• FINDING FLATTIES IN THE SHALLOWS • BOATING SAFETY GUIDE •
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Features
Fishing shallow for flathead • Safety on the water • Waving twig-weights • Part II: How sustainable are whiting stocks? •
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QLD
Safety Spotlight
Gary Brown discusses tips for water safety
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NSW January, 2022 ISSN 2652-5798
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Fishing Monthly Magazines
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CONTENTS
OUR COVER January 2022, Vol. 2 No.9 VIC
TAS
QUEENSLAND The Tweed Gold Coast Jumpinpin Southern Bay Brisbane Northern Bay Noosa Bundaberg Mackay Whitsundays Townsville Lucinda Hinchinbrook Cairns Port Douglas Cooktown Cape York Freshwater
24 26 28 30 32 34 38 40 42 44 46 50 51 52 52 53 53 54
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
60 63 62 64 66 68 70 71 72 72 73 74 74 76 76 78 78 80 81 79 82
VICTORIA Warrnambool Portland Cobden Apollo Bay Phillip Island Geelong Port Phillip West Port Phillip East Marlo Gippsland Lakes Lakes Entrance Mallacoota Bemm River Robinvale Bendigo Ballarat Wangaratta Shepparton Crater Lakes Eildon Yarrawonga Gippsland Freshwater
88 88 89 89 96 90 92 94 94 98 99 98 99 100 100 102 101 103 105 104 105 102
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From the Editor’s Desk...
WA
Peter Zahradka, aka ‘ZMan” strikes Swan River gold whilst stalking the flats on a dawn river raid. A Jacob Crispe image.
I must admit, looking at the January issue of Fishing Monthly Magazine, I am pretty proud of what we produce. Each month we have a massive number of contributions from all over Australia to show you what your fellow anglers have been catching out on the water. And in this time of domestic tourism – rather than international travel – we hope it gives you plenty of ideas for ‘bucket list’ species to catch. We may not be a coffee table publication, but we sure as hell nail local content. At this time of year I always like to thank our huge number of contributors, our hard-working staff and our loyal readers and advertisers. We have seen an upswing at the end of 2021 and hope this continues throughout 2022. There were
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Come and visit Fishing Monthly Group’s official Facebook page for all your monthly fishing information. Download QR Reader to access.
TASMANIA Offshore Hobart
84 85
WESTERN AUSTRALIA Esperance Augusta Bunbury Metro Mandurah Geraldton Kalbarri Lancelin Exmouth Karratha Broome Freshwater
115 114 116 118 116 117 119 120 122 123 122 124
REGULAR FEATURES Fishing shallow for flathead Safety on the water Tech Tricks: Boat first aid kit Starlo’s back to basics Sheik of the Creek Part II: sustainable whiting stocks Catching barra on fly What’s new fishing Testing Booth: Power Pole Micro Tournaments WIRF Recfishwest Trades and Services/Tide page Boat test: Stacer 539 Crossfire
8 12 16 20 23 56 57 58 59 106 112 113 127 128
COMPS AND OFFERS Find the logo Fun page/Sub page
77 121
a few lean months during the COVID lockdowns. As we go to print, Queensland seems to be reopening for tourism and business. We get to run some fishing events that are out of state and then we will be testing boats all over the country again in 2022. There have also been a few changes. We are excited to welcome Dallas D’Silva to Queensland into a new role in Queensland Fisheries. We have been working with Dallas through the magazine for several years, helping to communicate the positive impacts the Victorian Fisheries Authority is having on angling opportunities. We hope he is going to have the same positive impact on fisheries management communication in Queensland. Our state is one of the few that does not have a saltwater fishing license. Let’s hope we can make the best of what funds we have to improve the fishery. Also at the time of print, it seems like our dams are filling right across the country. La Nina has delivered what was promised, lots of rainfall. Let’s hope this drought-proofs lots of our freshwater fisheries for many years to come – from barramundi in the north, to trout in the south. Have a feel of this issue. Each month it seems as though we are printing the biggest magazine possible. We hope you enjoy it.
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When shallow just isn’t shallow enough! skinny water. POT HOLING AND CHANNEL BASHING As in the property market, this tactic is all about location, location, location. There are kilometres of flats to fish in the Classic’s arena, and truth be told, there are probably flathead on all of them, however this tactic required a few simple pieces to come together. On any given flat there will be areas where the weed clumps and is not
BRISBANE
Steven Booth
I’m lucky that I get to hang around really good anglers most of the time and this gives me the opportunity to learn new ways of doing old things and that is exciting. Last month I got a late call up to fish the Gold Coast Flathead Classic with gun flatty anglers Troy and Darren Dixon. To say I was keen to hit the local waters I’d fished for years with such talent was an understatement. I know Dicko (Troy) does things vastly different from how I fish my local waters for flatties and that had me excited! His brother Darren also fishes similarly to Troy and seeing two good anglers go about their work, both fishing the same areas made it even better.
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3/8oz (10g) jighead and whipping the rod hard. To see how Dicko and Darren shook and jiggled their lightly weighted paddletailed plastics was a real eye-opener. Sure we’d used paddle-tails plenty of times, but there is nothing quite like seeing it first hand to work out where you’re deficiencies are. To achieve the results in amongst the weed that was often littered with snot weed, the boys fish very light jigheads. 7g was
Elephants eat peanuts. The Fat Betty coloured 3.5” Flat Shad tempted this beautiful 79cm flathead from 60cm of weedy water.
Bright colours have always been willingly chomped by flathead and the chocolate rose coloured Flat Shad was Darren’s best lure for the comp. The fact we were fishing a competition meant little to me at the time, I was just pumped to be fishing with some really talented anglers knowing I would be doing things I’d never done before! SHALLOW We’ve all fished shallow for flathead over the years. Angler guns, like David Green, have preached about big fish in less than a metre of water for years and the swim/ glidebait and surface luring for mega-flathead has taken shallow to a new level, often as shallow as 0.5m. The difference with the tactics I’m going to discuss is that we were working on the elephants eat peanuts theory, where you are finesse fishing to 2-7kg fish with lightly weighted
The other advantage of clump weed is that it tends to create draining channels. Now these channels are not like the amazing snake drains you see in tropical barra creeks, they are simply slightly deeper (often as little as 10cm) sandy runs between the weed clumps. If the weed is particularly vibrant, and depending on wind and current, the weed can literally overhang the deeper channel creating a perfect undercut that any
paddle-tailed plastics! Over the course of the competition, we fished in water from 30cm out to a maximum of 1.6m and landed 85 flathead in the three days. We didn’t troll a single metre as it’s challenging to troll with a 200hp outboard and 21ft bass boat, and spent the entire competition casting various soft plastic lures into skinny water filled with weed and fish! Looking back on the statistics from our three days, more than 90% of our fish came from less than a metre of water, with the three biggest fish (and another two beasts we dropped) all hooked in less than 70cm of water. That’s getting really skinny, in fact so skinny that we were locked in over the low tide on the final day and had no choice but to catch oversized fish in ultra-
The snot weed on the leader speaks volumes about how careful you need to be fishing the shallows. If this is all over your lure, you’re not fishing! Light head weights and a meticulous approach are needed to minimise snot weed interfering with your catch rates. simply a vast weedy flat or a featureless sand flat. This clumpy weed is the areas you are looking for as it provides a range of targets to cast at from the one boat position. By definition, the clumpy weed means there will be patchy sand and mud areas, and these cleaner areas provide the perfect casting target and the perfect ambush areas for big flathead.
good trout angler would recognise as a hot spot! In my mind I can see a flatty with its nose and eyes sitting out of the weed
the heaviest we fished all comp, but the majority of the time we fished 5g and 3g jigheads on either 3.5” Zerek Flat Shads
GEAR FOR THE JOB Lures Zerek 3.5” Flat Shad 4” McArthy Paddle Tail PML Flathead Jigheads 5g, 7g 3.5g jigheads Rods Blade N Tails 6’10” 6-12lb spin RLFBT18 Blade N Tails 6’10” 4-8lb spin RLFBT17 Reels ATC Virtuous Carbon Fibre 2000 ATC Virtuous Carbon Fibre 800 Line 6-8lb braid 10lb, 12lb, 14lb Wilson FC leader
On the last day, the ‘unskilled labour’ (the author) fished a Bone Focus 130 glidebait in the same areas with great results. As in everything, there is always more than one way to skin a cat!
clump, or buried beside the weed edge just waiting for a baitfish or crustacean to come too close. By the time the bait realises the danger, it’s way too late. If you can make your lure be that unsuspecting bait, well it’s game on! LIGHTEN UP OLD MATE The biggest lesson for me was the entire finesse approach. I’m more familiar fishing a jerkbait-style plastic on a
or 4” McArthy paddle tail plastics. The beauty of the lighter jighead is that the plastic doesn’t plummet into the weed or the mud. It’s not really a slow fall either, but the lighter jighead certainly allows you to manage your lure around the weed with ultimate confidence. A typical cast would see the angler targeting a sandy patch or a channel at full casting distance and really concentrating on where
the lure was in relation to the weed. The lure is jiggled and coaxed toward the weed edge or along the channel, with the lure allowed to settle in prime positions. This is where the Zerek Flat Shad is brilliant as it sits tail up at rest because of the high
floating TPE plastic it’s constructed from. If there’s no action, the lure would be worked over the weed edge, jiggling and shaking the lure to keep it above the weed until the lure reached the next weed edge. The lure was then allowed to drift
lure simply disappears into fish’s mouth without much fuss. With the lures being small at 3-4”, the need for the flatties to really belt the lure just wasn’t there. Add in the fact the lure is moving relatively slowly and the fish are generally
This is where the ‘feel’ for the way you are fishing comes into it. It is also the area of most concern for me being new to the tactic. Troy and Darren had the ‘feel’ and would strike hard and into fish, whereas I would more feel
Darren’s 78cm flathead hit the lure hard in 50cm of water and ran fast across the flat. It exploded out of a weed patch with intent!
