• YOUR ESSENTIAL DOSE OF FISHING THERAPY •
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Features
High five at Mulwala • New twist on fooling flathead • Catching bull sharks • 2020 vision: whiting and snapper •
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Boating & Kayaking Yaks rule the creeks • Boat Test: Haines Signature 640F •
November, 2020 ISSN 2652-5798
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Stephen Booth takes us to Lake Mulwala
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CONTENTS
OUR COVER November 2020, Vol. 1 No.7 TAS
QUEENSLAND Gold Coast 18 Southern Bay 20 Brisbane 22 Northern Bay 24 Noosa 26 Hervey Bay 32 Bundaberg 34 Gladstone 37 Mackay 35 Whitsundays 38 Townsville 39 Hinchinbrook 40 Cairns 42 Port Douglas 43 Cooktown 44 Freshwater 46 NEW SOUTH WALES Pittwater 52 Sydney North 53 Sydney Rock 54 Sydney South 56 Ballina 58 Yamba 58 Coffs Harbour 60 Hastings 62 Forster 63 Port Stephens 66 Swansea 66 Central Coast 67 Illawarra 68 Batemans Bay 69 Bermagui 70 Tathra 70 Albury/Wodonga 72 Batlow 73 Hunter Valley 74 New England Rivers 74 Canberra 76 VICTORIA West Coast 80 Warrnambool 81 Cobden 81 Apollo Bay 83 Geelong 82 Port Phillip 84 Phillip Island 86 Lakes Entrance 87 Gippsland Lakes 88 Bemm River 88 Marlo 89 Mallacoota 89 Robinvale 90 Bendigo 90 Ballarat 91 Wangaratta 92 Shepparton 94 West/South Gippsland 94 Crater Lakes 94 Eildon 96 6
NOVEMBER 2020
From the editor’s Desk...
WA
Ben Johnson with a prime example of a spring bream. A Brenton Hodges image. Come and visit Fishing Monthly Group’s official Facebook page for all your monthly fishing information. Download QR Reader to access.
As we come to the end of one of the craziest years in all my decades of publishing, the boating and fishing industry can be thankful that it has fared so well through the turbulence. At the time of writing, Victorian anglers, fishing and boating businesses are still struggling, but in states not locked down, fishing and boating are booming. Our recreation is lucky enough to be in a good space. Primarily, it’s an activity that’s inherently socially distancing. We all like to settle down in a quiet corner of a waterway and do our thing. Also, it the reduction of international travel means that people who would normally head overseas are now holidaying in Australia, and spending their money locally. They may need a new boat or caravan or some new fishing gear to do it in comfort. Just try to buy a new boat nowadays – pre-orders are out for months in many cases. I recently walked into a tackle store that I hadn’t visited in years in regional
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TASMANIA Hobart 97 WESTERN AUSTRALIA Esperance 101 Augusta 100 Bunbury 103 Metro 104 Exmouth 105 Lancelin 106 Geraldton 108 Broome 110 Karratha 111 Freshwater 112
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Queensland. The shelves were half bare. I asked the guys if they were struggling, because under-stocking is usually a sign of cash flow difficulties. “We can’t keep stuff on the shelf and suppliers are having the same issues,” said the attendant. Simply, they couldn’t keep up with demand. It’s a great problem to have. Supply-chain issues in our industry may be the biggest problem moving forward, and I’m sure that local manufacturers are ready and raring to help fill the gaps. At the end of the day, it means that more of us are fishing and boating in the short to medium term. Boat ramps in many areas are constantly busy, and we are thankful that there’ll probably never be a news story about a boat ramp being a COVID hotspot. Let’s keep it that way. Off the radar and on the agenda for responsible, socially distancing people. We appreciate all of the positive feedback about the new magazine format. Our Victoria Fishing Monthly title would have been an unviable business during the lockdowns, but like lots of Australian businesses, we have managed to pivot to a tenable position. I think this is particularly important because we print 100% locally and most of our magazines are sold through family-owned newsagents. Every one you buy keeps the wheels turning. We, the working-from-home, tired of Teams Meetings staff, hope you enjoy this issue!
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REGULAR FEATURES High five at Mulwala 8 Starlo’s back to basics 12 Catching bull sharks 14 Yaks rule the creeks 48 Sheik of the Creek 72 What’s New Fishing 77 2020 vision: whiting and snapper 79 WIRF 98 Recfishwest 102 Trades and Services 120 Tournaments 114 Track my Fish 118 Tide page 122 Boat Test: Haines Signature 640F 124
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Cod Feature
High five at Mulwala BRISBANE
Stephen Booth
Lake Mulwala, on the border towns of Yarrawonga (Vic) and Mulwala (NSW) is considered by many as the sacred heart of cod fishing in Australia.
riddled with timber. Fed by the Murray River, which is highly regulated out of Lake Hume at Albury/Woodonga, and the Ovens River, one of the few unregulated rivers left in the entire MurrayDarling system, Mulwala is largely used as an irrigation storage to service a massive area.
is so healthy and with access to an unregulated Ovens River, the cod can usually breed every season. On the other side of the coin, golden perch are stocked into the lake, and these hard-hitting fish are a welcome catch on lures. Mulwala is open to fishing year round, however during the cod closed season, anglers should downsize their lures if they are looking for golden perch. This is a hotly debated topic locally and regionally, as many believe the lake should be closed to all fishing during the cod closed season. I’m a bit both ways. I’ve fished a golden perch comp during the closed season and the biggest lure we used was a No. 2 StumpJumper. We fished only my favourite
The author with an 84cm cod trolled up near the swimming pool on the Mulwala side of the lake. lake in the closed season, but I do live 1800km away! I still get to fish goldens in other, much closer lakes at that time of year.
all five ingredients than it does with a couple of ingredients missing. FLOW Water flow is one of
It’s all in the eyes. Murray cod can feel your hardbodied lures and then see them as they attack. You’ve got to love that violent strike on a hardbody. For me, Mulwala is the place I visit when I have 5-10 days of freedom from work and family commitments. I’m not quite sure why this is… it’s a mixture of the place, the fish, the way we fish and, most importantly, the people I fish with. Over 30 years of fishing the pond has given us a lot to talk about around a campfire, and we’ve come up with some ideas and methods that will give you the best chance to make the most of this fishery. So let’s get on with my list of things you can do, as a beginner lure fisher at Mulwala, to catch a fish. THE LAKE Mulwala is 20-odd kilometres long and is
Two major irrigation outlets empty out of the lake, and of course the mighty Murray is released at the Yarrawonga weir. This means that in irrigation season a lot of water moves into and out of Lake Mulwala – an important point that we will discuss a little later. The main target species is Murray cod, however the lake has heaps of golden perch, uncountable numbers of carp and the occasional redfin that anglers catch. Other species are caught once every five or so years, but they’re so rare it’s just not worth talking about. Murray cod are not stocked in Mulwala. This is because the cod population
Marc Ainsworth testing a new lure for Kuttafurra Lures. Goldens love current, and this one was caught off the root ball of the stump on the right side of the image. golden perch snags but landed seven cod and only one golden perch for the day! That was enough for me to give away fishing the
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NOVEMBER 2020
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Legally you can chase goldens, carp, redfin and more, so I have no problem with people fishing the lake at this time of year. Just reduce your lure size and do not target cod. I don’t care who you are, if you’re chucking a 1/2oz or bigger spinnerbait or a swimbait in Mulwala in the closed season, you are probably not chasing goldens and if you think you are, you need to learn a bit more about fishing. HIGH FIVE I am going to give you the five things we tick off the list when we are fishing in Mulwala. If you’re new to the lake, you can follow these five tips (which are listed in no particular order) and put yourself in the best position to catch a cod or a golden, regardless of when you are visiting the lake. If you are unable to follow one or more of these tips, all is not lost – you can still catch a fish. One way to look at it is if you are baking a cake. The cake turns out much nicer with
the key elements to fishing Mulwala. It pushes baitfish around, it allows predators to sit in the perfect ambush position and it can bring a welcome relief to high water temperatures during the summer months. Finding flow is not hard in Mulwala, and the
closer you are to the two inflowing systems and the three outflowing channels, the easier it is to find. For me that means fishing the top third of the lake, say from Skilands (on the Victorian side of the lake) up to and above Bundalong. Alternatively, fishing from Kyffins Reserve (NSW side) and Hogans Road Ramp (Vic side) down to the Weir wall is also a good place to find current in high flows. The Mulwala irrigation channel leaves the lake just to the east of the main Mulwala township, while the Yarrawonga irrigation channel departs the lake between the weir wall and the main road bridge. Towards the weir walling the lake it’s easiest to find flow on the Mulwala side as there are flats nearby with plenty of trees where you can easily see the tell-tale swirls and eddies indicating water movement. Up around Bundalong and Skilands, it can seem like the whole waterway is moving and, truth be told, it probably is all moving. This means you can fish almost anywhere and be in with a shot at a fish. One tip in this area is to find sharp corners in the main river that lead onto heavily timbered flats.
