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Boat test: Anglapro Sniper 444 PRO • Mangrove jacks from the yak • Playing by the rules • Saratoga on lures •

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Dave Hodge brings us catching saratoga at Moura

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Fishing Monthly Magazines

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CONTENTS

OUR COVER June 2023, Vol. 4 No.2 QLD NSW

VIC

TAS

From the Editor’s Desk...

QUEENSLAND Tweed River

Gold Coast

Jumpinpin

Brisbane

Northern Bay

Noosa

Bundaberg

Townsville

Hinchinbrook

Cairns

Port Douglas

Cooktown

Cape York

Freshwater

Michael with a beautiful gummy shark caught off Port Welshpool. A David Glennie image. Come and visit Fishing Monthly Group’s official Facebook page for all your monthly fishing information. Download QR Reader to access.

NEW SOUTH WALES Sydney North

Sydney South

Sydney Rock

Ballina

Coffs Coast

South West Rocks

Port Macquarie

TASMANIA Offshore Hobart

92 93 96 96 97 98 99 101 100 103 102 104

Forster

Central Coast

Port Stephens

Swansea

Illawarra

Batemans Bay

Bermagui

Tathra

New England Rivers

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

Hunter Valley

REGULAR FEATURES

Albury/Wodonga

Batlow

Canberra

Catching saratoga Starlo: playing by the rules Jacks from the yak Vic fishing licence Sheik of the Creek What’s New Fishing Fun page Tournaments Tournament Calendar Trades and Services/Tide page Boat test: Anglapro Sniper PRO 444

8 14 42 94 45 50 57 106 106 114 116

COMPS AND OFFERS Find the logo

VICTORIA Portland

Warrnambool

Cobden

Geelong

Port Phillip West

Port Phillip East

Phillip Island

Gippsland Lakes

Port Albert

Marlo

Robinvale

Bendigo

Wangaratta

Yarrawonga

Shepparton

Ballarat

Crater Lakes

Gippsland Freshwater

6 JUNE 2023

102

We’ve come a long way in the last 10 years. It was around 10 years ago to the day when we found that something was wrong with our company. You would have read about it a couple of issues ago and about how former Director and General Manager, Robyn Lawrie, has been jailed for the fraud she inflicted on the company and its employees. Back then, to check the balances on any linked bank accounts, we needed a special modem to call the NAB and also a special computer that would talk to the bank to get your balances and transactions. Now it’s in my pocket. To watch someone fish, I’d have to wait until my favourite fishing show was on TV, or I’d have to buy or rent a fishing DVD - or a VHS cassette if it was earlier. Now that’s in my pocket, too. A video conference wasn’t really heard of unless you had access to a news satellite, and if you saw someone in trouble you’d help them and not film them.

16 28

I just needed to put into perspective how much work the team does to get the magazine together each month. And the technology that’s killing many people’s attention spans also lets us work remotely and be more productive than ever before. Are we happier that we were in the 90s or 2000s? I suppose that it differs from person to person, but I’m sure that all of us possibly yearn occasionally for the simpler life. One that was a little slower and more predictable. It’s why it’s important to take time out and get on or beside the water once in a while. Fishing is still as fast or as slow as you want it to be. The rivers still run at the same pace as they always did and the fish are likely as plentiful as they used to be. I believe better management is having a positive effect on fish stocks in most parts of the country. I’m kind of preaching to the converted here, but I reckon fishing magazines and a distraction-free environment to enjoy them in can also take you to that slower pace. If you can’t get out fishing, you can still read about it, and then give the magazine to a mate when you’ve finished with it, so that they can enjoy it as well. You can close it and merge with the world again when you’re done – and maybe refreshed a little for your next challenge, whatever that may be.

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Making memories at Moura: catching saratoga them both. If you want to make some memories like these, read on. WHAT YOU NEED If you’d like to make a toga trip to this special part of the world, there are a few things you’ll need to take with you. I won’t really discuss camping gear, as it’s pretty much basic camping, although I will mention there’s a shower at the ramp next to the Apex Park camping ground that takes a $1 coin to produce hot water, so take a few coins with you if you’ll be there for a while. The park is a good place to stay, with a toilet block, BBQs, shaded areas and plenty of wide open space. The township itself is quite well serviced. You’re

TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

Moura, a small town southwest of Gladstone, is a spot I classify as special. Not just because of the friendly people, the wildlife and the mighty Dawson River, but because it holds plenty of saratoga, one of my all-time favourite sportfish. The river doesn’t get a lot of fishing pressure due to the lack of people out there, and you can enjoy some great fishing just a few minutes out of the township. ACTION STATIONS My son Tannhym and his best mate Isaac had saratoga at the top of their bucket list, so I decided to take them to Moura. With visions of catching these high-flying sportfish, you could sense the boys’

bet. As far as brands go, I reckon you can’t go past the Aussie-made Bassman range for quality and pre-rigged detail.

Not really seen as a fresh water colour, Isaac thought outside the square and landed this nice fish shortly after rigging it up, and lost several more.

Watching these two celebrate each capture together was special. True mates.

Young Tannhym Hodge with the fish of the trip. It was caught on a chartreuse Paddle Prawn.

The scenic surrounds are all part of the experience. Image courtesy of Betty Seeney. excitement and anticipation as the boat slid quietly to an idle on the first morning’s session. As Tannhym slipped the electric motor into the water, I heard him say to himself, “OK, here we go….” I had previously advised the boys on how to catch toga in the Dawson River, and they quickly got to work, skip casting under overhanging bottlebrush trees and working their weedless lures through spindly branches, allowing them to sink as they cleared the edge. The slightest ripple saw two Halco Prawns flying at bullet speed, dropping perfectly in the middle of the rings. All the while I stood down the back, steering the silent old Polycraft through the drowned forests, trying not to bump into any of the trees and potentially send a saratoga into shutdown. The fishing was a bit 8 JUNE 2023

tough. Many missed bites were registered, and the fish that did have a go were super subtle. The toga always headed towards the boys on the strike, making it hard to set the hooks. Finally though, Isaac set the hooks on a beautifully conditioned Dawson River saratoga. Tannhym grabbed the net, and any attempts at being stealthy and quiet disappeared as the net slipped under such an important fish. Tannhym was so happy for his friend, and after some quick photos and high fives, the fish was cradled just below the surface until it was ready to go. Afterwards, Tannhym’s hooks finally stuck on a high-flying toga that put everything into the battle. His anxious tension was palpable; this fish was really important to him. Isaac made a quick, accurate net shot, and again

the celebrations shattered the quiet surroundings! This scenario was repeated a few times over the next couple of days, and you could really appreciate the boys’ sense of achievement. I was very happy to be part of such a special moment for

around the snags, lures like these can be subtlety worked when conditions are tough, and cast long distances when the fish

are spooky. These fish are also great to catch off the surface. To watch a saratoga eat a popper is pretty cool, and they often roll all over a popper or fizzer before eating it. You can’t mention saratoga without mentioning Bills Bugs, and how well the fish respond to these fizzers. The fluttering, fizzing type action is just what the toga ordered. Regardless of what you throw, make sure your hooks are sticky, deadly

not going to have to take your supplies with you, as everything is available in town, which is only about a 5-minute drive from the boat ramp and campground. Now let’s look at the fishing gear. Lures I’ve caught saratoga in the Dawson on hardbodies, spinner baits, surface poppers and weedless plastics, and you’ll be well served to take all of these with you when packing your gear. 1/4oz double Colorado or tandem spinnerbaits with stinger hooks and soft plastic trailers are without a doubt your best

As the sun rose higher in the sky, Isaac caught this beautiful fish on a pink 5” Paddle Prawn.

There is plenty of fishy structure in the river. Image courtesy of Brian Dawson.

Spinnerbaits are easily fished on both spin and baitcaster combos (although my personal preference is for a baitcaster). The Tilsan Minnow and Tilson Bass are great sized hardbodied lures, and cast well on a light to medium spin stick, with strong actions. Twitched and paused

sharp to penetrate those bony jaws. We’ve found that you can also get good results on soft plastics. I fished with accomplished angler and journalist Helen Abdy on the Dawson, and we discovered that Paddle Prawns are very effective on saratoga. I like the 5”

Prawns in mainly fluoro colours, like the pink, orange and chartreuse. They have been a game changer for me around the snaggy stuff when rigged weedless (I use Atomic 5/0 Seeker 1/4oz). These prawn imitations aren’t all that well known in the area, which means not too many fish have seen them before. I also believe that powder coating your jigheads can aid in getting the fish’s attention. We use Protec Powder Coat in several colours.

expect to hit the odd tree just subsurface. Wherever the river narrows, drop down off the plane, trim the motor up to shallow drive, and poke through carefully.

Apex River Park is conveniently located on the banks of the Dawson River, and has amenities for campers. Image courtesy of Betty Seeney.

A saratoga takes to the air. Image courtesy of Brian Dawson. Gear A lighter baitcaster outfit is a very versatile tool for this style of fishing, and if you’re intending to fish the overhanging timber and trees

During the annual Muddy Water Classic comp, boats run up and down the river everywhere, and this does have an effect on the resident fish. It doesn’t shut them down

then a shorter 5’6” rod will be perfect. A budget option is the Atomic BCL, a light, tippy rod that is great value for money, or alternatively you can go for the Samurai

Refraction in the 12-16lb, for its accurate delivery. Matched to either the now discontinued Shimano Stile, or the Abu Zenon, I have found it to be effortless and easy to cast, with all the drag I need for this style of fishing. However, if I had to take just one outfit it would be the Samurai Infinite 6-12lb baitcaster, which has always been my favourite for this smaller, jumping fish lure stuff. I like to match it to a Shimano Engetsu. When it comes to line, 15-20lb braid and 15-30lb leader works best around the thicker timber type situations, more for abrasion resistance. Electric motor Electric motors are not essential, but will definitely

make the job much easier to do enjoyably. You should absolutely take a spare prop for your big donk, and

Team work definitely makes the dream work.

It was a foggy start to the 2023 Muddy Water Classic. Image courtesy of Janelle Kitchen.

entirely but it does push them down a bit deeper and make them less aggressive. If you’re there at a quieter time of year (which is most of the year), you’re bound to have a more peaceful time. Dryer times of the year are when the water is at its cleanest. MUDDY WATER CLASSIC It’s become a tradition for me to head to Moura for the Muddy Water Classic, a family fishing competition that raises funds for stocking fish into the Dawson River. Species available are

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OLD

Time to head upstream HINCHINBROOK

Ian Moody info@ianmoodyfishing.com

Wintery weather is now upon us and we are in the cooler time of year. Those fishing in the

barramundi, will become quite timid during the fall in water temps that occurred in May but once they start to plateau, they should become a bit more used to it and go about their normal business. They will start pushing their way back up

release one hooked out of any water deeper than 9m you are better off keeping it for a feed as their survival rate is not that good. A release weight getting them back down to depth quickly is a good idea. Spanish mackerel have

Danny with a pretty 95cm threadfin. to believe we now have Spanish mackerel closures and tighter bag limits when most people I know said that last year’s effort was the

best ever on them and have never seen so many. Metal slices are a great way to chase these pelagic species, faster the retrieve the better.

