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Understanding barra visibility • Introduction to swimbaits • Kayaking: Lake Manchester • Flounder: Masters of camouflage • Yaks, jacks and failure to launch • How sustainable are deepwater stocks? • Boat Review: Stessl 520 Apache Pro •

INSIDE

Species Spotlight

Brett Geddes teaches us all about Flounder

NSW

QLD February, 2022 ISSN 2652-5798

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Fishing Monthly Magazines

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CONTENTS

OUR COVER February 2022, Vol. 2 No.10 VIC

TAS

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

16 20 24 28 30 32 36 38 40 41 44 46 47 46 48 49 50

NEW SOUTH WALES Pittwater Sydney North Sydney Rock Sydney South Ballina Coffs Coast Hastings Forster Port Stephens Swansea Central Coast Illawarra Batemans Bay Bermagui Tathra New England Rivers Hunter Valley Batlow Albury/Wodonga Lithgow/Oberon Canberra

58 61 60 62 64 66 68 69 70 70 71 72 73 74 74 76 76 78 79 77 80

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

86 87 87 86 88 90 91 92 92 94 95 94 95 96 96 98 97 99 101 100 101 99

FEBRUARY 2022

From the Editor’s Desk...

Dale with a couple of nice Melbourne metro bream. A Pier Mafia image. Come and visit Fishing Monthly Group’s official Facebook page for all your monthly fishing information. Download QR Reader to access.

TASMANIA Offshore Hobart

82 83

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Esperance Augusta Bunbury Metro Mandurah Geraldton Kalbarri Lancelin Exmouth Karratha Broome Freshwater

115 116 117 118 119 121 121 120 122 123 122 124

REGULAR FEATURES Flounder: Masters of camouflage Understanding barra visibility Starlo’s back to basics Sheik of the Creek Kayaking: Lake Manchester Yaks, jacks and failure to launch Sustainable deep water stocks What’s new fishing Tournaments Tournament Calendar Trades and Services/Tide page Boat test: Stessl 520 Apache Pro

8 12 14 23 52 54 56 26 102 83 126 128

COMPS AND OFFERS Find the logo Fun page/Sub page

45 114

59 NSW DPI

Although this is the February issue, we make it after we come back from a short Christmas shutdown. And what a difference a month makes. We went from being COVID free to COVID riddled in a few weeks. I think that there’s nobody now that believes it’s all a big conspiracy theory. If someone asked you now if you know someone that has it, everyone would nod. Whole tackle companies have been temporarily shut down with high infection rates. Hopefully, it seems like it will be a short-term problem. Most seem to have minor symptoms and can get back to work quickly. So maybe 2022 will be the year that we don’t have major disruption? It’s not looking a sure thing at the moment. We have been busy, though, despite the COVID hurdles. You’ll notice the 2022

16 32

ABT Tournament Angler Guide inserted inside this issue. And if someone’s nicked it before you got to read the magazine, you can read it for free in our issuu. com channel. It’s over 20 years old now and it’s been launching the ABT BREAM, BASS and BARRA tournament season for that long. Although the magazine hasn’t missed an issue, that side of the company has had some reasonably significant disruptions with the border closures of 2020 and 2021. Luckily we got to sneak in a couple of Grand Final events for BREAM and BASS over the weekend before Christmas, as well as the full calendar of BARRA events. You’ll read all about them in this issue as well. Even if you aren’t a fan of tournament fishing, you’ll likely benefit from the tackle and techniques that it develops. And you can read about all of the state of play from the 2021 events this month. Also, thank you for the avalanche of entries in our Find the Logo and Find the Word competitions. Coming back after the break we needed a huge box to carry them all in. In an age of everything being digital, it’s great to use a pen again. We’ll make sure that there are plenty of prizes available again in 2022. Finally, thank you to all the writers for keeping the information coming during this busy time. It helps keep the wheels turning.

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Flounder: masters of camouflage GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

I look at flounder as a stunning example of how a species of fish has adapted and evolved to perfectly suit its environment. Their camouflage is impeccable and exquisite with countless different colours, spots and patterns to no doubt fool

prawns and small fish. Larval flounder are born with one eye on each side of their head, just like a typical fish. Then in early development the tiny larva settles on the bottom and the right eye migrates to the left side of its head. In some species it’s the left eye that moves and in others it can be either one. During this metamorphosis other changes occur to the head bones, nerves and

that matter. They perfectly match their surroundings so well that often the first time you notice them is when they take off from under your feet. The whole flatfish family have been quoted as dramatic examples of evolutionary adaptation and fossils date way back to 50 million years ago. They’ve been at camouflage and survival for an awfully long time, so no wonder

way around to Hervey Bay in Queensland. There are no size regulations in Queensland but there is a bag limit of 20. Various species inhabit NSW waters, including the large toothed and smalltoothed flounder, as well as long snouted and greenback flounder found in southern NSW, adults range from 34-55cm. The NSW regs are 25cm minimum length and a bag of 20. In Victoria and SA, the greenback flounder is the common species with a daily bag limit of 20 in both states. Vic has a minimum legal size limit of 23cm but in S.A. there is no size restrictions. There are two common species taken in Tasmania, the greenback and the long snout flounder. The bag

A by-catch juvenile flounder caught on a lure during a hot pinkie snapper bite at Metung in the Gippy Lakes.

Be sure to quickly net flounder if caught on a lure because they have a tiny mouth and hooks tend to pull out easily. hungry predators. In fact, their supreme trickery is so successful there are more than 700 different species of flatfish the world over. The group includes flounder, halibut, sole, plaice, turbot and more. Australia has several species that inhabit various areas of the entire coastline so no matter where you live, flounder could be a viable target. Just in case you don’t know they are also regarded as one of the finest table fish on the planet, and in the northern hemisphere flatfish grow to extraordinary proportions. The Atlantic halibut is the world’s largest, growing over 200kg and 2.5m long. We have an Aussie halibut measuring a modest 64cm but it has a large mouth with nasty canine teeth. From a recreational aspect, I’ll concentrate on our flounder varieties that are usually 28-45cm. But firstly, to know how and where to target flounder you need to understand more about their habits and biology. CAMOUFLAGE EXPERTS Flounder feed on all sorts of small creatures found mostly on the bottom of shallow sea waters or tidal estuaries, including worms, small crabs, shrimp, 8

FEBRUARY 2022

muscles until the fish can lie flat on one side of its body on the bottom but with both eyes now looking upwards. See what I mean, flounder are an amazing work of nature. The underside of the fish is usually white but the topside is where their astonishing deception is found. They can be drab and dark to fit in with a muddy bottom or a very light colour to suit open sandy areas. They have even developed exquisite spots, dots, circles and rings to match the exact features of their habitat of stones, silt, rocks, or any sort of territory for

they are such a prolific and successful fish. WHERE THEY LIVE AND REGULATIONS Nearly all flounder targeted by rec anglers are found in sheltered bays or inshore coastal estuarine waters. They are able to tolerate a range of salinities and can sometimes even be found in the upper reaches of rivers. Often thought of as a very shallow water species they do also live in offshore depths to 100m here in Australia. In the northern part of the country, there are live bigtooth twinspot flounder from Onslow in Western Australia all the

A beautiful big 38cm flounder caught on a rod and reel during the middle of the day while hooking a nice haul of whiting. Even the family pup Zeeky was impressed!

Big sea garfish well over 40cm will be attracted and dazzled by your flounder light and will almost swim right into your net.

limit is 15 and a possession limit of 30 per person, and they must be at least 25cm in length. Finally in WA the smalltoothed flounder grow up to 55cm long and there is a bag limit of 8, 25cm minimum length. Of course before taking any species of fish you should always check your local regs for changes and updates. HUNTING FLOUNDER AND GEAR REQUIRED Flounder are a rare catch with rod and reel in my Victorian waters, unlike their counterparts in the northern states, especially in NSW that seem to take baits and even

lures quite readily. Over the years though, I have now caught around 15 flounder in Gippsland on soft plastics and especially blade lures with stinger hooks. I predict that in the years ahead chasing flounder country wide with micro lures will eventually gather momentum. But for now they always turn up as a by-catch for me and I never treat them as a target species on lure. The recognised way to obtain a good feed of flounder is spearing them at night with the aid of a waterproof under water light and a hand held spear. Check on the current regulations in your area about the use of a handheld spear. For instance, in Victoria there are no barbs allowed on the prongs and in some inlets spears are banned altogether. Some of the best underwater lights now available in tackle shops are light plastic and run on D size batteries, but for longer life or stronger beamed lights use a small car or motorbike battery. New lithium batteries are now all the go and because they are so much lighter than heavy lead options, are well worth the extra dollars. Historically walking the shallows at night in a pair of vinyl or PVC chest high waders was all the go but newer neoprene waders not only keep you dry but also warmer to beat the chilly nights and cold water. Leg or hip waders are also fine to use because more often than not you will find flounder in water below knee height. During summer or warmer climates it’s nice to ditch waders altogether but some sort of footwear should be worn to protect you from

sharp unseen objects on the bottom or a sting from a small nasty fish called a cobbler or fortesque. While wading you can tow a small purpose built punt along behind you, a floating tub or maybe even a kayak to hold your battery and store captured fish. Over the last ten years I’ve been chasing flounder in

until a couple of hours after the full water. I’ve also found that just before dawn, flounder have one last flurry of hunting in the shallowest of water before they retreat to the depths at sunrise. At these times, the flounder can be found right up close to the water’s edge sometimes in only centimetres of water.

Three flounder caught on the same night. Their camouflage varies with the depth of water, depending if they live on a light sandy bottom or one made of darker silt or mud.

