Fishing Monthly Magazine | March 2024

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VIC

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Features

A royal feed: KG whiting • Lift your squid games • Vic Fisheries evolution • Prized yellowtail kingfish •

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LOGO COMPETITION

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT

Neil Slater brings us: A royal feed with King George whiting March, 2024 ISSN 2652-5798

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Contents

From the Editor’s Desk...

It’s the end of an era at Fishing Monthly – our long-serving Production Manager and Director, Matt Drinkall, is off to see the world after never missing a print deadline in nearly 30 years. Thank you for your dedication to the publication, Matt.

Millions of readers have enjoyed your work.

Jacqui Thomas is stepping up to the role of assembling the magazine in a desktop-publishing, as well as writerwrangling sense, so we hope you enjoy the first of the magazines that she has taken the full way through.

Also, this month sees the retirement of Jason Ehrlich from compiling the Queensland freshwater impoundment reports. Jason is a stalwart of the title, and we thank him for his many years of keeping readers up to date in the fresh.

NET-FREE GIPPSLAND AMAZES Our sister company, ABT, runs annual bream fishing tournaments in Gippsland Lakes. We just finished the 2024 iteration, where an incredible 1,800 bream were logged into the tournament app. This result was up from 1,100 the previous year.

Ever since the Lakes became net-free,

there’s been an anecdotal improvement in the quality of fishing, and now the data proves it. Thank you, Victoria, for the gift; it will keep on giving for years.

SUBSCRIBERS And while I’m handing out thanks – subscribers have voted with their wallets, and we hit the top 10 in the iSubscribe sales over the Christmas period. We never thought we would make it that high, especially since the next highest fishing publication was down in the 80s, but there ya go!

You keep ordering it, and we will keep making it!

INSIDE This Issue

A Leon McClymont image.

QLD NSW

VIC

TAS

WA

FISHING MONTHLY MAGAZINE Published by:

72

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

73

Esperance

102

Bunbury

102

Augusta

103

Metro

104

Mandurah

105

Lancelin

106

FREECALL: 1800 228 244

Kalberri

107

Exmouth

108

Karratha

108

Freshwater

110

Managing Editor: Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au Editorial Manager: Jacqui Thomas Editorial: Nicole Penfold Field Editors: Jason Ehrlich Publisher: Steve Morgan

18

Hunter Valley

Gold Coast

20

Batlow

74

Brisbane

22

Albury/Wodonga

75

Northern Bay

26

Canberra

76

Noosa

30

Bundaberg

34

VICTORIA

Mackay

36

Portland

80

Townsville

40

Warrnambool

81

Hinchinbrook

42

Cobden

81

Cairns

42

Apollo Bay

80

Port Douglas

44

Geelong

82

Cooktown

44

Port Phillip

84

Cape York

46

Phillip Island

86

Freshwater

52

Lakes Entrance

87

Gippsland Lakes

87

Port Albert

ABN 72-010-542-195

REGULAR FEATURES A royal feed: KG whiting

8

Prized yellowtail kingfish

12

88

Lift your squid games

16

Sydney Rock

56

Marlo

88

Tagging Tales

20

Sydney South

57

Mallacoota

89

Sheik of the Creek

51

Ballina

58

Robinvale

92

What’s New Fishing

54

Coffs Coast

60

Yarrawonga

92

Fun page

55

South West Rocks

62

Wangaratta

94

Vic Fisheries evolution

78

Port Macquarie

63

Bendigo

93

Trades and Services

112

Forster

64

Shepparton

95 98

113

65

Ballarat

Tournament calendar

Port Stephens Swansea

66

Gippsland Freshwater

95

Test: Horizon Sports 632

114

Central Coast

67

Eildon

96

Tide page

118

Illawarra

68

Crater Lakes

96

Batemans Bay

69

Bermagui

70

TASMANIA

Tathra

70

Hobart

77

All material is © copyright, and cannot be reproduced in part or in full, by any means, without written permission of the Managing Editor. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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FISHING MONTHLY MAGAZINE PUBLISHED MARCH 2024

The Tweed

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New England Rivers

ISSUE: VOLUME 4 NO. 11

QUEENSLAND

6 MARCH 2024

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FEATURE

Species

FMM

Bellarine King George whiting: a royal feed GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterfish@gmail.com

The Bellarine Peninsula on the south-western edge of Port Phillip Bay is considered one of the best locations for whiting in Victoria. Towns like St Leonards, Portarlington and Queenscliff go nuts during the holiday periods and one of the big draw cards is the king – King George.

TACKLE You don’t need fancy tackle to target whiting – just shout yourself a 2m, 2-3kg spin rod and add a 2500sized spin reel, plus 3kg mono or 4kg braid. You should always add a leader to braid to reduce tangles. I also recommend tying on a snap-swivel to make it easier to swap out whiting rigs or switch to a squid jig quickly.

BAIT All conventional baits will catch Bellarine whiting, although the fish

Above: Hugh wrestles a whiting boatside. Whiting like to hug the bottom when hooked. Main: Stewie and Adam with a fair catch on a windy afternoon off Leopold.

8 MARCH 2024

can get selective on some days. For this reason, it’s best to take a variety of baits, and use fresh stuff when possible.

The two baits I always have on deck are pipis and squid. Calamari are plentiful around the Bellarine and they can often be caught in the same place you fish for whiting.

Pilchard fillets and mussels also catch plenty of whiting. You can buy mussels fresh off the pier at Portarlington, and there are plenty of bait outlets in the region.

Cuttlefish are another top bait, and are most often caught as a by-catch when searching for calamari. Calamari are excellent bait as they provide a high volume and are tender as a rare steak.

RIGS You can use a paternoster or running sinker on the Bellarine, although a paternoster is more versatile if you need to swap out sinkers if the current strength changes. I like to tie up a bunch of paternosters with varying leader lengths, and a loop knot for a sinker dropper. The loop knot is used in conjunction with a bomb sinker to allow quick changes.

I store my rigs on small blocks of closed cell packing foam so I can get back into the action if I get snagged or bust off.

HOOKS Long-shank bait holder hooks can prevent baits slipping down the shank

Squid are top bait – just ask Lincoln. and spinning. However, they are not completely immune to it, so check often if you are in a quiet period.

These hooks hold squid strips well and are good for soft baits because you can really load them up with a fish-attracting feast. I have noticed a reduced bite rate with shiny (stainless) long-shank hooks if the bait doesn’t

Species FEATURE

FMM

This mixture of sizes will cover you around the Bellarine. completely cover the shank, so load them up with bait until they’re covered.

The only downside with longshank hooks is that they gut-hook fish more often than circle hooks do. To minimise gut hooking, hold your rod, keep the line tight, and strike the fish when the rod tip loads up.

Small circle hooks work best with small baits, such as squid, and can reduce the number of gut-hooked fish.

When you use circle hooks, it’s also more likely the fish will hook itself when the rod is in the holder. A 3cm strip of squid is all that is needed.

Just pin the first centimetre or so with

the circle hook, and thread it to the gape to prevent spinning if there is decent tidal flow.

ATTR ACTORS Some people use red tube, wool, or a bead to attract fish to their bait. I know this works because I have fished with an attractor and without, side by side. You definitely get more bites with the attractor.

‘Bites’ being the key word – you’ll get more toadies, leatherjacket and so on – but definitely more whiting as well.

The only downside with bulky attractors such as beads is that they restrict hook removal on gut-hooked fish.

SOFT PLASTICS If you want to fish with soft

plastics, you’re unlikely get the same numbers of fish as bait fishos, but it can still be worth a try. Your best bet is to use thin, worm-style soft plastics on light jigheads. Working your plastic very slowly along the bottom will do the trick if fish are about and hungry.

Just imagine this bit of plastic is squid – cut to a thin triangle to reduce spinning in the current.

This beast of 48cm was pinned in the corner of the mouth with a circle hook near Point Lonsdale.

LEADER Your choice of leader is almost as critical as your choice of bait. You can fish down to 3kg monofilament, but if you go any lighter you can break off fish as they thrash boatside. Anything over 4kg can reduce bite rates from fussy fish.

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www.rapala.com.au MARCH 2024 9

FEATURE

Species

STRONG TIDAL FLOWS Bait can spin wildly in strong tidal flow so you need to present it on your hook in a streamlined way. When fishing strong current areas like St Leonards to Queenscliff, I suggest you cut your squid into a thin triangle and

FMM bite sensitivity. There’s also a greater chance of snagging as the sinker moves with the flow.

In areas of strong tidal flow, you obviously need a heavier sinker, possibly around 25g (1oz). This kind of weight anchors the rig firmly on the bottom, which unfortunately has the side-effect of making the main line vibrate in the current, which can frighten off whiting. A longer leader allows the bait to keep clear of this vibrating line and waft about tantalisingly further downcurrent. I regularly fish 1.5m and I know of other anglers who fish 2m+ leaders in strong current.

At the other end of the scale, if you’re fishing slack water or low current areas such as Clifton Springs, keep your leader short at around 20-25cm.

This helps reduce gut hooking fish by a long way, especially if you keep your line tight as well. If your leader is too long in low current, the fish has time to swallow it before you feel the bite.

People can muscle in on you when you get a bite. Check Stewie on the right poaching Adam’s school! in the creel. Whiting like to scour the sand along the edges of weed beds in search of yabbies, worms, and other delicious treats, so drive

A fantastic haul of Bellarine’s finest. pin it once at the pointy end of that triangle. If you thread your squid up on a non-baitholder long-shank hook, there is a chance it will slip down to the gape (bend) and spin.

Randomly pinning a squid tentacle onto a hook will also make your bait spin like a helicopter, and a) twist the heck out of your line and b) you’ll get no fish.

Soft baits such as pipis and mussels tend not to spin as wildly because they can form their own shape under water pressure.

I recommend fishing directly out of the back of the boat in strong tidal flow. Casting to the side of the boat just allows weed to load up on your line and a belly forms, reducing

Many ramps around the Bellarine have fantastic fish cleaning tables like this one at St Leonards.

WHERE? Whiting can be caught all over the Bellarine Peninsula, but attention to detail will help you put a few more

Crispy battered whiting – delicious!

10 MARCH 2024

around and locate a decent weed patch with sand flanking it. The very best ones are those large weed beds with a sand patch splitting them up the middle, because this concentrates the fish and acts like a highway. Here the whiting will mooch about, vacuuming up delicious morsels. Set your trap there, and wait.

Portarlington to Geelong has a lot less current to deal with, and is well worth a look if the others are busy, but you’re less likely to get fish over 40cm.

St Leonards is a whiting hotspot and the ramp can be flat stick when word gets out that the whiting are biting. If an easterly gets up, retrieving boats is a nightmare and everyone comes in at once, so keep an eye on the weather.

Queenscliff has a sheltered harbour and gets larger whiting, but you’re less likely to get a bag limit capture than you are at St Leonards.

Southern Port Phillip Bay is a web of sand bars and shipping channels.

Read up on your charts and find where

you are allowed to anchor. The edges of these sand bar-channel transitions can cough up some outstanding whiting captures, with 50cm fish not out of the question.

DEPTH A depth of 4-5m seems to be a bit of a sweet spot. At dawn, dusk and after dark, the fish will move into shallower water, and often larger fish will bite a few hours after it gets dark.

They are commonly caught at much greater depths, however, and it’s a lot harder to find their weed/sand preference when fishing in depths of 6m or more.

LAND-BASED You are less likely to catch your bag limit fishing from the shore but you can still go home with enough whiting for a nice feed.

I used to fish for whiting from the Limeburners boat ramp rock wall in Corio Bay. I’d head down there and always catch three to five whiting just on dusk, and I’d return home triumphant with these delicious fish to share with my wife.

Cunningham Pier also yields the odd whiting, but you’ll have a better chance at catching a land-based whiting at Clifton Springs rock wall and jetty, Portarlington, St Leonards and Queenscliff piers at dawn and dusk.

PATIENCE The key to catch whiting consistently is to keep moving until you find a hungry school (and try different depths, too). A hungry school might be only 50m away, but sometimes you’ll find yourself travelling a lot further to find the fish. I can remember moving all around from Clifton Springs to Point Henry one day, only to find out they were biting their heads off over at Avalon.

The very most I’d give a known whiting spot is one hour. If I’m prospecting, I’ll give it 20 minutes or so and move again.

Now you’re all set to catch some of these top-class tablefish.

Get amongst ‘em!

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FEATURE

Species

FMM

Yellowtail kingfish: A prized trophy of the seas NEW SOUTH WALES

Aaron Roddam

When it comes to thrilling angling experiences, few fish can match the power, speed, and tenacity of the yellowtail kingfish. These magnificent creatures have earned a reputation as an ultimate trophy fish among both recreational and professional anglers.

The ferocious kingfish are a favourite among all anglers, offering an exciting experience that tests both strength and knowledge to push you to your limits.

Australia’s warm coastal waters are a treasure trove for anglers seeking the challenge of kingfish fishing. As the shimmering sun dances on the waves, seasoned fishers and novices alike gear up for an unforgettable adventure.

With proper knowledge of their behaviour, the right equipment, and effective techniques, you can increase your chances of landing one of these impressive game fish. So gear up, explore the prime fishing locations, and embark on an unforgettable journey to conquer the Australian kingfish, a prized trophy of the Australian coastline.

The Australian kingfish (Seriola lalandi) is a highly sought-after game fish that resides in the coastal waters of Australia. Revered for its powerful strikes, relentless fights and impressive size, this species presents an actionpacked challenge for anglers. These powerful fish can grow up to 2m in length and get to a maximum weight of around 60kg. In most locations the average kingie will weigh 3-6kg.

Before setting out to catch kingfish, 12 MARCH 2024

it’s important to familiarise yourself with their behaviour and habitat, as understanding their patterns and preferences will increase your chances of success. Kingfish are pelagic fish, meaning they live closer to the water’s surface rather than the bottom. They are found in coastal waters, typically inhabiting warm northern tropical and subtropical regions. As juveniles they are known to join schools to migrate in search of food, often following baitfish schools.

GEARING UP To tackle kingfish, you’ll need sturdy and reliable fishing gear.

Select a medium to heavy action spinning or conventional rod, capable of handling the strength and speed of a kingfish. Pair it with a high-quality reel that offers a smooth drag system. Using a strong monofilament or braided line of at least 40-60lb is recommended to handle the powerful runs and for their strong powerful mouths, then also attach a fluorocarbon leader of 60-80lb. Whilst kingfish have no teeth, they have sandpaper-like gums, so a strong line is a necessity. Kingfish have a slender shape and are very fast, so it is very easy to get spooled or broken off on a structure especially when land-

Above: When offshore fishing it’s not uncommon to catch a lot of small rat kingies. They can school up in large numbers and it can prove quite difficult to get to the bigger ones that are at the bottom of the school. Main: Nothing beats an early morning fishing trip. As they say, early bird catches the worm, but in this case, it’s the fish.

based fishing.

You can use a variety of live bait rigs, such as a stinger rig or a doublehook rig, to present your bait effectively.

Use circle hooks in sizes ranging from 2/0 to 4/0 to ensure a higher hook-up ratio, while reducing the likelihood of gut-hooking the fish.

FOOD SOURCE/LIVE BAITS Due to their predatory tendencies, live baiting is a tried-and-true method for enticing kingfish. Being opportunistic with a voracious appetite, they are often enticed by the natural movements and scents of live offerings.

Kingfish are known for their varied diet and primarily feed on small fish such as mullet, sardines and herring. When it comes to bait selection, live or fresh baitfish are often the most productive choice. Select lively and robust baitfish that closely resemble the natural prey of the kingfish. Yellowtail, slimy mackerel and pilchards also make reliable choices. These baits can be trolled at varying depths to target kingfish at different levels in the water column.

Deploying a combination of downriggers and planers allows you to target different depths, increasing your odds of encountering a hungry kingfish.

Though not live, other enticing baits include strip baits and squid as well as artificial lures like spoons and plugs.

LURES AND TECHNIQUES If live bait isn’t your cup of tea, you can also find success with lures.

To optimise your kingfish catching endeavours, employing a variety of lures will enhance your chances. On the artificial lure front, spoons, jigs and diving plugs are go-to options.

Species FEATURE

FMM Spoons mimic the glint of baitfish, while jigs can be versatile, allowing you to control the depth and action. Diving plugs, designed to replicate injured fish, attract kingfish by triggering their predatory instincts.

Diversify your lure selection to cater to the notoriously picky nature of kingfish. Topwater poppers, stickbaits and metal jigs are popular choices.

Experiment with colours, sizes, and retrieve techniques to match the prevailing conditions and local baitfish.

When using poppers, deploy a dynamic ‘walk-the-dog’ retrieve. Create enticing splashes and commotion on the surface to provoke aggressive and explosive strikes. Vary your retrieve speed to mimic injured or fleeing prey and trigger the predatory instincts of kingfish.

Emulate wounded baitfish with a twitch-and-pause retrieve when working stickbaits. Cast near structure and allow the lure to imitate a struggling prey item. The erratic action of a well-presented stickbait can entice kingfish to strike.

Metal jigs are excellent for targeting kingfish in deeper waters. Use a rapid, vertical jigging motion to mimic an injured or fleeing baitfish. Experiment with depth and speed to find the combination that triggers strikes from these powerful hunters.

Experimentation with colours and

sizes is crucial. Kingfish preferences can vary based on factors like water clarity, light conditions and the specific forage in the area. Vibrant colours such as chartreuse, blue and silver often prove effective. Additionally, adjusting the size of your lures to match the prevalent baitfish in the area can make a significant difference in enticing kingfish strikes.

Trolling is a popular method for targeting kingfish. Set up a spread of lures or rigged baits behind your boat, ensuring they swim at varying depths.

Maintain a trolling speed of around 5-8 knots, adjusting it based on the

conditions and the depth at which the fish are feeding. Experiment with different lure colours and sizes to find what works bests.

When targeting kingfish with live bait, deploy a few lines with live baitfish hooked through the lips or back, while others can be free-lined. Allow the baitfish to swim naturally and attract the attention of nearby kingfish. Remember to keep your baits far enough away from your boat’s propellers to prevent any disturbances.

Downrigging while trolling is another effective method for pursuing yellowtail kingfish. This technique

The yellowtail kingfish is an extraordinary game fish that captivates anglers worldwide and is a prized catch of the sea.

involves deploying a weighted line, known as a downrigger, to reach desired depths where these elusive fish often lurk. The key to successful downrigging lies in precision; anglers must carefully control the depth at which their bait or lure is presented.

Yellowtail kingfish are known to inhabit various depths, requiring anglers to adapt their downrigging setup accordingly. The downrigger’s weight is crucial, allowing the angler to precisely position their offering within the kingfish’s preferred depth range.

Successful downrigging demands a comprehensive understanding of the underwater topography and the kingfish’s behaviour.

Once hooked, kingfish will put up an intense battle. Be prepared for blistering runs and acrobatic jumps.

Maintain a steady pressure on the fish, keeping your rod tip up to absorb the kingfish’s lunges. Avoid rushing the fight, as it can cause the fish to break the line or pull the hook. Gradually tire the fish out before bringing it alongside the boat for successful landing.

Versatility is key in kingfish angling.

Master the art of jigging, casting and trolling to cover different depths and conditions. Jigging near underwater structures, casting around schools of baitfish and trolling in open waters can all lead to triumphant catches.

Kingfish are cunning

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FEATURE

Species

adversaries, and ultimately successful kingfish angling often involves a degree of trial and error. So be prepared for the long haul and to adapt your approach based on the everchanging conditions and behaviour of

You should never miss the opportunity of a fresh feed of fish, especially when yellowtail kingfish is on offer. the fish. The sweet taste of success often comes to those who endure.

WHEN? Understanding the seasonal patterns of kingfish and the variation in their behaviour also plays a crucial part in your success. While they can be found year-round in Australian waters, their activity peaks during the warmer months. This is also the time that they spawn and may be found closer to the surface.

From late spring to early autumn, these powerful predators roam coastal areas, offering prime opportunities for anglers to test their skills. In the cooler months they might move down to deeper waters, so adjusting your techniques to align with their feeding patterns will improve your chances.

As with all fishing, the specific best

14 MARCH 2024

FMM time can vary based on the region and local conditions, so it’s a good idea to check with local fishing guides or online resources for the most accurate and current information for your area.

LOCATION, LOCATION The pelagic nature of the kingfish makes them challenging to locate.

Keep a keen eye on water temperature, currents and bird activity. Once the water temp hits 16°C or lower most kingies will head off in search of warmer waters, so a water temperature of no less than 18°C is a good starting point.

They often shadow schools of baitfish, so if you spot diving birds or jumping fish, chances are kingfish are close by.

Rocky reefs, wrecks, submerged artificial structures and drop offs where baitfish gather are all great places to find kingfish due to their love of structure, so targeting these areas can prove fruitful. Keep an eye out for surface disturbances and schools of baitfish, as these are indicators of kingfish activity.

Using fish finders or sonar technology to identify underwater structures and potential hotspots is also quite helpful in your search. During summer some state fisheries deploy Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) which attract kingfish due to the increased abundance of prey that can be found nearby. The co-ordinates of these devices can be found on the fisheries website of your relevant state.

Sydney offers prime kingfish fishing opportunities, with the iconic Sydney Harbour being a prime spot for these formidable game fish. The best time to target kingies in Sydney is during the warmer months from October to April. Hotspots like the nearby offshore reefs, such as The Peak and Browns Mountain, are particularly renowned for their abundance of kingfish.

In Queensland, the Gold Coast seaway walls as well as the 50 fathom reefs are great locations for kingfish.

Port Phillip Bay is a well-known destination for kingfish enthusiasts in Victoria. The bay is teeming with kingfish, especially during the summer

months. Prime locations within the bay include the Mornington Peninsula, Queenscliff and the Rip. Western Australia’s Abrolhos Islands are renowned for their kingfish populations. And South Australia’s Neptune Islands as well as the surrounding waters of Kangaroo Island offer remarkable kingfish fishing opportunities. This remote SA location also provides a unique and serene setting for anglers to relax and soak up the best that nature has to offer at the same time.

Safety is always paramount. So remain aware of your surroundings and the ever-changing conditions of our waters. Wear appropriate clothing and shoes, and always let someone know where you are fishing and when you expect to return. When land-based fishing exercise caution over slippery rocks and uneven terrain and beware of rogue waves. While boating offshore always check in with your local marine authority.

to ensuring the survival of kingfish populations, and adhering to size and bag limits helps preserve this exciting fishery for future generations. Note that legal sizes and bag limits differ in each state. Legal size in QLD, VIC and WA is 60cm whereas in NSW it is 65cm.

In some states bag limits for pelagic or finfish are combined, so if the bag limit is 3 and you already have 3 finfish species then you aren’t allowed to keep anymore – regardless of species. Embark on your kingfish adventure armed with knowledge, skill, and respect for the marine environment. With the right tactics and a bit of luck, you might just find yourself face-to-face with the king of the Australian waters.

The yellowtail kingfish is an extraordinary game fish that captivates anglers worldwide with its powerful runs and challenging fights. Pursuing these majestic creatures requires knowledge, skill, and the right equipment.

Whether trolling, jigging, or live bait fishing, understanding the unique

The author with a small kingie. It put up a good fight considering its size.

FISHING FOR THE FUTURE As responsible anglers, it’s crucial to practice catch and release to ensure the sustainability of kingfish populations.

Handle them with care and always use proper release techniques. Prioritising catch-and-release practices is critical

characteristics and habitats of yellowtail kingfish is vital for a successful and responsible angling experience. So gear up, head to your local fishing locations, and embark on an unforgettable journey to catch the yellowtail kingfish – a prized trophy of the seas.

FMM

BACK TO BASICS

Lift your squid games NSW SOUTH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

Whether you chase them for bait, to eat, or for both, it’s always possible to sharpen your squid games by applying a few simple tips.

Squid of one sort or another are

are quite a few species, although the ones of most interest to us as fishers and seafood fanciers are the southern and northern calamari, the tiger or ‘bigfin’ squid, and the Gould’s or arrow squid.

All of these short-lived squid (most live for just a year!) are active predators, using their complex

A lovely southern calamari is led to the waiting landing net.

Next comes the big question: bait, dinner or both? multi-cultural influx across the past half century has helped open our blinkered eyes to the many wonderful ways these molluscs can be prepared for the table. These days, whenever I

Southern calamari are seasonally abundant in shallower inshore waters right around the southern half of our continent. Up north, different species take over. found right around the Australian coastline: from the shore itself all the way out to the edge of the continental shelf, and even well beyond. There

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Scan this QR code to watchStarlo’s how-to video on squid catching and learn his ‘seven deadly secrets’, or simply go to his ‘Starlo Gets Reel’ YouTube channel and find it there.

and very light-sensitive eyes to hunt small fish, prawns and even fellow members of their extensive cephalopod tribe. (Cephalopod, by the way, simply means ‘head/foot’ in Latin, referring to the fact that these critters’ ‘heads’ connect directly to their ‘feet’! Remember that little gem for you next pub trivia night.)

When I was growing up in the 1960s, squid were mostly viewed as a very useful bait by the majority of Aussie anglers. Happily, our massive

Jo Starling with a Gould’s or arrow squid. These aggressive cephalopods make superb bait, but most seafood fanciers agree they aren’t quite as tasty as the calamari squid.

There are many locations where squid can regularly be caught from the shore.

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BACK TO BASICS

FMM Once upon a time, squid were caught by skewering a whole fish such as yellowtail, slimy mackerel, garfish, mullet, pilchard or small whiting on a metal spike with a multi-

that ganged hooks would be the end of tailor, soft plastics would wipe out all flathead, and forward facing sonar would quickly empty our waters of fish, these ‘sky is falling’ predictions

Modern, sophisticated squid jigs, like this Shimano Sephia, have revolutionised squidding, dramatically increasing our average catch rates. This one has been well chewed!

Southern calamari (top) and Gould’s or arrow squid (bottom) often swim together. pronged ‘jag’ assembly attached to the bottom end. This rig was cast out and either suspended under a float or retrieved slowly until a squid grabbed it. This method still works, but is rarely practiced these days.

There are easier ways.

Later came simple plastic, torpedo-shaped squid jigs that were typically all white in colour, or sometimes two-tone red and white.

These spin-offs from commercial squid fishing worked, although not especially well.

I still vividly remember the arrival of the first Yo Zuri chinweighted, prawn-shaped squid jigs on our shores many decades ago.

Like so many breakthrough Japanese tackle innovations, these things completely and utterly transformed recreational squid catching. There were even pundits at the time who predicted that their incredible effectiveness would result in at least localised squid extinctions. Rather like the similarly dire predictions

or jags — now made by a host of manufacturers — continue to evolve and improve every year. They’ve also spawned a whole genre of specialist

Squid will stay alive for some time in a handy rock pool or a boat’s circulating live well. proved unfounded. But there’s certainly no denying that the new generation of jigs heralded by those first Yo Zuris changed squid or ‘egi’ fishing forever and for the better.

Today, these amazing jigs

fishing techniques, and even led to the emergence of squid tournaments, not to mention dedicated squid catching gear and accessories.

Whether you take it that seriously, or simply prefer to throw one beaten up old jig in the bottom of your tackle box ‘just in case’, there are a few very simple things you can do to dramatically improve your chances of finding and catching squid, wherever and whenever you fish. I’ve run out of space here to list my ‘seven deadly secrets of squidding success’, but I’ve dedicated a nine-minute YouTube video specifically to that important subject. You can zip straight to it on your mobile device now by scanning the QR code hereabouts, or search up my ‘Starlo Gets Reel’ channel on YouTube and easily find it there. I really hope you enjoy it, that you get something from it, and end up catching more squid as a result I’m pretty sure you will!

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QLD Southern

FMM

Target jacks while the water is still warm THE TWEED

Leon McClymont

The fishing on the Tweed has been exceptionally good through March in the last few years. The weather starts to settle down as the heat of summer reduces, resulting in some cool, calm days.

The water has been crystal blue with that tropical warmth to it, ranging from 24.5-27°C most days. This has

An epic shot of a solid kingfish taken by the author. had the pelagics firing from the shelf right into the shallower inshore reefs.

We’ve had good reports of black marlin, stripe marlin and monster bull mahimahi in amongst the bait schools on the shelf off Gold Coast and Tweed recently. Trolling skirted lures or dead baits have been the ticket to the show.

If the fish won’t take skirted lures, some anglers have been having success switch-baiting garfish and bonito for the picky fish. Finding the thermocline, which pushes nutrientrich water to the surface, is optimal.

These apex predators travel far and

wide in search of food, so if you find the water which will hold the bait, you’ll have a better chance of success.

When making your way out or searching for your hunting grounds, keep an eye on the sky for birds. If you see birds sitting on the surface, that usually means they have seen bait in the area, but it’s too deep for them to reach. The birds sit on the surface and wait for the predators to turn up, and then the show can begin.

When the predators arrive and the bait starts condensing into a ball, the birds take off and start circling high above. Here they wait for the bait ball to reach the surface so they can strike.

As the baitfish frantically try to evade the predators, they create a ball that gets tighter and tighter. Once the ball is tight enough, the predators will begin their strike and push the bait to the surface. This is when the birds will start working. When you find feeding birds you know you’re in the right zone. Troll baits/lures just off the school of bait, as the predators will freely target a lonesome bait/lure out in the open.

Avoid trolling over or through the bait schools because this will break the natural feeding behaviour and deter the predators, and the bite will tend to subside. Staying wide of the bait schools and plucking fish off and letting them freely feed will lead to longer bite times and more action-filled days.

REEF FISHING The 50s and 36s have been fishing well lately, with plenty of reefies such as snapper, pearlies, tuskfish and trag jew on the chew. Fishing paternoster rigs with snapper leads has been the go for the reef fish. A live bait out the back on the surface or float line has been producing cobia, kingfish and even the odd mahimahi.

Wahoo were around in March last

Garry King with a clean looking river jack taken from snaggy country.

18 MARCH 2024

year, and hopefully we’ll see some good fish caught this season, too.

Trolling high-speed hardbodies or hex head skirts is the most reliable way to connect to a wahoo. Topwater fishing big stickbaits and poppers can also entice a wahoo to bite. And of course, slow trolling or drifting a live bait will always tempt any toothy critter lurking about.

The inshore reefs have been producing a huge range of species, with all sorts of bycatch for anglers targeting mackerel. This kind of fishing can be very exciting – you just don’t know what could be on the end of the

Kalani Hensby with two solid jacks. Whether you’re talking poker or fishing, a pair of jacks in the hand is always favourable.

Good-size mulloway have also started pushing into the systems, feeding on mullet. The mullet have been schooling up in the rivers and estuaries as they prepare to make their annual voyage into the open ocean to spawn. If you find mullet schooling in the river, the mulloway won’t be far away. Jewies tend to sit just off the school until they decide

Mahlaya McClymont caught this nice whiting using beach worms. line. Monster snapper have been taken slow trolling for mackerel, and even big mulloway are a frequent bycatch.

There has also been the occasional 20kg+ bull mahimahi taken in 15-20m of water by anglers floating a pilly out the back for spotties. It’s very unusual for a mahimahi to be in so close, but there are no borders in the ocean for fish.

Juvenile black marlin have also been taken, along with a few decentsized jobfish and big thug GT. We’ve have a very good range of species off the Tweed at this time of year.

RIVER AND ESTUARY FISHING The water in the Tweed river has finally cleaned up and is starting to produce once again. Be careful though, as there are still some goodsized logs floating around from the flash floods.

With the water quality clearing, anglers have been back on the water targeting mangrove jacks whilst the water is still warm. These fish have been firing after the recent push of freshwater.

A sounder shot of a school of mackerel and tuna on a pressure edge of the reef. Fishing in these areas will often increase your catch rate. it’s time to feed. They generally will feed hard for an hour or so, then back off and either hang in the area for the next feeding time or move to a deep hole for rest and safety.

The shallows have been also on fire, with plenty of whiting and flathead around. You should be able to find these two bread-and-butter species on just about every shallow sand bank or mud flat in the river.

QLD Southern

FMM

Get your game on this autumn GOLD COAST

David Green

March is generally a very productive month for game fish off the Gold Coast. So far this season there has been a reasonable run of medium sized black marlin on the bait grounds in around 80m of water. These fish have run between 50-100kg+ and there have been a few striped marlin around as well. They are a very challenging target on light tackle.

This season 15kg tackle is the minimum I would use. There aren’t many small fish. While the season started with a bang it slowed down considerably in February, but there are still a few black marlin around. The most successful method has been drifting deep live slimy mackerel through the bait schools. Lure trolling has produced a few fish but most of the black marlin have been very focused on the deep bait schools and seem reluctant to chase baits or lures on the surface.

Out on the wider grounds there should be plenty of blue marlin this month. These fickle fish can be very erratic and move south with the

This spotted mackerel was tempted on the troll.

Tagging Tales

current flow. On a good day expect to get roughly 3-5 bites. They average around 140kg. The best water depths are usually between 150-400m. The bite and first run is quite spectacular, and March and April are considered to be the best months of the year by many experienced skippers. The current has been quite erratic this season and most boats have been concentrating on black marlin closer to shore.

While mahimahi numbers generally drop off in March, there should still be quite a few around the FADs. A few big fish over 15kg have already been encountered on the wider grounds.

Wahoo should also be encountered on the 36-fathom line and around the Tweed Nine Mile Reef if the current is running. We haven’t seen many wahoo off the Gold Coast for a few seasons now.

In closer to shore there should be plenty spotted mackerel around. Palm Beach Reef, Mermaid Reef and the 24 fathom reef are worth a look. Trolled small skirted lures, spinning with metal lures and pilchards are all effective.

Releasing a nice blue marlin. Game fishing will be productive this month.

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Thanks to the fish, we can provide you with some interesting stories that they tell.

PROOF THE QUEENSLAND NET FREE ZONES ARE WORKING Just three days into the Queensland barramundi season and Coby Pascoe caught this 1.3m barramundi in the Fitzroy River in the city reaches of Rockhampton.

An amazing capture and even more amazing was that this fish had been tagged in 2013. It was released to fight another day.

We can’t help but wonder whether this fish would have survived this long without the introduction of the Net Free Zones.

What do you think?

WHAT TO DO IF YOU CATCH A TAGGED FISH The information you will need 20 MARCH 2024

to report your recapture is. The length of the fish and the location it was captured. Get a photo if possible.

To report the details of your recapture you have two options: Call 1800 077 001 or go to cr y stalbowl .infofishaustralia . com.au /suntag /recaptures/ recapture_form_1.html and fill in the form.

In return you will receive a certificate providing the details of the tagging and recapture of your fish, as a thank you for providing the information.

Southern QLD

FMM Unfortunately, the Spanish mackerel season is closed for the first three weeks of March. If you are fishing the close reefs anchoring and berleying is a good strategy. Use unweighted pilchards, live baits and metal lures in your berley trail. Spotted mackerel are also suckers for a well presented stick bait. Over recent weeks the heavy rain has left the close reefs quite cold with green dead water but hopefully this will clean up by March.

Bottom fishing is generally slow this month. The wider grounds usually are dominated by strong current making it hard to fish, but there have been surprising numbers of snapper around all summer so the 18 and 24 fathom reefs may be worth a look for snapper, teraglin, mulloway and tailor.

It is always worth putting out a live bait on the surface when you are bottom fishing as these areas can produce some cobia and marlin.

RIVERS AND ESTUARIES The heavy rains in January have given the estuaries a good flush out and hopefully the fishing will improve this month. Target species include bream, mangrove jacks, whiting, mud and sand crabs and flathead.

Whiting are usually very active in March and move up onto the flats on the first of a rising tide in big numbers.

Chasing whiting with lures is a great way to fish. Small poppers and stick

baits such as the Bassday Sugapen can be deadly, particularly if the whiting are feeding on small prawns. At these times they chase lures aggressively. You can never wind too fast! Sight casting for whiting on the flats using unweighted yabbies is another excellent way to fish and some of these whiting are over 40cm long. The key is to use ultra-light tackle, no sinker and cast ahead of the schools as they move up onto the flats on a making tide. This method also

produces plenty of bream and some surprisingly big flathead. The Nerang River has been fishing very well for whiting at night.

The recent rain has had a big effect on mud crab populations on the Gold Coast, particularly in Coombabah Creek and the Pimpama River. I recently went crabbing after the rain, and we caught over 40 crabs but only two were legal sized males. There have been plenty of

This flathead was caught on a large unweighted plastic.

sand crabs around near the weed beds between Crab Island and the Alderschotts in 3-5m of water. Fresh mullet or whiting frames make ideal bait for sandies. There is plenty of bait throughout the entire estuary and crabs are flourishing.

Fishing large shallow running minnows like the Duo Tide Minnow or big plastic stick baits on the flats at high tide will still produce a few big flathead this month, particularly if the tide is large and peaks around 8am.

Work shallow gutters, the edges of weed beds and small run off channels for best results. Most of these fish are over 60cm in length and are chasing mullet and whiting as well as smaller flathead. Cool early morning high tides produce the best results.

There should still be quite a few mangrove jacks around in the canals and using surface lures is often a very effective strategy in March. Quite a few of these fish will be over 50cm in length. As the water cools slightly a lot of the bigger jacks move out to the Seaway walls where they can be caught on small live baits cast into the wash. There should be plenty of big bream in the upper reaches and some of the better canals should see good catches of bream on lures this month.

Overall, March is definitely one of the best months to fish the Gold Coast, particularly on the offshore grounds.

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FMM

Getting the best of both seasons BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

As we progress into the latter months of summer, anglers will be spoilt for choice with a healthy spectrum of fish and crustacean species on offer.

Numerous pelagic species will prevail in the bay along with a broad array of demersal options. The rivers, canals and estuaries filtering into Moreton Bay will offer numerous prime targets as well, providing we don’t experience flooding rains.

Hopefully weather conditions stabilise somewhat during March and anglers can readily get out onto the water. Let’s look at a few of your options once you get out there.

MACKEREL At the time of writing, there had not been a lot of spotted mackerel throughout Moreton Bay. However, if last year is anything to go by, there should be some quality specimens caught throughout March and April. A year ago, I readily found good numbers out the front of Wellington Point, the northern side of Peel Island, junction of the Small Ships and Rous Channels, east of Green Island, Hope Banks and occasionally around the Measured Mile. Other anglers reported results from many corners of the bay.

Although rarely found in large numbers, they were usually very willing to hit most high-speed lures including chromed slugs and slices, small stickbaits and GT Icecreams. Most of the fish I encountered were in excess of 75cm, with

in an area as birds were lurking, yet no surface activity was actually sighted.

Generally, I would troll a spoon behind a paravane until I located the deeper feeding spotties. Once pinpointed, you could cast out a chromed slug and allow it to sink to the bottom before cranking it flat stick back to the boat. A lot of hits were received within the first few cranks of the reel handle as the spotties were close to the bottom. Fingers crossed these prime sport and table fish show up again this March.

School mackerel are common throughout Moreton Bay and can virtually be caught every day of the year. Of course, there are some periods when schoolies are a lot more plentiful, however, there will always be a few lurking around. Drift Fishing the artificial reefs and shipping channel beacons with pilchards is a fairly reliable technique. The same can be said for jigging chromed slugs and slices around the beacons. However, probably the most reliable method is to troll spoons behind paravanes. This allows you to cover a good area of ground in your search and the schoolies just love to crunch a spinning spoon lure being trolled 5-7m down at 5-7knots. Some anglers deploy these on a rod (15kg minimum line class needed due to the drag pressure of the paravane) however I prefer to use a handline. This permits you to feel the hit and offers the option to easily store a readyrigged handcaster so it can be put into play quickly. You will need gloves to avoid line cuts and burns.

Occasionally you will see larger numbers of schoolies congregating around the mouths of the gutters leading off the

Moreton Bay can produce some thumping longtail tuna, like this specimen Lewis Mammino subdued on light tackle after it engulfed a sinking jerk shad. several eclipsing the 90cm mark. Trolled spoons accounted for a few spotties at times when they couldn’t previously be located surface feeding. However, this technique more commonly produced school mackerel. The same could be said for drifting pilchards or deploying small live baits and fillet strips. Anglers fishing around the Measured Mile, Shippping Channel beacons and the artificial reefs often scored on baits with the best results reported around tidal changes. At times I found the spotted mackerel after detouring to investigate schools of Watson’s bonito and small mac tuna. Often you could deduct there were baitfish and pelagics 22 MARCH 2024

major sand bank systems on the falling tide or harassing baitfish on the flats and channels edges. However, school mackerel aren’t always that obvious so drifting pilchards or trolling is a good way to find them. Good numbers of school mackerel will persist throughout Moreton Bay for several months now.

LONGTAIL TUNA At the time of writing, longtail tuna numbers had been fairly sporadic throughout the bay. Anglers who were prepared to put in the miles were often able to locate surface feeding fish, especially along the edges of the shipping channel and Sand Hills. The area between the

Four Beacons and Comboyuro Point is a reliable area, especially early morning and late afternoon. Occasionally, longtails are randomly caught by anglers casting soft plastics and vibes around the island margins and artificial reefs whilst searching for snapper and other species. A sinking plastic can be hoovered up by a cruising longtail and a screaming run ensues.

Quality fish can be a tough fight on the average tackle anglers use to present lures to bay snapper but constant pressure and a little luck will generally put the odds in your favour. During longer fights, sharks can be an issue as they hone in and attack the tiring fish. This can be a real problem in the more open waters where packs of sharks shoulder the larger schools of pelagics. If sharks are in the area, it is very unlikely that you will land any fish hooked. You may as well save your tackle and efforts and move on to find something else to chase instead of simply feeding the sharks and losing tackle.

Current lines, shipping channel beacons and other places where baitfish congregate are ideal places to deploy a few live baits. Yakkas, slimey mackerel, large herring, pike and cowanyoung can all be used. These are commonly presented on a twin snelled hook rig and deployed into the upper third of the water column. I like to have one bait close to the surface and another a good distance below. Ensure the baits are deployed at different distances behind the boat to avoid tangles. You may even want to deploy additional baits if you have others aboard to quickly wind in the other lines once you hook up. Live baiting often produces some of the larger specimens which are commonly loners or in a smaller gathering. The next three to four months will be prime for targeting longtails in the Moreton Bay area but don’t pin all your hopes on just finding surface feeding fish.

SNAPPER The ever-consistent Moreton Bay snapper remain a serious target throughout March. The usual haunts will continue to produce reasonable numbers of legal fish. You may even locate the occasional trophy snapper lurking around the larger bait schools in the paddock and on isolated structure along the edges of the shipping channel. We had a fair bit of rain during January and February and this has increased nutrients into bay waters and decreased clarity. Providing salinity is still good, this is a great scenario as larger snapper commonly feel a lot more at ease in shallower water.

The nutrient increase promotes baitfish prevalence and larger snapper will enter the shallows around the bay islands in search of prey. This can provide fairly exciting angling opportunities with anglers even employing techniques of rolling shallow diving crankbaits and topwater presentations.

Anglers anchored along the edges of the bay islands along any drop-offs, ledges

Rainfall can be a catalyst for quality fishing, yet it can also fire up these unwanted critters in the rivers and bay. or channels leading out of the shallows are destined for good results. Snapper will travel along these underwater structures as they enter and leave the shallows closer to the islands. Quality fresh baits will always be better than frozen however these still account for a lot of quality fish. Fillet baits from gar, mullet, bonito, tuna, pike and even grinners can work well in this situation when fished with the minimal of weight and moderate fluorocarbon leaders. Single or twin-hook rigs work well, especially when using super sharp hooks such as baitholders and suicide patterns.

Circle hooks can work well when fishing a rod from the holder but aren’t ideal for when you are waiting for the bite and then striking. Circle hooks require a gradual increase in pressure to work as intended, not sudden pressure as happens when striking. I prefer black suicide hooks (depending on brand they can also be called beak, octopus or live-bait) and fish them using a spinning reel with the bail arm open and my finger on the line. Once a bite is received, I will let go of the line and allow the fish to move a few metres before flipping over the bail arm, striking and winding. This works exceptionally well with fussy and wary fish. Sweetlip, tuskfish, morwong, cod and others are likely in these zones close to structure.

CRABS All crab species should be prevalent throughout the coming month however the best areas will depend on how much more rain we have received in recent weeks. Rainfall lowers salinity therefore crab species will move down the system to areas of higher salinity. In the rivers, creeks and estuaries, mud crabs will be forced from their hiding holes deep in the mangrove systems and out into the main basin where the salinity is higher.

Setting your safety pots in the deeper holes, especially along the collapsed mangrove banks and channels is likely to reward. If setting pots in shallower areas, ensure to check them at least every couple of hours (especially on a falling tide) as a lowering of salinity will kill all crabs in the pot. Rainfall makes mud crabs a lot more accessible to crabbers as they no longer need to set pots deep in the mangroves in hard to access

Southern QLD

FMM spots to secure a succulent feed.

Blueswimmer and sand crabs will go further east to find high salinity, clean water.

Often the common inshore crabbing areas such as around Mud and Green Islands, along the ledge between Wellington Point and Ormiston, Deception Bay, out from Clontarf and around Peel become very quiet when there is an influx of fresh. Sand and blueswimmers will most likely be further east in areas such as the Rainbow Channel, Rous Channel, Small Ships Channel and various banks systems in the eastern bay. It often pays to move your pots around a fair bit until you find numbers.