At 5g, this PML Flathead jighead is ideal for fishing in 50-100cm of water with the 3.5” Zerek Flat Shad.
to the bottom again. This process was used for the entire retrieve, meaning a cast could last for a minute or two, with the lure in harm’s way pretty much the entire retrieve! SETTING THE HOOK One thing that stood out like the proverbial was
the need to really strike hard. With the slower and more deliberate retrieve, the flathead do not always eat the plastic like they do a quickly whipped jerk bait plastic. The classic line tick does happen, but more often the take is far more subtle as the
The McArthy 4” paddle-tail was a very reliable fish catcher in water from 50-100cm deep. Having a herring-style body was a great point of difference and the Gold Coast flathead loved them. unwilling to chase these lures down and it all equals bites that take a bit of getting use to.
a weight before striking – sometimes it was weed, sometimes it was a fish! To page 10
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9
Tech Tricks
First Aid kit: Never leave home without one BRISBANE
Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com
Venturing out on the water is a lot of fun for the whole family. Whether you are simply taking a short trip to favourite swimming spot, heading further offshore with the aim of putting some seafood on the table or just doing some sport fishing, boats open up a whole new horizon of
opportunity. However, even with the best laid plans and preparation, accidents still happen. Cuts can be received from knives, fish teeth or scutes, piercings from hooks, gaff point and fish spines. An entire array of things can go wrong in the marine environment, as there are lots of sharp things in a boat and in the water. As such, it definitely pays to have a first aid kit aboard for when things go wrong
or when you are met with discomfort due to some unforeseen factor. Even simple things like a headache, sore throat or skin irritation can quickly spoil the day. Having some basic first aid supplies at hand can make all the difference. Whilst many first aid kits have the basics for scratches, scrapes and bumps, a fisher’s first aid kit can easily benefit from a few additions. Having some basic supplies at hand will not only improve
1 Basic cuts and scrapes are probably one of the most common occurrences aboard any craft. These can occur from fish teeth, knives, gill rakers and many obstacles on the boat. Having a few self-adhesive dressings, especially waterproof ones, will allow you to quickly seal off the exposed area. This will minimise infections that can eventually turn into blood poisoning in some cases.
3 A compression bandage can further apply pressure to the wound area to reduce blood loss. It can be wrapped on firmly to apply pressure to a large area either side of the main wound. Additionally, a compression bandage can be used to minimise movement of a joint in case of a dislocation or sprain. They can also be used in conjunction with a stick or rod to create a splint to secure a break in a bone and prevent any further damage. It is advisable to have a few narrower ones for fingers, toes etc. and a few wider ones for arms, legs etc. 16
JANUARY 2022
your comfort if a medical instance occurs but it could actually save your life. I am definitely not a medical authority or have any proper experience in that field. From experience I have put together a basic first aid kit to cover many of the scenarios I can envisage happening to a boatie on their daily fishing trip to either the saltwater or freshwater environs. Obviously for a long-range trip on a large
vessel you would need a lot more in your kit. This boatie first aid kit is mainly aimed at smaller boat owners mainly doing day trips. In addition to the items mentioned you may even want to consider a pair of latex gloves, antihistamine tablets for mild allergies, an epipen for severe allergies, a triangular sling bandage, a shock blanket and an instant cold pack. The contents of this boaties first aid kit can
alleviate mild discomfort and help with even some more severe injuries until you can get proper medical help. Please note that I have absolutely no medical training and the information in this article is just my personal opinion. We all hope that our days on the water are trouble free but it is comforting to know that there is some relief immediately at hand if things don’t go to plan. Safe boating and fishing to you.
2 For more serious wounds, a dressing strip is the best bet. These are especially good when there is a lot of blood as they are fairly absorbent. Some sticking plaster can be used to keep them in place and it also means they are attached firmly, which can minimise blood loss.
4 Injury to eyes can be extremely painful and very hard to ignore. It may be as simple as getting some sunscreen in your eye or you may cop some foreign matter in it. Having saline solution to flush it out of the eye can provide quick relief and avoid any long-term damage to the retina from scratching as you blink. Eye drops are also very good for reliving dry or irritated eyes caused by high UV, salt and strong winds. A simple eye irritation is enough to end the enjoyment of your day on the water so having these items is highly recommended.
Tech Tricks
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5
This may seem like a strange one however tampons are a highly recommended part of a boaties first aid kit. They could even save your life if you were to get a deep stab wound from a knife, marlin bill or gaff point. These can be pushed into the pierced area to stem blood flow until you get some more professional help. Definitely not the usual way a medic would probably treat such a wound but if you are fishing solo, they are very easy to apply with one hand unlike many other wound dressings.
6 Your kit should also have some scissors for cutting dressings, tape and bandages, a pair of tweezers for extracting splinters and some safety pins for securing the ends of large bandages. A scalpel blade is also a handy addition that you may need in extreme cases.
Antiseptic cream should be immediately applied to cuts and grazes to minimise infection. A small tube is all you will need and there are many different types available. Cuts will get infected quickly when you are out to sea so this can be a godsend. Nicks in your hands from braided line, gill rakers, teeth and fish spines can become infected quickly. Your hands will swell within a few days, which is not fun when you’re on a longer trip. Antiseptic cream can minimise infection and discomfort and can initially neutralise any toxic matter on a wound.
9 8
Having paracetamol at hand can alleviate the headaches caused from sore necks, heat stress and other irritations that can quickly ruin your day on the water and limit your ability to concentrate on your fishing. Stronger pain such as joint and muscle pain are best treated with ibrufen or similar medications. You will need to regularly check that these are both still in date.
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Antiseptic throat lozengers are also advised to relieve a sore or dry throat that can be caused by dry air, cold air or even fuel vapours. Whilst this discomfort is definitely not a lifethreatening event, the lozengers can allow you to still enjoy your day on the water. They may also minimise the possibility of a long term throat irritation or infection.
Itch cream can be used to relieve the irritation caused by sandfly bites, duck lice, minor allergies and other insects. Smaller children are often a lot more affected by sandflies than adults. If in the mangrove environment, it is highly advisable to put on some suitable repellent as prevention is better than a cure. I have several times been bitten by duck lice in the freshwater whilst launching the boat and my legs itched for quite some time. Many insects and other factors can cause discomfort. Whilst adults can tolerate the itching, smaller children can’t and become irritable and whingy. A bit of anti itch cream can save the day.
I highly doubt any medical professional would recommend these, however I have always carried a few already looped zippy ties in case of a serious injury. In my mind they could be used to cut off blood flow and have the benefit that they can be tightened with one hand. If you were to have a hand severed or serious cut to your leg then they might just save your life and prevent you bleeding out. A looped zippy tie can also be used to pull a hook out if you had to do it yourself. Definitely not medic recommended but they may be useful.
12 As this kit is for a boat, it is highly recommended that the storage container is waterproof. Many tackle box companies such as Versus and Plano make waterproof boxes and tackle trays which are ideal for the purpose. You may even find some at a hardware store to fit the bill. Pre-made first aid kits offer a decent start for a boatie however you will need to add several items then transfer the contents into a waterproof housing, especially for those in open craft. JANUARY 2022
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Southern
OLD
Paving the way for crustaceans JUMPINPIN
Bo Sawyer
Happy New Year everyone! Hopefully you got out there over the holiday break and caught some cracker fish. It’s been a pretty wet summer so far, and this has
cow spleens, and I’ve vowed to never touch another cow spleen ever again!) The recent rain should really start stirring them up and the crabbing should only get better over the next few months. The whiting are still firing, and there’s been plenty of great catches coming in from
and the SW corner of North Stradbroke Island. You will get your better quality fish out deep during the day, and I’ve caught nearly all my 40cm+ ones in 20-50cm of water at night. Live worms and yabbies on a long shank hook with a fluorocarbon leader (around a metre) will get them biting. Great catches of flathead are still being caught. The bigger girls are no longer stacking up out deep as they have in the past couple of months. Try fishing for them
in the Pin bar on the tide changes, I’ll either tea bag vibes along the drop offs or flick plastics right up against the trees. With all this rain and dirty water they are a bit more challenging to catch further up the system but you can still do well fishing drains, weed patches or drop offs. Try Kalinga Bank and the NE tip of Crusoe Island with plastics, vibes or pilchards when the water is really dirty. The bedrooms, Gold Bank, Tipplers, and Eden Island are
Shaun with a very nice flatty caught along Kalinga Bank. another species. Pilchards and small metal slugs are the way to go. That’s it from me this month everyone. Don’t forget to jump into Jacobs Well Bait
Mud crabs aren’t the only thing getting into the pots. Andy got this great feed of sandies using fresh mullet. made water quality pretty average at best. However some great fish are still coming in and it’s paving the way for a fantastic prawn and crab season. January’s best bite times are going to fall on the 1-4, 17-19 and the 31st. Great bite times don’t always mean great fishing, however overall I’ve found them to be pretty accurate. This month try and line up your fishing sessions with the tide changes coinciding with dawn and dusk whenever possible. These times/ tides have definitely been performing better. Let’s get into the fishing. Plenty of crabs are being caught around the Jacobs Well area. Also try Eden Island and the Logan River. As mentioned in my last report, place your pots near drains that are along mangrove edges. I’ve always found fresh bait is way better than old stinky bait (I’ve tried everything from fresh mullet to 3-day old
at o B d e r u t Fea
all around the Jumpinpin area. They are a good species to target mid-tide if you like fishing for other species on the low or high. It’s a great option if you want to keep the fish ticking over on a long session, with the added challenge/ benefit of chasing multiple species in a single trip. Spots to fish are Gold Bank, Kalinga Bank, the northern and southern side of Crusoe
and Tackle for your bait and fishing gear. If you’d like your photo to be in my report please message me on either Facebook or Instagram at ‘the bobo boat’.
Benno with a 60cm flathead caught on a soft plastic.
