New South Wales Fishing Monthly - February 2014

ALL THE GEAR AND NO IDEA? WE CAN HELP!

Features

Keeping your cool • High tide bream • 2014 tournament calendar • Make a kayak cradle • Cod Classic report •

NEW! see page

45

Find the

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TECHNI ICE

cooler bag with every subscription * Conditions apply

hook competition

Tried and Tested

485 Mako Cat/E-Tec 90 • Savage Jabiru Piranha/Mercury 60 • Bassman Yellaman spinnerbaits • NEW Berkley Fireline • Rigrap storage systems •

February, 2014 Fishing Monthly G R O U P

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Ashlee Sinclair landed her first southern blue fin tuna, weighing 25kg, the used Eaglehawk shelf continental over theSinclair 25kg, weighing fin tuna, Ashlee blueTasmania. southernNeck, herat first landed Ashlee and harness. gimbal Equalizer Magic Blackthe Neck, Tasmania. Ashlee used the at Eaglehawk shelf continental over Black Magic Equalizer gimbal and harness.

A Black Magic Spinsect ‘fire grub’ black bream whileSpinsect fishing on A Black Magic ‘fireCurdies grub’ Black Magic 8lb Fluorocarbon black bream while fishing on tippet.

Curdies Black Magic 8lb Fluorocarbon tippet.

was used River.

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this 39cm also 39cm used this also used

CATCHING THE CATCHING THE

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Warren Fenner landed this off Marlo, fishing gurnard while this landed Fenner Warren a Black used Warren VIC. gurnard while fishing off Marlo, 8/0 Gummy MagicWarren a Black used Snatcher.

VIC. Magic 8/0 Gummy Snatcher.

Allan McKenzie caught these 8.8kg and 9.4kg Portland the and from8.8kg fishingthese while caught snapper 9.4kg McKenzie Allan Magic Black a used Allan breakwater. snapper while fishing from the Portland Bleeding Pilchard used a Black Magic Allan 4/0. breakwater.

Bleeding Pilchard 4/0.

A Black Magic C Point 1/0 hook and BlackMagic Magic C 10lb Fluorocarbon A Black Point 1/0 hook tippet were used by Don Dean to and Black Magic 10lb Fluorocarbon catch 80cm mulloway. tippetthis were used

by Don Don Deanwas to fishing in Botany Bay. catch this 80cm mulloway. Don was fishing in Botany Bay.

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February 2014, Vol. 19 No. 6

Contents BYRON COAST The Tweed Richmond Valley The Clarence

10 12 16

COFFS COAST Coffs Harbour Coffs Game South West Rocks

14 18 19

MACQUARIE COAST Port Macquarie 20 Forster 22 Harrington 24 HUNTER COAST Hunter Coast 26 Swansea 30 Central Coast 32 SYDNEY The Hawkesbury 34 Sydney North 36 Pittwater 38 Sydney Harbour 40 Sydney South 41 ILLAWARRA COAST Illawarra 40 Nowra 43 BATEMANS COAST Batemans Bay 44 Nowra 46 Narooma 47 Merimbula 48 Bermagui 49

09

16

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From the Editor’s Desk...

Fishing Monthly magazines have always been proudly reader-friendly. If you send us a Reader’s Pic, we do our utmost to get it on the pages.

If we run a competition, we like to have lots of smallvalue prizes – because more prizes equals more winners.

And if you have a story that needs telling, the door is open to document it and get it in the magazine.

But the ultimate dream that many anglers have when we talk at boat shows and on the water is to make it onto the front cover of the magazine. We have listened to your requests and responded by launching our ‘Get on the Front Cover’ competition this month. Now that most people have a decent digital camera we think it’s time to use some of our reader talent up where you’ll really get noticed.

And it’s not just a token gesture. We’re going to run readers’ pics on the front covers of all three of our Fishing Monthly titles (which means the

Queensland and Vic/Tas editions, too) for three months in 2014!

So make sure that your digital camera is charged up and ready to roll when you next venture onto New South Wales waters and snap a pic or three when that cracker comes out of the water. Full details are in the ad in this issue. Just imagine the bragging rights with the guys at work…

SUBSCRIBER SURGE Thank-you to all of the readers who bought or renewed a NSW Fishing Monthly subscription over the Christmas period. December 2013 saw a surge in subscribers and we happily entered all of the names and addresses in our databases.

We’ve had a small shift in the printing and delivery deadlines for the magazine, so the subscribers to NSWFM should get their magazines a fair bit earlier than the copies arrive in the newsagents. This was commonplace years ago, but as the newsagency system improved their delivery

schedules, the gap got smaller.

We’ve re-arranged the logistics so that it’s back to how it used to be, so sit back and enjoy your advance copies of the magazine!