This barra was just shy of the magic metre mark. Hinchinbrook channel waters should start to take a different approach to get more bites. When lure casting with hardbodies or soft imitation swim prawns/paddle-tails, slow that retrieve right down and even offer smaller sized lures as well. Quite often I have found this technique can produce even when live baits won’t entice them. June can see the return of much higher barometer pressure associated with the trade winds. Often, I find above 1020HPA can make fishing become somewhat difficult. Unfortunately, there’s nothing anyone can do about them but it can explain why your day out might have been fruitless. Most species, especially

into river systems and start building in aggregations again before the end of year breeding cycle starts after October. A good plastic I love using is the 4” and 5” swim prawn made by Holt Productions. They have unique moulded legs that create a very life-like effect when slowly retrieved through the water. We have caught some really goodsized fish on them during charters so far this year. June will have a lot more smaller neap tides that makes it a great time to look on the deep ledges and holes for fingermark. The Port Hinchinbrook marina is full of mud and greenback herring, which make a great live bait for them, but just remember if you intend to

been coming in further close to inshore in greater numbers. Inner islands, like Eva and Pelorus, are great places to have fun with them over the coming months as the migratory schools arrive. It’s hard

Russ Brown with a 97cm barra.

Paul with a great barra measuring 95cm.

So keep this in mind when purchasing a reel for this type of application, high speed spinning reels are the best option. There are many different brands and styles of lures for this kind of fishing, they will all work as it’s more to do with the retrieve that gets the bite. Keep a watchout for birds divebombing bait schools as it usually indicates where the Spaniards will be. Offshore for red species, such as red

emperor, large mouth nannygai and coral trout, are usually on fire this time of year, biggest problem is getting out during the short weather windows with the associated trade winds. Usually they start to populate better on spots closer to inshore during this time. Another species that makes a greater appearance this time of year is the golden trevally. There are some great foraging grounds around Garden and Gould islands, Cape Richards and Eva Island where they usually show up in good sized numbers. Jigging vibes or even live baits will get their attention but unfortunately in these areas they are plagued with now resident bull and tiger sharks and can make it impossible to get a hooked fish even close to the boat. If this happens after one or two hook-ups then it’s best to move on. • We still have quite a few available spots for charters for this year and for next year. Gift vouchers can be purchased if you’re looking for birthday gifts. You can email us at info@ ianmoodysportfishing. com or phone us on 0402 339 459.

Paul Couper had a fun time chasing this golden snapper. 36 JUNE 2023

OLD

Cold water tactics CAIRNS

Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com

June is one of the tougher months of the year to fish the Net Free Zone in Cairns. Whilst the cool water

options this time of year. The first is to keep fishing like you would through the warmer months and grind away until you get them to bite or change things up and try a few different approaches. Some examples of these include fishing smart and really maximising bite times

downsize your lures. Small well-presented plastics are better options as the fish will more likely be not as hungry due to the cooler weather. Plastics like the 3.5” Molix RT Shad and the ZMan Baby Goat and PrawnZ are really good options, especially for jacks. This goes hand-in-hand with your line and leader choices. I like to drop down to 16lb this time of year with around the same strength leader. My choice is Sunline Plasma X and Sunline FC Rock as they are both super tough for their class and allow the angler to cast smaller lures with ease. Just keep in mind that even though the jacks and barra may not be as hungry, they will still give you a run for your money. The other species, which

Mud crabs will be on the march.

ZMan PrawnZ are a very good small lure plastic for this time of year. temperatures can shut the fish down, it’s important to remember they still have to eat. NFZ anglers have two

around the turn of the tide. Make sure you are in the right spot at the right time, and you will get results. The next approach is to

ZMan Baby Goat are a terrific small skip bait, which will work really well.

will be running hard in the NFZ, will be the mud crab. Crabs love this time of year as the females begin to moult, which gets the big male crabs out of their holes. Dropping in your pots is definitely worth the effort. Some things to remember when crabbing in the NFZ. Don’t use too much bait or else the crocs and bull sharks will take a liking to your pots. Also keep them well marked and use plenty of rope so they don’t lift up and roll away with the tide. Not much will change next month in terms of the techniques described above. However, the waters of the NFZ do tend to clean up in July making lures much more visible to the fish that will increase your chances of catching them.

New dynamics in FNQ PORT DOUGLAS

Lynton Heffer www.fishingportdouglas.com.au

We are on the cusp of a new change in the tropics heading into a cooler period or, as we call it, the dry season. The warmer days did linger a bit beyond their expiry date this year but the angling tact must now concentrate on producing the best results for the middle stages of the calendar. The reef fishing is heading in the right direction with catches improving all the time now. The South East trade winds have already made their presence felt and this does tend to bring the fish on the bite. The trick is to navigate these winds for comfortable boating. We are happy to report large-mouth nannygai are up and about and there’s also a steady flow of small mouth nannygai

to be taken advantage of. These are schooling fish, generally found in solid numbers and can be at a hectic pace if you are able to track them down. A good starting point is to follow the contour lines 30m from off the reef and then deeper to isolated pinnacle and rubble patches if you have the marks. Typically associated with the nannygai schools can be various trevallies and also Spanish mackerel mid water. The mackerel are best caught floating a pilchard or trolling garfish and hardbody lures around the vicinity. The nannygai are experts at sourcing bait schools accumulated in deeper water and other target species will follow their movement. The highly valued coral trout continue to be a match winner being caught in depths ranging from 35m and shallower to 20m. They just tend to get stronger in numbers as the cooler months take a stranglehold. Other prized species, such as

red emperor, cobia and green jobfish have played a role on any given day. Sweetlip, stripeys, baldy bream and cod species are the icing on the cake. If calm water fishing the rivers and estuaries is your forté we are still experiencing outcomes with barra, mangrove jack, fingermark, river trevally and grunter all using live bait and fresh dead bait. They will still have an impact more so on the days with a bit of run in the tide and sunny weather. The new players on the scene are some bigger queenfish, which are a great angling experience and they are very partial to taking a surface popper lure. The best time is work the incoming tide, preferably towards the entrances, to these systems. They will also travel in numbers so whilst wetting a livie or dead bait take the opportunity to flick around a surface lure and this may take your day to a new level. We are also seeing a shift

Nannygai numbers are up this season. in momentum for bream, which is great entertainment for the young and old. A quality peeled prawn on the

end of the line will see a lot of action around snags and structured banks like rock walls.

With the change of seasons so does the fishing, but it never stops in our part of the world. JUNE 2023 37

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Hunting for big, fat Murray cod NEW ENGLAND RIVERS

Adam Townsend

The New England Tablelands have seen some inconsistent weather patterns as well as some fairly chilly air temperatures in recent weeks. However, the month

of June officially kicks off the start of the winter season, which means the really cold weather is here and will be hanging around for a while now. That usually means it is time to go find those big, fat Murray cod bulking up for the spawn period in the months to come.

Trout season closes this June long weekend. It’s hard to beat throwing small lures around in the small streams for healthy fish, so get out and make the most of the few days left. Although most anglers’ minds will be on big natives this month, one thing to remember is that trout season closes this June long weekend (which is the 12th of this month), so if you do want to chase trout again this season, just remember you only have a few days to do so. The trout season will re-open on the October long weekend in three months’ time. During this time, any stream, creek or river posted as a ‘trout’ waterway is prohibited from fishing, even if you intend to target other species in that waterway. If

A double hook-up shared with Jacko Haussler around this time last year.

you are unsure on the rules in the area you are fishing, just jump on Google, talk to local DPI Fisheries officers or check the DPI website. There are so many different places to fish and explore around the New England area, and this is the best time of the year to be out doing exactly that. The rivers are in good condition, dam levels are sitting relatively high compared to previous seasons, and the quality of fish being caught is awesome to see. Additionally, with the days not as hot now, it’s a lot

A beautiful example of a healthy New England rainbow trout. They don’t have to be native species to be a fun fish to target. more enjoyable to be out all day long, venturing about. As mentioned earlier, the smaller creeks and streams are still open for a few more days and it’s pretty hard to go past throwing small hardbodies and artificial flies around for a healthy rainbow trout or redfin perch. The larger river systems

have been fishing well for Murray cod and the odd golden perch, and are another fun fishing option this month. However, a handful of the larger impoundments in NSW are in really good shape as we head into winter, and I would say that is where most keen cod anglers will be spending their time.

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Right

6.6:1

9+1

5kg

160g

68cm

014CBCF51

Left

0.14mm/125m 0.16mm/100m 0.20mm/70m

ALUMINIUM SPOOL

WOVEN CARBON DRAG 70 JUNE 2023

NSW

Fish are heading down deep for the winter months also be the most difficult to master. The plastic needs to stay at the required depth and be in the strike zone for as long as possible. If you’re using LiveScope this can be done easily. Without LiveScope, a fair amount of skill is required. Count

HUNTER VALLEY

Nick Price

Winter is a great time to fish, and is overlooked by most anglers. Excluding the November reaction bite, this is my favourite time to fish. The days are nice, particularly after a frost and some fog, and the fish are hungry, responding to techniques that I love. I enjoy fishing the edge with jerkbaits, slow sink Jackall Spytails and plastics. I will cover these techniques in detail in the July report. This month I will focus on deep fishing in winter, using soft plastics fished both horizontally and vertically, ice jigs, skirted jigs, micro skirted jigs and Gulps. But before I move

The Carp Muster comp will be held this month. There has been an explosion of carp in Glenbawn since the influx of water.

The store’s latest team member, Cooper, with a Glenbawn bass. At the time of writing this report, here are the dam levels: Copeton Dam - 94%, Pindari Dam - 86%, Keepit Dam - 97%, Split Rock Dam - 100%, and Glen Lyon Dam - 98%. Copeton Dam always seems to attract many

much fun as the techniques change continually, and a minor adjustment can make the difference between an average session or a blinder. Next month we will look at the winter edge bite. Nothing beats this for fun! Remember, if you’re

people from all over the country in search of that fish of a lifetime, and it is not hard to see why. There are several big cod dams in Australia, and Copeton Dam has definitely lived up to its reputation as one of them, with monster fish being

on this month, I want to mention the Lake Glenbawn Family Carp Muster, which will be held on Saturday 10 June. It is a family-friendly event with lots of prizes up for grabs, and you can find all the details on Facebook. The carp numbers have exploded in Glenbawn since the rain, with lots of big and small European carp. Over winter, schooled bass can be caught Gulping with the same technique that is used in February. In winter, try changing it a bit by using a micro jig with a Gulp. Then fish it like a Gulp with slow roll and shakes. Make sure you cut the skirt of the micro jig to length, and if it has a weed guard, cut it off. The bite is the same as February Gulping, so don’t strike. Fishing deep football

jigs in winter also works, using a Gulp as a trailer. This technique can be very effective once mastered, and involves shaking the jig on the bottom followed by a long pause. It is commonly referred to locally as the ‘Sump Shake’, after Liz in the shop first mastered the technique and taught her husband ‘Big Sump’ how to do it. Fishing paddle-tail plastics on school fish during winter is the most consistent method. Fishing vertically is easy, and only requires slow rolling the plastic up through school. Colour is important, so swap colours around if the fish are not interested. Bringing the paddletail plastic horizontally through the school is the most consistent, but can

A nice bass caught off the edge. down the jighead to the depth required and then keep pausing so the jighead stays at this depth. The bass usually gently take the plastic with a tap, tap, tap. Sometimes you will need to stop winding, and at other times keep a steady retrieve. Bass fishing is so

heading up to the Barrington, Glenbawn or St Clair, please drop into the shop at the turnoff to Glenbawn in Aberdeen and ask about the different techniques and what they are biting on. We stock all the quality tackle that you need.

caught consistently for many years now, all year round. Lake Keepit, Split Rock Dam, Pindari Dam and Glen Lyon Dam (which sits just on the QLD border) are all not too far away from each other, and are good choices for the different

Walking along the bank of Copeton early one winter’s morning, the author caught this 98cm cod out the front of a camp where bait rods had been most of the night without a touch.

