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Location Spotlight

Peter Jung brings us a revitalised Lake Eucumbene

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Boat test: Whittley Sea Legend 27

Features

Lake Eucumbene revitalised • Starlo talks cheap gear • Investigating southern sand flathead • Latest news and area reports •

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August, 2023 ISSN 2652-5798

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Fishing Monthly Magazines

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CONTENTS

OUR COVER August 2023, Vol. 4 No.4 VIC

TAS

QUEENSLAND Tweed River Gold Coast Brisbane Northern Bay Noosa Bundaberg Mackay Townsville Hinchinbrook Cairns Port Douglas Cooktown Cape York Freshwater

16 18 22 24 26 28 30 34 36 38 38 40 41 46

NEW SOUTH WALES Sydney North Sydney South Sydney Rock Ballina Coffs Coast South West Rocks Hasting Port Macquarie Central Coast Port Stephens Swansea Illawarra Bermagui Tathra New England Rivers Hunter Valley Batlow Canberra

48 49 50 52 54 56 57 58 59 60 60 61 64 64 66 67 68 69

VICTORIA Portland Warrnambool Appollo Bay Cobden Geelong Port Phillip East Port Phillip West Phillip Island Gippsland Lakes Lakes Entrance Port Albert Marlo Mallacoota Bemm River Robinvale Bendigo Yarrawonga Wangaratta Shepparton Ballarat Crater Lakes Gippsland Freshwater

72 73 72 73 74 78 80 80 82 84 83 85 84 85 86 87 86 88 89 90 91 91

6 AUGUST 2023

From the Editor’s Desk...

TACKLE SHOW IS NOW FREE! Scan QR code for FREE Tickets:

Peter Jung caught this beautifully coloured Lake Eucumbene rainbow trout on a DUO 50mm Spearhead Ryuki MDF lure in the gold yamame colour. An Peter Jung image. Come and visit Fishing Monthly Group’s official Facebook page for all your monthly fishing information. Download QR Reader to access.

TASMANIA Hobart

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Esperance

Bunbury

Augusta

Metro

Mandurah

Kalbarri

Lancelin

Exmouth

101

Karratha

100

Freshwater

102

For years the Australian Fishing Trade Association (AFTA) has run their business-to-business Trade Show on the Gold Coast. Usually in late July or early August, it’s a place where wholesalers display all of their new lines of tackle to the tackle stores. It’s usually held just after USA’s ICAST, where a lot of global releases take place, so there’s plenty of great imported content to mix with the local developments. Just before COVID, AFTA introduced a public day on the final day of the show. No longer was it a B2B event – everyday fishing enthusiasts could come along and see nearly all of what the tackle stores could see. It’s not a retail show (where you can buy stuff), but it is in many cases a first-look and

Lake Eucumbene revitalised Starlo: Good gear Sheik of the Creek What’s New Fishing Investigating southern sand flathead Fun page Tournament Calendar Suntag News Tournaments Trades and Services/Tide page Boat test: Whittley SL27

8 14 45 43 70 81 93 99 104 106 108

COMPS AND OFFERS Find the logo

32 FISHERIES QUEENSLAND

maybe your only opportunity to see tackle that your local may not carry on the shelves. Last time, the Public Day was $10, and kids were free. This year, the Queensland Government has kicked in and sponsored the day, meaning that everyone is free – not just kids. You do have to go and register for a free ticket, but you’d do well to find a cheaper day out for the family. At least in the short term. Apart from the tackle, there’s the opportunity to catch up with your favourite fishing identity, lots of them will be at the show for both one-on-one time and being involved in industry forums. So mark down 5 August, grab a free ticket and we will see you there. Apologies to those who don’t live close enough to go.

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A revitalised Lake Eucumbene FMG

Peter Jung

Although there are many lakes, rivers and creeks to fish for trout in the Snowy mountain’s region, Lake Eucumbene is the jewel in the crown. It is a huge body of water with many access

the best option to catch a trophy sized fish, which is still most liely the case now as well (however, those fishing Lake Jindabyne may disagree). What hurt the region and the fishery was the extended period of dry weather and the severe decline in the water level of the lake. Low water

(more importantly less downs than ups) there has been a resurgence of Lake Eucumbene as a fishery. Fish numbers seem to be up and options to catch them are as good as they have ever been. In this feature I hope to provide the visiting angler (like myself) or even regular fishers of the waterway a

Gates, Cemetery Point and Yens Bay. All have dirt road access in varying states of repair that will get you near the lakes edge. Care should always be taken anywhere near the water’s edge. It can be very slippery, soft and it will only take a small mistake to end up with a bogged vehicle and a situation that is bound to ruin your day. No bins are provided at any of these locations, so please ensure that you take home any rubbish. Unfortunately, there are many examples around the lake, where people have not done this. BE PREPARED FOR THE WEATHER It would be remiss of me not to mention the weather in the region and how quickly

The author with his first fish from a recent visit to Lake Eucumbene. It was caught trolling using a Bullet Lures Five-O Minnow in the redbelly dace colour.

It is a pleasure to be on Lake Eucumbene on mornings like this. Just be aware the weather can change quickly. few insights into catching a few fish, like I did on a recent visit. ACCESS AND FISHING LOCATIONS Key access points to Lake Eucumbene are Braemar Bay, Buckenderra, Old Adaminaby, Anglers Reach and Providence Portal. All offer forms of accommodation, boat launching access (mainly bank launching) and the operators are always good for a bit of local knowledge on where and on what the fish are biting. There are also plenty of shore based fishing options at these locations as well as places like Coppermine Bay, Collingwood Bay, Middling Bank, Frying Pan, Seven

Casting lures from the shore is always an option at Lake Eucumbene. When there are white caps for as far as you could see in the main lake, it was the only option. it can change. It is not unusual for storms and quick changes in temperature to occur during a day’s fishing (even just a morning or afternoon session). You will see from many of the images in this feature that

Tassie Devil lures have always been a reliable lure to troll at Lake Eucumbene. points from the dam wall all the way to the mouth of the Eucumbene River that feeds it. I know as a young man fishing the area, it was VIDEO 1

Scan the QR code to see the authors DAY 1 YouTube video from his recent trip to Lake Eucumbene 8 AUGUST 2023

levels resulted in difficult access to get boats and other watercraft on the water, while shore-based anglers were faced with fishing areas that hadn’t seen the light of day for many years. The fish also had their challenges, with food sources diminished and less than ideal conditions for natural recruitment to happen. It felt like there were fewer fish to catch, especially for anglers like myself, who were not regular visitors to the waterway. In 2023, after a number of years of wetter weather, resulted in steadily increasing water levels

A closer look at the lure that caught that big brown trout. It is one of the new Rapala 75mm Count Down Elite lures in the gilded gold shad colour.

