersize, and 25 percent kept catch.

Snapper is a long-lived species, but very few individual fish over 70cm total length are taken in the Queensland fishery.

Figure 6, for example, shows the size-frequency of snapper taken by recreational (charter) fishers.

However, the extreme size/age distribution of snapper makes them vulnerable to growth overfishing – that is, reduction in the larger size classes (greater than 70cm total length).

Conclusion three: Snapper biology and fishery relationships The reproductive characteristics of snapper, rapid early growth rate, high fecundity, relatively small and dispersed spawning aggregations over wide areas in Queensland, extreme diversity of habitat from intertidal zones to deep (60m) offshore waters, and the snapper management arrangements makes recruitment overfishing unlikely in Queensland.

Their long-lived char-

acteristic could result in growth overfishing.

However, if growth overfishing is present in snapper in Queensland, it is not expected to significantly reduce egg production by the total population.

As a result of the low levels of large snapper in the Queensland population, their overall contribution to egg production is not particularly great.

Predictions from the 2018 snapper stock assessment modelling and future management The 2018 snapper stock assessment report states in summary: “There was an accelerating nature of decline in estimated spawning biomass relative to estimated virgin spawning biomass from 1950 to 1990.

This decline was consistent with the harvest increases during that time period.

After 1990, estimated spawning biomass ratios levelled off.

For model analyses that used trap catch rates (NSW data) as the index of abundance, estimated spawning biomass ratios in 2016 were between 20 percent and 45 percent.

Model analyses that used line catch rates (NSW and Queensland data) as the index of abundance estimated spawning biomass ratios in 2016 between 10 percent and 23 percent.

The different signals in the NSW commercial trap catch rates and the line catch rates complicated the status of the stock as a whole, but suggests that localised depletion in Queensland is likely to have occurred.

Despite the differences/ range of biomass estimates, the assessment recommends a reduction in overall fishing mortality to rebuild the stocks of this long-lived and iconic species to more sustainable levels.

Effort will need to be reduced for any rebuilding of population sizes to occur.

The rate of recovery will depend on the extent of the restrictions on harvest.”

The inconsistency in estimated spawning biomass levels between NSW trap fishery data (20-45 percent) and Queensland/ NSW line fishery data (10-23 percent) highlights the dubious nature of the model projections using

inaccurate data.

The explanation above – that line fishing in Queensland has caused localised depletion – is highly speculative and dubious given the heavy fishing pressure of the NSW trap fishery, which has much less comparative impact on the snapper stock according to model projections.

Conclusion four: Predictions from the 2018 snapper stock assessment modelling and future management Given the dubious nature of the inputs to the model,

especially information on reductions in catch rates over time as an indicator of declining snapper abundance, the conclusion that major declines have occurred to snapper biomass in Queensland is incorrect.

The resulting management imperative to rebuild the snapper biomass in Queensland is therefore questionable.

Snapper fishery management has been very restrictive in Queensland, particularly since the previous management review in 2008/2011.

From a biological view-

point, maintaining the current Queensland management interventions is reasonable and responsible, given the uncertain status of the current (2018) assessment findings on stock status.

Further restrictions on the Queensland snapper fishery, which might include an increase in the minimum size, reduction in possession limit, further restrictions on keeping large snapper or seasonal fishing closures are regarded as unnecessary, even irresponsible.

Dr Barry Pollock

Figure 6: Standardised catch rates from the Moreton Bay sampling program of young snapper.

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The Wellsy crew encountered this red emperor around the Marbles.

Gino captured a solid snapper, which was something of a rare catch for the Stanage region.

Snapper a Stanage surprise

H Brett picked up this big spanish mackerel around Sail Rock.

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ELLO and welcome to October.

This time of year sees Stanage slow a little in regards to fish and crabs, so if you’ve been here recently and found it harder than normal to land your favourite catch, please don’t be discouraged.

The fish and crabs will be back.

Crabbers have had to go further up the creeks to be able to get their fill and even then their size has been slightly smaller than the usual giant muddies known to inhabit the area.

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All those attending the Rockhampton Recreational Fishing Forum agreed there has been significant progress, with fishers valuing and developing stewardship of the NFZs and local councils playing a role in regional man-

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by PEE WEE

among some great grunter and queenfish.

Sail Rock is showing good potential for mackerel, with a few solid specimens brought in for show and tell.

Steep Island has also produced a few mackerel, though they’re not going crazy out there.

The Percy Isles may be a bit quiet, but when things are on, they have delivered awesome red emperor and parrotfish.

One lucky fisher hooked

a beautiful snapper recently, which was a fairly uncommon capture for Stanage Bay. The Marble Islands have seen coral trout being caught on lures and squid bait.

Other fish species keen on a feed of squid and cuttlefish have included red emperor, stripies, cod and sweetlip.

The Jew Hole is yet to fully come alive but it shouldn’t be too far off.

Bream can be caught

around Quail Island and in Porters Creek off the bank by anglers using prawns.

Even though finding the fish has been a bit more challenging, it’s been great seeing some anglers branch out to test new rigs and methods to better their chances.

Who knows what trying something different will bring.

The road crew has begun works to the road in, so it won’t be too long and the road condition should start to improve.

It’s pretty rough at present.

Fisheries officers have

been for a couple of visits, so make sure you have all the correct safety gear on board.

If crabbing, ensure your pots are set up correctly and don’t forget your bag limits.

It all saves the hassles of an unwanted fine and a dampener on your trip.

The township has been reasonably quiet but holidays are almost here, so get to Stanage early to secure your prime camp spot or accommodation and top fishing ground.

I wish you all good weather and hungry fish for the month ahead.

Cheers!

Rockhampton Recreational Fishing Forum 2018 key achievements

HAT has been achieved in the almost three years since the net-free zones were established?

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Stanage Bay

agement through the development of Recreational Fishing Strategies.

Strategies • The Rockhampton and Mackay Regional Councils have adopted Recreational Fishing Strategies for their regions and the NFZ. • The Rockhampton strategy is being guided by three working groups covering infrastructure, business development and marketing, and fisheries management and ecology.

• A Mackay Recreational Fishing Steering Group has been established to own and guide their strategy.

• Cairns Regional Council has a draft strategy that is currently going through the consultation phase.

• The RRC has adopted a voluntary code of practice that was developed by recreational fishing interests and there have been 200 fishers sign up to the code.

• The Mackay Recreational Fishing Alliance has developed a draft voluntary code of practice in conjunction with local fishing interests and MRC. • WWF provided strong support for the three NFZs and is pushing for a NFZ in far-north Queensland the size of Tasmania following the recent purchase of the last full-time licence operating in the region and purchase of two N4 licenses in 2016.

• There has been progress in the development of aquaculture opportunities, with the State Government undertaking a statewide assessment of suitable areas and Rockhampton identified as a likely area.

Infrastructure • A new four-lane boat ramp on the north side of the Fitzroy River was officially opened in August 2018 and plans are under way for ramps to replace the Port Alma ramp.

• The RRC has developed proposals for a range of land-based fishing platforms in the city area.

• In the Mackay region, the improvement of boat ramps has been assessed and priorities established.

• A new boat ramp is proposed for Yorkeys Knob north of Cairns.

Business development • Four new fishing tour operator businesses have been established as a result of the Capricornia NFZ. • Accommodation providers in Rockhampton are now looking to cater for visiting fishers with an Airbnb being set up in the Lakes Creek area and accommodation interests taking part in the implementation of the strategy.

• RRC is establishing a marine precinct adjacent to the Quay St boat ramp in its city plan to promote the establishment of marine-related businesses.

Monitoring • The Fitzroy Partnership for River Health has developed a draft integrated monitoring plan and is developing a report card for fish health and abundance in the Fitzroy River (estuary and fresh water) as part of its report card process (due June 2019).

• Monitoring of the NFZs has been undertaken by Fisheries Queensland through boat ramp surveys, along with community monitoring of the

Capricornia and Mackay NFZs. • Crystal Bowl monitoring indicated fish sizes of key species barramundi and king threadfin salmon in the Capricornia NFZ have continued to increase; the catch rate for king threadfin has improved while the catch rates for barramundi have fallen due to three years of poor recruitment not topping up stocks.

• The catch rate of legal barramundi in the Fitzroy River remains at a 20-year high of over one fish/fisher/day.

• Community monitoring in the Mackay NFZ indicated that after an initial increase in catch rates they have remained steady in 2018.

• FQ monitoring of 41 key species suggests few changes in the NFZs compared to their reference sites.

• FQ monitoring suggests there have been improvements in catch rates in 2017/18 for barramundi and king threadfin in the Fitzroy River.

Fishing activity • There has been an upsurge in fishing competitions in the Capricornia NFZ and the Fitzroy River was the only Australian location included in the first World Fishing Day. • Visiting fisher numbers to the Capricornia NFZ have increased significantly as 40 percent of recaptures are now being reported by visiting fishers, with the increase from 20-40 percent coming mainly from Gladstone, and these are mostly day trippers.