What a feed! Two grilled flounder whith a side dish of sweet yellow tomato salad and a bowl of steamed new potatoes with a splash of sour cream. my hands-free Hobie kayak and I can pedal over very shallow water with a spear in one hand and my light in the other. This enables me to cover vast areas, increase my catch rates and also spear in much deeper water, even down to 2m. PRIME TIMES Dark cloudy nights or during the new moon period is generally thought to be the best time to look for flounder. I’ve challenged this theory and had plenty of success on the brightest full moon cycles, so now I base my trips around the calmest nights possible and ignore the moon cycle. Wind is your greatest enemy because it becomes near impossible to see the flounder, even with just a rippled surface let alone small waves. With a calm flat surface you will observe greater detail on the bottom, see much further ahead of you and penetrate deeper water. Often you can pick up their body shape from many metres away on calm nights. Tricky flounder will often bury themselves under the sand and have just their two beady eyes sticking out as they sit motionless in the shallow water to avoid predators and ambush prey. Prime times are a few hours before high tide

fish that inhabit the exact same areas as the flounder. Usually all you will see is a big cloud of stirred up silt or sand as a flatty powers away and spooks well before your approach. You will probably also see another flatfish called a sole and they are easily distinguished by the lack of a defined tail or head and are a much rounder oval shape. And take it from me, they taste just as good. All sorts of other creatures come out at night in our estuaries from eels, crabs, seahorses, small sharks, miles of mullet and, in my area, surprises like schools of bream or big estuary perch. Strangely, I’ve never once surprised an elusive squid at night in areas, where I’ve caught plenty of them during the day? Skates and rays are also often seen in the

find the weather ideal and so much calmer in autumn and early winter. WHERE TO GO Most larger Victorian estuaries have flounder and I’m guessing the same applies to the entire coastal waters of Tasmania and the Aussie mainland. Look for large sandy areas or places with a firm mud or silt bottom which the flounder seem to like best. Occasionally the fish will be found over a broken bottom punctuated with

Some believe the full moon is the worst time to search for flounder but the author has proved otherwise. He now bases his trips around calm weather and forgets about the moon cycle. habitat for flounder. They can sometimes settle on very short weed stubble but they will totally avoid areas with longer thick or strappy weed and, obviously, I’ve never seen them over areas with big rocks or boulders. BY-CATCH Don’t forget to take

a prawn net and it’s also very handy when those big yellow-eye mullet or sea garfish start swimming close around your light. Let me tell you, those big sea gars get close to 50cm long and two of them will fill the biggest belly of any angler! Flathead are another night bottom dwelling

A Hobie kayak makes an excellent tool for chasing flounder so you can cover vast areas of both shallow or deep water quickly. You will also have both hands free for a spear and light. Small light weight batteries are perfect for a common prawn light. Contrary to belief, I’ve found as many flounder during winter as the warmer months and I believe the only reason more are caught in summer is due to the creature comforts of the human hunter! In fact, I

large weed patches, and at other times they seem to congregate over vast shallow sandy areas. Sometimes they gather on sand flats near river mouths but generally the lower areas of an estuary nearer tidal flow are preferred

In Victoria, flounder are a fairly rare bycatch on rod and reel. But small blade lures are very popular with bream anglers, so they turn up more often these days.

shallows and all these critters are interesting to look at and provide plenty of amusement if the flounder are hard to find. PREPARING THE CATCH Grilling the whole flounder is very popular and most people have seen them served up in pubs and restaurants like this presented on a huge plate. Pan-fried in a little butter is also a treat and the oil makes the skin nice and crispy. Another neat trick is to cook flounder after you fillet them and, although it’s a little fiddly to extract the four pockets of flesh from their flat frame, it’s a delight to eat the succulent meat without any bones. The whole fish placed on the BBQ is also okay but be cautious to never over cook them and dry the fish out. So good luck with your night floundering and you’ll be amazed at all the other life swimming around under the cover of dark. FEBRUARY 2022

Barramundi fishing visibility QUEENSLAND

Ron Jenkins

Ever wondered about how deep to run lures? The deeper the better seems to be the consensus. However, that’s not necessarily the

of their available sensors simultaneously to find food – vision, lateral line, hearing etc. We are simply dealing with their vision sensor here. The eyes. Remember the previous articles about barramundi ‘party-trick’ eyes? Here’s a reminder.

low light vision and can also see colour to greater depths than humans. Never under-estimate the vision of a barramundi. It’s much more sophisticated than human vision. The tapetum lucidum arrangement is pink in

Fig. 2a (left) is a view from the top and the right (Fig. 2b) is a view from underwater. case. The depth at which we run lures should be at the maximum lure exposure to maximum number of barramundi, which gives the lure the best chance of being seen by most fish. Let’s have a look at how we can best work out what that ideal depth might be. Real or true visibility in water is a lot different to what a lot of us think. Running lure depths to the apparent visibility depth is not better. The most important thing to be aware of is that barramundi use ALL

Barramundi eyes are very similar to human eyes with three colour receptors. Most other fish (including a lot of popularly sought ones) have only two colour receptors meaning that colour blindness becomes part of the mix and complicating matters. Barramundi also possess ‘party-trick’ eyes due to an arrangement called a tapetum lucidum, which processes incoming light twice before sending it on to the brain. Meaning that barramundi can effectively see a lot more light than humans. They have excellent

Fig. 5a

Fig. 5b

FEBRUARY 2022

following inflows. Looking at Fig. 2a, many estuary anglers would describe the water as ‘crystal clear’, but many impoundment anglers may not agree. Fig. 2b is the same water but viewed from under the surface. So, how clear is it? Crystal? Just how far into that green ‘murk’ on the right can we actually see? What we are really searching for of course is water visibility and how can we estimate easily and quickly what that visibility is. Put a brightly coloured lure on your rod and wind it up until the lure touches the tip. I’ve used a red and white lure (see Fig. 3). Then push the lure vertically down into the water with the rod until it just disappears (Fig. 4). Note where the water level is on the rod. In this case the level is the 7th guide on the

Fig. 3 A brightly coloured lure wound up until it touches the tip. Fig.1. Humans don’t possess such an arrangement but crocodiles, cats, owls, spiders, do to enable hunting in low light conditions. Ditto for barramundi. Few other fish have it apart from mulloway. This visibility principle (total path length) applies to ALL water (not just impoundments). There’s no need for fancy or expensive equipment to understand because none of it is rocket science. So how does this affect best lure depth? Surely deeper is better isn’t it? Read on. WATER AND VISIBILITY Let’s look at impoundments, as conditions are more static and predictable there. Being an impoundment of freshwater, there is little water movement and the water clarity can therefore be much better than in estuarine water as sediment brought in by intermittent run-off inflows settles. That suspended solid sediment is responsible for murkiness (turbidity) and can take several weeks or even months to settle out

Fig.1 Barramundi ‘party trick’ eyes. angles underwater like barramundi. What we’ve actually done is shown in Fig. 5b (but it’s still simple and practical). The light has to reach down into the water for 1m, be reflected by the lure and then come back 1m to the eye to be seen. That means we can see the lure 1m down in the water even though the total path length is 2m. The light down is called incident light and the light back is called reflected light. The

Fig. 4 Push the lure vertically down until it just disappears.

rod and that’s approximately 1m from the tip. So, is this what we’ve done? Estimated the colour visibility at 1m? Sounds simple. Well, not quite. For starters, visibility doesn’t work the way that most fishers think it works, which is like in Fig. 5a. 1m is the apparent visibility but not the real (true) visibility and that’s important when we look at lures from odd

true visibility is actually 2m. (= 2 x apparent visibility). Therefore, the total light path length = 2m and that’s simple when looked at like Fig.5b. However, the total path length from any angle that determines if your lure can be seen (or not) by a barramundi. If there was a barramundi sitting within 1m of that lure in Fig.5b, then that fish would see the

lure because the total colour light path length (incident light + reflected light) didn’t exceed 2m. 1m from the surface to the lure where the light is reflected and then to the barramundi 1m away. If that barra was 1.5m away from the lure, it wouldn’t see the coloured lure because the total path length is now 2.5m (1m + 1.5m = 2.5m) which is too far away. Let’s have a look at some examples. In Fig. 6 we have four lures in the water at different depths and four barramundi also in the water. So how does this true visibility (total path length) determine which barramundi can see which lure and what lures can’t these barra see? Let’s look at lure one (see Fig. 6a). Lure one can be seen by all four fish because none of the total light path lengths exceed the 2m true visibility. Lure two can only be seen by three of the barramundi (see Fig. 6b); lure three is seen by two fish (see Fig. 6c); and lure four is invisible to all but one fish (see Fig. 6d). So what’s gone wrong? Well, we’re using up most of our total path length (2m/200cm) just getting down to depth so any path length left can’t be reflected far. So barramundi have to be much closer to our lure the deeper we run it. What these diagrams do show us is that to give maximum lure exposure to maximum number of fish is not to run the lures deep. To do so, simply wastes the

Fig. 6 Four lures in the water at different depths, with four barramundi.

advantage of the barramundi’s excellent ‘party trick’ eyes. And what is the best rule of thumb depth to run them at? One quarter (1/4) of the

Fig. 6a Lure one visibility.

Fig. 6b Lure two visibility.

Fig. 6c Lure three visibility.

Fig. 6d Lure four visibility.

true visibility of the water. Half of the lure depth on the rod tip. Some fishers may have twigged to that already. They may know that it works but

probably not why it works. Now you do as well as them. Look at the images. This ain’t rocket science. It’s simple Pythagoras trigonometry

Barra Hit Squad Rapala

for those who want to do it themselves. Perhaps we can now see why some of the popular shallow diving lures still

prove so effective eg. Reidy’s B52s and Bombers even in moderately deeper water. Maximum exposure to maximum number of fish

due to the shallow running depth therefore not wasting visibility path length getting deeper seems to be the ‘secret’ of their longevity.