Parks caught this cracker whiting on a live bloodworm in the Jacobs Well area.
other great spots to try, and they also regularly produce great results. With all this rain, mulloway will be hanging out in the deeper holes and river mouths. Whole pilchards, live mullet between 6-7” or soft vibes will do the trick. Fish the lightest sinker possible and when the tide slackens adjust your sinker size to suit. Plenty of tailor are still terrorising bait schools out in the Pin. The size hasn’t been great but I did see a school of real quality sized ones just recently while targeting
The author with a nice 60cm+ model caught off Crusoe Island.
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WHAT’S NEW FISHCRAFT AUSTRALIA
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PRODUCT GUIDE
PLATYPUS PULSE MONO
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The brains behind FishCraft have been itching to let you in on the secret weapons they have been working on, and finally they’re here! With a long development process, every one of these lures has been tried and tested for action, hook-up rates, and superior appeal to a variety of target species. FishCraft brings you 27 fresh new lure shapes, eight proven colours and a comprehensive range to suit Aussie species. First off there’s the trusty 38mm B-Cranky crank in medium and shallow for estuary or rock fishing, and then there’s the supreme glidebait Dr Glide in 76mm and 127mm for those keen to get into the swimbaiting for flathead or big dam species. The new Skatter Prop provides some extra fizz on the topwater, and there’s also an offshore 150mm diver for those guys wanting to chase snapper and other bottom species in deeper waters. Watch this space as we drop you fresh details on each lure in upcoming issues. For more information check out @FishCraftFishing on Instagram and Facebook. www.facebook.com/fishcraftfishing
Pulse Premium Monofilament sets a new standard for performance and quality in a monofilament line. Platypus continues its 120+ years of line development with this new generation mono, engineered from the ground up using the latest raw materials and refined processes to produce a line that exceeds the expectations of today’s serious angler. Proudly made in Australia, Pulse Premium boasts fine diameters and excellent abrasion resistance, offering anglers the best of both worlds, along with a smooth and slick finish that casts long and knots extremely well. The Ghost Clear colour is designed to reflect its environment, much like the scales of a fish, allowing it to blend effectively into a wide range of environments. Platypus Pulse Premium is initially available in 300m spools and breaking strains from 4-50lb. Price: SRP $20.95-$39.95 www.fishplatypus.com.au
MERCURY DUAL-HANDLE DTS
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Mercury’s Next Gen Dual-Handle Digital Throttle & Shift (DTS) system marks a major step in the product’s evolution, while still retaining all the best attributes of the DTS system. The new ERC line-up offers solutions for multi-engine configurations. Boaters can choose between the standard dualhandle consolemount controls or the Premier dualhandle model, which includes a digital display in the control base. The display provides a broad variety of contextsensitive information to help the boater stay fully connected with the propulsion system through all phases of boat operation. Additional enhancements include a built-in Command Module in the controls, Active Trim quick access buttons and in a neutral gear display on the handle. Other features include a green neutral indicator light on the throttle handle(s) that quickly confirms gear position, a convenient throttle-only feature for starting and warming the engine(s), a large start/stop button and an oversized trim switch. Multi-engine controls have a start/stop-all button for all engines, and buttons for starting and stopping individual engines, as well as the ability to trim all or individual engines. www.mercurymarine.com.au
NEW BAIT JUNKIE MODELS
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The Bait Junkie range welcomes two new models: Risky Critter and Kikker Curly. The 76.2mm Risky Critter is ultra-realistic in profile, with meticulously designed and positioned appendages delivering natural, subtle movement both at rest and on the move. Designed to be fished either full length or cutdown, the Risky Critter is equally at home fished lightly weighted and pitched next to a pontoon for bream or dropped deep into a laydown as a trailer on a skirted jig for bass. The Kikker Curly surface frog is sure to make its mark over the coming months. Made from Elastomax material, this 83mm/3.2” floating frog features twin curled legs that deliver a seductive leg beat on the retrieve. Sized to perfectly fit a 1/0 offset worm hook, the Kikker Curly is absolute surface candy when twitched ‘n’ paused, or burned across the top, with bass and toga destined to become obsessed with the Kikker Curly this summer. The Risky Critter is available in 12 colours and comes in a pack of six, while the Kikker Curly is available in four colours and comes in a pack of three. www.daiwafishing.com.au
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JANUARY 2022
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ATC VIGILANCE 16000
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Built for the demands of heavy tackle sportfishing, the ATC Vigilance 16000’s body and rotor are constructed from high grade, corrosion-resistant aluminium to ensure the reel is built from a foundation of strength. 12+1 stainless steel bearings that allow this reel to operate under extreme pressure that sees 30kg of drag pressure able to be applied. The ported aluminium is cut from a single piece of aluminium, ensuring that under these extreme loads, nothing will fail. ATC’s dual drag system incorporates drag washers both above and below the spool. This reduces the spool wobble associated with single-drag reels and delivers superior performance, with low start inertia and smooth performance throughout the drag range. A waterproof seal on the rotor and the body frame ensures no saltwater gets into the vital moving parts. This gives ATC the confidence to give the reels a 5-year warranty against manufacturing faults. There are two models, the 16000 and 16000H. The 16000 has a retrieve rate of 5:1, while the 16000H has a faster retrieve at 5.7:1. Each reel weighs under 700g and takes 430m of PE5 line, making them ideal for lure casting for species such as mackerel, GT, tuna and wahoo. www.wilsonfishing.com
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Power Pole Micro Anchor System – Consider one for your small tinnie A couple of issues back, I took you through the Micro Power Pole anchor system and the options you have to install it on a small tinnie. You can check that article out online or you can go to Fishing Monthly’s YouTube channel, where Steve Morgan also takes you through the options. In that article I explained that you can either hard wire the Micro Power Pole to your boat or use the clamp bracket and
Everything you need to install and connect your Micro Power Pole Anchor is provided. You just need to drill four holes to fit it, if you want to permanently attached it to your boat. associated lithium battery accessories that are available. This system provides more flexibility as far as where you place it on your boat and the ability to transfer it from boat to boat if you desire. In the end the flexible option has won the day for me. To be able to remove the Power Pole when I know the fishing I will be doing doesn’t require its use, just means less things to clutter and/or worry
about. All the benefits, but only when you need them. What does the hard install process require? Please note the word install in that sentence. What I mean by this is physically attaching the Micro Power Pole unit to the boat. It is a three step process. Firstly, decide where you want the unit to sit, mark where you need to drill fours holes to bolt the unit to the hull and drill those holes. The second step is to attach the unit to the hull. All the bolts, lug nuts, washers and the Allen key to tighten them, are provided. The final step is to attach the power harness to your battery system. This can either connect to your starter battery or a separate battery source. I have wired in the harness, so I can use it and/or the lithium battery set up, if I am going on extended trips and charging batteries is out of the equation. Again, inline fuses, connectors, the capped power harness and screws are all provided. What the Power Pole Micro Anchor System offers you on the water The question I get asked most by people who have seen the Micro Power Pole system on my boat is what is it and what do I use it for? The easiest answer for me is to explain that a big part of the fishing that I enjoy is fishing shallow water in our estuaries and lakes for fish species like bream, flathead, whiting and Australian bass, just to name a few. On many occasions my boat is sitting in less than 6 foot of water and I am casting into channels of deeper water, across large expanses of shallow water or along weed edges and points. Stealth is a big component of this type of fishing and the Power Pole provides an additional tool in minimising noise in this situation. Once in position I can Power Pole down, hold position, and effectively fish the area I am in. No noise from electric motors and I can even turn sounders off to reduce my noise footprint even more. I have seen a definite improvement in my success in this situation since installing the Micro Power Pole to my boat.
Other questions answered The one thing that I can definitely tell you is since having the Micro Power Pole on my boat is lots of questions from curious anglers. The main two I have covered, but I thought people considering purchasing a system for their tinnie would be interested in my observations. How long does the battery last? I am yet to flatten the lithium battery (standalone set up) while fishing. It lasted a three day trip with normal use without needing to be charged. The beauty of a lithium battery is they have no charging memory, so you can maintain a full charge when not in use, no matter how much or how little it has been used. How deep will the Micro Power Pole allow you to anchor in? This obviously depends on the type of boat you install it on and where you mount it, but on my Quintrex 435 Hornet Trophy it will hold in up to 6 feet of water. A soft muddy bottom and lots of current can change this, but otherwise you hold perfectly in this depth. Do you travel with the Power Pole up between locations? I store the 8 foot pole if I am going at speed between locations. I have travelled
Flathead are a prime target species in shallow water. The author caught this fish while Power Poled down at the mouth of a drain coming out of the mangroves in the background. has been hit by a deluge of rain (as has much of the East coast), which has limited my opportunities to get on the water. There is no doubt that this flush of our waterways will result in some great fishing throughout the summer months and I am looking forward to taking advantage of it.
The author has neatly wired the power harness to his cranking battery as a backup should he need it on extended trips.
By using the Mount Bracket to install the Micro Power Pole Anchor to his boat, the author not only has the flexibility to remove it or transfer it between boats, he can also use either the Micro Anchor lithium battery pak (left) or the power harness (attached to his cranking battery) to power it.
Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au
on the plane with it up and folded at a 45 degree angle and had no issues, but I find it easier to remove it (hold the up button on and take the pole out of the unit) and store it out of the way. Then put it back into the unit as required. If I am slowly moving spots or on the electric motor I leave it up and in place. How hard is it to use? The simplest method to operate the Power Pole is press the down button twice and the unit does all the work for you. It finds the bottom, locks you in place with a couple of add pushes and off you go fishing. Two presses of the up button and the pole comes up and hold in a position where it is safe to travel. This can be done on the unit itself or the toggle and boat mount that is provided. This is what I have used predominantly, however if you are looking to anchor at that maximum depth range and have a softer bottom, it pays to use it manually. This way the unit doesn’t continue to look for a solid footing. I am looking forward to more shallow water fishing At the time of writing SE Queensland
I can see my Micro Power Pole system getting plenty of use in the very near future. To find out more for yourself go to www.power-pole.com.au. You will find a full list of stockists and more information on the full range of products available. Peter Jung
To find out where your local stockist is, go to www.power-pole.com.au. JANUARY 2022
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Sydney
NSW
Time to sharpen your skills SYD ROCK & BEACH
Alex Bellissimo alex@bellissimocharters.com.au
Welcome to 2022! Make this one a bigger and better year than ever. Be ambitious, and push yourself to achieve new goals. If you target scenarios/approaches that you’re not so good at, you’ll become a more consistent angler. Testing your skills is a bit like
3/0 or 4/0 set of gangs and whole pilchard rig, I’ll add a Wilson surf popper. I normally chop off the rig and tie on approx. 20-30cm of 40-50lb fluorocarbon leader and tie it to the top swivel. Below that swivel is approx. 45-60cm of leader and the ganged pilchard rig. Often the strike you get will be on the surf popper rather than the ganged pilchard. The surf popper bobs/bloops up and down
pink nippers aren’t cheap, and you don’t want to see your bait supply evaporate too quickly. The next gutter you move to could produce far better. If you have the time to catch your own beach worms, so much the better. I teach beach worming as well as all beach, rock and the majority of estuary species. Jew fishing off the beaches has been sporadic this season. They’re in late this season, with only a few being caught by the very dedicated. You might pull it off on the first outing or on the 20th outing this season. You have to be patient when targeting this species. Big beach worms, fish fillets like mullet, chopper tailor and yellowtail work well. Butterflied mullet and yellowtail, squid strips and whole squid are the
When using a stem float, it works best when it is well weighted. The means that the top of the stem does not completely disappear when a wave peaks. The wave and white foam and flotsam you may encounter off the ocean rocks can make it very difficult for you to see your float, especially when your float has drifted away from you 20m+. That is the reason to not have an overly weighted float that has been near ‘neutral’ weighted (i.e. the top of the stem disappears when a wave passes). Bear in mind this is only a basic rule of thumb, and doesn’t suit every scenario. Catching snapper off the rocks is one of my favourite types of fishing. They are great fighting fish, look amazing, and you learn to Josh Wood’s first salmon – an impressive 70cm cracker of a fish! You may encounter fish like this and sizeable tailor off the ocean beaches this month, usually in low light periods and at night. on crustaceans, molluscs and small fish. Fish the sudsy white water for better results. The strike is normally a solid ‘bam’. When hooked up, the ‘donk donk bounce’ signature tail-beat of a snapper will indicate you’re onto a reddie. For the more traditional method, berley up with pilchard cubes, bread mush and prawn heads, and fish with peeled king, tiger, banana or endeavour prawns or half pilchards. Squid strips work a treat as well.
Byron Kwok and family with a 42cm whiting caught off the beach, taken on a live beach worm. It’s best to keep moving until you find a productive gutter. science. Break it down to smaller components, test your skills/techniques in all weather conditions (provided it’s safe), and use the process of elimination to determine which approaches work best in different situations. BEACH FISHING Big, fat Aussie salmon and sizeable tailor are prowling the beach gutters, hunting for any small fish that get in their way. The only escape for small fish is the shallows, white water and churned-up sand to escape these aggressive predators. Salmon and tailor like the deep gutters but don’t mind doing reconnaissance missions in search for food in the shallows, especially in flatter sea conditions. At the end of the day the predators will go where the baitfish are. Salmon to 70cm and tailor to 58cm are being caught on several of the northern beaches in Sydney. When fishing for tailor/salmon with a 3-hook 62
JANUARY 2022
each time a wave goes past, giving the surf popper the action to predators that are close by. The occasional flathead is also nailed using this method. And there are times you will have a double hook-up – very exciting! The whiting are on virtually all of the beaches, but some locations have better numbers than others, depending on the day. The size of the whiting are varying from just-legal 27cm fish to stud 42-43cm specimens. On my YouTube channel you can check out my Alex Bellissimo 2-hook paternoster rig. Alternatively, you can fish with a single hook rig. You can get a bycatch of quality bream, dart and more species on the surf beaches when targeting whiting, but undersized fish are outnumbering the bigger fish. If you are getting multiple bites from undersized dart and whiting, and hardly any decent fish, I recommend moving to another gutter. Live beach worms and
Distance casting for snapper has been producing great results as well. I like to use more robust baits when distance casting to withstand both the big cast and the impact of the bait hitting the water. You can use a stretchy white string called Bait Mate which you can bind on your baits – something that’s normally used for softer baits. Cotton works quite well also, and is better for the environment. When it comes to sinkers, I have been using To page 63
This snapper was caught distance casting with the lightweight Stealth 65S. When distance casting, use tough baits such as squid strips, cuttlefish strips or salted slimy mackerel. preferred baits. For all of these beach species try mid to north Palm Beach, North Avalon, Newport, North and South Narrabeen, Dee Why and Curl Curl. ROCK FISHING Luderick are normally targeted in the winter months, possibly because most rock fishers get summer species fever and ignore everything else. However, luderick are well worth targeting at the moment, as they are in good numbers at some of the headlands. Cabbage weed and hair weed baits may vary depending on what the luderick prefer at the location and on the day.
fish the sudsy white water for not just snapper but multiple species. Catching snapper on plastics adds another dimension to catching this wonderful species. Lately I have been catching some reasonable snapper on the Bait Junkie 3.2” Minnow in oil flash, the 4” Grub in creaming soda, and the 5” Jerkshad in pilchard glo. When you cast out your plastic, know what the sink rate is and count. Expect to lose some plastics and jigheads as you’re getting right in amongst nasty territory where the snapper live. The fish are generally close to the bottom or close in to a deep wall, feeding
This snapper fell for a Bait Junkie 3.2” Minnow. Fishing the deeper rock heads with plastics is a great way to fish for them.
NSW
Sydney
Kingfish catches improving SYDNEY NTH
Steve Winser
With very ordinary weather conditions recently (especially the weekends!) and a lot of rain thanks to our La Niña cycle, it’s been a mixed bag over the past month. Water temperatures are slowly picking up, although they are still pretty low
for this time of year. As a result, the winter staples of bream, blackfish, drummer and groper are still on offer, provided the weather conditions allow access to the washes. Quality black drummer and blue groper are still being caught. A high tide with bread and prawns in a bread berley trail fishing 15-24kg gear will get you onto these. The same set-up scaled down to 3kg is
working for the bream and blackfish. The kingfish are making their expected appearance in the lower harbour, with good average size fish to be had around the 75-95 mark. There are a few bigger fish amongst them. Again, they are picky, with fresh squid and cuttlefish being the choice if you want to maximise your chances. The markers, bottom structure and points
Ben with a wet weather king. From page 62
the new Enviro Friends Lead-Free Sinkers from NAF. You can use weights from 2-6oz. Kingfish, some bonito, tailor and salmon are on the chew. Live yellowtail, 7” Bait Junkie Jerkshads, and ganged sea gars have been producing some fish. When using live yellowtail, the preferred method when fishing over a rocky bottom is suspending the yellowtail under a foam float like a torpedo float. Use a float stopper and you can vary the depth you need to fish. You may have the float stopper set at 2m or much more depending on the depth of the location you’re fishing. For the smaller pelagics, a metal ranging from 25-65g will be best. A quick tip: when using a 25g or even lighter metals, preferably use under 8kg braid and leader or under 8kg mono to maximise your casting distance. If you have a sizeable fish for this gear, the fish will have to be washed out if it’s too heavy to lift. A good location to try is Manly’s Bluefish’s eastern front ledges. Preferably fish this location in a swell less than 1.2m. When checking the weather/ swell forecast, use
common sense! When the swell prediction you see on the weather/surf sites indicate a specific swell size, it does not mean that that is the ‘real’ swell size. Fishing the easterly exposed headlands, the swell size can be substantially larger. Bluefish, North Curl Curl, south and north Whale headlands are exposed to ocean swells and can have a larger swell size compared to the more tucked in headlands. Just an example of some very exposed rock spots. All in all, it’s set to be a cracker of a month! I mentioned at the beginning of the column to test your skills, but that doesn’t mean you should do anything foolish. When it comes to ocean rock fishing, some anglers are in the L plate category while others are in the black diamond category. If you’re still learning, you must be particularly cautious. Take rock fishing SERIOUSLY and seek the right advice! I am happy to assist you. Be safe and have a great month. • For rock and beach guided fishing or tuition in the northern Sydney region, visit www. bellissimocharters.com. au, email alex@ bellissimocharters.com.au or call Alex Bellissimo on 0408 283 616.
on the run-in tide have been working the best for us. Squidding has been good lately, with success being had over both the ribbon weed and kelp areas. Jigs between 2.0 to 3.5 are our choice, with orange/pinks or blue/greens doing best. Next month should see a continuation of a rise in water temperatures, and the kingfish should further improve – although the weather could play a big part on how much fishing can actually be done. Time will tell. Tight lines everyone. • Fishing Sydney Tours takes pride in tailoring every trip to the customer’s preferred species, style of angling, and level of expertise, all within a friendly and relaxed atmosphere at competitive rates. There are some excellent fishing spots that can be accessed straight off Sydney, and we will show you where. We offer harbour, wash and offshore fishing for species ranging from kingfish and mulloway through to snapper and mahimahi. For more info go to www.fishingsydneytours. com.au, call 0481 120 600 or look up ‘Fishing Sydney Tours’ on Facebook.
Albert with his first black drummer.
NEW PRODUCT
New Daiwa Steez Lures Two of the latest lures from Daiwa Australia are the Steez RPM Crank Mid-10 and the Steez Current Master, both of which are squarely targeted at Aussie species. Steez RPM Crank Mid-10 The ultimate Australian crankbait, the Steez RPM
Crank is the perfect size and depth to target a host of Australian native species, including bass, yellowbelly, and sooty grunter. Designed and tuned to deliver a high cadence and wide swimming action, the RPM equally excels as a slow rolling bait that can be walked over structure, or as a faster-actioned open water search bait. The Steez RPM Crank
dives to 10ft, which is perfect for hitting that mid-depth range that Aussie natives love to hold at, especially when sitting tight to cover. Designed for optimum
performance, the RPM Crank’s rounded lip excels in deflecting off cover, triggering reaction bites as the lure changes direction. Whether it’s hitting Lake Eildon for yellowbelly, working the rock edges at Glenbawn for bass, or fishing the flooded trees at Eungella for sooty grunter, the Steez RPM Crank Mid-10 has you covered.