• A barramundi restock-

ing program has been revived for the Cairns NFZ, with a release of barramundi earlier in the year.

• Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol provided a summary of offences in the NFZs including the incidence of illegal netting in each of the three NFZs. Key issues raised • Following the last election when the uncertainty about the NFZs (particularly Capricornia) was removed, the environment has been favourable for business development, resulting in new businesses being established.

• It was noted Livingstone Shire Council was the only council that hasn’t initiated the development of a Recreational Fishing Strategy.

• The concept of developing a ‘Barramundi Highway’ along the coast was strongly supported.

• There needs to be a rethink about future monitoring with new technology that provides the opportunity to increase data collection significantly, making it available in near real time.

• For many of the strategies’ objectives there will be funding required and new ways of approaching funding need to be developed.

• There remain opportunities to develop boat and tackle hire businesses and for the development of fishing lodges, particularly in Rockhampton.

• There is a continuing need to work with the tourism and accommodation sectors to develop boat-friendly accommodation options in all locations. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Snag-dwelling species on show

O

CTOBER is one of my favourite times to be on the water, not only because it’s the last month to chase barra, but the days are getting longer and the midday temperatures are warm without being punishing.

Reports of barra and jacks being caught will be on the rise as they respond to the increase in water temperature.

Targeting barra and jacks among fallen timber along the banks is one of my favourite ways of targeting both species.

You will tend to get smaller barra from shallower timber, but the takes can be spectacular and the hit from a good size jack, followed by efforts to stop it, is great fun.

I tend to use 75-100mm hard-body lures when fishing shallow timber, with a slow-rising lure allowing me to hop the lure over branches.

Some of my go-to hardbodies are Marias, Sebile Koolie Minnows with their smaller profile, Lucky Craft Pointers and the ever-reliable Bombers.

Having a range of different lure depths will allow you to fish a wider variety of areas depending on the formation of the bank and how fast it drops off.

Strong hooks are a must and most lures will come with good enough hooks from the package,

Gladstone Region

by GARY CHURCHWARD

Estuary cod are commonly called a pest when fishing for more desirable species, but these fish can be great for young kids to learn on when first casting to structure and practising how to work lures. but I would definitely be changing the light-gauge hooks on the Sebiles.

Another good alternative is a soft plastic rigged in a weedless presentation.

Colour is a personal preference, but I recommend taking note of what bait is around and using something similar.

If in doubt, a good prawn-imitation plastic would be my first option because most fish will find a prawn hard to pass up.

Fishing with surface lures is an exciting way to target both barra and jacks in the timber.

You will tend to get fewer hits, but it is a very visual way to fish.

A live bait presented into a snag, either floated or lightly weighted, can be a deadly way to get fish to bite.

Catching your live bait in the area you are fishing will ensure you are using the bait the fish are feeding on.

Target larger barra in

Sam caught this blue salmon on a vibe in the Calliope River.

Phil nailed this chunky pikey bream on a prawn-imitation soft plastic.

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deeper water too, as there doesn’t have to be any physical structure to hold fish in deep water.

A change in water depth will allow them to sit out of the current as it passes over their heads.

If structure is on the bottom, such as a rock bar or submerged tree and a bit of bait, you are in with a great shot.

When targeting fish in deeper water, a fastersinking vibration lure allows you to spend more time in the strike zone.

Big paddle tail soft plastics rigged on heavier jig heads are another good option in deeper water.

Large live baits from 150-300mm will attract the attention of larger fish, with mullet, legal size whiting, pike and large herring all good options.

Blue salmon schools will still be roaming Gladstone Harbour and the rivers.

The schools will be smaller but you will find the fish are a little bigger.

Again, searching the deeper sections of the river and harbour will give you the best results.

Flathead will be active because they are still feeding after spawning.

Use 80-100mm soft plastics and hard-bodies around sandbank dropoffs.

Chasing bream and whiting in the harbour on small poppers and hardbodies is a great change of pace from the more commonly targeted species.

On light lines these fish put up a good account for themselves and if you can find the right location you can quickly catch several.

Tarpon are thick in the Boyne River, with the odd school also showing up in the Calliope River.

Small plastics and vibes will soon see a few of these acrobatic fish heading skywards.

Grunter and fingermark will still be caught around gravel banks and rock sections in the rivers and harbour.

Vibes and paddle tail or prawn-style plastics will work best on both fish.

Estuary cod are commonly called a pest when fishing for more desirable species, but these fish can be great for young kids to learn on when first casting to structure and practising how to work lures.

Because they can be in plague proportions around shallow rock bars, it is great to keep the kids enthusiastic because they don’t care about the size, only that they are catching something.

Small queenfish and trevally can be seen harassing bait schools around bridge pylons and pressure points.

Small poppers and plastics worked quickly will get these fish to bite and they are great fun on light lines.

Hopefully we can all get a few barra before the end of the month to hold us over until February.

Cheers and happy fishing from Gladdy.

A nice jack taken from the upper section of the Boyne River on a Maria hard-body.

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King of the River a success K EPPEL Bay Sportfishing Club, in conjunction with the Criterion Hotel, hosted a cracker king threadfin competition on the Fitzroy River in late August.

Brothers Jacob and Matt Milner with a haul of nannies and jobbies. Check out that weather.

Young Riley was all smiles after landing this big nannygai on board Double Threat Charters.

Zade Van Wees took out the junior barra category in the King of the River comp with a 78cm chrome slab. A top effort from the youngster.

Participants said they had a very enjoyable time and are really looking forward to next year.

With the Fitzroy River net free for almost three years, expectations were high for plenty of fish.

However, the report from the two days of competition revealed a very frustrating time for all.

Technology has taken us into the future and it is great to be able to see the fish and where they are sitting but what about if they refuse to bite any lure thrown at them?

For most participants this was the norm.

Perseverance was the key, according to crowned King of the River Mick Chelepy who caught the overall biggest thready, which came in at a whopping 1350mm.

“We had to remain patient and keep those lures in front of them,” Mick said.

It’s been interesting to chat to different people about why the river fished so tough.

Most people put it down to the two days of persistent westerly wind.

My opinion is the entire river fished pretty hard this winter.

The past two winters were a different story, with regular bite periods.

The numbers are there, no doubt about it, our sounder technology tells us that.

Darren Griffith finished in second place with his 1310mm threadfin.

Another river monster for sure.

Gary Mcclelland snuck into third place with a 1250mm model.

The barra were even trickier than the threadies, with once again plenty of numbers sounded but very few bites.

Young Zade Van Wees grabbed the biggest barra for the juniors and the biggest barra for the weekend at 780mm.

An outstanding achievement for the youngster.

For all the photos from

King of the River Mick Chelepy with his winning 1350mm thready.

Page 54 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

Capricorn Coast

by JOHN BOON

the comp, you can jump on the Keppel Bay Sportfishing Club Facebook page and stay up to date with planning for the 2019 comp.

Next year’s dates have been set for August 24 and 25, so make sure you put those in the calendar.

What’s been happening – inshore The main word on the grapevine is school mackerel have been biting well.

The water in close has been clean for a long time, so it’s no surprise the macks have turned up on cue.

There’s also plenty of yorkies around and generally when the yorkies are thick and in close the macks aren’t too far away.

I recently had a good chat with Paul Newbecker, owner of Emus Beach Resort at Emu Park.

Paul has seen days when the macks have turned their noses up at any bait presentations thrown at them.

On these days, Paul has resorted to the old-faithful Flasha lures burned back to the boat.

This has made the difference on a tough bite.

Offshore We’ve heard great reports of big spanish being caught from the outer Keppel Islands north to Manifold.

The gun spanno fishers have been doing the damage by slow trolling baits like gar and ribbonfish.

The use of a downrigger has kept the bite going once the sun has come up and the macks have gone deep.

Red fish continue to run and we’ve seen numerous captures of large-mouth nannygai and red emperor from the wide pinnacles and fern grounds.

Check out young Riley’s photo of a horse nannygai he caught while fishing with Tim Price from Double Threat Charters Yeppoon.

Tim said this horse swum straight past a fresh yakka to nail a bit of old squid, so it pays to vary your baits.

Trout have been on the chew from the Outer Rock/Barren area up to Flat and Perforated islands and out east.

Bommies holding large shoals of bait have been the main areas targeted.

I was recently out fishing some of the ground mentioned.

We were using big live baits and the first hit resulted in an epic bust-off, with nothing but shredded leader making its way back to the boat.

The second hit came on a smaller live bait and I was able to boat a lovely trout.

Don’t be afraid to use big live baits when chasing trout.

Just make sure you’ve got the required gear to have any chance of getting them off the bottom.

Estuaries This is the final month to get your barra fix, as old saltwater pink eyes will be off the target list from November 1 through to February 1.

The good news is water temps are looking great and the barra have responded well.

The town reaches of the Fitzroy have begun fishing pretty consistently, particularly the bommies around the old bridge.

I’m really hoping we don’t get our first flush of fresh down the river until after the season has closed.