X-Rap Saltwater 10 - MM

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Super Shadow Rap 11 - SMB

Twitchin’ Rap 12 - SCRB

BX Skitter Frog 05 - HPB Shadow Rap Jack Deep 07 - PGG

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X-Rap Jointed Shad 13 - TWZ Shadow Rap 3X Deep 11 - HLW

FEBRUARY 2022

WHAT’S NEW SAMAKI FACE SHIELDS

PRODUCT GUIDE

OKUMA ITX CARBON

Getting out on the water just got easier with the new Face and Neck shields by Samaki, which have been designed and developed in Australia for Australian anglers. Designed to fit your skull like a glove, the shields have been extensively tested and refined to ensure superior comfort, maximum breathing ability and complete UPF 50+ protection. Face and Neck Shields are perfect for keeping the wind off when travelling, as well as providing relief in the heat, keeping you cool on the water and protected from the harsh outdoor elements. The lightweight, quick drying, breathable fabric, has been tailored perfectly to fit your face and to sit atop your shoulders accurately. The Shields are available in six Samakispecific designs – metallic muddie, grey scale, pink scale, blue camo, grey camo and navy camo. For more information visit the Samaki website or follow them on Instagram and Facebook. www.samaki.com.au

The Okuma ITX features lightweight and rigid C-40X long-strand carbon fibre construction in the body, side plates, and rotor, providing exceptional strength where it is needed the most. A machined aluminium screw-in handle assures positive engagement and stability, while 7HPB + 1RB high-performance bearings and precision machine-cut brass pinion gear keep the reel feeling both rigid and smooth. A machined aluminium 2-tone anodised spool is surrounded by Okuma’s Cyclonic Flow Rotor system, designed to increases airflow through the ported rotor, minimising moisture retention throughout the reel. Housed in the spool is a slick multi-disc carbon fibre drag system, with hydro-block gasket to prevent water intrusion for consistent drag performance. Available in both standard and high-speed models, the ITX Carbon range of spinning reels is finished with slick black and silver aesthetics and raw carbon finish, offering anglers quality, features and performance previously unavailable at this price. Price: SRP $189.90-$199.90 www.okuma.com.au

INFEET SLIPPERY DOG 97F

ZEREK GADGET Z WATERPROOF BOXES

The Gadget Z range of waterproof tackle boxes has been expanded with the addition of two new foam-lined boxes. The 781GZAP01 Zerek Gadget Z Box is 30 x 22 x 6cm and will hold pre-rigged plastics such as Fish Traps, Flat Shads and Live Flash Minnow Wrigglies rigged and ready to go. The 781GZAP02 Zerek Gadget Z Box is 22 x 17 x 5cm and will hold smaller lures such as the 65mm and 95mm Fish Trap, Live Flash Minnow Wrigglies and other slim plastics. The benefits of these boxes, apart from their superior waterproofing, is that you can store sensitive TPE plastics separately, ensuring they do not melt due to contact with more traditional plastics. The boxes also allow you to keep your lures prerigged and perfectly straight. The foam panels have heaps of hook holders, so you can have any combination of plastics and lures in the boxes at one time. www.wilsonfishing.com

BUSHRANGER SPINNERS

STORM HIT SHAD

Bushranger Lures has released three new freshwater spinners for Australian anglers. The Headspinner features a realistic baitfish body for added weight and ultra realism. It also features a tail feather for added attraction and a perfect spinning action, and is available in four proven colours and two sizes. The Turbohead spinner features a bellshaped fish head for added weight and realism. It also features a tail feather for added attraction and a perfect spinning action. The Turbohead is available in six fish-catching colours and weighs 4.5g. The Bushranger Sonar Spinner is a trout spinner that emits an audible sound through body vibration in its bell body. The Sonar Spinner is available in seven proven colours and weighs 4g. The entire Bushranger spinner range is deadly on all trout species as well as Australian bass, redfin and golden perch. www.jurofishing.com

FEBRUARY 2022

2 3

The big dog of the litter, the new Daiwa Slippery Dog 97F, is graced with the performance and pedigree of its predecessors. It also features tungsten tuned weighting to improve the posture of the lure in the water and significantly enhance lure’s responsiveness when retrieved. A topwater walk-the-dog lure, Daiwa’s Slippery Dog 97F is the perfect prawn and baitfish imitation, with its TG tune design featuring two small rattle beads placed in the head of each lure, emulating the clicking sound of fleeing prawns on the surface. Measuring 97mm, the Slipper Dog 97F is the ideal length for Australian estuary and inshore anglers, whether it’s casting at mangrove jack in the north, kingfish in the east, or salmon in the south. Each Slippery Dog comes fitted with strong rings and BKK Fangs treble hooks, making it robust and ready to fish straight out of the box. www.daiwafishing.com.au

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

When it comes to versatility, the Storm Hit Shad is pretty hard to beat. Straight out of the box, this shad profile lure has a slow body roll and exaggerated tail swing, but by cutting or removing the ‘tail tendon’ at the paddle end, you can create a wider tail action. Built with super-soft body for an extremely responsive action, the Storm Hit Shad features dual-injected and highly detailed, printed patterns that are ideal for targeting any predator that eats small baitfish. It has an enticing action both during the retrieve and while in freefall, and it features belly and back slots for easy rigging and maximizing hook gap. The Storm Hit Shad is currently available in nine proven colours and two sizes, 7.5cm (5 per pack) and 10cm (4 per pack). Check them out at your nearest Storm stockist, or for more information look up Storm Fishing Australia on Facebook. Price: SRP $11.95 www.facebook.com/StormFishingAus

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NSW

Fishing pressure eases up THE HASTINGS

Mark Saxon castawayestuarycharters@bigpond.com

Well hopefully we all got through the holiday season and managed to refresh with some fishing before

on surface lures. Whiting have been good on most days, with Pelican island and Limeburners Creek flats giving up some good fish. In the Camden, Watsons Taylor Lake and Queens have whiting and are also worth targeting. Provided Lake

Cathies water is reasonable, it will produce also. Flathead have been as good as ever in most parts of the Hastings, and soft plastics have been reliable most days. It’s a fun way to spend a few hours. Bream will be spread upriver if we haven’t

Whiting fishing on the sand flats has been great, as Maryanne and Michael discovered. getting back into our work routines. The good news for regular anglers is the water traffic and associated pressure on fish should ease this month, and the fishing should be good. Beach fishing for whiting and bream has been worth putting the effort in using fresh beachworms for bait. Both of these species have played the game, with Lighthouse Beach and Camden Haven Beach producing. There are quite a few little beaches in the Hastings region that are worth a look at as well. The beaches have been fishing OK for flathead as well, with some fishos using soft plastics and jerkbaits to get some good results. The Hastings has been fishing well, and February is still a top time to chase whiting, bream and flathead

had any heavier falls of rain, and you can have some good sport casting surface lures around the edges. You don’t necessarily have to find the tree-lined banks, although they can be good. Don’t overlook some of the clay banks upriver either, in the Hastings itself or the Maria River arm. These clay banks turn up some good fish, and casting your Splash Prawn or Sugapen right on the edge can draw them up – plus you won’t have to go in to retrieve your lures as much! I haven’t been doing a lot of mulloway fishing lately in the river but there is plenty of bait upriver at this time of year. Provided no heavy falls of rain come, you certainly could tangle with a few in the upper sections this month. Be persistent and mix up your session by using a few styles of lure. If you’re fishing with a mate, try different methods – one of you can use a soft vibe and the other can use a plastic. This way, you can work out what is happening on the day. Most importantly, if you’re fishing from a boat you should use your electronics to find the depth

Brendan and Brodie getting into the bream on surface lures.

Young Callum with a good whiting on his first day lure fishing.

Callum with a 52cm flatty.

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A nice bag of whiting destined for the table. Yum!

and drop-offs. Then, if you find bait as well, you are in with a great chance. Fish the tide changes, and if you are in a boat you can follow the tide upriver, giving yourself more time and chances. Mud crabbing has been consistent and hopefully should stay that way this month, so it’s worth putting in your traps. Familiarise yourself with the Fisheries rules when crabbing so you won’t get yourself into any trouble. Hopefully next report I will have the results for you from the Golden Lure, Port Macquarie’s game fishing tournament.

NSW

EAC escalates action FORSTER

Luke Austin

I absolutely love fishing at this time of the year – the next 2-3 months have to be my favourite by a mile! Anything is possible from now on. The warm EAC that is raging not far off our coast has kicked everything into gear and there’s loads of fish activity and plenty of ‘random’ captures cruising about, as

chasing down and hitting his 190mm bent lure that was intended for flathead! Targeting these tasty little guys is very easy, all you need to do is fish one of the numerous sand flats that are littered throughout the estuary on the top of the tide using baits of beachworm, yabby, prawn or pipi, and you are almost guaranteed a few fish. Alternatively, you can target the same areas with small (up to 120mm) stickbaits or poppers that

in the southern half of the system are still holding great numbers of cracking bream, which have been belting just about any lure offering with gusto. Drifting baits through The Cut and over The Step has also been an effective way of nailing the odd bream, as has floating unweighted baits into just about any of the oyster leases up around Wallis Island. This year’s winter bream season is really shaping up to be a cracker; we have had loads of big bream hanging about the rock walls and bridge pylons over the warmer months, and the number of these big brutes should really start increasing toward the end of this month. Our beaches are still cruising along very nicely. There have been some nice tailor hunting in the corners early and late in the day, with the better fish getting up to about 65cm. It’s great to

Hard to beat Glenn’s mega flatty on surface! see a few of these fish about, and with a bit of luck we will see a great tailor season again this winter! Fishing the

Muz with a nice tuna. It’s definitely pelagic time! well as the usual pelagics. In the estuary things are firing, with fish being caught all over the place. Flathead continue to fish very well and seem to have spread out a little now, which is great news for those anglers fishing a little further upstream. The bigger fish are definitely still hanging about down around The Paddock, the bridge, Breckenridge Channel and the rock walls, but I have had some great reports coming in from anglers as far upstream as Coolongolook and well up into the Wallamba River. As is always the case with these fish, unless you’re using live bait you are best off targeting them with artificial offerings such as 3-4” soft plastics and vibe type lures. If you do prefer to chase these fish on bait, there are huge numbers of herring schooled up in the system now, and jigging a handful of these little guys is a sure-fire way of scoring some great flathead (and quite possibly a mulloway or kingfish). Sand whiting are loving the warm water that we have had lately, and are super active up on the sand flats. One angler even had them

imitate a fleeing prawn. Once you start to focus your efforts on these shallow sand flat areas you will be surprised by just how much activity there can be in kneedeep water! The weed bed areas

Matty with a cracking weed bed bream.

gutters on the top of the tide with baits of beachworm or pipi should land you some nice whiting and bream, with 9 Mile producing some good flathead as well. The local stones are starting to heat up now, with the odd report of tuna starting to filter through. You know things have hit another level once anglers start catching things like Watson’s leaping bonito and lesser queenfish, both species that are synonymous with mackerel and tuna action! For anglers casting lures, there are good numbers of tailor mixed in with the warm water species as well, which is great to see. Offshore water temps are holding nice and steady, with most areas sitting between about 23-25°C. This kind of temperature gets the mind wandering when planning the next trip out… should I chase snapper or switch it up and have a crack for a pelagic? On the right day you can definitely do both! For the demersal anglers,

things are on the improve with a lot more fish hitting the cleaning tables of late. Snapper and trag have been great out a bit wider (50m+) with the 65-70m mark producing some particularly nice fish up to about 70cm. Unfortunately, the same deep grounds are also getting hammered with current, which can make it tricky and somewhat frustrating to fish. There have been a few fish in shallow but you will have to work hard to find them; hitting the shallow stuff off Red Head and Old Bar will give you your best shot. • 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 you can go to land your next trophy fish while visiting the wonderful Great Lakes region! They are open 7 days in the main street of Tuncurry, and you can phone them on 02 6554 9541 or find them on Facebook to see what they have been up to!