PRAWNS Another species whose prevalence is highly dependant on rainfall are prawns.

A bit of rain is ideal as it flushes the prawns from high in the creeks and river systems and into the lower reaches of these areas or even out into the bays. Too much rain and the prawns will be pushed well offshore out of reach of the recreational prawner.

Normally March prawners can reliably get results in areas such as the Caboolture and Pine Rivers, out the front of Clontarf and Nudgee and also numerous spots in the southern bay including the Salt Works, Jackson’s Hole, The Powerlines, Giants Grave, Redland Bay Channel and Jumpinpin Channel. A moderate amount of rain will push the prawns out the creeks and rivers and into these areas.

However, a lot of rain will flush them

even further out. The best option is to get out and have a look for yourself. If you see several boats congregated in one area then it is a good indication that the prawns are on.

A quality top pocket only cast net is the best option to secure a feed of banana prawns.

A 12ft drop net is the maximum legal size and the lack of bottom pockets eliminates the requirement to empty all the shell grit, rocks, jelly balls and other debris out after every cast. As prawns flick up into the top of the net most are secured in the top pocket where they can easily be removed by loosening the drawstring and shaking into a bucket.

I have had many seasons of quality prawning using my Pro Throw 12ft Top Pocket net. These are easily obtained and a quality product. A 10L bucket per person limit is enforced on prawns with no more than two limits per boat, regardless of the number aboard. Most 10L buckets hold more than 10L when filled to the top so

it is best to measure out 10L of water into the bucket and then mark the top of the waterline to determine where 10litres of prawns will come to. Surpassing your 10L limit can cost you a hefty fine.

OTHER OPTIONS The quality of the estuarine fishing will again depend on the rainfall. If there is lots of fresh water then the fishing will often be rather poor in the upper reaches. The areas around the mouth of the system will often produce well on higher tidal stages when the salinity is increased. Bream, flathead, whiting, cod, jacks, trevally, tarpon, mulloway and numerous others are likely captures in these zones. The deeper areas have a higher level of salinity and are naturally good spots to probe. Further into the bay, anglers can try for whiting around the channels and banks such as the Rous, Small Ships and Sand Hills using worms and squid strips. Floating a ganghook rigged pilchard aft may produce a

school or spotted mackerel in areas with better clarity.

The artificial reefs and wrecks can hold some quality snapper and mulloway in March. These can be tempted with both artificials (vibes, soft plastics and micro jigs) and numerous baits. Tuskfish will also be caught in these zones as well as the rubble, ledge and coffee rock areas in the bay. You will need to fish with crabs for best results on large specimens that require heavy tackle to subdue. The rock wall on the eastern side of mud and the retaining wall at the mouth of the Brisbane River are likely to produce some quality estuary cod.

Live baiting the deeper holes at the mouth of the river and the leads beacons out the front will tempt mulloway, threadfin salmon and occasionally large snapper if salinity levels are still good.

CONCLUSION The quality of the fishing in Moreton Bay, Brisbane River and other waters will greatly depend on the rainfall. A bit of rain is ideal to increase nutrient levels and promote baitfish prevalence. Too much rain results in lowering salinity which forces most species of fish and crustacean eastwards. You just need to get out and have a look for yourself in your favourite areas to determine the fishing feasibility on the particular day and tidal stage. March can be an awesome month to be on the water so let’s hope the weather gods are kind so we can get out to target some of Moreton Bay’s finest seafood.

Last March produced some quality spotties for the author.

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QLD Southern

FMM

Wet summer sets scene for productive autumn BRISBANE

Bob Thornton tackleworldlawnton@gmail.com

After a very wet January and February, most anglers across the region will be hoping for a drier and milder March. It’s the first month of autumn, but there’s still every possibility of more storms or another cyclone. Extreme weather doesn’t stick to a calendar.

plan and can actually fish really well when floodwaters cause them to rise suddenly. That’s the great thing about our area: there’s always something to catch if you know where to look!

Let’s take a look at what’s been happening.

OFFSHORE When conditions have allowed boaties to head out, we’ve had some cracking reports come in. Early worries of a mediocre pelagic season

Sometimes the rewards are worth the soaking. The author caught this solid jack on a very rainy day up a small creek.

Luckily the rain let up momentarily for a photoshoot!

Nutrients washed into our waterways by rain have boosted bait activity everywhere, and when not completely flooded or too rough and dangerous, most areas have reported excellent fishing. Any further rain will continue this cycle and provide even more sustenance for marine life, although I think most people will agree that some steady weather patterns would be nice for a change.

March in SEQ is usually a pretty fruitful month across the board, and with a run of prawns to liven up our saltwater fishing, it’s a month some local fishers live for. March may see an early run of certain ‘winter species’ for our area, such as tailor, luderick and squid. Lately, though, the fishing seasons have begun to blur into one, with some species once considered to be highly seasonal now caught throughout the year. Snapper, threadfin, and mulloway are just three examples.

I’m hopeful that March will end up providing more opportunities to get into the bay. If the wind makes things too difficult for the bay, there’s always kayak fishing in the local creeks for bass or mangrove jack – wind isn’t a factor when you’ve got a roof of trees over your head! If the creeks are too flooded, the dams are a great backup 26 MARCH 2024

have since been quelled, with plenty of quality Spanish mackerel, wahoo, mahimahi and black marlin taken from the Cape Moreton area and reef, wrecks and current lines offshore.

Having just made it through the first Spanish mackerel closure (1-21 February), anglers now have to endure another (1-21 March). Recent stock

assessments, which were worrying, are what led to the implementation of these closures, which are now there to allow them to spawn unimpeded.

The interim period hopefully saw a few Spaniards bagged for the freezer.

These toothy bandits were a bit late to arrive in our waters this season, but they made up for it with numbers and size. Already, many fish over the 20kg mark have been taken on trolled baits, bibbed divers and cast lures.

Wahoo have been busy in many of the same areas, with a similar mixture of techniques getting the desired result. ‘Hoo are a great alternative when Spanish are off the menu, although Spanish are a regular by-catch when chasing wahoo. If you accidentally catch a Spanish out of season, the best thing to do is to release it quickly and move to another area to avoid catching more. They don’t release well, so minimising handling and time out of the water is key if you want them to survive.

Mahimahi have been relatively consistent out on the FADs (deployed

by QLD Fisheries, with GPS marks available on their website) and wave recorder buoys. These areas can become a little pressured, however, and fortune will always favour those who make an effort to get out to these marks as early as possible, and ideally before too many other boats arrive.

Unweighted live baits of slimies, yakkas, gar or fusilier are the best way to nail a bigger male fish, however strip and flesh baits will easily catch the attention of any mahimahi in the area if they haven’t been disturbed that day.

FADs and buoys aren’t the only places mahimahi will congregate though. Every year, these fish are found under random pieces of debris

Bik had his hands full with this 70cm+ snapper, which he hooked in only a few metres of water around Scarborough. Fishing from his kayak he’s able to glide stealthily over the shallows without spooking big, wary fish. He now has a few fish of this calibre to his name. Image courtesy of Bikrant Gurung.

Maori cod are just one of the bounties available on the wider offshore grounds. Weather permitting, this month should see many more great hauls out on the offshore reefs.

Image courtesy of Toto Vanafook.

and wreckage drifting at sea. One customer told me he had a field day recently tossing stickbaits at a long length of shipping rope that had been cast adrift. It’s not uncommon for debris to develop its own ecosystem like this, so look out for anything floating as you cruise between spots offshore.

Bottom fishing has also been very productive, with a range of tasty reef fish on the bite. Out wide beyond 100m we saw some excellent pearlies caught last month, with some measuring over 60cm. Baited paternosters were the go-to for most anglers, however slow-pitch jigs have become popular in recent years and have taken their share of big pearlies lately. These fish should continue hanging out in these zones for the next few months at least.

In a little closer in the 20-50m range, snapper, spangled emperor, big Moses perch, hussar, and tuskfish have made up the bulk of the catch, with a few red emperor and large mouth nannygai turning up on certain reef systems off Noosa and Double Island.

Bright coloured 5-7” soft plastics have been very effective over these depths, but when the current picks up, heavy paternosters and jigs are the preferred tools.

The big seas and run-off from rain have sparked plenty of action in the super shallow zones in close. Small

Southern QLD

FMM islands, shoals and other marks that have waves breaking over them, such as Raper Shoal, Mudjimba Island and The Group just east of the South Passage Bar are a few examples of such areas. The turbulence in these locations can bring big snapper, grass sweetlip, spangled emperor and other reefies into the shallows in search of a feed. Casting 3-5” soft plastics on 1/4oz jigheads into the wash can see some very exciting fishing, with these fish sometimes pushing up into only 2-3m of water!

MORETON BAY In the bay, the pelagic scene has also happened a little later than usual. Longtail tuna are present in the bay, but getting close enough to the feeding schools to land a cast is very tricky at times, especially on super calm and clear days. The northern half of the bay seems to be where most of the activity is, with the tuna

Spaniards have been terrorising bait around the reef edges and current lines, and Anthony Cass has earned a reputation for finding the bigger models! Image courtesy of Anthony Cass. feeding on a variety of bait, including anchovies, hardyheads, gar and even prawns. If you’re planning to chase these elusive bay speedsters, make sure you have a range of presentations to imitate a variety of bait, and keep an eye on the birds.

Mackerel fishing in the bay has

been fairly consistent for schoolies, with the main shipping beacons and channels the best areas to try.

Spinning metals, trolling spoons behind paravanes, and drifting with pillies have been the best techniques, and plenty of fish around the 70cm mark have been reported.

Spotties have been a little harder to come by, and up until early February, they hadn’t been found in any decent numbers inside the bay itself, with only the odd one showing up offshore as by-catch. These fish have now entered the bay in better numbers and above-average sizes.

Spotties can be caught with the same techniques as the schoolies, but they will also push bait to the surface like longtails do. If you see a feeding school of spotties, they will tend to slash through the water as they engulf bait, rather than leaping clear of the water as tuna do. These fish are generally less skittish than longtails, so getting close enough to land a cast near the school is relatively easy.

Once again, they could be feeding on any number of things, so be prepared with a range of lures so you can match the hatch.

Down deep on the bay’s reefs and wrecks like Harry Atkinson and West Peel artificial reefs, big mulloway have been schooling up. Deploying jigs, 5-7” soft plastic and live baits gives you a chance to hook one of these silver slabs, but even when hooked the battle is far from over. If you manage to coax them away from the wreck, you’ve then got to keep them away from the sharks, which have been a nuisance lately. Once the sharks move in, you’ll be very lucky to get anything else past them, so your best bet is to move somewhere else and return later.

The bay’s shallows have been alive with fun-sized reef fish. The margins of Mud, Peel and Green islands, as well as Scarborough, Woody Points, the front wall of the Port of Brisbane and Wellington Point have all been fishing well for snapper and grassy sweetlip, which are the main species you’ll find in these zones. Alongside them on some days have been spangled emperor, grunter, tuskfish and estuary cod – all of which taste great! Again, the sharks have been a problem, even in these super shallow margins. Just the other day, I hooked up to a mid-50s snapper around Mud Island, and as it scooted off on its first run, I noticed it had a shark up its bum. When I finally got the fish to the boat, I discovered that it had lost the end of its tail, with the wound still bleeding. My only explanation is the shark must have grabbed the snapper mid-fight and chomped off only the tail rather than half the fish. Talk about a tax cut!

Fishing early in the morning or late in the afternoon has been

This fish measured 52cm with half its tail bitten off – definitely the sort of tax cut that most anglers would prefer! essential, and at this time you can expect fish to be up in 2-3m of water, hunting for whatever they can forage. During summer, we tend to get large tides, strong winds, and murky water, and all this contributes to some frantic action in the shallows.

Under the cover of these conditions, they feel safer cruising in shallow water, and many anglers are very surprised when they learn that summer is probably the best time to catch a 60cm+ snapper in Moreton Bay’s shallows.

As usual, 2-3” soft plastics are the favoured presentation, however light jigheads around 1/12-1/8oz are key to success. A slow fall time makes the plastic present more naturally, and increases the ‘fall time’, giving the fish more time to grab it. Most reefies in the shallows like to eat soft plastics mid-water as they fall, so keep those jigheads light! Leaders should similarly be kept light, with 10lb my standard. I may go up to 12 or 15lb if I’m getting broken off by fish, but anything heavier makes it difficult to cast light weights.

For something different, a suspending jerkbait or crankbait can also be very effective, and something that dives to 1.5-2m is ideal at the moment. Be careful not to choose something that dives too deep for the area you’re fishing, as two treble hooks don’t stand much chance against coral if they come into contact.

Sand crabbing has been hot and cold this summer, however it’s always worth dropping a few pots if you’re fishing in the bay. The recent flooding should still have them sitting out a little deeper, with 5-6m depths a good starting point. If you’re running a few pots, try a few different depths to get a more accurate idea of where they’re sitting.

RIVERS AND ESTUARIES Between heavy rainfalls and flooding, our local estuaries have been firing well. The prawn run so far has been great, and a good prawn run usually indicates good fishing for the species that feed on them.

Mangrove jack have been active in rivers, creeks and canals across the region, and with prawns now their main food source, you’d be silly not to be using some sort of prawn imitation, or a live prawn itself! Slimprofiled hardbodies, soft plastics and topwater lures between 60-80mm in natural colours are definitely the best presentations right now, especially if they can be worked quickly and erratically to imitate one of these succulent morsels. Weedless-rigged soft plastics are my go-to for jacks, as they can be tossed into the thickest covers and worked back in whatever fashion is best for the situation. Some days, I let it fall almost to the bottom and employ a simple slow roll. Other times, I’ll burn it out quickly as soon as it lands, and this works really well when the fish are switched on and feeding hard.

Watching a big jack light up and chase your lure as you burn it back to the boat or kayak is something special. There are times when you’ll need to experiment with your retrieve to see what’s working best, so always keep an open mind and be ready to try something different if one thing is not working.

Live baiting has been another successful method, and with all the rain we’ve had most of this action has been around outflows and drainage areas. Drains dumping stormwater into canals, feeder creeks flowing into a main system, and any similar drainage points are great places to drift a live bait. As I mentioned, a large live prawn is dynamite at this time of year, but mullet, herring, silver biddy and gar in the MARCH 2024 27

QLD Southern 70-120mm range are known jack catchers as well.

Barramundi are also loving the extra fresh in the system and are starting to turn up in more and more places. A wet season like the one we’ve just had is necessary for barramundi recruitment, so hopefully this means our barra fishery will get even better in the next few years.

Another fish that likes a good wet

FMM funnelled through a chokepoint, such as around bridges, creek mouths and outflows. If you’re not sure where to look, try to find bait first. Whether it’s a clouded mass of fuzz on the sounder screen or a few small prawns skipping up in the shallows, it’s always worth investigating.

The bream and whiting fishing has been excellent when the rivers and creeks aren’t completely blown out by

Lots of rain to fill the local creeks and rivers has been great news for those who like chasing wild bass. The author has been getting back to his roots recently, chasing these little battlers in the bush with light tackle. season is threadfin salmon. Threadies have been moving around a lot over the past year, but recently good numbers have been sounded and caught around the Port of Brisbane and the mouths of the Caboolture and Pine rivers. A good sounder and plenty of patience is needed for these golden trophies, but the effort can be well rewarded, and a handful of fish over the 130cm mark have been reported over the past month. Soft plastics and soft vibes are the preferred lures for threadies down deep, but recently a few decent captures have been reported by anglers using live baits. Live prawns, mullet, herring and gar will almost always out fish lures when sent into a school of threadies, so keep this in mind if they’re playing hard to get.

All the prawn activity has smaller predators spread through the systems and feeding aggressively as well.

Species like tarpon, trevally, giant herring and even a few ‘out-of-season’ tailor have been willing to hit small soft plastics, topwater lures and metal slugs, and chasing small pelagics in the creeks is a good option if your plan A fails. A lot of the time, these small predators will feed out in open water, especially early and late in the day. That said, they will also congregate in areas where bait is 28 MARCH 2024

flooding. Like many estuary species though, the periods immediately following floods can be great times to be out.

The shallows are still teeming with bream looking for jelly prawns, especially shallow areas with a bit of overhead cover, like under wharves, walkways, mangrove forests and bridges. Small bent minnow style topwater lures, poppers, fizzers

and walking stickbaits all imitate jelly prawns really well, and erratic retrieves that make these lures ‘spit’ will put you in the money. If you’re getting interest but no hook-ups, change your retrieve. Some days they want it fast; other times you may need to pause for 10-20 seconds between twitches.

Whiting, on the other hand, almost always want it fast, and I will often speed up my retrieve when I can see whiting following my lure. For whiting you want a more open flat, with the presence of yabby holes and a bit of current preferable. The mouth of the Pine and Caboolture rivers, along with Pumicestone Passage, have a stack of suitable flats for wading and tossing little topwater lures for whiting. If you’re after something relaxing, make sure you give it a try!

The prawners have been having a ball, and with the rain we’ve had, some have been cast netting outside the rivers around Woody Point and in Deception Bay. If we receive more rain, these areas will continue firing, however if we don’t, you can expect better numbers to turn up in the main channels of rivers like the Pine, Caboolture, and Brisbane, and in Pumicestone Passage. If you’re chasing a feed of prawns, make sure you come and check out our range of prawning nets!

FRESHWATER Our freshwater rivers and streams have been feeling the rain the most, with every local system recently experiencing major flooding. Without any further significant downpours, we can expect these areas to have returned to normal, and if so, the bass should be actively feeding.

The upper reaches of the North and South Pine, Caboolture, Brisbane, Logan, Albert, and Maroochy, as well as the many coastal creeks in between, have all produced excellent bass this season. With such a wet summer, it’s

Catching bream on bents is a super fun pastime when they’re up shallow chasing jelly prawns. There’s something about these strange lures that gets bream biting!

been a case of finding clean water for success. If a bass stream is running too high or too low, you can sometimes find them downstream in the upper tidal reaches. I’ve been doing a fair bit of this recently, and with prawns the main quarry of these estuarine bass I’ve been throwing weedless-rigged prawn soft plastics into the snags.

In the past month, a number of local dams including Kurwongbah, Ewen Maddock, Borumba and Hinze have spilled, meaning bass will have escaped and ended up in the systems below. By now, these fish should have adapted to river life, and any of these systems will be good places to fish through March if they’re not flooded.

The dams themselves have been up and down – literally! The sharp rises experienced during the storms saw some incredible action on saratoga and bass on the flooded edges, particularly in Kurwongbah, Ewen Maddock and Hinze. This should have settled by now, but these fish will still hunt in the shallows early and late in the day.

During the day, bass will either sit under thick cover to avoid direct sunlight, or out in deeper water, often spread out and suspended around the 15-20ft mark. For the latter, trolling with deep-diving crankbaits can be highly productive when they’re spread out like this. If you find suspended fish that are grouped together, casting and retrieving spinnerbaits, grub soft plastics, lipless crankbaits and even small metal jigs can be a more productive approach. Don’t be surprised if they’re a little gun-shy; you may need to try a few different lures to get a response. If they are really shut down, it can be worth trying somewhere else. You can always return to the area later to see if they’re willing to eat then.

WRAP-UP March will hopefully offer a little more stability for local anglers, but you can never count on the weather to do what it’s supposed to do in South East Queensland, so we’ll just have to wait and see. Whatever happens, we already have the bedrock of a wet summer and a satisfactory prawn run to keep things going for at least a few months, so my hopes are high.

As always, stay safe this month, drink plenty of water and make sure you cover up if fishing through the day!

We live in the skin cancer capital of the world, so let’s not add to those statistics!

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QLD Southern

FMM

More snapper as water temps drop NOOSA

Peter Wells

So far it has been a year with large storm fronts and plenty of dumping rain keeping our rivers and dams topped up. To be honest, a lot of Sunshine Coast anglers are finding it hard to pick the weather with plenty of wind and rain disrupting sessions over the past few months.

Hopefully offshore will see more consistent weather patterns as we head into March.

On the closer grounds we saw plenty of quality snapper, sweetlip and tusk fish, the only problem was the sharks. Plenty of reports are coming in of anglers only getting a couple of fish in the boat on the first few drops and then the sharks turn up and you have no chance of landing anything. Not only do you lose the fish but most times you lose

your gear too. I even had a report from a local of both anglers hooking up to fish and the same shark eating both fish!

Even though both anglers were hooked up to the same shark, they still could not get it up.

Pelagic activity has been epic with plenty of tuna in the mix, Noosa’s Laguna Bay has been a hot spot with plenty of bird and bait activity. The Character boys are still reporting plenty of quality mackerel in the mix, including Spanish. Recreational anglers are able to target them from the 22nd.

Down towards Maroochy, tuna has been in abundance with good schools of mac tuna and long tails all feeding on small to medium-sized bait.

As water temperatures continue to drop, snapper will be on the target list.

There have been reports of snapper with good quality and size for this time of the year from the Barwon Banks with

A nice Spanish mackerel taken on board a Fishing Offshore Noosa charter.

30 MARCH 2024

the deeper cooler water holding the better fish.

When fishing for snapper a berley trail is a must. Having a berley pot with a frozen berley bomb slowly melting, along with cut pilchards also thrown overboard at regular intervals, will help to bring the fish around. Fishing a floater pilchard with just a small sinker right on the nose to get it down slowly seems to be the best way to target them with bait. For those that love the plastics, make sure you have enough weight to get to the bottom and use a good scent like Pro-Cure, they come in a variety of scents with the squid one a real favourite.

In the rivers and creeks, crab numbers have been impressive with plenty of large hungry bucks getting into the pots. With so much fresh in the waterways pot placement is paramount.

Look for those deeper holes near mangroves, the deeper the hole the more saline the water and the crabs are drawn to these areas with less fresh.

Mangrove jack have again been on the chew with some pretty average weather condition. This year they seem to be really switched on, live baits have been the best way to target those red devils, but you will get them on larger soft plastics and hard bodies, with red being the colour of choice.

Flathead numbers have also been good with some good fish coming on the bigger run out tides. Small fish baits, like hardihead and herring, are ideal when casting upstream and working back with the tide.

Whiting numbers are also good with the bigger tides; freshly pumped yabbies, pipis and worms are the baits of choice.

Bream numbers seem to be improving with plenty of the smaller ones around at the moment, as the waters cool those larger breeding models will start to show up.

As we move into the bigger Easter tides the big predatory fish, like trevally, queenfish and large tailor, will move into our river systems. These fish usually feed on the larger schools of baitfish brought in with the bigger tides. Both the Noosa and the Maroochy, as well as areas around Tin Can Bay, should see plenty of this type of action. Paddle style vibes like the Samaki Thumper Tails have been good for all these species.

Fishing the new moon this month should see plenty of mulloway anglers on the beaches. With plenty of swell around over the last couple of months, there are plenty of quality gutter and holes for anglers to target. The reports mainly came from Teewah Way and the Sunshine Coast beaches. Big baits of mullet or tailor fillets were the baits of choice but these fish will eat everything from large prawns and clumps of worms. The best advice for catching

There will be plenty of opportunities to catch snapper this month. mulloway is to let them run before setting the hooks.

The beaches north of Rainbow out to Inskip have been worth a look with everything from tailor to permit reported. It is also a great spot for the kids to fish as you are able to get the 4x4 onto some sections of the beach. On the southern beaches the river mouths have been a hot spot with lots of those predatory fish taken from the dirty water lines.

For the rock hoppers, the Noosa National Park has to be one of the premium spots on the Sunshine Coast.

For those that love a bit of landbased game fishing, there is plenty of opportunity to get into some nice sized tuna and mackerel. Cobia are also taken from the same area, as well as plenty of reef species including snapper, sweetlip and cod. As always, when rock fishing, never turn your back to the sea.

In the Mary, we still saw plenty of bass on offer and with those kayaking the river have seen some better fish. For those starting out the area just south of the weir has been good using garden worms and small pieces of prawn. The area from Traveston towards town has also seen a couple of saratoga taken.

• Don’t forget to check in to www. fishingnoosa.com.au for all the latest up to date info on fishing and bar crossings.

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QLD Central

FMM

Anglers enjoying the red-hot red emperor bite BUNDABERG

Luke Truant

Something amazing has happened: the sharks have given us a tiny breather, which is the last thing you’d expect at this time of year. It’s like turning back the clock 20 years, when you’d hook a fish in deep water and actually get it to the surface intact.

The sharks haven’t disappeared altogether, of course, but for our last few trips, they have been taking fewer fish than normal. Last summer, you’d often lose every fish hooked in deep water (i.e. >40m), whereas we’ve been landing 80% of the fish on recent trips. It’s hard to know why the sharks have backed off in the depths. In the shallows, by contrast, the taxmen are still really thick and just as ravenous as ever.

Traditionally, big red emperor have always been plentiful in midsummer.

However, in recent years, there have been so many sharks that nobody knew if all those big reds were still there. We didn’t know what species we were hooking.

Tuskfish have been quite plentiful in recent weeks.

Now we have our answer. Off Bundaberg and all around the greater region to Gladstone, people have been getting great catches of large reds. Plenty of fish over the 15kg mark have been landed, which is fantastic.

On charter locally, we have been landing lots of big reds in your typical red emperor country — i.e. deeper than 40m with a rubbly bottom, away from major reef structures. The standout bait lately has been frozen yakkas (I’m sure live baits would be even better but they’re not around in summer). We have also caught good reds on mullet strips. Squid hasn’t been working as well lately.

The other standout species in the area has been tuskfish, which have been quite plentiful and in good sizes, too.

You can expect a dozen or more a day sometimes. The biggest we’ve boated so far this year was 67cm.

If you want to catch some tuskies, you’ll usually find them off the edge of the reef rather than over it. A good way to tell if you’re in the right place is if you’re not getting snagged because that means you’re not over the reef. A tuskfish’s favourite bait is squid and prawns, but much of the time they will eat just about anything. If you are snacking on cooked prawns, try adding a 34 MARCH 2024

prawn head to a baited hook for added attraction. It sounds like a gimmick, but it works.

Grassy emperor (grass sweetlip) have been firing inshore. Plenty of locals have been fishing in shallow water (5-20m)

The Spanish mackerel have shown up in good numbers – just remember to adhere to the closed season, which runs from 1-21 March. Inshore Spanish should fish well in late March, and the more reliable way to catch them will be to troll a swimming garfish, saury or grinner.

Trolling along the inshore reefs and all the way out to the outer reefs should produce good numbers of smaller Spanish. If you’re using a gang, I recommend taking a hook file and sharpening your hooks. If you have blunt hooks with baits, you can have a really poor hook-up rate.

RIVERS Anglers have been getting good catches of mud crabs and prawns in the rivers. As usual, the best place to

through the day and night.

Locals have been catching a lot of jacks around the rock bars and anywhere with a nice current flow. And, of course, you can get great catches around good structure/snags – even those snags up on the sand bars that are barely covered.

While lures have been working on the jacks, live prawns and live poddy mullet will catch the most fish.

February and March are two of the best months for barramundi because it’s usually when we get the most rain. This, combined with the warm weather, means it’s a cracking time to go and chase barra.

A good way to catch them is to fish around the bridges at night, e.g. the Talon Bridge around the piles. You’ll need to get right

Jade and Mitch with four nice bucks. close to shore and bagging out. Squid is a good bait for grassies, preferably fresh, local squid. Strip baits also catch their share of fish.

I did a half-day charter recently for a family from Victoria, and they were pulling in grassies one after the other.

There were too many to keep, so they were released to fight another day. They were sizable fish, too.

One of the clients, Lindsay, managed to catch a 7kg red in 20m of water, just 13 miles from Bundy, in the first five minutes.

He’d never reef fished before, and we caught nine species in one stop, so he was blown away. One notable catch was a big tusky caught on a cooked prawn head. We were fishing a tiny rubble area away from other major fishing spots, 13 miles out.

Our fortunes changed when we

Lindsay with a 7kg inshore red caught on a trip with the author. catch mud crabs is in the most heavily mangroved areas, and as remote as you can get your pot. The building tides are best for crabs.

Prawns, on the other hand, like the neap tides, so focus your efforts an hour before and during low water. Strathdees in the deep hole has been very productive, as has the sailing club and port.

River prawns have been really thick in the Kolan and Elliott rivers, and deep holes have been producing well. Look for showering prawns on the bank. There have been plenty of bag-outs in shallow water by people who’ve come across moving prawn schools.

The rain and freshwater flow has the biggest influence on the prawns. The big flush we’ve had has created an epic prawn season, and this increase in prawns has contributed to a red-hot jack bite. The other contributing factor is the heat. Jacks love hot water, so heatwaves only bring the jacks on better, and they will often bite

This flatty couldn’t resist a soft plastic prawn imitation. moved to a new spot and the sharks stole almost everything, so we had to move again.

The trout have been biting well in their usual haunts, but getting them through the sharks is typically a struggle until about May, when the sharks are less voracious.

Anglers all around our region have been catching nice red emperor.

in close to the piles. From the surface, the pile looks like one big concrete structure, but if you look at your side scan, you’ll see a multitude of small piles hidden beneath the surface, creating an amazing

Grass emperor have firing inshore. fish structure. The best option is to use live mullet – the bigger the better – or live legal whiting.

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QLD Central

FMM

Creeks and headlands fishing well after the rain MACKAY

Tackle World Mackay

Here we go again – another wet season is underway, with still plenty of rain around the district. This has been good for future fish stocks in the area, with species like barramundi, king salmon and grunter getting a good chance to spawn. Juvenile fish have been making the most of the follow-up rain to get back into hiding up the rivers, to the brackish water and surrounding wetlands.

mangrove jack. Try floating a live prawn or mullet about 1-1.5m under a float along a set of fallen down mangrove trees along a stretch of bank, or into one of the many rock bars. Just be willing to adjust the depth of the live bait to suit the depth of water. You want to present the bait around 50cm off the bottom to avoid getting snagged up as you float the bait down.

There have been still some good fingermark and grunter in some of the deeper holes. You can catch them by fishing a single-hook paternoster rig

Len McConnel caught this 48cm coral trout at Wigton Island.

Trent Bickley with a 92cm nannygai.

Temperatures will remain hot in the coming weeks so we can expect some good fishing in the creeks and surrounding headlands. Finding the run-off flowing in the rivers is a good start, as plenty of bait will be getting stirred up. The tops of the rivers and some of the gullies that flow with fresh water are handy to find, because the barra and mangrove jack will be there looking for an easy feed. Places like the upper reaches of the Pioneer River are good, such as around Dumbleton Wier, but stay 400m from the weir wall out of the restricted area.

Finding the back eddies around these areas is a good place to throw a lure. Normally, bright coloured lure are the go when you’re fishing in dirty water. Hardbody lures such as the gold Bomber, RMG Scorpion and Barra Classic are great because they have plenty of rattle, and you can get them down to where the fish will be sitting, out of the main run.

If these lures don’t find you a fish you might have to fish a bit deeper with a weighted plastic or vibe, such as the Zerek Fish Traps or Squidgies Slick Rigs in the 80mm or 100mm size.

For those who have been chasing a few on bait, some of the creeks that are less influenced by upstream freshwater flow have had much cleaner water.

Some of the areas around Seaforth and surrounding coast areas like Mystery Creek, Mathers Creek, Clunny Creek and constant have been the places to be, with good catches of barramundi and 36 MARCH 2024

with the same baits. This rig keeps the bait out of the rubbish that is on the bottom of the creeks.

There have been some big prawns around lately; they love the hot weather and dirty water. The go-to areas are still the Seaforth area, Rabbit Island Creek, and the mud bank in between Murray and Mathers Creek. To the south, try Sandy Creek, Plane Creek and Armstrongs Beach. Just make sure you wear appropriate clothing and have a bottle of white vinegar on hand, because there have been many box jellyfish around the prawns.

There has been good offshore

fishing for those who have snagged a weather window in between the low-pressure systems. Coral trout have still been in good numbers, and there have still been a few late-season Spanish mackerel around some of the pressure points. A pressure point is where the tide (current) is flowing onto an island or reef and hitting the obstacle. This causes a break in currents, and the baitfish are pushed up and displaced with the current. Trolling a high-speed lure has been working well. The Halco Laser Pro 190mm and the Nomad DTX are worth a go.

The dams have all been fishing well.

Teemburra Dam has had some water flowing in down Teemburra Creek, so the sooty grunter have been pushing up as far as they can into the running water.

You can get some good results using either small hardbody lures like the Reidy’s Little Lucifer or Rapala X-Raps in the 8cm size. Anglers have also been getting a few bust-offs from some big barra in the narrow, shallow creek.

Plenty of smaller barra in the 40-70cm

range have been getting caught in the backs of the bays in around the lily pads and newly-submerged grass areas.

Surface and shallow diving lures have been producing the goods.

Josh Wales was very happy with this 119cm barra.

Adam Louden with a nice barra from Kinchant Dam.

For those fishing off the bank, Kinchant Dam has been producing a few fish around the boat ramp.

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QLD Tropical North

FMM

Skip casting under branches to hungry barra TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

Cyclone Kirrily turned out to be one of the driest cyclones imaginable; the highest rainfalls I heard of were only around 120mm. Don’t get me wrong, after watching the news of the Cyclone Jasper fallout, it’s clear things could have been a lot worse for us. Still, getting a bit more rain in the lead-up to the barra season opening would have been nice.

Fortunately, there’s more rain on the horizon, and there are no nets removing the big breeders. I’m sure

closed. Out in the bay, there were trout and other tasty morsels on tap, and if you just wanted to bend a rod, there were queenies and GTs just waiting to grab a well-placed lure.

The heat has kept most people off the water, though. We have all become a bit soft thanks to air conditioning! In the days after the cyclone, it was clear just how soft we’ve become as we sat melting in the backyard in front of fans that had no more power than a frog’s fart.

Before the barra season opened, we braved the heat to look around some spots we planned to visit after 1 February. We saw barra boofing

would be good. Casting surface lures is my favourite way to catch barra, and I’m sure many of you would feel the same way.

Our standard barra tackle is a 20lb baitcaster or spin setup, with the baitcaster setup for the close-in stuff and the spin rigs for the long-distance scenarios. We use Atomic Arrowz rods for this type of fishing, as the tip is user-friendly for making accurate casts and, when required, delicate casts that don’t spook fish. An 8-16lb rod is the go for your average stuff, and a 6-12lb, 5’6” rod is perfect for accurate, close-quarters fishing.

In these scenarios, you can get good results on 80mm poppers or stickbaits. Stickbaits can perform better than poppers when the fish are a bit less enthusiastic. In my experience, less noisy lures work well

predators were eating! We’ve had a great run of prawns this summer, so our go-to has been soft plastic prawn imitations rigged on weedless hooks. These plastics also work at other times of the year because pretty much everything eats a prawn. That includes jacks, grunter, fingermark (golden snapper), barra, queenies and just about any other estuary species you can think of.

You’ll need to rig your prawn imitation correctly to get the most out of it. In deeper waters and drain

When the bigger tides mess up the rivers, the author heads out in the bay to catch a feed. This trout ate a 3.25” Plazo paddle-tail meant for a grass emperor. we’ll manage to nail a few barra throughout the year.

There was plenty of fishing action to keep us busy while the season was

bait with serious enthusiasm, which gave us a bit of an adrenalin rush!

The fish’s behaviour was a sign that the surface bite early in the season

Rigged weedless, this Atomic Prong was worked over the top of thick weed to get the bite on the surface.

The colour is motor UV, which is ideal for tannin-stained waters. when the runoff starts to clear a bit.

When it comes to diving lures, I have been getting good results casting around structure with the TB80, which is effective on both jacks and barra. With very slow buoyancy, the TB80 can be stalled and worked for prolonged periods around structure and drains where fish are holding.

If you want to change the depth range during a retrieve, just point the rod tip upwards to go shallow, or down towards the surface for a deeper retrieve.

My son and I went up near Lucinda to hunt some jacks recently, and as we pulled up at the ramp, prawns were jumping onto the sand.

It wasn’t hard to figure out what the

40 MARCH 2024

Blades are effective when the fish are holding in deeper water.

Tannhym Hodge nailed this fingermark in a deep hole after spotting a school on the sounder.

The Paddle Prawn 5” in fluoro orange is often seen swinging from our rod tips. It really comes into its own in dirty water. situations we use a ‘J’ styled jighead, often in the 1/4-1/3oz weight and 4/0 hook size. For the more rough-andtumble snaggy stuff, though, we rig our plastics weedless on a 5/0 Atomic

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FMM Seeker EWG 1/4oz. For some reason the Seekerz are a bit tough to get at the moment, so if you see them on the shelves at your local independent tackle shop, I recommend grabbing them while you can.

We use soft plastic prawn imitations ranging from 4” to 7”, depending on the scenario. If the structure is thick and the fish are way back in amongst the snags, our go-to is the 4” Atomic Prong rigged on a 5/0 Seeker EWG. This jighead

sits slightly tighter against the body, reducing the snag rate.

If the bite is on the surface, completely unweighted surface presentations will be the best. You’ll want to commence the retrieve as soon as the lure finishes its forward momentum; this approach is key to getting bites more consistently.

Striking is imperative, and if you’re not quick enough to set that hook, you’ll miss the connection to the fish.

Leader-wise, we find 30lb Dangan

Casting around the mouth of a drain, Tannhym used a TB80 to tempt this barra into having a go. This lure has copped a flogging, and there’s hardly any paint left.

A reliable way to catch fingermark is with a live herring, mullet or gar fished on the bottom. Note the dilly pot for lifting and lowering fish from a high platform.

fluorocarbon to be the best, although we’ll switch to 40lb when the bigger fish are playing dirty.

Finally, if you’re not skipping plastics at the moment, you’re missing out on catching a lot of fish deep in structure. If you remember skipping rocks from a creek bank when you were a kid, you’ll pick it up easily.

To skip your plastic, start with your

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MARCH 2024 41

QLD Tropical North

FMM

Barra are on the move HINCHINBROOK

Ian Moody info@ianmoodyfishing.com

Persistent heavy rain periods from the last few months have kept the better barra captures out on the beachfronts, mouths of creek systems and headlands within the

Hinchinbrook area. Large inflows of rainwater from systems like the Herbert River push a lot of bait out into open waters at the mouths and also boost the prawn populations along the beaches.

There can be some really exciting fishing on the larger running tides out in the open dirty water lines

Jake Hartley had fun chasing this 69cm barramundi.

Garry Berryman with a healthy looking fingermark.

where casting shallow hardbody lures can nab you that larger 1m+ model barramundi. Look for dirty water fringes where baitfish are present and often spooked. Seeing a surface feeding boof is also a clear giveaway to work over an area with lures. This time of year sees a lot more large tidal runs than say July or August, so these open water tactics will be your best

bet, particularly as it is during the warm water temperature time of year when they are on the move.

Anglers chasing fingermark are probably better looking in areas around the outer Hinchinbrook Island, Gould and Garden island areas. Freshwater inundations from recent weeks will push them further out from the coastline as they are

Expect less rain and more fish in March CAIRNS

Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com

They don’t call it the wet season for nothing, but like every other angler in Far North Queensland I am hoping that March is a little bit drier. It’s been tough going in the Trinity Net Free Zone creeks so far this year.

The Barron River, which is slap bang in the middle of the NFZ, has run like it has never run before – spewing brown water everywhere. I am confident though things will clean up quickly and the end result will be some awesome fishing.

Barra catches have already been reported pretty much everywhere and from all reports it’s going to be a bumper year. This has been helped along with the flooding of several large barramundi farms that have lost tens of thousands of barramundi into our local rivers. The one place they have been showing up in big numbers has been

Barra will be thick in the creeks and on the open beaches.

prawns as well. Unfortunately, there are also tonnes of catfish amongst them as well as bull sharks.

In the creeks, the Inlet has been producing some really good jacks upstream, especially under the mangrove overhangs. With all this rain the water has stayed pretty warm, and these fish are still seeking out shade so skipped plastics under the overhangs will bring them on.

Finally, March usually sees the first of the good runs of mud crabs in the creeks as well, so it does pay to drop a few in when wetting a line. Next month the

off the local beaches between Machans Beach to Kewerra Beach. With all the bait being pushed out, the barramundi have followed. Walking these beaches with a long spin rod and prawn or vibe presentations has been producing some awesome catches. Not just quality fish but large numbers of them as well. It seems when you find one you find a whole patch. Early morning is the best

Big jacks will be on the cards, especially on paddle tail plastics flicked under the mangrove ledges.

Mud crabs will be on the move and the Krab Kuffs from Krab King are an awesome and easy way to tie them up.

42 MARCH 2024

as the water is calmer which makes it easier to see bait flicking on the water or even swirls of fish in the shallows. The threadfin salmon have also been out on the beaches. From all reports they are schooling up nicely and also feeding on

fishing will get better and better as long as the rain stays away. Once everything stabilises and gets back to normal the fishing will be some of the best we have seen in a long time so if you are after a sensational fishing trip come on up.

Tropical North QLD

FMM a species that don’t like freshwater that much.

Cape Richards is a great area to try during the day on the isolated rocky headland fringes and can even be a way better place to fish at night using live squid. However, these inshore spots are heavy with shark populations and it can be pointless at times chasing fingermark. That happened recently out past Cape Richards where I treated clients to some rather average to large sized

fingermark that we struggled to get to the boat because of sharks. Biggest specimen we got to the boat was an 87cm model but prior to that we were bricked by three much larger models down into the structure. I pretty much moved on and went and tried elsewhere once the sharks became too aggressive. Strangely the fingermark were not responding to vibes/plastics or any other lure but instead could not go past the humble live greenback herring or 3” mullet.

Not a bad day’s work on the water. Allan Harradine with an 80cm barra.

Allan with another great barra. This one measured 80cm.

If you own a drawstring castnet, good size greenbacks can usually be found around pylons located in the channel or Missionary Bay number 7 creek quite easily. However, be wary about castnet use around the wreck marker directly across from Port Hinchinbrook on the island side as there can be a lot of debris still scattered wide of the engine blocks that are still sitting there. I have often found some torn castnets stuck on it at low tide.

Anglers should also be careful

of this time of year during the large high tides and also if any flooding occurs with presence of logs and debris floating on the surface. Can be a nasty experience to encounter if fishing at night.

• If you’re looking to do a barra charter with us for this year’s barra season, bookings are filling up quick so now is a good time to get in and get your name down on some good dates.

For bookings please email us at info@ ianmoodysportfishing.com or phone myself directly on 0402 339 459.

TO FIND YOUR LOCAL DEALER VISIT WWW.ANGLAPRO.COM.AU MARCH 2024 43

QLD Tropical North

FMM

Hot days don’t guarantee hot fishing action COOKTOWN

Justin Coventry

The weather has been hot and humid, with westerlies often bringing even more heat. Summer days are particularly difficult to endure when there is no breeze, and sweat pours off you.

On the upside, the ocean is flat and there are many opportunities to venture out to the reefs and surrounds. However, fishing can be difficult on these days, possibly because the fish are also feeling the heat. I’m not sure, but regardless it can be hard work trying to get a bite, even when the sounder lights up with plenty of fish. It’s a similar story when the weather blows from the west, even if the conditions on the sea are great.

The flooding rains have created

Lumpy with a solid red emperor.

opportunities to fish the close wonky holes, which have been showing up more and more. Bait and fish have started to congregate around these hidden gems. The large-mouth nannygai (saddletail snapper) around the wonkies have been good-size fish, with some up to the 10kg mark.

Nannies put up a fight to remember; often it’s like a shark at first, with an almighty run. Then the thumping begins – not as much as a red emperor, but close. This is when you’ll test your gear and your knots.

The bite period tends to be short. I have had some great sessions on these wonky holes when there were multiple captures, but usually you’ll get only a few.

The wonky holes are usually loaded with bait, and I’ve tried to catch them to use as livies. However, most of the time as soon as you hook a baitfish it will get smashed by a big predator, and it’s almost impossible to land a big nanny or red on a bait jig. I recommend gathering your livies elsewhere, and then go to a wonky to throw a few down to the waiting monsters. You’ll want a good live bait setup for best results.

The wonkies are also good to vibe.

By using lures, you avoid the problem of small fish stealing your bait before a big fish can get it. Your vibe will hit the bottom untouched by the pickers, and then it’s time to wait for that big smack by something big. Just be prepared to lose a few lures because the mackerel love the bait schools, too. With their sharp teeth, mackerel make

A time for healing

a bonus securing some really handy fingermark amongst the timber areas of Lynton Heffer most local systems. www.fishingportdouglas.com.au The barra fishing post-New Year went There’s no question the Far North was ballistic around the river entrances and put through the washing machine with along the beaches and have been back on Cyclone Jasper in mid-December and the menu since 1 February. Live mullet or the record-breaking rain that followed. 4” white paddle-tail soft plastics have been Several weeks on and the effects are still the weapon of choice. I think it is going to very evident across the shire. The stories be very productive for barra over the next that you hear are quite horrific and there couple of months. With hardly any netting is definitely scarring that still needs in the area nowadays, this will go a long way to be healed. to a more productive experience.