The Rocky Barra Bounty will be running from October 16-18 and it would be great to have the entire Fitzroy River fishable for the comp.

We have missed out the past two years, with the river running fresh during the comp.

It would be exciting to see what sort of barra numbers the comp generates with the entire netfree zone fishable.

Blue salmon have slowed a bit but have still

been caught in numbers from Port Alma and Corio Bay. Threadfin are as plentiful as ever around the region, with Coorooman and the Fitzroy the pick of the places to target them.

Most of the metre-plus threadies I’ve caught over the years have been on 3” prawn-imitation lures.

It’s true that elephants eat peanuts, with the Berkley Gulp 3” Shrimp a clear winner.

They don’t have much action but they work a treat.

Grab some 3/0 jig heads in weights from 1/4-5/8oz and you’ll be covered for most situations.

That’s it from me for this month.

I’m off to prepare for the Rocky Barra Bounty and we can’t wait.

It’s always a great comp and it will be interesting to see what surprises are in store as this is the 20th year celebration.

You can follow all the hype on the Rocky Barra Bounty Facebook page.

A fantastic event where we get to chase an iconic sportfish and catch up with good mates.

Keep an eye out for a detailed report in coming months.

Callan Connors from CC Fishing Adventures with some fine island trout.

The author with a lovely live baited trout from east of Yeppoon.

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Alison boated this sizeable nannygai.

Rhys landed a whopper fingermark.

Prime fishing time at Hinchinbrook

W

E are right in the heart of prime fishing season here at Hinchinbrook Island, with lots of people from all over Australia and the world coming to experience the incredible fishing in the Hinchinbrook region.

The weather usually settles at this time of year, with really hot days and glassed-out conditions enabling us to enjoy a wider range of fishing options.

Out on the bluewater scene, we have been do-

Hinchinbrook News

by TODD EVELEIGH

ing the usual GT popping and stickbaiting around the islands and coral cays chasing the mighty GTs. Schools of large nannygai usually migrate into the inshore shoals where we can experience fantastic nanny fishing and catch cracker coral trout too.

It’s also a great time of year to rig up garfish on wog heads for fantastic

Richard with a barramundi.

spanish mackerel action of an early morning and late afternoon.

A good way to locate spanish is to cast stickbaits at them to entice some of those acrobatic aerial strikes our clients just love.

With the water warming, obviously barramundi and mangrove jack are really starting to fire, with a lot of bigger fish coming from around deepwater snags and rocky points with water colour changes.

On the big tides, all the drains in the centre of the Hinchinbrook Channel start coming into their own, with great barra catches and believe it or not even mangrove jack on these snake drains.

When the tides are smaller, it’s always better to do a bit of snag bashing by casting lures deep

into shallow water snags for jacks and barra in the tighter creeks.

It’s also a good time of year to head up and down the coast fishing small coastal creeks for mangrove jack.

They really start to fire in these coastal creeks with some good numbers to be had.

The ever-reliable 3” Lively Lures Mad Mullets and Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ produce plenty of fish in this sort of country.

Just remember to fish pressure points, colour changes where the bait is stacking up and obviously dirty water drains coming out of the mangrove forests.

Try a few different lures, sizes, depths, plastics, hard-bodies and prawn imitations to work out a pattern where the fish are going to bite.

On some days they just don’t bite until the tide change.

Until next month, bring on summer!

Susan scored a GT.

A cracking GT for Alison.

Black market fishing sees Townsville recreational fishers fined $17,000

T

AKING excess coral reef fish, which were to be sold on the black market, has landed two Townsville recreational fishers $17,000 in fines.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the two recreational fishers pleaded guilty in the Townsville Magistrates’ Court to unlawfully taking 63 coral reef fin fish.

“The magistrate stated their actions were deliberate and calculated and dismissed their argument

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the fish were taken for a social gathering,” Mr Furner said.

“The black market supply of fish threatens the sustainability of the community’s fisheries resources and consumers should only buy seafood from licensed suppliers.

“One of the fishers was fined $8000 for the taking of the fish while the other was fined $9000 for the take of the fish and for failing to stop his boat when directed by Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers to do so.”

Member for Townsville

Scott Stewart said local QBFP officers intercepted the fishers in September 2017 while patrolling waters near Little Broadhurst Reef.

“Our local QBFP officers do a great job in protecting our waterways right across north Queensland,” Mr Stewart said.

“The officers found a total of 103 coral reef fin fish on board the vessel, including 63 coral trout, 28 redthroat emperor, nine spangled emperor and three moses snapper, with a total value of more than $2300.

“Neither of the men has ever held a commercial fishing licence or a commercial fishing boat licence and, as recreational fishers, they could lawfully only take 20 coral reef fin fish each.

“An inspection of the vessel also revealed a number of features that suggested it was set up to fish commercially, including a device used primarily by commercial fishers to look under the water’s surface, an operational live fish well and an EPIRB registered to a commercial fishing boat.”

To address black marketing of seafood in Queensland, it is proposed to amend the Fisheries Act 1994 to strengthen the enforcement powers of Fisheries inspectors and the penalties for serious offences.

The proposed reforms in

the Fisheries Act discussion paper include: • Creating an indictable offence for trafficking in priority fisheries resources, with persons convicted potentially facing a penalty of up to 3000 penalty units (currently $378,450) and up to three years’ imprisonment.

• Providing Magistrates alternatives to fines to deter repeat offenders.

• Providing Fisheries inspectors additional powers of entry to commer-

Experienced local guide

cial businesses handling seafood products and vehicles where there is evidence the vehicle is carrying fish or fishing apparatus.

There was overwhelming support for these changes through consultation, with over 90 percent of people supporting strong compliance powers and heavier penalties to address black marketing.

A Bill is expected to be put to Parliament later this year.

Photos: Fisheries Queensland

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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C AMPING & outdoors Cruising Cape York during the build-up

A

PART from the Chilli Beach/ Iron Range area, coastal northeast Cape York doesn’t get a lot of attention from travellers.

The southward view from picturesque but windy Sadd Point.

A nice eating-sized barramundi from Princess Charlotte Bay. Barramundi are now off the target list in the Gulf country but still legal to take during October in east coast waters.

The Lyon family with some reef delicacies speared off Chilli Beach.

Josh and the kids with a trio of crayfish taken wide of Lockhart River.

Page 56 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

This is partly because of limited road access, but is likely also the result of the relentless southeasterly trade winds that blow for much of the dry season.

They can make life fairly uncomfortable to say the least and blow a dog off its chain!

Now we’re into October (can you believe it?), we should see more frequent breaks from the trade winds as the ‘build-up’ to the wet season gets into full swing.

This makes camping at such places much more appealing, and in good weather they are mindblowingly beautiful.

Chilli Beach Campground, located within Kutini-Payamu National Park (north of the Aboriginal community of Lockhart River), offers a good spread of campsites nestled among the beachfront jungle.

Many of these provide excellent shade, and some shelter from the wind if it does pick up.

Fresh water is also obtainable from a bore/tank operated by a solar-powered pump on the main road not far before the campground.

You can beach launch your boat here (in good weather) to gain access to excellent fishing grounds close and far.

Even around nearby Restoration Island (‘Resto’, as it’s called by the locals) you can score excellent fingermark, large-mouth nannygai, coral trout and spaniards, usually without much trouble.

It’s simply a matter of prospecting around with the sounder to find reef, rubble or other features and dropping some baits or jigs.

And did I mention the crayfish, for those eager to go for a dip armed with a speargun?

Lockhart River community is well worth a visit, and you can fuel up and stock up with tucker in the town.

Quintel Beach just out of town offers great views across Weymouth Bay and along the coastline.

Just leave your grog back at camp – it’s an alcohol-free community and the ban is enforced.

Portland Roads, an important port during World War II, is located north of Chilli Beach and is a must-visit place.

You’ll enjoy more great views from this little community, and you can see some of the relic infrastructure left from the war period.

The wildlife in this area is pretty special too, including some species we share with New Guinea.

Cape York by ‘BILLABONG’ BAZZ LYON

The piercing calls of the magnificent rifle bird and palm cockatoo rolling through the jungle certainly make you feel like you’re in New Guinea!

At night, keep an eye out for green pythons, surely one of the most beautiful of all snakes.

Back on the Peninsula Development Road heading northwards, the next coastal opportunity is Captain Billys Landing.

To access this area you have to take the Bypass Road rather than the Telegraph Track.

The roughly 10km drive in from the turn-off is beautiful, passing at times through dense rainforest with a scattering of stunning fan palms as well as a wide range of other wild-looking plants.

There’s an open plan camping area just off the beach too and it offers great coastal and ocean views.

This used to be an offloading point for cattle and other supplies and equipment for Comalco’s now-defunct cattle grazing operation at Heathlands.

The plan was to supply Weipa with beef.

However, even with huge use of fertiliser, the sandy soils proved too poor to support viable grazing.

The headland just south of the camping area offers good fishing for trevally, queenfish and tuskfish that can ambush your bait or lure with unbelievable speed.