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VIC

Time to shine in peak season PPB WEST

Alan Bonnici alan@fishingmad.com.au

This is my favourite time of year for fishing around Melbourne and Victoria. It’s peak fishing for many of our highly regarded

species. Snapper are still being caught in good numbers, the kingfish are coming on strong, and bread and butter species like whiting, flathead, squid, redfin and estuary perch are on fire. This is usually the most productive time of year for

fishing, with waters rising to prime temperatures. This gives countless opportunities to target a whole variety of species around Melbourne. Let’s cover in detail some of the species and systems that I’d highly recommend focusing your energies on over the coming month.

Big sized whiting are around this month.

Port Phillip will continue to fish extremely well. The weather towards the end of 2021 was well below yearly averages and then we had a spike to 40ºC days, which made the water temperature rise much quicker than normal. But the fishing will remain strong and you’re in with a very good chance to at least take home a bag of squid, whiting and flathead. Locally Wedge Spit is fishing well for whiting and squid in the shallow weedy grounds around 4m deep. Squid are fishing well opposite the Point Cook marine sanctuary and areas around St Leonards. Whiting are being caught in big numbers and sizes in Corio, Mornington and Clifton Springs. Flathead are fishing well just about everywhere and, in most of my travels, flicking soft plastics along the sandy flats between 6-12m has counted for many flathead. Stand out soft plastic choices for flathead have been the

Steve Vessey had fun kayaking for yellowbelly.

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Rob Wortho with an average Campbells Cove flathead.

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Berkley 3” paddle shad in black and gold, the 4” Turtleback worm in pumpkin seed and the Savage Gear 8.4cm fat curl tail. That being said most 3-4” soft plastics do well, either grubs, minnows, jerk shads and worm imitations. Snapper on the other hand have been inconsistent and I put much of this to erratic changes to water temperature. Those on the water regularly with high end sounders and transducers have been able to find them consistently by putting in the hours staring at the screen. While the vast majority of anglers have struggled to catch snapper. Currently, the most frequent and consistent catches of snapper have been out deep in Carrum, Mt Martha, Beaumaris and Mornington. I suspect we will continue to see catches in the colder deeper reaches of Port Phillip Bay around the spoil grounds and shipping channels. Just

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Jordan with a Werribee River bass.

To page 91

VIC

Enjoy the longer, warmer weather of summer

great fishing for bigger 3-5kg fish as well. Many anglers turn their attention to other species at the end of summer, but this trend of good local snapper fishing has kept many of them busy for longer. The continuing great snapper fishing over the last month has also given visiting anglers and holidaymakers a taste of snapper action as well.

The greater area out wide from Mount Martha right through to Mount Eliza has continued to be the most consistent producer of snapper for many boating anglers over the past month, and while the average size of the fish is a little smaller than some of those being caught in other areas of the bay, some better-quality fish have also been taken by those

putting in the extra effort. At this time of year, Mornington wide is typically a great area to cash in as the snapper tend to group up in this area to feed, before they head south, and this has certainly been the zone where the better fish have come from of late. In the coming couple of months up until Easter, the extensive mud bank areas out from Mount Martha and Safety beach are likely to be the most reliable areas for snapper. Also, the deeper channel areas in the middle of the bay, and right down south as well. Much like last year, some of the regular and traditional species have been strangely scarce, but with the changing food chain and bait species in many areas, anglers have been looking in different locations with good success. Many anglers have reported big numbers of slimeys and yakkas in the bay, and in many cases, a wide variety of fish have been feeding on them higher in the water column, including snapper. Last season, big schools of salmon were around the Mornington area for a long time, but they have been rarely sighted this year, and most of the action has been further south or in the north of the bay. Those fish that have been around have been in the 1-2kg size but are in much smaller numbers and schools than last year.

Barwon River, Albert Park or Maribyrnong River. Working cicadas, bents and micro tappys slowly on the surface waiting for those boofs that always seem to catch you by surprise no matter how many fish you catch on surface is amazing. The Werribee River has been fishing well for bass and estuary perch on the evening, but I must stress, watch out for snakes that are very active at the moment. I’ve had a few close encounters that freaks me out every time. A good mate of mine Jordan Matthews has been fishing the Werribee River regularly and covering this on his channel, Fishin with Jordy. He has been spending his time solely fishing surface lures, slow rolling cicadas along the structure. He has had some very memorable catches but none better than a 46cm bass that hit the surface lure like a freight train. A few nervous moments but finally landed a silver nugget and memory of a lifetime. The Maribyrnong River continues to grow from strength to strength. We’re finally starting to see the benefits that estuary perch stocking has had in this system so a big kudos to the VFA for their continual

efforts here. I have had some very productive evenings flicking blades, soft plastics and shallow diving hardbody lures on both estuary perch and bream. Walking along the

banks you can see many big bream holding the edges and estuary perch seem to smash lures and plastics as soon as they hit the water. It’s a system that can shut on and off very quickly with quiet

PORT PHILLIP NE

Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au

Longer periods of warmer and settled weather have been enjoyed by all the anglers in the bay over the past month. Local anglers and visitors alike have all seen some great fishing and boating conditions for the bulk of the time. Recently, extended periods of rain have also juiced up the food chain on the inshore reefs and in the local rivers and creeks. It’s been great to be on the water over the past month seeing plenty of holiday anglers and locals alike enjoying the spoils of PPB and experiencing some great fishing variety. And with the expectation of a couple of warm months ahead, things are looking good for the rest of the summer and into the autumn months as well. Snapper reports traditionally taper off late in the summer, and with many other species on offer, it is no wonder. But after a slower start to the season this year for many of us, some solid reports and captures of some quality snapper have continued. In previous years, school sized snapper tend to congregate in the wider areas and this has certainly been the case this year, but the feature has been the continuing From page 90

ensure you don’t anchor or fish in a restricted zone but during peak summertime, snapper will reside where the water is its coolest, so that’s your best bet. This time of year is a kayak angler’s dream as the fishing is quite exceptional in close. Your bread and butter species such as whiting, flathead and squid are being caught in big numbers in the shallows. It means that those with a kayak or Hobie like myself can reach productive grounds without too much effort and go home with a great feed for the family. Multiple techniques are working well either picking a spot, anchoring and putting out some berley and spread of rods, which has been working well for gummies and pups. Or staying on the drift and flicking lures and plastics, which is my preferred method just because it’s more fun and very effective. The estuaries and lakes are also fishing exceptionally well. It’s one of my favourite times of year to rip out the surface lures and head to places such as the Werribee River, Melton Reservoir,

There are still some larger school snapper in close to keep the lure fishers keen, especially early and late in the day.

Local whiting reports have been very encouraging of late with good numbers of fish coming from the Frankston and Mount Eliza areas, and further north in the bay as well. The general size has been smaller than those in Western Port, but the action is generally closer to shore, so is also well within reach for land-based anglers as well. Concentrate your efforts around times of low light, and even into the night for best success. At times,

starting to really thicken up along our local inshore reefs, but they have still been a bit hit and miss at times. Much like a lot of the normal seasonal action, things seem to be a bit later this year, so expect the squid fishing to improve a lot over the next few months as the water really warms up. Kingfish captures have started to filter through from the heads and further into the bay itself, so it won’t be long until they

the land-based anglers can do the best of all fishing a rising tide after dusk and into the night, so the local piers and jetties are also a great option. Squid numbers are also

show up in our local areas as well. Mornington and Black Rock are two of the usual haunts, but who knows where they’ll pop up this time with the amount of food on offer.

sessions dead quiet, and good sessions are chaotic. That’s fishing, and you’ve got to put in the hours and be ready at the right time. The same can be said for Melton Reservoir, which

continues to fish very well. Many redfin continues to be caught on soft plastics, vibes, lures and bait, whilst we’re also seeing good catches of silver perch, estuary perch, bass, yellow belly and cod. Until next time, good fishing everyone. Please feel free to reach out to me directly to share your fishing experiences and catches around Melbourne, Port Phillip Bay and beyond which we can feature in next month’s article. You can contact me by email at alan@fishingmad.com.au. Please consider becoming a FishingMad member at w w w. f i s h i n g m a d . c o m . au/member for fishing workshops, detailed reports and exciting monthly giveaways. Also, don’t forget to follow my fishing adventures on the FishingMad YouTube channel www. youtube.com/c/fishingmad and on social media on Facebook page www. facebook.com/fishingmad. com.au, Instagram page www.instagram. com/fishingmad.com. au and on Channel 31 Tuesday evenings at 9.30pm and Saturday afternoons 3.00pm.

Some good bags of squid have been taken from the local inshore reefs over the past month.

The author with a decent redfin.

FEBRUARY 2022

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Morgan and Williams snatch win at Tinaroo

We often harp on about sponsor karma and its mystical powers at our events, but what about owner karma? Well, it must count for something because after 16 years of fishing the BARRA tour he created, Steve Morgan

catching spots into different sections to target the fish at different stages of the session was key to nutting out the few bites they could get. During the first session, sporadic storms were rolling through the dam and the

fired just 24 hours prior had dried up, so the move to a spot they’d found in pre-fish in the main basin proved just the trick. Replacing the shallow running Bombers with heavy swimbaits for the deeper edges of the main basin was the adjustment

Liam Robinson from Anita Barra nailed the Big Barra for the event on Day 2 which went 26kg (120cm) …. Not surprisingly on a FishTrap.