Golden perch are stocked in Mulwala and crunch lures hard. They’re a super fun fish to target on hardbodied lures.
Cod Feature While a lot of water turns to follow the main river, a fair bit of water pushes up onto the flat, creating some beautiful current to fish. LURES The simplest way to explain lure choice is to choose lures that run to the depth you are fishing. For example, if I am fishing a flat that is 1.8m deep with hardbodied divers, a StumpJumper size 2 is perfect, as is a Custom Crafted Extractor or a Kuttafurra Mud Honey 75. If the water depth then shallows up and I am fishing 1.2-1.5m, I’ll go a Gidgee Fatty Junior or a Mudeye Happy. If the water depth deepens off to 2.1-2.4m, I’m looking at the Zerek Giant Ruby or a Kuttafurra Mud Honey 100 or even a
Big fish are not that common so the author likes to get in the water with them to keep them in the best condition for release. Freshwater Masters event to be held two months later. It was December, a couple of days after the Cod Opening Classic and I was fishing stupidly light with 10lb braid and a 20lb leader. Sometimes you’re lucky but I stress this is not the way to go about chasing big fish in Mulwala – it was just dumb luck the fish didn’t find a
snag to bury me in! Regardless, it does show that a big fish can turn up at any time in what many would believe is water too shallow for their bulk. LOCATION It’s a pointless exercise going to Mulwala and thinking you can fish all of the well known spots in one trip. The sheer size of the lake means it’s a long way from the top of the lake to the bottom so you need to concentrate on an area. Luckily there are many boat ramps (of varying quality) that give access to Lake Mulwala. This means you can launch relatively close to the area you want to target. Public boat ramps are found on the Victorian side at Bundalong, Majors Creek, Hogans Road and the Yacht Club. On the NSW side there are public ramps at Drain Lane, Kyffins Reserve, and three ramps from the eastern extremity of Mulwala right into the town proper. There’s also a number of private ramps, generally associated with accommodation venues that visitors to these places can access. Lake Mulwala
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Mulwala is not all about big cod. Legal fish like this are plentiful and they’re always welcome. Custom Crafted Fish Stik. These choices and need for change are almost made redundant if you are fishing a lipless crankbait, swimbait or spinnerbait as you can allow these lures to sink to the right retrieve depth or retrieve a little quicker in shallower water. If I was asked to simply catch a cod in Mulwala, I’d use a 1/2oz spinnerbait because I can fish it in 1.2m of water right down to 4m of water on the river edges. They are extremely versatile and catch fish after fish. DEPTH While I will fish lures for certain depths, most of the time I am looking for a particular depth and that is 1.5-2.1m of water. This depth is easily fished, allows you to make
out most of the snags and laydowns, and holds plenty of fish. There are plenty of monster cod caught in 2m of water every year, especially on swimbaits and surface lures, so don’t go into these waters thinking you’re only chasing smaller fish. A lot of the flats in the lake are within this depth range, especially the top two-thirds of the lake. This depth range is also found in the Everglades area, around Skilands and there is a lot of it around Bundalong and in all the run through creeks and channels. My biggest Mulwala cod came from 1.5m of water on a spinnerbait fished along a massive laydown. We’d only ever caught fish up to about 80cm in that area and I was practising for the
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Matt ‘Spider’ Rogers is one of the quiet achievers at Lake Mulwala. This Everglades cod nailed a Pimp Daddy lure in the 2020 Lake Mulwala Cod Nationals in 1.8m of water.
TOP TIPS • Best time: April-May • The perfect spot: 1.5-1.8m of water with current running alongside a laydown with a lot of horizontal structure off the bottom and nearby weed. • Best outfit: 4-6kg baitcaster outfit, 30lb braid, 40lb leader. • Top 5 lure colours: Purple, black, olive, redfin, yellow/black stripes. • Top 5 diving lures: StumpJumper No. 2, Gidgee Fatty Junior, Zerek Giant Ruby, Custom Crafted Extractor, Kuttafurra Mud Honey 75. • Top 5 lipless lures: Jackall TN70, Zerek Weedless Fish Trap, Jackall Doozer, TD Woofer, Zerek Maniac Vibe. • Top 5 swim/glidebait: Jackall Gantarel, Zerek Live Swimbait, Jackall Gigantarel, Bone Focus, Zerek Flat Shad 7”. • 5 other must-have lures: 1/2oz Bassman Codman, AC Invader 90, Mudeye Rattle Snake, Kuttafurra Creeper, Pimp Daddy. If I had one outfit rigged with one lure it would be a Venom 6kg 7ft baitcast rod matched to an ATC Combat Plus 200 reel loaded with 30lb braid and topped with a 40lb fluorocarbon leader. To this I would tie a 1/2oz Bassman Codman in colour 7.
Ski Club is one of these with excellent ramps and facilities, so access to your chosen location is usually not a problem. It’s difficult for me to say which location to go to at any given time because every year is different and every day is different, so the best advice is to pick a location and stick to it for the day. For example, a good starting point for many is Kyffins. This area has stacks of laydown timber, lots of flats and is one of the To page 10
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NOVEMBER 2020
9
Southern
OLD
Waterways will be firing NORTHERN BAY
Steve Nash
With this warmer weather now well and truly in place, fishing our local waterways will definitely be up and firing. There have been great reports of quality whiting being caught in the bay, and our estuaries are producing awesome catches of pan-sized flathead, legal cod and the occasional mangrove jack. The bass schools at the local dam have diminished noticeably. But main efforts in fishing edge bites have been the winner. Our summer approach and warm weather also means that one of the most exciting forms of lure fishing is now in play. Top water lure fishing and working the shallow sand flats on an income tide will get you a top water splash.
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NOVEMBER 2020
RIVERS Great reports of whiting along the surf beaches of Bribe Island, Pumicestone Passage and along the sand banks along Gilligans Island will continue while the water is clear and clean. Worms are the pick of the baits, as well as squid cut into small strips or you can pump some live yabbies. With the warm weather
they spooked easily, they can have the tendency to be very fussy on what lures they’ll hit. Mac tuna, which are less desirable of the two types of tuna, will start to arrive in large schools of smaller fish. These can be a little easier to catch, as you can spot them busting up the bait schools along the sand banks that line the main channels or watch the birds
If the tuna show up under the bait schools, let your lure or bait sink a little and this will hopefully get a hit. Long tail tuna make for a fantastic feed and are delicious either as sashimi or lightly cooked done on the BBQ grill. They are also the larger of the two but can be difficult to find and stay attached too, with a terrifying first screaming
Little Lilah Bubb holding a whiting caught on a recent beach trip.