In good weather, those with a boat can beach launch and target the inshore reefs, which are home to cracker fingermark, or out further the usual delicious tropical reefies.

Captain Billys Creek lies to the south of the headland, accessed around the beach and rocks at low tide.

You can catch barra and trevally in the creek here.

Just be aware that as with anywhere on the

Cape, estuarine crocodiles are present.

If you beach walk northwards, you will likely see the tracks of estuarine crocodiles that have been moving to and from the sea and the freshwater creeks and soaks in the dunes.

While these crocodiles don’t need access to fresh water (they get rid of excess salt with special lingual glands), they gain some sort of benefit from moving to fresh water every now and then.

Perhaps to get rid of parasites?

Again, Captain Billys Landing can be very blowy.

However, it is well worth visiting just to experience the wild natural beauty here and on the track in.

This is Cape York, after all!

The next opportunities to explore the east coast are via a track that takes off kilometres north of the Jardine River Ferry.

A rough, slow, often scratchy track eventually reaches the beautiful wind-blown coast at Ussher Point.

You can camp here, as with the other locations in this article, by purchasing a pre-booked permit from Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service – just don’t forget your sand pegs!

Sadd Point is reached by turning left off the Ussher Point road and continuing north along a narrow

scratchy track through a diverse range of tropical vegetation.

It’s pretty special.

At Sadd Point itself, the campsites are mostly out of the wind, nestled in very attractive rainforest beside a sizeable creek.

Once again the scenery is something else and the beachcombing excellent.

As much as anything, and probably more than most places on the Cape, you truly get a sense of being seriously remote here.

A rope hanging from a tree on the steep, rocky creek bank allows you to climb down to have a fish and we’ve had good luck with mangrove jack here.

This creek is pretty shallow on low tide.

The top half of the tide is the best time to fish, and you can often see large fish moving along with the crystal-clear water.

Visiting either Ussher or Sadd points, I’d recommend travelling with another vehicle or carrying a satellite phone for safety, as it’s a long walk out to get help if something goes wrong.

Otherwise, barramundi fishing is now out in the Gulf country due to the closed season (midday October 7 to midday February 1), and this is the last month to target them on the east coast before the seasonal closure starts.

Time to focus on reef and coastal fishing, as well as other river and billabong fish species.

Until next month, good luck and safe travels!

Chilli Beach is without doubt one of the most picturesque places on the Cape. Restoration Island lies in the background.

Sunrise at Chilli Beach.

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4WDING & off - road

The entry to the epic Landcruiser Mountain Park.

Landcruiser Mountain Park L A N D C RU I SE R Mountain Park, the old-faithful, much-loved and extremely well-known four-wheel-drive park is situated at Jimna, an hour north of Kilcoy.

This month we dive into not only our most recent trip to ‘Cruiser’ but also some of the reasons the 4WD community adores this spectacular property.

With over 200km of tracks spread across 10,000 acres, Cruiser provides entertainment for everyone from novices through to the most extreme comp trucks.

Landcruiser Mountain Park was Queensland’s first dedicated 4x4 park and has built its reputation around providing visitors with a top-notch camping experience.

Visitors can camp in any of the four main campsites on the property with access to toilets and showers, or set up anywhere else they would like.

With campfires, swimming holes, pets and any registered vehicles allowed (though no motorbikes), this park really has it all.

Those who know Land-

4WD Trip

by GREG BELL

cruiser Mountain Park will be well aware of the fact the park closed its doors in 2016, rebranded and implemented a whole new concept.

Sadly for the owners, this deal didn’t go well and they returned to the property and reinstated the park.

We most recently went to Landcruiser Mountain Park in August, which coincided with the SSS Winch Challenge.

With such a wide spectrum of terrain on offer at Cruiser, the park plays host to a range of competitions, all of which the general public is welcome to spectate.

As with any major 4WD park, there are general tracks, well-known tracks and ‘I can’t leave here without driving it’ tracks.

And at Cruiser, the latter is definitely Camp Road.

Now, I’ve driven Camp Road at least 10 times over the past few years, but each time I drive it I get just as excited as the

Max positioned himself for a photoshoot before heading home.

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very first time.

Camp Road comprises about 100m of deep, offcamber ruts while driving uphill before exiting the track at the main road – sounds pretty simple and just like every other track, right?

Well, not quite, as while the ruts on Camp Road are one thing, the entire track is a giant rut that has been eroded away.

The banks on this track are consistently at roof height and panel/window damage is a strong possibility if you choose a poor line.

Dropping into the start of this track, you drop over a severely off-camber rut, cross over and straighten your wheels on the sides of the track – looking under your car you’ll often have up to 1m of clearance below your diffs.

About halfway up the track is a small dog-leg turn to the right before immediately dipping back left and then straightening.

While completing my mandatory run during our last trip I tried to skip the dog leg and took an ‘adventurous’ line.

I lifted my front left wheel and the wheel rapidly started to climb.

Naturally I clenched and slowed down, and while I didn’t lay the Milk Carton on its side, I surely wasn’t far off!

When I got to the top, everyone’s faces told the story for me.

Apparently my front left was easily 1.5m off the ground, but no one got a photo!

Of course I had to have another go and pose for a photo, but sadly, I failed to replicate the line.

I’ve been to Cruiser seven or eight times over the past few years, and on

The author met a great bunch of blokes out on the tracks.

each trip we endeavour to explore new tracks.

On this trip we took the time to sample some of the easier tracks towards the front of the property.

They turned out to be the perfect balance of easy and free-flowing with short technical sections topped with great views.

The standout for us was a track through the rainforest.

This track started with a steep incline and a single rut directly in the centre for about 50m.

While it appeared menacing (confirmed by the bloke in front of us who turned around and described the track as completely insane), with simple wheel placement the track was easy as pie.

We then weaved through dense rainforest before heading up a shaly climb to a plateau where we looked over the surrounding canopy. * continued P58

The author enjoyed Cowar Falls in all its glory.

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4WDING & off - road

Landcruiser Mountain Park is just one big playground for 4WD owners.

Landcruiser Mountain Park * from P57

The author tackled Camp Road in the Milk Carton.

Page 58 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

Moving onto the descent, we were slightly complacent with how easy the track had been so far, but this section truly required 4Low and heavy braking.

The track weaved through large gum trees and forced us to balance the brake pedal to ensure we had a controlled descent but maintained enough rolling force to not break traction and slide down the shale.

Landcruiser Mountain Park has two main waterfalls and the headwaters of the Brisbane River within its grounds.

One of the waterfalls, Cowar Falls, flows throughout the year and it is thankfully the easiest to find.

Only a 500m walk from one of the main campsites, it is well and truly worth the short trek.

The main swimming hole is easily 4m deep and surrounded by rock ledges just begging to be jumped off.

Just be careful of the moss that covers the rock in some of the shallow pools as it can prove a nuisance for those with two legs or four.

The other waterfall is located up in the hills of the property and is a decent drive to reach.

With plenty of easy tracks surrounding the area, it is one of the mandatory explorations.

The land around the edge of the falls is fenced off to keep the unsuspecting driver away from the edge, but some tracks lead through the grass and under the fence for those on foot.

Once at the top of the falls you’ll find a vertical drop of about 40m with a range of debris that has fallen down and collected at the bottom.

The view from the top of the falls shows the vast canyon below and provides great photo opportunities.

For those with an adventurous spirit, you’ll find a few paths around the falls that have been carved out by those looking for that unique view, however this is to be done with extreme caution as you truly are on your own.

As always, with mountains come valleys.

Landcruiser Mountain Park is known for its steep rocky climbs but also its technical valley tracks.

A few of my favourite valley tracks are Claw Gorge, Cruiser Canyon and the Test Track.

Claw Gorge is the easiest of the three and the start of the track is only a few minutes’ drive from The Gums Campground.

This track is a simple one for those who want to do some rock crawling with minimal guidance.

One main section needs a snorkel as, while it’s not overly deep, the length of the water crossing and submerged rocks may cause some concern if you make too much of a splash.

The water crossing drops in with a few submerged rocks before twisting through larger boulders and following through the next 20m with fairly smooth sailing.

Sounds simple, and it is, however it’s a great little spot for a photo and for those who aren’t overly experienced in their 4WD. We regard Cruiser Canyon as a hard track and recommend having at least 2” lift, 33” tyres and some rock sliders.

The track has some large rock steps and boulders that need skilled wheel placement to climb up and over.

Though most will pass through here with no worries, we recommend tackling this track with at least one other car in case you get into strife.

For those who are very adventurous, to the side of Cruiser Canyon are some insanely steep hill climbs.

Have a look and see if you are keen the next time you are there.

Now for the Test Track.

This track is easily 5km long and has loads of technical rock crawling.

A big lift and at least 33” tyres with lockers are recommended.

Sadly I haven’t had the joy of driving this track because I was in a sling after my shoulder reconstruction when we last looked at this track.