The opportunity to fish in the best The fishing has been very good, part of the world is part of that process. especially for large coral trout, quality It didn’t disappoint either in the fishing nannygai and red emperor. There’s also department and there were some of been gold band snapper along with the the best catches recorded in a couple regular catches, and you’ll never eat a better of months. River, reef and game fishing quality fish in my opinion! They’re not all delivered at some point as you’ll common but a cracking piece of the puzzle read further on. up in FNQ. In the river and creeks, conditions are Fishing deep water is currently the key back to some normality as the rainfall has to success, whether it’s isolated bommies, eased and there are some real positives rubble patches or wonky holes. The best to take from the natural disaster. At times depth of range has been in excess of 35m. reverting to old fashioned techniques The weather has been awesome since the using quality dead baits, especially when beginning of the year more often than not. the water is questionable, will reap the Our tip for this month is to always rewards. The logic is fish have to eat at fish a variety of rigs to see if one works some point after an extended turbulent better than the other at that particular period. It has accounted for plenty of time. Simple examples of what we use are quality grunter and golden trevally across a running sinker rig, a paternoster and the flats. Any live bait to be found is a hybrid jig (essentially like fishing a

Col with a nice large-mouth nannygai. short work of leaders and vibes.

Another thing to bear in mind is that wonkies usually have a big resident cod, and a vibe can be an easy mouthful for one of fish. Be prepared to be loaded up with a heavy cod diving back into the wonky to hide. There is some evidence suggesting these cod help to keep the wonky hole open and clean, so it’s good to let them go.

Bringing them up from the deep can blow up their swim bladder, so please release the air before returning the fish to the water.

Piercing the side in line with the dorsal fin, and in line with the 4th spine on the top fin, usually hits the spot. A thin knife is OK to use on a big cod. You usually have to push its stomach to get most of the air out, then it should swim away back down to its home. Hopefully it will work; it should, because cod are hardy fish. Still, it would be good if a study were done to verify it.

I’m not sure how other species would cope in the same situation. I’m sure a large percentage wouldn’t survive the effects of a swollen swim bladder, even with treatment.

Fishing in deep water is more about taking fish home rather than sportfishing, so please catch only what you need.

BARRAMUNDI The barramundi fishing is also heating up, and there’s lots of action to be had around the bays and headlands. The fish seem to be feeding up in the shallows, ambushing baitfish as they make a run for it as the tide drops. Shallow lures pitched high up into the shallow rock ledges and into the back of the mangroves will produce good results.

The excitement is intense as the barra strikes the lure, and up comes that classic head shake as the fish tries to remove the trebles from its mouth. Having strong hooks and shallow diving lures is the most productive at the moment in the bay.

The rivers are also starting to clear, and the snags and gutters are starting to fire with some nice fish. The fishing will no doubt improve this month, and there are plenty of new snags around due to the massive flooding we have had. There are lots of new snags with all the fallen trees, and we should see some great sessions on lures – and also a few lost to them, but that’s fishing. There’s more exploring to be done but lots of fishing fun to be had as well.

PORT DOUGLAS

44 MARCH 2024

Despite the horrific weather, the fishing has been exceptional. running sinker rig).

When fishing with artificials mix it up with jigs and vibes (if the current allows).

Hopefully a mixed arsenal gives you the edge, which can be the difference between a great trip and an average one.

Explore different ground and be on the initiative, keep moving around at this time of year because there’s some pretty impressive fishing to be had. Don’t be a lazy angler and sit in the one spot hoping for a bite!

On the game fishing scene it has been all light tackle with some excellent results. Probably the most interesting thing we learnt was the amount of bait that had been pushed out towards the continental shelf but still inside the reef.

The pelagic fishing was red hot for the

likes of Spanish mackerel, mac tuna and, more interestingly, yellowfin tuna. Now typically you’d expect to see yellowfin outside of the reef on the shelf, but obviously they realised something was happening inside and they went there in droves.

In the area which we refer to as The Paddocks, the surface activity was alive with tuna and bird life. On a ‘green room’ day it wasn’t too hard to tap into this activity. Spanish mackerel to 10kg and yellowfin tuna to 8kg were quite abundant. It didn’t really matter what lures you were trolling as they were in a super frenzy mood. We are anticipating this trend will continue. We are well and truly open for business in FNQ and hope we see you up here for some great angling.

QLD Tropical North

FMM

Good wet season will pay off CAPE YORK

Tim O’Reilly wildrivercompany@gmail.com

This year has a bit of a buzz to it with a decent early wet season across much of north Queensland. Still in the midst of the wet season, February proved a little elusive as usual. But come March, reports will be in from far and wide about how good the fishing is this year.

Barra fishers tend to get very eager over these next few months, as a good wet season often pays off handsomely as it subsides. Barramundi tend to use this period to stack on weight and feed a little more veraciously. Even out along certain beaches up and down the Cape, pods of barra will be hunting the shoreline.

Baitfish inshore plentiful to say the least!

Pelagic schools will also begin moving in close to the shoreline in the norther part of Cape York, but it might take a few more months for things to fire up south.

If you find fish, keep peppering the area. likely improves the further north you go. Albeit for many northern swamps draining tannin water out after the wet.

The handful of larger system on the mid Gulf coast are still just before their prime but warming to the task quickly.

As the river levels drop and suddenly small drains start appearing, the barra

good prawns. These excellent sport fish feed along the shallow foreshores and river flats, gathering tiny crustaceans and baitfish with their whiskers. Throwing

The best type of double hook up, jack and barra.

A cracking fish from tight country. soft plastics and flies to these flighty fish can be as enthralling as it is frustrating.

Threadies are very good at ejecting whatever they don’t like!

Blue salmon will also be feeding hard

This barra charged all over a tiny creek.

In the Gulf, the extraordinary tonnage of banana prawns that seem to flourish after a good wet season is incredible. It is usually a good sign the barra fishing will be good for

The ultimate double treat.

Sometimes they just stack up! the next few months. As the wet dies off and more fish start fitting into less water, things can get interesting.

Some of the rivers further south into the Gulf might still run a little dirty up until April-May. This water clarity 46 MARCH 2024

fishing can be excellent.

If possible when driving up or down a river on a dropping tide, barra fishos will be scanning the banks, looking for drains coming in. When you get up into tight country for the first time, always proceed carefully because there will almost always be a sneaky rock bar somewhere in the upper reaches. Listen carefully for the sound of water trickling in, it’s amazing how well hidden these inflows can be.

Besides the excellent barra fishing, many of the popular species, such as mangrove jack and threadfin salmon should be on the go. Reports of good threadies often follow the reports of

amongst the inshore gutters and the many creek mouths littering Cape York. On light spin gear, blue salmon make a fantastic adversary. They are like the northern version of tailor and taste a little similar.

Both pleasant fish to eat it treated carefully and eaten super fresh. If you are a garfish swimming down any northern river with the outgoing tide at night, there is a good chance you are getting eaten by a blue salmon. They are veracious feeders.

The next two months will be vibrant and green and damp up in Cape York. It is probably the time when the country is looking at its absolute best. You might be forgiven for thinking things could stay this green all year. All those beautiful upstream swimming holes that Cape York is famous for are also at their splendid best.

This one was caught while fishing off the sand – it was a bit feisty!

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If you love wetting a line, then you’re not alone!

Fishing is Australia’s biggest recreational sport with more than 3.4 million keen anglers fishing every year. It will soon be time to sort out your tackle box ready for this year’s 2024 PIRTEK Fishing Challenge.

The Challenge is an online national fishing competition open to all ages and experience levels.

Competitors receive a limited-edition cap, brag mat and sticker with junior competitors receiving a bonus packet of Berkley soft plastics.

This year’s Challenge will be held over two days on Saturday and Sunday April 20 and 21.

Competitors will fish for their favourite species, photograph their catch on the brag mat with their angler number and codeword clearly visible; then upload the photos to the website for judging.

The Challenge is a major fundraising initiative assisting to raise funds and awareness for Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA). More than 19,500 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in Australia every year.

PIRTEK has partnered with PCFA since 2009 helping to raise vital funds for prostate cancer research, awareness initiatives and support programs by hosting Australia’s biggest fishing competition.

The Challenge is also a major fundraising partner for the Peter Duncan Neurosciences Research Unit, which has recently been lauded as the number one Neuroscience Research facility in Australia.

The focus of the Unit is to study adult stem cells and their role in causing and exacerbating neurological diseases. The goal is to find and apply new neuroscience techniques for patients suffering from diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s, along with other neurological conditions and stroke.

There are 24 target species nationally covering all States and Territories both fresh and saltwater.

This year, the Challenge is offering an amazing $300,000 in cash and prizes!!

PIRTEK together with Berkley, BCF, Stacer, ABU Garcia, Lowrance,Valvoline, Sea-Doo, Club Marine, Mako Eyewear, Mercury, Paw Pantry and Oz Trail have delivered a fantastic prize pool for this year’s competition.

Anglers who submit photos of their cracking catches on the PFC brag mat are in line for some incredible prizes including:

Fishing gear from leading manufacturers Berkley and ABU Garcia, both brands synonymous with the best in fishing tackle.

Marine electronics are always a popular prize and Lowrance are supplying their cutting-edge sounder/GPS units.

Valvoline are on deck ready to keep things rolling with their leading-edge lubricants.

BCF have the junior prize winners covered and ready to “gear up for the outdoors” with instore gift cards.

Take your fishing to the next level with Mako Polarized Sunglasses designed in Australia for our extreme conditions.

PIRTEK are keeping all competitors in the hunt with twenty-four $2000 cash mystery length prizes along with a second $1700 mystery length totalling $88,800. The mystery lengths are awarded in each category for the fish measuring closest to a secret measurement determined by the event organizers.

These lengths are generally of an average sized fish giving everyone the opportunity to win.

Thanks to our fantastic partners we have a $125,000 ‘On the Water’ prize draw proving you don’t have to catch big to win big!

Promotion authorized under NSW TP/01590 and ACT TP 23/02750. Residents from South Australia

Prizes include:

are not eligible to enter the On the Water prize draw.

PIRTEK COO, Mark Devitt, commented, “I’m amazed to see the growth of the Challenge over the last 16 years. As an organization we are very proud of continuing to build a bigger and better event every year. Seeing our wonderfully committed competitors having a great time over the Challenge weekend really drives home what the competition is all about.”

Michael Guest, Event Director, commented, “The Challenge is a cracking opportunity to catch up with friends and family for a weekend of fishing.

Let’s face it, supporting our two very worthy charity partners while wetting a line is a great way to spend a couple of days. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an experienced angler or picking up a rod for the first time we would love to see record numbers enter the competition this year” Competing anglers can look the part by purchasing from the extensive range of merchandise available on the website, including fishing shirts, t-shirts, neck buffs, shorts, spray jackets and broadbrim hats.

For more information and to register visit pirtekfishingchallenge.com.au Registrations cost $30.00, plus postage and handling.

• A cracking Stacer 469 Outlaw side console boat motor trailer package with 75hp Mercury outboard, Lowrance sounder and 12 months Club Marine insurance. Valued at $50,643.

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• Paw Pantry have joined the challenge this year and have provided another Stacer 389 Territory Striker, 25hp tiller steer bpat/motor/trailer package.Valued at $19,210.

• If you love camping then this one’s a cracker with our mates at OZ Trail giving away an amazing Canning Roof Top Tent Valued at $4699.99.

• Find more fish with a Lowrance HDS9 Pro sounder and GPS unit. Valued at $3,899 • $2000 Berkley/ABU Garcia tackle packs to make any fishos day.

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This is the first year in a long time that at least half of the six Dudds haven’t been able to get together somewhere in a house, tent or houseboat.

While there are houses, tents and houseboats across the land that breathed a sigh of relief that they didn’t land the Dudd Lotto for this year, I was pretty devo, as the gathering of this unhinged collection of misfits helps launch me into the year ahead. And also gives me any number of stories of forgetfulness, disaster, damage

it’s definitely not with fish. Also sleeps more than a giant sleeping thing.

A ccidentus Teetotallus Designateddrivus: this Dudd, a non-drinker, still manages to break, snap and ruin more things than the rest combined.

Cartonus Imbibious Microchronos: this Dudd manages more litre per kilogram consumption than any of his more fancied compadres and with very little fanfare but still manages to outfish everyone else, except...

Preparedness Maximus Aggravatiar: this Dudd will spend more time getting ready for a trip than on the trip itself but

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That got me thinking about the Dudds as a SHEPPARTON group; how much carnage we have created overAND the years BOATS MOREbut how central to my207life the mob is. Shepparton Perhaps, Numurkah Road I thought, it’sP:time for those who don’t (03) 5822 2108 know the sanguine six to be reintroduced.

F: (03) 5821 2908 I’ve also heard recently that men tend W: boatsandmore.com.au to think about the Roman empire quite often, even on a daily basis, so I thought MORWELL a brief description of theirMARINE characters as CRAWFORD they may have known in Morwell Roman 71-77been Chickerell Street times would P: make sense.

Or at least as (03) 5134 6522 much sense F: as(03) this5134 group 6455 of words is wanting to do.W: crawfordmarine.com.au To keep things gloriously mysterious ECHUCA I’m not going to tell you which one of EADES Pommers, XTREME MARINE Stuffer, Manboobs, Skipper, SturtI’m Street Echuca to. So Doughers or24me referring here goes. P: (03) 5482 2333 Equus Nontrifectus one of F: (03) 5482Fourexus: 2133 the Group who fishes to drink rather W: xtrememarine.net.au than the other way around. His other GEELONGNonstopius wishes half, Equus Laborious EDENCRAFT MARINE he’d stop betting on the horses, as this 22-30 Buckley Grove Moolap dooms them to much less success than if he didn’t. P: (03) 5248 4520 admin@edencraftmarine.com.au MaximusE:Undulatus Nonpiscatorious: W: www.edencraftmarine.com.au this mountainous man has less success than even the most average Dudd, and it’s uncertain whether this is because cans interfere with securing fish or fish interfere with smashing cans.

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Luke Welsh caught this 40cm whiting at Moonee Creek on the Coffs Coast. It was caught on a live saltwater yabby.

MARCH 2024 51

QLD Freshwater

FMM

Signing off after 25 years of writing reports TOOWOOMBA

Jason Ehrlich fishability1@bigpond.com

Over 25 years ago, I started writing for fishing magazines.

My Queensland Fishing Monthly reports made it to print almost every month, and continued when the state-based magazines amalgamated into Fishing Monthly.

came from, it was from these fun days.

Steve Morgan was behind both ABT and AFC, and was keen for anglers to have a nickname for their TV profile.

I have always been fond of eating ‘The Dirty Bird’, and on the way to an ABT Boondooma round, I called into Kingaroy KFC for a snack and a bit of spare tucker for the weekend. Nuggets were on sale so I walked out with two large chips and 72 chicken nuggets.

It’s hard to imagine that something so big and so powerful could live in a dam.

We’re lucky to have such awesome fish stocked into our freshwater systems.

The author fished Somerset several times a week as a teenager. The golden perch were plentiful and he had mastered them on fly.

My writing journey began when QFM ran a readers’ competition to write an article for the magazine. I typed out my first ever piece, which happened to be on bass fishing in the upper reaches of one of our lakes.

I loved seeing that winning article printed in the magazine and it gave a young teenager the drive to share a passion and addiction with the world.

Right from those early days, I have loved all types of fishing and spent many days chasing one of my favourite species: the Australian Bass. Success in early ABT bass tournaments led to a spot in the television spinoff series AFC Outdoors. If you’ve ever wondered where my writer’s nickname

Unfortunately, the chips and nuggets never made it to the dam because I smashed the whole lot on the way.

Steve’s brother, Tim Morgan, has always been a jovial ratbag, and when he heard of the feat he thought Nuggets would be a suitable nickname. However, over the course of the weekend that somehow turned into The Colonel. It stuck!

Over my writing years, I’ve seen a lot of changes in the fishing industry.

Boats, motors, electronics, rods, reels and lines have all come a long way.

Lures are no different and have also evolved, and continue to do so.

Lure fishing has always been a big part of my reports and it’s interesting

Gary’s Marine Centre

3201 6232

217 Pine Mountain Road, BRASSALL 52 MARCH 2024

to see how techniques have come and gone. The popularity of some faded before they made a big resurgence, and others continue to linger on.

One period that stands out was the comeback of spoons and tail spinners on the bass scene. These lures were almost forgotten when a range of new lure styles and techniques evolved.

Soft plastics, lipless crankbaits, blades, soft vibes, deep fly, deep spinnerbaits and chatterbaits have all had their time in the limelight.

Shared by the likes of Steve Morgan, Kim Bain-Moore and Brett Thompson, spoons and tail spinners

Even what seemed like a revolution in the fishing world at the time, the Jackall Mask Vibe, was not the first of its kind. A select few of us had good success with a soft vibe called the Mann’s Georgian Shad. It took the introduction of a new, fancier lure, the Jackall Mask, to turn our heads, and a fishing craze was created just around this one lure.

Refinement and development of the soft vibe continued. Plenty of companies dabbled and tried their hand at making something similar; some were successful, others not so much. The Jackall Mask still remains

Big bass are one of the author’s freshwater favourites. stood out early in that mix but somehow were almost forgotten until young guns like Dean Thompson helped popularize the Nories stable of tail spinners and spoons. This opened our eyes and we soon saw the introduction of many more of these successful, fast sinking metal options.

Plenty of other newish things have come along but they are usually just a refinement on an already successful lure style. When we look back, this has been the case for a lot of years.

one of the best when it comes to catching fish, but we now have other options manufactured from superior materials that are similar in their fishcatching capability. Word is, Jackall is doing one last run of the sought-after Mask Vibe sometime this year. Snatch them up if you’re after a fish-catching weapon but I’d suggest storing them alone and in their packaging between uses. This is the only way I can stop them dissolving into a gooey mess over time.

Freshwater QLD

FMM The best will always be copied to some extent, with adaptations to try to make them better. Our freshwater fishing is a very small piece of the worldwide market. Lures built in other countries for different species get the job done, but a few small changes can make all the difference when it comes to catching our Aussie fish. This is the

endeavour to make quality products that work and will be around for years. Ideas keep floating around in my head, and three projects in particular keep getting put on the backburner because I’m too busy to fish often enough to thoroughly test them. My goal this year is to get back into serious fishing because without

THE FISHING There has been quite a bit of rain around over the last two months. The wet ground between rain has meant runoff has occurred whenever we’ve had a good downpour. The South East Queensland lakes have had good inflows, and some have spilled over.

With this running water and freshly-flooded ground, the fish have been able to move up into the shallows and forage. Spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits and chatterbaits have been working very well on bass and golden perch up on these flooded grounds. As the dead vegetation rots away, the fishing will slow. However, I’d expect them to be still biting quite well in most of the lakes where there have been rises.

Golden perch will still be on the chew and willing to hunt down lures in the coming weeks. Last month’s

spilled their fish due to overflows.

If you are lucky enough to line up a serious rain event with a fishing trip, I’d be looking to fish the dirty water line where the floodwater meets the clean. This will be very effective in the clearer lakes like Awoonga, Teemburra and Kinchant. Here the barra will have an ideal ambush point. We saw the same situation on Tinaroo unfold at the end of last year.

Barramundi love those dirty water lines when the water is clear, and you should always be on the lookout for shorelines stirred up by the wind or even animals and boats.

THE FINAL SAY In this busy world where we seem to have less time to do the things we want to do, we need to give and take to achieve goals in life. After countless hours spent behind the keyboard, my enthusiasm for writing articles

Fishing is an escape. It’s a passion. It holds the unknown, the secrets, the thrills, the bonding. The adventure awaits! way some lure makers and designers are now focusing their skills.

Without this copying and refining, things would never get better. We could still be fishing with the original Tuf-Line if others didn’t jump on the Dyneema/braided line bandwagon and create better handling superlines.

The Spiderwires and Firelines that followed were just the starting point in a long chain of product development, leading to the fancy lines we use today. The same can be said about lures, and just about every other product available today in the fishing industry.

I kicked off the business Hot Bite Fishing back in 2014. It’s still a small player in the tackle game but I READER’S

the experience, how can Hot Bite Fishing produce the goods? Now, don’t get me wrong, I do fish quite a bit, but there are periods when I don’t wet a line for a month or more. This just has to stop!

In an age when we can sit back and watch others doing what we’d love to do ourselves on social media and YouTube, it kind of gives us a little taste. There’s only one way though to enjoy the full experience and that is to get out there and live it yourself.

I’ve seen too many friends, family and acquaintances leave this world over the past few years. Life can be too short so make the most of it. Follow your heart and chase your passion, whatever that may be.

PICTURE

After several unsuccessful hours of throwing hardbody lures on Lake Nillahcootie, Lucas Scott decided to switch it up by using a soft plastic grub. Half a dozen casts later, he snagged this 55cm yellowbelly, which is even more impressive knowing he was only using a 6lb braid!

In the early ABT days, the author recalls being an excited kid who talked too much and didn’t take enough time to listen! He lived and breathed fishing and wanted to share it with the world. heat will keep them extra active in the warmer water. Trolling and casting will both be effective. I have seen results on the super successful ZX40 style blades drop off over the past year, and this has been the case on the more pressured dams. If you hit the fish where they haven’t seen a lot of lures, the ZX40s are still hard to beat.

When you are getting refusals fishing vertically, try working the lure further from the boat. Small blades are good at hopping the bottom to imitate crayfish and shrimp. When goldens feed on these they pick at them rather than hitting them with gusto.

Up the lure size to a bigger lipless crankbait or soft vibe if you want a more aggressive response. The goldens feed on these as if they were baitfish. You can’t pick at a baitfish and still catch it, so the predators hit the bigger lures fast and aggressively. The bigger presentations will continue to work for another few months before blades begin to rule when it is cold.

Most of the barra dams have been safe with the rain so far, and have not

has waned. It’s time now to say my goodbyes as I’m losing the drive to prepare reports. I feel our readers would be better served with someone delivering more passion and variety in their writing style.

My plan now is to focus on lure making and free up more time for family, friends and fishing. Educating and sharing my fishing knowledge has always been a great passion. At times I‘ve been criticized for sharing too much but at the end of the day, the more you give away, the more you need to learn to stay ahead of the pack and specialise in your field. I’m sure I’ll find some way to keep sharing, and helping others enjoy and find success with their fishing.

I’d like to finish with a cut and paste of my standard conclusion, “until next month, buckled rods from the Colonel” but this time it just doesn’t work. Who knows, one day I may be back, and there’s a good chance you’ll see me somewhere on the water. Until then, buckled rods and I’ll catch ya later!

MARCH 2024 53

WHAT’S NEW FISHING

FISHCRAFT B-CRANKY 46M

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MAUI JIM THE FLATS

The Fishcraft B-Cranky 46M is a versatile mid-depth crankbait designed for targeting a range of species including bream, Australian bass, and more. With a tight, fast vibrating action and a 2m running depth, it’s ideal for fishing deeper sand flats, edges, drop-offs, and structures.

Weighing 7g and measuring 46mm, the B-Cranky is an ultra-light tackle finesse bait. The lure comes in custom finishes such as camo, running prawn, spotted prawn and others, covering diverse saltwater and freshwater conditions. Constructed with high-impact ABS, it features a fish-attracting rattle and stainless steel split rings. Each lure is tuned to swim straight out of the box. www.fishcraft.com.au

Maui Jim’s ‘The Flats’ sunglasses feature SuperThin Glass lenses. These lenses are inset in a dual-injection nylon framework and provide optimal optics, allowing you to savour the details of your fishing adventures.

A practical rectangular silhouette, this style effortlessly adapts to a variety of outdoor recreational activities.

Models available are: Black with Teal stripe frame, Grey lens with Bi-Gradient finish; Navy with Light Blue Neutral Grey with blue mirror finish; Brown with Mint Neutral Grey with green mirror finish; Black with Tortoise HCL Bronze lens with Bi-Gradient finish; and Dark Grey frame with Brick Red HCL Bronze lens and red mirror finish. www.mauijim.com

DAIWA 24 STEEZ

ZMAN 1.75” MICRO GOAT

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The 24 Steez features Daiwa’s new Ultimate Casting Design.

The four pillars of Ultimate Casting Design are Ultimate Casting Brake (Magforce + Variable Inductor), Ultimate Casting Line Guide (TWS T-Wing System), Ultimate Casting Zero Adjust (Zero Adjuster) and Ultimate Casting Spool (G1 Dualumin spool).

When all four of these are harmonized, the result is perfect casting performance.

Daiwa’s completely non-contact electromagnetic braking system eliminates all friction so it’s not easily affected by outside factors such as moisture or humidity. The adaptation of a two-stage variable inductor controlled by the spool’s rotation means performance for lightweight lures, versatility or super long casting.

The new Ultimate Zero Adjust not only removes a step required to achieve best casting performance, but also eliminates the ability to accidentally bump or adjust the Zero Adjuster out of tune.

A 3rd generation TWS features in the Ultimate Casting Line Guide to increase line flow, and a new G1 Duralumin spool boasts the highest-grade aluminium alloy, which is stronger than both magnesium and Super Duralumin. www.daiwafishing.com.au

ZEREK AFFINITY 160

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Constructed with 100% ABS plastic, the downsized Zerek Affinity 160 retains its slim 3-part jointed swimbait profile and realistic action, but in a bite-sized length that appeals to a wide range of species.

The versatile S-shaped swimming action allows the Affinity 160 to be worked in a variety of ways, especially with the half-crank technique where anglers impart pauses between winds. This gives the lure a realistic gliding action as the natural floating buoyancy drifts the lure towards the surface.

Included with the lure is an optional 8g add-on weight that transforms the floating Affinity into a sinking swimbait. You attach the weight by inserting it into the front slot and turning it into its correct orientation, and then twist the chin eyelet. This weight allows the Affinity 160 to be fished at virtually any depth, but you can also add extra weight onto the chin eyelet to achieve a faster sink rate.

The Affinity 160 is 160mm long and weighs 41g (or 49g with the weight) and comes in nine colours to attract species as varied as Murray cod, trout, barra and flathead. www.wilsonfishing.com

PROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY 54 MARCH 2024

5

The 1.75” Micro GOAT features the same flattened, ribbed grub body as its predecessor, with those two lively paddle feet that attract explosive surface strikes and brutal sub-surface bites from a wide range of species.

During testing it accounted for bream, bass, whiting, flathead, redfin, trout and more, and it’s sure to appeal to any species feeding on smaller prey, such as baitfish, shrimp, jelly prawns and aquatic insects. The concise colour range features light, natural patterns, dark silhouette colours and fluoro/ UV-reactive colours to suit varying conditions and species.

The 1.75” Micro GOAT rigs perfectly on a size 2 TT HeadlockZ Finesse or HWS jighead, size 4 TT HeadlockZ HD jighead for when a heavy-duty hook is required, and a size 4 TT ChinlockZ Finesse for fishing unweighted and weedless on the surface.

Price: SRP $13.95 (8 per pack) www.z-man.com.au

SHIMANO BACKBONE ELITE

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Shimano’s Backbone Elite range consists of eight meticulously crafted rods, each offering exceptional performance and versatility.

For anglers seeking a 10kg rod, there is a fixed full standard guide and top option available. Additionally, three 15kg options are offered, including fixed guides, fixed guides with a roller tip, or fully rollered guides. The same choices are available in the 24kg category, and for those seeking a truly powerful weapon, there is a serious 37kg rod with a roller tip.

The blanks feature Shimano’s latest TC4 material, which combines double inner layers of dynamic T Glass with a spiral of highmodulus graphite, resulting in a very durable yet lightweight rod with a crisp feel.

The use of specific rod actions, combined with the TC4 construction, makes these rods perfect for fishing with braid.

The long foregrip EVA provides a comfortable and secure grip, even with wet hands. The guides, whether fixed or roller, are sourced from AFTCO, ensuring superior performance and durability.

The durable Slick Butts allow for easy removal of a loaded-up rod from the holder.

Anodized aluminium reel seats and gimbals round out the package. www.shimanofish.com.au

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Tasty mixed bags for anglers fishing the washes SYDNEY ROCK & BEACH

Alex Bellissimo alex@bellissimocharters.com.au

Finally, that summer heatwave is in the rear-view mirror. We’ll have fewer sleepless nights this month, and more comfortable days on the water. Autumn marks the beginning of more favourable weather and some milder days – and the fishing is damn good!

Here’s what we can expect this month off the rocks and beaches.

a mac tuna.

Some mid-north coast land-based game anglers chasing northern bluefin tuna regard mac tuna as a nuisance, nicknaming them ‘dirty macs’. Personally, I’m rapt when I catch this underrated tuna species. Besides, most LBG anglers would agree they fight harder pound-for-pound than a northern blue does.

Mac tuna don’t get anywhere near as large as a blue. If you can manage a 6-7kg mac tuna in Sydney, you’re doing well; we rarely get larger fish here. However, if you

you mention something to these anglers, they often just ignore you or become quite belligerent. A better alternative is to take photos and, if you happen to be leaving at the same time, take a photo of their car and hand it over to Fisheries, with any other info you have.

Fisheries Officers are spread thin, so getting them to turn up in time to bust these anglers can be hard. Still, the offenders often return to the same spot to take more undersized fish, making it easier for them to be caught. Another way to help Fisheries Officers is to mention that it often happens at that spot, and they can eventually apprehend these anglers.

At the end of the day, the goal is to protect our fish stocks for the future. If masses of small fish are killed before they’re old enough to spawn, everybody loses.

A wide range of species have been caught recently, including a nice spangled emperor. One of my clients, Pat, caught it while wash fishing* for rock blackfish, and I have included a photo on this page.

Spangled emperor fight hard and are superb on the plate. They get a fair bit bigger than Pat’s fish, but for Sydney it’s a quality fish. Generally, spangled emperor eat crustaceans and cephalopods, so the preferred baits are usually prawns and squid. However, you can also catch spangled emperor on fish baits.

Pat Chaysinh with a 55cm spangled emperor, which she caught on a trip with the author. On the right gear, spangled emperor pull hard, and most anglers in this region never encounter one. plenty of other baits that will work. Fresh is best. Whichever bait you’re using, add some of it to your berley. You can bulk up the rest of the berley with bread or chicken pellets.

Good spots to fish include Bluefish Point, North and South Curl Curl, the

Part of a beautiful mixed bag from the washes: snapper to 48cm, bonito and salmon. The fish were caught on a mixture of pillies, king prawns and OT metal jigs. L-R: Adam Annesly, Angus Annesly (12yo) and Brodie Leigh.

ROCK FISHING We’ve had a great run of bonito this summer, and we can expect the action to continue in the coming weeks. Frigates and mac tuna will also be common catches off the rocks this month.

If you like sashimi, and want to try a fish with a more punchy flavour, try mac tuna. The flesh is bloodier, and makes great sashimi in my opinion. And of course, mac tuna also make great bait for a range of species like snapper, bream, trevally, kings, and mulloway. Basically, whatever eats a pilchard will relish

head north around Seal Rocks or further, they can get up to 10-11kg+. That’s a very impressive mac!

The king fishing hasn’t been as good as we’d like. Some of the locals have been getting bigger fish to 13kg, but they’re few and far between. Most of the kings caught have been the usual rats from 55cm to near legal size (65cm).

Unfortunately, some unscrupulous anglers have been taking home undersized fish. It may be tempting to just ignore these grubs, but I think it’s better to act, or they’ll just keep taking more and more. If

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56 MARCH 2024

Daiwa executives Daniel, Greg and Brett enjoying a beach outing. It was a fun session, and many more fish were caught by the group.

Some quality snapper up to 55cm have been caught by some locals and clients. Mixed in amongst them have been other species like small kings, bonito, salmon, and bream.

Generally, while wash fishing, you’ll be fishing deeper water around 4-10m or, if you can find the rock spots, even deeper. Most of the time you’ll be using light sinkers, hook sizes between 2/0 to 3/0, and a line weight between 5.5-10kg.

Fishing the heavier gear allows you to fish really rough terrain, and if you get tangled up in a sizeable red or king you have a better chance of landing it.

As always, having a variety of baits is a plus. Squid strips, pilchards and king prawns are good options, but there are

ledge front of Mona Vale pool, Bangalley Head, and North Whale Rocks.

BEACHES The beaches have been producing the usual species like tailor, out-of-season salmon, whiting, bream, flathead, some mulloway, and dusky whaler sharks.

Unfortunately, while using smaller baits like beach worms and small fish fillets, we have been catching quite a few rays lately. On some outings, my clients have been catching up to half a dozen, which is a nuisance. Please be careful if you catch a ray because even the small dinner-plate size ones have sizeable barbs on their tail. Those barbs can inflict a lot of pain if they spike you.

Even worse, rays often swallow

Sydney NSW

FMM

Lots of places to catch succulent sand whiting

Maddie, the author’s colleague at BCF Taren Point, caught this fan-belly leatherjacket while fishing off one of the wharves in the Port Hacking.

dark blotches at the base of their pec fins. Sand whiting have a minimum size of 27cm and a combined bag limit of 20 (a ‘combined’ limit means other whiting species are included in the limit).

Whether you drift or anchor while bait fishing, I have found that you need to keep the bait moving when chasing whiting. I use a leader length of at least a metre so the bait can move about a fair bit.

When targeting whiting off the beach, you can use a running sinker down onto a swivel, and I recommend a leader of no longer than 90cm.

Alternatively, you can use a doublehooked paternoster rig.

Places to try in a boat are Botany Bay, wide off Towra, the middle of the bay out from Brighton, Dolls Point, Silver and Frenchmans Beach and The Sticks. From the shore, you could try Silver and Frenchmans Beach, Dolls Point, Brighton, and the rock walls at the entrance to the Cooks River.

In the Georges River, you could try just downstream of the Como Bridge, Kogarah Bay, the stretch of water near the old Lugarno ferry, The Moons and the stretch of water just upstream of the Alfords Point Bridge.

The place called Cattle Duffers and the State National Park are a couple more spots.

If you venture up the Woronora River there are plenty of sand flats you could try drifting. From the shore, you could try Bonnet Bay and

your bait right down, so extracting the hook can get messy and dangerous.

Just let them have it, and cut the line close to their mouth before you carefully release them. This is standard practice for other gut-hooked species as well, unless you are confident you can extract the hook without causing too much damage. I prefer hooks that aren’t stainless steel, so if I gut-hook a fish and have to release it, the hook has a chance to rust and become barbless, making it easier for the fish to spit the hook. That maximises the fish’s chance of survival.

Nice, fat whiting to 40cm have been caught in recent weeks, with the average legal-size fish being 30-33cm on most beaches. Bream are a common bycatch whilst whiting fishing. Undersize bream are more common in the estuaries than off the beach, but you will still catch them while beach fishing – and of course, small whiting are common off the beach. If you find you’re gut-hooking undersized fish, just increase your hook size. They’ll be much more likely to get hooked in the mouth, and won’t die from internal injuries.

Tailor numbers have been good lately, with larger fish up to 1.4kg being landed, especially after dark. Many

have been caught as bycatch by anglers fishing for mulloway or by those fishing with a ganged pilchard rig. Salmon are also a common catch amongst the tailor.

I recommend fishing for them at Manly after dark. It’s a very crowded beach in the day but a good producer at night. Other places to try are Dee Why Beach near the pole, North Narrabeen, Bungan, and Newport.

That’s all for this month. The weather might be cooling, but the fishing is really hot at this time of year, so don’t miss out! Be prepared, have an outfit ready in your car/truck, and hit the water whenever you get the opportunity. * ’Wash fishing’ means fishing the sudsy white water off the rocks.

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SYDNEY SOUTH

Gary Brown gbrown1@iprimus.com.au

The sand whiting are still on the chew in the southern areas of Sydney and are being caught on both baits and lures. It’s time to fine-tune your gear, get out there and chase a few of these great fighting and tasty fish.

Sand whiting (also known as summer, silver, and blue-nose whiting) are silvery white with yellowish sides. They have dark blotches at the base of their pectoral fins. Yellow-finned whiting look similar, but they don’t have those

Aaleyah (8yo) managed to pull in this thumper sand whiting while fishing with her dad.

Prince Edward Park.

For those of you who prefer to fish in the Port Hacking, make sure you berley while you’re anchored up with lines out.

I have found that chicken pellets mixed with old pilchards work very well. You’ll need to ensure the berley has been smashed into very fine pieces.

Any of the beaches in Bate Bay should produce sand whiting in the coming weeks. You could also check out Turramurra, Coogee, and Maroubra

and Atomic Hardz Pop 50.

If I’m fishing with soft plastics, I prefer to use the ZMan 2.5” PrawnZ, 2.5” Slim SwimZ, 1.75” Micro Goat and 2.5” GrubZ and ST GrubZ. PELAGICS Both the Bay and the Port Hacking have been producing a number of kingfish for anglers live/dead baiting, lure fishing, trolling or casting very small metal slugs.

Offshore, the FADs have been

Elijah (7yo) with a ripper whiting. beaches. In the Royal National Park, you could try Jibbon, Marley and Stanwell Park beaches.

When fishing all the above places, you may encounter some welcome bycatch species, such as tarwhine, bream, trumpeter whiting, silver trevally, flathead, luderick, kingfish and snapper.

When It comes to chasing whiting with surface lures, there are plenty that will do the job. My personal favourites are the Bassday Sugapen, Daiwa Slippery Dog, OSP Bent Minnow, Nomad Dartwing 7cm, Lucky Craft Sammy 65

producing mahimahi, kingfish and marlin. There won’t be as many boats there this month, which makes things easier.

The bonito should still be around in numbers in the coming weeks.

You can catch them on deep diving and small skirted lures on the troll, 10-15cm stickbaits cast from the rocks, and small metal lures.

That’s all for this month. Don’t forget to keep those short reports and photos coming into gbrown1@ iprimus.com.au.

MARCH 2024 57

NSW

Eden Coast

FMM

Mangrove jack are on the chew in the dirty water BALLINA

Joe Allan

The bottom reaches of the Richmond River have been fishing well so far this year. The water has cleaned up nicely since the mini flood on the Wilson and Richmond at the end of 2023.

The dirty water throughout the

plenty of good-size fish.

Offshore, there have been some quality snapper on the 32s as well as some good-size trag. The mahimahi have still been very consistent off the FADs. In December and January, there weren’t all that many mackerel around, but they started to show up more consistently at the start of February.

They have been all over the place,

Anthony Melchior and Sonni Allan caught these nice bream in a local fishing club competition. dirty stuff but then chew their heads off once they feel comfortable again. Noisy lures such as spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and buzzbaits all seem to produce when there is some good colour in the water.

Some good-size flatties are still being

caught along the Porpoise Wall and in Mobbs Bay. Live baits and heavy plastics on the last half of the run-out are always worth a shot, and small crankbaits and plastics up on the flats in Mobbs are solid performers – especially when the

Carter Klerck with a powerhouse trevally caught on a Bassday Sugapen 95 upriver from the Ferry. system has meant the mangrove jack fishing has been going mental. The rock walls down the bottom end of the river have been fishing very consistently, and most feeder creeks have also produced quality fish. The peak times to catch these bad boys are at daybreak or late in the afternoon. Suspending jerkbaits

though; one day, you’ll find them at Black Head and the next at Riordans Reef. They can be hard to keep track of, but once you do locate them, all you need are some livies and some wire, and you’re sure to catch yourself a feed.

The freshwater reaches of the Richmond and Wilson have been a little patchy of late, as the chocolate-coloured water has made them a bit difficult to fish at times. In my experience, as soon as that water goes from a chocolate colour to more of a coffee colour and starts to get a bit of clarity, that’s when the fish turn on and start to eat again.

The fish can be shut down in the really

Nige Skying has been consistently catching goodquality jacks in the Richmond lower reaches.

Vinnie Bleakley about to get stitched up by a thumping bream over the Porpoise Wall at high tide. and shallow- to mid-running slender crankbaits are the best tools to use.

The latest additions to the Atomic Slim Twitcher range, the 95mm and 110mm deep versions, have been catching 58 MARCH 2024

There are still great numbers of muddies around if you’re prepared to put the time in.

water is dirty towards the bottom half of the run-out. If you’re into catching bream on lures, the main river walls and porpoise wall have been going great guns, and the fish aren’t shy of hitting a crankbait. The old trusty Atomic Crank 38 Deep has been on fire. Knock or bounce the lure into some rocks, and you can be sure to get a bite not long after they come free of the structure.

There have been plenty of bream getting caught off the beaches when the swell hasn’t been pumping too hard. The dart and tailor have been a little quiet, but you can start to try the gutters around Boundary Creek along South Ballina for some good-size flathead. Blades, slugs, and heavy soft plastics will do the trick if you can’t source fresh bait.

Until next month, tight lines and good luck everyone.

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NSW

Coffs Coast

FMM

A mayhem-filled March for Coffs Coast anglers This season’s mangrove jack run has been one of the best in recent memory.

Everyone has been flooding social media with posts holding up a red devil or two, and some fish have been around the 60cm mark or even better. While most NSW jack anglers practice catchand-release, I believe that keeping the occasional jack for a feed is fine, and they

COFFS COAST

Rob Taylor

March on the Coffs Coast is like throwing a huge party in the water, and everyone shows up looking for a good time. The creeks and rivers are firing, the rocks and beaches are sure bets, and the offshore scene is usually white-hot.

In the lead-up to March we’ve been seeing some epic catches, but the talk of the town at this time of year is always the mackerel run. This year, the run has kicked off really well.

We’ve also seen some great gamefishing action out wide, with plenty of blue and striped marlin crashing lure spreads. Crews battled some tough conditions in the 2024 Undertow Hot Current Gamefishing comp but were rewarded with some good billfish and mahi numbers. The Patten father and son

March is a bumper month for longtail tuna, with both the rocks and inshore reefs holding big schools. duo on The Runt weighed a 120kg blue.

It unfortunately died during the fight but it shows the potential of the area at this time of year.

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The small blacks have been sporadic but they are certainly worth a look around the bait schools.

The islands have also been producing plenty of pelagic action, and the inshore grounds have started to heat up for both spotted and Spanish mackerel. There are good numbers of longtails getting in on the act, too.

As is usual for this time of year, anglers have been enjoying some productive bottom fishing sessions and, despite the warm water temps, snapper have been a worthwhile target on both plastics and bait. If the weather holds and we don’t get any prolonged north-easterly winds, we should be in for a mayhem-filled March.

While we’re on the offshore scene, Coffs has seen the final works on its much-debated boat ramp revamp. It’s a better ramp than we had before, but not everyone has embraced it, and the lack of governmental communication hasn’t helped. There are still issues with the apparent political stonewalling over washdown facilities, parking, and silting of the entrance. Still, these problems are soon forgotten once your boat is in the water and you have the promise of a new day chasing mackerel.

CREEKS AND RIVERS Even though the offshore scene takes centre stage in March, don’t despair if you can’t get out there because the creeks and rivers are also fishing very well.

James Wilhelm with a nice jack taken after dark. are quite good on the plate.

As always, the river bridge pylons and marina rock walls have been producing consistent catches, but snags and laydowns also hold jacks, which can be extracted on either baits or lures. Lucky Craft Pointers in the 65mm to 78mm size range are a reliable crankbait. Soft plastics such as ZMan paddletails also work well.

When chasing jacks, your leader should be at least 30lb. It’s harsh terrain, and these fish don’t react well to being hooked. They are adept at burying even seasoned jack fishos.

ROCKS AND BEACHES One of the reasons I love March along our part of the coast is because it’s the time to target longtail tuna off the rocks, along with the more elusive Spanish mackerel.

It’s no secret that ledges such as North Wall, Muttonbird Island and the Quarry produce great land-based gamefishing this

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There’s probably no more lazy way to fish than drifting out a live bait under a bobby cork, and waiting with the dog for a big mackerel strike.

Coffs Coast NSW

FMM month, and I for one will be floating out some livies to get in on the act. Grab some yellowtail off the end of the jetty or at the marina diesel pump at night and drift

bread-and-butter species such as whiting, dart, bream, and flatties in the beach gutters. As always, fresh is best so put in the time to get your own beach worms

keeping an eye on surface temps.

When it comes to lures, you can’t go past the Halco 190 Laser Pro. I like the deep version, and pretty much any colour will work as long as it’s got some metallic flash in it. The Zerek Speed Donkey, Nomad DTX and Nomad Madmac are also good choices, but you’ll need to fish your lures with wire and keep the speed up to at least 9-10 knots.

If there are wahoo about you will

to wander and can be frustrating to locate.

Anywhere from the island washes out to the FAD can turn up wahoo, so put in the hours and you will find them this month.

There will be plenty of marlin action out wide, with stripies in around the 100m mark and the blues starting at around 200m. There may also still be some small blacks inshore, but most of fish will have moved south by now.

It really is the best month for pelagics

There’s still plenty of snapper action off the Coffs Coast throughout March. them out under bobby corks for passing schools of longtails.

You will need wire if you want to catch Spanish mackerel. It’s a trade-off, because wire tends to spook the longtails.

However, there is no worse feeling than getting snipped by a spanno off the stones.

You don’t get many shots at them so if it’s a land-based Spanish you want, go with wire, and don’t think about longtails.

There’ll be some good tailor fishing off the rocks and beaches in the coming weeks. You can also have fun catching

or yabbies and you will be rewarded for your efforts. Bait collecting is always fun for kids, too.

OFFSHORE If you get the chance to get offshore this month, you will not be disappointed. My suggestion would be to troll hardbodied lures around the Solitary islands, as this can produce mackerel, kings and wahoo.