A successful mangrove jack hunt. approaching another warm summer, the mighty mangrove jack have been on the chew! If you are of the keenest of anglers, now is the time to concentrate all your efforts in chasing these red brutes. Heavy gear with strong line and leaders and weedless plastics are effective in getting as close to structure as possible, and hopefully luring them out. Even if your jack hunt is unsuccessful, the usual by-catch species of cod or even trevally will almost certainly land on your deck, saving you from the dreaded donut. The hook up rate for jacks are few and far between, but with patience and persistence you will most likely be rewarded. BAY Warmer water temperatures in the bay mean most of the pelagic species will finally start to become more active, and bait schools will start to explode in numbers. School and spotted mackerel, mac tuna and longtail tuna have been regularly caught in the northern bay. These species are quick and agile. At times they may pop up right beside your boat and other days you can drive all over the bay looking for them, only to have them disappear the second you approach them. Mackerel can be the easiest to target using light tackle and small metal lures casted at the shipping markers or drifting a floating bait on a set of gang hooks. Tuna on the other hand can be a little more difficult to locate and catch. Not only are
working bait schools that are being forced to the surface. Head wide around the schools and park up wind to them, as they like to hunt into the wind. Be sure to turn your outboard off, and have your rod ready to fire off a large cast into the feeding school. Casting a small slug around 30g or small profile plastics are amazingly effective. All this in mind, one must remember that tuna are only feeding on small bait fish and will shy away from anything of a larger profile. If the fish are feeding on the surface, put in a large cast and as soon as your lure hits the water, wind as fast as possible potentially attracting a bite! Remember that tuna are a predatory fish and will be more attracted to the chase.
run and are good at testing your gear. DAMS Good size yellowbelly have been the main target, and the biggest winners last
month at Lake Samsonvale by our freshwater anglers. This should continue through November but their numbers will soon start to drop off. Bass are spread
Reece Thomas with a good size long tail tuna.
Dave Hudy landing a nice yellowbelly from Lake Samsonvale.
out now all throughout the dam with schools noticeably decreased. More fish will be feeding in the shallower areas and the edges of Lake Samsonvale. The biggest bass have come from trolling lures out in the middle of the dam systems. The Purple RMG Poltergeist seem to be the most productive lure at the moment trolling the flats in 6-8m of water. Lake Kurwongbah water levels are being maintained at full level, which means getting there early and throwing surface lures around the edges and along the weed edges will definitely end up getting some action. Predawn and late afternoon times are the best periods to chuck on your top water lures.
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www.daiwafishing.com.au NOVEMBER 2020
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NSW
The perch search is on CANBERRA
Toby Grundy
There is always one particular location in or around Canberra that seems to really stand out through November. Anglers usually wise up to this location after a few social media posts and head to the hot spot in search of big numbers of golden perch. Sometimes it is Googong, and other years it can be Lake Burley Griffin (LBG) or Lake Ginninderra. This year, my pick of the bunch is Captains Flat Dam, which is located about an hour from the centre of Canberra. This small dam has been stocked with a variety of native species and, in my opinion,
is relatively easy to launch a boat and even easier to get a kayak in the water. So, if you are after a few yellas and want to get away from the dirty water fishing in Canberra, head to Captains Flat through November and cast some plastics at some snags. LOCAL LAKES Lake Burley Griffin is a bit hit and miss. The water is still dirty and, while there have been some amazing captures, most anglers have left emptyhanded at the end of each session. In fact, I know of one particularly angler who has fished the lake every day for several weeks and is yet to land a golden perch despite October and November traditionally being the best time to land a yellow football. That said, the redfin are
National Gallery. As always the carp are ever present, during November they school up in massive numbers behind the Carillion. These fish are easily targeted with bait or lure and represent good sport if nothing else is biting. Lake Ginninderra is fishing reasonably well considering the weed issue and the fact that the water clarity is almost non-existent at present. Small redfin are raiding the flats behind the dog park and can be caught using small soft plastics like the Dragon Maggot 2�. This lure also appeals to the resident yellas, especially if fished close to cover and while using a slow roll with an occasional pause. Again, the carp (as with LBG) are everywhere and will eat almost anything. I really like
Captains Flat Dam is the author’s pick for November yellas. provides some truly exciting golden perch fishing, especially after rain. And given the enormous amount of rain we have had lately; it should now be firing on all cylinders with small to medium sized yellas hitting almost anything that happens to swim past. This spot can be tricky to fish from the bank but it
hitting lures along the reedlined banks at the entrance to the Molonglo and there have been some larger reds landed by anglers fishing blades near the concrete walls at Gallipoli Reach. Speaking of blades, most of the yellas that took a lure have been fooled by Ecogear ZX blades fished using a rip and pause retrieve along the flats behind The
going for a walk along the dam wall at dusk and sight casting at big mud suckers with a black wriggler style plastic (usually the fish will hit soon after the lands). If after a golden, be prepared to work for it and target low light periods and the shadows around the bridge pylons. Lake Tuggeranong is fishing well. After a lot
Sam Hancox with a nice Googong yella. of false starts, the fishing steadily improved through October with anglers landing good numbers of carp, redfin and golden perch. The area directly behind the college is a great place to cast a small plastic, vibe or blade for yellas, while the flats opposite hold good numbers of redfin feeding up on small bait fish. These fish can be targeted using small poppers and are a lot of fun on light gear. If after a trophy yella, hit the spillway at dawn or dusk and slow roll your offering as close to the concrete walls as possible. Tuggers holds enormous carp and there are big numbers of mud marlin holding along the islands at Greenway and these fish will hit bread, corn and soft plastics. SURROUNDS The Googong gold rush has finally started and anglers are enjoying a lot of success targeting the flooded
the best choices if chasing a golden perch. The redfin have been a little quiet but can be coaxed into hitting
fishing down the South Coast continues with Canberra anglers heading down in big numbers to target these little
Anglers using blades have caught some nice fish. a well placed soft plastic in either grub or paddle-tail and shallow divers are also producing plenty of hits.
bronze battlers. I have caught some good fish on plastics and lost a few bruisers using surface lures like the D-Style.
The South Coast bass fishing continues to impress.
The reddies are on the chew at Lake Burley Griffin. 76
NOVEMBER 2020
banks at Bradley’s and at the Southern end of the dam. The yellas are hitting lures with plenty of vibration and colour so small spinnerbaits and Ecogear ZX 43s are
There is a small but intense bite window in the early afternoon, which has yielded some exceptional fish. The outstanding bass
For me, this has been the best bass season in many years and it is well worth the trip down the Clyde for the day as the scenery and fishing has to be experienced to be believed.