Andy Queck is a regular visitor and consistently catches fish like this when trolling lures well back from the boat.

on a recent trip to Lake Eucumbene, we had wind, rain, snow and occasionally a bit of sunshine. We dressed accordingly, took note of the weather forecast and fished to the conditions. It was particularly windy and we ensured we minimised time spent in the areas where the white caps and wind swell

looked more like you would expect in the ocean that on an inland waterway. As we head into the warmer months all things relating to sun protection will also be required. FISHING TECHNIQUES A recent visit to Eucumbene was a real eye opener from the perspective

that at 62% capacity (at the time of writing) Lake Eucumbene offers every angler options. Let me take you through a few: Trolling Trolling is a very popular

undoing of many fish. There are three main methods, flatline trolling, trolling with lead core line or using a downrigger. The latter two relate to methods of getting your lures deeper in the

trolling for another day. Although trolling is simply popping a lure out by behind your boat and slowly dragging it around a waterway, there are numerous factors that can affect how successful you are. All of them effect/relate to what your lure is doing at the end of your line. The four main ones are lure choice, the line you use, how far behind the boat you run the lures, and the speed that you move/troll. Let’s break these down: Your lure choice needs to reflect the depth of water you are trying to fish. When trolling the margins of a waterway like Lake Eucumbene I like to stick to depths between 2.5-6m. My favourite options reflect diving depths to suit this range. Tassie Devils, Rapala floating and sinking (CD) 5cm and 7cm minnows,

Bullet Lures Five-O minnows, DUO Spearhead Ryuki 50MDF lures and the new Rapala Countdown Elite 55mm and 75mm minnows all caught fish on my latest visit and have been consistent fish catchers for me for many years. Each lure has numerous colour options to choose from. There will be an image within this feature that shows the successful colours I used. I only want to touch on line choice briefly here as there will be a fact box that goes into more detail around fishing line choice. What I do want to mention is whether you are using monofilament

You can’t help taking in the view as you are trolling around the lake.

VIDEO 2

All the successful lures from the author’s most recent trip to Lake Eucumbene. way of targeting trout for many Lake Eucumbene anglers. Running a spread of lures behind your boat (or kayak) and slowly prospecting around a waterway has been the

water column by using either a downrigger bomb or lead core-based lines. In this feature I want to focus on the lake margins, which suit the flat line trolling methods, so I will leave the deep water

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29/6/2023 5:15 pm

OLD

August in the Cape CAPE YORK

Tim O’Reilly wildrivercompany@gmail.com

After what has been a pleasant dry season followed by good rains, August is set to be cracker. With the country

modern gadgetry tend to do better when the fishing’s tough. Repeated casting at fish that are parked up on the sounder will still yield results. Some of the fishing for pelagic and fast moving fish can be frenetic in August when suitable conditions

prevail. Huge bait schools gather inshore along the Gulf of Carpentaria coast. Flocks and flocks of birds fly out every day to investigate the carnage going on. Fish, such as long tail tuna and Spanish mackerel, terrorise these bait schools and include

Fraser with a decent barra caught from the Archer River. the Cape’s west coast on the annual migration path. Plenty of critters are flying every which ways in the shallow soupy inshore waters of the Gulf. A huge

A tidy jack for the author. holding on for longer than normal, many of the smaller creeks and rivulets will still seep water out, either above or below ground. Much of Cape York’s bushland will be thriving, as will people traffic on the northern sojourn to the Cape. Getting straight down to business the barra fishing can be quite challenging. Traditional methods of casting hardbodies and trolling all usual spots or bashing the best snags. It can all feel like a bit of a grind once those water temperatures drop away. The fish simply get sluggish. But they still eat and those with all the

burns. This is a necessary process to reduce fuel load and horrific late-season bushfires. Fire creates its own arrangements with freshwater inhabitants. Nutrient fall back from the ash of burnt debris finds its way into small creeks and might send the fishing off. As the winter slowly fades and with September

A big barra for Richard.

Cape York never disappoints with sessions like this. 42 AUGUST 2023

August. Cool conditions, clean water and tropical fish that are more than prepared to do battle in winter! Wading the flats can be more productive in clear, sunlight conditions. Not too many bities around, this includes mozzies, sand flies and crocs (most of them are sunning themselves on the bank!).

biomass of organisms is turning from one life form, consumed by another. An extensive inshore fishery exists all the way from the tip of Cape York and down past Kowanyama. As schools of fish of various sorts cruise the coastline, they can be picked off by those wishing to sight cast the shallows. Water clarity on the higher tides can be mazing, particularly in the northern Gulf waters. Generally speaking August is a little easier to survive on Cape York’s west coast rather than the east coast. The prevailing sou-easterly and easterly breezes can make life tough on the Barrier Reef coastline this time of year. Where’s these prevailing winds blow offshore on the western Cape coast, making beach and boating life more comfortable. Fly fishers often choose to visit this west coast in

Benny Stuart flicking the fly for queenies. August can be a cool month by Cape York standards. Plenty of people camped up the Cape will tell you, it can get colder than they expected. Some of the countryside will already be blackened off, caught up in the neverending cycle of dry season

just around the corner, plenty of fish will beginning the rattle their bones and get ready for rising water temps. Some our favourite fish such as barramundi, threadfin salmon and mangrove jack might start to blink with the first hint of spring in the air.

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visit www.tacklejunkie.fish for the latest tackle news - AS IT HAPPENS!

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AUGUST 2023 43

NSW

Catches have been ticking along consistently FORSTER

Luke Austin

The end of winter can’t come soon enough this year. I think I can vouch for all anglers when I say

head closer to spring it’s feeling like we might get a really good spring/summer fishing season again this year. Luderick anglers continue to catch fish after fish throughout the bottom

producing the better fish, and this trend will probably remain for at least another few weeks before the bigger fish head back upstream. The flats and weed beds are starting to come to life now, with plenty of baitfish and decent-sized prawns kicking about. It makes sense that there’s also a noticeable increase in the numbers of hungry predators such as bream, flathead, tailor and whiting getting up into the shallows looking for a feed! If we are lucky enough to get a few consecutive days of warmer temperatures, this month can be perfect for getting up into the warm, shallow areas to do some early prospecting with big Bent Minnows and surface lures. I think you will be surprised by just how much

Renee with a Wallis Lake mulloway. We are lucky to have so many of these fish close to home.