Look for pulses of warm water coming down with the EAC, because the wahoo are always in the front of it. The BOM’s SST active chart is a great free resource for

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NSW

Coffs Coast

FMM

Plenty of opportunities to catch pelagics SOUTH WEST ROCKS

Vic Levett

It’s certainly been an unusual start to the year, as the water temperatures and colour have been very changeable.

The fishing has also been hot and cold, but March traditionally sees the beginning of more settled conditions and, hopefully, some better fishing. The strong currents of the summer months should

good season on cobia, which often swim with the larger sharks. Live baits and soft plastics have been accounting for a lot of cobes. Fish any of the headlands or islands, and you should encounter them.

Kings have been around Fish Rock lately. On some days when the current is running, they can be seen in large numbers on the surface, smashing any hapless baitfish that strays into their domain. It makes for great fishing with stickbaits and poppers.

A nice little river cobia caught on a trip with Oceanhunter Charters.

A cobia, kingfish and rainbow runner. start to slow, giving anglers access to the deeper reefs and some better offshore trolling for tuna and marlin.

OFFSHORE Sharks are becoming a big problem for the east coast of NSW, and every keen angler I’ve spoken to has been harassed

Warren and his sons with some tasty mahimahi. by them. This year, the sharks seem to be larger and more aggressive than ever.

Wahoo, kingfish, and mackerel have traditionally been their preferred prey, but this year, I’ve also heard of snapper, marlin and even hooked sharks getting taken. Sometimes, the taxmen just sit under your boat and wait until you hook up, and then engulf your fish.

Offshore anglers all around Australia are reporting that sharks are becoming a serious issue. What’s the solution? I don’t know. You just have to get your hooked fish in as fast as possible and move to a different mark if you get sharked.

On a more positive note, we’ve had a 62 MARCH 2024

Mahimahi have been the saviour on many days. The DPI FADs have been producing plenty of fish to 20kg, and commercial fish trap floats have also been productive. Fishing unweighted live baits well away from the buoys can be a good approach, as this is where the larger dollies are often found.

Snapper, pearl perch and tuskfish have been caught anywhere inside the 40m line where the current is slower.

Light line and stealth goes a long way when it comes to targeting inshore reef fish. Fresh, slimy mackerel fillets and tuna strips are gun baits, and the best times are dawn and dusk.

Mackerel have been really frustrating this year; by the time you hear of a bite, it’s generally over. The next couple of months will hopefully see an upturn in numbers.

Surface fish are abundant, with bonito, tailor, and small tuna on tap. A small chrome lure flicked into the washes is a fun way to spend the day. If you promptly bleed and chill your bonito, you’ll find it makes great sashimi.

ESTUARY I’ve had plenty of dives in the river and creeks of late, which gives me a great insight into what fish species have

been occupying the estuaries. It’s been really exciting to see hundreds of juvenile mulloway, courtesy of a few years of high rainfall and good recruitment. Bream and large schools of whiting are also prevalent along the rock walls.

Cobia have also been a common catch in the river this year, which makes

drop-offs for best results.

ROCK AND BEACH Once again, small mulloway have been consistent off the headlands and beaches. Beach worms and squid are the go-to baits for targeting jewies. Plenty of legal tailor have been falling for metal lures fished at dawn or dusk. There’s

Jo and her boys with a giant flathead caught and released onboard Oceanhunter Charters. me think there could be some larger bull sharks escorting them in!

Flathead are still getting caught regularly, and there seem to be more 40-50cm fish than normal. A live herring jigged around the boat ramp is the perfect bait for these fish.

There are plenty of good flats in the river to use soft plastics. Some of the prawn imitation plastics have been outperforming the traditional fish patterns. Work your plastic slowly and erratically across the flats and into the

The species that so many anglers come to South West Rocks to catch.

also the odd giant greenback (70cm+) in the mix.

The whiting fishing is very good at this time of year, and Little Bay and North Smoky beaches should worth a look in the coming weeks. Beach worms and pink nippers are the best bait for these guys.

That’s it for this month. Here’s hoping March brings some great weather and great fishing. I’m sure we’re in for some epic months to come. Don’t forget to drop into our local tackle shops to keep updated on what’s biting and where, and stay bent!

• Vic Levett and his son Zane run Oceanhunter Sportfishing charters out of the beautiful South West Rocks. They target all manner of sports fish from kingfish, mackerel, cobia and all way through to the famous black marlin of Trial Bay. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced angler, the boys will put you onto the best fish available. To find out more visit www.Oceansportsfishing. com.au, Insta Ohsportfishing, Facebook Oceanhunter Sportsfishing. Email vic@ oceansportsfishing.com.au, or call 0414 906 569.

Macquarie Coast NSW

FMM

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Matthew Shelton with a fantastic mahimahi he caught off the Mid North Coast. Image courtesy of Ned Kelly’s Bait n Tackle.

Beach and Grants Beach. The average size of these fish has been more in line with what we’d expect in winter.

Along with the bream, a few decent whiting have been caught on worms and pipis, while the occasional school mulloway has turned up after dark.

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Amanda Lamond and the Rare Breed crew with her competitionwinning mahimahi. Image courtesy of @lamond.fishing.

Brock Farlow with an 18.2kg mahimahi caught off Port Macquarie. Image courtesy of @brockf.

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south of Port towards Lake Cathie.

Further out, the FAD is still worth a look for mahimahi, and some great bottom fishing action is on the cards if the current is reasonable.

Further north, in the Macleay River region, local anglers fishing on the beaches have reported some solid whiting. Gap Beach and Back Beach at South West Rocks have both been fishing well, with some decent-sized bream caught over summer.

In the river, local anglers targeting flathead have been hooking the odd mangrove jack and having a lot of fun on their light gear. Whiting numbers are also improving throughout the system, with yabbies and worms being the baits of choice.

Offshore fishing has been hampered by challenging conditions this summer, but mid-week anglers have reported some great catches of mackerel off Grassy Head. As usual, the local FADs continue to hold mahimahi for anglers looking to catch a feed.

Down south in the Camden Haven region, some reasonable bream to 1kg have been taken from both Rainbow

Dunbogan Beach has also produced a few reasonable tailor, mainly just on dusk.

Off the rocks, tailor numbers have been great, with Perpendicular Point and Diamond Head faring best. Most ledges have also been holding bonito and luderick, with Grants Head proving very consistent.

• Kate Shelton is the proud owner of Bay Explorer Marine Services, and she

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The Macquarie Coast has delivered some large mahimahi this summer for visiting and local anglers.

Mahimahi are a schooling tropical fish, and they arrive off the Macquarie Coast with the East Australian Currents in the warmer months. These fish generally prefer offshore conditions and can often be found around floating objects such as fish trap buoys, rubbish floating on the surface, or DPI Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs). Most local anglers target mahimahi on the DPI FADs using live bait, although some fish are caught on trolled skirted lures meant for marlin.

In the Hastings River, catches of whiting have been reasonable over the last few months, with both Limeburners and the flats around Pelican Island fishing quite well. Live worms and yabbies usually work the best. On the bream front, both break walls have produced solid fish to around a kilo, with mullet strips working very well. Limeburners and around Hibbard have also been worth a look.

The lower estuary has produced quite a few school mulloway, with soft plastics the lure of choice.

On the crab front, muddies and blue swimmers are still reasonably active with many local anglers enjoying a tasty feed throughout February.

Off the beaches, there are positive reports of tailor, mulloway, and whiting from Lighthouse Beach to Lake Cathie.

Some nice bream and a few tailor have also been taken from North Shore Beach on worms and metal lures.

Off the rocks, Queens Head has held some nice bream and luderick, and there have been a few drummer caught around the Lighthouse. Tailor and bonito will be worth chasing on most local ledges this month.

For the offshore anglers, inshore pelagics are still high on the agenda.

Spanish mackerel and cobia have been viable targets throughout summer in Plomer Bay, in front of Port and just

MARCH 2024 63

NSW

Macquarie Coast

FMM

Calm seas and warm days mark start of autumn FORSTER

Luke Austin

Our local weather in March/April is pretty hard to beat. The days are still nice and warm, but the nights have cooled a little, the winds tend to be well-behaved, and rain is never far off. This, combined with the fact that our coastal waters are beautiful and warm (and full of marine life), means that we see a lot of fishing activity!

of fish (particularly if you get up into the shallow stuff), but if you want better numbers, you’ll need to wait for that tide.

Covering ground and casting artificials is by far the most productive technique. Make sure you don’t head too far upstream.

There are huge numbers of fish down towards the mouth of the system, so I would be sticking to the east of Wallis Island.

The local bream are also on fire out there. We’ve had a huge number

March is a great time to chase mahimahi.

Harry with a cracking Spanish mackerel. You should always pack wire when you head offshore!

In the estuary, flathead are still charging along very nicely. If you’re after a nice bag of flatty tails, the most important thing is to concentrate your efforts on the runout tide.

If you fish the incoming tide for flathead, you may still find a couple

of fish make their way down into the structure at the bottom of the lake, and if you hit the oyster leases on the top of the tide, you’ll find it can be very productive!

You can fish the leases with either bait or lures – both will work well.

If you are bait fishing, just make sure you fish unweighted or lightly weighted baits into the structure, and you will get plenty of action.

If you prefer to actively search for fish and throw lures, start with small soft plastics.

Take risks with your casts! If you’re not landing within 10cm of the leases, you probably won’t find hungry fish.

Small patches of trumpeter whiting are still hanging around, but if you want to target them, don’t expect to fill your bag limit. They are all but done for the year now.

Sand whiting, on the other hand, have been very active up in the shallows, taking advantage of the big

tides we’ve had.

They have been gorging themselves on all the tasty morsels they can’t normally get to.

Loads of food, warm water and a bit of rain has seen some huge 40cm+ fish landed, which is awesome to see!

The local beaches have been fishing really well, producing some great mixed bags.

Soaking a bait in a likelylooking gutter on any of the major beaches will see you land some solid whiting, along with the odd bream, flathead and dart.

If you fish early or late in the day, you can also have a crack at catching some nice tailor.

They seem to be hanging

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64 MARCH 2024

Alan with a great flathead which fell for a live herring.

Hunter Coast NSW

FMM

Pelagic action on offer around Port Stephens PORT STEPHENS

Paul Lennon

It’s coming into my favourite time of year to fish the waterways of Port Stephens. There are some fantastic fishing options to choose from this month, whether you’re up the river or over the shelf.

In the bay, you can have a lot of fun with smaller pelagic species such as bonito, frigate mackerel and mac tuna.

Bust-ups can appear pretty much anywhere, from Shoal Bay through to Middle Island. The best way to find the action is to look for bird activity, especially diving terns and gannets.

When you see those birds, you

It’s always fun catching these little torpedos on light gear.

Flathead are a staple in the bay at this time of year.

know something must be forcing baitfish up for the birds to feed on.

You should be able to spot splashes under the birds, and that’s where you want to land your lure.

Flick a 5-10g metal lure rigged on a light 2-4kg spin outfit through the activity with a brisk retrieve, and you’ll have a ball catching these little torpedos.

Bonito make great bait if you want to stock your freezer, and they are also sensational for sashimi if you look after your catch. You need to dispatch the fish right away and put it straight into an ice slurry.

While targeting these small pelagic fish, don’t be surprised if their bigger cousins turn up. Longtail tuna are a real possibility in the Port at this time of year.

It pays to always have a heavier 20-30lb spin outfit rigged up with a

about on the longer beaches, with most fish measuring around 35-50cm. Not huge, but still a good size for this time of the year.

We are all waiting with great anticipation for the land-based game season to kick into gear in earnest.

There has been the odd fish about, but they are still few and far between, and getting decent baits has been a big obstacle! Like always, those anglers who put the time in will be the ones who score the fish.

OFFSHORE I love getting offshore in March; the sea is generally calm and flat, and the days are clear and warm!

The pelagic fishery is simmering along nicely, with plenty of mahimahi out at the FAD, along with the odd mackerel, cobia and marlin hunting the inshore reefs.

These guys should only get better as

the weeks go on.

The bottom fish have really started to play the game now, with some great snapper fishing on just about any reef in any depth of water.

Although we haven’t seen many big fish lately, there seems to be an endless supply of nice table-sized fish up to about 3kg.

Trag have been great out on the deeper reefs, and the average size is very good.

• Luke is the owner of Great Lakes Tackle - your ‘local’ bait and tackle store. They only sell the best brands and offer sound, friendly advice on where 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. You can contact them on 02 6554 9541 or look them up on Facebook to see what the team has been up to!

stickbait ready to fire at all times in case the big boys crash the party.

Flathead are still a staple in the bay at this time of year.

The usual haunts such as Jimmys

to drop your leader size right down to 4lb to tempt them to bite. Live worms are by far the best bait to use.

OCEAN BEACHES March is a great time to be fishing the ocean beaches.

Live worms and pipi baits have been accounting for plenty of bream and whiting when fished in the gutters along Samurai, Fingal, and Stockton beaches.

The ideal time to fish is at high tide, either early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

Anglers fishing after dark have been catching a few big mulloway down the southern end of Stockton Beach.

Most of the serious mulloway anglers spend a big chunk of time to make sure they have the best bait possible – a live whiting or tailor.

Failing that, very fresh squid is a good backup.

ROCKS The land-based game season is here, and Tommaree is one of the best areas on the east coast to catch yourself a longtail tuna or cobia.

It’s also a great area to spin up

The islands out the front can produce a range of species in March, including black marlin.

Beach, Tea Gardens, Corlette, North Arm Cove and Taylors Beach have all been producing fish up to an impressive 90cm.

Fish the shallows on high tide with plastics or hardbodies that imitate the baitfish in the area. If you spot a lot of small whitebait, try a 2-3’’ minnow pattern soft plastic or shallow diving crank. If you’re seeing more mullet and juvenile whiting or herring, increase your lure size to 4-5’’.

Whiting are still on the chew in the clear waters of Jimmys Beach, Shoal and Nelson Bay, but you’ll need

smaller pelagics like bonito and mac tuna. Some big snapper get landed from the ledge, too.

OFFSHORE The islands out the front are a lucky dip when you’re fishing with live baits this time of year, with the chance of kingfish, cobia, longtail tuna and black marlin. To catch them, a good option is to bridle rig a slimy mackerel and troll it at a walking pace.

Alternatively, you can suspend a livie a couple of metres under a float with your reel in freespool, waiting for it to scream off!

MARCH 2024 65

Hunter Coast

NSW

FMM

Estuary species are biting well in warm waters CENTRAL COAST

Jamie Robley

Time flies when you’re having fun, and it’s already the beginning of a new season. The fishing was great last month, and this month should be just as good – maybe even a little better. Providing the weather behaves itself, March is one of the best months of the year for local fishing.

The channel mouth at The Entrance has been very narrow and

super skinny shallow margins. At these times, I look for clearer, sandy pockets next to or between larger weed beds. Throw in some early morning or late afternoon shade from tall trees or hills, and you can enjoy some very active surface sessions. Overcast skies also help.

Unless we cop too much rain, the lower reaches of Wyong and Ourimbah should be very good for bream and flathead this month. Lure, fly and bait will all work, providing you cast your offering close into the bank, adjacent to structure like old

The author with a nice flathead. We can expect some good flathead fishing in the lakes and Brisbane Waters in the coming weeks.

It’s been an excellent season for shallow water bream in our local waterways. Most of the bream aren’t big, but they’re still good enough to smash a lure hard and provide some fun. shallow for a long time, but despite that, I’ve enjoyed some first-rate fishing within Tuggerah Lakes in recent weeks – and for most of summer, for that matter.

As you’d expect, bream are the dominant species, and they’ve been around in very good numbers. Most have been small to medium-size fish, but if you persist with good baits or lure fishing techniques, you should end up pinning a few bigger bream in these lakes. They’re certainly not all tiddlers!

Although I cast surface lures in summer and autumn, I’ve caught most of my bream on small metal vibes and soft plastics. Some parts of the lakes are incredibly weedy, and I’ve found that vibes with two trailing hooks (or jighead-rigged plastics) are better to use in weedy areas than lures with treble hooks.

Trebles on surface lures or floating crankbaits act like a weed rake, and sometimes, they’re just not practical to cast.

On the other hand, when the water is as warm as it has been, the bream like to get up in the 66 MARCH 2024

boats, rocks, fallen trees and jetties.

Closer to the mouth and just out from the mouth of both creeks, you’ll also find bream and flathead around the shallow, weedy margins away from the banks. However, boat

traffic can sometimes be off-putting when you’re trying to fish around the mouths of these creeks, especially on weekends.

The Entrance itself should also turn on some excellent fishing in the coming weeks. The water will still be warm enough to provide good surface lure fishing on the western side of the bridge and the western side of the islands. Around the bridge and the mouth, there should be some whiting, bream, and flathead. Tailor are also likely to come in from the beach and will prey on baitfish or prawns around the bridge at night.

Brisbane Waters is a great waterway to fish at this time of year, and pretty much everything I’ve said about the lakes will apply to this system in March. Obviously, though, we’ve got the tides and current to consider.

Over the coming weeks, it will be worth casting lures or pilchard baits from the beaches, rocks, and shallow inshore reefs for tailor. They are far more active early in the morning, towards sunset and at night.

When chasing bream or whiting with surface lures, a rising tide is nearly always the best time to do it.

This is when the bream and whiting move over the flats, looking for food. As it nears the top of the tide, things can go a bit dead; less current means less activity. If possible, try to time your surface lure session in the middle of a rising tide (although I understand it can be difficult with work, weather, and domestic responsibilities).

In the coming weeks, the local mulloway should become more active around the deeper channels and bridges. Good-size bream and flathead can also turn up when you’re chasing mulloway, either with good natural baits, vibes, or soft plastics. plastics.

Kingfish, cod, and cobia are also possible in the Rip Bridge area at this time of year, so it pays to be well-prepared.

Right along the coast, the extra warm currents this year have provided great fishing for pelagic species, ranging from marlin and larger mahimahi out wide to plenty of bonito, kingfish and tailor around the inshore reefs and headlands. If all goes well, we can expect more of this action in the coming weeks.

Bonito, kings, and tailor will again be the main players close in.

Still, this month we could also see some mac tuna, striped tuna, frigates, Watsons bonito, spotted mackerel and cobia show up.

All in all, things have been pretty good, and the following weeks will bring more excellent fishing. The big deal breaker to keep an eye on, particularly at this time of year, is the weather.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed this month!

Hunter Coast NSW

FMM

Local anglers all set for a cracking Easter SWANSEA

Jason Nunn

The Big Fish Bonanza tournament rolled through at the beginning of February, and 23 boats fished it this year. The conditions were tough but there were some notable captures.

The largest shark was a 344kg tiger shark caught by Kye Woodforth, and Matt Smith won the Heaviest Other Gamefish category with a 17.5kg mahimahi. The Tag and Release

There have been a few sinkereating hairtail around lately. Image courtesy of Sandy Bottom Boat Charter.

champion boat was Side Effect, with 24,000 points.

The guys I regularly fish with got a 120kg blue marlin, then lost two fish on Sunday morning, and then another marlin after that.

This tough fishing is typical of what’s been happening lately; we just haven’t seen the numbers of marlin along our coast as there are down south.

In Batemans Bay, for example, game fishers have been catching up to 13 marlin in a day. We do have fish here – a mixture of blacks, blues and stripes – but not in the same numbers, and you have to work harder for them.

It seems to be a trend now for the south coast to fish better for marlin.

The water temperature on the shelf off here is consistently 26-27°C, and that’s the problem. Down south it’s more often 22-23°C, beautiful blue water. If we can maintain cooler water like that here, there should be striped marlin galore. In future years, we’ll find out is a permanent change.

Another trend we’re noticing is that sharks, particularly whalers, have become a problem in places like South West Rocks, and water temperature is likely a factor.

At the time of writing this report,

we haven’t seen the numbers of black marlin that we saw last year in our inshore fishery. There have been a lot at the Gold Coast, so hopefully our black marlin fishery will come alive this month.

In the meantime, don’t sit at home with the boat in the shed, waiting for the gamefish to come to our waters. Hook the boat up and travel instead, perhaps to Batemans Bay or any other location that is firing for marlin, yellowfin tuna, etc. Make sure your trailer is ready to go, have some like-minded mates lined up, and be ready to hit the road.

There is better news with mahimahi because this year, we’ve had a really good run of bigger fish. It’s a welcome change from previous years when we’ve often been plagued by little dollies.

Many of the fish caught in February were between 10-15kg, with a few bigger ones in the mix. Anglers trolling lures have been catching fish but live baiting has been working the best.

We have seen an increase in bonito numbers along the inshore reefs between Moon Island and Catherine Hill Bay. There have been a few flathead around as well, and the odd mulloway.

Bottom fishers have been catching big numbers of trag on the inshore reefs (remember the bag limit is five trag per person). Pilchards have been working better than live baits.

With the water being as warm as it is, we’ll likely see some cobia turning up in the coming weeks. We’ve already seen some cobes off Port Stephens.

For offshore anglers, March is traditionally a better month than February – especially the end of March, when the autumn species turn up. As the water cools, species like tailor and snapper will make their presence felt, along with more mulloway and a lot more flathead offshore. It’s a great time to fish.

Moving to the beaches, we’ve had a good summer with plenty of whiting and thousands of dart. Whiting catches will dwindle this month, but there will be more bream on offer, along with other species like tailor and flathead.

As the month progresses, we should see greater numbers of flathead and tailor along the beaches, and good tailor catches around the rocks. As water temperatures drop further, the tailor will become more numerous in the estuary.

In the meantime, if you’d like to have a fish off the beach, pillies are a good choice because they’re oily and appeal to a range of species. Half pillies are the go if you want to target bream, and if the tailor show up, you can switch over to whole pillies on a gang.

You can also catch flathead this way.

There have been good numbers of squid in the lake this year, and some nice-size arrow squid have been spotted

in deeper water by anglers chasing flathead. As March rolls on, the squid will get even more numerous as they prepare to spawn. If you want to catch squid, go for 1.5-2.5 size jigs in both natural and bright colours to see what the squid want on the day. Natural prawn patterns and bright pink/orange colours are good options, rigged on 2-jig paternosters with a light-tip rod.

The squid can usually be found in depths from around 5-7m, and once you’ve found them you can yoyo your paternoster to get their attention.

Remember, there’s a limit of 20 squid per person.

Once you’ve got your squid, you’re all set to catch mulloway, or you can downrig the squid to target kingfish. There’s a chance you’ll get small snapper as bycatch, as there have been a few 45-50cm fish getting around the lake lately, taking squid or strip baits at night.

Another thing to look forward to this month is the Easter long weekend, with Good Friday falling on 29 March, four days after the full moon.

On a more personal note, we have moved premises and no longer sell tackle so we can focus solely on the marine side of our business. The store is now called Fisherman’s Warehouse & Marine, and it’s run by my son Patrick.

If you need a new outboard, repair or service, give the guys a call on 02 4945 2152 and they’ll be happy to help.

Even though the tackle store is closed, I will still be posting regular reports on Facebook, YouTube and in this magazine. You can watch my video reports on Facebook and YouTube by searching for ‘Fishermans Warehouse Marine’. I’ll catch you next month.

• Fisherman’s Warehouse Marine, run

by Patrick Nunn, is your one-stop shop for outboard sales, repairs and servicing. They are the local Honda outboard dealer (sales and service), and also service Yamaha, Mercury, Suzuki, and Tohatsu outboards, and sell spare parts. For more information call 02 4945 2152, email enquiries@ fishermanswarehouse.com.au, or drop in and see the guys at 4/2 Suite Street, Warners Bay.

FISHING NEWS

Divers take 100 abalone Summer is a great time to fish for abalone in Port Phillip, with regular open days and favourable conditions. Most people abide by size and bag limits, but on a recent open day Fisheries Officers came across two fishers allegedly diving inside the Ricketts Point Marine Park and taking a combined 100 abalone.

Officers, both land-based and boatbased, worked together to observe and intercept the men, who are also alleged to have been fishing without valid recreational fishing licences.

The daily bag limit for abalone in Port Phillip is five with a minimum size of 10cm. The men had allegedly well and truly exceeded that, with a quarter of

their haul found to be undersize. Fisheries Officers seized their dive equipment and returned the abalone to the water, however most did not survive.

The men will be charged on summons with a number of offences, including taking and possessing undersize abalone and taking and possessing a priority species in a marine park or sanctuary.

Central Victorian waters are defined as marine waters east of the Aire River mouth to Arch Rock, including Port Phillip. There are upcoming open days in these waters each Saturday, Sunday and public holiday until 30 April. For more info head to www.vfa.vic.gov.au/ abalone. - VFA

Two men, who didn’t have fishing licences, allegedly took 100 abalone, most of which were undersize.

MARCH 2024 67

Illawarra Coast

NSW

FMM

Northern fish streaming down from tropics ILLAWARRA

Greg Clarke

There are no arguments – this is the best month of the year for fishing in the Illawarra for a massive range of offshore and estuarine species.

All the regular local species are in great numbers, and some days, the northern visitors also get in on the act, including cobia, Spanish mackerel, wahoo, sailfish, marlin, mahimahi, yellowfin and longtail tuna.

Every year at this time, these northern fish seem to find their way down to our neck of the woods, riding the warm currents as they stream down from the tropics. You never know what will grab your offering at this time of the year.

The offshore fishing is sensational, with black, blue, and striped marlin all available from the inshore reefs off Wollongong, Shellharbour and up at Bandit to the shelf and beyond. Trolled lures and live baits will both score fish.

However, what really captures the imagination at this time of year is the bycatch. Wahoo will be the main bycatch when trolling lures out wide, and big mahimahi will often grab slowtrolled live baits in the deep water.

If you are lucky, you may stumble across a piece of floating debris with its own little ecosystem; this is a

unwary fish is quickly eaten.

We anglers can capitalise on this predatory behaviour. The first small dolly or tuna you catch can go straight back out on the big outfit while you play with the others. It will almost always get eaten. Whether you catch a marlin or a shark is a toss of the coin, but it’s always entertaining.

In closer, the odd big cobia often shows up at this time of year, and a few smaller cobia will be hanging with the yellowtail kings or in the same areas. You never know what will grab your live bait. If you are copping a few bite-offs on the floating snapper baits over your favourite shallow reef, try some light wire because mackerel have become more numerous over the past few years.

March used to be the domain of the yellowfin tuna in the Illawarra and south coast, with schools of fish from the shelf and off the steeper offshore reefs and into the backs of the beaches. Yellowfin from 10-60kg could be seen leaping out of the water, chasing garfish and sauries, and you could have half a dozen of these fish in your cube trail. Those days are gone, though, which is a shame.

If you want some fun, plenty of schools of bonito, salmon, and small kings are churning up the surface all along the coast – just keep an eye out for the birds and splashes. There

You’ll often find little cobia swimming with the yellowtail kings or hanging around the same structure at this time of year. dream come true for offshore anglers.

Here, you can find grey pelagic leatherjackets, almaco jacks, small kingfish, and heaps of mahimahi of all sizes. Throw in a few striped tuna and small yellowfin hanging around the edges, and you have the makings of a fun day out.

Then, of course, there will be the apex predators at the top of the food chain: sharks and marlin (but rarely both at the same time). These big predators keep a close eye on the smaller fish, waiting for one to let its guard down. When this happens, the 68 MARCH 2024

will also be some bigger kings in the mix, so have your live baits ready to cast into the schools. I recommend working the known spots like Bellambi bommie, the islands and Bass Point early in the morning with live slimies or yakkas. For the bigger fish, a live frigate mackerel is the go.

Downrigged live squid also work well, but to be honest, I’d much rather eat the calamari than waste it on a king!

Snapper are starting to become more reliable over the deeper reefs and gravel patches. We can expect a few bigger fish to move into the shallows

early, getting ready for the full moon in April. Bear in mind that fishing for snapper can get tough with all those little whaler sharks that hang around this time of the year, looking for an easy feed in the berley trail.

Aside from snapper, you can expect all sorts of other critters in the berley. Rainbow runners, amberjacks, samsonfish, trevally and the teraglin will all be keen for a look this month.

Flathead have been keeping the drifters busy over the sand, with good catches coming in all along the coast. There have been small snapper starting to appear over the reefs, which are a welcome catch, but the sweep and leatherjackets can be a nuisance on some days. A few strangers in the form of pearl perch and a few sweetlip have also graced anglers’ bags.

On the beaches it is all systems go with plenty of whiting and some dart. If you have beach worms, you’re all set – you just have to find the schools. That’s unless you are on Port or Warilla beaches, where the fish have been in just about every gutter and sand flat.

Flathead have been caught in good numbers on both plastics and bait, with a few nice bream getting in on the action as well. Salmon and tailor can be encountered on most beaches during the evenings, and as it gets dark, mulloway are on the cards as well. They will take fresh slabs of slimy mackerel and frigate, although the little whalers can be a pest in the good deep gutters.

Most of the mulloway have been school-size fish up to 8kg, but we’ve seen a good scattering of bigger fish coming in from the die-hards. The odd fish has been caught during daylight hours, too, so if you aren’t able to fish at night, you’re still in with a chance during the day.

Like the offshore scene, the rocks have been going off with all types of pelagics patrolling the edges of the washes. Big kingfish are a favourite off the stones. If you want to catch one on the deeper southern platforms, try putting out a live frigate at daybreak.

Bombo, Cathedral Rocks, Blowhole Point and Marsdens are good places to start, as is Windang Island and Hill 60. Smaller kingfish love eating live slimies and yakkas, provided the big salmon don’t eat them first; these salmon can sometimes be a nuisance when using livies at this time of the year.

Frigates, mackerel tuna, bonito, salmon and small kings have been all taking small chrome lures and flies behind bobby corks, often shouldering each other out of the way to get to the lure/fly. Pilchards under the bobby corks have been accounting for plenty of salmon and bonito.

Spotty mackerel sometimes find their way into a snapper berley stream and love whole pilchards. A little wire, and you are in business.

Later in the month, the first of the early longtail tuna should start to come through on the deeper ledges as well. They are well worth a look. Live yakkas and slimies have been doing the damage lately (if you can keep them from the salmon and bonito).

And don’t forget the harbours with the kids, who can have great fun spinning up frigates on small metal lures.

Bream have been picking up in numbers in the washes along with a few trevally. The blackfish will increase in numbers later in the month, and if we have any storm seas, the harbours will hold a lot of fish.

As for the estuaries, well, they are still on fire. There have been heaps of flathead in the lake and plenty in Minnamurra, along with bream, chopper tailor and heaps of garfish.

Around the edges of the ribbon weed beds, there have been gathering schools of blackfish. If you can get some good weed, the current isn’t running too hard, and you use a bit of berley, you should catch a few this month.

On the sand flats, particularly down around the entrance, the whiting have been going well, with worms and nippers being the preferred baits. The whiting get bigger at this time of the year. If you can spend a bit of time to get them, live prawns are the killer bait for bream and big whiting during the evenings in both systems.

Alternatively, you can drift your bait under a float around the bridge pylons on the run-out tide. You never know what you might hook when doing this. There have been a few mangrove jacks sighted by the snorkelers.

Another option is to use poppers for whiting, bream and flathead on the flats from Primbee to Windang and shallow sand banks in Minnamurra.

Good luck!

Batemans Coast NSW

FMM

Great time of year for estuary and beach fishing BATEMANS BAY

Anthony Stokman

It’s the best time of the year: autumn!

This time of the year has the perfect balance of nice temperatures, calm winds, and few crowds.

It’s also the best time of the year for pelagics like bonito and kingfish, a great time for estuary and beach fishing, and it’s an amazing time for game fishing offshore and bass fishing upstream.

Most autumns are similar in terms of fishing, although from year to year there may be one species more dominant or less dominant

Game On Charters have been finding some gummies that have been getting around. than others. This year, heading into autumn, whiting have been dominating the lake mouths and beaches. They were hit-and-miss last season so they weren’t a popular target, but this season they have topped the charts. The whiting have been extremely healthy fish, and have been on many people’s dinners of late.

As you’d expect, sales of worms and worm hooks at tackle shops had a massive increase. Worms, nippers and pipis have been the go-to baits, in that order.

To target whiting you can use a running ball sinker to a swivel or a 2-hook paternoster with a small bomb sinker. To improve your catch rates, and make your worms go further, use 1-2” of red tube above your worm hook. This bright red tube attracts fish, and makes your piece of worm appear longer than it actually is. With a light rod and medium reel with light line, you can’t go wrong.

Because of all of the rain and fresh

water, anglers targeting whiting on the beaches have been getting plenty of bycatch like bream, flathead, and trevally. Many fish like to move to the front of the estuary when there’s an influx of freshwater, and with the amount of rain we’ve had they have been moving further out and along the beaches.

For that reason, the beaches have been the place to be and that should continue in the coming weeks. At times like this we see more anglers tying on soft plastics or hardbodies and having great success on bream and flathead.

Salmon and tailor have also been caught on metals/slugs in recent weeks, and this should increase going into autumn.

Pelagic fishing from the headlands and rock ledges should fire up this month. It’s that exciting time of the year when the bonito, mac tuna, frigate, Watsons leaping bonito, longtail tuna and some kingfish come down to feed on the bait in our area. With an already good start in February, I have high expectations for this autumn. A location to try is Pretty Point or, if you have the time to drive and walk, Snapper Point is another great location.

There are many good rods on the market these days to throw all kinds of lures; it’s mind boggling.

I’ll personally be pulling out a nice Shimano Colt Sniper or Dialuna, or even a cheaper Daiwa Sensor Wave 9’7” to cast the new Bassday Crystal Pencils 120mm and some Rapala Long Cast lures.

If it’s kingies you’re after, it’s best to send out a large live bait under a balloon. A slimy mackerel would be the best for that. Make sure you have the appropriate rod and reel for the job because a big king will make short work of anything that’s undergunned. Also, you never know when a small black marlin will join the party.

One of my favourite land-based

game rods is the Ugly Stick Bluewater OH801H. It is cheap and has a bit of length with a nice tip and plenty of power to wrestle anything, plus it’s not too heavy in the hand and will

overcook them). Lures of all kinds will work on any given day, but if you want a better class of fish, live baits are your best bet.

From the FAD to the Shelf, the

Brett Wood with a nice 90cm flatty that couldn’t resist a 5” paddletail. suit most overheads from a TLD20 to a Tiagra 30. You could also get away with putting a spin reel on it, from a Saragosa 10000 to a Stella 20000.

Autumn should see a reasonable run on the inshore reefs, with snapper, mowies and flathead on the go. There have also been some gummies around, and plenty of other sharks as well. At this time of year, before you head out to snapper grounds, it’s good to troll medium-size skirts and mediumsized hardbody divers when passing headlands or other landmarks that could hold bonito or kings. It’s also worth stopping by squid haunts because autumn typically has a decent squid run.

If you are in a larger vessel, or a vessel equipped for certain seas, the FAD is well worth the visit. It should be at its seasonal best by now. FADs attract a lot of rat kings but also legal size mahimahi, which are one of the best eating fish in the sea (just don’t

Brett Wood with a 90cm mulloway caught on a 5” paddletail.

marlin will be in full swing. March can be the peak of the season for these majestic fish. Most marlin are tagged and released these days, which is great for the fishery and sport.

If you do want to keep one for a feed, keep it chilled in a chill bag.

If you haven’t tried smoked marlin, you really should – there is a massive difference between marlin steaks cooked and smoked. Once you’ve had smoked marlin you might not have it any other way again.

Finally, the estuaries and upstream will still be firing on all cylinders this month, but with fewer crowds. Bream, flathead, estuary perch, whiting and mulloway will be on the hit list, along with bass upstream. Fishos will be digging out their favourite plastics and hardbodies, and many anglers will be reaching for a surface lure because the fish will be aggressively attacking the surface. We all have a Sugapen, Slippery Dog and Bent Minnow (and maybe the new Sugapen Splash) but I also recommend the Zipbait Skinny Pop. They are deadly surface lures, and are great on bream, whiting, flathead and even bass.

That said, it’s still the Tiemco Soft Shell cicada that’s the number one surface lure for bass.

As you can see, there’s plenty of choice at this time of the year. Get amongst it!

• Anthony Stokman is the owner of Fish Batemans Bay, your one-stop shop for tackle, bait and valuable advice on how to catch more fish. The crew are always happy to chat about what’s been biting and where, so drop in and say hi. You can find them at 65A Orient Street, Batemans Bay, or give them a call on (02) 4472 2559.

MARCH 2024 69

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Eden Coast

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Something to look forward to in coming weeks BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

Just about everyone has something they look forward to each year, whether that be the start of the footy or cricket season, annual holidays, or – like me – a particular time of year. My favourite time of year is autumn, and March is the best of it, providing great opportunities for just about all forms of fishing.

No matter where you go, what

species you want to target, or what technique you want to use, you should definitely get a line in the water this month.

Marlin is the big attraction for game anglers, with warm water and plenty of bait only a few miles offshore.

The 12-Mile Reef is at its prime, with all three species inhabiting this area. Lures are a popular way to find where the marlin are concentrated, but at this time of year, live bait is a great option, providing a much better hook-up rate. If you are looking for

A tidy little bag of fish caught within a short distance of the harbour.

Big flathead are on the target list for the autumn months.

a good blue, stay away from the pub and concentrate your efforts out over the Canyons. This season, we’ve already seen epic battles on large blue marlin on mid-range tackle where the fish have won. Some of these fish were estimated at 300-400kg. If you are interested in catching a 1000lb blue, Bermagui is definitely the place to target them.

Kingfish have been in very good numbers around Montague Island and other areas like Horseshoe Bay

at Bermagui, down to Goalen Head at Bunga. The conventional ways of catching them have been working well up at the Island while casting with soft plastics can be a lot of fun near the coast.

The bottom fishing offshore is excellent, with most species being abundant in varying depths. With the calmer conditions, anglers have been venturing further afield to fish the deeper water of the 12-Mile Reef, where things can get pretty

Season of plenty on the estuaries and beaches TATHRA

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

This year has been a season of plenty – plenty of rain, plenty of good days on the water, and plenty of quality fish.

It has been one of the best years for flathead and whiting in the estuaries.

There have been some exceptional duskies caught in the Bega River system, and for anglers looking for a

trophy fish, this waterway has to be one of the best. There are some very nice sand flats just upstream from the boat ramp, and one on the southern side that always seems to hold large duskies.

These areas are best fished early in the morning before there’s too much boat activity. As long as the prawns are still around, using them as live bait will have some exciting results. Lures will also catch their share of nice flatties.

Fishing for whiting with poppers has been popular this season, and with

There have been some cracking whiting around this season after the rains.

70 MARCH 2024

the Bega River system being closed to the ocean, anglers have been able to work very shallow water for good results. When an estuary closes to the ocean like this, the fish have to go hunting for their food, so you will find fish in very shallow water as they fossick for something to eat. As well as the whiting, there’s a range of other species that will provide excellent fishing. Although lures can be effective in the shallow water, you’ll find that bait can often be more productive and just as exciting.

There have been great catches of whiting along the beaches, with the north end of Tathra Beach being a prime area. Beach worms are the number one bait here. If you can’t get beach worms, a bucketful of nippers is a good substitute.

Other species like bream or mullet are also quite partial to these crustaceans and you only need light outfits to have some fun. There are also plenty of salmon or tailor to be found on the beaches along this part of the coast at present and for those willing to put the hours in of a night may be pleasantly surprised with the odd mulloway or gummy shark.

Around the wharf there is action aplenty, with large schools of slimy mackerel providing entertainment for

Anglers of all ages enjoy catching whiting. both kids and adults. There are always lots of silver trevally there as well, wrapping anglers’ lines around the pylons, along with the ever-present schools of yellowtail. The pelagic action isn’t bad, either, with plenty of salmon passing by, plus the odd bonito or kingfish. There is always a chance of snaring a marlin from

Eden Coast NSW

FMM exciting. Large Tassie trumpeter are on the target list, along with big morwong, snapper, and kingfish.

While you’re out on these wider reefs, try sending out a live bait under a balloon. The livie may tempt a passing gamefish like a marlin just to put some more excitement into things.

Back closer to shore, The Step out from Tilba has produced the best catches of tiger and sand flathead for years, with some excellent red gurnard thrown in.

March is a great time to fish the estuaries; all species are available, with this season being one of the best for large whiting and flathead. Using poppers on whiting over the flats has been effective, but if you really want to get into the action and put some lovely fillets on the table, try nippers or worms to boost your catch rate.

I have seen a lot of anglers targeting flathead in the deeper waters of an estuary, which can produce some good fish. However, on the big tides, you’re better off fishing up on the flats in very shallow water (sometimes just a few inches deep) because big flatties like to feed and sun themselves in these warmer waters.

Other species also like to feed in the shallows, including mullet, bream, luderick and garfish. Their main prey is squirtworms, but you this bay, too.

Offshore, there’s some good fishing on offer for bottom fish and game fish.

On the reef scene, sand and tiger flathead are the most prolific target species. The deeper you go, the more tigers you will catch and the larger they are likely to be. Closer to shore, the sandies will definitely fill the freezer. The best areas for these fish are northeast of Wapengo and south out from Bournda.

Snapper have showed up early on

can also catch plenty of fish on nippers, which are easy to get.

Things will start to cool down from now on, so if you want to do

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With so much warm water around this season, it is no surprise to see fish like marlin, mahimahi, spearfish and other tropical species finding their way to this part of the coast. North of Tathra out from Goalen Head there’s some prime reefy ground where the pro lobster fishers from Bermagui sink their pots.

The floats attached to these pots attract baitfish, which bring predators within range of anglers. Trolling lures around the floats can catch many mahimahi at

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The result of a morning chasing whiting – dinner is served. the reefs to provide many a tasty meal.

The best areas are north around Bunga Point, Nelsons Headland and south out from White Rock. Mixed in with the snapper are plenty of morwong

times. If it’s hard going, try using both cut and whole pilchards drifted down below the floats, or slow troll some live mackerel. The livies might also produce a billfish.

MARCH 2024 71

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Freshwater

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New fishing opportunities as water levels recede moon will be above on the 25th of this month.

The rivers have also been fishing well lately, with the fresh running through them. There is still a fair bit of weed and slime lying around, but that

NEW ENGLAND RIVERS

Adam Townsend

With the milder autumn months now upon us, it’s the perfect time to be walking the banks of the larger impoundments in search of a big Murray cod feeding along the dam’s edge, especially after all the rain we have had. There is plenty of bait life active at the moment, and predators such as golden perch and Murray cod have been actively feeding.

Water levels in the creeks and rivers have been fluctuating lately, and some of the rainwater has been making its way into the larger impoundments. In spite of this, the dam levels are slowly receding, and are a fair bit lower than at this time last year. More wet weather

A chunky Copeton cod caught in the low-light hours on a shallow-running swimbait. With receding water levels, the wattle trees and rocky points are good spots to fish.

You can never be sure what you’ll catch next in our local waterways. This Murray cod was caught on Australia Day in a listed ‘trout stream’.

In the meantime, there is an upside to the falling levels – it’s a great opportunity to cast the banks because there are plenty of ‘fresh’ snags and haunts that haven’t had thousands of casts over the top of them yet. It’s an even better time to find lost lures along

the edges that have been washed up or snagged when the water was higher.

The new moon will fall on the 10th of this month. It’s the perfect time to throw surface lures and shallow divers, such as swimbaits, up close to the banks under the cover of complete darkness.

Whether you are in a boat or fishing from the bank, start your search in depths anywhere from 1-5m. Many big fish get caught way up in the shallows, sometimes in less than a metre of water.

The full moon is one of my favourite times to be on the water, as many of my bigger fish were caught around these times in both the rivers and the impoundments. It’s always a good time to go exploring. The full

2023 94% 88% 93% 93% 100% 100%

This is what the author’s tackle box looks like for most of the cod season. It’s good to have a variety of lures, such as weedless soft plastics, surface paddlers, lizards, swimbaits, spinnerbaits, frogs, lipless crankbaits, and hardbodies. Even saltwater stickbaits can work well. has been predicted for NSW in the near future, so fingers crossed the dams can get back up to near full capacity again soon.

72 MARCH 2024

A healthy example of one of the many redfin that can be caught around the New England area. Small spinnerbaits, blades and soft plastics are good lure choices at this time of year.

should start to die off in the coming months as the water temperatures really start to drop. In the meantime, it’s a lot of fun to see a cod come out from the weeds to eat your swimbait.

All in all, it’s a good time of year to get outdoors because it’s not too hot or too cold. Good luck to everyone getting out on the water this month.

READER’S

DAM LEVELS Dam Glenlyon Copeton Pindari Keepit Split Rock Chaffey

There have been some cracking rainbow trout getting around the creeks lately, as well as the odd redfin. If the mild weather continues, the smaller creeks should fish well for weeks to come.

PICTURE

2024 65% 68% 53% 48% 97% 87%

Harry Morris caught this mako shark while fishing with Stuart Nichols of Personalised Charters from Eagle Hawk Neck, Tasmania.

They drifted on the continental shelf edge dropping a berley trail. Using big game gear and big hook baited with a fillet the size of a rump steak, Harry landed the mako after a 45-minute battle.

Freshwater NSW

FMM

Get ready to fish the surface as the water cools HUNTER VALLEY

Nick Price

The fishing in the Upper Hunter has been very good this summer, with different locations needing different techniques.

GLENBAWN At the start of March, the water temperatures at Glenbawn are typically hot and the fish are down deep. I’d recommend you keep using deep techniques, relying on your sounder to find schooled fish in the main basin.