Current Master 93SP-DR The Daiwa Current Master 93SP-DR was designed in partnership with Japanese engineers, and has been tuned to suit the needs of Australian anglers and to handle the rigours of hardpulling Australian species. The Current Master 93SP-DR is the perfect mid-size silent jerkbait with a lively action when
jerked and suspends on the pause, inducing hard strikes from predatory species like barramundi and mangrove jack. The patented ‘Mag Lock’ Silent Oscillation Casting System has been installed inside the Current Master 93SP-DR, enabling incredibly long casts while keeping a subtle and silent presentation. The Mag Lock system also creates perfect lure balance, delivering a super-consistent swimming action in still waters, heavy current or faster retrieve speeds. Fitted with ultra-strong split rings and BKK Viper treble hooks, there is no need to upgrade any of the hardware which comes standard on all Current Master 93SP-DR – it’s ready to fish straight out of the box. For more information on these and other new lure releases from Daiwa, visit www.daiwafishing. com.au or look up Daiwa Australia on Facebook and Instagram. - FMG JANUARY 2022
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VIC
Fresh start for the New Year PORT PHILLIP NE
Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au
Many Victorians were keen to draw a line through 2021, and start again in 2022, especially those living in metropolitan Melbourne and the surrounding areas who were worst affected by the Covid-19 restrictions throughout the year. Although the fishing pressure on the bay has once again been less than normal in the lead up to the summer months, an unusually mild and wet spring this year has
as well. As we settle into the peak of summer during January and the continuing warmer months ahead, the bay’s anglers should expect the action on the bay to return to a more traditional summer pattern. Just like this time last year, snapper reports have been well and truly centred around changes in barometric pressure, especially before, during and after recent storms, and changes of light, especially in the afternoons. In fact, the snapper bite over the past month has been much like the traditional spring behaviour from years
with jigs and other artificial offerings. Mount Eliza, Frankston, Mornington and Seaford have all been productive for anglers fishing in close, nearby to reefs and structure. Alternatively, out wide Mornington and Mount Martha have been the best. The ever-reliable pilchard has accounted for more than its fair share of snapper so far this year and is still the go-to bait for many of the bay’s anglers. The bigger fish that have been taken however, seem to be responding to more specific baits like fresh squid and salmon, and also to those anglers willing to put in a little extra time fishing outside the box. The strong and growing population of slimeys and yakkas in the bay have also made fresh bait gathering worthwhile, and these baits have already accounted for several large snapper already this season, especially those anglers fishing in close before first light. The use of ‘flasher’ style pre-tied rigs has also grown massively in popularity. Normally, the bay’s
anglers’ focus has moved away from the snapper by Christmas, but in the last few seasons, the best fishing of the whole season was in January and February, especially from the traditional wider marks out from Carrum to Safety Beach. Traditionally, these wider marks, and those closer to the shipping channel will fish well, especially out from Mornington, Mount Martha and Safety Beach. The time to fish in closer, and from the piers and rocks is during and after onshore winds. So there’s plenty of snapper options for anglers of all persuasions over the Christmas break and into January and February as well. Over the New Year period and beyond, expect the reds to move into more of a grazing pattern as they will look to put on condition. They will move into the wider and deeper marks, and therefore finding fish on the sounder before dropping the pick and setting the rods becomes more important, as well as the use of berley. The lure fishing for smaller school sized snapper, and the odd big fish as well, has been very reliable recently,
Eoin Keaveny with his PB snapper of 54.5cm caught off Mt Eliza. especially around larger areas of reef, particularly those close to deeper water. These areas, like the land-based platforms tend to fish best after a blow, so best success will come from concentrating around these events. Spend time looking at your sounder too, just like in the deep as recently the school-sized snapper have been heavily feeding on bait in mid water
and closer to the surface. Expect many of the bay’s other most popular species to really fire over the coming months as the water temperatures continue to rise. Local whiting and calamari numbers should explode, and I’m also looking forward to the kingfish showing up in our local areas again this season, stay tuned for reports next month.
Baitfish bring the pelagics MARLO
Big squid have been taken in good numbers in the south of the bay for the past couple of months. As water temperatures increase over the summer months, local activity will increase as well. made many of the current trends seem like early season fishing. Once again this year, we have experienced a slower than usual start to the fishing season, and this has also brought a vast array of changing weather and fishing conditions for anglers on the bay. And while the normal peak snapper action and other species activity seemed to be running a little later this year again, in line with the slowly rising water temperatures, the frequently changing weather also brought some peak periods of great fishing
ago. The major change from then to now has been the massive amount of bait and other natural food sources available, and the frequently changing water temperatures at times. Some quality snapper have landed in our local areas in recent weeks, with most anglers choosing to fish either in close and around 8m, or going to the other extreme and concentrating on the far wider deeper areas around the shipping channel. Artificial reef areas, and ‘dump sites’ have also been very popular, particularly for those anglers fishing
Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au
With summer in full swing, it’s the time of year for all of us anglers to venture out to enjoy our favourite fishing spots. The rivers have had a good flushing out with all the rain we’ve received, and the whole estuary is in pristine condition and should again be a fishing paradise when all the elements line up. The prawns have begun to move out of the mangroves and reed beds on maturity, and move down onto the sand flats that run from the Marlo Jetty all the way down to Frenchs Narrows as they wait for the right tide to make their run to the ocean on their annual cycle. The same sand flats that house the gathering prawns
MARLO
OCEAN VIEWS CARAVAN & CAMPING PARK
also attract the predators, including big dusky flathead that lie in wait for their annual feast of migrating prawns – not to mention all the anglers and non-anglers who also like eating the succulent local prawns. The best of the lot is the big schools of fish that also come into the estuary to join the smorgasbord for their Christmas feast. Salmon and tailor in big numbers move into the estuary with the tide, giving anglers plenty of action either trolling or spinning with metal lures. The surf beaches are
Kingfish are a good target at this time of year.
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03 5154 8268
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www.marlocamping.com.au 94
JANUARY 2022
Kirk with a quality kingfish.
fishing well, with large schools of salmon and tailor moving up and down the beaches looking for schools of small fish to eat. As well as the salmon and tailor, anglers are getting flathead, mullet, bream, gummy shark, and big bronze whaler shark. Offshore the fishing has been particularly good. With the baitfish turning up, so will the pelagic species including kingfish and stripy tuna – the type of fish that stretch your arms. The prized kingfish can be elusive sometimes, but they’re still worth targeting at this time of year. For the anglers who prefer to bottom fish, there have been many reports of flathead, gurnard, barracoota, pinkie snapper, morwong, squid, and gummy shark on the chew.
Tracking Murray cod in the upper Goulburn River Ever wondered whether Murray cod move between Lake Eildon and its tributaries like the upper Goulburn River? Well, so have we! That’s why we’re commencing exciting new research this summer to track Eildon cod and learn more about their movement patterns. After all, your fishing licence fees have helped stock nearly three million cod fingerlings into Lake Eildon over the last 30 years and there are more on the way! The two-year study will determine if cod in the upper Goulburn River are an active part of the Lake Eildon population or a distinct one of their own. The project involves tagging 20 cod over the minimum size of 55cm with acoustic transmitters, which emit a regular ‘ping’. Listening stations positioned in the Goulburn Arm and up the river will detect these ‘pings’ and record individual fish movement, depth and speed every time a tagged cod comes within range. Freshwater fishers are participating in this innovative project too by helping monitor tagged cod movement, ensuring strong engagement with those people most passionate about wetting a line for this iconic species. The project is a great example of applied research to unlock secrets and bust myths about cod and the findings will give lure casters and bait fishers alike valuable insights. That fish of a lifetime could be closer than you think! For more information visit www.vfa.vic.gov.au/codtracking
Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne
BASS SERIES presented by
Queensland’s finest go toe-to-toe for the Open With Covid throwing spanners in the works for our NSW competitors once again, the Rapala BASS Australia Open scheduled to be held on the Clarence River in October was instead re-structured to become the Rapala BASS Queensland Open held over two days at Lake Somerset and Lake Wivenhoe. Scan the QR code to watch the winners interview
edging out 2nd place Mick Johnson with 6/10 fish for 9.099kg. In 3rd place with 5/10 fish for 8.097kg was Kingaroy local and guide Matthew Langford. Hear how the three went about fishing the dam in their own unique ways. KILLIN’ THE COMPETITION Steve ‘Killer’ Kanowski knows bass better than anyone, so it was no surprise to see him take that big $5,000 1st place cheque home to add to his collection. Killer spent the first day on Somerset targeting the fish sitting deep around the
Champion boater Steve ‘Killer’ Kanowski cracked the lock jaw Wivenhoe bass on day two to take a come-from-behind win over Mick Johnson. burn and kill technique. “Nearly every time they would hit it on the pause as I stopped the fast burn off the bottom”. The second technique was a method for targeting the suspended fish off the drop off in 80-90ft+ of Scan the QR code to watch the Day 1 Highlights
Long lining a crankbait in deep water at Somerset was the go-to technique for 2nd place Mick Johnson. The 12 anglers competing in the event were the first BASS anglers to ever compete in a BASS comp run entirely on the ABT tournament series app. Although the dams are so close in proximity, the fishing was like chalk and cheese. On day two, many anglers struggled at Wivenhoe battling gale force winds, as opposed to day one on Somerset where the big fish came out to play. Steve ‘Killer’ Kanowski is a through and through veteran of the ABT BASS circuit and taking out 1st place in this event only adds to his legacy as one of the all-time greats of Australian BASS fishing. Killer brought in 10/10 fish for 9.550kg,
spit with soft plastics and had caught his whole bag before 8:30am. Catching his bag in record time didn’t go unnoticed, as fellow angler Matt Langford put it, “I went to log my first fish and Killer had just logged his fifth!” The go-to soft plastics for Somerset consisted of a plum chartreuse Slider Grub and a Noike Firetiger on 5/8oz, and a Berkley Dam Deep jighead in black and gold. Starting a stone’s throw from take-off, Killer fished the north side of the Spit mixing between the two plastics with two different techniques. The first technique was to throw along or parallel to the drop off in 30-40ft of water, letting the lure sink to the bottom and employing a
RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 108
JANUARY 2022
Angler Steve Kanowski Mick Johnson Matt Langford Jake Schwerin Paul Aldous Barry Reynolds Steve Morgan Mitchell Petty Shaun Ezzy Blake O’grady
water. This involved casting out and counting down from 10 before rolling it back through the schools of suspended fish, keeping it level with or slightly above the fish suspended in 25-30ft. The outfit of choice
for fishing plastics was a 7’ Lews rod with a 1000 sized Lews threadline reel, 8lb Berkley X9 braid and 8lb Toray fluorocarbon leader. Wivenhoe was a completely different beast to Somerset as anglers had to battle gale-force winds while also trying to fish effectively. Killer’s plan was just to try and get his 5 fish limit, no matter the size. The bite was different to the previous day at Somerset and with the added wind factor, Killer opted to go with two Nories Wasabi spoons in bronze and chartreuse as opposed to his plastic the day before. The extra weight of the spoons helped Killer to keep in contact with the lure in the strong winds. Fishing a slight slope/ breakline that drops from 20ft down to 30ft with a
Rapala sponsored angler Matthew Langford rounded at the podium in 3rd place. Full results at abt.org.au
Fish 10/10 6/10 5/10 10/10 5/10 5/10 6/10 5/10 2/10 2/10
Weight(kg) Payout 9.550 $5000 9.099 $1000 8.097 7.977 7.909 6.717 3.158 2.657 2.607 2.051
tree on it that the fish were hanging off, a steady, slow roll of the spoons all the way back to the boat was all it took to bring the Wivenhoe bass unstuck. Although his entire day two limit wasn’t even as big as his smallest Somerset fish, it was still one of only three full bags weighed on a tough day two and it was more than enough to cinch the win in the end.