There are still plenty of bream about on the rock walls. we are sick and tired of the freezing weather we’ve had this year! While August can sometimes be a little tricky on the fishing front, things have been ticking along very consistently in recent weeks, and there are plenty of fish out there waiting to be caught. The local estuaries are alive with activity at the moment, and as we

of the estuary. These fish have been great this year, and they don’t seem to be diminishing in numbers or size any time soon! Both rock walls, the bridge pylons, The Paddock and Breckenridge Channel are all fishing well and holding good numbers of fish. Bream continue to be caught very consistently throughout the system. The rock walls are still

Rob from RV Lures with a great early season flathead.

The local beaches have been a bit hit-and-miss of late. The run of tailor that we enjoyed earlier in winter has well and truly slowed up now, but there are still a few nice fish getting about for those wishing to fish early or late in the day. 7 Mile and 9 Mile beaches are still producing plenty of bream and the odd mulloway up around the 8-10kg mark. There have also been a few stonking big whiting landed during the week by anglers soaking worms down south. Rock fishers have been having a ball lately chasing our winter staples. While we have not had a huge amount of swell, there has been enough of a wash there to get among the

is going on already in these areas, and I can’t wait to see how this year’s flats season goes!

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58 AUGUST 2023

There are still plenty of rock blackfish (pigs) in the wash zones.

fish. Black drummer have been fishing well off most headlands and ledges, and with a bit of berley you should be able to score a nice feed with ease. Baits of prawn and cunje have been working best, and you can also expect to see some stonking big bream, luderick, groper and snapper mixed in! Those anglers wishing to cast a lure about are still running into some quality tailor along with small kingfish. Getting offshore when the southerly/westerly winds are blowing can be very frustrating. While the bar and bay look glassy calm and beautiful, any water out past about 20m deep is insanely unsettled and almost impossible to fish successfully. Luckily, the fish in close have been on the bite, with some cracking snapper coming from reefs under 20m over the past couple of weeks. By far the best snapper reports have come from those reefs up north sitting in 35-45m of water. One boat had a particularly good day up there in 35m of water, catching a lot of good quality fish up to about 80cm. The wider grounds are also producing nice mixed bags of snapper, trag and morwong, as well as the odd pearl perch and pigfish. • Luke is the owner of Great Lakes Tackle - your ‘local’ bait and tackle store. They sell the best brands and offer sound, friendly advice on where you can go to land your next trophy fish while visiting the wonderful Great Lakes region! The store is open 7 days in the main street of Tuncurry (ph. 02 6554 9541), and you can also find them on Facebook to see what they have been up to!

NSW

Clean and clear seas CENTRAL COAST

Jamie Robley

At the time of writing, the Tasman Sea is very clear and cold. Typically, we also get periods of very flat surf for a few days and then bigger groundswell for another few

bream, so it wasn’t a dead loss, but this is precisely what happens at this time of year. The main message is this: don’t try to fish a good rock spot if the swell and tide is rising. Find a safer spot, or conjure up a new, safer plan. So we’ve seen drummer and luderick caught at all the

that it appeals to most species, most of the time. Back to the sea conditions for a minute. If it’s very calm and flat, use lighter line and present baits as close into the rocks as possible, without snagging up. Fish tuck in more under any little bit of whitewash or shaded rock

August is possibly the worst month for bream in Brisbane Waters and the lakes, but they can still be caught – just fish slowly with lighter leaders. If you put some effort into it, the rewards should come.

The channel mouth at The Entrance has been very narrow this winter. The lakes are currently in quite a healthy state, with plenty of life, but the longer the channel remains narrow like this, the tougher the fishing becomes. days. My fishing outing just prior to typing this month’s column is a prime example. Two days of very flat seas got me thinking about an awesome drummer hole at one of the local rock ledges. Normally this spot can only be fished during very calm conditions, around low tide. So, with the ideal circumstances, I packed the gear, and stopped to buy some bread for bait on the way, to time my arrival there just before low tide. Unfortunately for me, the swell had come up overnight, and by the time I got to the spot it was too rough to fish it. A back-up plan and a more sheltered hole produced a few

known rock ledges and points in recent weeks, however, I’ve personally found a lot more bream than the other two species. Typically, some spots are better for one particular species, and some spots often yield mixed bags of drummer, luderick, bream and perhaps trevally or silver drummer as well. Of course, bait choice and technique also play a role in determining what you’ll catch. If you use green cabbage baits, you’ll find that luderick and drummer are far more likely than anything else. Flesh, cunje or prawn baits are good for bream, drummer and trevally, with the occasional luderick thrown in. I use bread baits a lot, and I have found

ledge, and it’s hard to get them to come out into open water to look at your bait. So, fish closer in and be thoughtful about the process. Don’t use too much berley either. Just very small amounts at a time, thrown close in, not away from the rocks for the seagulls to feast upon! The beaches are still

Good numbers of bream have been along our rocks and beaches this winter. The same should apply this month. Top quality baits like white bread, cunje, cut pilchards, fresh or salted tailor or mullet all work well.

producing bream, tailor and salmon at the moment, and this should remain the trend during August. Once again, I’ve personally done better with the bream in recent weeks, and have definitely noticed fewer salmon this year, which is basically the same as last year. The average size of the sambos encountered along the beaches is also smaller, and in fact I’d say they are almost half the size they were only 20 years ago. To me, this is absolute proof that commercial fishing pressure does make an impact on our fish stocks. I’m not saying the pros should stop all sambo harvesting, I’m just saying that commercial fishing does reduce fish stocks in the long term, and needs to be managed appropriately. As mentioned last month, offshore fishing is more focused on heading wider for kings, bonito or tuna at this time of year. Much like the rock fishing scenario I mentioned earlier, weather and sea conditions may appear to be stable, but in reality, westerly winds can

come up a lot stronger than predicted during the second half of winter here. For that reason, it’s beneficial to have the tackle or bait on board to be able to make the most of things if the wind forces your plans to be quickly changed. There are still fish back closer in, so a lighter rod and bag of pillies or salted bonito fillets could save the day. Back inside the lakes and Brisbane Waters, luderick and bream have been the main players in recent weeks. A few flathead, tailor, perch and trevally have also been caught. This is a notoriously tough month though, so I’d be sticking to bream or luderick more than anything else at the moment. Even if we start to get a few warmer days towards the end of the month, the water will remain cold, and fishing won’t really change until September. So, stick to good quality baits and if you’re using lure or fly tackle, keep everything very slow and methodical, with light fluorocarbon leaders.