You can catch them using black Gulps,

surface lure. You’ll want to cast it tight to cover and make the lure vibrate subtly. Wait for the aggressive strike and then try not to lose the fish and lure! It’s heart-stopping fun.

Carp The Glenbawn Carp Muster was a huge success and I congratulate everyone involved in this great event.

I’ll have photos and a full report on the comp in next month’s issue.

Lots of people target carp on Glenbawn because they’re big, they go hard and are fun to catch. If the bass are slow in the middle of the day just grab some bait (or, even better, a fly rod) and go chasing these big fish.

ST CLAIR St Clair has been fishing consistently all summer and this good fishing will continue throughout March. The fish have been down deep, and you can catch them with the same techniques used at Glenbawn.

St Clair also has edge fish throughout the warmer months, using the weed as cover. These fish are great fun to catch and can be targeted on small chatterbaits and crankbaits. The fish in the weed love surface lures, so always keep a cicada rigged up and look for boils, even during the middle of the day.

RIVER AND STREAM FISHING The Hunter River has fished well for small fish this summer, and now

Most of the trout in the lower, more marginal streams have died, but there are plenty up higher on the Barrington Tops. ice jigs and football jigs. As the month progresses, the water temperature will start to cool and the fish will start to hit surface lures earnestly early in the morning and at night.

Surface luring I categorise surface lures into two types: noisy lures and more subtle lures.

Noisy lures make a big splash while worked at a steady pace across the top. The more subtle lures, such as cicada imitations, don’t make a big commotion.

There are a huge variety of noisy lures. Some of the faster moving ones, like the Whopper Poppers, can be very effective at eliciting a reaction strike.

They worked particularly well during the mouse plague; there are some great mouse imitations on the market.

Poppers and surface walkers, such as the ones from Taylormade Lures, catch bass consistently on the surface.

These lures are my favourite for using at night.

The more subtle cicada lures are a great option if you want to catch big bass. This is my favourite style of

A solid bass caught in the Hunter River on a big surface lure. some bigger fish have turned up as well. Surface lures, such as cicadas and poppers, have been working well.

When fishing subsurface, small cranks such as Jackall Chubby style lures are very effective. It’s good to bring a few lures that run at different depths. Just look at the bibs – a small bib will go shallower and a large bib will dive much deeper.

Fishing a small 2” plastic, with a beetle spin clipped to the jighead, is my favourite subsurface way of targeting

bass in the river. It’s cheap and the bass find them hard to resist.

Trout Unfortunately, the hot weather and low water levels just before Christmas killed many trout in the lower, more marginal streams. If you’re chasing trout you’ll need to head up through

THE MONTH AHEAD Next month is a transition month as the water starts to cool. I will discuss a few techniques that catch fish at that time of year, particularly spinnerbaits and beetle spins.

• If you’re heading up to the Barrington, Glenbawn, Hunter River or St Clair, drop

Surface fishing in the early hours can produce quality bass. the dingo gate onto the Barrington.

There are many small streams up on the Tops, some with lots of little trout and others with big fish. Go and explore! It’s all State Forest and National Park.

into the shop at the turnoff to Glenbawn in Aberdeen and chat to the friendly staff. ask the friendly staff about what’s biting and what techniques to use. They stock all the quality tackle that you need.

FISHING NEWS

‘Pimp My Jetty’ project OzFish’s Sydney Harbour Chapter, volunteer anglers and the local community have come together to help design, build, and monitor low-cost habitat units for private jetties.

Over time, these structures will encourage and support the growth of seaweed, shellfish, and sponges to provide shelter and food for fish, as well as improving water quality. Although the water quality in the Harbour has improved in recent decades, it still suffers from chemical contamination, sediment and nutrient pollution, which negatively impact fish nurseries and feeding areas.

The habitat units are made solely from natural fibre rope, untreated hardwood timber and stainless-steel fittings to ensure they don’t introduce any further rubbish, pollution or contaminants into the harbour. The units are custom fit to suit the infrastructure and environmental conditions of the donor jetties and floating pontoons,

where they are suspended.

The Pimp My Jetty project is being conducted in multiple waterways around Australia. If you think you would like to be involved you can fill out an expression of interest form on at ozfish.org.au. - OzFish

MARCH 2024 73

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Freshwater

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The underrated maggot is catching quality trout BATLOW

Wayne Dubois waynedubois@westnet.com.au

This month, the weather will slowly start to cool, and although some species may slow down as it gets cooler, some species will really start to fire.

The trout fishing has been very good in the Tumut River and some of the smaller creeks and tributaries in the area.

I expect the action to get better and better as the season progresses. Good numbers of rainbow and brown trout have been

There have been plenty of redfin all around the lake lately. These schools should still be within range of land-based anglers this month before moving into the open, deep water as temperatures drop.

Whether you’re fishing with bait, lures or fly, the Tumut River is one of the most consistent trout fisheries on the mainland of Australia. It’s always worth a visit, especially when it’s in low flow. encountered, and due to the Tumut River running a banker most of the season, the fish haven’t seen much pressure, so they’re still relatively easy to catch.

Most fish caught in the Tumut River this season have been around 1-2lb, which is way up on previous years. There has also been a smattering of fish over the 6lb mark. Catching 10 or more fish of this size in a day is great fun in the fast-moving, crystal-clear waters of the Tumut.

Because the trout haven’t had much fishing pressure, we’ve found the best approach is to cast lures. This season, we’ve caught many fish by walking just in or just out of the river, casting lures up and across in the low flows and across and down in the higher flows.

Bait anglers have also been doing well.

The ever-reliable garden worm has been the most productive bait, but wood grubs have also held their own.

Another great bait that’s underrated in this area is the good old maggot (gent).

These tiny, wiggly morsels are often irresistible to trout and are a gun bait in other parts of Australia and the world. If you’ve never used them before, simply rig one or two through the bum end to keep them alive and wiggling as long as 74 MARCH 2024

possible on a tiny hook. I have found the Gamakatsu size 10 Single Egg hooks to be perfect for this type of fishing. To maximise your chances, toss a handful of maggots in the water to attract and hold the fish in your area. This underutilised bait works very well in creeks, rivers and lakes.

REDFIN With water temps up around 30°C over the last month or so, it’s not surprising that the redfin have been going off. Anglers have been catching these tasty little fish all over the dam on bait and lures, with quite a few fish up around the 1.5kg mark.

Bait anglers have been doing well off points using small yabbies, maggots, and worms. Bigger yabbies (8-10cm) are particularly good baits because they keep the pesky little redfin from stealing your bait.

Casting small lures from the bank around points can also be productive.

Good lure choices include Rooster Tails, Celtas, Bling Spins, blades, small soft plastics, and small lipless crankbaits.

If you’re having no luck off the points, look for pockets of drowned grass and weed or any standing trees, especially the small, spindly ones that other anglers overlook.

Trolling with almost any small hardbodied lure should see you stumble

across a patch of redfin. Once you have located a school, try to position your boat within casting range and keep casting to them until they stop biting. This is the best way to get big numbers of redfin.

The best lures to troll whilst searching for redfin are lures that run comfortably at around 3-5m. Good options include the ever-reliable size #3 StumpJumpers, Double Downers, AC Slim Invaders, Viking lures and good old lipless crankbaits.

Jigging is another popular way of targeting redfin, and it can be very rewarding when you’ve found the right tree, pocket of weed or patch of rocky bottom. The best lures to jig for redfin include most Berkley Gulp plastics, lipless

crankbaits, spoons, redfin jigs, blades, and ice-jigs.

GOLDEN PERCH Most golden perch at Blowering Dam at this time of the year are in fairly deep water, which can make targeting them difficult. The stress of high water temps combined with boat traffic and dropping water levels makes many goldens seek out areas of cool, deep water with structure. Their favourite structure in the warmer months is standing timber, which provides shade throughout the day.

These tree-hugging fish can be targeted by jigging with either bait or lures. Bait anglers using yabbies have been clued onto this for years, and are normally the only people consistently catching golden perch in summer.

Another good option is slow rolling soft plastics up the sides of standing timber; you want to focus on the timber that’s either adjacent to a drop-off or in 5-15m of water. This will give you just as big a chance of landing a yella as the bait fishos.

Trolling the banks early and late in the day with small to medium-sized lures can also score you some golden perch in March.

MURRUMBIDGEE RIVER The Murrumbidgee River above Wagga Wagga has fished sensationally this season. There has been a fairly steady, decent flow in the river for most of the season, which has kept the natives happy and willing to hit most things cast in their direction.

The usual baits like bardis, shrimp,

Surface lures are ideal for targeting Murray cod in low-light conditions and are one of the most adrenalin-packed ways to target these fish.

Golden perch will be hard to catch this month, but if you focus your efforts very early in the morning, you’ll dramatically increase your chances.

worms, yabbies, chicken, and cheese have been working all season. However, it’s been the sensational lure and fly fishing that has made this season so good. Lure fishos have been catching natives on almost everything, especially trollers, who have been getting good catches on hardbodies, lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits.

Casting lures into snags has also been working really well, particularly spinnerbaits, Angel baits, swimbaits and chatterbaits. Hardbodies, big plastics, surface lures and wakebaits have also been catching their share.

Freshwater NSW

FMM

March madness for anglers chasing Murray cod ALBURY/WODONGA

Connor Heir

The year is already getting away, autumn is here already but the fishing is still good and here to stay.

March is typically a good time of year for Murray cod. The days get a touch cooler, making it a bit more enjoyable to be out fishing. The

One of the best things about our local waterways is not only do they hold good numbers of Murray cod, but some good sizes, too. Thanks to years of stocking, and more anglers practicing catch-and-release, many fisheries have boomed. We are seeing good numbers of big fish and also new generations coming through.

Healthy fisheries always provide a good variety of fish sizes, whether

A nice fish caught while kayaking a small water system.

A healthy example of a Lake Mulwala cod.

Murray cod numbers seem to remain strong, and personally I think March into April is the best time of year if you’re after decent tallies of fish.

Most waterways in our region

it be a 120cm trophy fish or a 20cm juvenile.

As well as cod, the waterways in our region are also home to golden perch, redfin, and trout. If you aren’t a serious cod nut, March is a good time to have a crack at trout in the small water. It might even pay to take a trout spin rod and a cod rod on many of the small creeks and rivers in our region, as most hold good numbers of both species.

This beautiful Murray cod appears to be a hybrid. It was caught by Xavier on a recent kayak float.

It’s not cod fishing without the adventure. should fish well in the coming weeks, and you can have enjoyable sessions walking the bank or fishing from a boat. Flows are typically good (unless we get a lot of rain), and we should see more stable release volumes from Lake Hume. I personally love small water fishing at this time of year, either from the bank or from my kayak.

From little things, big things grow. Restocking is always great to be a part of.

You can also enjoy some good fishing at Lake Hume, which is a trophy golden perch fishery. The redfin fishing out there is quite generous, too. If you enjoy catching a feed, redfin are a great target. They are one of the best eating fish ever.

All that said, cod fishing remains the focus of many anglers around our region, and it’s an exciting time of year.

The Lake Mulwala Cod Nationals will be held this month, and it will be interesting this year because the weed has started to grow back thick again, and live technology is banned in this year’s comp. Regardless, it’s always a fantastic competition to be a part of, and it always proves what a great fishery Lake Mulwala is, with 40-odd teams fishing the lake at once.

That’s it for this month.

Remember, the best place to be is on the water – that’s where the fun is.

Best of luck to all.

MARCH 2024 75

ACT

Canberra

FMM

Signs point to productive fishing in March CANBERRA

Toby Grundy

The Canberra Native Cup has to be one the best local fishing competitions.

The competition was created by Adam Samios of ‘My Two Hooks’ fame, and it has grown into the largest native fishing tournament in the ACT. This event is run over seven weeks

at the entrance to the Molonglo River at the hospice, and these fish can be targeted using larger plastics cast just past the rock wall. Don’t forget the area directly behind the yacht club.

While this part of the lake can get very busy, the reddies and yellas do push up close to the bank and feed on mosquito fish, despite all the foot traffic. Small plastics, blades and vibes work best, but the water behind the yacht clubs

Cod have been hitting surface lures.

Golden perch have been taking big swimbaits at Googong. and commenced on 8 February. Anglers fish Lake Ginnindera and Lake Burley Griffin on alternate weeks for redfin, golden perch and Murray cod, and a points system is in place for this catchand-release competition (numbered brag mats are provided to anglers).

It all culminates in the final for those anglers who qualify during the seven weeks of fishing. The prizes for this comp must be seen to be believed, with both cash and gear up for grabs from Shimano and other great brands.

What I really like about this comp is that it’s a great way to meet likeminded anglers, and share stories of successes and failures.

The angling action during the event is also a prime indicator of what the fishing will be like in March and April, which are two of the most productive months for landing big fish in the ACT. If the early results from this year’s Canberra Native Cup are anything to go by, we are in for a bumper autumn of fishing.

LOCAL LAKES Lake Burley Griffin has been fishing quite well. The redfin have been hitting lures right along the length of the rowing lanes from the Darra boat shed all the way to Weston Park. There are a couple of profitable reddie holes just off the three wharves at the base of Weston Park. The reddies tend to sit close to the wharves, so working the plastic close to the bottom, and close to the wharves, brings out the better fish.

There are also some good-sized yellas in this area.

There are plenty of cod holding up 76 MARCH 2024

is littered with snags so be prepared to lose a few lures.

At the time of writing this report, Lake Tuggeranong is my pick of the fisheries. I have caught a number of good golden perch in recent weeks in the area behind the bridge and just before the spillway. I have also seen plenty of other anglers land lots of golden perch in this location, with one young angler pulling in 14 yellas during one memorable afternoon.

A beetle spin attached to a paddletail plastic is the lure of choice for most anglers fishing for goldens or reds in Lake Tuggeranong. The cod anglers have caught some good fish using paddler-style surface lures at dusk and dawn near the dam wall. If we get a few rainy days in the coming weeks, the

fishing on Lake T could get even better.

Lake Ginnindera has been slightly less productive than Lake Tuggerannong or Lake Burley Griffin, but anglers in the know have caught some big fish in recent weeks. Most of the larger cod have been caught by those fishing from a boat or kayak, and targeting the middle of the lake using spinnerbaits. The live scopers have fared best, with many scopers

reporting that the better cod have been chasing big packs of reddies around the deeper sections of the lake. The golden perch have been sitting just off the points from Diddams Close round to the College, and can be caught by using wriggler-style plastics in natural colours on a 1/8oz jighead.

The Murrumbidgee River is starting to fish quite well again, but I do want to put an asterisk next to that statement.

The bass fishing has been good.

The night bite, despite the weather, has been consistent.

The river has been temperamental over the last few months, and things could change quite quickly if we get any kind of rain event. Even a day of rain could cause the river to flood again and shut the fish down.

That said, the cod are hitting all manner of lures in the faster water, with winged surface lures accounting for many of the better fish.

SURROUNDS The fishing on Googong Dam has also been very good over the last few weeks and this should continue right through March. Scopers have landed some good fish by targeting the points off the islands in the middle of the dam with large paddler-style plastics, and land-based anglers have also landed cod along the edges at the

Hobart TAS

FMM

Excellent Tassie fishing as autumn kicks off HOBART

Andrew Large

Tasmania has been experiencing a cooler ambient summer than usual, and we’re also in the middle of an underwater marine heatwave. This has brought some fantastic fishing to our coastlines.

Southern bluefin tuna are biting well in the northwest of the state, especially around Table Cape and Burnie. Bass Strait barrels have been landed from time to time, and good school fish have been taken in between these captures.

In the south, SBT have been a tad quiet around the Peninsula waters, with only the odd fish being taken around the Tasman Island and

one caught on a Halco silver slice cast at what the angler thought was a school of kingfish.

Storm Bay, within 15nm from Hobart, has come alive with bait in recent weeks. Yellowtail kingfish are being caught from the Tasman Bridge to the Hobart waterfront at Battery Point, and further afield to Bruny Island, Storm Bay, North West Bay and entire Channel areas.

Sand flathead are biting well around most of our coastline, and are being caught by both shore and boat anglers. Reports indicate most anglers have been taking their allocated 2-5 daily bag limit, and releasing many fish beneath and well above the slot limit.

Blue-spot flathead have made an appearance in the south this year.

A recently caught sand flathead from southeast waters in Storm Bay. Fortescue Bay areas.

Storm Bay has seen more regular captures of SBT, particularly around Betsy island. Many have been caught by anglers chasing yellowtail kingfish.

SBT to 28kg have been taken, including

Anglers fishing soft plastics have been getting good catches by spinning the shallows where these fish like to live.

Calm nights have allowed anglers to wade and boat the shallows, chasing greenback flounder. These fish are now

southern end using spinnerbaits and swim baits.

The golden perch are on the bite, with groups of a half dozen or so chasing the reddies around.

These fish can be caught using blades, vibes or soft plastics, and all you need to do is jigging the lure on the spot near the redfin.

The South Coast is also worth a

Southern calamari can be caught all throughout the southeast. feeding just behind the tidal line at times, in 150mm of water.

Albacore tuna have been happened upon along the inside of the Continental Shelf in 180m of water.

Early striped marlin sightings have anglers excited. These fish have been seen well offshore of Bicheno and wide of Maria Island towards Peninsula waters.

Southern rock lobster are still potting well as the season reaches its halfway mark (it ends in late April).

Good captures of southern calamari are being reported all throughout the south east. Peppermint Bay and Woodbridge areas are providing excellent fishing for the moment.

Australian salmon to 3kg are being caught in most areas, amongst smaller, more average-sized fish of 0.5kg.

Denison Canal has been a stand-out at the Dunalley township, southeast of Hobart. Storm Bay, South Arm and Dodges Ferry have seen large schools feeding heavily on the 60mm bait frequenting these areas at the moment.

Freshwater areas have remained fairly quiet this past month. We call this the ‘summer doldrums’, when trout are highly active in the early mornings and late evenings, but seek shelter in deeper water during the bright part of the day, as they try to avoid increased surface temperatures.

No reports this month from Arthurs Lake, Bronte Lagoon or Woods Lake. The latter two aren’t surprising as they are very shallow, and the fish can suffer from heat stress.

The stand-out has been Great Lake, with many good brown and rainbow trout being taken by spin and troll anglers. As expected, first and last light are best fishing times at this time of the year. The best lures seem to be deeper diving bibbed minnows that get down towards the thermocline and cooler water, where trout may be holding.

As we enter autumn, Tasmanian anglers cannot be better poised to take advantage of many factors contributing to exceptional fishing this season.

The yella fishing should continue to improve.

The South Coast will be worth a look this month.

look this month. The pelagics are well and truly on the move and can be targeted using medium-sized jerkbaits and plastics. There is something special about hooking into a big kingie, and this can certainly be accomplished

through March and April.

The bass fishing also warrants a mention as they are still hitting surface lures. The Clyde River is the best place to stop and have a cast on the way home from the beach.

MARCH 2024 77

FEATURE

Fisheries

FMM

Evolution of fisheries management in Victoria MELBOURNE

Ross Winstanley

In Victoria over the past 170 years, the focus of fisheries management has evolved from the administration of maritime industries, through law-andorder, public works, conservation and environment, primary industries, natural resources, and – now – to jobs, regional development, and recreation. From regulate-and-control, to fun for all.

Today, governments have taken up the promotion of recreational fishing, once the role of fishing organisations and of fishing, boating and tourism businesses. This has led the Victorian Fisheries Authority beyond the provision of family-friendly angling opportunities through urban stocking programs and community events, to public investment totalling more than $100M in the Target One Million and Go Fishing Victoria programs, and $1.5M gifts of fishing tackle to thousands of school children.

The Victorian government’s current $35M Go Fishing Victoria plan is, “To get more people fishing, more often, in more places.” At the same time, the VFA has veered away from the 20 year-long practice of involving anglers in regular assessments of major fish stocks, and in fisheries management decision processes.

BACKGROUND For more than a century, ‘Fisheries Management’ in Victoria was essentially about regulating commercial activities that supplied fresh local seafood to domestic consumers. This was reflected in ‘Fisheries’ being included in the colonial administration of ports, customs, and trade until 1900; public works to 1913; and the Chief Secretary’s Department to 1973. During that later period, the agency’s emerging roles in recreational fishing included catch regulations, trout stocking, and increasingly direct links with anglers through fisher and ‘fish acclimatisation’ bodies.

After WW2, biological studies expanded as part of the wider recognition of recreational fishing, its potential to affect fish stocks, and the involvement of anglers in management. However, fisheries administration remained focused on regulating fishing activities and monitoring commercial catches.

Things changed with the 1973 formation of the Ministry for Conservation, when ‘Fisheries’ was recognised as a natural fit with conservation and environmental protection, and natural resource management. After a brief alliance with ‘agriculture,’ Fisheries continued in the expanded natural resources and environment departments responsible for conservation and environment, plus primary industries, water, 78 MARCH 2024

minerals, and energy.

When those responsibilities were split, Fisheries parted close company with ‘sustainability and environment’ and continued from 2002 until 2013 under ‘primary industries’, with agriculture, forestry, and energy. The merger with the ‘green’ agencies was renewed in 2013.

The next big shift came in 2015 when Fisheries came under the megaDepartment of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources. The agency moved further away from sustainability and environment in 2017 when, as the newly created Victorian Fisheries Authority, it commenced as part of the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions. Today, the DJSIR web site describes the VFA’s role and vision under the heading “Outdoor Recreation.”

This trend has been reflected in fish resource sharing arrangements that recognise anglers’ interests, and the social and economic contributions of recreational fishing to the community. A major result has been cuts to most Statemanaged scalefish fisheries: in the past 30 years alone, commercial fish landings have fallen by 81%.

So, after 172 years, the Fisheries’ agency focus has evolved in staggered steps, from basic regulation and law-and-order, through conservation and environment, to primary industries and natural resources, and now to industry, jobs, regional development, and recreation. From 100% focus on managing commercial fishing during the 1800s to supply Victorians with fresh fish, today Fisheries administration has swung heavily towards promoting recreational fishing.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS Fish stock assessment reporting Coinciding with the post-2015 switch to focusing on the social and economic benefits from recreational fishing has been the reduced involvement of anglers’ data from the periodic assessments of bay and inlet fish stocks. During the previous 20 years, anglers had participated in the regular program of assessing snapper, black bream, King George whiting, and other inshore fish stocks and associated fisheries. In fact, as many as 300 volunteer ‘diary’ anglers had become the major source of data where longstanding commercial fisheries had ceased. That continues today, although volunteer numbers have fallen to below 50, as the VFA pins its hopes on anglers’ uptake of the GoFishVic mobile phone app.

Since 2015, Fisheries ministers have published “Statements of Expectations” of the VFA. They stipulated the need for regular updates on the status of key fish stocks to be assessed and made public.

In 2020, when the Minister specified the need for the “annual publication of stock assessment reports” across all Fisheries, the VFA undertook to produce “an

annual Victorian Stock Status Report” to include major bay and inlet species.

However, there has been no reporting on bay and inlet species since 2020/21, and anglers’ input have been excluded from those stock assessments since 2016.

Co-management Another development over the past 10 years has been a move away from all forms of co-management, involving anglers on fisheries management advisory bodies. Today, Victoria stands out nationally in having no recreational fishing or multi-sector Ministerial advisory body, and the former peak body, VRFish, is no longer recognised as representing all anglers.

For decades until 2015, anglers had been represented on fisheries policy and management advisory bodies, contributing to advances in management, stock assessments, research, and communications. Through co-management arrangements, they worked positively with commercial fishers, researchers, and managers, building constructive relationships and a wider understanding of the challenges facing fishing in Victoria. Incorporating anglers into the decision-making added a fresh and informed dimension to Victorian Fisheries management.

The VFA’s 2019-2024 Strategic Plan’s vision statement talks about how ‘strong and collaborative relationships’ should be fundamental to their operations, ‘underpinning broad participation in decision-making’ with anglers working ‘closely to deliver well planned and coordinated action.’ Under the VFA’s legislation, a key objective is ‘to encourage the participation of resource users in fisheries management,’ emphasising transparency in decision making. Unfortunately, since 2016 the former arrangements that met these aims for years are no longer there, such as the ‘Recreational Snapper Fishery Harvest Strategy.’

Recreational Snapper Fishery Harvest Strategy In 2014, Fisheries Victoria began a landmark investigation that laid the foundation for a scientifically-based approach to managing the western stock snapper fishery. Initially, the fishery faced two challenges: the inability to incorporate recreational fishing pressure into stock assessments and management responses, and the impact of increased targeting of this stock off South Australia.

As a further challenge, in 2016 the Victorian Government began implementing its policy of moving commercial fishing in Port Philip to net-free operations, with an annual cap of 88 tonnes of snapper from 2022.

Over five years, the study developed tools for examining risks associated with increasing fishing pressure, and for estimating the likely effects of changes to bag and size limits on recreational snapper

catches. The report recommended the results be used as a starting point for a ‘stakeholder reference group’ to set out how the approach might address the fishery management challenges.

The Minister’s statement of expectations for 2020-2022 specified development of “a harvest strategy for the recreational snapper fishery.”

Accordingly, in 2020 the VFA set up a group, including anglers, to develop the snapper ‘fishery harvest strategy.’

The VFA’s 2020/21 and 2021/22 annual reports both stated that the group was on track to meet the September 2021 delivery target. Completion and communication of this strategy were listed as priorities in the VFA 2021/22 business plan. The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation’s September 2021 magazine, FISH, reported that a draft harvest strategy was being implemented as a pilot, prior to being finalised and adopted.

That seems to be the last public reference to ‘the strategy,’ and there was no mention of it in the VFA’s 2022/23 business plan or annual report. The Government has already spent $262,206 towards this approach to managing the snapper fishery (from Recreational Fishing Licence funds), but now it seems to be disbanded.

VIC MANAGEMENT FUTURE Victoria has moved beyond managing to ensure sustainability, shared community access to fish, and law and order in fishing. In moving beyond regional information workshops, and providing familyfriendly fishing opportunities and community events, the post-2014 Government has broadened its focus from the interests of the 840,000 Victorian adults who fish, to the all-out attraction of more fishers. This now seems to be aimed at promoting growth in employment, tourism, and fishing-related expenditure, in line with boosting the State economy.

Initiatives aimed at expanding participation now range from the Golden Tag Program offering bounties of $10,000 for tagged fish, to improving access to fishing. The Minister for Outdoor Recreation’s current expectations for 2024 emphasise ‘providing opportunities for all people of all abilities and all backgrounds, and supporting diversity and inclusion.’

The general ‘vibe’ from the recreational fishing community indicates that the VFA’s program has a high level of community support.

Victoria’s marine and inland waters are in good shape, fish stocking numbers are at an all-time high, and excellent access and fishing opportunities are being improved continually. The Government’s plan “To get more people fishing, more often, in more places” seems to be hitting the right note.

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NAME VIC

TAS

ADDRESS

WA

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MARCH 2024

QLD NSW

VIC

West Coast

FMM

Getting stuck into autumn fishing in Portland flathead and gummies or heading out deep to chase blue-eye, ling and gemfish, just to name a few. We should also start seeing some big makos lurking around the deeper water. You really have a huge range of fishing options offshore, from 50m of water right out to the shelf.

Remember, Portland has fantastic

PORTLAND

Nigel Fisher

G’day fishos, what a big few months we’ve had in Portland. We have seen big influxes of people coming into our town, and they have been making the most of the great variety of fish both inside and outside the bay.

Autumn is generally one of the better months to fish here in Portland, mainly because the weather can level out, with more westerly winds that favour our shorelines. Depending on water temperatures, March can turn on the kingfish. With a good start to

Matthew Hunt Fishing Services with another good haul of fish. waters from 10-30m. The main areas have been the boat anchorage and North Shore along Julia Reef. Small skirts and a mix of hardbody deep divers have

Jimmy with a horse of a whiting that went 55cm. the kingfish season, then a bit of a slow mid-season, you never know what March can throw at us. The weather bureau keep telling us we are in for longer, warmer days this year so let’s hope they are on target.

Our summer school tuna should still be cruising around the bay in shallow

Shell caught this ripper 63cm pinkie snapper in shallow water.

been doing most of the damage so far.

We could also start seeing tuna schools in the deeper waters and there’s even a chance of catching larger fish as the months roll on. An early barrel tuna is always on the cards before Easter.

We have had a great run of pinkie snapper and whiting around the bay.

The pinkies have been around 35-65cm in length, which has been great to see.

In past years we have been plagued with undersize or just legal-size pinkies.

Our whiting, on the other hand, have always turned up in great sizes.

Most fish have been over 40cm long, with some great 50cm+ monsters mixed in. Most of the big whiting have been caught along the North Shore, but there have also been good catches coming from in front of the Water Tower and Blacknose Point.

With more favourable waters in March, the bigger boats will take advantage of the conditions to make trips around to Bridgewater Bay, chasing

Phil with a nice school tuna from Julia Reef. land-based opportunities close to the town centre. These include our drive-on breakwater, town jetty and Trawlers Wharf. Some great estuary fishing is also available; it’s just a short drive to areas like the Surry River, Fitzroy River and the mighty Glenelg River. So, get on down to Portland and get into the action!

• Call in and see the team at Portland Compleat Angler for all your bait and fishing needs, and local information. You can find them at 61 Bentinck Street, next to the Gordon Hotel, call them on 03 5521 1844, or look them up on Facebook.

Plenty of good fishing to come before winter APOLLO BAY

Craig Rippon

The wind hasn’t been our best friend over the last month. I can’t remember a summer with so many easterly winds, but when the weather has been OK there have been plenty of fish being caught.

Anglers have been catching salmon along most of the local beaches, with Marengo Beach being the best. Lots of fish have been taken using bait and lures.

Down the coast, quality gummies and school shark have been taken on the slack water. Fresh salmon has been the go-to bait. I had an awesome day with my son Ben where he caught his PB gummy and PB school shark in the same day, with the school shark weighing 24kg. We managed our bag quickly, all quality fish. Snapper have been in good numbers lately, too.

80 MARCH 2024

Kingfish have been around but they have been hard to tempt. There have been a couple caught, but the water temperature is not quite there yet.

There have been some school tuna about but not in big numbers just yet.

There have been a lot of fish further along

the coast, and there’s plenty of bait in the water, so they shouldn’t be far away.

We’ve seen some good catches of whiting but the fish have been a bit patchy.

I would like to see the water temperature rise a bit. The water has been a bit dirty with the east wind, too. I will start chasing

Ben Rippon with a decent gummy.

these fish a bit more this month.

Squid in the harbour have kept the holidaymakers happy, along with the odd salmon.

It was sad to see a boat get turned over recently, and a man losing his life.

We live on a rugged coastline and I can’t stress how important it is to check the weather before you head out. We get a lot of good days to go fishing, and we don’t need to press the boundaries to catch a feed. There was a big swell running that day, and the water wasn’t great. The man was an experienced fisho so it shows it can happen to anybody.

There’s so much info on weather and sea conditions nowadays, so please check before you go out.

With better weather ahead, there’s plenty of good fishing to come before winter so let’s get out while we can. Good luck, and if you’re visiting town, Wayne at Surf and Fish has everything you need.

West Coast

FMM

VIC

Plenty of pinkies, gummies and sharks inshore WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

After a promising start to summer, the weather took a big turn for the worse, leaving everyone searching for the meteorologists who predicted a long, hot summer.

Januar y was definitely not hot, with constant southeasterlies punctuated by several rain events.

Instead of chasing topwater kings and tuna around, I found myself spending more time trying to keep

the lawns down.

Pretty much every style of local summer fishing was affected. The surf beaches have been difficult to fish, with the constant southeasterlies pushing plenty of weed in. Cray netters and divers have had limited days and often limited visibility.

Mulloway are still non-existent locally, and anglers making the trip to nearby Nelson haven’t been catching many fish, either.

It hasn’t been all doom and gloom, though. The disturbed inshore waters, which haven’t been great for

Xavier Gercovich with a quality shallow water school shark.

summer pelagics, have proved to be perfect for snapper. The quality of these pinkies has been a little better than the usual annoying pink plague that descends on the inshore reefs this time of year. Most fish have been in the 35-40cm range, with the odd bigger fish around 60cm.

Just remember, snapper have a bag limit of 10 but only three over, or equal to, 40cm.

Accompanying the snapper have been some good gummy and school sharks, which have also been feeding in close in the stirred-up water.

Anglers fishing further offshore have also encountered plenty of these species in deeper waters.

King George whiting have been caught in all the usual haunts like Lady Bay, Killarney, and Port Fairy Bay, and should still be a good option as we head into March.

March is perhaps the last month to target kingfish locally, so hopefully we’ll get some late summer heat and flat seas to help with this pursuit.

Summer tuna will also still be an option. Last year the first barrels were being encountered in March so who knows what will happen this year.

All the local estuaries have been producing good bream fishing recently, and with the summer holiday crowds dropping off, the fishing should only improve. Casting hardbodied or surface lures in the shallow areas can be a productive

This summer we had few opportunities to cast lures to surface-feeding schools of bluefin. and enjoyable way to fish at this time of year. Estuary perch will also be on the cards doing this, but most larger fish will be further upstream in the freshwater this month.

Solid Hopkins bream are along the rock walls COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

The Hopkins has been holding good bream to well over a kilo and 40cm, with many caught along the rock walls with unweighted baits cast in close. The most popular baits are small, live crab and fillets of pilchard or small salmon and mullet. Soft plastics in similar patterns have also been also working.

Many of the bream are very dark in colour which suggests they have been residing way upstream in the fresh; maybe above Tooram Stones.

When the river mouth is closed and the reef is submerged, bream will venture further up into the system, and often get caught when the mouth opens and water levels drop.

Years ago, while casting lures for estuary perch, I caught five big, dark bream from the bank, not far from the township of Allensford. Perch are regularly found in the freshwater stretches of the river (well below the falls) so why not bream?

The Curdies lake is full and the bream are spread throughout. Boating is easy due to the added depth, but you could spend all day trying to find the fish. Some spots to try first would be the bottom channel, Wallaby Creek, Doctors Point and the river mouth. There’s plenty of weed, which means fishing unweighted baits or very shallow diving lures. Slow rolling soft plastics across the surface is also worth trying.

Offshore, some excellent gummy and school shark have been caught in close along with nannygai, pinkie snapper, rock flathead and some excellent sweep. Boaters have been anchoring up and sending down berley, so depths of around 20m have been the go, especially over a rubbly, reefy bottom. The odd schoolie has pulled the scales down to 20kg. The gummies have been more lightweight, but there are still plenty of them to go around.

Plenty of nannygai, sweep and the odd rock cod have been so close inshore that many rock hoppers have bagged a few. The drop-offs on the edge of many flat reefs around the Peterborough area have been

A duo of Hopkins bream taken simultaneously on the troll opposite the cliff faces at Kings Head. productive; so too any nearby bommies that spew an updraught of water every time a saltwater surge enters a dead-end gutter. Plenty of small, often undersize pinkies are about, ready to steal a bait.

Pipi meat held on with hosiery elastic has been the top bait, while not much further out on submerged reefs fresh squid baits have been employed.

School bluefin tuna and yellowtail kingfish are still around close inshore, and have been taking trolled minnow lures and skirted lures. If the tuna are being finicky, there are plenty of big salmon schools about, with some fish weighing in at 2-4kg. They are also great fun on cast or trolled lures.

MARCH 2024 81

VIC

Central

FMM

Whiting start to fire up as water temps cool down plastics and poppers enticed the surface bite, with two fish landed in the 20kg range. One was released and one kept for delicious sashimi

GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterfish@gmail.com

March already! A transition period where the water is still warm enough for summer species, but on the downward slope as we head into autumn. March signals the twilight of the kingfish season and, as the water temps drop, the whiting can really fire up.

The Barwon in Geelong has cleared up enough for lure fishos to enjoy the estuary perch, redfin and

Taylor snuck out after work to land a pair of SBT off Barwon Heads.

Wilson to Avalon has seen the odd fish over 40cm, but also a lot of sub-35cm fish.

The larger fish, from 38-42cm, have been from Portarlington to just south of St Leonards. The best fish, around 45cm, have been caught around Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, but in fewer numbers.

Pipis and squid have been by far the best baits for local whiting.

Taylor Hunt and his 3-year-old son Logan fished the grass beds just north of Queenscliff in 3-4m recently.

Despite blustery winds, they found a hot whiting bite on pipis and squid, bagging a dozen fish to 40cm, before enjoying ice creams in the harbour.

Calamari have been ver y consistent in the region, and it’s

possible to get your bag limit when you have the time to move about and find the schools.

I’ve had a few goes off Clifton Springs where we’ve caught enough for bait and moved on. The best jig has been white fished really slow in around 3-4m, but other colours have

Marc with a solid snapper taken out off Lorne. Image courtesy of the Lorne Aquatic and Angling Club.

Jae fought this big mako for 6.5 hours and 45km. mosquito populations as dawn and dusk get closer to each other.

I’ve had a few goes at the perch down at Breakwater and caught a few up to around 25cm using both diving and surface lures.

I fished down there with Hugh Hanson recently and as we were feeding the mozzies, a caddis hatch rang the dinner bell for the local perch population.

The fish were all over the surface and ignoring pretty much everything we threw at them. I ended up catching a tiddler using a Berkley 3B Prawn Dog surface lure at about 10pm, but it took a lot of casts!

Whiting have been thick right around the Bellarine Peninsula, varying in size from just legal to 45cm. From Corio Bay inner harbour to Clifton Springs, there have been a lot of sub 35cm smaller fish. Point 82 MARCH 2024

Lachlan has been getting good catches of kingfish off Barwon Heads.

Tex was super pumped with his big whiting.

still caught a few so it pays to mix it up a little.

Fellow Leopold Angling and Aquatic Club member, Lachlan Whitehead, has been having good success on kingfish out off Barwon Heads. Lachlan and his mates have found tuna out deeper, and kingfish in around the shallower reef areas.

Using 150g jigs, they have caught kingfish up to 85cm. Lachlan says there plenty of fish out there at the moment.

Taylor Hunt has also been out off Barwon Heads chasing tuna and kings with good success. Taylor headed offshore Ocean Grove after work recently and found tuna milling on the 35m depth line. Casting soft

and steaks shared with friends and family!

Typically, summer sees a few game sharks, like mako and blue sharks, caught offshore. These have been overshadowed somewhat with the revival of tuna and kingfish fishery in Bass Strait. Well, Jae Peters changed that a little recently, catching a beast of a mako. Jae and his mate had been drifting for an hour in 60m of water straight out from the Rip. About 11am, the lads hooked up on a 3m blue shark. After about five minutes, Jae handed the rod off to a novice fisherman to have a go at the shark.

Jae just happened to glance down at his outboard and noticed a 2.5-3m mako about to bite his motor! He quickly set up his other rod with a larger Shimano Tiagra 50w, and presented a bait. The hook-up was almost instantaneous and he realised he was in for a long fight as the shark took off at a rate of knots!

The decision was made to release the blue shark and chase the mako, as it was heading for the horizon.

The fight went for 6.5 hours, and the shark jumped into the air multiple times. The big mako towed the lads from the Rip to Lorne, covering over 45km before it was boated. It made the news at it was transported

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snapper caught, with the best times being before sunrise and after sunset.

One snapper was reported to be 90cm, which is a great fish for the pier.

Good numbers of whiting, salmon, calamari, flathead, mullet and the odd gummy shark have also been landed by anglers fishing Lorne pier.

I spent a week camping at Apollo Bay and fishing the rock platforms and beach areas with my 15-year-old son Max and his mate Tex. The lads had a ball catching plenty of wrasse, but it was Tex

Tough going but the author managed to convince an EP to ignore the caddis and grab a surface lure.

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Schools of blue mackerel and yakkas have reappeared, which could be a sign the kingfish aren’t far behind.

The Lorne Pier is going great

who starred with a 45cm whiting he caught on squid. He was very pumped, and plenty of pics went back to his dad and mum.

Fish HARD – die happy!

• Catch a few around Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula or surf Coast to Lorne recently? Send in a report to slaterfish@gmail.com with “FMG” in the subject field or give me a call on 0408 997348. Please include where (without giving away your secret spot!), when, what on and who caught the fish. Pictures are always great, but please make sure they are at least 1mb ( file size).

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MARCH 2024 83

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A good variety of species to target this month PORT PHILLIP BAY WEST

Alan Bonnici alan@fishingmad.com.aua

It’s been an amazing year for fishing so far. The weather has been pleasant, the fish have been biting, and there has been no shortage of options. The tuna and kingfish have fired up offshore, the land-based sharks have been fun, and

I had fun this month flicking plastics and vibes on my Hobie Lynx right up against the banks and catching plenty of redfin, a few yellowbelly and a couple of Murray cod. The biggest cod I got there was 52cm, and a few yellowbelly in the mid-50s.

My mate Jordan Matthews has been fishing there regularly on his Native Watercraft Slayer kayak, trolling

Bill and his son Henry have been getting stuck into some local King George whiting. mid-diving hardbody lures like StumpJumpers along the banks and catching plenty. It can be hit-and-miss sometimes, but he’s had a few cracking sessions when the yellowbelly have really switched on, with good numbers of fish up to 60cm. He also got a few

Travis with a personal best snapper. locally our bread-and-butter species in the bay, lakes and estuaries have been fishing really well.

Let’s spend a bit of time talking about the amazing variety at our fingertips around Melbourne.

FRESHWATER Melton Reservoir has gone from strength to strength over the last couple of years. The native fish stocking from a few years back is finally paying dividends.

It’s common now in most sessions to not only catch redfin but also yellowbelly up to 60cm, and cod up to 70cm. In years to come, it will be a premier freshwater fishing destination for natives, less than an hour’s drive from Melbourne.

Cod are finally starting to flourish.

Murray cod, which always puts a smile on your face.

It’s great to see so many anglers releasing these wonderful native fish, so this system can continue to thrive as the fishing pressure grows. Just remember, if you are going to fish Melton Reservoir, there are zoned areas owned by the local ski club that need to be respected.

IN THE BAY The weather has thrown a real spanner in the works this year, with water temperatures fluctuating. We’ve also had lower temperatures more often than usual. Because of this, the snapper has been widespread.

I can’t believe how many snapper I have caught this year with soft plastics.

I’ve caught many fish between 2-4kg in the shallows, which is unusual for this time of year; we’d normally be chasing them out deep near the shipping channels.

Good mate Travis Mayne landed his PB snapper this month on his Hobie

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FMM PA12 kayak fishing around Werribee South. After battling through a crazy volume of pinkies (common at this time of year), his rod screamed off, and after an intense battle on light spin gear, he landed a beautiful 71cm snapper. To his surprise, he landed another almost the same size with his very next cast.

Snapper are a school fish, and often when you catch one good fish, there will be other good ones around. Travis caught them on the ever-reliable 7” Berkley Gulp Turtleback Worm on a 1/8oz, 3/0 HeadlockZ jighead.

This past month, the King George whiting have come on strong. It’s been great to see areas like Wedge Spit and Kirks Point starting to fish well again, as

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all around the Curl Lewis bank. Bill Hartshorne has been fishing these areas with his son Henry and getting stuck into some great King George whiting whilst experimenting with a range of soft plastics. It’s a really fun way of targeting whiting, which will happily take soft plastics and even lures in the right conditions. Whiting sure do make an awesome feed – they’re one of the best fish in the bay to eat.

The boys have also been chasing flathead and catching no shortage of pinkie snapper, snook and Australian salmon. The guys have been staying in nice and close so the conditions are pleasant.

During slack tide on clear water days,

Melton Res with a nice yellowbelly.

John loves fishing the ‘Nong for bream. they were a bit slow last season.

Further up the Bellarine peninsula, from Geelong through to Queenscliff, anglers have been getting good catches

the squid have also been fishing well in areas where you’d target King George whiting. Always remember to pack an extra rod and a few squid jigs.

ESTUARY The bream fishing locally has been hit-and-miss due to some recent floodwater, which made the Maribyrnong and Yarra rivers very dirty and cloudy.

These systems were almost unfishable for a few weeks, but thankfully, they have started to pick up once again.

My mate John Regali, who is no stranger to the Nong, has been back at it, catching plenty of good-sized bream.

John uses coarse fishing techniques with long, nibble-tip rods and berley in an isolated area to bring the bream in good numbers. John has been battling some tough conditions but catching many bream between Essendon and Footscray. There are some great landbased fishing options around here, and the Maribyrnong River has always been very underrated. It’s a great system to

visit and take your kids for a fish.

There are so many options at the moment so make sure you get out as often as you can. Until next time, good fishing everyone.

• Feel free to email me (alan@fishingmad. com.au) to share your fishing catches and photos around Melbourne, Port Phillip Bay and beyond, which we can feature in next month’s article. Please consider becoming a FishingMad member at www.fishingmad.com.au/member for fishing reports, workshops, podcasts, and exciting monthly giveaways. You can follow my fishing adventures on the FishingMad YouTube channel (youtube. com/c/fishingmad), Facebook ( facebook. com/fishingmad.com.au), Instagram (instagram.com/fishingmad.com.au) and on Channel 31 Tuesdays at 8.30pm and Saturday afternoons.