Steve Morgan’s 113cm Barron arm barramundi anchored their team’s Day 1 bag, which went over 50kg for 4/5 fish. – along with lifelong friend and teammate Joseph Williams – has finally won a BARRA event, taking 1st place in the first round of the 2021 Zerek Barra tour on Lake Tinaroo sponsored by Wilson fishing. With 7/10 fish for 81.77kg, the pair leaned heavily on Joseph’s 17+ years of local knowledge on the arena to bring it all together in the crunch. Anglers had two night sessions to try and find 10 of Tinaroo’s biggest barramundi and versatility was very important. Breaking their key fish

pair found that the fish were quite fired up in a shallow section of the Barrine River arm of the lake. In a move away from the traditional ripping and darting jerk bait technique, the duo slow-rolled bomber Long-As over the shallow weed flats to get the bites, resulting in a cracking 4/5 fish for 50.40kg for their first session. Often in tournament fishing, the fish can play hard-to-get, and come day two it’s time to go looking. That being said, Team Fishing Monthly found the Barron River arm that had

Place Team 1 Fishing Monthly 2 Anita Barra 3 SC Marine Doctor 4 T.B.C 5 On the cast 6 About town bait & tackle 7 Venom 8 Duck nose 9 Wilson Fishing 10 Smak Wild 102

FEBRUARY 2022

and standard treble hook are upgraded to two #1 sized decoy YS81 trebles with heavy-duty split rings as well. Joseph launched this heavy bait with a Dobyns Sierra 7’ 10-20lb baitcast rod paired with a Daiwa Zillion, braided line and monofilament leader. A FISH TRAP CLINIC FOR ANITA BARRA Team Anita Barra, Liam Robinson and James Wilson, were nipping at the heels of Scan the QR code to watch the Winners Interview.

Joseph Williams and Steve Morgan (Fishing Monthly) recorded their first ever BARRA event win at Lake Tinaroo.

Joseph Williams has landed an estimated 1,000, metre-plus barra in Tinaroo. Here’s another one for the tally.

RESULTS

they needed. Williams said, “It was an island in the middle of the dam that is hit and miss when the dam levels fluctuate, however Steve whacked them there in pre-fish so we headed there

on the second session.” Although the quantity was lacking, the quality was exactly what they were after and after being overtaken on the leaderboard by Team Anita Barra, the pair needed one more kicker fish to take back the top spot. After side-scanning a sizeable fish, Williams made three casts at it with his Molix Shad 140 in perch colour, before hooking up with a 104cm 14.15kg fish, snatching back the lead from Anita Barra with just under an hour to go. As far as lure pimping goes, the Colorado blade

Team Fishing Monthly the whole event and finished in second place, only 370g behind them in a nailbiting finish. The pair were able to put 9/10 fish for 81.40kg on the board, using a Zerek Fish Trap technique they have down to a fine art. Using ultra light – almost bass sized – spin outfits, what they give up in fighting power they made up for in presentation. Aiming for a reaction bite while the sun was high, sharp twitching their Zerek Fish Traps vertical over the top of fish was how they secured the bites. Clearly a deadly technique for these Tinaroo barramundi as the team also secured the event’s Big Barra, a 26kg, 120cm giant – at 2:30 in the afternoon mind you!

Full results at abt.org.au

Anglers Morgan/Williams Robinson/Wilson Wood/Wood Laine/Williams Sam Brown Detenton/Mulcahy Dixon/Meredith Goodhew/Ruth Cornelius/Luckus Herbohn/Turner

Fish 7/10 9/10 7/10 8/10 4/10 5/10 5/10 6/10 5/10 4/10

Weight(kg) Payout 81.77 $1300 81.40 $750 80.26 $500 68.29 EJ Todd prize pack 57.58 BaitJunkie Prize Pack 54.14 Prize pack 47.82 Tackle Tactics Prize pack 41.17 Zerek Prize pack 35.12 ProLure prize pack 33.63 Keitech prize pack

A Fish Trap Masterclass by Anita Barra Just in case anglers weren’t already running on empty from the last two sessions on Lake Tinaroo, we like to throw in an all-night event to test the mental and physical limits of the anglers, and the organisers! The MOLIX sponsored round ran between 3pm Sunday afternoon and finished at 7am Monday morning, a gruelling 16 hour session with the intention of giving anglers a larger opportunity to fish as many bite windows as they can find. Liam Robinson and James Wilson of Team Anita Barra exacted revenge on Team Fishing Monthly who just pipped them in the first round, by taking first place in the second round with an enormous 5/5 limit for 89.62kg. Closely followed in second place by About Town Bait and Tackle,

spot – a shallow point in 12-8ft of water, more typical of a barra spot – things started to really take off, in what turned out to be a session most barra anglers dream of. The next few hours would be as Robinson described, “The best couple of hours fishing I think I’ve ever experienced. The fish were absolutely mental, and huge!” The next 5 fish went 109, 102, 110, 116 and 109cm, upgrading their entire bag to metre-fish, and all before midnight!

BIG BAGS THE THEME FOR FIRST AND SECOND Both first and second teams were more than 10kg clear of the rest of the field with cracking fish well in excess of the metre mark. Team About Town Bait and Tackle fell only just shy in the end, however they can take solace in the fact Michael Detenton took Big Barra for the event with a monster 29kg, 123cm fish. Fish of this calibre are rare enough as it is so to catch one alone is special, to catch one in a tournament is outstanding.

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James Wilson contributed heavily to what ended up being the heaviest bag registered in 2021 ABT Barra events. Forsaking the extra heavy baitcasting or spin outfits typically used, the boys opted for a far

with some deeper edges in the 15-20ft range during the daylight hours, the pair managed to get four

Michael Detenon’s 29kg (123cm) Barra win a Blade n Tails rod and eventually a $1,500 Buck-n-Bass rainsuit for the Tour’s Buck-n-Big-Barra!

Team Anita Barra started the 2021 Tour where they finished the previous year when they won the Team of the Year title. Michael Detenton and Luke Mulcahy, with 5/5 for 87.07kg. Both teams were over 10kg clear of third place. Between the two of them, they have their Zerek Fish Trap technique dialled in so much so that it’s the only lure they fish with for the whole event in black jack, red devil and sunset colours exclusively.

lighter 4000 sized Shimano Vanford spooled with 30lb FINS braid and 50lb Sunline FC 100 on a Shimano Zodias spin rod. Quick, sharp hops vertically off the bottom is the technique and the lighter outfits they feel maximises the erratic action of the vibe where a heavy outfit does not. Starting in the Barron River arm on a long bank

fish before moving to their second spot just before their bite time. “We pretty much had three key spots on the dam that we identified as holding fish and we just bounced between them all session long to stay on active fish,” Robinson said of their spots. At around 8pm when the boys hit their second

RESULTS Place Team 1 Anita barra 2 About town bait & tackle 3 Wilson fishing 4 T.B.C 5 Duck Nose 6 Venom 7 Fishing Monthly 8 Pete & Karim 9 SC Marine doctor 10 Mclaren engineering

James and Liam reckon that Tinaroo is the best barra lake in Australia.

Full results at abt.org.au

Anglers Robinson/Wilson Detenton/Mulcahy Cornelius/Luckus Laine/Williams Goodhew/Ruth Dixon/Meredith Morgan/Williams Cherritt/De Rider Wood/Wood Cohu/Mclaren

Fish 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5

Weight(kg) Payout 89.62 $1300 87.07 $750 77.27 $500 73.66 EJ Todd prize pack 71.20 BaitJunkie Prize Pack 63.12 Prize pack 61.68 Tackle Tactics Prize pack 60.43 Zerek Prize pack 58.78 ProLure prize pack 56.67 Keitech prize pack FEBRUARY 2022

103

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10 Kegs Clear At Lake Teemburra

Moving the tour back down the coastline, the picturesque surrounds of Lake Teemburra was the battleground for the 3rd round of the tour, sponsored by DAIWA. A dam renowned for throwing out BIG barra. Only being one session (4pm-12am), teams could throw everything they had at the venue to try and crack the biggest five fish limit they

The team had it down to two key spots in their pre-fish. Heading to their most likely spot to start the session, they were only able to jump off a good-sized fish. After an uneventful move to spot two, the pair moved back to spot one where it all started to kick off. “We thought, if we’re going to catch nothing, we may as well go and do it where we think a big one will

Ben Wilcox has missed a few Tours recently but hit the ground running in 2021. slowly and the fish would push up on top of it. The trick was to cast their soft plastics on top of the weed and just let it brush the tops of the weed towers, controlling the running depth with the winding speed of the reel. For Mick, the lure of choice was the old faithful Black Gold Slick Rig, with just a few slight modifications. Boiling the lure in hot water to soften the bait and make

Mick Slade was dubbed the “Prefish Princess” for landing a 124cm fish in practice. Lucky they didn’t peak too early … and the tutu was a good luck charm. could manage. Team Dobyns Rods, Michael Slade and Ben Wilcox, were victors in the end, bringing in a 5/5 limit for 64.30kg; followed in second place by team Imakatsu, Quintin Maclean and Colin Brett, who had a

wide gap – in his own jighead mould with a stinger treble attached through the body underneath the bait. Outfit of choice for Mick was a Dobyns Fury 765 12-25lb paired with an Abu Garcia Revo Beast baitcast reel with 30lb Suffix braid and 80lb leader. Giving the fish something different to look at, Ben opted for the incredibly popular Molix Shad 140, however opting only to upgrade the front treble to a BKK Viper and leave the Colorado Blade

at the back, instead of adding a treble as most do. “We just feel like they damage the lures too much with that extra treble and we don’t seem to miss too many fish even with less hook points,” Ben said of his choice to forsake the extra treble. Mick’s outfit for the event was another Dobyns Fury 765 12-25lb, only this time in a spin configuration with a 4000 Shimano Stella, 30lb Suffix and 80lb fluorocarbon leader.

BIG BARRA

Scan the QR code to watch the Winners Interview.

5 barra limit for 54.68kg. Pre-fish was cause for excitement for the boys as Mick, pre-fishing alone as Ben was in transit, landed a 124cm giant that would have weighed a whopping 30.27kg if caught in tournament hours. Fortunately for them, they didn’t peak too early!