Stocking

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VIC

We are experiencing trying times in Portland PORTLAND

Nigel Fisher

G’day everybody, I hope you are warmer than we are down here in the southwest. This winter has certainly tested the best of us, as we’ve had to fight the weather to get onto the fishing grounds. We

the school tuna come in quite close, and water around Lawrences Rock to Cape Nelson Lighthouse can really fire up. In addition to this, another good run on the barrel tuna can be on the cards, but again, it all depends on whether mother nature is kind to us. Recently, anglers going on trips in the deeper water,

Salty Dog fishing charters with a great variety of fish.

Tony and his mates caught a nice feed of pinkie snapper in the deeper water. generally get some good windows of opportunity in the winter months, but so far it has been very difficult. I am hoping that by the time this magazine comes out, the weather will have settled somewhat. On a brighter note, when we have had those good weather windows, the fishing has been quite reasonable. The school tuna have been around in decent numbers, but the depths have varied from around 50m to the Shelf (the odd big hook-up on larger tuna is also still a possibility). Sometimes around August

around 50-80m around Cape Nelson, fishing the bottom have been getting into great variety of fish. Catches in recent weeks have included gummy sharks, school sharks, snapper and nannygai, just to name a few. We have also seen the odd trumpeter and some nice mako sharks. Flathead have been showing up in good numbers around Bridgewater, and at this time of year you can get some nice-size flathead around the Lawrences Rock area.

Around the bay, we have seen some good-size whiting showing up, so it may be worth having a fish for them this month. You may not get big numbers, but the fillets should be big. August is a great time of year for catching large Australian salmon around the bay, either from a boat or land-based off the breakwater or beaches around Portland and Bridgewater Bay. Right now is also a great time of year to try fishing the estuary systems

such as the Surry, Fitzroy and Glenelg rivers chasing bream, estuary perch and the mighty mulloway. The dirtier water can produce some big fish in

Freshwater fishing is always a great option throughout the colder months, and Bridgewater Lakes is not a bad place to start. These lakes have produced some very big redfin when they decide to bite. We are also very lucky to have some fantastic fishing holes within a couple of hours away for the chances of redfin, trout and even Murray cod. So, as you can see, you still have many options to choose from in our winter period. It just depends on what the weather conditions allow us to do. • If you are looking at coming down to Portland during the winter months, you are welcome to contact us on 03 5521 1844 for any weather and fishing reports, or you can call in and say g’day to the

Local gun Ash with a beautiful tiger trout from lake Bullen Merri.

The result of another great tuna session on Sharkmen fishing charters.

these areas. Live baits are a huge advantage in this scenario, but soft plastics and lures can be very effective as well.

crew at Portland Compleat Angler. You will find us at 61 Bentinck Street, Portland, next door to the Gordon Hotel.

Hang in there, warmth is coming! APOLLO BAY

Craig Rippon

The fishing lately has been fantastic for this time of year, and the weather hasn’t been too bad either. Close to home, the salmon have still been really good for the Geelong supporters. We had a couple of them down to have a fish last week where they caught their bag of salmon. They really enjoyed the break down here and got plenty of fish. The mornings have been the best time to fish for the salmon, 72 AUGUST 2023

and metal lures have been out-fishing bait. The whiting have slowed up a fair bit, with a couple of locals coming home empty on recent trips. There has been a fair bit of freshwater flushing in the ocean, so maybe a bit of freshwater in close doesn’t help out wide. There have been good catches of snapper and nannygai lately, all decentsize fish. Most guys have been getting full bags, including some quality fish up to 5.5kg. Gummy shark and school shark have also been really consistent. All the locals that have been

getting out have all gotten their bag limit catches. Since I wrote my last report there have been some really nice tuna caught, and JB Lures have been working well on these fish. A young lad who came down with his dad on the school holidays got a fish of a lifetime with a 116.5kg bluefin. Some days there’s a really good bite and the next day they seem to slow a bit. The full moon down here seems to knock them around a bit but when they feed again it’s normally a good bite. For the moment, there’s plenty of bait in the water, and I expect it to get better.

The squid have slowed up in the harbour but there are still some good flathead about in 35m of water. All our local freshwater rivers and creeks have had a good flush out, with plenty of water running in them. There has been the odd bream caught in the Barham River, but they haven’t been that big. We are past the halfway mark in winter, so hang in there. The days are starting to get a bit longer, and with a dry and hot summer forecast, it will get warmer soon. In the meantime, if you are willing to brave the colder days, there are plenty of fish about.

Jakim (11yo) with his 116.5kg bluefin tuna.

VIC

Top trout fishing on offer in rivers WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

The early part of winter was quite harsh down here in the southwest of the state. August, the last official month of winter, is traditionally very cold, but who knows what will happen in the coming weeks. Offshore angling has been virtually a write off for the past month with strong winds and big seas, but fortunately, the river fishing, both freshwater and estuary, has been on fire to make

up for it. The Hopkins River has been producing some quality bream fishing. Despite the water cooling down, fish have still been feeding hard on the edges. These fish have been responding well to deep diving lures and soft plastics fished along the rocky edges. After the recent Vic Bream event was cancelled due to forecast high winds, a few of the keen anglers still went out, and it was 4kg bags all-round. In August, these fish can usually be found quite easily on the sounder in

the deeper parts of the river. Getting them to bite, however, is more difficult. Coinciding your fishing with an incoming tide does seem to help, as the cleaner seawater pushes in under the dirty freshwater above. It can make for easier midday fishing, without concentrating on the prime dawn/dusk periods like you need to when the water is clearer. It’s a big benefit in this cold winter weather. The first mulloway I’d heard of for ages was a 94cm fish taken by Luke Smith on 4lb line whilst fishing for bream. Good numbers of

Trout like this make battling the cold weather and dirty water worthwhile.