FISHING NEWS

Dodgy fishos try to hide their illegal nets A phone call to 13FISH from a member of the public in the early hours of the morning has alerted our Mallacoota Fisheries Officers

A haul of undersize pinkies.

The ballpoint pen in this photo gives an idea of scale.

to illegal mesh nets set in the Snowy River at Marlo.

Officers responded and detected two nets concealed in the bushes, one 20m long and a second 64m long, which had entangled seven luderick, a blue-spotted flathead, flounder, mullet and trevally. Four people were spoken to regarding the alleged offending and the matter is an ongoing investigation. A significant quantity of litter and illegal campfires associated with the alleged netting activity is also being looked into.

HAUL OF UNDERSIZE PINKIES Another phone call to 13FISH helped Fisheries Officers apprehend a man who’d taken too many undersize fish from Rye Pier on the Mornington Peninsula.

The father was fishing with his two sons at night when a passer-by noticed the suspiciously small size of the pinkies in their bucket. The minimum size for snapper is 28cm and the caller estimated some of the

Illegal fishers at Marlo tried to conceal their mesh nets in the bushes. fish to be as little as 10cm.

Officers arrived and inspected the man’s catch, which consisted of 15 undersize pinkies and two undersize flathead. The ballpoint pen in the photo give you an idea of just how small these fish were. All the fish were seized on the spot by officers and the man will receive a $577 infringement notice.

To check bag and size limits for marine fish in Victoria, visit vfa.vic.gov.au.

Anyone with information relating to illegal fishing is encouraged to ring the VFA’s illegal fishing reporting number on 13FISH (13 34 74). You can remain anonymous. – Victorian Fisheries Authority MARCH 2024 85

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No need to find birds when you’re targeting tuna PHILLIP ISLAND

Craig Edmonds

It’s easy for new anglers to get overwhelmed by the conflicting information in the fishing industry.

For example, a fishing show will tell you what technique works best for a particular species, but then you’ll get contradictory advice from a magazine or tackle store. Remember, everyone who works in the industry has an agenda because it’s their livelihood – and that includes most YouTubers and other sponsored influencers, who are trying to get as many clicks as possible.

Oli wasn’t sure what he’d hooked because of the weight, and was surprised when this 73cm flathead broke the surface.

After 18 years in the retail side, we have seen and heard it all, and we are a little disturbed at how some industry members treat their viewers or customers.

We value establishing a long-term relationship with our customers. We have many who were just small children in prams when we started, and now they are driving in to see us. We like starting new anglers with basic gear, just in case they decide they don’t like fishing. Then, in time, they can switch to better and more expensive gear.

Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more new anglers being confused by the bigger department stores, and convinced they need to spend thousands to get started. They end up disgruntled because they have spent all this money but not been given much instruction, and the industry loses a potential keen angler.

With the introduction of the bigger department-style stores we are losing smaller tackle shops, but the bigger 86 MARCH 2024

problem is we are losing decades of industry experience.

There was once a huge price difference between the small and larger shops, but things have changed in recent years. The next time you need new gear, check out your local, usually family-owned, store and have a talk with them. You might be surprised with how close they can get with pricing.

Even better, the smaller stores can give you all the advice and help you need.

WHAT’S BITING Now that autumn is here, the weather should be settled and favourable. Because we write our reports in advance, I can only hope this is the case because this year has been worse than horrible.

What’s been even more frustrating over the last few months is the number of fish that are actually out there, especially the tuna offshore. You can drive up to almost any of the carparks that look over the open water and see a school of tuna not far offshore. As we all know, seeing them and catching them can be completely different things, but perseverance will eventually pay off.

One thing we have noticed this season is the huge variety of lures they’re being caught on. Colour is one thing, but type is another, and we have even seen tuna caught on re-rigged metal slugs used for salmon. The usual king brown hardbodies, lumo and pink skirts have all been successful, and it’s the same for teasers. Some people have been using them, some haven’t, but all have been catching fish. We have lost track of how many tuna have been caught from the red pole to Punchbowl.

I have also lost track of how many boats we’ve seen just drive past the fish in that area! The main reason we hear is, “There were no birds, so we didn’t

Richard has been catching tuna within 1km of the eastern entrance.

This fish was one of the bigger ones.

We don’t see as many threshers as we used to, but they still show up now and again, as Brendan found. stop”. People need to forget about birds.

Only a very small percentage of tuna come from bust-ups that have birds.

The odd kingfish report has come in, but only from anglers who accidentally caught one while trolling for tuna. To be fair, we haven’t had the conditions to do a serious kingfish hunt yet.

The bay has been all over the place, a little bit like the weather. It’s been difficult to get a read on exactly what the fish are doing. We have seen a lot of undersized whiting since Christmas, which we haven’t seen for many years – not in any numbers, anyway. Finding a bag of sizable ones has been difficult, but most people have been finding a decent feed. The whiting can be found in most of the usual areas, but you will need to be patient and/or be prepared to keep moving around to find the better fish.

The rest of the fishing in the bay has been OK and typical of what we’d expect for this time of year. We always see plenty of species caught, and you can head out for a day’s fishing and come home with a smorgasbord of seafood. It’s a good time of the year to do a bit of bait collecting for the freezer for your winter or early spring fishing.

Or, you can simply cryovac some fish meals for when winter sets in and you can’t get out fishing.

MOON PHASES Moon phases! The number of theories about this subject is endless, not just for tuna but all species.

Different experts and scientists have different theories, but most say it’s more about the effect of everything else around the moon, rather than the moon itself.

From reports and my experience over the years in the shop, either moon, the day before, the day of, or the day after is generally quiet. Some experts say the full moon has a bigger effect on the baitfish because of the torchlike effect on the water at night, which

schools them up. These experts also say that the weather around the full moon will always be unsettled, creating barometric pressure changes. This is what changes the fish habits, especially when it comes to pelagic species.

Of course, not everyone agrees with this, and that’s just the way fishing is.

For every theory, there is an alternative experience. In the shop, we definitely get more reports around the new moon, but the weather around the new moon

Luke fished hard over the holidays when the weather allowed and was rewarded with several good catches, including this gummy. is always more settled so maybe it’s that.

Whatever the reason, there is one theory that’s 100% correct: if you don’t have a line in the water, you have no hope of catching anything.

The other thing to remember with fishing is that, for the most part, there is no ‘wrong’ way to do things – just different ideas.

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Some big surprises after the Gippy floods GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

I’ve always loved that optimistic saying farmers quote after floods: “There’s money in mud”. I wanted to apply that sentiment to fishing the Gippy Lakes after big rain events and create my own saying. The best I’ve come up with is: “If you want to catch a lot of fish - just add water”.

Well, that’s certainly been the case lately, with some very exciting captures, and it looks like getting even better.

WILD YELLOWBELLY? Yes, you read that correctly –

The author with his first ever Gippy Lakes yellowbelly at 39cm. a thriving population of yellowbelly is living right here in the Gippy Lakes. My local rivers and Lake Wellington all hold growing numbers of golden perch. We suspect they escaped dams about 30 or more years ago. The Latrobe River has

Ben Hotchkins with one of 40 river estuary perch he caught during a hot session recently. the biggest population, and some of the largest fish have been a whopping 4kg+.

For about two decades, I’ve been talking and even writing about these elusive fish. Nearly all of the local goldens I’ve seen have turned up via the local electro-fishers chasing carp or, more recently, a few caught by the commercial eel netter here in Sale. Interestingly, we are now seeing a growing number of smaller yellowbelly around 30cm, which proves they are successfully breeding.

A few gun lure anglers have gone out and targeted the goldens in the Latrobe and amazingly caught some crackers.

Finally, I have now also ticked that box with my first-ever golden perch. It’s only taken 25 years of trying!

I was having a big day stacking a lot of EP and a few bream recently when I made the surprise capture. I was so shocked to see a 39cm yellowbelly come to the surface and so relieved to get my special prize to the net. After taking a few quick pics and

some video footage I returned it to the water, shouting a loud “YES” and a fist pump into the air.

Sadly, though, at this rate I will be 84 years old when I catch my next one!

ESTUARY PERCH Another exciting feature of late has been the ongoing explosion of EPs into our rivers, and it’s astonishing to witness.

This year, those of us who have actively chased them have scored tallies of 30-40 perch, and some days even more. Nearly all of these fish have measured between 30-36cm, and not a single fish was even just 1cm bigger. That tells me there was either a massive spawning event about four years ago, or these perch were stocked by Victorian Fisheries; I suspect the latter. Since the first release in 2020, nearly 150,000 estuary perch have been released into the rivers of the Gippy Lakes.

Those fish would neatly represent the growth rate and size of the fish we are seeing right now.

Two of the best hot spots are the Mitchell and Latrobe rivers. Recently, I enjoyed a hot session, releasing just over 60 of these fat, chunky perch on the same day that I scored my surprise yellowbelly.

I also get six bream to 44cm and even a thumping truck bass at 46cm.

The next day, my buddy Ben Hotchkins joined me and I watched him release 40 perch, and I scored another 33 during a very windy day. We actually sounded hundreds of EPs out in the middle of the river in many areas, and they were suckers for a tea-bagged blade.

Once again, I extend a huge and humble thanks to the Victorian Fisheries Authority for their highly successful stocking programs of bass and estuary

perch. I can assure you, all Victorian anglers are extremely grateful.

BREAM As predicted, the bream fishing continues to fire up and none of us are surprised, with some of the big trucks turning up around 43-45cm. As usual, Nikki and Blair Bryant (who live in Melbourne but are almost Gippsland

target gummies. Squid, salmon, whiting and barracoota heads are all good baits for gummies, and it pays to mix it up to see what works on the day.

The odd gummy shark has been venturing in closer to shore, and my father and I recently had a good beach session on

the local gummies.

LAKE TYERS The lake is right on the edge of blowing open, with surf waves overlapping the last bit of sand separating the system from the sea.

The fishing in the lower lakes has been extremely productive, and anglers have had great success fishing close to town.

Garfish have been crazy lately, with many angler bagging out on these fun little fish.

Anglers have been getting good catches using small baits suspended under a float, then slowly dragged back in.

The many weed edges down the front have been loaded with bream. Anglers have had great success fishing hardbodies over and along the weed beds, and bright UV patterns have been working the best due to the dirty water.

Have you been fishing?

• If you have been out for fish lately and have a great pic, send it to stevenprykefishing@ gmail.com with short description and you could be featured in the next edition of Fishing Monthly.

Blair Bryant shows off yet another big bream, which he seems to find on every trip to the Gippy Lakes. locals) have shown the way. At a recent Nicholson Angling club comp, they came first and second with six cracker bream to 45.5cm. Blair beat his better half this time and caught his bream on the Muss lure.

Peter Nord found some ripper bream, too, and his good buddy Peter Breukel also pulled in a few thumpers on lures.

Paynesville and Metung were two of the better locations, and they will continue to be well worth a look from now on.

As you read this, I’m sure the bream fishing is now really hotting up, and after so many recent floods, I’m tipping we’re in for a very busy autumn. I’m looking forward to it, and I can’t wait to see your pictures and reports.

Fun sessions on luderick, salmon and trevally LAKES ENTRANCE

Steven Pryke

East Gippsland has started to get those nice, crisp mornings and clear, starry nights. The flood water has begun to clear up and the fishing has begun to really improve.

LAKES ENTRANCE With the changeable conditions we’ve had, the fishing has been harder with all the fresh water coming down the system. Even the most knowledgeable anglers have been struggling to find good numbers of fish. Focusing on the deeper weed beds and working the clean, in-flowing high tide has been the most productive.

Big schools of Australian salmon and silver trevally have been encountered right throughout our lakes system. On glassy calm mornings, schools of salmon have often been seen blowing up on baitfish. You can target them with small surface lures and soft

plastics fished high in the water column, and it’s a lot of fun.

The many rock walls, bridges and jetties have started to hold good numbers of luderick. The traditional method of suspending a weed bait under a float has been doing the damage. It’s just a matter of finding what depth the fish are feeding at. Luderick up to the 50cm mark have been caught lately and you’ll have great fun catching them, especially when you’re fishing the strong currents around the entrance.

Offshore, the fishing has been pretty productive for pinkie snapper, which have been sitting on the outer reefs such as the 8-Mile. Traditional bottom-bashing methods are still popular, and consistently produce the goods. Baits such as pilchard cubes and squid strips are great. A hungry snapper will find them hard to pass up.

Closer to shore, around the 18-20m mark, anglers have good success on gummy sharks. Setting up an anchor right on the drop-off and then slowly pumping a cube trail is highly productive way to

Hardbodies have been catching plenty of bream lately.

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The season in review and what’s to come PORT ALBERT

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

In this month’s report I’ll look back over the spring and summer fishing season, and what that means for the fishing in autumn.

FLOODS The biggest impact on our fishing over the season were three major floods in the South Gippy area. They arrived about four weeks apart and turned a greater portion of the Port Albert estuary waters into a chocolate soup.

As soon as the area started to clean up, another flood would arrive. We

and rock flathead to 50cm for a session, and release another 15-20 squeakers on top of that. It was shaping up to be one of the best flattie seasons in years, but then the first flood hit and all but shut them down. I even suspect it washed them out to sea in some areas because they still weren’t there when the water cleaned up.

Slowly but surely, by the start of February, our flathead tallies were getting back on track, with plenty of 40-48cm fish, although there was a noticeable absence of bigger 50-70cm fish.

I’m tipping the flatties will hang around until the end of April. As the waters cool down, be sure to concentrate on prime times like the last two hours of the draining tide.

Once again, I’ve been getting plenty of flatties on those deadly blade lures.

Recently, I’ve even caught a few big flounder as bycatch.

WHITING The King George whiting were almost absent in early November, when they should have been at their peak.

The three floods put a big dampener on any real success with them, and it was slow going for all of us right through December. There were even days when nobody hooked a single fish, and that’s nearly unheard of at that time of year.

However, the good news is they

88 MARCH 2024

Welshpool and lure fished for some ripper kings, and they said you could nearly hook as many as you wanted in the 70-80cm size. Dinga also mentioned that just about everyone else in Victoria was also onto the hot bite; he counted 62 boats out there chasing fish.

Greg French went out with the boys from Duff Fishing Charters, and with nine other customers they headed out from Welshpool to find some bluefin tuna. The boys found the fish right in close, and threw out some skirted lures. Before long the whole party had bagged out, with 18 tuna on the deck, all around 25kg. That’s a top day out, and although the fish weren’t

those big barrels from out in Western Vic waters, we still have a fantastic tuna fishery right here in Gippsland.

ESTUARY PERCH There are times when flood events can really fire up the EPs. However, they have been rather slow to return to any of the areas they normally hang out over summer, including McLoughlins, Manns, and Port Albert.

Still, one thing is certain: floods always improve perch numbers in the long run. We may have to wait until late autumn or even early winter, but I’m sure you’ll see big perch pictures in my future reports.

MARLO/ORBOST

in the year. The water is still on the dirty side, but thankfully it is slowly clearing, so we can expect the fishing to improve.

SNOWY AND BRODRIBB RIVERS As mentioned, both systems

Local fishing improves

The perch have been good at hiding lately, and when the author finally hooked one it nearly beat him deep in the weed. did get a little window of clean water on the incoming tides, but it didn’t really help the fishing. It also dropped the water temps dramatically, putting another negative twist on an already tough scenario.

The floods around Christmas time were one of the biggest down there I’ve ever seen. The little town of Welshpool had many roads, homes, and shops full of water. Even the tiny Bruthen Creek turned into a raging torrent, turning the McLoughlins Inlet into a light brown, muddy colour for nearly two weeks. It even resulted in a minor fish kill; about 50 rock flathead were found washed up near the boat ramp area. Every river in the area went into major flood, and took weeks to even look like cleaning up.

Everything has settled down to near normal now, but I’m hearing the weather is still predicted to be wetter than normal in the coming months.

FLATHEAD Back in late October and early November, the flatties were on fire. It was nothing to stack 15-20 good yank

Greg French with one of the tuna he caught on a trip with Duff’s Fishing Charters at Welshpool.

Marlo Ocean Views

At the time of writing this report, the water clarity in the river and the surrounding waters is still showing the effects of the rain we had earlier

At 34cm, this big flounder added a tasty by-catch to the author’s flathead tally. are now well and truly back, and I’d say as good as ever. By late January, the catch rates of big whiting went through the roof and they are still around right now. There have been a lot of 40-43cm fish turning up, and plenty of very nice whiting all around 38cm to bag out on.

TUNA AND KINGFISH We’ve had a brilliant season of offshore fishing, well away from the dirty, flooded inland waters. Justin Dingwall and Joel Petzke went out from

Judy Laduke loves her luderick fishing. No wonder when you get fish like this one.

East Coast

FMM

VIC

Anglers coming home with bags of flathead MALLACOOTA/EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

With the busy holiday period over, things have really quietened off, and after Easter the town will be back to its sleepy self.

The local beaches have been fishing well, with salmon and tailor being caught, along with yellowfin bream

on the rising tides. As with all beach fishing, keep on the move to locate the best gutter to fish.

The boat ramp at Bastion Point has been a lot quieter than in past years.

This allows for quicker launching and parking, which is great as other years finding a parking spot was not easy.

Offshore anglers have been getting good catches of kingfish out around the Aerials, with many fish around

Mikey Vucic with a great dusky flathead caught in the Top Lake.

Offshore kingfish between 60-80cm are being caught in good numbers. and sand whiting. The area around the lake entrance has fished well as the dirty water from the lake has the fish moving in and out with the tides. There are good gutters down along Tip Beach, and you can enjoy some good fishing

the 60-80cm mark.

For those chasing a feed of flathead, both sandies and tigers have been caught lately, with most anglers coming home with good bags of fish.

Fishing the same areas has produced

are still on the dirty side, however the shallower zones are showing signs of improved fishing. Areas like the Slips and Lake Corringle have been fishing well compared to the rest of the system, and this will only improve in March. Bream, luderick, and yelloweye mullet have been the main captures, with the best results coming using fresh baits.

Lure anglers have been struggling a little lately. However, small soft plastics or hardbody lures, cast in and around structure, will always offer a chance of success. Bream will be your most likely capture, while the odd dusky flathead is also on the cards. Walking the flats and fishing the drop-offs with the same lures can also come up trumps.

BEACHES The beach fishing has been affected most by the dirty water. It’s not unusual to catch tailor, salmon, and many other species from our beaches, so let’s hope this water continues to clear.

There are a number of anglers who chase sharks from our local beaches and they are still having some success. At times it’s just a matter of checking conditions on the day, and fishing when the water looks at its best.

OFFSHORE Normally we would be talking about catching kingfish around Marlo reef at this time of the year, but the kingfish so far have been hard to find.

The water clarity really affects the fishing around our local reefs, so it may just be a matter of heading out a little wider until you find cleaner water.

There have been some good recent captures of gummy shark, which

some good gummy shark as well.

Fishing in the lake has always been a challenge, although the fish are definitely there. It’s the same old story: the most successful anglers have been those who have put in the time to learn the areas to fish, and learn which techniques work best.

The lake is starting to clear after recent rains. With the dirty water, the most consistent area to fish has been out in the Bottom Lake. This has been great because it means less distance to travel to find fish. That’s a real bonus because the only service station in Mallacoota has been selling fuel at $2.25 per litre this summer. Yes, I’m not kidding!

Plenty of dusky flathead are being caught, with fish between 40-45cm

making up the bulk of the catch. These are a great size for eating. There have also been a fair few bigger fish caught, ranging from around 60-90cm. These fish deserve their freedom.

Yellowfin bream and black bream are also being caught. The deeper water around the 12ft mark has been where the best fishing has been. Soft plastic lures and blades have been getting fish and once again, a sounder is needed to find the areas with the fish.

Around the same areas there have been a few mulloway landed, with most of these fish caught during the day. No doubt fishing through into the night would see fish caught, with a good area to try being the back of Goodwin Sands.

should continue into March, while the flathead fishing has dropped off a little. They are still there, just concentrated in certain areas, so you will need to search a little more than you had to in previous months.

There is no question a nice feed can be found in our offshore waters.

• Les and Kathy Heyne are the owners of the Marlo Ocean Views Caravan and Camping Park. It has 13 acres of beautiful grassed parkland just a short stroll from the beach, with both powered and unpowered sites, and cabins available. There are two undercover BBQ areas and a full kitchen, as well as an onsite kiosk and LPG refills.

For more information visit marlocamping. com.au or call 03 5154 8268.

Luderick are definitely on the menu at the moment.

MARLO

OCEAN VIEWS CARAVAN & CAMPING PARK

Chad Hynes was pretty happy with this lovely gummy shark caught just off Marlo.

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Freshwater

FMM

A ripper start to the Murray cod season It’s been a ripper start to the Murray cod season with just this small hiccup to remind us that fishing conditions and hot bites can change very quickly. Hopefully we’ll have a bit more to report next month as things begin to settle.

ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

The great fishing experienced in the first few months of the Murray cod season was put on hold as high, dirty flows swept along the Murray River through Swan Hill, and downstream into South Australia. Running a banker, the only way to catch fish was with bait, and even then it was a real struggle.

We’ve had reports from the Murray River at Swan Hill of a few cod to 60cm,

This golden perch was caught trolling a Cod Lolly lure just before the river came up.

Some big Murray cod were caught just before the flows put things on hold. This one took a Bassman Scope Bait. and golden perch to 40cm, caught on scrub worms and shrimp. With the river now dropping, anglers can expect the fishing to improve as the water settles out and begins to clear.

Meanwhile, the local lakes have been the saviour, producing good hauls

of redfin on bait and lures. Charm, Kangaroo and Boga have all been fishing well, with the odd smaller cod and some solid golden perch amongst the redfin.

The Wakool River at Kyalite has been a little more consistent, with smaller cod to 55cm and golden perch to 40cm biting on bait. Small yabbies, shrimp, and worms have all been working at this location.

The big flows down the Murray have had a similar effect at most known hotspots. A few sizable golden perch have been biting in the flow below the Euston weir on bait. Some of these fish have been 55cm+, and at that size they’re great fun on lighter tackle. You can also expect to be pestered by carp as they hoover up anything they can eat.

Red Cliffs on the Murray River was fishing well for sizable cod before the flows, but that was put on hold with few reports coming in. I expect to see good numbers of cod in this area once the Murray settles back down. Some perch have still been biting in the pockets of backwater close to the snags on bait. Worms and shrimp

Jock Mackenzie with an average-sized Murray cod caught on a trolled Cod Lolly downstream of Mildura.

92 MARCH 2024

have been working the best.

It’s been a similar story right the way downstream through Mildura, Wentworth and beyond, with only bait fishers catching fish. We’ve had reports of the occasional cod, a few perch and lots of carp.

However, as I write this report the river is dropping away, and it should return to a reasonable height quickly.

With plenty of quality cod from Red Cliff through to and below Wentworth, anglers can expect some cracking fish on lures and bait as we roll into autumn.

Some good-sized golden perch have been caught below the Euston weir on bait and lures.

Cod are moving back YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett

Now that the school holidays are over, we can say goodbye to the bang and roar of the doof-doof boats. The scream of the water lice (jet skis) has also diminished, and the lake has returned to normality.

The holiday noise has been replaced by the peaceful sound of electric motors quietly working away, and lures being cast with expectation.

Don’t get me wrong, we love the tourists in town spending a quid or two, but like a scared turtle, fishos are all starting to poke their heads out again!

Late summer into autumn is the prime time to target the mighty Murray cod at Lake Mulwala. At this time of year, the cod move back into the shallower water. If you cast or troll any style of lure, be it a hardbody, crankbait or spinnerbait, you’ll have a better than average chance of encountering some action. The prime depth range is around 2-5m.

However, the ultimate reward in cod fishing comes from surface fishing.

Surprisingly, it’s also probably the easiest way to fish! Not much thought needs to go into it other than casting a floating lure in, preferably in depths of around

1-3m. Retrieve it fairly slowly while making a fair surface disturbance, and try to hold your nerve whilst waiting for a surface explosion. Any night with minimal breeze is well worth a look for this type of action.

To the ‘scopers’, please keep in mind the welfare of the extra-large cod you are targeting. Unfortunately, we keep getting reports of large, dead cod floating in the lake. It’s not uncommon to hear a report of a big fish caught in a certain location only for it to pop up dead in the general vicinity about 2-4 days later. There’s nothing wrong with getting a photo for Instagram, but please have all your gear ready so the cod isn’t out of the water for too long.

And to all those people camping on the islands up around the Bundalong area, please take your rubbish home with you and have some respect for the next people to visit the area. Too often we see these special areas left in a shocking condition.

Looking back, January was slightly tougher than usual, with numerous factors leading to slower fishing.

The main issues were increased boat traffic and dirty water, thanks to the summer rain.

Freshwater

FMM

VIC

Frustrating fishing continues around Bendigo This season has been a frustrating one for anglers. Recently, the water clarity was starting to improve and we were seeing better catch rates, then the region was hit with record-breaking amounts of rainfall.

In the long term, this rainfall is beneficial, and we have seen good increases in water levels in our local impoundments. However, in the short term, the rain has significantly reduced the water clarity in many areas, making fishing less productive. We can only hope these big rain events are behind us for a while, and our local waterways have a chance to settle and provide some good fishing.

LAKE EPPALOCK During the school holidays there was a lot of boat traffic on Lake Eppalock, but this has decreased. The record-breaking rains produced very large inflows, and the lake’s water capacity was over 100% for several weeks, with good volumes of water running over the spillway. At the time of writing, it’s at 100% and the spillway has stopped running.

After the rains the water clarity was

poor in the Twin Rivers and Mount Ida Creek sections of the lake. However, now that the inflows have reduced, the clarity is slowly improving in these areas.

The water is clearest in the Kimbolton Pool section.

Redfin continue to be the main species being caught, but finding a good concentration hasn’t been easy. You need to be prepared to hunt around a lot to find a good concentration of fish, most likely in deeper water. Depths between 7-9m have been productive.

Trolling deep-diving hardbody lures has been working well lately. You can also have success vertically jigging soft plastics and ice jigs. Casting and retrieving soft plastics has also been working well. When targeting redfin at these depths, I rig my soft plastics on a 10g jighead. This weight gets the plastic down to the fish quickly, and allows you to cover areas well.

The fishing for Murray cod and golden perch has been average. Small cod and goldens have been caught by anglers bait fishing off the bank with worms and yabbies. A few cod and goldens have also been caught by anglers targeting the edges of the standing timber with spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits. Trolling the rocky shorelines with hardbody lures in depths of 4-6m has been producing small

In saying that, most people caught at least half a dozen or so cod for each sustained day’s fishing. Most of the Mulwala cod caught at this time of year

soaking some bait, when his offering was engulfed. After a fair struggle, Sparra landed a magnificent beast that measured 120cm.

BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

Sparra Urquhart with his magnificent 120cm beast. are in the 40-60cm range.

If it was continual action you were looking for, fishing downstream below the weir was the place to be. Both landbased and boat-based anglers reported cricket scores of fish. The sheer number of carp and silver perch kept most school holiday kids busy and excited.

The cod and yellas of decent size were most often caught by anglers casting or trolling lures. Local character ‘ Sparra ‘ Urquhart landed the undisputed ‘fish of the month’. Sparra and wife Nic were out in late January,

The competition season is upon us, and the next event is the His & Hers Partners Classic, which will be held on 2 March. It’s a great day for understanding couples to share time together in the boat.

• If you are visiting town, call into Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski (opposite the Post Office) in Mulwala or visit us in Yarrawonga, located next to Rivers. We’re your Murray cod specialists in Yarrawonga and Mulwala, specialising in all things ‘green’! For any information on the upcoming events or a fishing report, give us a hoy on 03 5744 3133.

More golden perch are being caught in the Bendigo region, and the fishing should continue to improve as the water clarity improves. numbers of native fish.

CAMPASPE RIVER Before the rains, the water clarity in areas like Elmore and Rochester had settled to a point where lure fishers were catching reasonable numbers of golden perch and a few Murray cod. Then the rain arrived, and the inflows produced a flooding event down the system. This reduced the water clarity significantly in many areas.

Since then, the flows have reduced and the clarity is slowly improving. If you want to fish at Elmore or Rochester, bait fishing with worms, yabbies or shrimp will be your best option due to the poor clarity in these areas. It will take at least a month or two before these areas become good lure fishing options again (barring more big rainfall events).

For a few weeks after the flooding there was some good fishing below the spillway at Lake Eppalock and, to a lesser extent, below the weir at Elmore. Good numbers of golden perch and Murray cod were caught below the spillway at this time. Due to the area’s popularity, you had to arrive early to get the best casting areas.

Conditions are now changing as the spillway has stopped running. In the coming weeks, the fish will start to disperse and move downstream. Still, due to the high water level in Lake Eppalock, it will only take another above-average rainfall event and the spillway will be running again.

For anglers prepared to walk the banks, the most productive lure fishing in the Campaspe River is from below the spillway at Lake Eppalock downstream to Barnadown. The water is more clear there.

CAIRN CURRAN Cairn Curran is currently at 88%, with water levels slowly declining. The Loddon River catchment didn’t receive the same volume of rainfall as the Campaspe catchment, but there were still good inflows into the Loddon River system.

The water clarity in Cairn Curran remains average. Bait fishing off the bank

has still been producing a good mixture of species. Worms, yabbies and shrimp are all good bait options. Anglers have caught some reasonable numbers of redfin and golden perch bait fishing off the edges of the standing timber.

Anglers casting lures around the standing timber have reported small numbers of golden perch and the occasional Murray cod. Good lure options for casting around these trees have been spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits.

Vertically jigging soft plastics and soft vibe lures has been productive.

If you are chasing a larger Murray cod in Cairn Curran, try trolling some large hardbody lures. Also, it’s a good tactic to cast surface lures or swimbaits in low-light conditions. Good areas to target are any of the rocky shorelines or any banks where you can find submerged weed beds.

LODDON RIVER The water clarity in the Loddon River has not been great for most of this season.

There were a few short periods when sections of the river started to settle nicely and water clarity improved, making lure fishing more productive.

After the recent significant rainfall events, the water clarity in the system reduced again. It’s been frustrating for anglers who enjoy fishing the system.

However, the good news is we have had no significant rainfall for some time now, and hopefully this trend will continue for a while. With luck, the river will have a chance to settle, the water clarity will continue to improve, and we can enjoy quality fishing in the Loddon River again.

The water clarity is still very poor in the Newbridge and Laanecoorie sections of the Loddon River, while the clearest water is above the weirs at Bridgewater and Serpentine. In recent weeks, reasonable numbers of golden perch and Murray cod have been caught in these areas. Many lures have been working well, including lipless crankbaits, hardbody lures, surface lures and swimbaits.

MARCH 2024 93

VIC

Freshwater

FMM

A great time for catching yellowbelly and redfin WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

We are now heading into one of my favourite times of the year in the Wangaratta area: autumn. Cooler nights and more stable weather patterns make for some very enjoyable days on the water.

MURRAY COD The cod fishing can be a bit hit-andmiss in the rivers around Wangaratta during March. I’m sure I will still pick up a few Murray cod throughout the month, but usually a few fishless trips start to creep into the mix at this time of the year.

Bait fishing is a great option at Lake Buffalo during March, especially on calm, autumn days. bait traps. As you head upstream from Wangaratta, the shrimp numbers start to drop off pretty quickly though.

I have found myself downsizing my lures this season in the hope of catching yellowbelly as a bycatch on my cod fishing trips. Fat diving lures around the 70-80mm size seem to be great all-rounders. Lures such as the Old Mate and medium-sized OneWell Sumo are great for this, and they

REDFIN March can be a great time of the year to catch redfin in both Lake Buffalo and Lake William Hovell. Redfin are found in a number of other smaller waterways around the region, but the two aforementioned lakes are the most popular redfin fisheries. I have fished both of these lakes in recent weeks, and the fishing was quite slow. I managed to catch around half a dozen small redfin in each lake, and that was it. I expect the redfin fishing to pick up during March and into April, because that’s usually the pattern each year.

Lake William Hovell has no speedboats, and provides a much more relaxing fishing experience. However, I find the average size of redfin up there to be much smaller.

There are no Murray cod in Lake William Hovel, which I think is a good thing. The lake is a much-loved trout and redfin fishery, so there’s no need to change it. There are plenty of native fish in all of the other waterways.

Lake Buffalo does have speedboats and jet skis, but it also has larger redfin,

Ovens River yellowbelly are often a rich, dark colour thanks to the clear water.

In the rivers, I find bait to be the more consistent producer of Murray cod, however it is still worth casting a few lures around.

fishes very well for cod during March each year as well.

So, despite a little bit of a slow down to the cod fishing during March in the rivers, there will still be plenty of cod on the bite around the region.

YELLOWBELLY The Ovens River system has been producing some really nice yellowbelly in recent times, some have been up around the 50cm mark. Anglers using bait are now catching them on a consistent basis, and those fishing for Murray cod with lures are picking them up more frequently as well.

The best yellowbelly baits are worms and freshwater shrimp. The rivers around Wangaratta are full of freshwater shrimp, which are easy to catch in collapsible

Aussie Flemming with a Lake Buffalo redfin caught casting soft plastics while wet wading around the edges. are the lures that I’ve been using the most.

You don’t want to downsize your lure too much though, or you may find the cod turn their noses up at it.

Spinnerbaits are another great option for catching both yellowbelly and Murray cod.

Trout will be biting well in the streams during March. Small, black soft plastics will work very well.

In recent years Lake Buffalo has really started to come on board as a great Murray cod fishery thanks to the Victorian Fisheries Authority fish stocking program.

March can be a great time to catch Murray cod up there.

Downstream, Lake Mulwala usually 94 MARCH 2024

Holly Alexander caught this Murray cod near Wangaratta on a purple number 2 StumpJumper recently.

Murray cod and silver perch in it.

The techniques I use in both lakes are exactly the same. If I’m fishing from the bank, I’ll cast a soft plastic or bladed spinner. Wet wading is a great idea as it allows you to get your lure out further.

If I’m fishing from a boat or kayak, I usually troll small deep-diving lures. You will find redfin at any depth at this time of the year, however I do tend to find the larger redfin down deeper. I like to troll with my lures about 1-2ft off the bottom.

If you’re bait fishing, worms, small yabbies and live shrimp work the best in both lakes. You will need to catch your shrimp elsewhere because I have never seen a shrimp in either lake. If there are any shrimp in there, they are very scarce.

TROUT Just like the redfin, trout can often come on the bite during March after a bit of a slowdown during summer. Longer nights and cooler days lead to dropping water temperatures, which can trigger the trout to come out and feed.

Freshwater

FMM

VIC

Better fishing to come as water starts to clear SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

I have started to receive more regular reports from anglers fishing the Goulburn River after the last river rise earlier in the year. The water is clearing up, which is making for much better fishing, especially with lures.

Trolling has been great for those fishing in the afternoons and into the evenings, with the best lures being those in pink or fluoro green.

Surface fishing in the morning or night has started to fire back up, with some legal cod caught around Murchison and also off the bank in Shepparton.

Jackall Pompadours and the Bassman Aussie Crawler have been stand-outs in recent reports.

Fishing around Nagambie has been great, with some nice cod and yellowbelly caught recently. Spinnerbaits and Jackall TN60s have been working best.

Bait fishing in the Goulburn around Shepparton has also been good, with scrub worms working well for yellowbelly, and bardi grubs for cod.

We have had another cooler and wetter summer than average this year, which will ensure there is plenty of water in the streams this autumn. In fact, it is raining right now as I type this report.

Wet summers always lead to better trout fishing and I am really looking forward to this March and April.

If you’re lure fishing, anything black is worth trying. There are a lot of march

BROKEN RIVER It’s been a surface fishing bonanza in the Broken River lately, with high numbers of fish being caught. I have had reports of some young fellas walking the banks and catching 15 cod in a session, all on topwater. Balista Humpbacks

Tom and his son Roy with a cod caught from the new fish-out pond at the Arcadia Fish Hatchery.

and Jackall Pompadours have been the stand-out topwater lures in recent weeks.

Fishing downstream of both weirs with lipless cranks and small chatterbaits is another great way to catch cod and yellowbelly in the Broken. This is especially true if there is a little bit of flow, so if we get more rain this month, those weirs will be must-fish locations.

Bait fishing has been very consistent, with reports from numerous locals fishing up to Benalla but mostly around the Orrvale to the junction area. They have reported that fresh is best when it comes to bait, so using shrimp or yabbies has been key to catching cod. Carp also like eating shrimp though, so be prepared to catch a few of those in between the natives.

SHEPPARTON LAKE With the weather cooling off a little, the fishing has hotted up at the Shepparton lake. The water clarity hasn’t been as good as usual but this has given the fish a little more confidence to come out of the weed and attack lures. Small wakebaits, surface lures and sub-surface lures like Bent Minnows have been great in these conditions because you can fish right over the weed and the fish launch

themselves at your lure.

There have been some solid redfin around 35cm caught lately, along with some legal-sized yellowbelly from both land-based anglers and kayakers.

Bait fishing with worms has also been a great way to fish the Shepparton Lake, with plenty of silver perch and redfin reported from those fishing near the boat ramps and the grass hill.

FISH OUT POND (ARCADIA) Something a little different for our reports this month is a report from the fish-out pond at the new native fish hatchery. The pond is regularly stocked with yellowbelly, cod, and silver perch.

We have had reports that spinnerbaits have been working well, with some yellowbelly being caught around the 6-7lb mark. Other great lure options have been square bills, chatterbaits and Jackall TN60s. Plenty of fish have also been caught by those fishing with bait, with worms and yabbies working the best.

The Arcadia Native Fish Hatchery Visitor Centre is located at 200 Ross Rd, Arcadia. It’s open seven days from 5am-10pm (Oct-Mar) and 9am-5pm (Apr-Sep).

flies, crickets and other black bugs and beetles around in March. The black Strike Tiger nymph is deadly during March and April.

I am unsure if you can still get them, but I have had great success with black Rooster Tail spinners in March. If they are unavailable, any type of black spinner will work, as long as it spins properly.

And for the bait fishers, the best bait

in March is you guessed it, crickets! If we get a lot of rain and the streams are high and off colour, worms will work as well.

Grasshoppers are another good option, but crickets are the number one trout bait in March, in my experience.

OTHER SPECIES The yabbying tends to start slowing down in March, so if you like a feed of yabbies you may want to head out

quickly before they disappear into the mud until springtime.

There will be plenty of small freshwater blackfish biting in the streams for anybody targeting them, and of course there will be no shortage of carp during March. Lake Moodemere is a great place to go carp fishing, along with any of the lagoons along the banks of the Ovens River.

Toorongo and Latrobe rivers have been producing both brown and rainbow trout consistently. These rivers rarely fail, and the abundant trout always provide an entertaining session. Most reports have stated that early morning sessions before the sun hits the water have been the most productive, but as usual, fishing here at any time of the day can be rewarding.

The typical lures I mention every month, like spinners, hardbodies and soft plastics, have all been taking big numbers of fish and are more than capable of connecting you with one of the stunning fish that Noojee and surrounds have to offer.

Tarago and Bunyip rivers haven’t been fishing as well as we hoped they would for this time of year. Less water flow makes the rivers shallower and clearer, so the fish spook easier. It is a matter of stealth in both rivers at the moment, and with the flighty trout on edge, finesse gear is a good idea. I recommend using a light leader of 4-6lb when the rivers are in this condition.

A natural-coloured grub-tail or paddletail soft plastic, rigged on the lightest jighead you can find, is the perfect subtle

presentation when the fish are on edge.

There are some big trout to be caught in both of these rivers, and those who persist with the skinny water will be rewarded.

Blue Rock Lake and its renowned Aussie bass have been heating up over the last month, and this should continue in the coming weeks. The size of the bass might not be up to trophy standard just yet, but on a good day they will certainly make up for it in numbers. Boat fishers have been reporting large numbers of bass caught in the top end of the lake on a variety of lures. Hardbodies and jig-styled presentations have been the main contributors, although a hungry bass will eat just about anything you put in front of them.

For those who fish off the bank, soft plastics worked through and around structure have been producing redfin and bass, with the odd trout in the mix, too.

For those who prefer to bait fish, worms on a light running sinker rig will catch just about anything in the lake.

There is plenty of fishing to be had in our region this month, and as always, it’s just a matter of finding a spot that doesn’t

The weather is great, and so is the fishing WEST/SOUTH GIPPSLAND

Billy Auldist

Fishing in our region over the last month has been phenomenal, and this will continue for a while longer. The consistent warmer weather has kept the systems in pristine condition, with clear water holding plenty of active fish.

Fishos have been very successful, and reports have been piling in from across South West Gippsland.

Noojee’s ever-faithful Loch,

A local lure-crunching brown trout.

A surprise golden perch caught in a local estate dam. receive much fishing pressure. It’s a great time of year for exploration, and it’s just a matter of trial and error until you find your next favourite spot. It looks like we are in for another month of prime fishing in South West Gippsland.

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Plan a fishing adventure on Labour Day weekend EILDON

Daniel Piazza

With steady rainfall through January and February, there should be plenty of fish moving around Lake Eildon this month. On the Labour Day weekend I will be camped somewhere up the big river arm on the lake, and if you see the Primal boat come and say hi.

elicit a reaction bite; whereas a naturallooking, slowly-retrieved swimbait will elicit a feeding bite. Change it up until you get that first fish.

If you want to have some morning sessions in March, bait will work better than lures. Worms are always a good choice. If I were using bait, I would find a nice, steady bank that runs about 10m deep with a long point so I can throw a bait right on top of the point. Fish will cruise straight past your bait. You’ll have to keep moving your bait from one side of the point to the other, and move it from different depths so you can find those moving fish.

The Bonnie Doon area, for some reason, holds active fish for most of the year. A downscan sounder is invaluable

here. Look for sudden changes in contours, severe drops in the lakebed, and rock bottom transitioning to a mud or sand bottom. Learning to use your sounder is the key to understanding the

On a night trip chasing cod in 2023 I was fishing in shallow water and I noticed some massive Murray crays – they must have been close to 60cm from tail to the claws. I would love to know if people

Ben with one of his hand-tamed 80cm backyard Lake Eildon cod.

Ben has been doing product testing for the rattle Kush 65mm vibes.

We have had some stinking hot days this summer, and those are the days when it’s best to fish in the afternoon and into the evening. You can also fish early in the morning, but the bite times can be short and sharp. When the sun gets higher in the sky, the fish seek out cooler waters.

Casting the banks with noisier lures is the trick to drawing active fish from the structure they are lying on. Some attention-grabbing lures, like spinnerbaits,

Frazer caught this trout on fly in one of Eildon’s many mountain streams. It’s a big walk into the deep, overgrown streams, but there are plenty of fish waiting to eat a delicate, hand-tied fly.

lake features. It’s a game changer.

You’d think the trout would have retreated to cooler depths, but they have been feeding close to the surface for most of summer, so don’t be shy to drag some lures around the lake. Trolling is an effective way to cover large amounts of water, and when you do start to catch, you’ll narrow down more of the Eildon puzzle. Redfin will be a bycatch, and it’s a lot of fun when you find a patch of these delicious table fish.

As the seasons change, the yellowbelly will start to find their winter homes and schools to feed up on baitfish and crustaceans.

target them in the open season. No doubt a big cod would love eating these crays at any time of year.

I suspect that this year’s trout spawn run up the major feeding rivers will be one to remember. Wear good sunglasses, spot those fish, deliver accurate casts and reap the rewards.

• Daniel Piazza is the creator of Primal Spinbaits – quality handcrafted, Australian-made spinnerbaits with a wide range of coloured heads and skirts. These spinnerbaits feature heavy-duty wires and high-quality finishes, and are proven effective on our native fish. Google ‘Primal Spinbaits’ to see where you can buy them.

fishing from a boat, work the entire perimeter, favouring depths of 6-10m for flat line trolling or casting soft plastics in minnow patterns on heavier than normal jigheads. A steady retrieve (or

‘roll’) has worked for many anglers, as opposed to a twitched retrieve.

Lake Purrumbete has seen big browns to 3.2kg succumb to a variety of lures, both cast and trolled, not far out from the bankside weed beds.

There are plenty of redfin hanging deep in schools around 15m, taking live minnow, bait such as whitebait, and soft plastics jigged just off the bottom. Your sounder will help you to locate the schools of reddies, as they appear as a cloud hanging just off an otherwise featureless bottom.

Go deeper than 12m and the bottomgrowing weed suddenly dissipates due to a lack of sunlight.

Lake Gillear at Allansford has been producing very active rainbow and brown trout averaging 2lb and plenty of redfin to 600g. Fishing from the bank using baits such as worm and mudeye, either under a float or unweighted on the bottom, has produced results.

Trout and redfin in Elingamite and Purrumbete CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

Lake Elingamite’s water level at the boat ramp has exceeded all expectations, allowing easy access for watercraft to 4m (maybe more) to launch and retrieve.

Plenty of trout, both browns and rainbows over 900g, have been taking minnow lures trolled and cast in and around the weed beds. Larger fish from the previous year’s release are approaching 2kg. Some great redfin well over a kilo have also responded to the above methods.

Many anglers have been catching Bullen Merri Chinook salmon up to 1kg+ and 60cm long. You can catch them flat line trolling minnow lures or static bait fishing in depths approaching 10m with pilchards plus berley.

Tiger and rainbow trout have also 96 MARCH 2024

been taken close to the bank, with low-light conditions being the best.