This massive cod ate a 200mm swimbait right against the bank at 8am on a bright, sunny morning.

fishing opportunities they present as well. Replicating the bait-life in and around the waterways with lures the best way you can will give you a really good shot of finding big, active natives such as XL cod and even big golden perch. Throwing lures from the bank at this time of year can be a very fruitful way of fishing,

too; you don’t always need to own a boat to catch fish like these. Throwing swimbaits or chatterbaits under the moonlight, or even surface lures under the cover of darkness, can be an exciting way of catching big cod, and these lures will bring their fair share of fish this month. Just remember to fish confident in

the gear you like most, rug up, and be prepared to make a lot of casts. Winter fishing can be tough but the rewards are always worth the effort when the bites come around. The full moon will be above on the 4th of this month, with the new moon falling around the 18th. Good luck and tight lines. JUNE 2023 71

East Coast

VIC

Winter whiting, flathead and bream on offer the deeper lake. Just about everywhere I looked for them I found those bream in colossal schools. There must have been an incredible spawning event a few years ago to seed the lakes with millions of fish. Some bigger bream are also cruising around and, as usual, infected with lock jaw disease. Thankfully the lakes are still producing excellent numbers of bream on hardbody lures, and some of them are around 45cm. Nikki Bryant assures me they are still biting flat out around the Mitchell flats, and she stacked

GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

Winter in Gippsland means big bream and thumping flathead up the rivers. Additionally, over the last few years we have also seen the whiting continue to bite all year round. Already the signs are looking excellent for the next few months, so let’s look at the prospects ahead and some of the recent action. BIG DUSKIES ON THE MOVE Right on cue, the flathead are heading up the rivers and into the western lakes areas – and they are big! First I saw them arrive at Hollands Landing in late April, with a few small 35cm fish, and then bigger models from 50-70cm quickly followed them. Historically, that is about a month early and it tells me the numbers may be much higher than usual this winter. In recent weeks I have been hearing about even bigger flatties to 80cm moving up the Nicholson and Tambo rivers. Of greater interest are the reports of duskies to 75cm from Loch Sport and Wattle Point, and that area provides excellent shallow water action. Simon Kindred recently headed up the North Arm at Lakes Entrance, and with just

big tallies with hubby Blair on the Hurricane hardbodies. Lake Victoria continues to deliver cracker bream to 45cm, and once again they are crunching hardbody lures in about a metre of water. When fishing with two mates on three separate occasions we managed to release about 60 bream between us, and interestingly they were also just as aggressive on small blade lures too. Working blades across the shallows is surprising deadly for those who haven’t tried it. All you have to do is cast as far as you can and work the lure at a

Nikki Bryant has scored big tallies of bream on Hurricane hardbodies in Lake King. his second cast of the morning landed a 64cm flatty while walking the bank. For those anglers who might not be aware about chasing duskies in winter, let me assure you they are not just a summer species. In fact, nearly all my Gippy Lakes flatties are caught in the cold months as by-catch when I target bream and perch. SURPRISE YELLOWFIN WHITING Everyone knows about the explosion of King George whiting in the lakes over the last three years, and we have

all rejoiced in their comeback. Recently I was walking the jetties at Paynesville and fishing small blades in search of bream or flathead. You can imagine my complete disbelief when after a few small bream grabbed my lure, I landed a yellowfin whiting. I have never heard of yellowfin whiting being caught by anglers in the Gippy Lakes before. I told Matt Jenkins, who used to be a commercial fisherman, and he assured me they did indeed turn up on rare occasions, and were always big fish. My catch measured 39cm

and was a very pleasant shock, especially as it was caught on my homemade blade lure. I’m tipping the King George whiting will be caught from Metung or Nungurner and all around Raymond Island all winter, if the water stays this clean and salty. BREAM NUMBERS INCREASE While walking those same jetties, I was dumbfounded by the immense number of juvenile bream around 24cm. I’m talking about never-ending schools stretching from about 1m deep water, way out into

The author got a big surprise when a big yellowfin whiting attacked his blade lure at Paynesville.

FISHING NEWS

TTs supports oyster reefs TT Fishing is proud to support the OzFish Shellfish Revolution, restoring oyster reefs through the creation and deployment of robust oyster baskets. This community driven project will create a

sustainable fishery that future generations of anglers can enjoy for years to come. What are shellfish reefs? Shellfish reefs are living vertical structures, 82 JUNE 2023

found in bays, estuaries, and nearshore coastal waters. These complex structures are made up of millions of shellfish, including mussels, oysters, pipis, and cockles. They form a hard substrate by clustering together and attaching to older shells,

rocks, piers, or any rigid, submerged surface. Fish and other aquatic life rely on shellfish reefs for habitat, providing places where they can shelter, breed, and source food.

They are also a natural filter, improving water clarity and promoting the growth of seagrass. These benefits create better fishing, with every hectare of living shellfish reef able to produce an additional 2.5 tonnes of harvestable fish per year. Replacing what was lost With 99% of Australia’s oyster reefs now functionally extinct, this project is integral to improving our water quality and creating habitat for marine life. Shellfish reefs are declining due to sediment runoff and human impacts such as pollution,

overharvesting and reef dredging for shells. This not only reduces shellfish numbers but also takes away the hard substrate

they need to re-establish naturally. Basically, they can’t multiply if they have nowhere to anchor. It’s not all bad news though, with mammoth efforts being undertaken by conservation groups, businesses, communities, and everyday Aussies to restore our reefs to their former glory. It is an ongoing project that will take many years to accomplish, but so far, the results are promising. The restoration efforts take advantage of oysters’ natural tendency to grow together in clumps. One method involves collecting recycled oyster shells, and after a period of sanitation,

placing them in degradable mesh baskets that are deployed in the water. This creates a natural hard surface for baby oysters to attach, with one shell housing up to 10 baby oysters. Now that’s a lot of mouths to feed! You can get involved by becoming an OzFish member, getting hands on with the OzFish Chapter in your region, or supporting TT Fishing in their partnership with OzFish Unlimited. To see the project in action, head to the ‘Tackle Tactics TV’ channel on YouTube. To look at becoming an OzFish member, visit ozfish.org. au. – TT Fishing

VIC

East Coast

Here come the salmon and perch PORT ALBERT

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

It’s that time of year again to get ready for the salmon and perch, which have both arrived early this season. However, first up for this report I’m starting off with some tips on where and how to fish the jetties as winter begins. PORT ALBERT JETTIES Even if it’s too windy and cold for boating, keen anglers can always rug up

and catch a wide variety of fish from the safety of the top-quality jetties in the area. The jetties are kid friendly, suitable for wheelchairs and there’s room for dozens of anglers. They often have permanent rod holders and cleaning tables, and at Port Albert you have a fish and chip shop on the jetty right next to you. Just recently I saw a couple of anglers set up for a big afternoon, with plans to fish well into the night with bluebait and squid. They ended up catching

The cooler weather means you need to get your squid jigs in order, and they have arrived early this year. fairly brisk rate. When you detect a few bumps or knocks, just slow the lure right down and let the bream eat it. You cover vast areas of water and often stumble across small, tight schools of bream or get a by-catch of flathead and even whiting. TAILOR One very noticeable difference this year are the prodigious numbers of big tailor that are found almost everywhere across the whole Gippy Lakes. There have been countless numbers busting up on bait at Hollands, and it’s nothing to hook 20 or more if you target them. They range from 35-50cm, and make for top sport if the bream and flathead are shut down. I seem to hook at least four or five every trip to that area while I’m really only chasing the big bream. I have kept a few tailor to eat, and I’ve discovered they are excellent eating as sashimi with sesame oil, chilli jam and honey soy. Toothy tailor will always remain a pesky and costly lure thief, but I will now look forward to keeping a couple for some raw fish dining.

trevally, good tailor, nice flathead to 36cm and heaps of small salmon, all from the same spot and working the changing tides. My best tip is to cast one bait out wide and drop another one down beside the pylons, and eventually the fish will ‘tell you’ where to cast. The new Port Welshpool jetty is an impressive structure at 800m long, and flathead, salmon, garfish, whiting, leatherjackets, and squid are a regular catch. The jetty extends right out into deeper water, where you also have a chance of catching a kingfish or a nice snapper. Quite a few anglers fish the jetties well into the night, and target squid with a whole range of coloured jigs. If you can find ink-stained areas on a jetty as you walk its, length you can bet the locals have been busy, and it will be one of their hotspots. SALMON ON LURES The early run of salmon has been a nice surprise this winter, and although the big fish have yet to arrive, the schools of smaller fish have been bigger than usual. The real hotspots for salmon are the entrance areas of McLaughlins and Manns, especially two hours each side of high tide. The interesting thing I’ve found just recently is that these salmon have pushed deep into the estuary, and can be caught almost anywhere you have deeper channels. You will at times locate the schools while busting up on bait, however I also find that allowing your lure to sink to

the bottom before you begin your retrieve can be even more effective. Salmon can often school up very deep, and won’t always rise to faster lures near the surface. Besides, by fishing deep and slow you can also jag a few flatties, too. THUMPER EP Estuary perch are, for the most part, fairly easy to trick when lures are cast accurately along weed beds or deep into structure. However, they are a hard species to locate. They are incredibly mobile, and just when you think you’ve worked them out and found them in big numbers, they will disappear overnight. Sometimes never to return for years! At other times perch can do the reverse and turn up in huge numbers where you have never caught them before. It was a total surprise to me while fishing one of the many creeks and rivers of South Gippy that I bumped into an absolute trophy perch after hours of finding nothing. I was about to call an end to my perch search for that morning, and go and chase flathead, when I nearly had the rod pulled out of my hands. I eventually netted one of the best EP I’ve ever caught.

A very happy author with a 54cm and 2.61kg perch caught on a Tomahawk Sprat 65 soft plastic. back with the flow to make sure you cover the whole water column. At dead low tide, find the deepest holes you can and work your jigs in a teabag method, and vary the retrieve from super slow to a few fast rips and a pause. The best-known trick when catching squid is to cast another jig in behind the squid you’re about to

land. More often than not, there will be one or more squid following behind. It even pays to leave your catch in the water until someone else can cast behind you. Check with the locals before heading out because the best squid locations can vary from week to week, and pay attention to which channels other boats are drifting along.

Salmon are possibly the best fun on lures. Justin Deenan loves to chase them on the surface, or with lures worked deep.

The bigger flathead are moving up into Lake Victoria as water temperatures drop.

At 54cm and a whopping 2.61kg, she swam away strongly after a few quick pictures. For the record, that EP ate a Hurricane Sprat 65 in the Tomahawk pattern on a lightly weighted size 2 jighead. The cooler months can be prime time for chasing EP, as they often push far up into the rivers, so that’s where I’ll concentrate my efforts next. WINTER SQUID The best time to target squid is about two hours each side of the high tide. Size 3.0 and 3.5 jigs are your best bet, and if the tide is flowing fast, cast upstream into the current and retrieve your jig

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West Coast

Going beach prospecting is well worth it METRO

Jacob Crispe

As I sit down to write this report, I have to admit I’ve been a little distracted. The beach fishing around the Perth Metro area has gone

beaches, I mean areas like Floriet, Trigg, Swanbourne and Cottesloe. These beaches produce good fishing on a consistent basis. Bread and butter species like herring, skippy, sand whiting and tailor are regular captures at all of these locations. Like

with a feed of the species mentioned, what excites them in these cooler months is the prospect of tangling with some big mulloway in the wash, and species like pink snapper and samsonfish. Drone anglers are certainly driving the success on these species, however a drone is not an essential component of beach fishing success. Fresh bait, the right gutter, a bit of berley and being prepared to endure the cool morning temperatures are generally the real reasons for success at this time of the year. It is something I love, so I will see you out there. Similar to the beaches, the rock wall fishing can be very good in the cooler months. The squid are bigger, the pinky snapper fishing steps up a notch (60-90cm average size fish),

Chris Avery caught this cracker mulloway from a gutter on fresh bait. month, however our inshore grounds will also fish well for King George whiting, sand whiting, squid and the occasional flathead.