estuary perch have also moved downstream from the freshwater reaches, and are another worthwhile target this month. They are usually taken fishing deep plastics and vibes when fishing for bream, but also are happy to feed up tight on the weed beds despite the dirty fresh water. Casting shallow diving hardbodies like Infeet Sazanamis, shallow running DC75s or Presso Minnows into edges in dirty water might seem a little fruitless, until a 40cm EP jumps on. The trout fishing in the local rivers has also been on fire. Trout fishing is a popular winter pastime locally, with the Moyne River, Mt Emu Creek and the Hopkins and Merri rivers being open in their entirety during the traditional closed season. It means most of the prime local trout waters are fishable all winter. There were a number of reasons for this. Firstly, it allows for anglers to target the trout in what is the most productive time to fish these waters. The higher water levels and cooler water temperatures of winter usually produce the most conducive trout fishing conditions. Also, all these South West coastal rivers are reliant on annual fish stocking, with research showing very little if any natural recruitment, thus reducing the need to ‘lock up’ the rivers to protect spawning fish at the best time to be fishing them.

This Hopkins bream was caught on the deep diving Daiwa Infeet Spike 53 EXDR. As I predicted a few issues ago, after the cool wet summer we’ve had, plus some good stocking, there have been plenty well-conditioned trout on offer. Interestingly, many keen trout anglers have recaptured fish they have already released. Skeeta Andrews, Michael Malone and myself have all had this happen recently. A trout’s spots are like fingerprints,

and combined with features like big hooked jaws or a dodgy fin, it’s pretty easy to compare photos and identify recaptured fish. Being a fishery reliant on stocking, it is good to know that the fish can handle catch and release well, and you can then give someone else the chance to experience the thrill of a big brown smacking a lure at your feet.

Anglers braving the weather to catch some fish COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

Despite the wind and inclement weather, many boaters have ventured out onto the briny in search of a fish or two. The offshore scene has seen a variety of species caught, including those that dwell rather deep. On a day of flat seas but with a southerly change due that night, one boat with four on board left Boat Bay and headed south for two hours, with an average land speed of 40km. They fished a wide ridge in 360-420m of water with electric reels, and an oversized drogue (sea anchor) employed to slow down any drift. Fishing was slow to begin with, and steady after that. Often, even using

A trio of Hopkins River EPs prior to release. They were taken near the road bridge late in the afternoon on shrimp-style soft plastics stripped across the surface.

braid, a bite is not detected. For that reason, every 30 minutes the electric reel is engaged and the long, slow retrieve begins, to see whether there’s a fish on the other end. If a big fish has hooked up, it will become apparent with the rod vibrating at the very least, and the angler can then assist the reel by manually winding up line. The end result for that session was six hapuka to 6kg, some blue grenadier to 2kg, a couple of knifejaw around a kilo and one magnificent Tassie trumpeter weighing in at 9kg. Much closer inshore around 40m, some nice pinkie snapper to 2kg have been caught, along with some huge blue morwong or queen snapper to 4kg, leatherjackets to 1.5kg and gummy shark to 7kg. All have been taken on large, whole squid baits, which can be caught out

there jigging. Even closer in has seen more barracouta encounters, along with Aussie salmon schools, with some fish exceeding 2kg. Metal slices cast among surface-feeding schools has been a hit for many anglers. The Hopkins has some excellent bream on the chew in the lower reaches of the river. Fish to 41cm have been taken on bait and lure, with soft plastics being a standout favourite among many fishers. The flats opposite Lyndoch have been productive early in the morning. Perch have been taken in front of Lyndoch right at first light. The best fishing has been after dark, with the moorings adjacent to Proudfoots providing plenty of action at night using plastics and quality bait flicked next to and under any structure, including moored boats. AUGUST 2023 73

Where are the trout about? FRESHWATER

Peter Fragomeni

The weather has been very cold recently, which has resulted in many anglers choosing to stay indoors. I am one of those as

of them are located and are still very low. Most of the good reports have come from the Pemberton region, with very little trout captured in the northern area. I have received a number of comments from anglers concerned that

prosper especially, through our hot summer months. Having said that, they have offered the only sport in this region with some good specimens being caught in most of our waters. AUSSIE NATIVES With the cold

should occur in August even though it will be reduced this year with all the upgrades going on at the hatchery. I did manage to land a nice brown, however a huge effort was required to achieve the result. Redfin fishing has been patchy with some days being better than others. Those braving the cold have come up trumps with a few nice ones from the deeper sections. Drakesbrook Weir Again very slow with one kayak angler claiming only two trout from 40 visits according to local Jonah Chiera. Luckily the redfin have made it worthwhile with some good tasting fillets heading home with him. A few are getting caught along the edges with better success going to those that can get on the water. Logue Brook Dam A few small rainbows are being caught in the bays on both fly and lure. I did manage a nice trout of

Wellington Dam can turn on some exceptional redfin fishing at times. Dallas from Collie Yak showing how it’s done with his personal best redfin of 47cm.

Brown trout are becoming more common thanks to the increased stocking by Fisheries WA. This one hit a Pegron Tiger Minnow in the middle of the day. farm work has prevented me chasing freshwater species as well. June was one of the wettest for many decades and the relentless cold winds made things difficult to get out on most days. The Perth metro and far South West received good rains, however the scarp hills missed out and this is not good for our irrigation dams as that’s where most

(unlike most years) have found it difficult to even see a trout in any of our dams. I am mystified as stocking should have taken place by now. This confirms what I have said previously and that is that our dams rely on Hatchery stocking to make them a viable fishery. Redfin are the blame for this situation as they consume most of the food that trout rely on to

conditions being experienced things have been very quiet lately. It will pick up as the weather warms, however we only have a marginal fishery that is reserved for those that are in the know or have access to private water. DAMS Waroona Dam Trout fishing has been poor at the time of writing, however stocking

This is the time of the year when trout push up to the headwaters to spawn. Carefully released, they can continue to do what they do best, as was the case with Tyson Groom’s superbly conditioned rainbow.

A nice section of the Blackwood River where the author spotted some nice rainbows in the gentle current. 102 AUGUST 2023

45cm on a quick trip there recently. Harvey Dam Plenty of redfin are getting caught throughout the whole dam with a range of lures and soft plastics. Finding the schools is the secret and lowering a drop-shot rig over them is a sure-fire method of getting a reaction. Don’t be fussy with your choice of plastics, just change it up until you find what works. Trout have been harder to find with a few turning up around Quarry Bay, Nicholson Point and The Sticks.