Bait, lure and fly fishing have all been working. The northern shoreline is preferable for bank anglers. If you’re

A nice Elingamite reddy taken on the troll next to the surrounding weed beds.

Free family fun at Arcadia Visitor Centre The new Visitor Centre at our Arcadia Native Fish Hatchery is now open.

Located 20 minutes south of Shepparton, the centre features an all-weather shelter, displays and information about native fish - like Murray cod - and how we grow them.

• Fish the public pond stocked with catchable-size cod, silver perch, and golden perch • Free electric barbecue and picnic facilities • A fish-themed playground for kids • Free toilet and showers for fishers camping nearby • 200 Ross Road, Arcadia. Open 7 days a week: – 5am – 10 pm during daylight saving (October - March).

– 9am – 5pm for the rest of the year.

The Visitor Centre was funded with $3 million from the Victorian Government’s Regional Tourism Investment Fund.

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Local anglers spoilt for choice at the moment BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

Anglers around the Ballarat and district are spoilt for choice this month, with a number of waters to fish within a very short drive from Ballarat. As a bonus, most waters have been fishing well.

Our very strange weather pattern has continued. El Niño doesn’t seem to have kicked in; we have been having some very warm days, then a downpour of rain, cooler days, then it warms up again. Our fisheries’ water levels have been generally higher than normal, and the water temperatures have been lower than normal for this time of the year.

Take Lake Wendouree, for example. Normally the lake level is down, and the City of Ballarat must top up the lake with water from a bore and recycled water from a treatment plant. These measures were put in place during the drought in the early 2000s, to ensure the lake never goes dry again. The lake levels drop due to evaporation and irrigation for local school and sporting arenas.

This year has been different. The

a win for anglers.

Lake Wendouree continues to fish well, for the reasons already mentioned. The fishing has been excellent, whether you fish with bait, lures, or flies, from the shore or from a boat or kayak.

Mark Townsend and his mates had an unbelievable fly fishing session on Wendouree recently. The fishing started slow, then for whatever reason the fish suddenly decided to come on the bite. In a 2-hour window the boys landed 20 trout (a mixture of browns and rainbows) on black nymphs and olive Magoo fly patterns. 16 of the trout were over 40cm.

“The fishing was insane!” Mark said. “Hopefully we can get amongst them again. The conditions were ideal – overcast skies, a good breeze, a few damselflies buzzing around, and the odd fish jumping around,

Mark Townsend and his fishing buddy landed 20 trout fly fishing on Wendouree during a 2-hour red hot bite. Image courtesy of Mark Townsend.

Jakey Young caught this magnificent brown trout from the Yarrowee River on an Ecogear MX48 hardbodied lure. Image courtesy of Jakey Young.

Lachlan Moore has been getting amongst the redfin at Tullaroop Reservoir. Image courtesy of Steve Angee lake has been continuously topped up from all the rain we’ve been having, and this has kept the water temperatures lower than normal. As a result, the fish in Wendouree have still been actively feeding, whereas normally they would be sulking on the bottom. It’s definitely 98 MARCH 2024

feeding on them.”

Wayne Rigg, Ben, and Jakey Young have been getting amongst the trout on Wendouree, casting surface and shallow diving lures out of a drifting boat.

“We have been catching lots of trout around the mid 40cm range,” Wayne said. “We’ve also been getting lots of follows from some bigger models that just seem to follow the lures instead of committing to eating them. It’s been frustrating but still good to see. At some stage they will commit to eating the lures, and I’m sure we’ll be surprised at how big they are.”

Ballarat Fly Fishers Club members fish every Monday night during the daylight savings period for the Stan Burt Trophy on Wendouree from 6pm-11pm. The guys have often hit the water just on evening to fish the mudeye hatches over the past few months. The

current leader of the Stan Burt Trophy is club secretary Bill Reddick, with a 50cm brown trout. There have been lots of trout caught around that size, and we are expecting a bigger trout to be caught in future. The successful fly patterns have been Craigs Nighttime, Mrs Simpson and Fur fly.

Wendouree will continue to fish well over the next few months, with the high water level and cooler water temperatures. This, combined with the mayflies starting to hatch, will get the trout up and about again.

At Tullaroop Reservoir the redfin are on the bite, with many anglers reporting excellent catches of these tasty table fish. Paul Dawson and his son Ash have been getting amongst them, using worms and small yabbies for bait. Paul said they have been launching their boat from the Gulloways lane boat ramp and

Ross Goyne landed this ripper 54cm brown trout from Moorabool Reservoir on a black nymph fly pattern. Image courtesy of Ross Goyne

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fishing in that area.

“We have been catching good redfin up around 40cm,” Paul said. “ Young Ash is onto me every day saying, ‘Dad, can we go out fishing again today?’ He’s keen as mustard, which is great.”

Steve Angee and Lachlan Moore have been catching plenty of redfin at Tullaroop, too. Steve said the fish are not really schooled up now; you’ll catch four or five, then you have to move again. I have spoken with other anglers who said they are struggling to sound them up with their fishfinders, which is unusual when fishing for redfin.

Steve and Lachlan have persevered though, bagging around 40 each trip.

Most bags have consisted of quite a few rats (small ones) and about a dozen over 40cm, which is good feed. The boys have been catching their fish in about 5m of water on worms and yabbies. Steve explained he cannot catch fish on soft plastics or vibes now – the only thing the redfin will eat is bait.

“This is totally out of character for redfin at Tullaroop,” Steve said, “but I will persevere.”

Ross Goyne has been out fishing at Moorabool Reservoir, catching some ripper brown and rainbow trout fly fishing. Ross said the water level is continuing to drop slowly, even though we’ve had plenty of rain and the small creeks are running water into the reservoir. The water is being drawn down for Ballarat’s domestic water use.

Ross mentioned that on one of his recent trips, the weather was ordinary, with misty rain and a slight breeze before he left home.

“I packed my wet weather gear and headed out,” he said. “I was surprised to find there was only one other angler out there; given the weather I thought there would be quite a few others fishing. Anyway, I started fishing with a couple of black nymphs and it wasn’t long before I landed a plump mid-40cm rainbow trout, which put up a great fight.”

Ross continued to cover plenty of water and landed another rainbow of the same size, and then a ripper 54cm brown trout, once again on a black nymph.

“I was retrieving my flies with a very slow roly-poly retrieve,” Ross said. “I stopped for a quick second when the brown nailed the fly and launched out of the water. He actually scared the crappers out of me! After a good tussle, I landed him, took a couple of photos and released him.”

During the session Ross covered nearly 4km of shoreline, which is all fishable at the moment. In previous years there was less fishable water due to weed everywhere, and I’m not sure why this year is different.

Our local small streams and rivers around Ballarat – which include the

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Yarrowee, Leigh, Clunes, Birches and Moorabool –have continued to fish well. Traditionally, they quieten down during the warmer months, but not this year.

Jakey Young and his mates have been having a ball getting amongst the brown trout casting small, shallowdiving hardbody lures (Ecogear MX48). He said the fish haven’t been huge (a good fish is around the 40cm mark), but they were great fun. On one session the boys landed over 30

Young Ash Dawson has been catching plenty of redfin with his dad Paul Dawson at Tullaroop Reservoir on worms and yabbies for bait. Image courtesy of Paul Dawson. trout varying in size. It’s great to see that our streams and rivers have excellent populations of trout, and the fish are breeding as well.

Lake Burrumbeet used to be one of Victoria’s premier redfin waters until it became infested with European carp.

In recent weeks it has been producing some nice-sized redfin on worms, up to 47cm. I, like many other anglers, have been surprised at the size of the redfin because hardly any have been caught over the past few years. With all the carp in the lake, anglers don’t expect to head out and bag out on redfin. There are also rainbow trout that have been released annually by Fisheries. Hopefully the redfin will continue to breed, and Burrumbeet can return to its former glory.

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Head further afield for memorable beach trips ESPERANCE

Murray Johnson

March is always a great time in Esperance as the winds start to drop, the sun is shining, the water temperature is still slowly rising, and the fish are everywhere.

The salmon are preparing for their migration, and schools are slowly forming along the beaches close to town, such as Salmon Beach, Fourth Beach and 10 Mile. Bigger schools are gathering at places like Roses, Alexander Bay, Thomas River and Poison Creek. Every year, the bulk of the salmon start their migration in March/April, but some resident fish will always remain.

The same beaches have been producing plenty of big bull herring, along with the occasional tailor and skippy around 1-2kg. Beach anglers have also been catching some goodsize flathead, with choice places being 10-Mile Lagoon, Twilight Beach, and Wylie Bay. A few mulloway have also been caught in recent weeks, with the beaches at 14 Mile and Thomas River being good locations to try. Most of the fish have been soapie size, around 60-85cm, with the occasional 1m+ fish turning up. Israelite Bay has also been producing mulloway, along with the occasional gummy shark and bronze whalers.

Around town off the jetty, we are seeing plenty of big herring being caught, along with some smaller skippy, snook, and plenty of squid.

The squid seem to have stayed thick this year. We’ve also been seeing the occasional bonito, and even small 2kg bluefin tuna cruising past. Although normally caught out trolling, these tuna have been taking prawn and squid baits, often on floating rigs, meant for herring.

Another good bait is salted pilchards (stay fresh pilchards), which are a lot firmer. If you cryovac the bags they can sit in your tackle box for years.

They’re a really good travelling bait.

At Bandy Creek Boat Harbour, there are plenty of small King George whiting and also flounder, the occasional bream, plenty of herring and small skippy.

In the local lakes, water levels are low and this will continue until the winter rains arrive. That low water tends to congregate the bream a bit closer together, which makes them

Lachy caught this gummy shark right on high tide. Image courtesy of @lachywarren.

Lachy Warren wasn’t a fan of full moons until he caught this mulloway. Image courtesy of @lachywarren. easier to catch. A popular bream lure at the moment is the 50mm Cranka Crab in blue or olive-green colours. Let it sit on the bottom, and the legs will waft naturally.

Boaters fishing in the bay have been catching some nice squid. There are also plenty of herring, which can be caught on either bait or lures. You can get good catches of herring trolling a small Tassie Devil in the blue/silver colour, or you can try a chrome lure like a Halco Twisty.

The occasional bonito has been caught on the troll, particularly on Halco Laser Pro 150s and 190s in the DD version. The pilchard colour, redhead, and mackerel colour work well.

The closer islands have been producing plenty of nanny gai, sweep, queen snapper and harlequin fish.

Heading out wide, we have been seeing plenty of big schools of bluefin tuna. Most of the fish have been around 2-6kg, with the occasional one up near

the 10kg mark.

Anglers have also been catching plenty of sambos up to 30kg, and smaller yellowtail kings up to 10kg.

There have also been the usual catches of nannygai up to 65cm, harlequin, breaksea and queen snapper. At this time of year, you can also encounter big cuttlefish, with most being around 5kg and some up to 10kg+.

THE MONTH AHEAD As we head towards April, we’ll see the salmon move on as they begin their journey to Perth. We will also see bigger skippy turning up in catches, and mulloway as well.

With the low winds, warm weather, and lower swells at this time of year, many anglers start planning trips to The Cliffs (Point Culver) and Twilight Cove (Cocklebiddy). There you can catch pink snapper off the beach, along with bronze whalers, salmon and big mulloway. One of my customers recently came back from there and they got six mulloway up to 30kg.

Salmon are arriving earlier each year BUNBURY

Whiteys Tackle and Camping

These prolific sportfish are approaching and each year they seem to be arriving earlier. The

Jake with an impressive catch of a hammerhead shark.

102 MARCH 2024

salmon give the shore-based angler a consistent sport fishing target and, depending on a drop in water temperatures, we should start seeing an increase in numbers over the next month.

If you are planning on chasing a salmon, leave the bait at home and flick a lure at the schooled up fish.

Schools from the beach will look just like a weed bed, only it moves! Just tie on a lure and cast away with little to no fuss. My favourite lure is a pre-rigged soft plastic in the 5-7” range, this will allow you to fish the whole water column as it sinks down to the depths where the salmon are holding. When a school of salmon is coming your way don’t cast directly into the middle, try to get your lure landing 5-10m in front of the leading fish and watch as the fish that lead the pack peel off and attack your offering.

Ideally a 6-10kg graphite rod in the 9’ range (in the boat, 7’ is perfect) will suit this style of fishing perfectly.

These types of rods are strong enough

Chris was happy with his catch of mackerel. to cast large lures and put some real grunt on the fish, without taking all the fun out of it.

TAILOR At this time of year there is nothing better than heading down the beach

after work and relaxing with the sand between your toes, the waves lapping at your feet whilst enjoying the afternoon sea breeze! These conditions usually get the tailor hungry and aggressive, which is a great for throwing hardbodied or even soft plastic lures. Look for a likely gutter and start casting in the ever-reliable metal slugs for some high speed spinning. Use metal slugs in 10-70g range with the weight determined by what your rod is capable of casting (if you’re unsure look for a gram rating on the rod blank). If flat out non-stop spinning is not your style, try a bibbed minnow. Twitching and pausing the lure whilst on the retrieve will imitate an injured baitfish sounding the dinner bell to any tailor nearby.

If tailor aren’t your thing, there are still plenty of bread and butter fish to target off the beach. Herring and whiting are swarming the beaches this time of year and, as well as being awesome fun, they’re

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Hallelujah, there is a weather god!

AUGUSTA

Anthony Gillam

Just when we were giving up all hope of catching a feed, the weather changed in time to let all the holiday-makers with boats get out deep. Targeting as many demersals as their bag limits would allow, it was common to see the maximum bag of dhufish being offloaded at the

with King George whiting and yellowfin whiting showing up throughout the system. They did seem to be a little hard to entice on some days but when they switched on there were plenty to be had.

With the reduced outflow from the river, depths around The Dead water and Swan Lake were pretty challenging when the tide was out with plenty of very shallow water to navigate with kayak fishing the best way to get around. Those that stuck to the

the western side when the wind eased up enough to allow it. Shark fishing as always resulted in plenty of bronze whalers that were noticeably more active in the last month especially around Dead Finish where some rather large specimens could be seen cruising in the shallows. Being one of the nicer sharks to eat anything around the metre mark is well worth keeping.

As with all sharks, bleed them and fin them immediately to make the most of their potential. Rigs can be as simple as a paternoster rig with a single 7/0 circle or live bait hook. It is also often possible to sight cast to sharks in the shallows with an unweighted herring, mullet or small bonito as they will more often than

A mid-sized 80s Flinders Bay dhufish added to the impressive list of fish caught by Stacey Veitch using a Vexed Bottom Meat jig. marina for the last week of the school holidays. This was topped up with a couple of pink snapper or queen snapper to fill the fish box. Then the season was closed again and it was back to pelagics, sharks and whiting.

Many boats headed around past the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse to the western side of the coast when the wind switched to the northeast. This section of coast has plenty of reef making it easy to locate the fish. Unfishable for much of the year due to weather conditions, many spots have much less pressure on them making for some great fishing.

There are sanctuary zones throughout the region and you need to be aware of their location to avoid being caught out fishing where you shouldn’t be as it attracts large fines. Download the Recfishwest app as it will show you in real time if you are entering a no take zone.

The Hardy Inlet is fishing very well great chewing too. Shallow diving hardbodies and small metal slices work wonders on herring.

Whiting on the other hand love to eat small sinking vibes on the bottom or small surface lures on the shallow flats of our estuaries.

A commonly forgotten target from the beach during this time of year is the almighty shark. There are a few anglers in the area that target the sharks that are following the schools of salmon. Quite often the salmon are being sent back with a nice new nose ring intended to be the dinner for our friends in the grey coats. This can definitely be a heart pumping experience!

• Whatever your preference, get out there and give it a go! The friendly staff down at Whiteys Tackle and

channels did best when anchoring close to the sand bars and casting around until locating where the schools were passing through. Squid strips, glass shrimps and prawns always work but plenty of fish were accounted for on small soft plastics and prawn style hard bodied lures.

The crab numbers are steadily increasing as the season progresses with Easter being the best time for large crabs full of meat to be caught. Currently they are throughout Westbay, Swan Lakes and East Augusta but should basically turn up right through to the ocean at Jays Beach as time passes. Best option is to put some drop nets in using a boat to allow you to move around until, you locate the current honey hole. Use spleen or chicken necks to avoid the large stingrays destroying your nets eating fish bait.

Beach fishing has been pretty much confined to Hamelin Bay, Boranup and some of the smaller protected sections off

A nice pair of squid for the table.

Camping in Treendale live local and fish locally so if you have any questions on what you have read, or to just want to pop in and say hi, the crew will always be happy to chat.

Hardy Inlet is producing plenty of large early season blue swimmer crabs. not chase down a meal that is dropped in their way.

Some larger numbers of herring are showing up which is a good sign for the upcoming salmon season. Early herring schools may mean that the salmon run will also be earlier than last year where it seemed to not get moving until well into April. Herring are great for rollmops or simply grilled fresh straight from the water and will take baits, soft plastics or hard bodied lures which makes them easy to catch for adults and children alike. Any beach with a bit of a gutter or reef is worth throwing a few casts out as they will soon make their presence felt.

The rockwalls at the marina are holding both herring and skippy in great numbers with schools of zebra fish keeping the kids occupied. Berley up to bring them in and it is just a matter of time before the bigger herring and skippy start biting. Prawn pieces have been particularly effective when floated unweighted off the short rockwall.

There were a few nice rock fishing days very recently and people on school holidays certainly made the most of it with all the readily accessible areas dotted with adults and children all around from Augusta to Hamelin Bay. Some very nice King George whiting have been showing up off the rocks in some of the sandy areas between weed banks with fish in the mid 30 cm range common with the odd fish to 40cm. There

This is what you can expect off the rocks late summer, a first class mixed bag of whiting and skippy. are plagues of small pink snapper on the same grounds and they give a great fight for their size. Unfortunately not many are of legal size so it can become annoying if you are trying to get a feed of whiting.

Squid tentacles and squid strips by far out fish everything else and are aggressively hit if moved slowly across the bottom.

There are lots of sand whiting off the beaches and Dead Finish is one of the better places to target them as there are also good numbers of King George whiting in the same areas. As the weed banks and reef are close to shore especially near the disabled fishing jetty it is pretty easy to hone in on where you need to drop a bait.

• Should you decide to give rock fishing a go please remember that it is dangerous at times and careful consideration of where and when you fish must be done.

Unpredictable weather can quickly affect the fishing conditions and slippery rocks

Juvenile pink snapper stocks are very strong with massive numbers throughout Flinders Bay. are a recipe for disaster. Please remain vigilant when rock fishing; wear a life jacket and tie off to something solid. You can hire one for free from Augusta Xtreme Outdoor Sports at 66 Blackwood Avenue Augusta -the local tackle shop, boat hire and font of all local fishing knowledge.

Look for the big green sign on the roof, it’s right next to the BP Service Station in the centre of town.

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Good fishing continues in March METRO

Jacob Crispe

An extended period of hot weather means little has changed on the Perth metro fishing scene. The fishing continues to be good, but it may pay to focus your fishing hours on the first and

system and have also been catching tailor wherever the bait schools turn up.

Fresh baits, structure and deeper water are the keys to success during the day, while the shallower water flats can come to life with the right tides and time of day.

Speaking of the flats, they continue to be the main talking point when it comes to fishing in the Swan, as the flathead fishing continues to be on fire.

It seems anglers have flathead fever, and I see no reason why this won’t continue

weather we have been having. Again, the better fishing is at first and last light, with the main target species being mullet, sand whiting and, during those periods, tailor.

Peter ‘The Z Man’ Zahradka strikes again. He’s been trying out the new Vexed Micro Meats and getting good results.

Kai Boyle with the elusive giant herring caught under cover of darkness.

Eli Mitter from Anglers Fishing Freo World with a prime example of a black bream.

last light periods. These times are a little more comfortable for the angler, and the fish tend to be a bit less wary than when the sun is directly overhead.

SWAN RIVER As mentioned, first and last light have been the better times to fish the Swan.

The key will always be to find the best gutters at the beach you’re fishing. Gutters are highways for the fish to move through, and the best gutters are not always the

The guys at Tackle West know how to get it done, with a great double of amberjack caught on jigs.

Husband and wife team Jay and Shaun caught this nice haul of yellowfin whiting while wading the flats. through into March.

The flathead fishing has sparked a wave of anglers playing with new lures and new ways of targeting the fish. A few options that seem to be leading the way are the Vexed Bottom Micro Meats, the Vexed Buckabou jig and the Oceans Legacy Roven. All three lures offer great castability, good durability, can be fished in most depth ranges, and are easy to use. They are readily available from your local tackle store and are well worth having a play with. Who doesn’t like trying new lures?

Good areas to try them out would be Point Walter, Matilda Bay, Como Beach, the Mount Henry bridge, and Applecross.

Mitch from Anglers Fishing World Freo has been mixing it up lately, fishing for tailor with the new Oceans Legacy Roven Micro slow jig on the drop-offs. ones furthest away. Some of the best fishing on a beach may be only a short cast away, so take the time to pick the best gutters to fish. When you have found a likely location, a berley bag staked in the wash will help to keep the fish in your general area.

James Ancell with a cracker metro Spanish mack!

This beast pulled the scales down to 17kg.

With no rain, the baitfish have spread throughout the system, and as you would expect, the predators have followed.

Anglers targeting bream and mulloway have been doing well throughout the 104 MARCH 2024

All are good flathead fishing locations to explore.

BEACHES AND ROCK WALLS Our beaches can be very busy at this time of the year, especially with the warm

It can also pay to have a heavier set-up ready to go, and put a fresh tailor fillet out because there’s always the chance of picking up a mulloway when the tailor are about. Cottesloe, Floreat Drain, Trigg, and Port Beach are good beaches to try.

If you’re fishing a beach that has some weedy, broken ground within casting distance, it is well worth having a squid jig handy. These areas do hold squid if you can get a jig to them.

The main targets around our rock walls this month will be King George whiting, skippy, herring, squid, sand whiting and tailor. Fresh bait and a good berley trail will maximise your catch rates.

My favourite rock walls to fish are Fremantle Sailing Club and North and

Paul Willis with a rip-snorter ghost of the darkness! Paul caught this mulloway while bouncing a Bottom Meat down deep in the Swan.

Young gun Harley from Jazz Charters with fat longtail tuna (northern bluefin) South Mole. All of the species mentioned are available from those locations.

Another family-friendly fishing option is the E-Shed Wharf. It has easy access and offers pretty good fishing.

INSHORE The best fishing on our inshore grounds will be around reefy structure and the broken bottom that surrounds it. King George whiting and squid will tend to hold in and around the sand patches leading up to the reef structure, while species like skippy and tailor prefer hanging closer to the structure itself. The odd small kingfish can be caught there, too.

A good berley trail can

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Who needs demersals – plenty of other options!

using subsurface lures or vibes like the Ecogear ZX . If you slow roll these lures, they tend to create a bit of a sand trail which can get the attention of the fish and trigger them into committing when they appear less active on top water lures. If you’re fishing with vibes, drop-offs are good. It doesn’t have to be an extreme drop-off; even a small drop in depth provides a good highway for the fish to swim along and fishing those areas close to the bottom can be productive.

Most lure fishers catch whiting by walking the flats. A boat isn’t ideal as it casts a big shadow, which can deter flighty yellowfin whiting. If you want to try catching whiting over the flats, just jump out of your car and look for any fish darting around over the flats and signs of general life. A good pair of polarised sunglasses is invaluable for this. You’re not just looking for whiting, but also mullet or other smaller baitfish that these fish predate on. If the baitfish are there, there’s a good chance the whiting will be in the area, hunting.

If targeting whiting, you don’t want to fish an area that’s fully covered by weed if you want to give yourself a good chance. Looking for

an area that has a bit of weed with sand patches around it instead is ideal and will produce well.

RIVERS In the rivers during March, it’s a matter of finding the fish. Fishing from a boat or kayak is preferred (but not essential) because there are so many potential holding locations.

Around this time of year, many fish leave the upper reaches of both of our river systems and push their way down a bit, attempting to stray further from the reduced salinity upstream. Targeting midstream fish is a great start, but if there are no fish there, try either side of your location and you will likely find some fish like bream, mulloway and yellowtail grunter.

If you’re bait fishing, lightweight or unweighted bait is the go, with smaller octopus-style hooks being preferred. Good bait options include mullet, cubed mulies and river prawns. Ideally, your bait should be sourced from the local area because that’s what the predators are used to eating and find less unnatural.

If you’re fishing soft plastics, it’s worth alternating between a grub profile and a baitfish profile to see what the fish want on the day. I recommend sticking with natural profiles and colours as they tend to produce quite well. Bigger plastics between 5-8 inches will catch mulloway in the deeper water, though you can expect using lures of this size to result in slow fishing for quality.

These fish are dirty fighters in the river systems, so an 8-10lb leader minimum is recommended to give you more abrasion resistance and a chance at landing a sizeable specimen.

BEACHES On the beaches we can expect the typical herring, whiting and tailor in the coming weeks. You can catch herring and whiting at any time of day, so they’re a fun option when other species aren’t on the chew or if

A nice catch of large, clean blue swimmer crabs caught by Dom Magoo.

pelagic species. Most anglers have been heading to the FADs to play with the mahimahi that surround them in amazing numbers. The odd wahoo is caught amongst them, as well.

It is also worth having a troll on the way out to the FADs. Bluefin tuna, northern bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna and Spanish mackerel can all be found heading to the FADs. If you don’t want to troll, having a few outfits set up and ready to go is always worthwhile just in case a school of tuna pops up in front of you or you spot birds diving and feeding.

The southwest end of Rottnest is another offshore option. The 30-50m mark can produce some excellent yellowtail kingfish fishing.

MANDURAH

Jesse Choy

March is traditionally a productive month for a variety of species, and as a result there are plenty of options during the current demersal finfish closure.

Pelagic species or King George whiting are popular targets at this time of year, plus the usual yearround inshore species like bream, tailor, yellowfin whiting, and the odd mulloway.

ESTUARY The estuaries should continue to fish well in the coming weeks with good numbers of blue swimmer crabs and yellowfin whiting getting about. If chasing blue swimmers, it is generally most productive to chase them from a dinghy and pair that with some drop nets. Crabbing from a boat allows you to cover a larger area, whilst simultaneously finding the better quality crabs and can be far more productive than on foot.

That said, if you don’t have a boat, you can still do quite well walking with a scoop.

At this time of year, there are some good-size yellowfin whiting getting around. The Peel-Harvey estuary is known for its yellowfin whiting, particularly during the warmer months. The fish can thin out this time of year, though in March they appear to be lesser in numbers than previous summer months.

These whiting are generally best targeted on lures, as the estuary is quite shallow and can prove difficult to fish otherwise. A great option is to use a topwater lure through the weedy areas surrounded by sand patches. Fishing topwater also has the visual appeal of watching the fish taking your lure. Smaller lures like a Sugapen and walk-the-dog style hard bodies are often popular choices.

Many locals are cottoning onto concentrate the fish in your area, and you should use fresh baits whenever possible. Squid is a fantastic bait for many of our fishing targets, and the fresher the better. A little tip when using squid is to tenderise it a bit before putting it on the hook. The extra juices coming out of it will have the fish coming back for more.

Another great inshore option is fishing for sand whiting. The most productive way to catch them is by drift fishing the shipping channel.

Sand whiting are a schooling fish, so when you find one, you should find plenty.

OFFSHORE The ongoing demersal ban means the focus for offshore anglers is on

Black bream are a popular target in March.

you are trying to catch bait ahead of chasing some bigger beach fish. Small baits are the go when chasing herring or whiting, with bits of squid or coral prawn being ideal. These little baits don’t last long, so remember to keep checking that you still have bait on your hook to ensure you have a better chance at catching.

If you’re after tailor, they tend to bite best at first or last light and it helps if the water is on the warmer side. If you prefer using lures over bait, you can try throwing a metal like a 15-40g Halco Twisty with a constant retrieve. As well as catching tailor, it will appeal to herring if they’re in the area and is considered an active approach for targeting these species. A 20lb leader is ideal, paired with a light braid to maximise your casting distance and ground coverage.

The ideal time to target mulloway is usually a few hours before and after first light or sundown. The best baits, as usual are whatever is in the area, such tailor provided they are legal, whiting, herring and mullet.

OFFSHORE After the demersal closure finishes at the end of the month, the dhufish and pink snapper will be back on the target list for most. We can also expect a lot of bycatch such as baldchin groper, breaksea cod and plenty of King George whiting on the appropriate grounds.

Lures are a fun alternative, with an increasing amount of anglers from Mandurah opting to fish hybrid bait jigs, soft plastics and slow-fall jigs. If you are looking to get into this sort of fishing when the season reopens, be sure to purchase something that is heavy enough to get to the bottom but not so heavy that it plummets in an unnatural manner. As a rule of thumb, you want the fish to have time to investigate the lure as it sinks.

All up, there is plenty to look forward to as we move further into the new year.

The Fish Tucker Man, Dom Magoo, with a great haul of sand whiting caught close to Freo.

Considering I am writing this with a significant COVID cloud invading my head, it might be time to have a snooze and dream about catching a few flathead in the Swan River. I will catch you next month.

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Easing winds will bring great fishing LANCELIN

Peter Fullarton

Moving to the autumn weather pattern we can expect easing in the strength of the afternoon breezes and some awesome fishing days. The boating demersal season remains closed until 29 March as dhufish will spawn during this period. However, beach anglers can continue to drone or cast for demersals (mostly snapper).

the fish move out to deeper water out of casting range as the sun rises. Drone fishers have a longer window, although it’s still best to hit up those peak feeding times of dawn and dusk. There’s some brutal by-catch this time of year, so don’t get caught out fishing too light of an outfit with samson fish hunting near the inshore reefs and plenty of guitarfish.

The summer run of tailor has been red hot with some great ‘fish-a-cast’ sessions and a good average size. Fish

Garrit with a nice pinkie off the Hobie he caught while floating an unweighted pilchard into a berley trail. was a large volume of juvenile tailor around the 30mm along the nearshore and bay late last year, hopefully signs of a good recruitment year.

Herring have been on an uptick in numbers with some great sized fish around 300-350g, it doesn’t take many to gather a feed. The town jetty is

Guitar fish are common by-catch when soaking larger baits at this time of year. Jon released this fish after a quick picture. are now loaded with eggs and milt ready to spawn. Around this time last year, it was like someone flicked a switch to turn the tailor off, it went from almost annoying not being able to soak a bait for something larger to not getting a tailor bite for some months!

The fish were located by boats out in 35m depths, something must have triggered them on mass to move out to spawn and perhaps then migrate north.

While it’s not unheard of to find the schools in 35m, the total lack of tailor off the beach March-September was very unusual. One thing we did notice

Chris with another great catch off the Hobie – a stonker pinky off the troll!

Jack came fishing with his father for his birthday on one of the northern beaches. He captured this beautiful snapper off the cast.

Recent months have seen an incredible run of snapper off the cast, at times we haven’t been able to get past them! Most fish have been caught at night or very early in the morning; 106 MARCH 2024

The warm water has the spotted flathead active in the shallows. Chris with one of a pair of 60cm fish from a session on the kayak.

renowned for the big schools that gather each night under the lights. A small piece of prawn drifted unweighted is very effective. A lot of fishers will also use small soft plastics – a key to good catches is to smudge a little scent on the plastic every half a dozen casts, especially if the fish are just nibbling the plastic tail and not connecting properly with the hook, Squidgies S factor is a favourite.

I will be on the lookout for the first decent rains to trigger the mullet run, it usually starts around this time of year.

Schools run the near shore heading north and can be caught by cast or haul net, a netting licence is required and there are specific gear rules. Mullet make great bait and sea mullet very underrated for eating quality, one of my favourites is cooked crispy skin

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Tuna action: hooking up and getting hooked KALBARRI

Stephen Wiseman

River fishing in the Murchison has been excellent for the last month.

There have been whiting on the flats opposite the sand spit and around

continued runs of macks and yellowfin tuna, with only the odd fish being lost to sharks. There has been a 3m white hanging around the area, so be mindful. Most of the yellowfin have been in the 10-20kg range. Tom caught a nice 12kg fin – the first he was been able to stay connected to.

The author with his first cobia for the season.

Macks and yellowfin tuna have been providing a lot of fun for ocean fishos. in front of the IGA , and there’s no need to cast out wide because the succulent little critters are around your feet. The smallest piece of river prawn will do, or you can try some small Squidgy Heads. The whiting will hit just about anything at the moment.

Mangrove jack are smashing baits at a few special spots, all upriver!

With the exceptionally low tides, the mulloway have been scraping their bellies to get up around the corner at Goat Island, although a good metrey was released just after the full moon.

Ocean fishos have enjoyed on the BBQ. Water temperatures will be up, most likely peaking sometime next month. It’s always worth running a lure out the back between spots, a bibless minnow or skirt can be towed over ten knots and can pick up any tuna or macks that are attracted up into the wash as the boat passes.

Mackerel should be a viable catch until June before returning to warmer waters. Recent weeks striped, bluefin and yellowfin tuna have been popping up randomly throughout the depths, and boats heading out to the FADs have been finding mahimahi.

Samson fish mainly around the 5-7kg have been schooling on heavy grounds 25-30m depths, while some bigger ones are right in close inside the first line of reefs and even inside the bay. It’s not at all uncommon to have a few bust ups on the herring in the berley trail.

They have been caught from the jetty and even off the cast along some

Another angler who has been doing well on yellowfin is Al. Up near the Sand Patch he had a beautiful 20kg+ fin in the tub but it decided to jump out and attach itself to Al’s foot.

Al said it heart like hell and it was a struggle to drag himself and the fish down the boat so he could grab a knife and cut himself free.

Must of the pelagic action has been on shallow-diving lures rather than deep divers, which are what I would normally use. I went out recently and my only strike for the day was a cobia that hit a lure being fed out, and it was not even set on strike. It was a lucky hook-up but a

welcome fish, and it was my first for the season.

Warm water is still hanging in the bay and a bit to the north, but it hasn’t stopped the run of good pink snapper. These fish have been around in good numbers and will have a break while the demersal ban is on.

Along with the pinks, there have been catches of some big red emperor and baldchin groupers, which also get a respite while the kids are at school.

Boats are being checked at the ramps on a regular basis, so please check all your gear to avoid being turned away or fined.

Al had a bad day when he got hooked in the foot.

While the demersals are off limits, it’s time to troll for pelagic species like this yellowfin tuna Malcom recently caught.

of the near shore reefs. When the mullet start running sambo’s take up residence at some of the reefs along the shore break or even at Lancelin jetty. It’s always a spectacular sight when seeing huge fish cartwheeling through the air as several fish hit the schools simultaneously and a great opportunity to pelt out a XL popper into the fray.

Autumn sees the larger skippy moving back to shallow reefs and a smaller class of fish into the bay.

Berley will normally bring them to the back of the boat where you can cast soft plastics or small jigs for a hell of a lot of fun on ultra-light gear.

March new moon, the lobster always have a great run on the inshore reefs. They are reds so be sure to get the pots right into the reef for best results. It’s a great opportunity to top up the freezer before the winter swell sets in. It is also a good time of year to drop net the near shore for blue swimmer crabs or cast a jig for squid.

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Land-based is a great option in the wind DAMPIER/KARRATHA

Troy Honey

It doesn’t give me much pleasure to write another report starting with how windy it has been in Karratha.

While it is the norm to have wind

up with days or work has been the challenge for most. Albeit, there have been a few good boating days and they were certainly made the most of by locals who got out to find some demersals, mackies, tuna and GTs. Land-based has been the preferred option by many when the wind is howling and the Karratha region is lucky enough to have plenty of locations that are completely or somewhat protected from the wind and allow the ability to cast lures or baits in water that doesn’t resemble a washing machine and not get wind knots or snagged.

These areas include all of the creeks first and foremost at this time of year. There are also spots to be

Mathew Howard landed this superb barramundi land-based at low tide in a local Karratha creek.

Ricky Mclean and his son Marley had success on Karratha barra using ASWB King Brown Prawn lures and an Indian Pacific rod. in November and December, it normally well and truly tapers off with endless days of glass as we progress through January to May. There have been a few days throughout late Januar y and February but trying to line them

Taj Hicks with a nice fat local barra caught land-based on a Samaki vibe.

found in the creeks to get out of the wind and with the barramundi, threadfin, jacks, flathead and queenies all fired up at this time of year, fishing the creeks makes perfect sense.

Then there are areas such as around the Burrup Peninsula, Dampier foreshore, Point Samson, Cossask, Cleaverville and 40 mile, all of which have area facing different directions and provide the ability to escape the wind. These spots are particularly good for species such as bluebone, queenies, trevally, cod, flathead, whiting, javelin and even squid at this time of year. The rocks off the headland around Point Samson are holding lots of squid at

the moment and definitely worth a try. Another option here and one that is helped by the south westerly wind is floating baits with balloons off Point Samson or the Burrup to target Spanish mackerel.

March through to May are by far the best months for fishing conditions in Karratha and as we look forward to the transition in seasons and ideal fishing conditions it will be the demersal fishing that takes centre stage. Notably one species that is turning up more and more, especially those fishing in waters of 60m or more is the gold band snapper. There have been quite a few reported catches recently which would mostly be put down to anglers fishing the cooler

Anglers’ focus is now moving inshore EXMOUTH

Barry Taylor

This month’s report has been supplied by Josh Cheong.

At the time of writing this report, we are just starting to see some good weather after two months of windy conditions.

The blue marlin have begun to quieten down a little on the west side, but a few black marlin and sailfish reports have started to come through inshore. Mixed in with them have been a few mahimahi and a few tuna as well, mainly yellowfin, with sizes up to 60kg.

The gulf has been quite dirty on the eastern side, which has it’s made spearfishing a bit more difficult. However, if you start halfway across, the clarity has been quite good.

In recent weeks we’ve seen a few golden trevally, mackerel and so 108 MARCH 2024

forth being caught in the gulf around the shoals. Soft vibes and soft plastics are a good way to target the trevally, and one of the stand-out lures at the

moment is the Nomad Squidtrex in the 5” and 7” sizes. Anglers trolling Laser Pros and Pacemakers have been catching some nice-size mackerel.

Josh Cheong with a local bonefish caught on a Big John’s Flig. Image courtesy of indepthanglerjosh.

If you’d like to catch a feed off the shore, there have been good numbers of whiting around the gulf.

A few trout up to 65cm+ have been getting caught around the islands. Good lure choices include jigs, soft plastics, vibes, and stickbaits. I usually use Saltiga Rough Ride stickbaits in the 140 size.

For the guys fly fishing, there have been a few permit down towards the bottom of the gulf and across the other side. Crab flies generally work the best.

There haven’t been a lot of reports from the guys deep dropping lately, aside from a few rankin cod and malabar. That said, a couple of guys did do quite well last month fishing in 150-200m of water, catching some nice rubies and 8-bar cod.

FISHING IN MARCH All the gulf waters should

FMM

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LIGHT, POWERFUL, DURABLE… to deliver.

These species all come in

deeper waters to escape the sharks during the wet season.

Currently your best options is fish the same depths for reds and rankins as shark activity is high closer in, but as we progress through to May from March and the water cools, so too will the shark activity start to temper and the demersals will move in as well.

Around the islands throughout March it would be the bluebone

LIGHT, POWERFUL, DURABLE…

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INTUITIVE CONTROL

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to feed on the crabs naturally as the tides rise and fall over the shoreline and by using the crabs as bait, you are presenting the most natural food to the fish. For bluebone and golden trevally t is recommended to use heavy gear to stop the fish before you get reefed but with the other species lighter gear is recommended and adds to the enjoyment of fishing.

It is at this time of year I always get

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coming up soon (8-16 March) and we’ll see a lot of anglers switch tactics from blues to inshore blacks and sailfish. We will report on the tournament results in the next issue.

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Snaring some surprise captures in the rivers FRESHWATER

Peter Fragomeni

The warm summer days have persisted since Christmas. The heat has caused most of our trout to retreat to the deeper sections of our irrigation dams, and shaded areas of our rivers.

One exception was a little rainbow that ventured into very shallow water, chasing marron pellets at night in one

next to a log in shallow water. Feeling lucky and a bit cocky, he thought he would try his deadly new-found weapon. He slowly lowered the loop over its tail, and with a quick lift he secured a large redfin that come to life in a spectacular fashion.

I must state that it’s illegal to land freshwater fin-fish by any means except a rod, line, and hook in WA. For this reason, the angler shall remain nameless.

The Warren River has been living up to its reputation as a big redfin water.

You can check out the action on Blair Hutton Fishing on YouTube.

Hayden Beerkens from Adventure WA marroning at one of his favourite rivers. Marron nets can be used at certain waters in our South West. of our northern dams. This story has a twist – when the gentleman tried to chase off the intruder with his marron snare, it panicked and swam straight

MARRON It was a reasonable marroning season this year, with most people managing their bag limits. The better spots were those that are inaccessible by the average angler. One angler reported getting a few bruises and cuts in the pursuit of those bigger specimens. This unfortunate fellow ended up in the river when a branch snapped as he was trying to get to the drop net he’d set earlier.

His mates nearly joined him as they rolled around on the sloping

The freshwater scene can be slow over summer, so many of us turn our attention to the salty stuff. We are blessed to have quality species like this dhufish, which love trolled lures in shallow water.

Prime marron locations like this are also home to large redfin. The marron season only runs from 8 January until 5 February, and is heavily policed. through the loop, snaring itself. After a quick tussle it was released and happily swam away into deeper water.

The story doesn’t end there. This same gentleman, at a later part of the same night, came across what he thought was a large, sick redfin lying 110 MARCH 2024

Wendy netting a nice little brown she caught down deep, drifting a sinking fly line in one of our northern dams.

banks in laughter.

Some of the dams that have ski boat activity were too muddy to clearly spot marron at night, let alone snare them. The trick is to venture out late at night when it clears, sometimes well after midnight.

My mate Kurt Blanksby had a good night at Harvey Dam, getting his limit of five marron by midnight.

He reported that they didn’t venture into the edges until well after dark.

Hayden from the Adventure WA YouTube channel had a successful season catching a number of mid-size marron from one of his favourite small rivers, south of Perth. He used drop-nets baited with chicken pellets in stockings. He had an awkward experience at the shop counter when he bought the stockings, seeing as he’s a grown man with a beard!

The rivers produced well,

Freshwater

FMM although were a lot of complaints of illegal pre-season activity by inconsiderate individuals. Fisheries WA announced they apprehended 14 people pre season with a total of 274 marron. Some offenders took six times their bag limit, including undersized marron, and no doubt they will be hit hard in the hip pocket.

AUSSIE NATIVES Silver perch have been dominating

Drakesbrook Weir Very slow trout activity with a small number of redfin taking a variety of lures and soft plastics.

Harvey Dam A few small rainbows have ventured into the shallows at sunrise but not many have been landed. Redfin have been active in the deeper water out from the quarry and also around the timbered section of the main river

Good silver perch are available if you know where to look. Alex Vermeulen nailed this 52cm specimen on a surface lizard at one of his secret locations. the catches, with some impressive sizes being taken on the top at night on a variety of surface lures. A nice 52cm specimen was caught late at night on a crawler by Alex Vermeulen.

He’s one of a handful of anglers who successfully target a variety of East Coast native species.

DAMS Waroona Dam Heavy ski boat activity has resulted in very muddy water right through the water column. A few smaller redfin are still being caught, with trout being absent from the catches.

DAM LEVELS Overall storage in our dams that allow public access and recreational activities was 46.6% at the end of January, compared to 59.9% at the same time last year. Conditions remained very hot and dry throughout summer.

Temperatures were 2-3oC above average in January at most locations from the scarp right down to Pemberton. Some of our dams are alarmingly low, with Glen Mervyn, Wellington and Waroona Dam being the lowest in years.

WAROONA DAM DRAKESBROOK WEIR LOGUE BROOK DAM HARVEY DAM WELLINGTON DAM GLEN MERVYN DAM BIG BROOK DAM

38% 86% 63% 55% 41% 15% 84%

channel to the back of the dam. Soft plastics in almost any pattern are working well, especially when you let them sink deep next to structure.

Wellington Dam The trout fishing has been slow recently but things should improve later in the month when the water cools down around the shallower areas and bays.

The redfin fishing has been inconsistent recently. The trick is to keep mobile and try different spots because not all areas hold good numbers.

Big Brook Dam This small dam has slowed down a bit lately. The cooler days towards the end of the month should see better activity.

RIVERS As was the case last edition, I will report only on the rivers I would fish, and which have had reasonably good action recently.

Collie River below Wellington Dam Some nice small trout have been spotted in the runs. A mate of mine fished it on a very hot day and reported that it was running hard, as it was in full irrigation flow. It fishes better in medium flow so keep an eye on the website to see what levels the river is at.

Collie River above Wellington Dam Some nice redfin are getting caught above the small holding weir.

For your best chance of success, fish from a small boat or kayak and cast to the bank, targeting structure.

Soft plastics are the go.

Capel River Some nice redfin are getting caught both above and below the highway.

Bank anglers are doing OK but, as usual, the guys in kayaks are stealing the limelight. Hardbodied lures have been working better but this may change on the day.

Preston River A few trout are being caught in the timbered section and quality redfin are coming from the same section. Lots of exploring and legwork is needed for success. All the popular lures are working, with no particular style being a stand-out.