I have been along the full track with the boys though, assisting with photography and guidance where required.

This is a track we highly recommend for those looking for a more intense challenge.

If you are heading out to Landcruiser Mountain

Park, a few things are a must to take with you.

Water is one, as drinking water is not available for guests in the camping areas.

Fuel is another, and the last place to buy fuel is Kilcoy.

It’s then a 130km drive to the next fuel station, so ensure you’ve topped up before heading out to the park.

Phone reception is poor, and depending on your phone and carrier you may or may not be able to get reception up in the hills.

The best place for reception is definitely Telecom Hill (hence the name), but beware, Telecom Hill’s main track is known for its severity and relentlessness when you make a mistake.

You can get up Telecom Hill a few ways and the most well-known is the extremely steep, wideopen, rutty and rocky climb that never seems to end.

I have only ever walked up this climb and that was

a challenge in itself, but it is definitely a bucket list track for me, I just need to grow some larger kahunas!

Jokes aside, be careful on that track.

Next to the main cliff face, sorry I mean track, are some nice smooth tracks to the top, and though still insanely steep, these are easy as pie.

Finally, you can take the track at the back of the hill that consists of a number of large rock steps from the bottom to the top.

This is a great track, however do not attempt it without a winch!

I could harp on for days about Landcruiser Mountain Park, but you simply need to get out there and explore the park to understand its true beauty.

Don’t forget to like our Flexible 4WD Solutions Facebook page and feel free to flick us a message with suggestions of locations you’d like us to explore and review.

Until next time, keep trekking.

The Milk Carton posed for a photo after completing Claw Gorge track.

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Michael Pitkin held a night-caught mangrove jack.

Jonny Nance with a coral trout landed at Caloundra Wide.

Hi Ben, I caught my PB snapper after a hard fight by float lining off the Gold Coast with my dad.

Jack Symons

Hi Ben, A 24.4kg spanish mackerel hooked on a recent trip to the Swain Reefs aboard the Iron Joy. A PB for me – so far.

Cheers, Kim Pascoe

Jonathon Roberts landed a solid Hinze Dam yellowbelly.

Zach Smallfish recently captured this 56cm flathead.

Hi Ben, Prior to the closed season, my son Dylan landed this 76cm Murray cod in the Condamine River not far from the township of Condamine on a hard-body lure.

Steve Haaijer

With a bit of help from dad Chris Zellers, three-year-old Riley caught and released his first fish, a Murray cod, from the Dumaresq River in August.

Nicole Hayes

I caught this bass and yellowbelly at Wivenhoe Dam recently.

I was casting a TN60 Jackall vibe in Brown Dog colour to the edges of a rocky bank with a weed edge when the 49cm bass smashed my vibe.

The 53cm yellowbelly came on a Jackall Squirrel 67 Silent.

I was so stoked to get both fish.

Everyone get out there and start casting.

Deon Robertson

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 www.bnbfishing.com. au

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 59

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licence required

COMFORTABLE 13.6M HOUSEBOAT

• Hot water • Sleeps 8, licensed for 10 • Self-contained • DVD player • BBQ • Fridge/freezer

CALL ROB & KELLY

07 4157 3881 or email info@lakem.com.au lakemonduranhouseboathire.com.au

Barra Havoc

S

PRING was very welcome this year after a cold winter along the east coast, with some sub-zero temperatures felt around the Bundaberg region.

This plays a big part in our angling because the cold affects the fish and they avoid the cooler surface water.

You will find temperatures are very constant at the 3m depth, which is where you’ll find baitfish too.

Unfortunately, in the Kolan River below the Monduram Dam wall, a number of barramundi froze to death.

The Fred Haigh Dam managed by Sunwater controls the flow of water to the Kolan River, and with no irrigation water bought during winter, our river was running low.

Being at this unnaturally low level, the fish have no deeper and warmer water to retreat to, which results in them getting frostbitten and dying.

The fish I saw and photographed ranged in size but most were 60cm and above.

This size barra is of breeding age and these fish need access to salt water to be able to change sex and reproduce.

Monduran Dam

by DONNA GANE

It is sad that Sunwater doesn’t release water during these colder weeks to save the fish in our pristine Kolan River.

The Kolan has not had this many breeding barramundi for a number of decades due to the flood events of 2011 and 2013.

During those floods, both Lake Monduran and Lake Awoonga spilled fish over the wall, some of which died, but plenty lived.

The ones that lived went on a Pacific Ocean vacation, and over the past five years many barramundi, including numerous metre-plus fish, have been caught as far south as the Gold Coast.

The breeders made their way back to their regions of origin and reproduced, giving life back to a number of creeks and rivers that are now producing wild barramundi.

We’ve seen catches of metre-plus barra from the Fred Haigh Dam wall all the way through the Kolan River to the sea, allowing Mother Nature to do her stuff and change the

fish’s gender to promote breeding.

This natural breeding is not only important to the barramundi but the entire ecosystem of the river.

So we’ve seen a reduction in the breeding stock due to the cold weather but we see further environmental issues when a large number of fish die.

If Lake Monduran/Fred Haigh Dam was a floodmitigating dam, we could not only solve the problem of the frozen fish but the fish spilling over in large numbers during the rainy months.

We stock 100,000 barramundi into Lake Monduran each December, and with warmer water, fewer bird strikes and other factors, this is deemed a good time.

Unfortunately it’s also storm season and the lake’s level often exceeds 100 percent capacity.

Lowering the level prior to heavy rainfall will decrease the impact on the environment and also the infrastructure adjacent to the river.

Cyclone Debbie dumped

so much rain we had the level go 4m over the wall, taking fish, debris and even a boat with it.

The new Kolan River Bridge was unable to be seen and was closed for days, causing damage and access issues to businesses and properties.

Being a property owner in the area, I am unable to go home each night the bridge is closed.

I cope but a lot of uncomfortable nights are had.

The things we do to keep Australia angling…

Five years on from the floods, half a million barramundi fingerlings have been released and plenty of metre-plus beasts are out there waiting to be caught, as is the occasional bass nudging the mid-60cm mark.

Both Awoonga and Monduran are fishing well but for them to fish great we need anglers.

We can’t have good catches unless we have anglers doing what they do best.

So this month I give you a challenge: come to Lake Monduran for our annual fishing competition and fish for one of those Australian icons, the barramundi.

Mum, Dad and the children will all have a great time and maybe even win one of the many prizes on offer.

Call into Barra Havoc situated on the Bruce Highway and we will assist you with fishing Lake Monduran or any of the beautiful waterways in the region.

Happy angling!

Sounder image of a massive barra in Lake Monduran.

TACKLE

HOME OF WORLD RECORD BARRA A healthy 68.5cm barramundi.

Dennis Harold with his world record 44.62kg, 134cm long, 107cm girth barra caught from his kayak at Lake Monduran in 2010.

NEW LOCATION Pop in on your way to Monduran Dam for all your tackle needs – easy parking with boats!

26 Mulgrave St, Gin Gin (next to fire station)

0427 880 826

www.barratackle.com.au

Page 60 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

Jamie with a one to two-year-old barra.

Brooke with her first-ever barra, which measured 70cm.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Bundaberg Toyota

Golden

BARRA

T hanks to

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 61

by MELISSA FROHLOFF

Bouillabaisse Bouillabaisse is a classic French dish. It’s a fisher’s stew. This is one recipe where we use the wings of red emperor, however, any species of reef fish flesh is suitable.

Ingredients • 8 whole mussels in shells • 350g baby squid • 200g Hervey Bay scallops • 800g green prawns • 6 red emperor wings • 1 orange • 1 tsp saffron powder • 400g chopped tomatoes • 140g tomato paste • 1 tsp chilli flakes • 1 tsp fresh marjoram • 1 tsp brown sugar

• 1 tsp fish sauce • 1 bay leaf • 12 whole black peppercorns • 1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced, fronds reserved • 1 cup white wine, sauvignon blanc • 4 cloves garlic • 1 leek, white part thinly sliced • 6 cups water • 3 tbsp olive oil • 1 stick of tiger bread, broken into pieces

Instructions 1. Skin red emperor wings.

Bring the water to the boil and add the fish wings, bay leaf, peppercorns and peel of an orange to the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Peel the prawns, leaving the head and tail intact. Clean the baby squid and slice the body into four pieces, cutting the squid tentacles from the head.

3. Heat oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed soup pot.

Add the leek, fennel bulb, garlic and pinch of salt, and slowly sauté.

4. Add the tomato and wine and then turn the heat up and cook

until the wine is reduced to half.

5. Strain the fish wing stock into the wine pot. Remove the flesh from the bones, discard bones and set fish aside.

6. Add the marjoram, saffron, tomato paste, fish sauce and chilli flakes and simmer for 15 minutes.

7. Add the prawns and mussels and two minutes later add fish.

8. Add the scallops and two minutes later add squid pieces and tentacles. Simmer until the squid is just cooked through.

9. Serve immediately, garnish with fennel fronds and use tiger bread to dip into stew.

Prep time: 30 min | Cook time: 50 min | Serves 6-8

LAKE BORUMBA A MUST-DO EXPEDITION!