BASS SERIES presented by JOHNSON PUTS ON A CRANKBAIT MASTERCLASS Mick Johnson was leading this event after day one and came dangerously close to taking it out with only a few 100g separating him and 1st place. The majority of the fish that Mick found were spread anywhere from the Spit to Pelican Point, however he targeted a select few patches with a particular technique to get the big bites. With the fishing slow in his first location at Beans Creek, Mick shot back to Bay of Plenty where he knew there were fish sitting on a few humps that come up from 45ft to 35ft. Where many anglers were using soft plastics,
Blatt brought the last fish in the biggest day one bag of the whole field. On day two, Wivenhoe proved to be a cruel mistress. Persisting with long lining his crankbait, Mick was only Scan the QR code to watch the Day 2 Highlights
able to tempt one fish to bite, however it was better than most and enough for him to claim second place ahead of Matt Langford. LANGFORD TAKES BRONZE Local guide Matt Langford was always going
Steve Kanowski bagged early at Somerset and was within striking distance of Day 2 . wouldn’t even make a cast. It’s just such a good way of making sure your lure is definitely coming past fish.” Unlike Killer who had the bite die off after the first few hours, Langford had his bag by 9am and continued
to catch fish and make upgrades right throughout the session, just working the same patch of fish out the front of Beans Creek. One of his crucial fish on day one, and the big bass for the whole event, was a 51cm
Mick Johnson wouldn’t veer from his long lining pattern and fell agonisingly short after a long day at Wivenhoe. Mick chose to ‘long line’ an Imakatsu ik800 crankbait in colour 200. Long lining involves casting your crankbait out over fish and driving away from the lure before retrieving it, maximising the running depth of the crankbait keeping it in front of the fish. “I actually laid awake the night before the event trying to think of a way to get the crankbait to hit the bottom in 30ft,” Mick said of his crankbait technique. What he came up with was to clip a 1/4oz chin weight onto his bait to get it track along the bottom in 30ft or more, noting the bait had to be hitting the bottom for the fish to bite. To get such a sizeable crankbait to get down to depth, Mick uses a Samurai 8’9” swimbait rod and a 200 sized Lews speed spool with 12lb straight through Sunline FC Sniper. This technique accounted for micks first three fish before the move was made to a rock wall in 100 feet of water between the bay of plenty and the spit, where the fish were suspended in 25-30ft. Rolling a John Deere Slider Grub on a 1/2oz jighead accounted for the fourth fish in his bag while a 30g Slow
to give this event a nudge and that he did, coming 2nd after day one and finishing the event in 3rd place, as is his consistent nature. Being a local guide has its perks as Langford gets to spend a lot of quality time on Somerset Dam, so the majority of his pre-fish was focused on Wivenhoe. Knowing his way around Somerset, Langford knew there was good fish sitting at the mouth of Beans Creek on a small rise that comes up from 45ft to about 38ft, about the size of a house block.
On top of this rise there were fish suspended, which he was able to tempt into biting a John Deere Slider Grub on a 1/2oz TT jighead, catching three before moving to a 5/8oz. A 90mm Storm Biscay minnow in glow sand eel colour tempted some bigger bites. The addition of Livescope to Langfords boat helped him immensely for the weekend, using it to find the active fish hanging around the bait schools, noting “If I couldn’t see two or three fish on the Livescope to cast at, I
Matt had a great pre-fish in Wivenhoe but it didn’t translate to a great day on the final day of the Open.
Steve Morgan caught the only two bass bigger than 30cm on Day 2 at Wivenhoe.
fork 2.668kg Somerset giant that fell victim to his Biscay Minnow rigged on his combo of a Millerod Finesse freak, 1000 size Daiwa TD black reel with 9lb Yamatoyo Resin Sheller leader and 10lb Yamatoyo leader. “Fishing Somerset I would have moved around a lot more but the app said I was leading so why would I move off winning fish,” he said of the app-based event. Unfortunately, day two at Wivenhoe wasn’t meant to be however, his stonking 5/5 fish for 8.097kg day one limit was enough to keep him on the podium for this event, a place we’re sure he feels right at home by now! JANUARY 2022
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BREAM SERIES presented by
Good things come in twos for Taylor The Gladstone round of the DAIWA BREAM series sponsored by Maui Jim marked the last qualifying round of the year before the anglers will face off for top honours in the Grand Final. Gladstone is a diverse fishery offering vast natural and artificial structure making for interesting fishing as it is the only venue where anglers can target the stockier pikey bream, as well as yellowfin, in the one system and with an abundance of by-catch as well. Sliding into his second win of the year, Tristan Taylor took first place for the event with a respectable 10/10 fish limit for 4.711kg. Meanwhile, Jamie Mckeown decided to continue his rich vein of form by taking out 2nd place with 10/10 fish for 4.498kg and in the
“I started out throwing a 1/12oz jighead on the low tide but as the big tide pushed up, I slowly worked my way through the sizes until by the top of the tide I was throwing a 1/6oz. just to get it through the current and down to that 15-30ft water depth.” Making this adjustment was critical to keeping his ZMan Grub in contact with the bottom and amongst the fish. Small hops along the bottom all the way to the boat was the simple and effective technique to get the bites. Going up in
Champion boater Tristan Taylor makes this his second win for the year and his second win at this venue. to pinch a bit of cash in the form of the $500 YoloTek Big BREAM prize. TAYLOR MAKES IT TWO FOR THE YEAR One of the longest standing BREAM anglers
daunting for Taylor, he still had a difficult pre-fish with only four fish hitting the deck, however it was two fish in particular that handed him the keys to victory.
on a low tide meant things began slowly. However, as the big tides associated with being so near to the equator began their big run in, the fishing heated up. Putting faith in his trusty motor oil ZMan Grub again, Taylor made some key adjustments on the terminal end as the day progressed so he could keep his lure in the strike zone.
Scan the QR code to watch the Non- Boater Winner Interview
weight size was critical to consistently catching fish and making small upgrades all the way to the top of the tide. Taylor has recently re-spooled all his reels with new Majorcraft Dangan braid x8 in 16lb from Frogleys Offshore and, on
In the non-boater division, Wade Walker claimed first place and also took home some cash for his efforts in the form of the $500 YoloTek Big BREAM prize. process securing him-self the prestigious Angler Of the Year trophy – a little souvenir to remember his remarkable season by. From the back of the boat, Wade Walker took out first place in the non-boater division and also managed Scan the QR code to watch the Boater Winner Interview
on the ABT circuit, Tristan Taylor is no stranger to winning. For the second time this year, he’s reminded us he can, and will, continue to rack up the top podium spots by adding another to his already illustrious career. Call it déjà vu, but the same as the Ballina comp earlier in the year, Taylor has also won at Gladstone in the past, so the venue certainly wasn’t as intimidating this time around. Even though not
“Two of the fish I caught off a point were milking so I knew there were a few spawning fish in the area. This usually means that there are good numbers about and you can catch quite a few in the one spot”. Going in to bat on day one, Taylor headed straight to the two points in the southwest corner of Curtis Island where he’d found the milking fish on pre-fish and made the decision to stick to them all day. Starting
BOATER RESULTS Place Angler 1 Tristan Taylor 2 Jamie McKeown 3 Blake O’Grady 4 Steve Morgan 5 Mark Saric 6 Michael Slade 7 Sam Peck 8 Michael Thompson 9 Darren Borg 10 Stephen Wilson 110
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Fish 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 8/10 10/10 8/10
Some anglers could even use the arms of their Maui Jim’s as a measuring stick.