Warren River This longish river is more famous for its reliable resident redfin these days. This wasn’t the case in the pre-90s, when trophy brown trout lurked in the dark, tea tree stained water. A number of large 3kg specimens come out each year and these are wild fish; there wasn’t a reliable brown trout stocking program back then. Most of the browns caught today are a result of the handiwork by the fellows from the Hatchery.

There is a big controversy as to whether some of these recently-caught browns are actually wild, as they have full tails and it’s hard to differentiate between them. I can say that the brown broods don’t seem to fin-nip like the rainbows do so in fact, they can appear as wild stock. There are exceptions, however, as a number do share that classical deformed tail.

Lefroy Brook This little pretty stream is only kept alive by the constant flow let out of Bigbrook Dam. It offers a reliable limited fishery throughout summer;

WA

A typical Harvey Dam late night marron that fell to Kurt Blanksby’s handy snaring technique. lot of the trout suffer from shock and don’t release very well in summer when the water is higher than normal.

Donnelly River It has been very dry upstream of the highway bridge so explore the section down to Boat Landing. Trolling and casting into the small streams that flow in below can be productive. Big black bream lurk in this section, so if you hook up don’t give them any slack as they run for cover.

Please be aware that a number of campfires have been seen at various locations in the south-west of the state.

This is plain irresponsible, and heavy

Trolling on a stormy day at Wellington Dam. Electric-powered vessels are allowed, and the Minn Kota 80lb Alterra is a good choice in these conditions. however, it gets a heap of foot traffic which results in very spooky trout.

Try the timbered section down below the highway bridge all the way to the mouth of the Warren. Small flies and tiny lures are the go. Be aware that a

fines are handed out to those that don’t obey the total fire bans that are in place, until May on most occasions.

Enjoy your outdoor activities and only leave your footprints. Until next time, stay connected.

MARCH 2024 111

Trades, Services, Charter Boats & Guided Fishing Tours QLD

NSW

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Tournament Calendar 2024 DATE

Tournament

Location

State

Contact

12-13 Mar

Daiwa BREAM Series R3

St Helens

TAS

abt.org.au

16-17 Mar

Daiwa BREAM Series R4

Derwent River

TAS

abt.org.au

23-24 Mar

Vic Bream Classics R1

Metung

VIC

www.vicbreamclassics.com.au

13-14 Apr

13Fishing BASS Pro R3

Clarence River

NSW

abt.org.au

16-17 Apr

13Fishing BASS Pro R4

Richmond River

NSW

abt.org.au

20-21 Apr

Daiwa BREAM Series R5

Albany

WA

abt.org.au

20-21 Apr

Pirtek Fishing Challenge

National

ALL

pirtekfishingchallenge.com.au

27-28 Apr

Vic Bream Classics R2

Nelson

VIC

www.vicbreamclassics.com.au

30 Apr-2 May

Daiwa BREAM Aus OPEN

Sydney Harbour

NSW

abt.org.au

Daiwa BREAM Series R6

Hawkesbury River

NSW

abt.org.au

1-2 Jun

Daiwa BREAM QLD OPEN

Moreton Bay/GC

QLD

abt.org.au

15-16 Jun

Daiwa BREAM Series R7

Blackwood River

WA

abt.org.au

15-16 Jun

Vic Bream Classics R3

Warrnambool

VIC

www.vicbreamclassics.com.au

20-21 Jul

Daiwa BREAM Series R8

Richmond River

NSW

abt.org.au

23-24 Jul

Daiwa BREAM Series R9

Tweed River

NSW

abt.org.au

17-18 Aug

Vic Bream Classics R4

Mallacoota

VIC

www.vicbreamclassics.com.au

26-27 Aug

13Fishing BASS Pro R5

Somerset Dam

QLD

abt.org.au

29-30 Aug

13Fishing BASS Pro R6

Wivenhoe Dam

QLD

abt.org.au

13-14 Sep

Zerek BARRA Series R1

Monduran Dam

QLD

abt.org.au

16-18 Sep

Zerek BARRA AUS OPEN

Lake Awoonga

QLD

abt.org.au

28-29 Sep

13Fishing BASS Pro AUS OPEN Glenbawn Dam

VIC

abt.org.au

1-3 Oct

13Fishing BASS Pro GF

Lake St Clair

NSW

abt.org.au

12-13 Oct

Vic Bream Classics R5

Marlo

VIC

www.vicbreamclassics.com.au

13-14 Oct

Zerek BARRA Series R2

Lake Tinaroo

QLD

abt.org.au

15 Oct

Zerek BARRA Series R3

Lake Tinaroo

QLD

abt.org.au

11 Nov

Zerek BARRA Series R4

Teemburra Dam

QLD

abt.org.au

12Nov

Zerek BARRA Series R5

Teemburra Dam

QLD

abt.org.au

14 Nov

Zerek BARRA Series R6

Peter Faust Dam

QLD

abt.org.au

16-17 Nov

Zerek BARRA Series R7

Peter Faust Dam

QLD

abt.org.au

23-24 Nov

Vic Bream Classics GF

Nelson

VIC

www.vicbreamclassics.com.au

29 Nov-1 Dec

Daiwa BREAM Series GF

Lake Macquarie

NSW

abt.org.au

March

April

May 4-5 May

June

July

August

September

October

November

Add your tournament or competition to this list by emailing jthomas@fishingmonthly.com.au Just supply a date, venue, tournament name, telephone number and contact name.

MARCH 2024 113

BOATING TEST

SCAN THE QR CODE FOR EXTRA CONTENT

FMM

MORE ONLINE

Horizon Sports Fisher 632 with Yamaha F200XCB SPECIFICATIONS

FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

I’ll admit that one of the problems in the boating industry is that it’s sometimes hard to get a test drive in a rig you want to buy. Of course, this is because it’s nothing like a car dealership – you can’t just throw someone the keys and say “Bring her back tomorrow”, the water isn’t like a road.

That’s why it’s great to see dealers putting together ‘demo’ boats that are used for boat staff trips, and to take potential customers out on the water.

This is the first boat test we have done with Marine Care in Redland Bay in Queensland and they have a ramp handy just down the road that lets them access southern Moreton Bay. Alan Riesenweber seemed pretty proud to show off their new demo boat – a Horizon Plate 632 centre cab fitted with a Yamaha F200XCB and some cool

Length Overall .......................... 6.50m Beam ................................................ 2.50m Depth.................................................... 1.5m Bottom Sheet ................................4mm Side Sheet .......................................4mm Hull weight................................... 935kg Rec HP....................................................150 Max HP..................................................200 Capacity................................. 7 persons accessories. Sporting a new wrap, the rig sure does look the part.

“We have no problems getting customers down to take a ride if they’re interested in the boat. It’s a great way to get a feel for it,” Alan said.

Horizon Plate boats are proud of their GRiDcore construction. Under the deck, it’s deck-to-hull welded aluminium grid that adds strength and rigidity. They have a variable deadrise hull with reverse chines along the back half of the hull and plenty of gunwale height inside.

They are built on the Gold Coast in South East Queensland in the factory that also make Stessl boats and are supplied with factory fitted Dunbier trailers that match perfectly, which leaves the dealer to complete outboard fitout and any options that the customer wants.

In the case of this boat, it’s a big Raymarine sounder, a 36v, long shaft Minn Kota at the bow and a novel battery system that packs plenty of amps of 12V in a multiple battery setup and a converter that lists the output to 36v.

It’s a centre cab with a walkaround to the bow and the setup is wide enough to make your way 360o around the rig quite easily. This lets you spread out a bit while fishing and if there’s 3 or 4 aboard, anglers appreciate this.

I assumed the cabin would be tiny in a 6.3m boat of this type, but it’s surprisingly large. Not big enough to stretch out, but at 1.4m, long enough to lay out if you get the optional cabin extender. The cabin is separated with a canvas privacy screen

that Marine Care have installed.

At the helm, there’s some comfortable and adjustable seating, but it does lack a place to put your feet while underway. Horizon says that the issue is being rectified as I write this.

The dash is wide enough for the largest of electronics mounted flush, which is what they should be.

There’s some storage under the seat pedestals, too. You can fit a cooler under the passenger one.

The hull is powered by the biggest outboard allowed – a 200 Yamaha

Main: It’s nice to see dealers who put together demo boats with the intention of taking interested customers out on the water. It helps that Marine Care is just up the road from the ramp.

Above: Yamaha’s F200XCB is the maximum horsepower this hull is rated to. It’s a good match.

Word has it that the wrap went on the day before the boat test. Looking sharp!

114 MARCH 2024

4-stroke. It’s the XCB version, which has an inbuilt hydraulic steering piston, but fly-by-wire throttle and shift. On the water, it’s a smooth setup and would suit someone that’s not going to dive into the Helm Master ecosystem.

FMM

BOATING TEST

Top: There’s a fold down rear lounge to the port of the transom door.

Above: The side pockets have a gap underneath to slot your feet when fishing over the gunwale.

The Yamaha 200 fitted to this boat is a more economical model with digital throttle and shift, but inbuilt hydraulic steering that matches to any hydraulic helm.

Top: The shade extension is virtually a necessity in Australia. You can unzip the middle to access rods. Above: There’s a plumbed live bait tank in the port transom corner.

There’s decent cockpit space astern of the cockpit.

Comfortable, adjustable chairs are part of the package, although I’d like somewhere to put my feet at the helm.

Top Left: The boarding ladder is rugged and the transom door is standard.

Top Right: The cabin length is 1.4m, so you’ll need optional cabin extenders if you want to sleep comfortably in here.

Bottom Left: The bait board comes with a shelf and ample rod storage. Bottom Right: There’s a standard anchor well up front with the electric motor to the port side of it.

Left: The walkaround is wide enough so you don’t have to shuffle sideways, except when skirting the stowed electric motor.

Top Right: There’s some simple storage under the helm seating and room for a cooler under the passenger pedestal.

Bottom Right: The hard top is simple and there’s plenty of room for a radar up here.

MARCH 2024 115

FMM

BOATING TEST

On the water, it was a little sporty with a 20-knot southerly pushing against a making tide to spice things up a little.

Quartering the sea, you definitely get wet down the back, but she’s all dry in the cockpit. The demo rig has optional Trim Tabs, which were needed on the test day to level the ride.

As expected, she is quick out of the PERFORMANCE RPM Speed

(km/h)

Economy

(km/L)

600 ............................ 5 ......................... 1.7 1000 ...........................7 ........................2.3 2000 ........................12 ......................... 1.7 3000 .......................25 .........................1.8 3500 .......................36 .........................1.8 4000 .......................43 .........................1.6 4500 .......................49 .........................1.4 5000 .......................55 .......................... 1.1 5800 .......................66 ........................0.8

Top: Best fuel economy was at 3,500rpm, although a great cruising speed was a little faster than that. It gave twice the range of wide open throttle and, at that speed, the economy dropped to 800m per litre of fuel burned. Above: This rig will turn heads at the ramp and in the water.

hole and has the most economical cruising speed at 3500rpm, where it gets 1.8km/L at 36km/h. Compare that to wide open throttle at 5800rpm where you get 800m per litre at 66km/h.

I reckon you’d end up cruising a little faster at 4000rpm and 43km/h where the range is exactly double that of hammersdown at 1.6km/L. With a 250L tank, that’s around 400km to play with in theory.

Supplied on a Dunbier twin axle trailer, this rig would come in at a little over 2 tonnes fully loaded, which is easily handled by all of the twin cab utes on the market.

As tested, this rig came in at around $130,000, but delete some of the options and the price comes down a lot. Reach out to Alan at Marine Care if you’d like to take up his offer of a test drive.

Top Left: This underfloor kill tank will easily hold a limit of snapper. Top Second: We love boats that can flush mount the biggest screens you would want to use. Horizon does this well. Third: Tipping the hard top back isn’t a 30 second job, but it’s easy enough to do if your storage is height limited. Top Right: There’s a raw water wash down for the gunwales and bait board. It’s not a self-draining deck. Bottom Left: The cabin privacy screen is an aftermarket option fitted by the dealer. Bottom Second: Horizon supplies a fitted Dunbier trailer to the dealer, so you know it’s set-up right. Bottom Right: The Minn Kota is powered by a high amp 12 volt battery bank with a DC to DC voltage converter.

116 MARCH 2024

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EASILY DRIVEN HULL WITH GREAT STABILITY AT REST Visit www.horizonboats.com.au to learn more

New South Wales Tide Times

Victorian Tide Times

2021 2024 Times and Heights of High and Low Waters20212021 Local Times andLocal Heights of Time High and Low Waters T 33° 51ʼ S LONG 151° 14ʼ E Times and Heights of High and Low38° Waters Time LAT 18ʼ S LONG 144° 37ʼ E SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) – NEW SOUTH WALES – NEW SOUTH WALES POINT L POINT POINTLONSDALE LONSDALE––VICTORIA VICTORIA

SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) – NEW SOUTH WALESPOINT LONSDALE – VICTORIA SYDNEY (FORTLONG DENISON) – NEW LAT 33° 51ʼ S 151° 14ʼ E SOUTH WALES LAT 38° 18ʼ S LONG 144° 37ʼ E T DENISON) – NEW SOUTH LONSDALE VICTORIA LATSOUTH 33° 51ʼ S POINT LONG 151° 14ʼ E SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) – WALES NEW WALES POINT–LONSDALE – VICTORIA LAT 33° 51ʼ S

LONG 151° 14ʼ E

2024

LAT 38° 18ʼ S

LONG 144° 37ʼ E

2024 2024

2024

MAY JULY AUGUST JUNE MAY JU Times and Heights of HighJUNE and Low Waters Local Time Times and Heights of High and Low Waters and Heights and Low Waters JANUARY FEBRUARY APRIL and Heights of High and Waters ONGTime 151° 14ʼm E of High LATLocal 33° STime LONG 151° 14ʼ E Low LAT LAT 38° 38°m 18ʼ 18ʼSS Times LONG LONG 144° 144° 37ʼ 37ʼ EE51ʼMARCH LAT 38 Time m Time Time m Time m m JULY Time m Time m Time m JUNE JULY MAY AUGUST Time m Time Time m Time m Time m JUNE MAY m Time m Times TimeandmLow Waters Time m Time m TimeHeights m of High Time m Time m LocalTime JUNE JULY ghTime and Low WatersTime m Time and Local Time Time Times Times Times and andHeights Heights ofofHigh High and andAUGUST Low Low Waters LocalTime Time Time MAY JUNE Time m Time m Time Time m Time m m Time Time mm m JULYTime m m and Time m Waters Time m m Local

0519 0.58 0633 0.53 00061.36 1.68 0145 0.69 1.34 0150 1.40 1.26 0554 0.36 0037 1.78 0057 1.60 0557 0452 0623 0034 0.51 0052 1.4816 02081 1.63 1.41 0134 m1.71 0205 16 1.57 0046 AUGUST 0122 1.60 0034 1 1.26 0113 1.39 0028 1.52 m1.30 Time Time Time m0.49 Time Time m0.54 16 1 1 JUNE MAY JULY MARCH APRIL MARCH MARCH FEBRUARY FEBRUARY APRIL APRIL JANUARY JANUARY MAY m 1 0735 Time 1155 m1.39 16 0740 0744 1117 m1.28 1238 0646 0.43 m 0750 Time 0.51 0807 0.62 Time m0835 Time Time m Time m Time Time m 0735 1 16 1 16 16 1 16 1 16 1 1 16 1148 0.55 1.30 1041 0.38 1158 0.58 1.47 0821 0.65 0637 0.48 0.56 0825 0.55 0923 0.65 0601 0.67 0706 0.68 0642 0.62 16 1 1 1 16 1 16 1 1.68 16 SU0633 1MO 1225 TU 16 1SA0037 17251.78 0.65 1345 1.33 13581.26 1.3811.37FR 16400.53 0.75 1804 0.76 16 1303 16 1.43 1430 1.59 1446 1.43 1.18 SU1904 MO 1245 0006 0150 0057 1412 1.18 0034 1257 1.79 WE 1430TH 1.31 1.22 1.62 1.42 1900 1.50 0.80 0.58 1748 1.58 1.54 0.75 TU1.60 TH 1307 FR FR FR 12381.40 SA 14161.34 MO TU 1533 0.51 SA 0145 MO TU WE 1245 0207 0557 1.36 0046 0.69 0049 0452 1.41 0623 2314 1.71 1848 0.66 2110 0.56 2114 0.76 2359 1.88 1911 0.79 1940 0.78 1 16 16 1 16 0740 0.49 0744 0.54 0646 0.43 1238 1.30 0807 0.62 1932 0.38 0.32 16 20282319 0.60 19490.51 0.71 1.301935 0.78 2042 1.47 0.88 1935 1910 0.51 1928 0.56 0.55 18350.58 0.59 0750 0.74 1.54 1.44 1.35 1928 1 10938 1 1158 1 1041 16 1161616 16 1148 0735 0748 0735 1 1 1 16 1345 1.33 1.38 1.43 1616 0.76 1430 1.59 1 11 1446 1.43 1 16 1 16 16 16 1 1 16 1 1 16 16 16 1 TH111358 FR 1303 WE 1804 SU MO 16 1427 1900 1.50 1245 0.80 1257 0.87 1748 1.58 1904 1.54 1245 0.75 0608 0.61 0030 1.68 0255 1.18 0301 1.25 0138 1.66 0148 1.47 0100 1.58 0700 0.43 SA 0.47 SA MO 1.38 FR 0.78 TU WE 0146 1.50 1848 03070534 02330.56 1.63 02250043 1.58 0.65 0317 1.52 0135 1.27 1.41 0108 1.52 2110 0.66 2114 0.76 0.7917 17 1940 0.74 2 17 171928 172 0130 21.60 2 1.44 2TH 0.68 17 20.67 2 2 0118 20158 17 17 221911 20735 17 21121 170023 1207 1.25 0.52 0858 0.65 0.56 1.42 0.54 0828 2 0.58 0733 0.45 1300 1.31 2057 2319 0.74 1.54 17 17 17 2 0739 0.541720724 0955 0.62 09411935 0.61 0938 0.65 17 102117 0.65 0853 1922 0648 2 0.710835 0801 0.73 073317 2 2 0656 1.29 0842 1.32 0.42 1.40 0849 1.50 17261.68 0.80 1.34SA 1544FR 1.47 1447 1.35 14511.18 1359 1.49 TU MO 18251.66 0.74 MO 1350 1.62 TH 1.17 15341.25 1.13 1531 1542 1.17 WE 1636 1.24 1.54 1353 1.58 1.31 1323 1.27SA TU 1538 1.64 SU WE1.47 SU TU 1305WE FR1335 SA 1.41 0030 0255 0138 0148 0100 0301 1231 0.65 0.89 1.52 0.68 0.85 SU WE SA TU TH 1345 0315 0023 0.74 0135 0534 1.38 0043 0.65 1906 0.77 2227 0.72 2230 0133 0.50 0.57 2019 0.82 2045 0.81 1957 0.67 0.68 2021 0.40 2126 0.68 20530.56 0.79 20521256 0.81 0130 2157 0.47 0.85 1336 1948 2007 0.61 191317 0.66 0853 17 0724 2220.54 17 17 2 1836 0.52 0858 0.65 0835 0.54 0828 0.58 0733 0.45 2 17 2 17 17 17 17 2 17 2 2 2 1947 1.44 2019 1.40 1959 1.51 2023 1.50 17 17 17 17 17 2 2 17 17 2 2 17 17 2 2 2 2 17 17 2 2 2 2 0656 1.29 0842 1.32 0848 1.37 1043 1121 0.42 0735 1.40 0849 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1644 301633 15 30 15 0516 0.46 0515 0.54 0420 0.54 0530 0.33 0519 0.29 0500 0.51 1653 1625 1.74 1556 1.66 1614 1.71 1517 1.87 1454 1.76 1730 0.58 1627 0.53 0.47 1430 0.45 1500 0.66 1557 0.56 1523 0.58 1419 0.58 TU FR SA SU MO TU 13 132033 28 28MO 13 13 28 2811010.45 13 131202 28 13 2159 280.50 0426132258 13 13 28 280.67 FR TU TH0400 TH SA SU WE 13 13 13 28 28 28 13 28 28 131.78 28 0446 0.29 0512 0.49 0428 0.271313 0357 0.41 0446 0.31 28 13 28 28 13 13 28 0254 1.58 1.48 0343 1.49 1.43 0236 1.48 1126 1.56 1.29 1112 1.30 1027 2.04 1047 1.75 1148 1.87 1130 1.72 1.48 30 15 30 15 30 15 5 0338 30 2152 0.71 2129 0.72 2217 0.64 2043 0.78 2332 1.39 2250 1.78 2300 1.72 2102 2.10 2133 1.83 2229 1.99 2154 1.84 2046 12 1055 1.48 27 113016541.46 0932 1.33 27 1027 1.41 12 0953 1.34 27 1048 1.41 12 12 12 1016 0.54 17360856 0.48 0.21 0.71 0.44 0.71 0929 0.40 0.54 0.36 SA 17271000 SU 163527 SA 1712 0.18 SU 1721 0.41 TU 1813 0.25 WE WE 1737 0.34 0830 TH 1644 0.47 1500 0.66 SU 1557 0.56 1523 0.58 1627 0.53 TH FR MO 1.43 TU 2352 1.52 2314 1.43 1.75 2310 2321 1.35 23551.48 1.81 1730 23160.58 1.67 1603 1.82 1.68 1.71 1.61 1532 1.75 TU FR 1704 SA 1634 SU 1704 0524 WE 0544 0425 0.52 1.56 0528 0.38 1.49 0527 0426 0.33 0345 0.25 0417 0.50 0519 0.32 0437 0.40 0316 0.51 0254 1.58 2250 0236 0343 1.48 2300 0400 31 31 2332 1.39 1.72 2133 1.83 2229 1.99 2154 1.84 1.78 13 28 13 28 13 28 3 0913141.41 28 2127 0.67 2235 0.70 2212 0.66 2256 0.62 2110 0.76 12 27 12 12 27 27 12 1210 1.45 1133 1.40 1142 1.51 0945 1.50 0445 1015 1.32 1120 1.39 1036 1.35 0856 0.21 1000 0.44 0929 0.40 1016 0.54 0830 0.36 1006 0.47 1102 0024 1.65 2931 0557 0.57 1414 0616 0.36 2929 054131 0.54 1414 0004 1.76 0610 0.58 0.41 0458 0.56 14 14 29 29 14 29 14 29 29 14 14 29 29 14 29 14 14 29 14 29 2915210.320.51 14 29 31 FR0519 1820 0.64 1715 0.59 1737 0.50 1540 0.68 1649 0.61 1608 0.59 14500.50 0.62 1603 1.82 1704 1.68 1634 1.71 1704 1.61 1532 1.75 1652 1.68 1724 SA WE FR SU MO TU TH 0527 0.33 0544 0.52 0417 0437 0.40 0528 0.38 14 29 14 29 14 29 14 29 TU FR 1.55 SA SU 1.42 WE MO 1.49 WE 1.40 0627 0.40 12000338 1.47 1221 1.54 0315 11391.48 1.40 07080446 0.55 1206 1.26 0430 1116 2.01 1120 1.69 0510 2331 1.64 0.66 2347 1.60 21541.39 2.08 2213 1.81 2318 1.87 2235 21191.32 1.7928 1120 28 WE 13 2127 0.67 2235 0.70 2212 0.62 2110 0.76 2245 0.43 2331 1.51 1015 1036 1.35 1133 1.40 1238 1.69 1804 1142 0.53 181728 0.47 1210 17241.45 0.60 1.20 2256 172528 0.76 1759 0.19 1751 0.44 TH TH 1.81 FR SU 13031042 MO SU 13 MO 13 28 13 13 0942 0.28 0906 0.37 0.52 1014 0.46 1053 0.62 © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2019, Bureau of Meteorology 1737 0.50 1540 0.68 MO 1649 0.61 0.59 1855 0.59 0.36 23520.64 1.66 1818 0.80 2356 1.37 FR 1647 SA 1820 TU 1608 WE 1715 0015 1.28 0609 0.38 0500 0.51 0610 0.40 0518 0.41 0606 0.45 0355 0.52 0443 0.28 1.75 1611 1.73 1743 1.61 1714 1.68 1735 1.56 WE 2347 TH SA SU MO 0338 1.55 2331 0315 1.48 0519 1.55 0607 1.42 0430 Astronomical 1.49 0510 1.40 Datum0446 of Predictions is Lowest Tide 1.60 2213 1.81 2318 1.87 2235 1.81 1.64 29 29 29301044 of1.43 14 29 14 4Copyright Commonwealth Australia 2020, Bureau Meteorology 15 150906 15 15 30 3006261014 15 1514 30 30 300.55+11:00) 15 15 30 300.28 15 151141 30 30 15 15 30 15 30 15 0619 0.59 1232 1.54 1059 1.30 1213 1.37 1122 1.36 1218 1.40 0952151.37 15 30 2209 0.67 2146 0.75 2318 0.70 2257 0.61 2332 0.60 0100 1.65 0006 0.62 1.71 0000 1.46 0114 1.64 0043 1.77 0.58 0537 0.59of 13 28 13 28 13 28 13 0942 0.37 1053 1042 0.52 0.46 1053 Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC when in 15Moon 15 30 15 15 301804 1.43 1.63 0.55 1622 0.71 1744 0.67 1656 0.61 0.66 1.68 1524 0.66 0.59 atum of 0.51 Predictions is1614 Lowest Astronomical Tide 0816 0.62 30 0713 1.56 0.59 0540MO 0.43 0727 0.48 07161.61 0.46TH 12211.28 1.32 1154 1.62 TU SU 1254 SA 1838 FR SA 0015 0500 0610 0.40 0518 0.41 0606 0.45 0609 0.38 1647 1.75 1611 1.73 WE 1730 1759 1743 1714 1735 WE TH TU TH SA SU MO Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon New First Quarter 0421 1.50 0355 1.46 1.37 1.47 1919 2331 0.69 0.39 0558 1.37 2254 1.78 2319 2155 22461.37 2.01 1.17 2332 1.24 0521 1206+10:00) 1.93 1.49 (UTC 131529 1.36 0.66 0.61 1821 0.47 14+11:00) 29standard 14 29savings MO 14160534 TU 1310 0.60 MO TH 1330 FR 1.76 SA 17570.59 TUor mes are1.30 in1.78 local time (UTC daylight time when in effect 0619 1059 1213 1122 1.36 1218 1.40 1232 1.54 2209 0.67 2146 0.75 2318 0.70 2257 14 14 1131 0.70 19241120 0.86 0.61 182729 0.80 1101 0.54 1845 0.24 1939 0.66 0.48 14 190029 0.60 1254 1025 0.36 0943 Last 0.39 1.43 1622 0.71Symbols 1744 0.67 1656 0.61 First 1804 1838Moon 0.55 SU TU WE TH SA New Moon Quarter Quarter oon Phase Full 0041 1.46 1.37 0007 1.74 0013 1.50 1.47 0542 0.34 0545 0.53 0601 0.421.37 04351.78 0.54 0106 0620 1.17 1731 1.67 1650 1.69 1819 1.55 1754 1.63 1.51 31 31 31 31 31 TH FR SU MO TU 1806 0006 31 31 31 1919 0.69 2254 2319 1.76 0421 1.50 0355 1.46 1.53 0534 0521 0558 31 0032 1.64 1.3830 0658 0.47 15 5 1033 1.32 30 1143 1.38 15 0657 0.45 30 2344 0645 0.52 15 14 1146 0033 1.29 12110.69 1.39 30 0703 0.65 2252 2225 0.74 0.56 14 29 14 29 29 14 1025 0.36 0943 0.39 1141 0.65 0658 1120 0.61 1101 0.54 1131 0.70 31 31 0717 0.62 0619 0.64 WE 1305 1.36 1.56 MO 1346 1.42 1304 1.40 17091.74 0.66 17100.42 0.73 17491.46 0.64 FR 16000.53 0.71 SU SU 1328 1806 TU SA 0013 1.50 1.69 TH 0041 0545 0007 0601 1.17 1731 1.67 1650 1.55 0106 TH FR WE 1813 FR 1220 SU 1819 MO TU 0.70 13101754 1.24 1229 1.53 SU WE 1948 0.57 1.51 0622 1839 0.73 15 0507 1859 0.72 1.63 0001 23410.47 1.91 15 1211 2339 1.73 22321.29 1.7530 0658 2030 0.70 1.58 0010 30 30 1.43 0437 1.44 1.46 0.59 0645 0.52 0657 0.45 1146 1.39 0703 0.65 2252 2225 0.74 2344 0.56 1838 0.73 1853 0.69 0.51 15 30 15 0650of1836 1107 1023 1.42 0.43 15 0630 1.32 30 1151 0.64 Commonwealth 1.35 1.40 2023, 1328ofof0.45 1.56 1710 0.73 WE 1305 1.36 0.64 1346 FR 1304 SUBureau TH©©1749 MO Copyright Copyright Commonwealth Commonwealth of ofAustralia Australia 2023, Bureau Meteorology Meteorology © Copyright Austr © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2023, Bureau of Meteorology reau of Meteorology 0642 0.42 0058 1.37 0213 1.10 1859 0437 0.72 1.44 1948 0001 0.57 0.70 2339 1.73 0.73 2030 1815 1.58 1731 0.70 1.64 1.46 1200 0010 0.70 0.59 1838 0018 1.58 0.37 1212 0045 0.79 FR SA MO TU WE 0507 1.43 0622 311839 31 31 1244 1.34 07230.72 0.58 0.70 Datum Datum of ofPredictions Predictions isisof Lowest Lowest Astronomical Astronomical Tide Tide Datum0726 of Predictions is1842 Lowest Astro Datum of 2023, Predictions is15 Lowest Astronomical Tide © Copyright Commonwealth Australia Bureau of Meteorology 2336 0.71 2305 1857 1.49 1.35 0800 1.47 15 30 30 15 30 15 1107 0.45 1023 0.43 0630 1.32 0650 1.51 0753 1151 0.64 1807 0.73 1353 1.41 1.42 SA TU 1448 0058 1.37 0213 1.10 Times are areininlocal local standard standard time time (UTC (UTC +10:00) orordaylight daylight savings savings time time (UTC (UTC +11:00) +11:00) when when inineffect effect(UTC Times are in local standardSA time1304 (UTC Times are in+10:00) local standard time (UTC0.70 +10:00) orTU daylight savings time +11:00) effect daylight savings time MO (UTC +11:00) when in effect 1815 1731 1.64 1200 1212 when 0.79in 2148 1230 0.75 1838 1.58 Datum ofTimes Predictions is1.58 Lowest Astronomical Tide FR SA MO WE TH 2001 0.76 0.68 31 31 0723 0.58 0800 0.70 0526 Full 1.42 Moon Moon Phase Phase Symbols Symbols Full Moon Moon Moon Phase Symbols New New Moon Moon First First Quarter Quarter Last Last Quarter Quarter New M Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon New Moon First Quarter Last Quarter 2336 0.71 2305 0.72 1857 1.49 1842 1.47 1900 1.52 1921 First Quarter Last Quarter Full MoonTimes are in local standard (UTC1.41 +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect 1353 1448 1.42 31 SAtime TU 1107 0.49 2001 0.76 2148 0.68 Moonof Phase Symbols 2020,New Moon Moon First Quarter SU 1815Full1.59 Last Quarter 0526 of1.42 0.37 © Copyright Commonwealth Australia Bureau Meteorology 2351 0.69 31 31 0110 0832 1.50 Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide 1107 0.49 0519 0.58

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0452 0006 1.681.41

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0049 0.58

1959 1.51

2019 1.40

2023 1.50

2009 1.38

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1551 1129 1.25 1252 1.25SA 1614 420913 0.42 1.41 0.17 TU 1600 0.46 1015 0.48 1.25 1518 0.61 1.25 WE TH SA TH SU TH WE 1.51 FR FR MO 1334 SU SU1332 MO1431 MO MO1325 TU TU TH TH FR1411 SA1735 SUTU TH TH1129 FR FR1252 MO 1615 0945 TH 1600 FR 1133 1.40 1142 1210 1.45 1.50 1.32 1120 1.39 1036 1.35SU MO 2209 2146 0.75 0.70 2332 0.60 20221959 2331 23501917 1.690.41 1.860.60 2351 1.570.61 1.890.26 1.89 0.55 1931 1931 0.26 22152030 2030 0.44 0.44 0.67 1917 0.41 2342 2011 2011 0.60 2318 1947 1947 0.61 2257 1953 19530.61 0.76 0.76 2008 0.76 0.860.39 2115 1746 1746 0.30 0.30 21491909 1909 0.34 2248 47 1.48 2222 1521 1.76 0.51 2214 1.63 1540 2227 1.80 0.34 0.68 1.93 FR 1737 0.50 SA 1820 0.64 FR SU MO 1649 0.61 TU 1608 0.59 WE 1715 0.59 H 1450 0.62 2331 1.641.50 2347 1.81 2318 1.87 2235 1.81 0421 0355 1.46 0620 1.37 0521 1.47 1.37 02120155 00370558 1.28 1.56 382119 0.51 1.79 0425 2154 0.26 2.08 0421 0.49 2213 0505 0.37 1.53 04290227 0.51 1.51 06490209 0.60 0632 0.391.43 0631 0.561.59 1.66 0.49 0.48 1.17 0242 0242 1.59 1.59 05070311 0311 1.48 1.48 0209 1.54 1.54 1.60 0228 0228 1.43 0534 0201 0201 1.59 0016 0148 0148 1.46 1.46 0214 1.471.53 0319 0123 0123 1.53 0227 1.51 0546 1025 0.36 0943 0.39 1141 0.65 1120 0.61 1101 0.54 0.70 06461131 0.61 0.23 530355 1.64 0.52 1041 0443 1.87 0.28 1026 1.56 0500 1106 1.41 0.90 10250755 1.36 0.77 12530752 1.28 1239 1.430.49 1249 1.350.16 0.39 1.28 1.32 07540754 0.63 0815 0815 0.60 0.60 11040906 0906 0.54 0.54 0752 0.46 0.46 0.38 0830 0830 0.49 0800 0800 0.16 0645 0753 0753 0.36 0.36 0645 0645 0.90 0755 0.77 1145 0923 0818 0.35 0015 1.28 0606 0.45 0609 0.51 0610 0.40 0518 0.41 1731 1.67 1650 1.69 1813 1819 1.55 1754 1.63 1806 1.51 TH FR WE 1.61 1.771.58 1630 FR SU MO 1306 1435 1435 1.46 1.46 1515 1.39 1.39 1430 1.57 1.57 1500 1500 1.49 1503 1503 1.85 1445 1.72 1.72MO TU 1241 1.28 1348 1.28SU MO 1329 1.43 1.83 090952 0.44 1.37 0.24 WE 1626 0.49 1059 0.59 1.28 1554 0.66 1.28 1813 0.82 1815 0.651.49 1828 0.771.85 1.58 1700 0.76 0.70 0619 0.59 1218 1.40 1232 1.54 1.43 1.30 1213 1.37 1122 1.36 WE0.69 THWE FR FR SA SA MO 1626 TU 1441 WE MO TU TU1515 TU TU1430 WE FR SA1445 SU 1529 MO 1503 FR FR1241 SA SA1348 TU 1656 1044 FR 1643 SA 2252 2225 0.74 2344 0.56 2030 2030 0.26 0.26 2302 2109 0.45 2016 20161838 0.41 0.41 0.552047 2047SU 0.60 0.60 2032 2032 0.61 0.61 1911 2027 2027 0.75 1849 1849 0.24 0.24 2000 0.33 2159 19552051 0.75 0.74 21472036 1.51 0.66 2308 1.80 0.59 2244 1.66 1.86TU 22292000 1.79 0.33 0.580.75 1.79 1.860.45 0.56 0.83 1254 1.43 1804 0.66 0.71 1744 0.67 1656 0.61 TH2109 SA R181524 SA 1614 MO 1622 2314 WE2336 0507 1.43 0437 1.44 00010.69 0.70 0622 1.46 0010 0.59 0018 0.37 1919 2155 1.78 2246 2.01 2254 1.78 2319 1.76 0326 1.64 06010338 0338 1.51 1.51 0.45 0254 1.60 0036 0257 0257 1.46 0630 0244 0244 1.60 0114 0225 0225 1.48 1.48 0216 1.60 05150308 0308 1.54 06420326 0257 1.481.51 0402 00350254 1.601.60 0033 1.471.60 0.561.64 0.49 1.761.46 1.49 01350650 1.18 1.55 1.11 1107 1023 0.43 1.32 1151 0.64 1.35 03400237 0726 16 0.54 0519 0.29 0500 0.51 0605 0216 0.46 1.60 0.54 1.54 0041 1.46 0545 0.53 0007 1.74 0601 0.42 0013 1.50 0435 0.54 0542 0.34 0106 1.17 1815 1731 1.64 0.70 1838 1.58 0.79 0904 1230 0907 0.45 12000938 0938 0.46 0.46 1.58 0844 0.30 0723 0901 0901 0.41 1200 0846 0846 0.14 0827 0827 0.34 0.34 WE 0742 0.81 11120845 0845 0.69 12400907 0903 0833 0.350.75 1003 07320844 0.630.30 0710 0.590.14 1.240.45 1.31 0.420.41 0.47 07341212 0.66 0.28 0.68 FR SA MO TU 0733 TH S 26 1.56 1130 1.72 1101 1.48 1202 0742 1.29 0.81 1.30 0.69 0657 0.45 1146 1.29 0658 0.47 1211 1.39 0645 0.52 1033 1.32 1143 1.38 0703 0.65 2336 0.71 2305 0.72 1857 1.49 1842 1.47 1900 1532 1.56 1553 1.45TH WE 1527 1.69 1535 1.57SA SA 1549 1549 1.83SU SU 1521 1.74 TU 1425 1345 1.35 1438 1.31 1345 1.301.69 1337 1.381.83 0.821.56 1721 0.731.45 1336 1.481.57 1403 1.601.74 1.45 1.77 1.60 1.751.52TH 1704 36 0.48 WE 1737 0.34 TH 1654 0.54 0.71 1.35 1635 0.71 1.31 TU TU1532 WE1553 WE1527 TH TH1535 SA SU1521 SA SA1345 SU SU1438 MO 1612 TU 1544 MO 1752 TU WE FR 1.56 WE 1553 SA 1727 SU 1328 1710 0.73 1305 1.36 1749 0.64 1304 1.40 0.71 SU 1709 0.66 1346 1.42 SU TU WE TH FR A521600 MO 2121 2121 0.28 0.28 23562144 2144 0.48 19112107 2107 0.43 1921 2121 2121 0.60 1928 2114 2114 0.63 2026 2101 2101 0.74 1946 1946 0.20 0.20 23142045 2045 0.33 0.810.37 2241 0.850.43 0.810.63 1.810.48 0.670.60 0.620.74 21142132 0.73 0.74 23042114 0.53 1.52 1.75 2355 2341 1.81 1.91 2316 1.67 2339 1.73 1.75 0.33 0526 1.42 0110 1948 0.57 1839 0.73 1859 0.72 2232 2030 0.70 1107 0.49 0832 1.50 0407 1.67 06590405 0405 1.52 1.52 0336 0336 1.63 1.63 0327 0327 1.48 1.48 0324 0324 1.58 1.58 0300 0300 1.48 1.48 0339 1.51 0318 1.48 0305 1.65 06100343 0343 1.56 00260407 0447 1.681.67 0.50 0125 1.51 0134 1.64 0122 1.37 0220 1.33 0249 1.12 0500 1.13 57 0.57 0004 0305 1.76 1.65 0.58 1.56 0616 0642 0.36 0.42 0541 0.54 0058 1.37 0213 1.10 SU 1815 1.59 FR 1324 0.84 0956 0.31 13001009 1009 0.40 0930 0.18 0813 0932 0932 0.36 0930 0930 0.17 0826 0901 0901 0.33 0.371.47 1042 0832 0.70 12060926 0926 0.61 07380956 0.620.31 1.320.40 0.640.18 0.450.36 0.620.17 0.550.33 08320946 0.70 0.35 10150913 0.67 00 1.47 0708 0832 0.55 0.70 1.26 0.61 1221 1244 1.54 1.34 1139 1.40 2351 0.69 1954 0723 0.58 08160930 0800 0751 0.70 1627 1.62 1629 1.50 1619 1.75 1609 1.62 1.62 1633 1633 1.77 1559 1559 1.72WE 1529 1443 1.41 1523 1.35TU WE 1340 1.221.62 0.751.50 1.341.75 1434 1.55 1429 1.421.77 1505 1.641.72 1.49 1.69 1.63 1.72 04 0.53 1.20 1.41 0.76 1.35 0.47 FR 1724 0.60 WE1627 TH TH1629 TH TH1619 FR1609 SU MO TU 1653 WE 1624 SU SU1443 MO MO1523 FR 1737 TH 1817 SU 1303 MO 1725 WE 1823 FR 1437 SA FR SU SU MOMO TH 1700 0.73 1353 1.41 1448 1.42 MO 1807 SA TU 2209 0.33 2215 2215 0.51 0.51 2153 0.46 20332153 2153 0.61 2154 2154 0.65 2149 2136 2136 0.75 2153 0.78 2039 0.18 2124 2124 0.36 0.36 18512209 2322 0.870.33 0.870.46 0.680.61 0.810.65 0.610.75 22312214 0.67 0.74 2001 0.76 20162153 2148 2038 0.68 1818 2039 0.80 0.18 2352 1.66

0043 1.77 0716 0.46 FR 1315 1.36 1900 0.60

0626 0.58 1221 1.32 SA 1757 0.66

0032 1.64 0717 0.62 SU 1310 1.24 1838 0.73

0446 1.67 0054 1.76 0350 1.69 00060412 0412 1.56 01210446 1.591.67 0100 0350 1.65 1.69 1.71 1.56 1042 0.21 0756 0.49 0922 0.59 07131003 1003 0.54 08311042 0.660.21 0816 0922 0.62 0.59 0.59 0.54 1720 1720 1.65 1536 1536 1.47 1.47 1604 1604 1.37 1.37 TH TH 1.25 1.65 MO MO 1.17 TU 1310 TU TU 1.24 TH 1403 1.37 WE 1442 MO 1416 2254 2254 0.41 2130 2130 0.21 0.21 2200 2200 0.39 0.39 1959 0.89 0.41 1932 0.76 1924 0.86 1827 0.80 0439 0439 1.56 1.56 1037 1037 0.49 0.49 1643 1.39 1.39 WE WE1643 2233 2233 0.45 0.45

0158 1.71 0850 0.47 FR 1505 1.45 2046 0.73

0415 1.64 02390358 0358 1.49 0222 0404 0404 1.54 0337 0337 0337 1.46 0.47 1.47 02200415 1.441.64 1.531.49 1.281.54 1.231.46 04100422 1.12 1.45 00030402 1016 0.12 09031003 1003 0.32 0837 1014 1014 0.24 0924 0935 0935 0.33 1.19 0.41 09001016 0.640.12 0.490.32 0.650.24 0.600.33 09401028 0.69 0.44 05580954 1708 1708 1.76 1.76 1642 1642 1.65 1.65 1717 1717 1.68 1.68 1638 1638 1.68 1.68 1705 1733 1.61 1532 1522 1610 FR FR 1.41 SU SA SA 1.63 MOMO MO 1.47 TU TU TU 1.68 TH 0.63 1.67 WE 1.57 FR 1119 SA 1530 TH 1631 2236 2236 0.51 0.51 2226 2226 0.63 0.63 2234 2234 0.68 0.68 2211 2211 0.77 0.77 2235 2255 0.76 1756 1.67 0.75 2126 0.85 2151 0.65 2153 0.78 2308 0.56 2334 0.57 0430 0430 1.49 1.49 1034 1034 0.31 0.31 1717 1.65 1.65 SU SU1717 2259 2259 0.66 0.66

0455 1.19 1025 0.62 WE 1711 1.72

0536 1119 SA 1810

00470449 0.43 1.45 06421039 1.25 0.48 0.57 1.62 FR 1747 SA 1212 18422320 1.70 0.71

SU 1815 1.59 FR 1324 0.84 ustralia 2020, Bureau of Meteorology Times Tide arepredictions in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time Australian (UTC +11:00) in effect 2351 0.69 1954 is1.47 Tidal Centre, Bureau of when Meteorology, Copyright reserved.

All material supplied in © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2019, Bureau of Meteorology stronomical Tide for Port Phillip Heads have been formatted by the National New Moon First Last Quarter Moon Phase Full Moon good faithSymbols and is believed to be correct.

It is supplied on the condition thatQuarter no warranty is given in relation thereto, that no responsibility or liability for errors or omissions (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) whenDatum in effectof Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide is, or will be, accepted and that the recipient will hold MHL and the Australian of Bureau of Meteorology Australia free from all such responsibility or liability and from all loss © Copyright Commonwealth Australia 2019, Bureau of Meteorology w Moon First Quarter Quarter Full Moon Times are inLast local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (U or damage incurred as a consequence of any error or omission.

Predictions should not be used for navigational purposes.

Use of these tide predictions will be deemed to Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Moon Phase Symbols New Moon First Quarter include acceptance of the above conditions.

Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effec Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon New Moon First Quarter

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