LLUM MUNRO

GUIDED BY CA

A chunky Borumba bass.

Big Borumba Dam bass for happy clients

O

VER the past month I’ve been working a lot, and between my regular job and my new business, Untapped Fishing Expeditions, I’ve been absolutely flat chat.

Starting up a business has been really enjoyable.

I love the idea of being able to go fishing for a job.

I’ve had really good sessions over the past month with great clients.

August is usually one of the best times to target bass in our dams because in late July-August bass will school in the deeper parts of the dam and go into a breeding cycle.

Outside of dams, they move down from the narrow freshwater creeks into the rivers looking for salt water so they can breed.

We use this to our advantage because while the fish in our dams can’t breed (because of the lack of salt water), they still display behaviour that indicates a breeding cycle..

Bass tend to sit tight to the bottom anywhere between 6m and 15m in large numbers on flats and drop-offs throughout

Freshwater Luring

by CALLUM MUNRO

the Basin at Borumba.

I’ve been finding big numbers from around the second yellow buoy and up.

A couple of people have said: “I would never have expected this when bass fishing.”

They were thinking more along the lines of targeting timber-laden banks and weed edges.

Bass will sit as close to the bottom as possible, so when targeting them you’ll need to use a long rod with light line and heavy lures.

I go as light as 3.3lb Berkley FireLine when targeting finicky bass.

The light line cuts through the water a lot more easily and will keep the lure close to the bottom for much longer.

Now for the lures: metal, metal and more metal.

Blades, spoons and tailspinners have been the standout, but ice jigs have been going great as well.

For blades, the Evergreen Little Max in 1/2oz and Norie’s Wasaby spoon have been firing.

I use such heavy lures to keep the bait in the fish’s face longer when slow rolling.

If you were to use a 1/4oz blade, the lure would come off the bottom a lot quicker and not stay in the bite zone for long (this is only for slow rolling; hopping a lure

back is different).

When hopping the lure back across the bottom I use 1/4oz or lighter metal lures.

While hopping a lure back across the bottom, you want it to flutter back down slowly so the bass have a good chance to eat it.

If you were to use a 20g lure, it would sink very quickly and the bass wouldn’t have much time to eat it.

I’m not saying hopping heavy lures doesn’t work, as sometimes it does, but I’m a big fan of using light lures for this technique.

For the rod, I’ve been using my favourite, the Abu Garcia KRX Salty Stage 7’2”.

This is a light-medium blank rated at 2-5kg.

I like this as an allrounder because I can cast heavy lures with no dramas.

And when hopping lighter lures back across the bottom, because the rod is a little longer than normal you can easily make the lure sink slower by keeping the rod aimed high.

Any rod around the 7’ mark in light to medium and 2-5kg will work fine.

I’ve just taken a liking to how sensitive the Abu Garcia KRX Salty Stage is.

It’s been a pleasure showing my clients how to target winter bass and I’m sure it will be a memory they’ll never forget.

We’ve caught about 30 bass each time we have headed out and some decent catches have been among them, including Wayne’s cracker at 47cm.

Well done legend!

If you’re wanting to check out Lake Borumba and learn about bass fishing, feel free to give me a call on 0412 877 651 to book a fishing expedition or jump over to untapped fishing.com.au Until next month…

Chris joined the author for an Untapped Fishing Expedition and landed this cracker.

info@untappedfishing.com.au

0412 887 651 Page 62 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

A winter glass-out.

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Fish are deep but hungry

S

PRING is finally here and it’s the time of year I always look forward to.

The water temps are gradually increasing and the native fish in our stocked impoundments really spring to life and start gorging themselves.

This means a great time to be on the water, particularly in the warmer afternoons.

Boondooma Dam In last month’s article I mentioned the fish were unseasonably deep for this time of year.

This is unchanged, particularly for Australian bass, but yellowbelly can still be caught from the edge in the timbered arms.

The bass have been up a little shallower in the morning in about 6m but as the day warms they are moving out into the 9-18m range.

The fish are sitting so deep because that’s where the bait is.

Boondooma’s bass are feeding on very small shrimp, red claw and big schools of bony bream.

The large percentage of this forage is moving along the bottom in those deeper zones of the dam.

If you want to target yellowbelly, the edges in the Boyne and Stuart arms are producing nice fish on lipless crankbaits cast around the timber and rocks.

For bass, blades and 20g spoons fished in 6-8m during the morning are best.

Later in the day, look in 9-18m because the bass will

Freshwater Impoundments

by MATTHEW LANGFORD

be moving away from the edge to forage on the masses of bait getting around.

The afternoon has been the pick of the times to be on the water because the fish are responding well to the warmer afternoons.

Once the water has climbed above 17C, the deeper sections along the Barbers Pole area have fished very well.

Fishing water this deep is still quite easy using 1/2oz blades, spoons, tailspinners and 1/2ozrigged plastics fished along the bottom.

Leisegangs Ledge, Pelican Point and the main lake points up the front of the dam near the wall have also produced good fish.

Bait fishers have been getting good catches of yellowbelly in the Boyne arm by fishing close to trees and rocks.

Most have been using saltwater yabbies, shrimp and worms.

It’s a good idea to run smaller sinkers because the bite is hard to detect if you’re using huge ball sinkers.

Simply tie up to a tree, drop your bait to the bottom and slowly move the bait up and down off the bottom.

It won’t be long until you get a bite.

Dan Callison with a nice yellowbelly from the edge of the Boyne River at Boondooma.

Daniel McCoy recently landed this 4.45kg, 59cm monster from Somerset while on board with the author.

Trollers have been getting yellowbelly but they’ve had to work hard for them.

Make sure you take a tackle retriever with you because you’re bound to get a snag or two while trolling.

Red claw are still being captured in pretty good numbers around the shallow rocky edges.

Soft fruits and vegetables have been the best baits.

Lake Barambah Typically, in the cooler months, Lake Barambah’s fish move in closer to the edge and can be caught using a few methods.

Lately, the best edge fishing method has been Ecogear ZX blades, skirted jigs and jerkbaits cast into the shallows.

Slower-moving lures like those suggested are dynamite in winter.

The key is small hops off the bottom near the edge with the ZX blades and long pauses near the edge with the jerkbaits.

The deeper flats have also produced lots of fish, be it bass or yellowbelly.

Ecogear ZX blades fished vertically have proven the best method.

Most anglers are sounding fish in about 6m and sitting on top of them.

Ecogear ZX blades have been the real standout because they have two small stinger hooks attached.

Drop them down to the bottom and hop them with small sharp hops.

Fish only need to touch the blades and the stinger hooks will grab them.

The best spot has been the big flat out from the main dam wall.

It’s valuable to remember that most fish in the dam are gorging themselves on small bony bream, so it’s a great idea to throw anything that looks like these small baitfish.

Soft plastics have presented another method for catching quality fish.

Look for steeper banks holding timber or rocks because this is a likely place to find bait up shallow.

Out deeper, try to find flats close to significant drop-offs or the main submerged creek line.

Bait fishers have been getting tonnes of nice fish from Barambah.

Most have been fishing along the edge with saltwater yabbies and shrimp.

Trollers are catching the odd fish around the main lake points on small deep-diving

hard-bodied lures.

Red Claw have gone very quiet and should start popping back up as the water gets warmer.

Fishing charters It was a great thrill recently to be on board with Daniel McCoy who caught and landed a potential world-record bass from Lake Somerset.

We were fishing a tournament together when he landed the 4.45kg, 59cm beast.

Don’t forget you can book a fishing charter with me on Bjelke-Petersen (Lake Barambah) and Boondooma dams, as well as many other dams in Queensland.

If you’d like a great day out and all the info and knowledge to catch bass and yellowbelly in our great dams, make sure you give me a call on 0408 658 592 and I’ll be happy to take you out.

You can also check out my website at australianfreshwa terfishing.com Until next time, tight lines and bent rods.

Bass are keen on skirted jigs and yabbies as the afternoon heats up.