Full results at abt.org.au
Weight(kg) Payout 4.711 $1625 4.498 $1250 inc 1st Mercury 4.143 $875 inc 2nd Mercury 4.137 $75 3rd Mercury 3.876 3.817 3.683 3.666 3.590 3.048
BREAM SERIES presented by the leader end, 6lb Unitika Aorika was the go-to. Once again using his favourite 7’ 2-6lb Samurai Reaction 201 he trusts for all his breaming from Gippsland to Gladstone. The technique and location stood the test of time as the fish still came Scan the QR code to watch the Day 2 Highlights
thick and fast on day two. “I probably caught 50 fish for the whole weekend,” Taylor said of his winning spots. On Sunday, once the tide reached its peak and the bites slowed up, Taylor had to adjust accordingly to get the last few upgrades to his bag. An Atomic Crank 38 in ghost gill brown colour brought unstuck two yellowfin bream that helped bump the bag weight up and ultimately claim victory. MCKEOWN MAGIC ONCE AGAIN Jamie Mckeown has been in white hot form this year and the Gladstone round was no exception. Bringing in 10/10 fish for 4.498kg was enough to cinch second place and ultimately the AOY trophy he has been working so hard for. McKeown’s prefish was a long one, taking the whole
day to figure out the full spectrum of the tides and rocking up to briefing at 5pm straight off the water. “Because the tides are so big, they can change a few metres from day to day, so I really wanted to get an idea of what they were doing,” McKeown said. Over the two days, McKeown found his fish consistently on a small reef that he’d located during the pre-fish, only a stone’s throw from winner Tristan Taylor. However, unlike Taylor who targeted an edge in deeper water, McKeown didn’t fish any deeper than 3-4ft with his crankbait for the entire two sessions. He used a Samaki C12 Gen 3 paired with a Daiwa Silver Creek threadline reel, 14lb X braid and 8lb Samaki Shock leader to deliver it to the right spots. “I began throwing brown Suji Jackall Chubbies and ghost gill brown Atomics but after the first day I’d lost everything I had, so it just became any deep crankbait I could find in my box. As long as it [the lure] got down deep enough to bang into the rocks, it was catching fish.” The only small tweak was to upgrade the trebles to Decoy Y-S25 size 12 trebles to help any tentative bites stick. The trick was targeting 2-3 key areas with the fastest flowing current, holding the boat in slack water behind
As this event was run on the ABT tournament app, anglers were tasked with coming up with the best selfie to win a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses. So of course the Rex Hunt special had to come out! the big bommies as the tide really started to rip, and casting towards points and rocks with lots of current, similar to how someone would fish a bridge pylon. The current slowed down for day two and subsequently the fishing did too, however McKeown still managed to convert enough of the right bites to finish in second place for the weekend. McKeown will be looking to carry the form that earned him the AOY trophy into the Grand Final in December as
Tristan Taylor posing with a pikey bream caught on his trusty motor oil ZMan Grub.
NON- BOATER RESULTS Place Angler 1 Wade Walker 2 Bernard Kong 3 Mick Torley 4 Chris Anderson 5 John Noble 6 Sean Bicknell 7 Andrew Lovell 8 Joel McKenzie 9 Kurt Hutchby 10 Steven Dee
Fish 9/10 10/10 7/10 8/10 9/10 5/10 5/10 8/10 8/10 4/10
anglers compete for the highest honours. WADE WALKS INTO FIRST PLACE In only his second attempt at the venue – finishing 3rd here in 2020 – Wade Walker cinched first place in the non-boater division with 9/10 fish Scan the QR code to watch the Day 1 Highlights
for 3.128kg fishing with boaters Darren Borg and Chris Greensill. Being paired with Darren Borg on day one, the day started off slow with only a few small fish coming off a reef at the front of the system before the move to Calliope River kicked things off. Fishing the rocks with their respective techniques, the pair continued to upgrade their bags as the day proceeded. Walkers rod selection was certainly quality over quantity, using a Samurai premium custom 2-4lb, built by Pure Custom rods paired with a 1000 size Daiwa Revros, 10lb WFT Gliss braid and 8lb Yo-Zuri leader. He used this to put his GULP! Crabby paired with a Sickle jighead from Sharp Point Jigheads in
front of the fish. “I throw it out and let it sink to the bottom, wait 20 seconds and if I don’t get a bite I just give it a few of the smallest hops I can. If I still don’t get a bite, I wind it in and start again.” Walker was lucky enough to score himself a brand new pair of Maui Jim sunglasses by uploading the best ‘selfies’ to the ABT tournament app. His advice for a good selfie? “…just try and something new every time.” Who knew it was as easy as that? And as if the best selfie wasn’t enough, Walker also had to go and take out the YoloTek Big BREAM prize for the event, poling a 35.5cm fork bream out of the snags and skipping it across the surface all the way to the boat. The only question now is will he be back? “I’m really looking forward to coming back here for more events in the future, I’ll definitely be back if the ABT continues to come back.” I think that means we’ll be seeing Walker returning to defend his title in the future! BIG BREAM Non-boater winner Wade Walker took out the YoloTek Big BREAM prize with his 35.5cm, 0.977kg bream he caught on day one, deep out of a snag in the Calliope River with boater Darren Borg.
Full results at abt.org.au
Weight(kg) Payout 3.128 Daiwa Prize pack + Yolotek Big Bream 2.826 Daiwa Pack 2.542 Daiwa Pack 2.246 Pro Lure Pack 2.228 Cranka Lures Pack 1.956 TT Lures Pack 1.824 EJ Todd Pack 1.601 Ecogear Pack 1.468 Keitech Pack 1.093 Samaki Pack JANUARY 2022
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West Coast
WA
Deep dropping pays dividends BUNBURY
Whiteys Tackle and Camping
With the recent lift of the demersal ban, the keen boaters among us have been getting into some deep drop action. The anglers who have been putting in the long miles and time have been rewarded with catches of big bass grouper, blue eye and hapuka. Fish in depths of 160-500m on ledges or plateaus when targeting the deep water delights. Fresh whole fish baits on large 15/0-17/0 stainless circle hooks with 400lb mono leader has accounted for many fish hitting the deck. There has been some great numbers of dhufish and snapper captures being reported and even more reports of divers seeing some monster dhus in close that have followed the walking crays. Cray divers, as usual, are picking up great numbers with plenty of jumbos to help fill the bag. Whilst the guys and girls dropping pots from the boat that were in a bit earlier have been rewarded for their efforts, as the crays made the beginning of their
up the cray pots. Squid have been around in great numbers as well as size. The winter thumpers aren’t all gone yet. Numbers are higher than ever for the
all the fun, black bream are firing in the Collie River along with some late night mulloway and bull shark captures, especially by the weedy snaggy banks of
Zane caught his first bag of whiting on an Ecogear ZX35 lure. our beautiful yet relentless Collie River system. The most productive way to target these guys at night is
to present a nice live mullet on a light setup, as mulloway can be fussy eaters. A good few throws with a cast net in the estuary should gather you enough baits for a night. Keep them in a bucket with an aerator and you will find they are still alive at the end of the expedition. Beach goers can expect to find some good numbers of tailor patrolling the beach and the odd mulloway in between cruising the gutters. Like all beach fishing you don’t always need to cast the furthest to find a fish, quite often a metre long mulloway can be in behind the wash on the drop off within just a stone’s throw. Berley up for your herring and keep a few for dinner, or as a live bait it will be irresistible for mulloway. Worst case you have a tussle with some rays or banjos but it’s all good fun! After the local crabbing ban finished in December, the crabs have moved into the estuary in full force, the easiest and most enjoyable way to get your quota has got to be scooping. Scooping truly is great fun whether done alone or as a family during a BBQ by the water, it’s great interactive fun for the kids. Look for nice patchy weed beds on a high tide where the crabs will be burying themselves alongside
The crays made an earlier than expected appearance this year, as Chad Hogan found out with a pair of jumbo crayfish. the weeds waiting for a passing meal. I recommend an old pair of sneakers or reef boots for this job as they can be sneaky critters and when you step on one most of the time it’s just a fright, but if they manage to snag a toe it can put a dampener on the trip. Remember if you think you’re walking in a colder area, not only is it
unpleasant for you but also the crabs, so pick up and try a new location as the chances of crabs deciding to feed there are low. • Call into the shop at 1/143 Grand Entrance, Australind for the latest fishing reports and what’s biting, or simply to have a yarn. Until next time, tight lines and screaming drags!
Plenty of fun in the sun MANDURAH
Jesse Choy
As we welcome the New Year, we also welcome a new year of fishing around our great town. Whether you
are targeting some light fun, or something a bit heavier offshore, January offers fun wherever you may want to go and is a great time of the year to give fishing a crack in the sun! With the demersal ban
The author with a nice hapuka. There have been excellent reports from anglers putting in the effort. walk earlier than what was expected. Between spot changes or cruising in or out of the jetty be sure to have a trolling lure or bullet out the back as the chances of a school of tuna or bonito is common this time of year and can be really tasty, or even fresh bait for the next trip. Alternatively they can make a nice oiley bait to top 116
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boaties that take the time to target these delicious cephalopods and there are plenty of land-based spots to target them as well. With the water cleaning up the season is only going to get better Night sessions on the weed banks through Koombana Bay or from the local jetties will produce a feed. Boaties aren’t having
Some good fish are around, with a great variety coming aboard for anglers like Jacob Geerssen.