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The days of messing with phone charger cables (and trying to keep them dry) are over, with the release of the ROKK wireless system – the world’s first range of certified waterproof, wireless phone chargers. Compatible with both 12V and 24V power systems, this unique charging technology is housed in a fully encapsulated and sealed unit, so there are no messy cables. You just put your phone in the adjustable dock, and charging begins. The docks have been designed to have the smallest footprint possible, so you can mount them virtually anywhere on your boat. The ROKK System will ensure your phone is held securely even in the toughest conditions, whether mounted on a flat or vertical surface, and the charging is ultraefficient. So now, whatever the weather, whatever the conditions, you can make sure your phone will be powered up and ready for use… whether that be checking messages or putting out an emergency call. To find out more, head to YouTube and search for ‘ROKK Wireless Active’. www.mercurymarine.com
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The long-casting Rapala Shadow Rap Fat Jack 04 dives fast when cranked. With a very slow rise on the pause, it perfectly imitates the fade of a dying baitfish. Designed for slow presentations with a steady retrieve, and built with a subtle natural rattle created by two internal glass beads, the Fat Jack will draw aggressive strikes even from the most passive fish. Detailed Shadow Rap Series baitfish and attractor patterns help cover all fishing situations, while the strong wire-through construction withstands even the biggest fish. There are 26 colours in the range, designed for a variety of freshwater and saltwater species. Price: SRP $23.95 www.rapala.com.au
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SEPHIA CLINCH AND FLASH BOOST
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Two new additions to the Shimano squid jig range for 2020 are the Sephia Flash Boost and Sephia Clinch Fall Rattle. The Flash Boost utilises Shimano’s patented Flash Boost system to create a continuous flash and shimmer within the lure body through kinetic energy. This new technology incorporates a reflective mirror, and increases visual appeal and reflects UV light. Most notably, the Sephia Flash Boost elicits aggressive strikes when the jig is paused. It’s available in 10 colours and two sizes: 2.5 and 3.0. The Sephia Clinch Fall Rattle has specially designed dual chambers to create a continuous rattle on the fall that attracts squid and increases the catch rate. Additionally, this series includes a new range of 10 vibrant and colours to create maximum contrast in the water and trigger aggressive strikes from squid. The Shimano Sephia Clinch Fall Rattle is available in two sizes: 3.0 and 3.5. www.shimanofish.com.au
TT’S NEDLOCKZ EWG
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The next step in TT’s Ned Rig Fishing System, the NedlockZ EWG has been designed for ZMan Ned Rig plastics to allow anglers to fish heavy cover, such as weed, lilies, reeds, timber and other environments that fish love to hold in. The NedlockZ EWG combines a traditional mushroom-shaped head with a custom heavyduty #1 VMC extra-wide gape hook to allow for easy weedless rigging, without overpowering the finesse plastics, ensuring maximum action. The moulded ‘chin lock’ keeper locks the soft plastic in place so that you can punch long casts, work the plastic aggressively if required, and even on a missed strike your plastic is likely to be in place and still fishing for you. Available in 1/15oz, 1/10oz, 1/6oz and 1/5oz weights, in black, green pumpkin, chartreuse or orange, the NedlockZ EWG has you covered for all of your finesse Ned Rig presentations, whether shaking and dragging a TRD CrawZ, hopping and twitching a TRD BugZ, or swimming and stalling a 2.5” GrubZ or Slim SwimZ. Price: SRP $11.95 (4-pack) www.ttlures.com.au
BONE EXPEDITION SERIES
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
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The Expedition Series is an upgraded range within the Voyage series of rods from Bone Lim. This 4-piece range has been designed to give anglers a top-of-the-line option when they need to travel to exotic destinations and fish hard. Using the latest TorayCA blanks, the Expedition Series features three rods of different ratings to give anglers the right option when they hit the water. This range exudes quality, from the relatively light Tight Quarters (#604H, baitcast, 4-piece, 10-25lb, 6’, 10-40g), to the Black Bass (#664XXH, baitcast, 4-piece, 20-40lb, 6’6”, 10-90g), right through to the up to the Big Bait Black Bass brute (#684XXXHt, baitcast, 4-piece, 30-60lb, 6’8”, 14-140g). Fuji components, including the Sic K-Series guides and the brilliant PTS reel seat make these rods a dream to use and each rod comes with its own neoprene, soft travel bag to keep your precious gear in the best working order. www.wilsonfishing.com
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visit www.tacklejunkie.fish for the latest tackle news - AS IT HAPPENS!
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NOVEMBER 2020
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2020 vision: Outlook for whiting and snapper GEELONG
Ross Winstanley
The prospects of healthy Victorian whiting and snapper stocks and happy anglers just keep rolling on. The annual survey of incoming King George whiting numbers shows the fourth successive year
and snapper numbers are set to continue. KING GEORGE WHITING Surveys of small whiting numbers have been conducted annually during spring since 1998, focusing on the seagrass beds where they settle out of the water column. These surveys have proved to be reliable
JUVENILE SNAPPER The annual March surveys of juvenile snapper target small young of the year 3-5 month olds, less than 12 cm long. The ‘babies’ are from spawning in Port Phillip Bay during spring/summer. They disperse with age to populate the snapper stock from Wilson’s Promontory to southeast South Australia. Many will eventually undertake migrations in and out of the Bay each year to spawn. They take about 3-4 years to reach the legal minimum length and about 7 years to reach the over-40cm adult fishery. For about 80-100 days, the tiny post-larval whiting are borne eastwards by oceanic currents driven by winter westerlies. The numbers entering the bays reflect the strength and duration of those seasonal winds. Once settled among
surveys in March each year to determine the relative abundance of small juvenile snapper of 3-10cm, which have survived and settled from the previous spring/ summer spawning. With the Bay providing the main source of snapper in Victoria’s western stock, three years after the 2018 landmark event, anglers in both bays and coastal waters west of Wilsons Promontory can expect great fishing for many years. After being pestered by large numbers of undersized snapper earlier this year, anglers will be relieved to see the 2018 year-class pass the 28cm minimum size limit. At this
Extremely low numbers of small juvenile snapper were taken in the 2020 survey, and followed low numbers in 2019. In a shortlived species, these numbers could signal grim times ahead – a significant stock decline and poor fishing. But for snapper, after 26 years of annual surveys, the highest-ever numbers found in the 2018 survey have enhanced the alreadyhealthy stock enough to provide a real boost to the pinky fishery from this summer and to the adult snapper (over 40cm) fishery after 2025. In fact, the 2018 year-class is expected to have a major influence on
stage, they will also begin to disperse along the open coast, giving whiting anglers some respite in the Bay, and giving regional anglers a chance to experience some great pinkie fishing.
the fisheries in both bays for many years to come. Last year the VFA reported that above-average spawning successes in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and again in 2013 and
A baby snapper at about 3 months old. of abundant post-larval fish that enter Port Phillip Bay each spring. While low numbers of small juvenile snapper were found in both 2019 and 2020, the 2018 survey revealed the highest annual number seen in 23 years of snapper recruitment surveys in the Bay. The 2018 influx
predictors of whiting fishing success in following years, in Western Port Bay, Corner Inlet and other inlets, as well as in Port Phillip Bay. The strong 2019 yearclass of whiting detected late last year, followed on from good year-classes in 2017 and 2018. As a result, the excellent fishing seen
the bays are between two and four years of age. While still immature, they exit the bays and are caught as larger older fish as they mature and move to the west, where they are believed to spawn during winter, most likely off far western Victoria and southeastern South Australia.
their preferred seagrass habitats, they take about two years to reach the legal minimum size, 27cm. In the bays and inlets, the fluctuating nature of recruitment numbers, combined with whiting only being ‘catchable’ at ages 2-4 years, mean that catches can vary considerably from year to year. If this year’s windy winter is any indication, we can expect to the VFA’s 2020 spring survey to show a fourth substantial influx of early-stage juvenile whiting. SNAPPER The VFA conducts alone is likely to bolster the already-healthy pre-existing stock of older fish for years to come. For more than 20 years, the VFA’s annual surveys of whiting and snapper recruitment (spawning success) have proved to be reliable indicators of future stock levels and fishing prospects. In 2014/15, when the scientists predicted resurgences in whiting and snapper numbers, anglers looked forward to fishing recovering from a low ebb, particularly in Port Phillip Bay. Today, the good news is that already-healthy whiting 78
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recently can be expected to continue this summer and for at least the next four years. The ‘pulse’ of whiting spawned in 2017 was the third largest seen in 24 years. At two years old, these fish entered the fishery during 2019 – anglers will have noticed the increased numbers of fish around the legal minimum size. These fish are likely to dominate catches until 2022, bolstered by large numbers of 2018 and 2019 ‘recruits’. Catches of larger older whiting along the open coast are likely to be high for several years. Most whiting caught in
KING GEORGE WHITING The VFA’s October/November surveys of juvenile King George whiting target the early stages (2030mm) that have just settled on to the Bay’s seagrass beds, after a journey of 80-100 days on the ocean currents from coastal spawning grounds in far western Victoria and South Australia. These tiny fish take about 2 years to grow to legal size and then leave the bay by 4 years of age never to return. They live out their lives in coastal waters and can reach up 20 years of age.
A King George whiting at 25mm long and around 4 months old.
2014, have supported the recovery of the snapper stock and the fishery in recent years. The previous exceptional spawning successes in 2001, 2004 and 2005 resulted in ‘fantastic fishing, from 2008 to 2013’. Those year-classes were fished down by the combination of recreational and commercial fishing pressure, adding to natural mortality effects such as predation and disease. Few of them – now 8kg or more – survive today. • Photos and graphs courtesy of the Victorian Fisheries Authority.