There’s some solid barramundi talent on the podium for the Teemburra round. roll through. Luckily they just happened to roll through in the end!” Catching nine fish for the night, the team made plenty of upgrades on top of an already fruitful bag. The spot was at a point where the weed tapered off

it more flexible. Mike then singes the tail a few times with a soldering iron to thin it out and give it that big body roll barra love. Mick also makes his own jigheads out of a 6/0 Owner Beast weedless hook – for the extra

RESULTS Place Team 1 Dobyns Rods 2 Imakatsu 3 Anita Barra 4 Wison Fishing 5 T.B.C 6 Fishing Monthly 7 Mike carney group/ Tackle Tactics 8 Part-time Hookers 9 Lowrance 10 ACM Dogtooth 104

FEBRUARY 2022

Anglers Slade/Wilcox Brett/Maclean Robinson/Wilson Cornelius/Luckus Laine/Williams Morgan/Smith Versfeld/Wilton Beck/Brady Price/Thomas Crofts/Crofts

There were two, 23.20kg barra landed during the event, but Daniel Maddick’s bit first and earned him a Blade-n-Tails rod. Daniel of Team Fish With Me caught the biggest barra for the night, a Teemburra beauty at 117cm and 23.20kg.

Full results at abt.org.au

Fish 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 2/5 5/5

Weight(kg) Payout 64.30 $1700 54.68 $900 52.66 $750 48.53 $600 46.38 $500 45.94 EJ Todd prize pack BaitJunkie Prize Pack 33.75 Prize pack 33.33 Tackle Tactics Prize pack 32.78 Zerek Prize pack

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105

BARRA Series presented by

BARRA SERIES

abt

A Wilson fish fest at Lake Kinchant If quality and quantity are what you’re looking for, it’s hard to go past destination number four on the BARRA tour. The Lake Kinchant round, sponsored by Mustad, was won in typical sponsor karma fashion by Team Wilson Fishing, Kord Lucas and Jeremy Cornelius, with a 5/5 limit for 57.93kg. Followed closely by a couple of southerners that are quite well known to the bream scene: Blake Scan the QR code to watch the Winners Interview.

Matthew Mott from Team Garmin landed the event’s Big Barra

Yeeeeehawwww! One of our personal favourites from the tour, Liam Robinson and one of his Barra that was kind enough to model an Akubra for a photo.

them of the results. Pre-fish was a success with the two narrowing their selection down to just two key lures: one to fill their bag and one to upgrade it. Respectively, these lures were a Zerek Flat Shad X in the jighead configuration and a Zerek Affinity swimbait with the attached weight taken off to achieve a shallow, sub-surface presentation across the expansive weed flats. Drawing the second place keytag gave the boys a headstart to their spots over the competition, a big advantage which got them to their top spot ahead of other like-minded teams. “It was definitely a race and we had the slower boat,

O’Grady and Jamie Mckeown of Team Bream Hooligans flexed years of tournament knowledge in front of their BARRA counterparts and cracked a solid pattern to finish in a close second with 5/5 for 55.79kg. Admitting they didn’t check the live scoreboard the whole session, the Wilson Fishing boys had no idea they’d won, which certainly made for some excitement at the boat ramp when Fishing Monthly’s Steve Morgan informed Jeremy Cornelius wasn’t watching the live scoreboard - the first Wilson Fishing knew they won was at the end of the session.

Kord’s kicker barra ate this giant Zerek Affinity swimbait. Big lure, big fish.

Despite the pose, Kord was much happier than this when the productive Kinchant fired for them with their new Flad Shad X baits.

RESULTS Place Team 1 Wilson Fishing 2 Bream Hooligans 3 Team Garmin 4 Lowrance 5 Smak Wild 6 Imakatsu 7 Anita Barra 8 ACM Dogtooth 9 Fitzroy River Barra Bash 10 Venom 106

FEBRUARY 2022

Full results at abt.org.au

Anglers Cornelius/Luckus Mckeown/O’grady Griffiths/Mott Price/Thomas Herbohn/Turner Brett/Maclean Robinson/Wilson Crofts/Crofts Conrad/Lill Dixon/Meredith

Fish 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5

Weight(kg) Payout $1,500 57.93 55.79 $850 54.81 $700 53.61 $600 51.67 $500 50.45 EJ Todd prize pack 49.81 BaitJunkie Prize Pack 47.82 Prize pack 47.63 Tackle Tactics Prize pack 47.31 Zerek Prize pack

BARRA Series presented by so leaving in second was a definite advantage,” Kord remarked in his winner’s interview. Using a swag of Wilson fishing gear, including Venom rods in the 7’

6kg baitcast model with a combat 200 plus reel, 30lb Wilson XL braid and Wilson fluorocarbon leader, the pair went straight to work throwing the new 140mm Zerek Flat

BARRA SERIES

abt

Kord Lucas and Jeremy Cornelius of team Wilson with 1500 Reasons to smile. Riding that sponsor karma wave like so many others before them, they landed 5/5 Barra for 57.93 Kg.

Bream Hooligan Jamie McKeown worked out a solid presentation that fired them into second place after dark.

Shad X in min min colour to fill their bag quickly before switching to the big baits. Rolling the Flat Shad X through the towers of weed and just brushing past the sides of the towers was the technique for getting the all-important bag-filling bites. On the other hand, the

bigger baits were fished on a dead slow roll over the top of the weed as a sub-surface presentation. This technique accounted for the majority of their big fish, including their kicker at 103cm and 13.63kg, just 10mm shy of the Big Barra prize, which went to Tom Griffiths of Team Garmin with his 104cm barra.

NOT BAD FOR A FEW BREAM HOOLIGANS Evidently, barra are just the bigger, jumpier cousin of bream as Team Bream Hooligans, Blake O’Grady and Jamie Mckeown had no trouble putting the smackdown on a few big fish to land in 2nd place. Only fishing for the

second time together on the tour, the pair worked out a solid bite at the Saffa point area of the dam. The pair caught the majority of their fish on a mix of swimbaits (pictured below) including 6” Berkley swim shads, Molix shad 140’s, Squidgie Slick Rigs and a Zerek Fish Trap for a slower option. With their bag going 95, 98, 100, 101 and 102cm the boys had plenty to smile about. Not a bad effort for a few bream blokes! We look forward to having the boys back on tour next year.

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107

BARRA Series presented by

BARRA SERIES

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First win for father and son super-team

The second of the two marathon 16-hour all-nighters for the tour was won comfortably by father and son duo Rob and Tommy Wood of Team SC Marine doctor. The family duo from the Sunshine Coast have been in fantastic form this year, placing second by the narrowest of margins in a nail-biting second in the Australian Open only a few

The team have built a reputation for being absolutely lethal with their Samaki Redic jerk baits on every barramundi impoundment they visit and Faust was no exception. They have the technique down to a fine art, which includes changing between monofilament and fluorocarbon to alter the rate and depth at which the lure suspends and swims, to get

Tommy Wood broke through for his first ever BARRA event win at the Faust all-nighter, fishing a variety of jerkbaits and swimbaits. landing a stonking 106cm 15.27kg barra to kickstart the bag early. Moving to spot two towards their key bite time, the hydrowave came on and it attracted a big school of bony bream to the back of the boat where they used the Livescope

it tracking in front of fish. For those wanting to know more (and because it’s too good not to share again!), click on the QR code on this page that will link the ‘howto’ video Tommy Wood did with Fishing Monthly’s Steve Morgan. The night was off to a great start with Tommy

perspective mode on their Garmin units to see feeding fish and drop swimbaits and Samaki Redics on their heads. For the swimbait bite, the pair used an array of plastics, including black and gold Squidgie Slick Rigs and Molix shad

Scan the QR code to watch the Winners Interview.

the event’s Big Barra, a 17.78kg (110cm) fish caught by Rob Wood. Coming in second place was Team Mike Carney Group/Tackle Tactics, Vinnie Versfeld and Jeff Wilton with another cracking limit of 5/5 fish for 67.27kg.

There’s a few father-and-son teams that compete in the BARRA events. Rob and Tommy Wood fish together fantastically.

RESULTS Place Team 1 SC Marine doctor 2 Mike Carney Group/ Tackle Tactics 3 Dobyns Rods 4 Wagon Wheel 5 Mustard Swamp Dogs 6 Anita Barra 7 Fishing Monthly 8 Not For Sale 9 T.B.C 10 Smak Wild 108

FEBRUARY 2022

on Livescope was crucial to getting bites as Tommy could see exactly how the fish were reacting with his bait as well as being able to see them follow it up out of

Scan the QR code to watch how to fish Samaki Redic jerkbaits with Tommy Wood

Vinnie and Jeff (Mike Carney/TT) headed to the top of the river to compile a bag that was nearly enough to win the event. months prior, and with a 3rd at Tinaroo amongst a few other top ten finishes, the team seemed poised to take a win at any moment. The opportunity finally came at round 5 of the tour at Peter Faust Dam, sponsored by Lowrance, where the family team put an impressive 5 fish limit on the board for 72.10kg, securing their first win on tour. Their limit included

140s, both tricked up with upgraded Shout treble hooks from their friends at Barra Jacks. Throwing these big baits was a 7’ Samaki Zing Extreme

Rob Wood’s 17.78kg (110cm) Big Barra anchored the winning bag of just over 72kg. 12-25lb, 300 size baitcast reel, 50lb Suffix braid, 70lb Samaki fluorocarbon leader. While rob stuck it out with the Slick Rig, Tommy remained throwing his pink Samaki Redic and watching it intently on his Garmin Livescope unit. Tommy fished his Redic at Faust on a super long cast with a fluorocarbon leader to get the lure sinking down to his desired depth – about the 12ft mark. From there, the technique is incredibly slow, with Rob commenting, “To put it in perspective, I was getting 15 casts with a Slick Rig before Tommy had finished one with a Samaki.” Being able to watch the fish

the weed before committing. Ultimately the points earned from winning at Faust together with their other outstanding results on tour would be enough for Scan the QR code to watch an interview of the Barra Team of the Year

Rob and Tommy to write their name in the history books as the 2021 BARRA team of the year – and by only one point too! It doesn’t get much closer than that. A credit to their commitment and skill, well done on a stellar year Rob and Tommy.