Josh Nowicki landed this reef bruiser from the sand. It would have been one epic battle! up a notch. It is almost like the cooler conditions have sparked a beach fishing smorgasbord. The exciting part about this is that it should continue into June. BEACHES AND ROCK WALLS It only seems fitting to start this report with what is happening on our Perth Metro beaches. When I say Metro

any waterway, it is important to maximise your chances of finding fish. On our beaches, this means identifying the best gutters (likely to hold fish), so taking the time to do this before wetting a line will only improve your results. A berley bag pegged into the wash will also help. Although beach anglers will always be happy

Dom ‘The Fish Tucker Man’ Magoo with a quality flathead caught as a welcome bycatch while on the hunt for whiting. 98 JUNE 2023

Any time I think about inshore fishing in these cooler months I think of Middle Ground. This area defines what you are looking

A lovely King George whiting. Dom Magoo is no stranger when it comes to putting these tasty fish on the deck. while species like King George whiting, herring and skippy are all present. Early morning starts are your best option, with areas like the Fremantle Sailing Club, South Mole, North Mole and Cottesloe groyne all worth a look. Just take care during bad weather. THE SWAN RIVER The three main target species in the Swan River this month will be bream, mulloway and tailor. To find any of them, the key is to locate areas with structure that holds the food that they love eating. As an example, the Swan River tailor tend to be found in the deeper channels beyond the sand flats and shallow water, ambushing food as the water drains into the deeper water. The bream love natural or manmade structure. They hide in it while they wait for an oppotunity to grab anything that swims past. The area between Causeway up to Maylands and around Guildford has plenty of this structure, so it produces consistently good bream fishing. A good familyfriendly option is Garvey Park; the fishing access is

good and there are some other distractions on offer if the fish aren’t biting. Another option in June in the Swan are blue swimmer crabs. The deeper sections of the river between the Old Brewery and the Canning Bridge is a good place to start. INSHORE Pink snapper will be on most people’s minds this

The Z Brothers are becoming very consistent thanks to the lessons they have learnt from their dad.

A bucket of herring caught by Paul Coelho around Woodies.

for if you are targeting any of these species. Areas of reef, sand patches and weed all mean these fish are available. With the snapper, fishing at night (or at least the light changes), at anchor and with a berley trail will offer you the best chance of success. OFFSHORE Again, pink snapper will make up a large part of the angler effort in June in our offshore waters. These fish are such a big part of our DNA on this part of the coastline. Having said that, although they should be thick in the 20-40m depth zone, they are not your only targets. Breaksea cod, baldchin groper and dhufish are all attractive targets in this depth zone.

Scratching that itch MANDURAH

Jesse Choy

Most anglers will be wondering where the year has gone, as we approach the halfway mark in 2023 and continue to look

target species. Rock fishing from areas through town to Dawesville is very viable at this time of the year, as these areas are easily influenced by the tides, free of large clumping seaweed and are also less impacted by the

will work well if you are fishing for some of your smaller species like herring, whiting or trevally and anglers are often surprised by unexpected by-catch like a late season salmon or samson fish which are patrolling nearby looking for an easy feed. If anglers are chasing some of the larger species like samson or pink snapper from the ocean side rocks, you will generally want to soak larger baits like whole whiting, herring or mullet fillets and a good berley trail will entice fish further into commitment. Though a few fish will get caught during the day at these locations, a great rule of

This is a quality land-based pink snapper that you can expect at this time of year.

Bayer from Tackleworld Mandurah gets out once and a while – evidently showing that she has skills with this beautiful dhufish. for ways to satisfy our fishing itch. Whether it be offshore, river or out on one of the local freshwater dams, there is generally something available for every type of angler, although it may take some persistence and searching to find the Other offshore options are the ever-present yellowtail kingfish on the southwest side of Rottnest, and some big Samsonfish inhabit this area as well. It is also worth your while heading out a little deeper (50m) as some XO dhufish have been caught recently. Trolling for tuna also remains an option (yellowfin and southern bluefin tuna). It has been an excellent season for them so far. Like always, if the weather plays the game, deep drop fishing in the 300-500m zone is option well worth considering. Our deep drop species are ever present and are considered

abundant fresh water that pushes down from the hills. Depending on your bait as well as setup, species like your herring, whiting, silver trevally and snapper are all likely catches when opting to fish from the stones in Mandurah. Smaller cubed baits like prawn or squid

Beautiful golden slabs of mulloway are all throughout our local systems once you go looking, so trying different things eventually has to pay off.

Paul Coelho may not get out on a boat often, but when he does... a 5-star pair for the family!

Peter ‘The Z Man’ Zahradka puts a solid slab of pink on the sand on a cool, crisp night.

some of the best eating fish in the ocean. So, that is another month’s fishing broken down for you. I think it is time for me to go and dust off my beach fishing gear (and a few warm clothes) and head off for some beach mulloway fishing. I hope you have the opportunity to do the same, and I will catch you next month.

West Coast

thumb is to spend your time focusing around first or last light. These times are quite often peak feeding times, but are more importantly times where the fish feel a sense of security in the low light conditions and roam to hunt as a result rather than defensively sitting tight up on structure to keep themselves safe. The river fishing is consistent during June, as our brackish loving species benefit from the water rejuvenation provided by the runoff coming from further upstream. Species like bream, mulloway, whiting and grunter tend to find a sense of security in the discoloured water where they cannot fall victim to prey like birds, dolphins and larger specimen that pass through our waters. Your main viable targets throughout both of the local systems will be bream or mulloway and anglers are spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a landbased location as fish are well spread throughout. If fishing from a boat or kayak, you are further blessed as your potential

location choices are endless when it comes to catching fish. When picking spots to fish during June, you will generally want to avoid heading too far upstream as larger quantities of non residential fish may find it hard to acclimate to the freshwater following a good flush and upstream locations are also less effected by the tide which brings salt in. Boat fishing anglers will find that there is plenty to go after dependent on the species targeted, with some great opportunity to get on to a few pelagic and demersal fish during June. Though boat size will be a limiting factor to what you can catch, many fish will present in shallow and deeper waters alike. Most anglers will go out in search of iconic demersal species like pink snapper or dhufish which can be caught as far out as you are willing to travel, though they are also very present in water depths right down to a couple of metres. Especially when fishing shallow from the boat, it can be important to

make sure you are fishing relatively light weighted rigs, if unweighted is unachievable or too difficult to maintain. Aside from the main mentioned species, pelagic species like samson fish, kingfish and tuna schools are a likely occurrence when either fishing their likely structures or keeping a keen eye out on the sounder or bird action. Tuna schools are a great option for a feed, as plucking a couple out can be quite easy and are also fun when approaching the fish correctly. Anglers will find great success in trolling with plenty of line out, as this will allow you to reduce the presence of the boat and position your smaller skirts, metals or bibbed divers right into the middle of feeding schools at the same time. Though many prefer to troll for these fish, another great option is to equip a casting rod with a suited metal slice or stick bait and manually casting to fish from a distance. Though it can be hard to place your lure in the ideal spot without proper boat placement, when you get it right it is very rewarding and feeling the fish strike on your lure is unparalleled. Despite what type of adventure you wish to take on whilst fishing during these winter months, it is especially important to keep safety are the forefront of your mind and planning. Common sense prevails when it comes to knowing your limits, as nature can be rewarding yet disastrous in the form of slippery rocks, large swells, heavy winds and their potential to change a situation in the blink of an eye. So, to keep yourself as well as potential fishing friends safe, be sure to plan accordingly and enjoy yourself in the process of being aware. JUNE 2023 99

ECBS ROUND 2 RESULTS Lake Macquarie Round The weather forecast for round 2 of the East Coast Bream Series was not favourable, and it changed four times in the four days prior to the event. Fortunately, on the day the weather gods were smiling, and competitors were greeted with a glorious morning. A total of 58 boats lined up for the start, and round 2 was off and running on beautiful Lake Macquarie. 1ST PLACE - $2500 Michell and Matthew Simons (Team Off The Scales) took out first place, and Matthew said it was a great day. “Sometimes it just all comes together,” he said. “I fished with my son Mitchell who fished his first bream competition at St Georges Basin when he was 10. Now he’s 20, and he was lucky enough to land the two biggest fish at 1pm after not landing a fish all day. “We fished the southern end of the lake using Vex 40mm blades, swapping and

changing different colours and sizes. There was no pattern to the fishing – we would just cast 10 times each in a spot, and then move. We fished in 4-6m of water, trying to avoid the tailor schools chopping off our blades. It was a great day, and one we will never forget.” 2ND PLACE - $1300 Jason Graham and Cristian Bermudez (Team fishin.com. au) were the runners-up. “We pre fished on Saturday North and South fishing but found Chain Valley Bay in the South the best option,” Jason said. “As we caught fish quickly, we marked a spot on the sounder after catching a big fish. “Sunday morning took us straight back to Chain Valley Bay. We caught two fish and then decided to give it a rest, moving to hit some boat hulls. This landed our third fish, and we were ready to upgrade by 8:30am. “We headed back to the spot we previously marked where we landed our best fish on Saturday, and on the first drift upgraded two of our fish in the well. We continued to rest that spot in between fishing boat hulls, giving us the 1.35kg kicker fish and

TOP TEN PLACINGS Place Team 1 Off the Scales 2 Fishin.com.au 3 Hunts Marine/ Hurricane Lures 4 Bait Shop Toukley 5 Garmin/ Touring Marine Solutions 6 Flat Nacky 7 Sniff & Stiff 8 Messo Boys 9 Stratosfear 10 Zman Okuma Tosland Building

landing us the biggest bream prize at the end of the day! “We continued to fish our spot in Chain Valley Bay, and every time we hit the mark, we upgraded fish. When the wind changed direction around noon, the bite went away for us. “We caught all fish on a mixture of VX40 Ecogear, vibes in 439, and Berkley Big Eye blades. A big thanks to the sponsors and organisers who make these events happen.” 3RD PLACE - $800 Coming in at 3rd place were Ryan Jamieson, Troy Parsons and Dean HenrySmith (Team Hunts Marine/ Hurricane Lures). “The plan for us for comp day was to target shallow edges with cockles/weed beds, throwing lightly weighted Hurricane soft plastics,” Ryan said. “From the start we ran up to the north end of the lake to fish an edge, and we got a good one on the pre-fish. The edge produced plenty of fish, and we filled our bag by 7:40am. “From there we stuck to our plan up the north end of the lake, upgrading slowly through the day. With about an hour to go, thinking we would just go back with an average bag to weigh in, we hit an edge that

Left: This 1.35kg fish earned the Biggest Bream prize for Team fishing.com.au. Right: Winners Michell and Matthew Simons from Team Off The Scales. had a few cockles right up close to the bank in no more than 3ft of water. I watched a 36 forker swim out of the cockles and eat my lure in the clear water. Magic! “On the next drift, Dean banged another 36 forker. Even better! “Back to the weigh in saw us weigh 2.57kg for three bream, securing a 3rd place spot out of the 60 teams. It proves that you should never give up. Just persist and stick to your plan.” 4TH PLACE - $600 Adam Amos and Paul Harmston (Team Bait Shop Toukley) came in at 4th place.