A clearer path to public land We’re improving public access to public land to give more families the chance to camp and fish on the banks of Victoria’s iconic rivers. Allowing fishers to camp on Crown land with river frontage is a key component of the State Government’s $35 million Target One Million plan, and we’re getting on with the job of making it a reality! We want to make it easier for you to spend time with loved ones in the great outdoors, next to a campfire and with a line in the water, making memories for generations of all ages.
We’re working on changes with other agencies right now so you’ll have a clearer path to enjoying more than 30,000 km of Crown water frontage across the state. To learn more, visit www.vfa.vic.gov.au/crownland
Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne
BASS Series presented by
BASS AUSTRALIAN OPEN
abt
Pryce still Spring Master in Hunter Lakes Dane Pryce certainly had a spring in his step when he cashed a $15,000 cheque from ABT after winning the Sufix BASS Pro Grand Final in 2019. Fast forward a year and with a slight move up-valley, Pryce found himself in a battle for the COVID-Created Rapala NSW BASS Open. A battle which ultimately he won by 10g over last year’s Australian Open runner-up, Braden Schuch. Although the ’19 Grand Final was on Lake St Clair and the NSW BASS Open event was on Lake Glenbawn, the result was
the same – Pryce driving his 1/2oz brown and black jig through structure to get the bites he needed to win. Pryce started fishing on Saturday on the island in Big House Bay, but after that headed upstream into the 8 knot zone to upgrade. At the end of the Saturday session, he bagged vital upgrades in Boat Harbour. He started with a mix of chatterbaits and jigs, but landed on the fact that the jigs were getting the bigger bites. On the Sunday, he started in the same place and also ended up upgrading in Dane Pryce has proved that he’s the one to beat in a springtime jig bite on the Hunter Valley lakes.
Dane made a vital final upgrade in Boat Harbour on waters he’d already fished just hours before.
Boat Harbour. Importantly, though, he chose to do a second lap of the place and bagged the winning fish while doing so, his biggest bass of the weekend. Here’s what he used. Pryce threw a Vex 1/2ox skirted jig in brown/black on a MillerodsSwitchFreak UL, Daiwa Tatula reel with Daiwa braid and 10lb Sunline fluorocarbon leader. “I was fishing the jig really slow this weekend and that heavier weight allowed me to keep contact with the bottom,” he said. “I’ll use any sort of trailer but Gulp! … because
everyone uses that,” he continued. Generally, Pryce uses more subtle trailers in winter and trailers with more movement in summer. You can hear his full interview by scanning the QR code hereby. BRADEN A SCHUCH-IN FOR SECOND For the second big event in a row on Glenbawn, Daiwa’s Braden Schuch donned the bridesmaid’s skirt. This time by the narrowest of margins. He used a two-pronged approach, filling a bag early on Cemetery Point before moving to a skirted jig for the remainder of the session. “There was a line of ‘good’ weed in about 15ft of water – mirroring the old water level before the recent rise,” Braden said. He used this area and a soft plastic approach to fill out an early limit of fatter bass before he tried upgrading on the jig. His plastic gear included a 2 1/2” Daiwa BaitJunkie minnow in mud blood colour on a 1/6oz jighead and he
fished it over the top of the weed on a TD Commander Ocelot rod, 2000 Daiwa Sol reel, 6lb J-Braid Grand line and a 6lb J-Thread leader. He also fished two jig patterns across the remainder of his fishing time. One was on main lake humps in 20-40ft of water and another was under weed and debris that had blown into corners. Braden fished a 1/2oz Pro’s Factory OP Football jig in a brown/maroon colour (125) and a Berkley Craw trailer. In the open water he fished 10lb Sunline Sniper FC straight through on a TD Zero 722MB rod and Tatula reel while the heavy cover application called for a TC Commander Basilik and a Steez-A with 14lb line of the same make. “Losing by 10g hurts a bit more than last year, but it’s great to be able to get out and tournament fish,” Braden concluded. You can see lots of his weekend captured on a Daiwa video filmed on the weekend. Keep an eye on their socials for more.
BIG BASS GETS A 13 REEL
Is Braden Schuch the new BASS bridesmaid?
RESULTS Place Angler 1 Dane Pryce 2 Braden Schuch 3 Tom Slater 4 Jayson DeForrest-Haddleton 5 Ben Hay 6 Robert Tilley 7 Graham Ford 8 Liam Carruthers 9 Steve Muldoon 10 Vince Polimeni 114
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Full results at abt.org.au
Bag 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10
Weight(kg) Payout 8.89kg $6,000 8.88kg $3,500 8.41kg $2,000 8.20kg $1,500 8.16kg $1,000 8.11kg 7.89kg 7.76kg 7.72kg 7.71kg
The event’s Big Bass prize was a 13 Fishing Concept 2 baitcast reel that was won by Macoy Hansen with a 1.11kg fish that he landed on the first day of competition. The event’s Big Bass prize was a 13 Fishing Concept 2 baitcast reel that was
won by Macoy Hansen with a 1.11kg fish that he landed on the first day of competition.
Dizzy Gets it Done in Gladstone BREAM Anyone who thought that Darren ‘Dizzy’ Borg’s days were over as a competitive BREAM angler sat up to take notice when he shot up the live leaderboard on the first day of the Mercury sponsored event in Gladstone, Queensland. Registering a 3.414kg bag through the ABT Tournament Series App, Dizzy took the lead on day one and never looked like relinquishing it. Another 2.949kg on the Sunday gave him the two biggest bags of the event and a 1.3kg winning margin over South Australia’s Tom Deer. Fishing both artificial
Borg said, “and I’d lead cast the fish by a couple of metres and bring the bait back towards them to get the bite.” After that, it was a tug-of-war (you can watch
Queensland during the COVID lockdowns and enjoyed several months of fairly uninterrupted tournament fishing in the Sunshine State. His second
Scan the QR code to watch Day 1 Highlights
examples of it in the highlights by scanning the QR code hereby) which was won sometimes by the angler and other times by the fish. Dizzy also proved that
Scan the QR code to watch Darren Borg Winner’s Interview
you don’t need a big, fast boat to win a BREAM event. Fishing from his homemodified glass boat – one of the smallest in the field – he didn’t venture very far from the start line to get the job done. Of course, it was powered by an older Mercury outboard, letting Borg benefit from the Karma that using a sponsor’s product brings. This was the Mercury sponsored event, after all. SOUTH AUSSIE SECOND Tom Deer strategically stranded himself in
BOATER RESULTS Place Angler 1 Darren Borg 2 Tom Deer 3 Jamie McKeown 4 Steve Morgan 5 Mickael Slade 6 Denis Metzdorf 7 Peter Cashman 8 Steve Wilson 9 Scott Sandilands 10 Blake O’Grady
Scan the QR code to watch Day 2 Highlights
placing at Gladstone was unexpected after reasonably poor pre-fishes just weeks before, “The first time I came here I struggled to catch a legal bream and the last prefish I had yielded some promising patterns, but all of that changed come event time and I had to work them out on the run,” Deer said. That he did, bagging a pigeon pair of limits in the 2.5kg class, focussing
Borg and Sam Peck were paired together on Day 2 and they each won their respective divisions with fish like these. All bream caught and photographed during the event contributed towards monitoring the health of Gladstone’s harbour through the Healthy Harbour Partnership.
Place Angler 1 Sam Peck 2 Jacob Kelly 3 Wade Walker 4 Kurt Hutchby 5 Gavin Atkin 6 Bernard Kong
Bag 10/10 9/10 7/10 7/10 3/10 2/10
with Michael Thompson on Day 1 and Darren Borg on Day 2, the pair knew that they had the win in the bag as they idled back to the finish, thanks to the live scoreboards. “I’ve learned so much in the time I’ve been doing these events, it’s the best way to get better quickly,” Sam said during the presentation. Sam’s been accumulating Scan the QR code to watch Sam Peck Winner’s Interview
Sam Peck took the non-boater trophy in only his 5th ABT event from the back of the boat. mainly on flats and throwing his sponsors’ bait, an Atomic Mid 38. Both yellowfin and pikey bream made up his limits, with the pikey bream weighing slightly heavier on the app’s length/ weight curves.