Full results at abt.org.au

Anglers Wood/Wood Versfeld/Wilton Slade/Wilcox Gaw/Gilley Clark/Walker Robinson/Wilson Morgan/Smith Ferraro/Williams Laine/Williams Herbohn/Turner

Fish 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5

Weight(kg) Payout $1,700 72.10 67.27 $900 65.01 $750 62.12 $600 57.85 $500 51.50 EJ Todd prize pack 47.18 BaitJunkie Prize Pack 43.96 Prize pack 41.68 Tackle Tactics Prize pack 40.56 Zerek Prize pack

BARRA Series presented by

TBC take home final barra tournament The sixth and final round of the 2021 BARRA tour took us again to Peter Faust Dam in the Proserpine region of Queensland, the second of two events on the dam and the second of the two, two-night events on the tour. This round was proudly sponsored by Samaki and anglers were treated to an array of Samaki products in prizes, and even a few freebies. Mackay locals Peter Laine and Ben Williams of Team T.B.C were leading after day one and ultimately took out the event with a Scan the QR code to watch the Winners Interview.

Team TBC’s Peter Laine will work out the name of his team one year. In the meantime they have a habit of winning events at Faust. fish spotted on the sidescan while Peter fished a shallow jerk bait across the weed. Ben’s soft plastic of

10/10 limit for 117.28kg, while Team Lowrance, Peter Price and Greg Thomas, finished in second with a full 10/10 limit for 109.57kg. Team T.B.C had to adapt to changing weather conditions over the two days as the wind did a full 180º from a southeaster on the first night to a northeaster on the second, shutting the fish down. Barra are renowned to hate sudden changes in wind direction. The boys were able to adjust accordingly by making a few slight tweaks to their lures and how they presented them to keep getting the bites The boys took a one two approach with Ben throwing a soft plastic presentation at

casted off the sounder you need something that sinks fast, swims fast and runs straight. That’s why Ben has a lot of luck on his plastic,” said Peter. With Ben adding “We couldn’t get away with running the exposed hooks last night when the fish shut

Ben Williams is a gun on shallow water barra. He held this one the right way up for once. down because they pushed right up into the weed, so the weedless hook was crucial while the flashy blade underneath stirred up a reaction bite.” Peter leaned on a personal confidence bait in the form of a silver Rapala X-Rap 12,

Peter Price (pictured) and Greg Thomas snuck up into second place for the final event with fish like this.

RESULTS Place Team 1 T.B.C 2 Lowrance 3 Team Garmin 4 Fishing Monthly 5 Mustard Swamp Dogs 6 About Town Bait & Tackle 7 Wilson Fishing 8 Dobyns Rods 9 Anita Barra 10 Scared Fishless

abt

choice was a 6” white Berkley Hollowbelly rigged on a weedless 10/0 Owner Flashy thrown with a Northfork 736 X-Ray baitcast rod paired with an Abu Garcia Revo Premier with 30lb braid and 80lb fluorocarbon. “For the fish sightScan the QR code to watch Steve Morgan’s 114cm barra on Livescope

Fishing Monthly’s Steve Morgan caught a 20.7kg (114) cm fish on a jerkbait to take the Big Barra award for the event.

one of his favourite lures for this venue. On the tackle side of things, Peter uses a G.Loomis Edge Rods Silver Widow 736 baitcast rod with a Shimano Calcutta conquest 200 spooled with suffix 832 40lb and 100lb mono, due to mono’s ability to float, keeping his lure from bombing down into the weed. Taking a leaf out of Steve Morgan and Tommy Wood’s book, Peter was only moving his lure on the tiniest possible twitches on slack line as the bite shutdown and the fish became more finicky. This technique brought unstuck their kicker fish at 105cm.

BARRA SERIES

When the fish shut down on the second night the pair knew they had to adapt accordingly. “We quickly figured out that we had to change our casting angle from on top of the weed to casting along the weed face on the second night to get our bites,” Peter explained. HE’S A BARRA GUY NOW Showing us all that he’s not just a bream guy, Steve Morgan went out and had himself a field day at this year’s BARRA Tour with 4 top tens and a first place out of 6 events. Just to finish off with a bang in the final round, he took out the events Big Barra with an 114cm 20.70kg beast that he watched eat his Samaki Redic on his Garmin Livescope. Scan the QR code hereabout to watch the screen recording of the bite from his sounder, we promise it’s pretty cool! He takes home a Wilson Blade n’ Tails rod, thanks to Wilson fishing.

Full results at abt.org.au

Anglers Laine/Williams Price/Thomas Griffiths/Mott Morgan/Smith Clark/Walker Detenton/Mulcahy Cornelius/Luckus Slade/Willcox Robinson/Wilson Reay/Svendson

Fish 10/10 10/10 10/10 8/10 10/10 9/10 10/10 8/10 7/10 9/9

Weight(kg) Payout $1,800 117.28 109.57 $950 99.37 $750 97.80 $600 77.34 $500 76.69 EJ Todd prize pack 69.36 BaitJunkie Prize Pack 66.97 Prize pack 63.26 Tackle Tactics Prize pack 55.44 Zerek Prize pack FEBRUARY 2022

109

BREAM SERIES GF presented by

Victorians take ABT double at the BREAM GF Victorians, Mario Vukic and Jessie Rotin, made it a Victorian double at the ABT BREAM Grand Final held on the Clarence River just before Christmas. The pair who travelled together to the venue in the same vehicle ended up taking both trophies back down home south of the border. Additionally, Vukic took a brand new Alloycraft boat powered by a Mercury motor with him, worth nearly $50,000. The Grand Final event was held somewhat hurriedly in the weekend before Christmas. Queensland border openings allowed a small window for the event to run, and ABT ran it in conjunction with the BASS Pro Grand Final an hour up the road on the Richmond River. And in what has been a COVID affected year, 61 of

His crab rod was a Daiwa Battler Water Zombie matched with a current Daiwa Exist and the same braid/leader setup. “They are definitely my confidence lure and they have caught me plenty of room all over the country,” Mario concluded. Mario also said that his first boat when he got into lure fishing was a BlueFin, and it was a great end to the story to finally win the Alloycraft boat (made by BlueFin) at this event.

It’s a great problem to have at the conclusion of a BREAM Grand Final: how the heck do I get a second boat home? Well done, Mario! the field tight and the results close. VUKIC A POPULAR WINNER Commonly known as one of the nicer guys on the BREAM circuit, Mario

deep diving black crankbait (a custom colour by fishin. com.au) along the shallow rock on the seawalls with the dirty water on the low tide. He would then move deeper as the water cleared

I followed his lead and ended up catching my bag on the hardbodies.” On Day 2, the shallow crankbait pattern yielded one good fish, but petered out as the sun hit the water. “That was when I switched to the Cranka Crabs,” Mario continued, “I assume that the fish had just moved a little deeper off the rock wall and the crab allowed me to present them down there.” Mario fished his crankbait off an old-style G Loomis S842-2 rod and an older Daiwa Exist with braid and leader. He said that he wanted the extra give in the rod to account for the harder, earlier fight of the yellowfin bream.

Scan the QR code to watch the Non- Boater Winner Interview

ROTIN COMPLETES VICTORIAN DOUBLE Fellow Victorian Jesse Rotin has made a name for himself both at the front and the back of the boat in ABT events. He travelled up to the Clarence River Grand Final with Mario Vukic, and never in their wildest dreams did they believe they would both be taking home the winner’s trophies. Rotin finished with Brett Crowe on Day 1 and another Victorian, Darryl Baird on Day 2. On each day they started on the Middle Wall in the lower river. “I struggled early each day on Middle Wall,” Jesse said, “I would get snagged a lot and didn’t put any

Mario increased his Day 2 weight by over a kilogram on his Day 1 bag to jump into first place and stay there until the end of the weigh-in. Australia’s best breamers gathered to fish for the $49,000 boat and the prestigious trophies. Held out of the showgrounds at Maclean, the event featured individual weights and a new, three-fish limit for non-boaters. It kept Scan the QR code to watch the Boater Winner Interview

saved his best for last. His Day 2 bag weighed over a kilogram heavier than his first day efforts and this jumped him from 10th place up into first. And although the cream of Australia’s BREAM anglers weighed after him, none of them could catch his final weight. Mario used a two-pronged approach to target bream along the Iluka Harbour seawall in the lower part of the river. He would start out throwing a

on the incoming tide and fish a Cranka Crab from the edge of the wall down to around 20ft in depth. Lots of his larger fish came from this deeper presentation and he upgraded steadily all day to end up with his tournamentbest 3.75kg bag. “I am always learning off my non-boaters,” said Mario, “I was fishing with Allan Lavell on Day 1 and he caught a few nice fish on Hurricane Deep Diving hardbody crankbait.

BOATER RESULTS Place Angler 1 Mario Vukic 2 Mark Healey 3 Tom Slater 4 Tristan Taylor 5 Michael Corbett 6 Steve Duff 7 Mark Saric 8 Sam Peck 9 Wade Walker 10 Luke Rogan 110

FEBRUARY 2022

Fish 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10

See all that tackle on the board behind him? Victorian Jesse Rotin won all of that on the back of a great Day 2, 3/3 limit of bream.

Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) Payout 6.370kg $49,000 boat 6.060kg 5.620kg 5.600kg 5.545kg 5.530kg 5.520kg 5.285kg 5.265kg Millerod for big bream 5.120kg

BREAM SERIES GF presented by keeper fish in my bags there on either of the days.” On the first day he and Bret then moved to the Iluka side of the river where Jessie caught his bag in the last two hours of competition. Scan the QR code to watch the Day 1 Highlights

Day 2 followed a similar pattern, but Browns Rocks was the place where Jessie and Darryl filled and then upgraded their bags. “I get relieved when I have my limit in the boat,

the Cranka Crab – again in olive colour and a heavy version. He finished this on a pair of Daiwa outfits. He is a Daiwa sponsored angler. His lighter rig was a TD702LS rod coupled with a 2500 Kix LT reel. He’s spooled it with 8lb Daiwa J-Braid Grand and finished it with a 4lb Daiwa J-thread fluorocarbon leader. His heavier outfit was a Daiwa Rebellion 681MLFS rod coupled with a Freams 2500 LT reel. He used the same leader and braid combo on both rigs. He said the heavier rod was handy for a couple of bigger fish that he had to steer off the rocky structure close Day 2 is moving day in the Grand Final and that’s when fish like this one help you move on up.