Anglers Mitchell Simons, Matthew Simons, Jacob Wickerson Jason Graham, Cristian Bermudez Ryan Jamieson,Troy Parsons, Dean Henry-Smith Adam Amos, Paul Harmston, Jake Amos Jake Neville, Matt Neville Steven Cole, Daniel McLovin Hayes Marcelo Manuelian, Nathan Young, Emilo Manuelian Peter Messenger, Zack Messenger David Masters, Adam Richards Gary Brown, David Tosland, Jorg Van Husen

Fish 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

“We got most of our better fish early in the day with slow rolling small Ghost Recon cranks in dark horse, liquid sand and purple tiger, mixed in with some topwater Recons,” Adam said. “We had a solid bag after two hours with a few missed opportunities. We then started our spot hopping, looking for upgrades. “This is when we started junk fishing using Force Lure and tackle plastics (grubs and paddle tails in motor oil and bloodworm) bio baits, minnows, and some blading only to upgrade a few more times. “All in all, it was a good

day’s fishing.” OTHER WINNERS Jake and Matt Neville (Team Garmin/Touring Marine Solutions) rounded out the top 5, and took home $400. Teams 6 to 9 all received product supplied by Shimano, and all entrants received a Shimano drink cooler. The Kingswood Sports Club Biggest Bream went to Jason Graham and Cristian Bermudez (Team fishing. com.au), whose 1.35kg fish won them $200 plus a $50 club voucher. For more info on upcoming events, visit www. wsbb.com.au.

Weight (kg) 2.82 2.69 2.57 2.45 2.3 2.18 2.17 2.09 2.07 2.07

OOD SPO GSW RTS KIN

For full results and placings go to www.wsbb.com.au

Tournament Calendar 2023 DATE

Tournament

Location

State

Contact

BREAM R5 ECBS Tackle Addiction BREAM R6 BREAM QLD Open

Lake Macquarie Hawkesbury River Blackwood River Moreton Bay/Gold Coast

NSW NSW WA QLD

abt.org.au wsbb.com.au abt.org.au abt.org.au

BREAM R7

Gladstone

QLD

abt.org.au

AUGUST 19-20 Aug 20 Aug

BREAM R8 BASS Electric R4

Gold Coast Hinze Dam

QLD QLD

abt.org.au abt.org.au

SEPTEMBER 9-10 Sep 12-13 Sep 24 Sep 29-30 Sep

BASS Pro R5 BASS Pro R6 ECBS Shimano Round BARRA R1

Hunter River Lake St Clair Botany Bay Lake Tinaroo

NSW NSW NSW QLD

abt.org.au abt.org.au wsbb.com.au abt.org.au

JUNE 3-4 Jun 5 Jun 17-18 Jun 24-25 Jun JULY 22/23 Jul

Add your tournament or competition to this list by emailing jthomas@fishingmonthly.com.au Just supply a date, venue, tournament name, telephone number and contact name.

106 JUNE 2023

2023 Great Northern Cod Nationals The Great Northern Cod Nationals tournament has been run and won at Lake Mulwala. 90 of Australia’s premier cod fishos gathered from as far afield as Qld and Tasmania to compete in the event, hosted by the Mulwala Football Netball Club. The Cod Nationals is fished over four days, with five varied fishing sessions to challenge all anglers. ‘Scoping’ was only allowed during the first two sessions. The red-hot favourites, Derek and Kade Blow of Bendigo, fished extremely well throughout the five sessions to blitz the field. In the three weeks before the Nationals, Derek and Kade had won the Da$h 4 Ca$h, Central Vic Lures Casters, and His & Hers Partners Classic events, all held on Lake Mulwala. Their top form was recognised on the first night when the team auctions/Calcutta got underway. The usual favourites went for some good prices, but it was the Blows, Team KD Fishing attracting a bid of $3500 that went for top dollar. The winners of the previous three Nationals – Steve and Thomas Pinter – were clear second favourites, and attracted a bid of $2000 during the team auctions. DAY 1 – SPINNERBAITS The comp got underway with perfect weather conditions. Day 1 saw

competitors only allowed to use spinnerbaits, and any legal size Murray cod caught on a Bassman Spinnerbait earned bonus points. On days 1 and 2 only, teams were also allowed to use ‘scope’ technology. Over 200 50cm+ cod were captured for the day. Glen Joyce (Team Coddog) landed the biggest one, coming in at a healthy 72.6cm. Ultimately it was the pairing of Brad Murray and Daniel Mutch (Mutchy’s Contracting) who took overall honours for the day, thanks to their use of their multiplier bonus. 2nd place was filled by Anthony Pavlou and Mike Haley (Team Venom), again thanks to their use of their multiplier bonus. Derek and Kade Blow (Team KD Fishing) fished extremely well to finish in 3rd. To round out the evening, the traditional ‘Sportsman’s Night’ was conducted with a couple of well-known guests. Appearing were Peter ‘Buzz’ Bosustow, ex Carlton footy legend, and Mark ‘Jacko’ Jackson, AFL personality. They kept everyone entertained with tales of their escapades. DAY 2 – HARDBODIES On Day 2 the conditions were a fair bit breezier, and close to 140 cod were landed. Team KD Fishing had their multiplier bonus chosen for this day, and they fished very

well to maximise its use and score a swag of points. To top things off, Kade managed to land an 80.9cm cod, taking out largest fish for the day also. Peter Pejkovic and Damian ‘Mr Whippy’ Scholten fished very well, taking out 2nd place, whilst Steve and Thomas Pinter (Black Widow) kept the pressure on the leaders with a solid 3rd place effort. Thursday night saw a casual evening held with competitors gathering to swap a few yarns and enjoy the Great Northern party night. DAY 3 – MORNING This session was fished under a ‘Dash 4 Cash’ format, with the use of swimbaits and plastics only. To make things a bit harder, all scopes were now not allowed to be used for the rest of the event. Fish numbers were reduced due to the fishing style, but there were still some nice ones caught. There was a full set of Bone Focus lures up for grabs for whoever caught the largest cod on one of the new Bone Focus colours. Kade Blow took out this award with his 71.2cm fish, which was the biggest for the day. Lance Curry and Zac Jury (Curry Munchers) had a brilliant morning’s fishing and took out 1st place, and Ian and Matt Rogers finished in 2nd. Brad Murray and Daniel Mutch kept the pressure on the boys at the top of the tree,

finishing in 3rd place. DAY 3 – AFTERNOON The arvo session only let competitors use lures that were manufactured by the event sponsors. It was wonderful to see a few teams pop up at the top of the list who had not featured prominently in the past. Gage Wright and Kane Bolwell (Spin Wright Lures) took the winner’s cheque, followed by crowd favourites James and Helen McGhee, thanks to Helen’s efforts of four cod for the afternoon. 3rd place was taken out by the improving duo of Shane Melrose and Jessy Pinter (Central Vic Lure Casters). The Venom Rods ANZAC Memorial Award trophy was presented to the most consistent team over the two sessions. This was awarded on countback to Derek and Kade Blow just ahead of Steve and Thomas Pinter. Friday night saw the running of the ever-popular Trident Group Fishing Triathlon and games night. Scenes were hilarious as teams raced each other in joined plank race, followed by a few extra activities and finishing with a casting comp. DAY 4 – ANY LURE The final day got underway with the chasing pack hoping for a miracle to beat the runaway leaders – KD Fishing. Fishing well on the final day was the ambition for

Derek and Kade Blow took out the Champion Team title at the Cod Nationals. most, as it was critical to their overall standings. A bad day could see teams drop out of the top 10. Jamie Kelly and Jamie Robinson had their best day of the Nationals to finish the daily winners, and Jamie landed the biggest cod for the day at 76.9cm. Derek and Kade Blow finished off strongly, finishing in 2nd. Rounding out the top three were Steve and Thomas Pinter (Black Widow). WINNERS! Team KD Fishing, Derek and Kade Blow, were the clear winners, with 64.71 points. They also picked up the Venom Rods Anzac Memorial Award, and Kade also took out the Champion Angler title with 6027.45 points. In 2nd place was team Black Widow, Steve and Thomas Pinter. Thomas also took out Runner-up Champion Angler.

3rd place was filled by Mutchy’s Contracting, Brad Murray and Daniel Mutch. Brad also finished 3rd in the individual section. A few new awards were presented. First was Boothy’s Best Newbie, which went to Kane Bolwell, who fished very well to finish in 5th place individually. Next up was Jones Doyle Plumbing – Most Improved Individual. This went to Shane Melrose, who improved his finishing position by 81 places on his 2022 effort. Team Fishing Mates, James and Helen McGhee, who took out the Fish Camp Ski – Most Improved Team award. James and Helen rocketed up the final leader board to finish a creditable 14th, 34 places in front of where they finished in 2022. For more info on the comp, look up ‘Mulwala Cod Nationals’ on Facebook.

2023 World Sooty Championship

Friday 28 April dawned fine and clear with light winds at Eungella Dam, for the start of the World Sooty Championship. MAFSA Inc volunteers soon had the catering area all shipshape, and the marker buoys deployed. Meanwhile, the rigs kept rumbling in throughout the day, and camps were set up around the grounds. The new hot water showers and toilet facilities proved a great success over the weekend. Friday night was BBQ night, with steak burgers on the menu, and after registration the competitors drifted off for an early night

after a bit of fellowship. After the 7am briefing, competitors lined up in a record number of boats (67). After the 7:30 horn blast, the boats were off, with most heading up the dam towards the timbered areas. Councillor Alison Jones with husband Rick headed across the dam in a small tinny, and on her 2nd cast she caught her first ever sooty grunter (421mm) and first ever fish on a lure. To say she was excited is an understatement! After about 20 minutes Mick Slade was back with two fish (413mm and 354mm) to kick off his scoring. Other good fish in the first session

Alison Jones with her first ever lure-caught fish, first ever sooty grunter and first fish of the tournament caught on her second cast.

included junior angler Darcy McFarlane (310, 367 and 491mm) and Blake Waring (433mm). Experienced competitor Peter Behrens lobbed in with seven fish over the session, but they were smaller sizes. Overall, the session from 7:30am to midday yielded 55 fish. Session 2 on Saturday afternoon saw special guest Mark Berg boat a solid 446mm fish under the experienced guiding of Peter Price. Mark’s mystery guest Andy Dixon from Brisbane also caught his first ever sooty at 352mm. Other notable captures included Cohen Olsen (440mm) Phil Lyons (488mm) and Trent Power (494mm). Meanwhile, Mick Slade continued to accumulate points with 382 and 454mm fish. By the end of the session the big movers up the leader board were Trent Power, Keegan Hayden, Dan Grech, Dan Curry and Robie Brook, who scored a massive 496mm sooty. Sunday morning was very still, with some cloud cover, and most boats again headed for the top end of the dam. Anglers seemed to concentrate more on the shallows on

Sunday, and it wasn’t long before fish started to come in. Keegan Hayden scored with two fish early, and Trent Power lobbed in with another two fish in the mid-400s. Competitors cannot check their scores for the last session as they are covered up, to add a bit more uncertainty to the scoring. Mick Slade came in with a nice 456mm fish, and it was evident that he would feature near the top of the board. Previous winner Nick Moore was a big improver, with five fish for the session. In total, 72 fish were bought in, about a 50% increase over the first two sessions. After all boats were in, the scores were double checked before the final presentations. In the junior division, it was a battle between the two McFarlane boys and Finn Gee. Darcy McFarlane ran out the winner with 2377 points, from Finn Gee 1794 points and his brother Isaac on 1200 points. Mark Berg presented the junior winners’ prizes. Andrew Camilleri from Reef Marine presented the senior winners with their prizes. Mick Slade was a popular winner after placing 2nd so many times previously. Mick won by nine points from