PECK TAKES HIS FIRST NB TROPHY Relatively new onto the BREAMing scene at the back of the boat, Brisbane’s Sam Peck took home his first bit of ABT hardware in just his 5th event. Fishing
some quality gear and he used a bloodworm coloured Z-Man Grub on a TT Finesse head (painted with Tempt powder paint) on a Millerods Grub Freak, Daiwa Freams reel spooled with 4lb braid and 4 and 6lb leaders. He also used Slim Swims of the same brand. “I think I used a whole bottle of ProCure scent this weekend,” Sam said, “I love the stuff. I also now smell like it!”
DIZZY’S DAIWA J-BRAID BIG BREAM
Full results at abt.org.au
Bag 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 7/10 9/10 10/10 9/10
NON- BOATER RESULTS
BREAM SERIES
abt
Using a Mercury outboard added another $250 to Borg’s haul that also included $1,000 for the win and $500 for Big Bream, J-Braid line and a pair of Costa sunglasses. walls and natural mangrove areas in the northern part of Gladstone Harbour, Borg used a Berkley Gulp! 4” minnow on a 12lb leader and 12lb braid to muscle both big pikey and yellowfin bream from their homes. “Lots of the fish I could sight cast to on the first day,”
BREAM OPEN presented by
Weight(kg) Payout 6.363 $1,750 + Costa 5.030 $700 4.696 $625 4.428 $75 Prolure 4.350 Samaki Pack 3.935 Ecogear Pack 3.414 Keitech Pack 3.395 Fish-Tec Pack 3.329 2.397 Full results at abt.org.au
Weight(kg) Payout 3.751 Costa + Prolure Pack 2.946 Daiwa Pack 2.603 Sufix/VMC Pack 1.472 EJ Todds Pack 0.706 TT Prize Pack 0.688 Cranka Pack
Darren Borg landed the event’s Daiwa J-Braid Big Bream of 1.07kg. It earned him $500 and plenty of spools of Daiwa J-Braid. Borg landed the event’s Big Bream on the first day of the event. It was a 36.5cm yellowfin that translated to
a 1.07kg weight. It ate a Gulp! Minnow. It earned him an extra $500 and a pile of Daiwa J-Braid. NOVEMBER 2020
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BARRA Series presented by
BARRA AUSTRALIAN OPEN
abt
Practise makes perfect at BARRA Open
When Liam Robinson and James Wilson fished the 2019 Venom BARRA Australian Open, they finished 5th last. Some would call it a top-10 (as there were only 14 teams in the inaugural Open), but Liam in particular, who was then living in Rockhampton, found the less than desirable result motivating. So much so, that he spent the rest of the full moons over summer going back to Lake Awoonga and trying to work
off a fast finish from Team Imakatsu (Quintin Maclean/ Colin Brett) in the process: Day 1, 5/5 fish, 34.40kg; Day 2, 4/5 fish, 28.43kg; Day 3, 5/5 fish, 45.48kg. Liam said that there were several spots that he’d Scan the QR code to see the interview with Liam Robinson and James Wilson
straight out of the packet. “We did work out that the barra liked a presentation with a lighter leader,” James said, “and by light we mean 50lb and not 80lb.” “I wasn’t a believer that leader size ever made a difference, but I am a convert now. I’ll be using 50lb a lot from now on,” said Liam after seeing the difference in catch rates. To James, the key was to catch a fish or two during the daytime, which made it easier to fill a limit by the 10pm finish time. “That was the difference on day two where we were one fish short of a bag,” James said, “We didn’t land a fish during the day on the Wednesday.” Come 5.30pm, the team would move to their night spot and start experimenting with lure colours and retrieve styles. “We could see the fish
Attention all good barra anglers in small boats! Here’s proof that you don’t need a $100,000 boat to win an ABT event. Liam and James fished from a 4.2m Renegade and a 40hp outboard for the win. off-water banter with on water performance and the Open was no different for them. Dropping the event’s biggest bag on the final night (48.05kg for 5 fish) they made it to within a couple of kilograms of the leaders. If not for a bag on Day
7” Castaic Jerky Js, using a slow roll when activity was high and a more aggressive retrieve when the fishing was slower to draw their bites. Using Edge spin and baitcast rods paired with Toray braid and 50lb fluorocarbon leader, they left the event with
A sneaky daytime fish or two was key to success, according to James Wilson. out the patterns that he’d need to improve their result when the Open came around again. Paired with his Brisbane team-mate James Wilson, the pair again came together to compete for the trophy amongst a 30-team field. The result was as good as they could have possibly imagined,
identified as consistently having barra and he quickly checked them at the start of practice to confirm that there were still fish there. Broadly, the boys had two, distinct patterns. The fished timbered bays in the daytime to catch their ‘bonus’ fish, but the real meat was at
Liam Robinson’s determination to work out these Awoonga fish paid big dividends. pocketing $6,000 and the custody of the perennial trophy for the next year. And they did it from one of the smallest boats in the field. This is how it went down for team Anita Barra, raising the event record winning weight from 37.87kg to 108.31kg and fending
dusk and afterwards, where they fished windy points to load up on bigger, feeding fish. “James and I would fish the points with a variety of colours to see what the fish preferred on the day,’ Liam said. And those lures were all black. And they were all Zerek 110mm Fish Traps, fished
Black Jack
Here’s some of the Open winning baits: Zerek 1/0 Fish Traps in Black Jack and Sunset. coming through on the Humminbird sounder and would try to match the retrieve with what we saw. The most popular retrieve for fish close to the bottom was a tiny, double hop off the bottom. If the fish were higher up, it’d be a long, high lift and drop back down,” Liam explained. The Fish Traps they used were Sunset, Red Devil and Black Jack. To maximise casting distance and range, they had several identical outfits: and Abu Garcia Villain 2.0 rod (8-14lb, 7’) matched with a Shimano Stradic 4000 reel, 30lb FINS braid and a 50lb leader. “We always wanted to have the ability to cast a long way from the boat to target fish that didn’t know we were there,” Liam concluded. IMAKATSU A FAST FINISHING SECOND ABT BARRA stalwarts, Quintin Maclean and Colin Brett always match their
RESULTS Place Team 1 Anita Barra 2 Imakatsu 3 MoTackle 4 Schwerin Concreting 5 Stitched Up 6 Donuts 7 SC Marine Electrical Doctor 8 Part Time Hookers 9 LJ’s Compleat Angler 10 Garmin Marine 116
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Sunset
1, two fish short of the limit, the result may well have been inverted. The pair chose to spend their time anchored at productive spots and waiting for the fish to come to them. They had two spots that they gambled on. They predominantly threw 130mm Slick Rigs and
$3,000 and a desire to go one better in 2021. BIG BARRA The event’s Big Barra bagged $500 in cash and was caught by Aaron Beck from Part Time Hookers. What did it eat? A black and gold Slick Rig. It went 19.96kg (113cm) and was 16cm longer than the next biggest landed.
If anyone has a pic of Colin Brett with his tongue not out, officials would like to see it.