DAM LEVELS CURRENT AS OF 17/09/2018

DAMS

PERCENTAGE

APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP 14 Atkinson 11 8 5 5 5 98 Awoonga 97 95 95 93 92 22 Bjelke-Petersen * 22 21 20 19 17 42 Boondooma * 41 39 37 36 34 100 Borumba * 100 100 99 99 96 104 Burdekin Falls * 99 97 92 88 82 77 Callide * 76 73 71 69 67 98 Cania * 97 95 94 92 90 45 Coolmunda * 43 41 40 39 36 8 Dyer/Bill Gunn * 5 5 4 4 4 100 Eungella * 100 99 98 97 96 27 Fairbairn * 26 25 24 22 21 54 Glenlyon * 50 50 49 48 46 101 Hinze 100 98 96 94 92 98 Julius 95 93 91 89 85 84 Kinchant * 86 87 85 79 72 11 Leslie * 11 11 10 10 10 101 Macdonald 102 103 101 99 98 100 Maroon * 99 97 96 95 93 100 Monduran/Fred Haigh * 99 98 98 96 94 91 Moogerah * 89 87 84 82 79 90 North Pine/Samsonvale * 89 87 85 83 80 73 Peter Faust/Proserpine * 72 70 69 68 65 79 Somerset * 77 77 78 78 77 98 Teemburra * 98 98 98 96 92 95 Tinaroo* 97 95 91 88 82 100 Toonumbar 100 100 99 93 90 77 Wivenhoe * 77 75 74 73 70 99 Wuruma * 98 97 96 95 94 99 Wyaralong 98 97 96 96 95 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.

y Guided b g f o rd n a L t t a M

Australian Freshwater Fishing Charters Toby Gibson scored a cracking bass from the Barbers Pole area.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

0408 658 592 | australianfreshwaterfishing.com Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 63

Gowrie Creek history A

T the start of European settlement, Gowrie Creek was noted as being partly spring fed and surrounded by treeless plains.

A giant horned turtle once called the Darling Downs home, among a wide variety of other giant marsupials like kangaroos, koalas and wombats.

Floodwater doesn’t always bring bad tidings, when the skull of this diprotodon (giant wombat) measuring nearly a metre long and weighing over 150kg was unearthed in Gowrie Creek after flooding in 2010-11.

A common sight along Gowrie Creek is significant erosion and the depth of fertile black soil that becomes exposed and washed away during flooding. This site is roughly the area Ludwig Leichhardt visited in 1844, just below Gowrie Homestead (with Gowrie Mountain and the homestead in the background) to examine fossils and the alluvial strata deposits.

Page 64 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

Additional spring flows merged upstream from it out of East and West creeks in Toowoomba and the surrounding catchment.

Gowrie has never been known to hold any large populations of native apex predatory fish in its narrow and shallow confines, but it does contain a rich history of ancient fauna.

Henry Dennis was the first European to track west across the Darling Downs in 1841 and large sheep stations were soon established, with frontier explorers using them as base camps.

Ludwig Leichhardt was noted as an explorer for trekking his way from Jimbour Station (northwest of Dalby) to Port Essington (at the top of the Northern Territory) in 1844-45 before mysteriously disappearing on his second expedition into central Queensland.

A significant historical event can often overshadow a full personal profile, as it’s not well known that Leichhardt was also an accomplished scientist and he spent a lot of time on the Darling Downs examining fossils from various creeks.

He made a note in his journal while travelling from Jimbour Station to Moreton Bay in June 1843 that some fossilised bones were found in the local creek – most probably Jimbour Creek.

These bones were from a diprotodon or giant wombat, one of the many species of megafauna believed to have extensively roamed Australia as recently as 40,000 years ago.

Leichhardt was the first to correctly deduce the bones came from a marsupial and since then, a wide range of megafauna fossils have been unearthed across the Darling Downs.

Leichhardt visited Fredrick Isaac’s Gowrie Station (situated just below Gowrie Mountain outside Toowoomba) on his return from Moreton Bay to Sydney in April 1844 to examine fossil bones and the alluvial strata deposits of Gowrie Creek.

Ludwig’s diary entry gives details of the locations and fossil beds: ‘The stream (Gowrie Creek) that flows past Isaac’s Station and joins five miles further with Campbells Creek (now called Westbrook Creek) and which two miles further falls into Oakey Creek on Hugh Ross’s Station contains the most fossil bones. They are, however, also found in Oakey Creek, Campbells Creek and Hodgsons Creek.’

Darling Downs

by NOAL KUHL

Gowrie Creek was also highlighted in the media after the ‘inland tsunami’ that coalesced in Toowoomba City during the 201011 floods exposed the biggest and most complete diprotodon skull found on the Darling Downs.

Since the 1940s a rich collection of megafauna fossils have been found at Kings Creek on the Clifton Plains at Haldon Station.

Other finds have also been extracted from Myall Creek and along the Condamine River south of Dalby.

Lesser known is that in 1871, the British Natural History Museum received crocodilian fossils extracted from the Darling Downs.

Leichhardt once again was the first to correctly identify them as croc fossils when they were collected in Kings Creek in 1847.

His observations were met with some disbelief

until the bones were further studied.

Croc fossils have also been found in Gowrie Creek, the Condamine River, at Chinchilla and Eight Mile Plains near Brisbane.

These ancient reptiles inhabited the inland drainage basins until recently (the late Pleistocene epoch) and it is theorised the demise of crocodiles in our region was probably linked to the loss of the megafauna from the general drying out of the continent.

During the frequent droughts, animals became bogged in the sticky mud and died when trying to get a drink from the receding shoreline, as do domestic and native animals today.

Layers of silt then covered these animals following floods from runoff water collected in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range.

With a build-up of

downhill speed in the absence of this inland lake, torrential waters carved a path through the soft alluvial plains, exposing the fossils and forming the inland rivers and creeks we see today.

Floods do damage in our age of modern living, but they also provide a window to the past.

Gowrie Creek is full of historical surprises, and in 2012, two lungfish were caught from its murky waters and photographed.

It was the first hard evidence of the species’ existence in the creek since 115 years earlier in 1897, when 21 were released into the Condamine River.

It seems rather appropriate that living fossils are residing in Gowrie Creek.

Even though the stream in Gowrie is mostly shallow and narrow, the odd native fish including yellowbelly and eel-tailed catfish is known to be caught.

However, it’s the European carp, some amassing over 10kg, that are dominant and thriving in this void-of-structure trench encompassed by an ancient boneyard.

Nearing the top of the range, this upstream catchment area of Gowrie Creek would have been at one stage the receding shoreline of Australia’s vast inland lake. This huge lake once smothered the Darling Downs and dried out over time to lay down the very rich alluvial soil deposits the region is well known for.

A typical view of Gowrie Creek in the headwater heartland of the Darling Downs, with Kingsthorpe in the background. The flat plains provide a wide variety of farm produce, with megafauna and crocodilian fossils buried under several metres of fertile black soils.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Sienna Patterson with a quality golden perch from a previous MVFFC.

Mary Valley Family Fishing Classic

Tahlia Patterson with a MVFFC bass.

n November 3-4, 2018

H

I all, I want to let everyone know about this year’s Lions Mary Valley Family Fishing Classic and reassure you it is on.

Last year’s event was unfortunately cancelled at the last minute and out of the organisers’ control.

I’m truly sorry to those who ventured from far and wide for the comp.

It was a shame because the Lions Club and the guys from Lake Borumba Fish Stocking Association have worked hard to build up this event over the years and the previous few competitions continually broke attendance records and were outstanding successes.

The two main advantages of this event for the Mary Valley region are money spent in the local area in the form of supplies and fuel purchases as well as the funds raised by the comp to restock the beautiful Borumba Dam with native species.

I truly hope you can put last year’s disappointment behind you and again support this fantastic competition.

First I’ll give you the details and all the information you need to plan for the trip and then discuss a few tactics to help you target the winning fish.

This year’s event is being held on November 3 and 4 and is again based at the Borumba Dam Camping Grounds, situated a stone’s throw from the dam wall and boat ramp.

This is a true family competition and caters for all anglers.

As per previous years, live entertainment, food stalls, lucky draws, raffles and prizes will all abound.

Juniors (15 and under) can fish and for the really little ones there is the well-contested red claw competition. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Competition News

by PAUL ‘CHIEF’ GRAVESON

I truly believe the entry fees keep the theme of this being a family competition as adult entries are $25 per person, children are $10 and a family entry is capped at $60, which allows for two adults and two or more children within the same family.

You can download an entry form from gympie. qld.lions.org.au and on the same entry form you can pre-order Saturday night’s dinner.

Get your entries in before October 26 to go into the early bird prize draw.

I guarantee the Lions crew won’t leave you hungry and at $15 a head and $6 for kids under nine, Saturday night’s meal is well taken care of.

While you’re tucking into that meal, country artist Graeme Jensen will entertain you with live music preformed under the stars.

On the subject of food, the Lions team will have the barbecue fired up Friday night, Saturday morning and Sunday morning, with brekky burgers, drinks and more available at a reasonable cost.

So once you’ve paid your entry fees and filled out your Saturday night form, there are still a few points to consider such as booking a campsite.

This can be done by contacting Borumba Dam Camping Grounds on 07 5488 6662.

Under new management the campgrounds have received upgraded facilities and are looking better than ever.

The last thing to consider is if over 18 you will require a Stocked Impoundment Permit.

You can do this online or buy one from Borumba

Fishing ‘n’ Outdoors.

Graham at Borumba Fishing has a wide selection of lures and spinnerbaits and is always good for a bit of local knowledge.

That’s the official business taken care of, so let’s get onto the main reason you’re there.

Target species for the comp are bass, golden perch, saratoga, catfish and silver perch.

Fisheries bag and size limits apply during the competition and normal boating safety equipment is required.