CHANGE IS IN THE AIR A couple of NSWFM stalwarts are taking a break from writing their area reports for a while – Dean Dawson and Scotty Lyons are both long-time and well followed scribes who have successfully translated

27

their passion to thousands of anglers over the years. We at NSWFM thank them for their contributions over the years, as we’re sure that you do.

Filling the gaps is some fresh talent. Port Stephens’ Billy Gillon, Tamworth’s Adam Mears and Ballina’s Tristan Sloan are all new to the pages and to the team. We hope you enjoy reading their first contributions as much as we did.

- Stephen Morgan

Want to be on the Cover of ?

Fishing Monthly

INSER T YOUR FACE HERE!

Do you love your monthly issue of Fishing Monthly?

Do you think it’s about time you were on the cover of it?

Well, we think that too and are offering readers the chance to do just that. The June, July and August issues of Queensland, NSW and Victoria/Tasmania FMs will all feature readers’ pics on the front covers.

And there’s no reason why it can’t be you...

Entry is simple. Email us your cover-worthy pic. Remember, though, that it needs to be the right composition and resolution to work. After that, it just needs to get through the Grumpy Old Men committee (of Steve Booth and Steve Morgan) and then BOOM, you’re the latest cover model.

Be creative - we like images that aren’t just ‘person holding fish’.

• • • • • •

Other parameters of which you need to take note: Portrait format (turn camera on its side).

Leave enough room for a magazine masthead at the top of the image.

Shoot in the highest resolution your camera can take.

Use fill-in flash to help remove any shadows under caps or biminis.

Live fish look way better than dead ones.

Any fish must be legally captured (within season/size limits).

Head not too high in the shot to allow for Masthead Portrait format showing focus area

And then email your image to: frontcovercomp@fishingmonthly.com.au with a description of the what/when/where/how of the capture.

Be sure to include your details, too, because we’ll post out a framed copy of the winning covers to the entrant.

THAT will be going straight to the Pool Room, we bet.

For full terms and conditions, please refer to www.fishingmonthly.com.au/frontcovercomp

EDEN COAST Tathra 48

Sub-Editors: Jacqui Thomas, Nicole Penfold

Distribution: Gordon & Gotch Pty Ltd

Publishers: Steve Morgan Matthew Drinkall

Subscriptions: Kym Rowbotham

Advertising: Ph: (07) 3387 0800 Fax: (07) 3387 0801 Copy and materials should be sent direct to: ads@fishingmonthly.com.au

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Qld Fishing Monthly Pty Ltd ABN 72-010-542-195 IN

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

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Harbour kings are cracking at the moment.

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REGULAR FEATURES Cooking 27 Back to Basics 51 Dam Levels 57 What’s New Fishing 62 Tournaments 70 Fun Page 75 Trade Directory 76 Boating 79 Kayak 79 What’s New Boating 79 Tides 84

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Full tide bream fishing PAMBULA

Andrew Badullovich woof_bad@yahoo.com.au

There are many ways to attack a day’s fishing in an estuary, especially if your chosen location is tidal.

There are some tried and true theories that stipulate when the fishing is at its

example, fishing the main channel of a particular system on the last hour of the run-out tide should see you score results.

This is an age-old theory; nevertheless, one that works! There’s a multitude of theories based around the top of the tide as well, but the majority of anglers often luck out

The Atomic Crank 38 mid is a great lure for working the shallows, especially over areas that host snaggy sub-surface debris. best, and these theories are typically governed around a tide change. For

during this tide phase due to one major factor: failing to get their lure or bait to a

feeding fish.

While fish may feed in one location on the run-out tide, this differs quite dramatically on the flood tide. So where do fish travel to feed on a full tide?

That’s an easy one to answer: all the places they can’t ordinarily reach when the tide is low. The sanctuary of deeper channels almost become void of activity, as the fish push up with the flooding tide to feed in areas such as shallow sand flats, flooded grass lands, oyster-encrusted rock bars, mangrove tree sanctuaries and even steep earth banks which are rarely licked by water. I’ve witnessed bream gorging on earthworms while grubbing through grass and soil on kingtides countless times. It’s this fact that steers me to fish tight to the edges and unthinkable shallow sectors during high and flooding tides.

FINDING FEEDING FISH The best way to find a high tide hot-spot is too look for signs of feeding activity at low tide. Kick your shoes off and walk the flats and edges of your chosen system, and look for

Some areas are ordinarily off limits, but when large high tides permit access the fishing can be sensational.

FLAT BATTERY NO MORE WORLD SMALLEST Theiginal Or Casting right up into the grass on king tides can produce surprising results!

Jump start your flat battery

· Car · Bike · Boat

the subtleties that indicate fish frequent the area. · Safety Signs such as crunched · Security cockle shell remnants and small diggings indicate · Recharge that fish mooch up within · Jump Start these regions during a · Power Bank flooding tide.