Full results at abt.org.au
Anglers Liam Robertson/James Wilson Quintin Maclean/Colin Brett Geoff Newby/Dean Silvester Jake and John Schwerin Scott McAuley/Stephen Chatterton Matt Callow/Wade Dossel Rob and Tommy Wood Aaron Beck/Jamie Brady Liam Jones/Leon Mittelheuser Matthew Mott/David Nelson
Fish 14/15 13/15 11/15 11/15 11/15 8/15 9/15 5/15 6/15 5/15
Weight(kg) Payout 108.31 $6,000 105.64 $3,000 77.18 $2,500 76.58 $2,000 62.67 $1,000 58.80 Venom rods 43.04 Venom rods 38.59 Big Barra: 36.98 Aaron Beck, 19.96kg. 34.61
BIG BARRA SPECIAL
BAR
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Long Baitcaster Venom swimBait rLFVswB 7'6" 30-60LB Venom Baitcaster 6kg rLFVBc7/6 7' 20-40LB Venom Baitcaster 8kg rLFVBc7/8 7' 30-50LB
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For more information please visit For more information please visit
search “Wilson Fishing” oror search “Wilson Fishing” on on
NOVEMBER 2020
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Women’s competition performance SUNTAG
Stefan Sawynok
I have always been a sports tragic. From a very early age I was collecting stats in a scrapbook and trying to understand how you could capture the difference in performance between competitors. Having played indoor cricket, both men’s and mixed, and mixed indoor netball in my early 20s, I developed an interest in comparing and understanding the difference between men’s and women’s sport. Men’s and women’s sports are different and, while there is plenty of space for both, they need to be assessed differently in terms of objectives and success. This is as true for fishing as it is for any other sport. This article explores the dynamics and state of women’s competitive fishing. HOW HAVE THINGS CHANGED IN WOMEN’S FISHING? Women in sport fishing
Secret Women’s Business Barratoga Event.
3 year Comparison of Catch Rates
magazines and TV shows were the major information delivery networks, and they provided full editorial control. They produced high quality content but left the ‘induction’ of most fishers to come through the club system. Early on, the internet led to a boost in club membership and
IGFA saw a big increase in participation and world records around this time. However, this didn’t last as the internet democratised both access to and publishing of information, a problem for clubs and magazines alike. Fishers were able to share information on bulletin boards and other mediums, and the first-time fisher had constant direct access to other fishers outside their local club. This didn’t change women’s fishing immediately, but the ready availability of information that could be consumed in private has helped women to develop their skills without having to turn to men. The next impact on women fishing was social media. The rise of the female ‘influencer’ has helped normalise women as anglers, although it has not been without some controversy. Women influencers fishing in bikinis was a hot topic in particular, with accusations that they didn’t have the skills or weren’t really dedicated to the sport. Controversies aside, the rise of women influencers laid the foundations for more women to be exposed to fishing and to be taken more seriously in the sport. The last influence in the rise of women in fishing is fishing tackle. Over the past 20 years braid and other abrasion resistant lines, lighter rods and a proliferation of lures, particularly soft plastics, and knowledge of
how to work them have all combined to make competitive fishing much more accessible. WOMEN’S DIVISIONS VS WOMEN’S EVENTS It’s important to understand the difference between women competing in a division versus women competing in their own right. Competing in open/ mixed events has competitors exposed to more techniques and allows newbies to hone their skills, gather knowledge and become better fishers. For example in cricket, top-ranked female players often spend time in the men’s club game to hone their skills, which they then bring to the professional women’s arena. Women’s only events, as with other sports, is where women are at their most competitive, and will be much more aggressive and focus on results. If women’s competitive fishing is to progress to the next level, there needs to be more women-only events. A LOOK AT SOME DATA I don’t want to just inject my opinions and observations into the affair, I want to cover some realworld examples with data and provide useful lessons to take away. Exmouth GameX – Event Design Matters Game fishing events have evolved over the years, and GameX is no exception. They have a slots approach to deciding the winner, with the option to
3 year Submissions by Class
Fig.1 Comparison of women’s contributions in the SCF Australia 2018-2020. have had a different path from women participating in other sports, like cricket or soccer. Like their male counterparts, there is no professional pathway, only amateur events. That is not to say we don’t have professional competition anglers (we do) but there are no consistent standards. Competitors don’t receive salaries and for the most part fund their own attendance. In real terms, fishing as a sport is somewhere between cricket circa 1900 and soccer circa 2000. In the 1970s/1980s there were a small number 118
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of women who competed in the local monthly ANSA Club competitions, along with a small number of girls. In that era dominated by ANSA/IGFA, there were women who developed their skills and competed at high levels, here and internationally, but they received only limited recognition in comparison
to the men despite their achievements or capabilities. This remained the status quo largely through to the mid 2010s. I believe three big influences changed women’s fishing, and only one of them had anything to do with fishing itself. The first was the rise of the internet. Up until then,
Fig.2 Class division of contributions in the SCF Australia 2018 – 2020. go for more species, more Table 2. NZ Lure Master results line classes or both. While Class Species Avg. Length Max.Length No.Caught Fishers Fish/Fisher size of the fish matters, Senior Male kahawai 498.3 590 520 581 0.90 it’s more important to fill Senior Female kahawai 507.8 590 51 38 1.34 slots. It’s not enough just Senior Male snapper 442.3 885 2994 581 5.15 to be able to catch many Senior Female snapper 421.0 780 245 38 6.45 or big fish. Senior Male yellowtail kingfish 897.3 1210 80 581 0.14 Another feature of Senior Female yellowtail kingfish 906.9 1135 8 38 0.21 the GameX event is the
some work comparing it to equivalent events that I had data for. This event was hugely competitive and from all reports the ladies held their own in the after celebrations as well. In all, 38 barramundi, 263 saratoga and 64
Comparison Men vs Women NZ Lure Masters
comparable elite events targeting barramundi (the possible exception being the Tinaroo Barra Bash – primarily a community event). As is clear on most measures, the event is comparable to maledominated elite events.
and establish a ranking among their peers, not in the shadow of the men. As with the professional sports who have worked out that the women’s competition needs to be established as a separate medium, my view is fishing will need to take
Comparison Catch Rates Men vs Women NZ Lure Masters
Fig.3 Compares the average and maximum fish size across the species during the NZ Lure Masters diversity of categories, 32 this year. The champion team is the most prized category, and it’s not uncommon for there to be a single fisher supported by a team aiming to take out the prize. This year, two female focused teams (one an old hand, another a teenager) were tied on the last night for first place. It’s easy to look at the winners to find high achievers, but a more useful comparison of performance
difference focus can make, and Fig. 2 shows how the women’s contribution increased in 2020. NZ Lure Masters The SCF definitely matches up on catch rates but how about sizes? It’s assumed that women will be slightly behind the men, but a recent event provides
three species, that’s 0.7% up on average size and 6% down on maximum (see Fig. 3 and Fig. 4). SWB BARRATOGA BASH The Secret Womens Business (SWB) Barratoga Bash is the only all-women’s event on the list. At the time, I did
Fig.4 Compares the catch rates across the species during the NZ Lure Masters. tarpon were caught by the competitors, a great result especially for saratoga. Table 3 summarise
Table 1. Exmouth GameX results for individual anglers Champion Female Champion Male
Average Points 1759 1394
No. Competitors 10 89
Table 3. Comparison in fishing event results according to entry classification. Team SWB NATS 2018 (Best 2 days) WTF 2018 WTF 2019 ABT KINCHANT 2019 ABT PROSERPINE 2019 BARRA BASH HINCHINBROOK 2020 is to look at the average performance of the men and women given they are all competing under same rules and tackle. When comparing the results of the senior women and men alone, the average point score in the championship went in favour of the women (see Table 1). SCF Australia I had an odd experience at the SCF Research and Sustainability event this year. Participating in the briefing as I do most years I had a direct message to the women – lift your game. Dean chipped me for it and said I was being harsh, but I wanted to be clear that I thought they could do a lot better. The results speak for themselves. From almost no contribution, women lifted the event from an ordinary year due to weather conditions to a 1000+ fish event, collecting the best catch rate of the three classes on the way. Fig.1 shows what a
Event Fish/Team Womens 6.80 Mixed 5.75 Womens 2.80 Womens 1.60 Mixed 2.20 Mixed 3.60 Mixed 9.70
an insight that the gap can be closed. The New Zealand Lure Masters is the biggest event on our calendar. COVID be dammed, the event scored over 4000 fish, 3285 of them snapper, in two days (see Table 2). There were far more men than women in the event and the women competitors involved were notably more experienced/ skilled than the ordinary fisher. Nevertheless, all competitors fished in the same area and for exactly the same species and methods, so it’s a useful indicator. In this case when comparing average sizes, on kahawai the women were 2% ahead on average, snapper 5% down and on yellowtail king 1% up. That’s not exactly getting blown out of the water. It’s a little different on maximum size, 0% difference on kahawai, 12% down on snapper and 6% down on yellowtail king. Across the
Total 363 514 78 58 40 83 533
Barra Avg. (mm) 634 565 605 600 898 902
LESSONS FROM 2020 There is significant evidence looking at the events from this year that women have progressed to the point as fishers where there is now a critical mass of female competitors that have developed the skills needed to compete at a high level. In other words, the coming decade is the time to start taking women’s competitive fishing seriously. Event organisers need to consider how to provide the coming generation of female competitors the opportunity to strut their stuff, to gain recognition
that road over time. I am a great believer in letting things happen organically rather than by force. As more women achieve success it’s inevitable more events and focus on women-only events will eventuate. 2020 may have been a pretty crap year on most fronts but I think it marks a critical turning point. The fishing world has grown this year, let’s hope we as an industry turn what has been a year of adversity into a coming decade where our sport reaches new heights for both men and women.