The purpose of this competition is to land the biggest specimen from the above target list and any technique or legal style of fishing is permitted.

Surface lures, minnows and spinnerbaits will be popular choices to target the Borumba fish but past competitions have also been highly contested by the bait fishos.

Live baits fished around the snags have accounted for many of this competition’s past successes.

I’ve had a lot of luck in similar competitions and an important factor worth considering is attention to detail.

As mentioned earlier, to win you have to measure in the largest of any of the fish on the above target list.

It’s common sense to realise the biggest and strongest fish hasn’t survived to this stage by being stupid.

This fish has become cautious to the pressures of fishing and will have a few tricks to avoid capture.

The challenge is finesse and your approach may be a deciding factor.

I always believe your best advantage is to fish as light as possible.

Light fluorocarbon leaders that provide strength against abrasion but also become invisible in the water are ideal.

This fish will probably spook at any opportunity.

I’ve had many occasions where 6lb leader has been unproductive and going down to 4lb has been the reason for success.

I’d rather take the chance to get a strike and lose a fish than to cast an area for ages without a single follow.

Attention to detail could be making sure your reel and drag system is well maintained and you can push the line class to its limits.

The last thing you want is terminal tackle failure or bad knots to let you down when it’s crunch time.

These are small details that can be double checked in the comfort of your own environment before you even hit the water.

Some of the boys have told me they’ve picked up a few Borumba saratoga in recent weeks and bass have been stretching arms, so the timing of the Classic is just right.

Hopefully I’ll see you in the Valley for this event.

I look forward to recordbreaking success for the Lions and Lake Borumba Fish Stocking Association.

I’ll just finish by asking you when travelling through our country to please be careful of how you dispose of your butts if you are a smoker.

We have had a bit of rain but it’s still very dry in many areas and I’ve seen a few bushfires started in the dry grass on our roadside shoulders.

Take care and enjoy our great southeast region.

Cheers, Chief.

The future for Lake Borumba.

One of the lads from Lake Borumba Fish Stocking Association about to head out with a batch of fingerlings bought with funds supplied by the Lions comp.

THE 7TH ANNUAL

Mary Valley Family

Fishing Classic

Borumba Dam near Imbil

Nov 3-4

• Entertainment • Prizes • Food on site

FIND US ON FACEBOOK: MARY VALLEY FISHING CLASSIC

www.gympie.qld.lions.org.au Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018 – Page 65

No river flows out west

I

T’S a late breeding format this year for the cod at our end of Queensland.

Low water levels in the Mole River uptream of Watsons Crossing.

find us on facebook • Win prizes • Post your brag • Chat to readers shots and writers • Join in on the fun • See who’s catching banter what • Have a laugh

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A few factors have changed the usual pattern we have out here, with the first being winter.

Looking back about 10 years, this has been the longest period of frost and cold for Glenlyon Dam. Each morning during winter the grass was covered with ice until 8am in the shaded sections of the park, so when most campers saw it they’d say no thanks, not yet, and head out fishing around 10.30am and be back by 3.30pm.

Not many fish were caught compared to most previous winter seasons, and you worked hard for a quick pic of your catch.

The storage is at just 48 percent capacity.

Yellowbelly went downstairs to Davy Jones’ Locker and were hard to bring up, unless you used a local Texas blade.

The roll-over this year brought a few bony bream to the surface, which gave the raptor birds a feed and a half.

It was great fun watching the strike as they dropped in on a flapping feed.

This brought a few people around to the kiosk to report the fish kills they were seeing.

Unlike most winters, Coolmunda Dam at Inglewood didn’t have a major roll-over this year and it was at a good supply level.

by BRIAN DARE

Pindari Dam at Ashford was the talk of the town, with all species of fish sighted around the shoreline and the dam sitting at 59 percent capacity.

It must be kept in mind that a dam rolling over is often an annual event.

Spring should see good fishing take place, with cod and yellowbelly the main target species.

To keep the bait anglers happy, we have teed up the silver perch to knock off your bait.

Well not really, but we are already seeing silver perch being caught, prior to the yellowbelly hitting their straps later this month.

A lot of anglers will get a bit of a shock when they see the river conditions out here.

The Mole River, Tenterfield Creek and the Severn River have no flow, which means you’ll have to catch your shrimp bait in the dam.

Your shrimp trap can have nothing attached but a white round buoy marked with your name, address and phone number.

If someone else answers the phone number marked on the buoy, they will be asked if they have been given permission to check said traps.

If the answer is no, the

fine for the actual trap owner is $1000 per trap, be it shrimp, red claw or crayfish traps.

Don’t get caught.

A photo is something you should think about, as it can be used as evidence if you see someone checking your traps and taking bait or whatever is inside your traps.

That is theft.

As mentioned, it’s been a late start for cod breeding and Dr Gavin Butler and Leo Cameron have been doing the rounds of the selected nesting sites from previous years.

The trips from the Grafton CSIRO base where these two blokes work have been a long drive for little result at this stage.

At the end of closed season on the rivers around

here, I can’t wait to chuck the green floating tub into the water and work my favourite holes of the rivers.

With the dry weather, it will be an exercise in seeing if old mate returns to his section of river.

Most male cod are quite the homeboy type.

They just need a select section with good ambush cover and a decent undercut bank for breeding.

We will see storm rain in the region but it is the general rain we would like to see and the word is April next year.

So, if you’re thinking of hitting the road out here after the closed season with your canoe or kayak to fish the rivers, give me a ring.

The number is 02 6737 5266 and either Debbie or I will answer and let you know about the river conditions.

It’s a long drive and to find no water flowing is a big let-down.

Len Hill of Brisbane with two very keen young anglers and a dam-caught cod.

Big bass caught in Basstasstic qualifier at Somerset Dam

T

HE round four qualifier of the Basstasstic bass fishing singles event held at Somerset Dam on August 18 and 19 was a record-setter.

Daniel McCoy of Ipswich knew big bass were on the bite at Somerset but he had no idea he was

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

14 CABINS bookings necessary

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 66 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

Glenlyon Dam

Competition Report

by RUSSELL NOWLAND

to catch the biggest bass of his lifetime and set a pending world record.

The bass was absolutely huge, measuring 561mm to the fork and weighing 4.445kg.

He said when it came to the surface he was so ecstatic and overwhelmed he stopped breathing until it was in the live well.

Now for the rest of the tournament.

Matthew Langford of Kingaroy won the event with 2657 points, just beating Daniel who came second with 2653 points.

These guys fished together and what a score between them comprising some lovely Somerset bass.

Matthew was so happy to win and he took home $1000 cash and a Trevor’s Leathers keyring with his score engraved on it, as well as the memory of being in the boat with a world-record fish.

Daniel won $700 cash for placing second as well as the cash prize pool for biggest bass at $460 and the prize for biggest bass.

Third place went to Terry Allwood of Wondai,

with a good bag of 2642 points seeing him take home $550 cash.

Steve Otto of the Sunshine Coast racked up 2555 points and won $400 cash for placing fourth.

Paul Allwood of Ipswich had a good score of 2536 points, which saw him place fifth and leave the event with $300 cash.

In sixth place was Bill Schloss of Dalby with 2505 points and he won the Somerset Tackle lure and carry bag prize.

Seventh place went to Jordan Renz of Bundaberg who scored 2468 points and took home the Planet 72 Icecreamery Shimano rod prize.

Kasey Sawyer of the Gold Coast came eighth after notching up 2459 points to win the Gatton Home Brew, Camping & Fishing Supplies prize.

* continued P68

Matt Langford of Kingaroy took out the Somerset tournament with consistently big bags.

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Daniel McCoy’s possible world-record bass on the scales.

Big bass caught in Basstasstic qualifier at Somerset Dam * from P66

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In ninth was Steve Kanowski of Brisbane who scored 2451 points and took home the Berkley prize.

Finishing 10th was Matt Taylor of Roma with 2437 points who won the DJ’S Tyre Centre Eidsvold prize.

Fred Sawyer of the Gold Coast came 11th with 2340 points and won the Evakool icebox prize.

In 12th, Mark Peterson of Brisbane scored 2272 points and won the Redarc brake controller prize.

Layla Allwood of Wondai won the junior section with a great score of 1551 points, picking up the Bill and Cindy Schloss lure pack prize.

The second-placed junior was Trey Crumblin of Mundubbera with 1108 points.

Trey won a Shimano rod kindly donated by

Shimano Australia.

The rookie prize went to Ron Greenstreet of Brisbane.

Ron picked up a Bassman Spinnerbait prize for his efforts.

The biggest yellowbelly cash pool prize went to Rade Unpin of Gatton with a 64cm yella, and he took home $200 cash.

Thanks to all our sponsors.

Daniel McCoy with potentially the biggest Australian bass ever caught.

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Mark Peterson of Brisbane with some quality Somerset bass.

Layla Allwood was the winning junior angler.

Terry Allwood nailed some stonkers to finish in third place.

Matt Taylor of Roma caught a couple of fat bass.

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Page 68 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2018

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