Mick Slade brings in a nice sooty to add to his score. Trent Power, with Nick Moore coming in 3rd, another 11 points behind Trent. Only 20 points (20mm) separated first and third place. Mick received a timber plaque, Wilson Blade and Tails rod and reel, a brag mat, engraved Yeti cooler and a $750 Tackle World voucher. The Largest Sooty winners included Darcy and Isaac McFarlane and Robie Brook, who took out largest overall at 496mm. Robie was competing in his 16th World Sooty Championship, and he won $350 Tackle World

vouchers and a Dobyns Fury Series rod donated by Mick Hassett. The most popular lures included Jackall TN60s, Crackerjack lures, curly tail grubs and soft vibes. No style or make of lure was a real standout. At the end of the event, many competitors remarked that they enjoyed the camaraderie, hospitality and friendliness of the tournament and will be back next year. To see the full results, visit MAFSA Inc’s Facebook page. JUNE 2023 107

BASS AUSTRALIAN OPEN SERIES presented by

BASS AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Morgan doubles up on epic run to take BASS Open Brisbane’s Steve Morgan won his last and only ABT BASS event 17 years ago. Over two days and over 320km of travel in his boat over two days from the Grafton start, he outdistanced the field to take out the Rapala BASS Australian Open in the Clarence River. Both days he targeted fish in the Esk River, a Clarence River tributary flowing north from Iluka. He followed up his day 1 (5/5, 5.593kg) with the second highest limit on day 2 (5/5, 4.925kg) to stay ahead of a fast-finishing AOY leader, Mick Johnson by a 1.2kg margin. For his efforts he pocketed $8,000 and a pair of 13 Fishing baitcast reels. Here’s how he did it.

about 80% of the river because I couldn’t catch a fish in it and also learned that it was possible to get in and out of there on a halftide. This meant that I knew I wasn’t going to get stuck. Probably wasn’t going to get stuck…” “I’d never actually made the full run from Grafton to the fish, but I calculated that I should have enough fuel capacity to do it. Still, I took a little spare just in case,” he continued. As it turned out, the spare wasn’t necessary as he burned 85L per day to make the 160km round trip – great economy for a V8 200hp Mercury on a 19’8” BassCat. “I’d built my latest BassCat with all of this in mind. The Pantera Classic

Braden Schuch won the BASS Pro Grand Final last year on the Clarence. The river was unkind to him, however, on day two. surface bite died down. After a couple of hours and with fishing time running out, I started rotating other baits.

First cast with the Rapala Shad Rap Elite 55 that I tied on straight out of the angler SWAG bag and a small EP

Mike Nelson is a 13 Fishing sponsored angler who won two BASS Pro events on the Clarence previously.

Dane Pryce managed a pay cheque with only 9/10 bass for the event. “I always wanted to go and fish the Esk River in an ABT event. It always seemed like such a challenge to make the run, catch the fish and get back safely each day. This is why I took a day before the practice ban kicked in to learn the water a little and to be confident that I could navigate the ultra shallow mouth,” Morgan explained. “On that day, I eliminated

is a hull that sacrifices rough water ability for shallower draft and with a full lithium battery setup and hydraulic jackplate, I navigate water down to around 30cm deep,” Morgan said. “On the first day I ran the sandbars on pad, but hit plenty of times, even with the jackplate and trim all of the way up, so day two, with a lower tide, I chose to crawl in

BOATER RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 108 JUNE 2023

Angler Steve Morgan Mick Johnson Mike Nelson Kris Hickson Joey Urquhart Corey Goldie Bill Latimer Dane Pryce Tom Slater Brian Everingham

Fish QLD QLD NSW NSW NSW VIC NSW NSW NSW NSW

at idle. It cost more time but I’m sure it saved my motor from any damage.” Once in, he headed to the fishy water and started throwing a 1/4oz beetle-spin and a Tiemco Bass Tune Cicada topwater. “On the practice day, the beetle spin was the only thing that they wanted to eat, so I committed it to it pretty heavily, especially after the

Sponsor karma is a thing. Morgan used the brand new Rapala Shad Rap Elite 55 that was gifted to all anglers in the SWAG bag at the briefing.

Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 9/10 8/10 10/10

Payout 10.518kg 9.314kg 8.557kg 8.341kg 8.164kg 7.443kg 7.324kg 7.009kg 6.999kg 6.895kg

$8,000 + 13 Fishing Reels (x2) $4,000 $2,500 $1,750 $1,500 $1,400 $1,250 $1,100 $1,000

jumped on. After that the fish started coming quickly,” he explained. Wanting to save some water for the Sunday, Morgan left an hour early with his 5.5kg limit and made it home without incident. “I was nervous about actually being able to get into the river at all on the Sunday – the tide was lower and later, so there was no way I was going to try it at speed. We idled in over

the shallowest banks and got across them before the water dropped out.” “After that, I put the Shad Rap in the hand after a few casts with the topwater and didn’t put it down all day,” he explained. “I learned that the squar-ish bill and the slight positive buoyancy of this bait makes it fantastic for working through heavy cover, and that’s what a lot of the fish came from. Maybe once a day I had to go in and retrieve it when it was properly stuck.” Each day, Morgan also accessed a section of the river by jumping a log that had fallen across the river. “My boat is set up for this – all of the transducers are tucked up beside the jackplate and there’s nothing to damage as you slide off the other side. And I’m glad I turned around early on day one – the fish were definitely more shy on the Sunday in the water I’d already fished.” His key fish (44.5cm) came off a snag and buried deep in it. He went in and

Steve Morgan’s efforts to get to untouched water paid off big time. Sponsor-karma is a thing! JOHNSON’S STREAK CONTINUES The 2023 13 Fishing BASS Pro Series AOY leader, Mick Johnson, is on a tear – he has finished 1st, 2nd and 2nd in the three BASS events this year. He nearly made it two wins after a Sunday comeback that

Mick Johnson is on a roll this year – he was one place away from his second win of 2023. tried to untangle it at which point it untangled itself and swum up to be netted. “When things like that happen, you know it’s your time to win a BASS event,” he concluded. Morgan threw the Plated Bone Craw coloured Shad Rap Elite 55 on a 13 Fishing MUSE BLACK 6’8” light action rod paired with a 13 Fishing Concept TX2 reel and 20lb braided line matched with a 12lb Daiwa J-Thread X-Link FC leader. He caught 10-12 fish each day in the 4 hours of fishing time that he had left after travel. As an added bonus, Rapala offered a 13 Fishing Concept C2 reel each day for the biggest bass caught on a Rapala lure. Morgan took both of these with a 41cm fish on Saturday and the 44.5cm fish on the Sunday.

raised him from 21st place right up into the second spot. Ultimately his 5/5, 3.022kg and 5/5, 6.292kg bags fell short by around 1.2kg, but he still pocketed $4,000 for his efforts. Mick explained how his weekend went down. “After a slow prefish when I only landed a couple of bass, I knew I was going to have to keep an open mind and learn throughout the tournament on what and where the bites were going to come from. I had a plan to catch a limit and then go try some different techniques. But it ended up taking us all session to scrape together a little over 3kg, throwing small crankbaits to timbered or rocky edges,” Mick said. He finished the day sitting in 21st, around 3kg from the lead. “Over a few beers, thinking about how much weight that we needed to catch up on, Mitchell Cone and I spoke the night before about the potential of better quality fish being up shallow. I made somewhat of a game plan for the following day and Mitchell tied on a soft plastic frog for me.” Day two started well for Johnson, catching a good

on 12lb, 131 Sufix braid and 12lb Sufix Invisiline FC leader. “I don’t claim to know much about tides, but as soon as the tide turned the fish turned off like a switch. Going from attacking the frog until they had it, to barely sipping at it. I continued to throw surface for the rest of the session with only a few weak bites and bycatch,” he continued. His frog technique involved skipping the bait unto the nastiest, bushiest looking snag piles that he could find and slow rolling it out. If a bass showed interest, the next cast would be a slower, twitching retrieve.

BASS AUSTRALIAN OPEN SERIES presented by

BASS AUSTRALIAN OPEN

$4000 is a pretty neat payday for second place. sized bass from a rocky edge up in super shallow water. He then made the decision to put his game plan to work and see if it would pay off. “I headed up the Coldstream where I had several swirls and missed hook ups on surface during practice. By 10am I had 7 bites and boated 6 – all coming on the one frog Mr Cone tied on for me the night before. It was a floating soft plastic frog that he rigged on a VMC #2 EWG hook and fished on a 13 Fishing 6’6” OMEN BLACK rod and Shimano Stella that he threw

Morgan’s victory gave him a ABT BREAM, BASS and BARRA win in a 12-month period.

NELSON ALWAYS A THREAT With a couple of ABT Clarence River BASS Pro victories under his belt, Mike Nelson was always going to be a threat at the Open. The two events he’s won, however, have been at locations a long way apart. Hence his pre-fish covered a lot of miles and wasn’t very productive. “I only caught two, legal sized fish in practice,” Mike said, “And I burned about 80L of fuel doing it. I fished the Coldstream River, the main river up to Rogan’s Bridge and the South Arm.” Ultimately, he settled down and fished the bland looking, grassy banks in the South Arm throughout the event and weighed two decent limits to take third place. He only saw one boat on the Saturday and no boats at all fishing the areas he was in on the Sunday. He used two main baits to assemble his fish – a Rapala BX Brat in the white (hot dang) colour and a willowbladed beetle-spin with a 3” plastic paddle-tail. Mike delivered the Brat on a 13 Fishing MUSE BLACK rod (7’, ML) and a Concept C2 reel while the beetle spin las rigged on an OMEL ML 7’ rod and a Daiwa Caldia 3000 sized reel. “I didn’t have a fish on the board at 9am on the Saturday, so I was pretty happy to take home a decent cheque in the end,” he concluded. JUNE 2023 109

BREAM AUSTRALIAN OPEN presented by

BREAM AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Brisbane’s Steve Morgan updated the history books at the recent Daiwa BREAM Open by being the first angler to take home the Greg Lee Memorial trophy three times. It’s awarded to the winner of the 3-day event on Sydney Harbour that features a boater-only format. In doing so, he became the first angler to won both a BASS and BREAM Open and did so in the same year - something ABT doesn’t think it will see happen

Morgan completes rare Open double the tougher events and on arenas where the fish get hard to catch, when there are changes in the season or the weather. Sydney Harbour definitely got harder to fish with the cold snap that happened over the week of the event.” Expecting water temperatures around 20°C , Steve was greeted with colder water in the mid to high teens on practice day, which called for a change in his game plan. “The last time I won the BREAM Open was in May 2017, and it was a full-on Bent Minnow bite that got me over the line,” he said. “This May was nothing like that. They wouldn’t commit to a topwater in practice.” Because of this, Steve