Another Victorian, Steve Duff, led the event after Day 1 and had the chance to become the first two-time winner of the BREAM Grand Final. Nobody has done it to date. no matter how big it is,” Jesse said. He then said that he could concentrate on upgrading and trying to find kicker fish. Jessie’s main bait was

to the bank. When asked if he likes fishing more at the front or the back of the boat, he replied that both have their advantages. “It’s good when the

boater is in control of the boat drift and you can just fish,” Jesse said, “but is definitely an advantage fishing out of the front.” He said that fishing from the back is a more rewarding learning experience, but he just loves being on the water. AOY’S CROWNED ABT also took the opportunity to crown our boater and non-boater AOY winners. Queensland’s Jamie McKeown took the title for 2021 from the front of the boat, while Stuart Walker won his sixth title from the back seat. Both took home a fantastic Joey Urquhart wooden trophies. MILLERODS FOR BIG BREAM Queenslanders Cain Waller and Wade Walker each won a Millerod for

Wade Walker weighed the biggest bream in the boater division and also took home a Millerod for his efforts.

NON- BOATER RESULTS Place Angler 1 Jesse Rotin 2 Allan Lavell 3 Bobby Sproule 4 Michael Thompson 5 Cain Waller 6 Justin Reeves 7 Lee Miller 8 Clay Ling 9 Stuart Walker 10 Rod O’Sullivan

Fish 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 5/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6

Scan the QR code to watch the Day 2 Highlights

the biggest bream in their respective divisions. While not quite cracking the 1kg mark both anglers got really close and these kicker fish not only added to their bags, but gave them a great fishing tool for next season. Non boater rookie

of the year, Jake Aitken, won himself a full quiver of four Duffrods for being the highest place Rookie throughout the 2021 season. Great rewards for his first year on tour. 2022 LAUNCHED The 2022 calendar for BREAM, BASS and BARRA has been launched on ABT’s website – www. abt.org.au. Entry forms have been released and with any luck we will have an uninterrupted season this year with plenty of amazing prizes at the conclusion.

MILLERODS BIG BREAM

Cain Waller earned himself a Millerod for the biggest bream from the back of the boat. Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) Payout 3.290kg Epic prize pack 3.245kg Prize pack 3.015kg Prize pack 3.010kg Prize pack 3.000kg Millerod for big bream plus prize pack 2.920kg Prize pack 2.875kg Prize pack 2.870kg Prize pack 2.810kg Prize pack 2.770kg Prize pack FEBRUARY 2022

111

BASS SERIES GRAND FINAL presented by

Pryce goes back to back in close BASS Final Central Coast Basser and encumbent Grand Final Champion, Dany Pryce, proved that he was more than an impoundment specialist when he snatched the 13 Fishing BASS Pro Grand Final on the Richmond River with a last-minute upgrade, relegating the 2021 Angler of the Year, Matthew Langford to second place. In an epic comeback, Dane ascended to the top of the leaderboard after a pedestrian Day one finish at 12th. Dayne’s Day Two bag was anchored by a 1.91kg (46 cm) brute that

For his efforts, Dane took home a fully loaded Alloycraft (by BlueFin) 498 BASS Pro boat, Mercury Pro-XS 115 hp outboard, Power Pole, Green Marine lithium batteries, Lowrance Live 12 sounder, Garmin force electric motor and a Hydrowave. All carried on a Precision Marine Trailer. The package was worth over $60,000. Dane has made a name for himself as a master of the shirted jig. It has now won him a BASS Pro Grand Final on a river and on a lake. He used a purple Vex Performance Swim Jig with

Now that’s a decent reward for winning a 13 Fishing BASS Pro Grand Final - over $60,000 worth of boat/motor/trailer with all of the fruit. Well done Dane Pryce.

This was the moment where Matthew Langford realised that he was knocked off the top of the leaderboard in the last few minutes of competition. Dane’s ascendancy from 12th to 1st was helped a lot by a 1.9+kg bass (46cm) that he landed on a jig midway through the final session. was by far the biggest bass caught for the weekend. He caught that kicker fish mid way through the session, but it was not the most important fish in his bag. His last minute 38cm Scan the QR code to watch the Day 1 Highlights

bass was the one that got him over the line. Neither Price nor Matt Langford knew the final result until the final calculations were completed. Eventually, 90g separated the pair.

1/2 of a Z-Man lizard as a trailer. He fished it on a Millerods SwitchFreakUL rod, Daiwa baitcast reel and braid and a Sunline 10lb leader. “I really enjoy jig fishing and picking a piece of structure apart,” Dane said, “the big bass came from a bridge up the Richmond River. It was after about 6 or 7 casts to the structure and it was an epic fight, I’m sure that they could hear me celebrating back in Coraki when it finally got into the net. It was only lightly hooked in the corner of the mouth.” Indeed, if that fish didn’t meet the net, Pryce

BOATER RESULTS Place Angler 1 Dane Pryce 2 Matthew Langford 3 Nicholas Brunyee 4 Jonno Bale 5 Jake Schwerin 6 Mike Nelson 7 Brad Wickson 8 Trent Blake 9 Steve Morgan 10 Graham Ford 112

FEBRUARY 2022

Fish 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 9/10

would have been over $60,000 worse off. “There was talk that the river was going to fish hard this event with the flood that came through, but it fished amazing - I landed plenty of fish each day,” said Pryce. He didn’t know that that last 38cm fish, though, 20 minutes before the end of the session, was the one that would seal the deal. “When I came back, people were congratulating me for a second place, so I didn’t think that I had enough,” Dane finished. In fact, ABT left the final score update until seconds before the final presentation, where the whole field learned the eventual winner at once. The revelation brought Kingaroy’s Matty Langford

to his knees. LANGFORD’S LAST MINUTE SECOND Langford, a freshwater fishing guide based in southern Queensland, found fish well downstream Scan the QR code to watch the Day 2 Highlights

on the event base at Coraki. Each morning, Langford made the long run down to the Broadwater sugar mill, where he’d put a few key fish in the boat. His strategy was to start at the Mill each day and work his way upstream back to Woodburn, hitting less pressured banks on his way up.

Here are your 2021 BASS Pro Anglers of the Year - Matthew Langford (boater) and Kelvin Hatton (non-boater). Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 8.547kg 8.458kg 7.710kg 7.198kg 7.131kg 6.971kg 6.600kg 6.427kg 5.831kg 5.693kg

Payout Boat + Millerod

BASS SERIES GRAND FINAL presented by Langford relied on five, key baits to ‘junk fish’ his way up. He threw an Ecogear Grass Minnow on a spin outfit at the Mill and also a Rapala BX Brat 6 on his 13-Fishing/ Millerods combo. Other baits included a Nories chatterbait and a Bassman spinnerbait (shorty in white and blue). His upgrade bait, however, that yielded him some key upgrades in the second half of the session was a Z-Man frog fished on a VMC Mystique weedless hook. “I’d skip this way up into the darkest pockets and roll it back through the shade,” he said. The pattern yielded him a 38, 35 and 31cm fish at the end of Day 2. “Maybe I should have thrown it a little earlier,” he lamented. All of the anglers’ friends and fans could follow the live action on the ABT website throughout the event. In fact the live scoreboard for this event (run on the ABT Tournament Series app) received more attention than and event throughout the year.

presentation Paul showed us his favourite outfit - a Daiwa TD Zero baitcaster with Tatula reel loaded with a Bassman spinnerbait. AOY TROPHIES AWARDED Both the Boater and non-boater Angler of the Year (AOY) trophies were awarded at the conclusion of the Grand Final. In the non-boater division Kelvin

For Kelvin it was a great end to a first year of competition and for Langford it was the second trophy in a row. Usually decided before the Grand Final, COVIDcancellations meant that the season’s ultimate event had to be used to get to the minimum number of events and decide the titles.

Now THAT’S a spread of prizes for the winning nonboater. Including three 13 Fishing Reels, a Lew’s reel and a mountain of baits and accessories, Mazaroli enjoyed packing it all into a box to take home. And he did it in the very first event that featured individual weight, three fish bags for non boaters. It has been a change from the previous shared weight format which bass tournaments have used for Scan the QR code to watch the Dane Pryce Interview

important. Mazaroli drew his travelling partner, Mike Nelson on day one. They had pre-fished together and found a school of fish at the mouth of Bungawalbyn Creek. On that first day he had his bag in around 15 minutes. He and Mike caught around 35 fish from that school on day one. The second day couldn’t be more different. He landed his final fish 10 minutes from the

Mitchell Cone led the Grand Final after Day 1, but mechanical problems took him out on the final day. Hatton had the title locked up before the event even started but in the Boater division it took another high-place finished by Matthew Langford to seal the title.

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Paul Mazaroli only landed three legal fish on Day 2 - but it was enough. MAZAROLI BEST BROM THE BACK Harrington’s Paul Mazaroli has won the non boater Angler of the Year title before, but a Grand Final win had eluded him until this event.

the last few years. The three fish bag acknowledges that is more difficult to catch fish from the back of the boat than the front. It also keeps the leaderboards very tight. A kicker fish becomes very

finish of the session. He finished with Open winner Steve Kanowski. “Whenever I started to get nervous I slow down and I started catching fish again,” said Mazaroli. After the final

NON- BOATER RESULTS

There may have been storms coming in on the briefing night on the Grand Final, but it didn’t detract from the fishing, where over 350 bass were recorded in the ABT Tournament Series app by competitors.

Full results at abt.org.au

Place Angler

Fish

Weight(kg)

Payout

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6/6 6/6 5/6 6/6 5/6 5/6 3/6 3/6 4/6 2/6

4.687kg 3.989kg 3.615kg 2.894kg 2.867kg 2.704kg 2.163kg 1.881kg 1.647kg 1.418kg

Ultimate $4,000 tackle pack Prize pack Prize pack Prize pack Prize pack Prize pack Prize pack Prize pack Prize pack Prize pack

Paul Mazaroli Bridgett Curry Jason Sheehan Mat Cameron Beau Eveleigh Adam Wilson Greg Rigby Nick Brown Shane Richards Kelvin Hatton

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