Predicted Dam levels for Southwest WA Overall storage in our dams that allow public access and recreational activities are currently 51% at the end of June, compared to 57% at this time last year. These figures are actually less than the May figures, so not sure what the case is? There were very good rains down in the far south and the Perth region with well above average numbers in June, however, the scarp hills below Perth missed out and that is a pity as that’s were most of our catchment dams are situated. WAROONA DAM DRAKESBROOK WEIR LOGUE BROOK DAM HARVEY DAM WELLINGTON DAM GLEN MERVYN DAM BIG BROOK DAM

55% 90% 65% 66% 60% 40% 103%

Lake Kepwari Some nice big redfin are being caught up by the Ski Club end of the lake, so it’s worth a visit if you are in the area Glen Mervyn Dam Very low water levels, however redfin are still being caught with trolling any of the popular lures doing most of the damage. Wellington Dam A few trout are

This dam filled quickly and is fishing reasonably well. My mate Stevie fly fished it recently and had good sport catching both rainbows and browns up the back end of the dam. Redfin have been a bit quiet of late but are there in big numbers. Pemberton Private Farm Dams There are a number of private dams that hold fast

in town in the way of accommodation with 6 rooms and a huge central kitchen as well. If you are interested in joining them contact WA Trout and Freshwater Angling Association (WATFAA) and mention my name. RIVERS Murray River Very high and dirty at present so not worth fishing until spring.

Being set up for extended days out fishing is important. Having a good sounder, electric motor and a generator for charging the twin lithium batteries is handy, also a portable gas hot water shower keeps the Mrs happy. fines can be imposed if you are caught. Collie River below Wellington Dam Flow rate is well down

of my offerings. Warren River Some nice trout are being caught well upstream where the flow is

and if you decide to give it a go some interesting back water fishing can be had. Donnelly River This is the time to fish

The south-west region of WA has a number of trout streams that can fish well at certain times of the year. The recent rains have created ideal conditions for trout. showing up in certain parts of this larger dam. It seems you need to be in the right area or you will miss out as that was the case on my visit there a while back.

growing trout up to trophy size in this region that includes Manjimup as well. I was lucky to get an invite to fish one of about 10 acres in size when I was down

Northern Jarrah Streams This is the time to fish these little secluded waters as trout push up from the dams and can

The south-west region has hundreds of private farm dams ranging in sizes from as little as 2 acres right up to ones you could ski on. WATFAA has over a dozen that are regularly stocked with trout around Pemberton.

Cold winter days can turn on some good redfin fishing. This one hit a trolled RGM in shallow water at Waroona Dam. Dallas from Collie Yak caught his personal best redfin of 47cm and lost one at the kayak that was of similar size recently. This water can be tricky to fish with some days not producing any fish while others produce well. Big Brook Dam

there looking at a stud bull. Although I didn’t hook one I did see a couple that were truly magical specimens. There is a club that has access to around a dozen of these dams and have strict access requirements for their members. They have a handy club facility

travel tens of kilometres to reach the headwaters to spawn. Now I’m not much for catching spawning fish but if you handle them well they will continue on their way. Some of these trout come from dams that are off limits so be mindful of where you are as big

so not as productive as usual. Collie River above Wellington Dam I normally only report on the section around the town, however there have been reports of trout cruising the rapids just up from Wellington Dam itself. A few redfin are still being caught in this section with better sizes coming from the deeper sections around Collie. Blackwood River I fished the shallower water around Nannup recently and managed to hook a couple of feisty rainbows in the gentle rapids. I did spot a large rainbow that refused any

not as strong as the lower section that has the extra water coming in from the vast amount of streams that flow in. Most are in the 35cm class with a few going bigger. August can be tough to fish as this river is normally swollen and runs dirty. A few good redfin are coming from the slower sections as well. Lefroy Brook By far the heaviest fished location in the south-west, this little brook holds a good head of both brown and rainbow trout. As with other rivers this month can be tough with the heavy rain and elevated water levels in all but low rainfall years. Check levels

the upper section around One Tree Bridge and above as this river doesn’t seem to flow as hard as others. A few big brown trout have been spotted in the fast runs around the zigzag section upstream with rainbows being more common. There’s something to be said about sitting around a campfire on a chilly night with a nice red or glass of port chatting about the days fishing with a mate or family. This is what makes our sport standout from others. Although, it can be cold you don’t have to worry about snakes or fire risks, so there’s that. Until next time stay connected. AUGUST 2023 103

BREAM QUEENSLAND OPEN presented by

BREAM QUEENSLAND OPEN

abt

Lonne crabs and cranks his way to Open victory Brisbane’s Chris Lonne has made a name for himself in 2023 fishing the popular Queensland Teams Series events on the Gold Coast. He’s picked up three wins in that series in consecutive events, which made him one to watch coming into the Samaki BREAM Queensland Open. The trouble with the Open though, is that it’s not held all on the Gold Coast. The arenas are split between Moreton Bay on Day 1 and the Gold Coast on Day 2. You need to be good at both to be in with a shot of winning. Chris Lonne did enough on Day 1 to give him a shot on the Sunday and he grabbed that opportunity with both hands, winning “Geoff”, the perpetual trophy, for the

little patchy - if you miss the tide by 15 minutes you can miss the fish, so I spent the first session fishing in the Brisbane River. I found some spawning fish on rockwalls and bridge pylons there a couple of weeks Scan the QR code to watch the Winners Interview Chris Lonne

ago,” Chris said. He targeted these fish using Cranka Crabs and his Day 1 bag was good enough for 6th place – well within striking distance of the leader, Steve Eldred. Sunday was moving day for Lonne, and he started with a bang, fishing moored

Chris Lonne is on a hot streak in the south-east. His Samaki BREAM Queensland Open win added $5,000 to his yearly winnings tally. places for them to hide,” he explained. But it was one ‘magical’ boat that sealed the deal for Chris. “I ended up catching

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104 AUGUST 2023

about 10 bream in a row off this one boat. I’d hook the fish, tow it out, spot lock while I did the pics and entered the fish into the app and I’d just go back and do it

over and over again. He used a combination of the Atomic Bream Shad and a ZipBaits Khamsin Tiny to get the job done. He tuned the baits to swim under the

Although his Day 2 heroics won him the event, his solid limit from the Brisbane River on Day 1 gave him the platform he needed to ascend. next 12 months and a cool $5,000 cash. Here’s how he did it: Day 1, 5/5, 2.520kg and Day 2, 5/5, 3.331kg, for a total of 10/10 fish for 5.851kg. “I do a bit of time on Moreton Bay but for me it can be a

boats at Jacobs Well in the northern part of the arena. “It was low tide at the start of the session and that’s when I like fishing moored boats the best. The fish are pushed off the flats and there’s not many other

Can Waller has the plan for the prizemoney - $500 to the motor, $500 to tackle and the rest to future events.