Fish like these make the difference on Sydney Harbour. Although not landing a bream over a kilogram, Morgan’s consistency over three days proved the key while the bream were in transition between their summer and winter patterns. Scan the QR code to watch Steve Morgan’s Day 2 Highlights

many times in the future. These are the bags that were weighed each day at the Drummoyne Sailing Club event base, which landed him 810g heavier than his closest competitor. Day 1: 5/5, 3.515kg Day 2: 5/5, 3.895kg Day 3: 5/5, 3.505kg Total: 15/15, 10.915kg “I actually hadn’t been having a very good [tournament] year to date,” Steve said. “I was sitting well down in the AOY races in both BREAM and BASS, but it seems that a series of decent decisions have turned this around. “I tend to do well in 110 JUNE 2023

went looking for deeper fish, and refined the depths the fish were holding at to the 10-20ft mark. “My Garmin LiveScope was a big help and let me dial on very quickly to the range the fish were comfortable suspending in,” he explained. “I ran the LVS 34 transducer Place

in Forward mode attached to the electric motor, and used the live sonar to see where bream were sitting under boats or deeper docks. After that it was a matter of deducing what they best wanted to eat.” Ultimately, the majority of his fish came on the Outback Breamer Baits Muss in both light and heavy iterations, depending on the depth of the water. If Steve was fishing a dock in 10ft, the Light Muss was the bait of choice, and the bream liked the slower sink speed. Scan the QR code to watch Steve Morgan’s Day 1 Highlights

On deeper boats (up to 20ft) where the fish were lower in the water column, the Heavy Muss came into its own. “If you saw a patch of 10 or 20 bream suspending off the bottom under a moored boat, they’d eat whatever you sunk down to them,” Steve said. “Fish would race up off the bottom when they saw the bait, so it made sense to use a faster sinking lure.” He mainly fished the Muss on a Daiwa Infeet 7’8” ‘Crab Rod’, with a 2500 Caldia MQ reel spooled with 3lb Daiwa J-Thread fluorocarbon straight through to the lure. “I reckon the straightthrough FC allows the lure to sink more naturally than any braid/leader combination,” Steve said. “In the clear water it was important to cast accurately and then lay the line down on the water in the wind to ensure as vertical a sink as possible.” He said that most bream would eat the lure on the drop, but if there were multiple fish following it down and not committing, a quick rip or a slow roll would sometimes trigger an aggressive response and a bite. “I can confidently say this, because I was blown away (and so was a majority of the livestream audience) with how clearly you

Angler

BOATER RESULTS

Queensland’s Steve Morgan became the first angler to have their name etched on the Greg Lee Memorial Trophy three times. His 2023 victory added to his 2010 and 2017 titles. could see the bream on the LiveScope,” he said. “I’d only used it as a structurefinding tool for bream in Perspective mode in the past, but this is a whole new world. I confirmed plenty of theories and learned more in four days about bream behaviour that I would in a year of fishing ‘blind’.” Indeed, it seems as though forward-facing live sonar has come of age in the BREAM ranks, and we

look forward to how anglers will employ the Garmin and Humminbird transducers in future events. “It’s interesting to note that I didn’t land a single kiloclass fish in the three days of the Open,” Steve said. “It was all about consistency, and I was aiming for that 3.5kg average per day which will always keep you up there when the Harbour is fishing tough. When I won the Open in 2017, my total

weight was 10.96kg. This year it was 10.915kg. That’s only 3g per fish difference.” All of his bream came from Middle Harbour, and he managed his spots to ensure that there were fish left for the final day. “There were more boats on the final day than I’d seen all event, but they were a blessing in disguise,” Steve said. “They were fishing mainly banks I’d hit earlier in the week, and I was forced

Tom Slater (2nd) and Kris Hickson (3rd) made it a Daiwa clean-sweep at the Daiwa BREAM Australian Open. Sponsor karma is a thing. Full results at abt.org.au

Fish

Weight(kg)

Payout

Steve Morgan

15/15

10.915kg

$6,000

Tom Slater

15/15

10.105kg

$3,500

Kris Hickson

15/15

9.885kg

$2,500

Mario Vukic

15/15

9.720kg

$2,000

Daniel Bonaccorso

15/15

9.235kg

$1,500

Jamie McKeown

13/15

9.185kg

$1,000

Ahmad Mahfoud

15/15

8.650kg

Daiwa Exist + Infeet SK Rod

Liam Carruthers

14/15

8.450kg

Daiwa Revelry + Infeet SK rod

Jesse Rotin

15/15

8.400kg

Daiwa TD Sol + Infeet SK rod

Frank Carabetta

15/15

to explore new country. This is where the biggest three fish in my final day bag came from.” The Greg Lee Memorial trophy was last seen headed to Brisbane. SLATER FALLS SLIGHTLY SHORT Daiwa’s Tom Slater has always been at the pointy end in the BREAM Australian Open, finishing in the top five in three of the last four iterations of this event. He has developed a milk run and a pattern which seems to always put a decent

BREAM AUSTRALIAN OPEN presented by

at Sydney BREAM event bag together – he has just been lacking that big kicker fish to get him over the line. Here were his 3-day results. Day 1: 5/5, 3.385kg Day 2: 5/5, 3.590kg Day 3: 5/5, 3.130kg Total: 15/15, 10.105kg “Every day I started by fishing a different wash in the lower section of the

crankbait in a variety of colours (mainly sunnygill, suji and moebi) on a Daiwa Infeet EX 722LRS rod coupled with an Exist 2500 reel and straight through 5lb J Thread Finesse. He also caught fish on the deeper version of Daiwa’s Rolling Crank. Each day for the first two days, Tom landed a kilo-class

BREAM AUSTRALIAN OPEN

either fill his limit - or go close to it - on that initial period on the top of the tide. After that, he’d work his way back from Manly towards the CBD, fishing a variety Scan the QR code to watch the final day weigh-in

of jetties, boats and docks that he’d manage, so that he wasn’t fishing the same structures every day. “Every day was a little different. On Day 1, the structure fish were plentiful, but smaller. On the second day I caught several upgrades of the same types of cover. Tom finished Day 1 in

Nearly all of Morgan’s bream fell to a sinking mussel lure. Harbour,” he said. “Mainly it was ferry wash and not ocean swell which gave the fish the white water they needed to feed up shallow. I went through a lot of Daiwa Spike EXDR 44s over the week, but they got me the bites I needed through the rock and kelp patches.” Tom fished the Daiwa

fish off a section of rock on the morning milk run, which substantially helped his bag. Every day, he would Scan the QR code to watch Steve Morgan’s final day Highlights

BREAM AUSTRALIAN OPEN

5th place, but improved into a solid second after Day 2. Tom’s structure fishing rig was a Daiwa BaitJunkie Risky Critter in Bloodworm rigged on a BaitJunkie 1/30oz 1/0 light wire jighead, and fished with 6lb J Braid and 6lb J Thread X Link leader on an Infeet Z 681LFS rod and Revelry 2500S reel.

Tom Slater relied on a crankbait/wash pattern early and upgraded later on with a plastics presentation to structure. Day three started slower for Slater, with only four fish in the limit by the end of his wash run. The balance of his limit and several upgrades came from Berrys Bay, upstream of the Harbour Bridge. “I checked the estimated scoreboard at 9:30am and saw that I still had plenty of work to do, but those bigger bites just didn’t happen for me,” he concluded. HICKSON COMPLETES TOP THREE Taree’s Kris Hickson is another angler always hov ering at the pointy end of most BREAM events, and his overall adaptability took him to within a couple of upgrades of a second BREAM Open title. Here are his final numbers. Day 1: 5/5, 3.420kg Day 2: 5/5, 3.415kg Day 3: 5/5, 3.050kg Total: 15/15, 9.885kg “I took my typical run-and-gun approach for this Open, and tried hard

LiveScope readings like this made Morgan stop and thoroughly fish several boats in Middle Harbour.

structure, I switched between a 2.5” Bait Junkie bloodworm grub rigged on a 1/20oz #1 Bait Junkie jighead or Cranka Crab, with the odd light creature bait thrown in the mix,” Kris explained. The ’20 Infeet 6101LFS, Caldia 2000, PE.6 in a soonto-be-released braid and 6lb J-thread X-Link FC for leader were the tools of choice. On the rock and wash, Kris used the Infeet baitcast 732LFB, Tatula 70 and 8lb straight-through fluorocarbon to cast a Ghost Shad Spike 53SP, and really muscle the fish with relatively good success. A couple of good fish

Kris Hickson is the master of runningand-gunning the Harbour. not to have to fish the same areas twice,” Kris said. “In previous opens where it’s been three days all on Sydney Harbour, I’ve tended to do a day east, a day west, and a day of anything I think is worth still fishing. “A scattered practice day reaffirmed that I should probably take that approach into this event. Aside from some execution issues, it worked to plan.” Fishing hard structure and boats on the first day, good numbers of fish made it into his boat. However, size was lacking aside form a couple of standout fish. Rocky points, washes and docks on Day 2 saw fewer fish but better quality. A mix of everything on Day 3 was almost a fail until the dying minutes of the day, where a patch of boats threw Kris some key upgrades. “On the man-made

also came on a deep Rolling Crank through the morning. “Having the live scoreboard was a cool feature of this event, however I never look at it so there’s no added pressure,” Kris said. “It was like a proper weigh-in tournament for me, where you find out how you go after everyone has dropped them on the scales. While everyone knew the fishing was tough, to come away with a 3rd place with the bags I produced was both a surprise and a delight.” OPEN A SUCCESS Despite the challenges of running a top level BREAM event in Australia’s busiest city, the Daiwa BREAM Australian Open remains a success, with over 7,000 people checking in to the event centre at www.abt.org. au to keep up to date with the live estimator scoreboard and weigh-in results. JUNE 2023 111

BREAM SERIES presented by

Healey Drops 5.24kg on Final Day for Hawkesbury win Perennial BREAM event contender, Mark Healey, dropped a massive 5/5, 5.24kg limit on the scales on Day 2 to jump into first place and win $4,250 at the Daiwa round of the Daiwa BREAM Series on

Here’s how he did it. “I really like how this arena fishes in summer – with topwater, crankbaits and other reaction baits coming into play – but in May I had to change my tactics and use a deeper soft plastic

and crab presentation,” Mark explained. And the Saturday didn’t start well for him. He did half an hour in Pittwater and then headed upriver. After several fruitless hours, he headed to his milk run of washes in

Mark Healey dropped a bag of monster yellowfin bream like this on the scales on Sunday to jump into first place. They mostly ate Cranka Crabs fished through the kelp. Broken Bay with a single fish in the livewell at 11am. Catching two fish in two casts and identifying a patch of bream, he spot-locked the boat and didn’t move until he had his Day 1 limit onboard. “I used a variety of plastics rigged on a 1.5g jighead and fished it right in close to the wash,” he said.

Healey earned $4,250 and instant qualification to the Daiwa BREAM Grand Final at Port Stephens later in the year where he will be in the running for a $50,000 Alloycraft/Mercury boat package.

braid and 6lb Ocea leader. “I have six or eight of these outfits and I use them for everything,” he continued. “They’re light in the hand and I can throw any lure on them.” Healey experienced a change on the Sunday, although he couldn’t put his finger on the cause.

the Hawkesbury River. The win qualified him instantly for the 2023 BREAM Grand Final, to be held at Port Stephens in November. Last time the BREAM rounds visited Port Stephens, Healey was also at the top of the Boater leaderboard at the end of the event. The BREAM Grand Final Scan the QR code to watch the Boater Winners Interview

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just got a whole lot more competitive. Healey assembled a 5/5, 3.56kg bay on Day 1, which provided the ideal platform to go big on the Sunday. His total weight of 10/10, 8.79kg outdistanced last year’s champion, Michael Colotourous, by 165g.

Taka Kawasaki loved clinching his first ABT Trophy from the back of the boat, but we are sure that he already has a lot of the Daiwa gear he won to complement the win.

Two, consistent 4kg+ bags left Michael Colotouros in a strong second place, 160g behind Healey.