Good quality bream are abundant throughout both systems, with a range of lures like the Cranka Crab proving effective.
now off, anglers can shift their focus slightly off crayfish and back onto the crowd favourite dhufish and pink snapper. There is plenty of fish in close, with shallow waters producing
good numbers of pink snapper on soft plastics and lightly weighted bait setups. On the inner grounds, there is also plenty of skippy for the To page 117
WA
West Coast
Time to get up early GERALDTON
Graham Maunder & Michael Triantopoulos
Summer weather in the mid-west is notorious for its south to southwesterly afternoon sea breezes (15-25 knots) but also has some east/ south-easterly winds, low swells and plenty of fish
to be caught. Early mornings are not for everyone, but the reef and beach fishing is producing some good tailor, whiting, a few herring, striped sea pike, dart and mulloway. The mulloway have been mostly school-sized fish in the 70-100cm range. Large yellowfin whiting
There are good numbers of yellowfin whiting around, and the Ecogear ZX35 has been the stand-out lure. From page 116
taking, with some of your weedy sand patches holding some great sized King George whiting and calamari too. If you are looking to target some fish in a deeper area, checking out grounds to around 60m is ideal and will produce the odd bald chin and some big dhuies. Jumping onto the beach, the tailor bite is in full swing on a change of light. With the warmer weather, tailors are very much abundant, proving willing to chase lures and well presented baits. A metal slice to suit your fishing outfit will suffice; alternatively, a simple fixed rig with a pilchard will be ideal and produce great numbers of fish too. If you are experiencing a few fish breaking off, it is worth running a 3/0 ganged hook and a small wire trace to prevent teeth rubbing through. If tailor fishing is not your type of activity, there
will be some great sized silver ghosts not too far behind. If your true goal is to catch one of these difficult specimens, it can prove very effective to drop the gang hook setup, replacing it with a snell setup and a fresh fillet of fish. When it comes to bait choice, you will generally want to fish to what is abundant in the area and keep it well presented to give yourself a good chance at hooking a mulloway. Catches are indicating that the yellowfin are well and truly on the chew throughout the estuary. If the fish are not partial to your surface offering such as a Sugapen, you may want to try sub surface and throw out a lure like the everproducing ZX Vibe from Ecogear. Some great fish are there for the taking, but remaining open minded when things get tough will allow you to fish to conditions more effectively and for better results. Plenty of blue swimmers are getting about in the
(up to 40cm) have been in much better numbers than usual. Coral prawns, sandworms and bloodworm on a standard paternoster or running sinker rig are always effective, and with the gentle morning weather, anglers using small lures have also been doing well. There are many styles that work well, including floating stickbaits and poppers in the 50-70mm size range. Anglers have been using an Ocean’s Legacy micro assist of the tail for increased bites and hooks-ups. Recently small vibes such as the Ecogear ZX35 and 40s in the natural prawn/shrimp patterns have been doing very well too. The vibes require a different technique than a surface lure does; working them off the bottom with small hops with a very slight pause has been very successful. Morning fishing is certainly easier than the windy evenings, but even if the afternoons are a lot more of a challenge the
Travelling drone angler Garry Sweeney with his first WA land-based pink snapper. fish are still there, and cleaning the fine sand out of your fishing tackle, hair and everywhere else is still worth the effort for some of us. Mackerel season has not really arrived as yet. Although school mackerel and spotted mackerel have made a few runs off some of the local reefs and beaches, the sizes and
quantities are not reliable. School mackerel are excellent eating and are exciting and challenging to catch on light tackle meant for herring, tailor and striped sea pike. BOAT Summer weather is well and truly upon us, and boating has been extremely difficult due to the strong south/south-westerly breezes (sea breeze). Pelagics are starting to show up in reasonable numbers. Spanish mackerel numbers have been hit and miss, with the anglers putting the time in to rig and troll baits such as garfish, pike and mullet having the most success. Seaweed has made trolling lures difficult.
Max, or casting stickbaits such as the Ocean’s Legacy Keeling 105. Northwest of the Batavia marina in 30-40m, anglers are reporting mixed bags of species such as dhufish, baldchin groper, coral trout, red-throat and estuary cod. The lumps north of Buller River to Coronation have been producing consistent numbers of Spanish mackerel, cobia and a mix of demersal species such as pink snapper, spangled emperor, coral trout and samsonfish. Herring, whiting, tailor, pike, the occasional squid and school mackerel have been around in good numbers from Pages to Separation Point.
Beaches can be extremely busy at this time of the year, so having a good gap between anglers is good practice and will allow you to land your fish. estuary, with some decent sized specimens making their way around. Although there are plenty of just-undersized crabs, if you move around you should be able to find a good enough feed to fill a few stomachs. Drop netting or scooping will come down to your ability to access a
Although numbers have thinned out, there are still a few crays around if you put your pot in the right place.
vessel, although both methods are very effective and produce well. Remember to measure your catch prior to dropping it into your storage space, to make sure our population is treated with respect and any undersized ones healthily make it back to grow legal some time soon. Anglers are reporting that black bream are well spread throughout the Murray and Serpentine systems. With the reduction in rain, these fish seek refuge further upstream where competition for food greatly reduces and they are able to comfortably thrive. Fish in the rivers can be quite aggressive come summer time, as their metabolism increases and the need for food does too. Although it can be difficult to tempt fish during summer conditions, you will find rewards in remaining persistent and changing up your presentations to suit the day.
Quality yellowfin whiting have been in much better numbers than usual. Schools of striped tuna are about working bait balls, and early morning and mid to later afternoon seems to be when they have been more active. Unfortunately, the weather doesn’t always allow you to get out in the afternoons. You can get good results trolling small skirted lures 3-4”, bibless lures such as the Mack Bait and Halco
Until next month, tight lines and screaming drags! • Geraldton Sports Centre is the Mid West’s specialist fishing tackle store. Drop in and see the friendly professional staff for local advice and knowledge, and browse the extensive range of fishing equipment on show at 204-208 Marine Terrace Geraldton WA, ph: 08 9921 3664. JANUARY 2022
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Stacer 539 Crossfire with Mercury 115 ProXS
- SC
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RE ONLINE MO
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Length............... 5.59m Beam................. 2.30m Max.HP ............. 140hp Capacity. .... 6 persons Fuel.Tank .............. 95 L Boat.Weight ...... 580kg Motor.Weight.... 206kg Top.Sides ............ 3mm Bottom.Sides ..... 4mm Transom.Material 4mm Precision Marine NT and is called the ‘NT Pack’. We took it for a spin on Darwin Harbour during a gap in the COVID closures in 2021. Dan Hayes is Precision Marine’s Sales Manager, and he ran through the reasons the boat was set up like it is. “We love our massive casting platforms, and to get 128
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SPECIFICATIONS
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s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au
We have tested plenty of Stacer Crossfire rigs over the years. Some of them have been pretty much straight out of the showroom, while others have been pimped to the eyeballs – like Hodor, the most tricked-up crossfire we’ve ever seen (Google ‘Crossfire Boat Test 509’ to see what we mean and watch that video). We’ve also tested the same Crossfire hulls with two different deck layouts (Crossfire 519). This 539 in the biggest Crossfire we have tested, although the hulls are manufactured up to the 589 size. This version has been put together specifically for the Northern Territory by Mick, Dan and the team at
R
Although you can order this boat on a single or twin axle trailer, the team have fitted this one on the heaviest single axle aluminium I-beam that fits it. Made in the same factory on Queensland’s Gold Coast, a single axle allows you to manoeuvre in tight spaces.
Steve Morgan
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AN THE
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Owners often like these when trying to fit them into the garage. As tested, this rig comes in at $59,990, although package prices start from $54,990. See the team at Precision Marine Northern Territory for more details.
PERFORMANCE
Main: The Stacer Crossfire 539 has been customised into a ‘NT Pack’ by the team at Precision Marine in the Territory, and matched with a Mercury 115 ProXS outboard. Above: Although rated to a larger maximum horsepower, the 115 ProXS delivered excellent performance and economy. the esky under the floor to maximise room in the cockpit is essential up here,” he explained. Serious Territory anglers often use two eskies – one for the food and drinks, and one for the fish. Not only does getting the eskies under the casting deck save space, it also insulates them a little better. “We have also placed three seats across the back,” Dan said. “Long river runs in comfort is part of the Territory experience, and the back of the boat is the most comfortable place to sit while we are doing these.” Smaller things make a difference as well. For instance, lots of parts which are usually plastic in a boat like this are made of metal. Rod holders, for example, tend not to last long in Territory conditions when they are made of plastic. Precision Marine owner, Mick Denny, talked about
the reason the dealership fitted this rig with the 115hp Pro-XS Mercury. Remember, this is over 20hp less than the maximum allowed on this hull. “For us, it’s all about the power-to-weight ratio,” Mick explained. “This 2.1L 115 hp Mercury has the CT gearbox, and being able to run the larger propellers gives it an amazing amount of torque.” Not only that, the 115 is 40kg lighter and a fair bit cheaper as a package. Talking about performance, this rig really gets along at wide open throttle. Drop the hammers and you get 73km/h at 6000rpm at an economy of 1.7km/L. Drop back to cruising speed of 42km/h at 4000rpm, and that economy rises to 2.5km/L. Combine this with a 95L fuel tank and your range is greater than 200 km.
RPM.............Speed.(km/h).... Economy.(km/L) 1000 ................................ 5 ......................... 2.3 2000.............................. 10 ......................... 1.5 3000.............................. 21 ......................... 1.8 3500 .............................. 34 ......................... 2.4 4000.............................. 42 ......................... 2.5 4500 .............................. 48 ......................... 2.0 5000.............................. 55 ......................... 2.0 5500 .............................. 62 ......................... 1.6 6000.............................. 73 ......................... 1.7 *Running a Mercury Enertia, 3 blade, 19” S/S propeller
The three-seats lined across the transom is a fairly standard NT configuration. The theory is to do the long runs while sitting in the most comfortable part of the boat. High gunwales, wide side decks and a clear front casting deck are all desirable in the Territory.
A 3-step boarding ladder makes getting into the boat while it’s in the trailer much easier. High sided tinnies are a struggle without this.
Top: Nothing fancy here, although the I-beam trailer easily drives on and off. Above: The CT gearbox on the ProXS allows you to use a bigger diameter propeller.
Folded up, the ladder sits up and out of the way.
There’s plenty of scope for flush-mounting large electronics in the side console.
The Stacer uses a side-console setup with a grab-rail. The bimini can be deployed to provide some shade while seated.
The best economy for the rig was at 32km/h at 4,000rpm, where it delivered 2.5km per litre burned. That makes the theoretical range at this speed and load over 200km.
Top Left: There’s a live bait tank built into the port side of the transom. Top Right: We really like boats with a hidden anchor well – it frees up the space that usually chews into the casting deck. Bottom: There are options for a single-axle (as tested) or dual-axle. Singles are preferred by anglers wanting to manoeuvre the rig around in a garage.
Rigged and ready to go as tested, the NT Pack Stacer 539 Crossfire will set you back $59,990. JANUARY 2022
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