WHAT’S NEW
Knog+ Free Light The Knog+ Free light features an integrated wearable clip function, allowing you to attach the light to your shirt, shorts, backpack or socks for increased visibility and safety while you’re out and about after dark. Weighing just 12g, the Knog+ Free is also ideal in the great outdoors, attaching seamlessly to your tent or swag. This light is USB rechargeable, so no charging cable is required. This is thanks to its integrated USB plug which can withstand the elements. This 100% waterproof
light is equipped with five different light modes to suit your needs, including steady, pulse, strobe, fancy flash, eco flash. Boasting a powerful battery for its size, it guarantees maximum brightness at 40 lumens, with an overall run time of up to 20 hours in eco-flash mode – ideal for those wishing to remain active throughout the night. The Knog+ Free is equipped with an array of interchangeable accessories, including dynamic clip and optional O-Ring for added security while in motion. Price: SRP from $29.99 escape2.com.au
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Haines Signature 640F with Suzuki 200hp 4-Stroke - SC
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Main: The new Haines Signature 640F is shown here with its optional “Stealth pack”, including powder coated stainless steel tubework , black bumper rails and matching cosmetics. Above: The test boat was pretty nippy with the Suzuki 200HP fitted, hitting 70km/h, but it is rated to a 225HP outboard.
With a simple, fold-down rear lounge, easy access transom door and plenty of custom X-Deck, the cockpit is roomy and functional. 124
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The full windscreens offer magnificent visibility, but will the lack of a sliding side window be an issue in the warmer months? It appeared not on the test day.
DE FOR EX
Fibreglass hulls evolve over time. Sometimes it’s within brands and sometimes moulds get sold between companies and get re-branded. The new Haines Signature 640F has had a long evolution within the Haines Signature family. Its most recent iteration being the 602F, the current version boasts some hull modifications to the planing surface, but more importantly, major changes in the top deck design to make this the boat (that Haines Signature says) that can do it all.
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s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au
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Steve Morgan
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We got to go for a ride with Haines Signature Sales Manager Chris Thompson on a glamour day in Moreton Bay – the type we always seem to get while boat testing, but never when we go fishing! Chris ran us through the changes. “There’s been a big redesign of the floor, which lets us fit 226L of fuel under it as well as a spacious kill tank. The cabin has been redesigned and now features plenty of room and a sliding, lockable door. There’s also plenty of storage in there,” he said. “The side pockets have been totally re-designed. We’ve got rid of the inserts
All of the tube work (including the rocket launcher) was black powder coated. It looks sharp.
There’s a significant redesign of the bowsprit, adding strength, anchoring options and a longer length rating.
The twin-axled Dunbier trailer with electric over hydraulic brakes made driving on and off easy.
Deadrise drops from 33 degrees at the bow to 21 degrees at the transom.
The cabin is spacious, lockable and will keep any shade-loving family member happy.
and gone back to an open side pocket design that has lots of space and is easily accessible.” “Also the bowsprit has been redesigned for much more strength in that part of the boat. Part of that
The 200HP Suzuki is an inline 4-cylinder 2.9L option. But you can order it with a 225HP.
process allowed this hull to measure in at 6.4m instead of 6.02m,” Chris explained. The rig was also treated to the Haines Signature ‘Stealth Package’, which matches black bump rails To page 126
SPECIFICATIONS Length Overall.........................................6.62m Beam........................................................2.43m Deadrise ..................................... 21-33 degrees Fuel ............................................................226L Max .........................................................225hp Max Outboard ......................................... 290kg Hull Weight ........................................... 1,285kg Approx. tow weight...................................2.35t BMT Length..............................................7.54m BMT Height .............................................3.05m Capacity ............................................ 8 persons
You can see the hard top vent hatch from above to provide air movement in the cabin.
You’ll have option with seat bases - this one was designed to hold a cooler underneath.
Marine radios and a sound system are also standard in this rig.
Haines Signature have ditched the moulded gunwale inserts and reverted to a large, open side pocket. NOVEMBER 2020
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Passenger accessories are well catered for - there’s room for wallets, keys and phones and a place to charge them. From page 125
with black powder coated, stainless steel tube work on all rails and rocket launchers. Indeed, it will turn heads at the ramp. The boat is powered by an in-line, 4-cylinder 200hp 4-stroke Suzuki outboard (DF200APX) which delivered best economy around 4,000rpm of around 1.8km/L. Drop the throttle and you’ll scoot along at 70km/h, but use nearly twice the fuel getting there (1km/L at 6,300rpm). The test rig was supplied on a twin axle Dunbier trailer with electric over hydraulic brakes. You’ll need a minimum 3.0t towing capacity to haul this.
Most modern twin-cab utes will do it with ease. One of the features I loved on this rig (which will soon be available on many Haines Signature models) is the drop-down dash. It gives
We love the fact that the fold-away dash can flush mount a 16” Simrad. The helm is neat and accessible. easy access to your wiring and electronics and clips back up neatly when you’re done. It’s one of those changes that you wonder why hasn’t been done that way for years. From the helm, we
PERFORMANCE RPM.........Speed.(km/h)....... Economy.(km/L) 640 ..............................4 .......................... 3.50 1000 ............................8 .......................... 2.80 2000.......................... 12 .......................... 1.70 3000.......................... 16 .......................... 1.20 3500 .......................... 33 .......................... 1.80 3750 .......................... 35 .......................... 1.80 4000.......................... 39 .......................... 1.80 4270 .......................... 43 .......................... 1.80 4500 .......................... 48 .......................... 1.75 5000.......................... 57 .......................... 1.50 6000.......................... 67 .......................... 1.20 6300 .......................... 70 .......................... 1.00
There was a broad rev range the delivered nest economy - anywhere between 3,500rpm and 4,250rpm was the sweet spot.
Thompson says the the powder coated rails don’t hold the salt as bad as uncoated stainless.
At least the world’s calmest day on Moreton Bay allowed us to take some nice images. 126
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noticed no sliding side window on the windscreen. This is unusual. Haines have instead opted for a pop-up hard top hatch top channel air into the cabin. It felt good on a spring test day on the bay, but a steamy midsummer ride will test it more. There wasn’t an inch of the floor that wasn’t covered in custom X-Deck, which makes it easy of the barefooted angler or family member. Also of interest to the serious offshore angler was the pocket to mount your large, offshore transducers and ensure maximum connectivity to the water. Rigged as tested, this Haines Signature 640F looked great and came in at just under $120,000,
Nowadays it’s fairly standard to have a clear, perspex livewell lid to see how your live baits are holding up. although packages start as low as $89,000. There’s no doubting that this, Brisbane-built boat looks the part on the trailer and performs the part on the water. I suppose the question
will be, how long it takes to get one with the COVID boating boom in full swing? For more information, visit www.hainessignature. com.au or your local Haines Signature dealer.
There’s no better combination that a locally made boat on a locally made trailer.
The 630F made a cameo appearance at the launch of the SCBX boats by Haines Signature.
There’s plenty of room for excess rods up and out of the way in the rocket launcher holders.
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