RESULTS

Full results at abt.org.au

Place

Angler

Fish

Weight(kg)

Payout

Chris Lonne

10/10

5.851kg

$5,000

Cain Waller

10/10

5.492kg

$2,500

Steve Morgan

10/10

5.405kg

$1,500

Jamie McKeown

10/10

5.361kg

$1,000

Sam Peck

10/10

5.233kg

Steven Eldred

10/10

5.132kg

Mark Saric

10/10

4.955kg

Drew Griffith

10/10

4.792kg

Blake O’Grady

10/10

4.571kg

Chris Greensill

10/10

4.564kg

hull and cast them upstream along the boat’s length, cranking them downstream with the tide. Lonne prefers a straight retrieve with few twitches to get the bream to commit. His gear of choice consisted of a Samurai Reaction 101 rod and older model blue Daiwa Luvias reel spooled with braid and leader. “I go through phases, sometimes I use straightthrough fluorocarbon but at the moment I’m a braid/ leader guy,” he said.

BREAM QUEENSLAND OPEN presented by And the $5,000? “That is definitely going to the domestic fund this time,” he said. It might buy him some brownie points for the next high-dollar event in his part of the country. WALLER FOR SECOND Cain Waller fished the Open in a boat that he rebuilt himself that cost maybe 1/10th of the fancier boats in the field. And, although the Scan the QR code to watch the Second Place Interview Cain Waller

fish don’t know what you’re fishing in, motor issues on the second day nearly cost him his second placing. For Cain, it was a similar story to Lonne – a mid-2kg mag on the Saturday and a solid bag pulled off a single spot on the Sunday to make a charge at the title. With a broken motor on the final day and a three minute late-penalty applied after a long sprint along the Broadwater Parklands, Waller lost 150g, but it ultimately cost him nothing apart from a bout of solid exercise. His results for the competition were: Day 1, 5/5, 2.532kg, and Day 2, 5/5, 2.960kg, for a total of 10/10 fish for 5.492kg. Cain cranked shallow flats on Day 1 just south of the start location at Cleveland. He followed the fish up with the tide on the shallow flats and fished in a foot of water the whole session. “I made long casts with an old Diztek shallow runner that you can’t get any more and I fished it on straight through 4lb Daiwa J Thread fluorocarbon, an Infeet rod and a Legalis reel. I chose the 4lb because I didn’t want the bigger fish I hooked to get away,” Cain said. He landed around 30 bream for the session.

“It was a slow retrieve. The secret is to just get the lure moving so that you can feel it and that’s what they wanted,” he continued. Sunday saw Waller make his move, fishing a single, deeper water spot at the Jumpinpin, which is a maze of mangrove islands between north and south Stradbroke Islands. “I caught every fish off this one, sunken tree,” Cain said, “At one point I got three, 30cm fish in three casts and at other times the fishing slowed down, but I ground it out to the limit I caught.” As well as renovating his own boat, Cain makes his own jigheads and fished one of these with a 3” Gulp minnow on 16lb X-Braid and a Sunline FC leader to get the bites. “Today it was all about dead sticking the bait and giving it little action. When I felt a tick on the line, I’d set the hook and they’d have it in their mouth,” Cain continued. It was an exciting conclusion to the event for Waller. Some water got into the fuel when he was

nearly back to the finish line, so he needed a quick tow in and then a 200m sprint up the beach saw him three minutes late and gasping for air. “I was going to make it back, no matter what,” he said. Indeed, another two minutes late and he would have taken home $1,000 less prizemoney. His $2,500 will be spent on motor diagnosis, tackle and future events. MORGAN MISSES THIRD OPEN WIN Steve Morgan continued his hot streak of ABT Open success with a third placing to pair with his BREAM and BASS Australian Open wins earlier in the year. Surprisingly, it was his highest finish in the Queensland iteration of the event. His results were: Day 1, 5/5, 2.809kg, and Day 2, 5/5, 2.596kg, for a total of 10/10 fish for 5.405kg. “Everyone thinks that because it’s held where I live, then there’s an advantage, but I’ve found the opposite over the years. There’s too much history

BREAM QUEENSLAND OPEN

abt

Waller caught around 30 bream on Day 1 targeting a foot of water with a discontinued Diztek crankbait. that you end up fishing and it’s no use fishing spots that had ‘em 10 years ago. You

It’s been a year of Open successes for Morgan and the 3rd in this iteration is the best he’s ever done in Queensland.

Big bream in shallow water was a theme for many of the competitors on Saturday in Moreton Bay.

need to fish where the fish are today,” he explained. Saturday saw Morgan fill an early limit on moored boats at Victoria Point before moving to the Macleay Island flats as the tide filled. “It was set up well for a moored boat bite in the morning, with a low tide drawing the fish off the flats and the sunshine putting them under the boats. I threw an ultra shallow Cranka Crank on 2lb line straight through. The bream were bigger there than I expected them to be and I headed to the flats with a decent limit,” he continued. Arriving a little early at the flats, the fish hadn’t moved up, so Steve fished some nearby rockpiles and upgraded a couple of times. This time with an Atomic Deep Crank 38.

“After the water got high enough, the fish appeared and I caught my biggest fish of the day within a couple of casts,” he said. Morgan fished the Nerang River mouth on the Sunday early for limited success. It wasn’t until he hit the Bundall Bridge that the fish started to flow. He caught a quick limit of Cranka Crabs (H, olive) and then headed to his canal milk-run around the casino. “There were four or five boats fishing in that area, so after wasting a couple of hours, I headed back to the main river and made another three key upgrades at the end of the session, again at the Bundall Bridge,” he said. Scan the QR code to watch the Field Highlights

“I’m usually too stubborn to change plans like that mid-session, but I’m learning to focus on quality of fish rather than quantity,” he concluded. Both days, Morgan used fluorocarbon line straight through to the lure. In the bay it was 2lb on a 7’5” Daiwa Infeet combo and the Gold Coast around the bridges it was 4lb on the Infeet ‘crab rod’ which measures 7’8”. OPEN A WINNER The Samaki BREAM Queensland Open attracted boats form as far away as Rockhampton in the north and Taree to the south and the novelty of the live scoreboard attracted thousands of spectators to check out the rapidly changing leader board each day. Full results on www. abt.org.au.