BOATER RESULTS

112 JUNE 2023

Full results at abt.org.au

“It was just what the bream wanted on a day when I didn’t really have any big bites.” He fished all his presentations on a Shimano TwinPower 1000 or 2500 reel on Zodias L or UL rod spooled with 6lb Kairiki

Place

Angler

Fish

Weight(kg)

Payout

Mark Healey

10/10

8.790kg

$4,250

Michael Colotouros

10/10

8.625kg

$2,000 + $250 Mercury

Kris Hickson

10/10

8.610kg

$1,100 + $125 Mercury

Liam Carruthers

10/10

6.245kg

$900 + $75 Mercury

Hayden Wadsworth

10/10

6.120kg

$800

Grant Oliver

10/10

6.045kg

$750

Andrew Moore

10/10

5.915kg

$700

Steve Morgan

10/10

5.895kg

$650

Jamie McKeown

10/10

5.785kg

$600

Ryland Sainsbury

10/10

5.535kg

$550

“It may have been the sou’wester change, but the fish were bigger and hungrier on the Sunday in the same places I caught them on the Saturday,” Mark said. “I would have thrown back an entire limit of 32cm fork length fish, which was crazy.” Mark bagged an early limit on the Sunday in overcast conditions on the UV coloured Cranka Crab, but then switched to the spotted colour to catch bream later in the sunnier conditions. At the end of the 20-fish session, his limit topped the magical 5kg mark and surpassed a steady Michael Colotouros by 165g. COLOTOUROS GAVE 150% Michael Colotouros always quantifies his effort in percentages, and he

BREAM SERIES presented by definitely gave 150% to try to retain his Hawkesbury title. And he nearly did it. He was only stopped by Mark Healey’s mega-bag on Day 2. Day 1: 5/5, 4.395kg Day 2: 5/5 4.230kg Total: 10/10, 8.625kg

Shell and Bones 1-5kg rods matched with a Daiwa Certate 3000 HiGear reel spooled with 12lb PowerPro braid and 8lb Yamatoyo Chinu Harris leader. After every cast, he’d have to check the leader for

this heavy structure,” he said. His second tactic, which he used later in the session when the tide receded, involved pitching plastics to oyster racks. In particular, a bloodworm coloured Squidgy Wriggler rigged on a 1/16oz #1H jighead and attached to 10lb Chinu Harris leader and his 12lb braid on the same reel. He’d deliver it on an older 13 Fishing 6’10”

Omen rod that he’d lock the drag on. “I fished as a non-boater with Ian Miller years ago and he taught me this technique,” Colotouros explained. “It completely changed my fishing in the Hawkesbury.” His consistent bags would have been enough for back-to-back titles if it wasn’t for Healy’s heroics.

On both days he got to fish rocky and kelp-filled washes with the Daiwa Spike 44 in the EXDR configuration in sunnygill colour. He fished it on the base model Infeet 702LRS rod and Infeet X reel spooled with Daiwa J Braid and terminated with J-Thread X Link 8lb leader. Crawling the lure through the nasty country, Taka

Taka proved that a bigger bag on Day 2 than Day 1 will rocket you up the Non-Boater standings. Mick said that he came into this event totally prepared after not fishing the BREAM Australian Open in the preceding days. He may be onto something there – Healey also missed out on the banner event in the Harbour just down the road. As such, he spent a couple of hours each night rigging his tackle for just two

Scan the QR code to watch the NonBoater Winners Interview

oyster-nicks and also test the knot strength. “Not being vigilant cost me a couple of fish each day, but that’s the cost of fishing in

Grayson Fong was kind of happy to lose to his friend and fellow Daiwa angler. KAWASAKI CHANNELS SPONSOR KARMA Sydney’s Taka Kawasaki is a product developer at Daiwa Australia. He used one of the lures that he designed to take his first ABT trophy from the back of the boat. Day 1: 3/3, 1.77kg Day 2: 3/3, 2.310kg Total: 6/6, 4.080kg Fishing with two Queensland boaters, Taka

BIG BREAM PRIZE

Scan the QR code to watch the Field Highlights

Adam Viksne announced his presence at the event in style. He weighed three fish for 4.095kg over the two days, including the second biggest bream ever weighed at an ABT event. This fish went 1.95kg and secured the Atomic Big Bream with style. techniques. The first he employed on the high tide, targeting drowned oyster ledges in the river’s clear, lower reaches. He’d pitch a heavy Cranka Crab up into the oystercovered rocks and slowly drag it across them until the bream – which spook as the lure splashes down – come back and investigate the crawling crustacean. He did this on six, identically-rigged Duffrods

NON- BOATER RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Angler Taka Kawasaki Grayson Fong Harry Schofield Gavin Atkin Lance Marsh Brendan Parry Aaron Booby Zac O’Sullivan John Glover Chris Wilson

Fish 6/6 6/6 5/6 4/6 6/6 5/6 5/6 5/6 5/6 3/6

got to fish the techniques he loves and beat his friend and successful ABT non-boater Grayson Fong into second place by around half a kilogram. Taka came off a less than spectacular BREAM Australian Open with a strong finish at the Hawkesbury, proving that you never know when it’s going to be your day.

reckoned that the bigger bib helped with snag resistance. He should know! Often the non-boater life involves having to adapt to different fishing styles every day, but Taka was blessed with being able to fish his favourite technique both days. His best advice to aspiring non-boaters? “Make sure that you ask questions and learn every time you go out on the water. Everyone in the bream community seems happy to help. Absorb as much as you can.” ATOMIC BIG BREAM Adam Viksne announced his presence at the event in style. He weighed three fish for 4.095kg over the two days, including the second biggest bream ever weighed at an ABT event. This fish went 1.95kg and secured the Atomic Big Bream. It was only 40g short of Chris Wright’s 1.99kg fish from Forster, and it ate a black Mussel lure from Outback Breamer Baits.

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Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 4.080kg 3.585kg 3.190kg 3.095kg 3.035kg 2.880kg 2.515kg 2.380kg 2.330kg 2.160kg

Payout Daiwa pack Daiwa pack Daiwa pack Maui Jim pack Daiwa pack ProLure pack Samaki pack Atomic pack EJ Todd pack Toadfish pack JUNE 2023 113

Anglapro Sniper 444 PRO with Yamaha T60 4-stroke

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CAN THE Q

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boat is amazing. With the underfloor fuel tank and at a decent cruising speed of 33km/h at 4000rpm, this rig delivers 4.1km/L burned. That’s a near 200km theoretical range. Even if you want to drive around at wide open throttle you get 53km/h and 2.7 km/L. It’s a cheap boat to run. What does Rupe like

DE FOR E XT FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

We love it at Fishing Monthly magazines when we get to test a boat and also interview the owner of that boat at the same time. It’s different from a dealer stock boat because you get to talk to the person who loved the boat, bought the boat and made all of the decisions when it came to fitting it out. In this case it was former Fishing Monthly staff member Rob Gaden Jr who dragged his pride and joy down to the ramp for us. It’s an Anglapro Sniper 444 PRO

PERFORMANCE

Main: The little, big boat! Rupe’s Anglapro has a 200km theoretical range at 50c per kilometre! Above: One of the decision points - does it fit in the garage? Yes (just).

The Yamaha T60 is a HT model, which means a High Thrust gearbox which is oversized from the standard model. with a Yamaha 60 hp 4-stroke on the back. The motor is a T (not an F) model, which means that it’s fitted with a larger gearbox that opens up the range of propellers that this boat can use – including the soft-changing Yamaha SDS props. Obviously, Rupe (Rob’s nickname) loves his fishing and boating in more enclosed waters, chasing any fresh or salt water predators that he can get to eat his lures. 116 JUNE 2023

the boat? His rod storage options. He needs to put in something to keep the rods out of harm’s way and well organised. It is a small modification to make on a great looking rig. If you are looking at a rig like this, somewhere in the mid to high $30,000 mark will get you the boat motor and trailer package.

He also has a young family, so the platform had to be suitable for his wife and his three daughters. “To me, this boat is a great all-rounder,” Rupe said, “and it is so cheap to run I am more worried about the fuel going off then running out of fuel.” This boat has the optional 50 L underfloor fuel tank, instead of the standard 25L remote tank. It’s one of the several options that Rupe has

added to the boat. Others include some splash guards around the front chines, a concealed Yamaha side mount control, welded cupholders and, of course, a suite of electronics to suit his purpose. Rupe went for the Humminbird/Minn Kota ecosystem because it was available and in stock at the time he put the boat together. We all remember the times only a few years ago when stock was really hard to get. If Garmin rather than Humminbird gear was available, that’s the way he would’ve gone.

It was also fairly important that the boat fit in Rupe’s garage. “It only makes it by a couple of inches and you have to have the steering at full lock, but it does make it in,” Rupe said. He was also quite adamant that he loved his boat more than his old four-wheel-drive. The old fourby got to live on the street. The range on this small

RPM ............ Speed (km/h) ... Economy (km/L) 600 ........................................... 3 ................................. 4.8 1000 ......................................... 5 ................................. 3.4 2000 ...................................... 10 ................................. 3.0 3000 .......................................14 .................................. 2.1 3500 .......................................28 ................................. 3.8 4000 ......................................33 .................................. 4.1 4500 ......................................39 ................................. 3.4 5000 ......................................43 ................................. 3.2 Wot 6000 .............................53 ................................. 2.7 about the boat? He likes the amount of space that you get with the side console, and the storage that you get under the raised front casting deck. He likes the power of the T series Yamaha and he likes the dryness of the rig, especially on the rougher days in southern Moreton Bay. What did I not like about

Set your own price limit for electronics. Rupe was lucky enough to have an Anglapro/Yamaha dealer right near his house, but you can check their website on www.anglapro. com.au for your local dealer. You can also scan the QR code hereabouts to see the video version of this boat test and the boat in action.

SPECIFICATIONS Length .............................. 4.4m Beam .............................. 2.08m Depth............................0.975m Bottom..............................3mm Sides ..................................5mm Max HP...................................60 Capacity......................... 4 pax Hull weight (base) 380kg

With a top speed of 53km/h, the 444 is economical at all rev ranges. The best economy delivers 4.1km per litre of fuel burned.

Top: A moderate transom vee delivers the best combination of stability and water cutting ability. Above: Transom transducer mounting blocks are a great way to protect the integrity of the hull.

There’s plenty of console to get behind, but we think that Rupe needs to work on a better rod storage solution.

Top: The helm is pretty standard for a tinny like this. There’s a receptacle for the keys and phones as well as ample space for gauge and sounder mounting. Above: Not many 444s would leave the factory without a bow mount electric bracket. They’re nearly a mandatory accessory nowadays.

Here’s the money shot - plenty of space to move and cast 360 degrees around the boat. That’s what you need when you own as many lures as Rupe does.

Comfortable seats are a must, and there are a couple of mounting options to optimise comfort and weight distribution.

Top Left: Elevated front casting decks provide great underfloor storage options. Top Right: There are two schools of thought with an open front anchor well. Some people love them and some say they’re a waste of casting deck. Bottom Left: The underfloor storage will hold plenty of gear, but it isn’t dry in a rainstorm. Bottom Right: There’s plenty of side pocket space for your gaffs. Rupe loves a good gaff shot.

Top Left: A full-height splash well will give Rupe the confidence to duck offshore on a calm day. Top Right: Access to the battery and bilge is through the rear hatch. Bottom Left: There’s a neat live bait tank in the rear corner. Bottom Right: You can isolate your cranking battery without having to get in the boat. JUNE 2023 117