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AUGUST 2023 105

Whittley Sea Legend 27 with twin Mercury 225hp

RE ONLI NE

CON

CAN THE Q

TE N T -

-S

DE FOR E XT FMG

The cockpit is spacious and there’s several kill tanks under the floor and rubber decking. The dive door is standard and the battery isolators, live bait tank and deck wash are neatly concealed but accessible. Is the electrically deployed cockpit sun shade an overkill? Not in a Queensland summer. It stretches out to

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

Let us introduce the Whittley Sea Legend (SL) 27, the biggest SL hull they have made to date. Debuting at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, the team from Whittley were excited about this flagship model, and rightfully so, she’s a great looking boat with plenty of chops on the open water. We took the opportunity to take a spin in one of the first SL27’s delivered, with Alan Whittley and owner Andrew from the Gold Coast. The SL27 is a freshly minted hull with a swathe of

PERFORMANCE

Main: There’s no doubting that the new Whittley 2700 is a slick looking rig when paired with the black Mercury V6s. Above: Several motor iterations are available on this hull, but the customer chose the twin V6 225hp Mercury 4-strokes with Joystick Piloting.

Want to hear this boat run? There’s a length of raw, running footage at the end of the boat test video. accessories and options that truly makes it a workable blend of fishing and cruising boat. The hull measures in at 8.55m with a 23º deadrise at the transom, but importantly, has a maximum beam of 2.49m. This means it’s legally towable at any time across the country, as long as your tow vehicle can handle it. And although on paper, it’s towable by a twin-cab ute, you’d need to be careful with loading it, as it runs close to the line with anything more than a 108 AUGUST 2023

bustle,” Andrew concluded. This is my happy place and I was determined to get it right. A few minutes behind the wheel and it sure feels right. The economy isn’t great at around 500m/L at WOT (6,000rpm), but drop down to 62km/h and 4,500rpm and it delivers a much more acceptable kilometre-per-litre class burn.

basic build. Jumping on board with the new owner, and he was thrilled with the outcome. The test happened just after the boat show and there was no buyer’s regret from his corner. “There’s nothing in the market in this price range with the features that the 27 has,” he explained, “I bought this boat with both fishing and the comfort of my wife in mind and there’s nothing else around with these features until you get into the bigger imported

brands and the price of those is right up there.” And with no kids to cater for, Andrew ticked a lot of the options boxes, adding to an already feature-filled rig. The best way to get a feel for it is to watch the video boat test by scanning the QR code hereby, but let’s run through a few here. At the transom, twin Mercury 225hp 4-strokes are digitally controlled and they’ve added the joystick piloting option to make docking a breeze. This is important because this boat will live in dry storage. “I live in an apartment, so

it’s more economical to dry store the boat rather than have a trailer and a big rig to tow it. I also don’t have to put up with the crowding at boat ramps on the good weather days,” Andrew continued. Andrew’s favourite form of fishing is slow-pitch jigging, so there’s plenty of rod and tackle storage space, as well as a 19” Simrad to make sure he’s right on the spot. The sounder flush mounts into the dash, impressive for a unit this size.

RPM ............ Speed (km/h) ... Economy (km/L) 600 ............................................ 6 ................................ 1.40 1500......................................... 13 ..................................1.10 1600 .........................................14 ..................................1.10 2000 ........................................ 18 ................................0.85 3000 ........................................ 37 ................................0.95 4000 ........................................53 ................................0.80 4500 ........................................62 ................................0.95 5000 ........................................68 ................................ 0.73 6000 ........................................84 ................................0.54 cover Whittley’s clever, rear facing seating with plenty of storage underneath. The cabin is luxurious. There’s a stove, fridge, toilet and a whole lot more. It’s lockable with a solid door and offers a level of luxury often seen in boats a lot more expensive. “After a morning’s fishing, I can see us relaxing in a quiet spot and enjoying some time away from the hustle and

Want to know what one of these is worth? If you’re too shy to call your Whittley dealer (their contacts are on the Whittley website), you can get dreaming with the Builda-Boat page on the same site. Option up basic packages to your heart’s content and get a quote. We’re sure that Andrew and his wife will get years of happiness out of this rig. Thanks for the ride!

SPECIFICATIONS Length ........................... 8.55m Beam ...............................2.49m Length on trailer .....9.70m Height on trailer ..... 3.20m Transom deadrise........ 23° Fuel .....................................380L Water ..................................120L Max hp.................................450

Economy was about as expected, although the best cruising speed of 0.95L/km was achieved at quite high rpm – 4,500 and at 62km/h.

Top: The SL25 is at the maximum allowable beam for unhindered trailering – 2.49m both on and off the trailer. Above: There’s some tech available to the right hand of the driver, including Joystick Piloting and the new Next Gen digital throttle system.

Of course, nobody is pulling up the anchor on a 27-footer by hand!

Top: For those who want to trailer the boat, there’s a bunk and roller system which is a great compromise between ease of loading and stability while towing. Above: That’s a 19” Simrad fitting flush in the console right there.

The black rubber decking with teak accents matched the colour of the rig and adds a bit of class.

Whittley is famous for clever seating solutions. These aft-facing seats are more practical than you’d think for fishing.

Top Left: The cabin’s well-appointed with toilet, fridge, stove and plenty of room for a couple of adults. Top Right: This is the first boat we have been on with an electric-deploy sunshade. Granted, it’s not the quickest to extend but it does offer necessary shade to the cockpit. Bottom Left:There’s a massive underfloor wet area in between the two kill tanks that’s accessible by a smaller door-in-door. Bottom Right: Keep your catch cool and contained in these.

Top Left: The dive door is standard and there’s a deck wash that pops out of the round access hatch to the left. Bottom Left: Whittley’s Cruiser heritage is plain to see here. Right: That’s a lot of head room for a trailerable 27-footer. See what I did there? AUGUST 2023 109