Donning a snorkel and · Multi-Function mask at high tide will give you a fish-eye view of the NEVER BE OUT OF POWER aquatic life in these same areas. Not only will you N o te * M u l t i F unc t i on P ow er B ank i s w hi t e f or print ing on t he silver product Recharge your USB devices discover feeding bream, you will get an idea of the · iphone · GoPro particular bait sources that · ipad · Camp fridge aggregate in these skinny margins, which will aid lure · Laptop · PSP selection.

Some people might Safety & Security light think you are crazy, but there is a lot to learn from 3 Function emergency under the surface (some · SOS Emergency of my best rock fishing flashlight · Strobe locations were discovered 12V2A charging mount from under the water, not · Flashlight 12V2A outlet by looking from above). for cooler boxes etc use Once you have located a USB 5V2A outlet for mobile phone, PSP, tablet PC use possible feeding zone at On-off low tide, venture into this Security LED power level No1 same spot at high tide and Battery clip joint socket 19 V3. 5 a outlet SA FETY for vehicle use only for Laptop use start your angling assault!

STRATEGIES Some of these areas

are hard to access by boat due to the shallow nature of these feeding zones.

Purpose-built vessels will help, but the best way to gain access is with a canoe or kayak. I often jump ship and continue my pursuit on foot. Slow and steady

movements are paramount whilst on foot, but I believe this method reigns supreme if you keep a low profile.

If you are shore based, it may pay to wade into the water where possible and present your offering back toward the shore where the fish are prospecting, or keep well back from the water’s edge if the water is too deep to enter. Stealth is the key when fishing tight to the edges or upon the flats, as the fish are out of their comfort zone and will spook easily.

It goes without saying that the larger tides will open up more opportunities, so try to think like a fish and establish where a fish may want to feed. You’re likely to encounter all your typical estuary species in these feeding zones, so don’t be deterred from targeting these regions for other species if bream are not your thing.

METHODS Fishing with ultra-light tackle in conjunction with small artificial lures or delicately presented natural and prevalent baits will pay dividends. If you choose to fish with an artificial offering, it will need to be heavy enough to achieve long casts without being so heavy that it will spook your prey upon touchdown.

I prefer floating

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FEBRUARY 2014

Wading the nipper flats at high tide is a relaxing and productive way to fish for bream. The water need not be deep.

crankbaits such as the Atomic Crank 38 Mid as this lure casts like a bullet, and its wide wobble action really attracts attention when retrieved. I like to

slow roll lures with plenty of pauses in my retrieve.

The benefit of a floating lure is that if you bump into a snag, rock or even weed, it’s not hard to avoid

SHALLOW FISHING Mako recommends a copper base with a blue mirror and high definition filter.

Copper has been a favourite of anglers for many years as it highlights colours well. When visibility is poor due to cloudy or murky water, overcast skies or flat light (dawn or dusk) these coloured lenses will really come into their own: They will highlight dull colours making fish more visible. The high definition filter is added to the lens to filter out yellow and orange wavelengths, increasing contrast and clarity.

getting snagged. All you have to do is pause your retrieve, allow your lure to ascend above the debris and then commence your retrieve, avoiding a snag or becoming hung-up in the weed.

If it is impossible to present a sub-surface lure, you may want to consider using a small cup faced popper or a walk-the-dog style surface stickbait.

Remember that you’re fishing areas that rarely see water and will generally be quite shallow. Even if you are fishing a steep bank,

your primary focus should be on the regions that do not usually see the water.

You need to concentrate your efforts within the top of the water column.

Soft plastic presentations are a fantastic option. Grub style plastics are a favourite of mine, as they imitate a shrimp or prawn well, not to mention a worm! Rigging your soft

AUTHOR’S TACTICS • The spring tides around the full and new moon open up new real estate • Use light spinning fluorocarbon line in open water, and braid in nasty country • Favourite hardbody: Atomic Crank 38 mid • Favourite plastic: Atomic 2” Fatgrub • Rods: Daiwa Generation Black, Itchy Twitchy and TDX 6101 LFS 1.5-3kg • Reels: Daiwa Caldia 2000 and Daiwa Sol 2000 • Favoured time of year: Summer (the water is warmer for snorkelling)

Some of the author’s favourite soft plastics for prospecting flood tide frontiers. Note the weedless rigging and unweighted options.

Remember to retreat when the tide abates. Waiting 6 hours for the tide to return can test one’s patience!

plastics weedless or even unweighted will help in some scenarios too. You need to be constantly thinking.

If you are presenting

bait, patience is your best friend. Make a cast, place the rod in a rod holder and wait. The fish will find your bait. However, if you make numerous casts into

one area you may spook the fish from entering that particular zone.

BE PREPARED This small window of opportunity to catch fish within the extreme limits of the flood tide zone will end quickly, so be organised and have a plan to maximise the bite period.

Remember, if there is water there along with a possible food source, there is a good chance that there will be a fish there too.

That said, the moment that the tide begins to abate is precisely the moment when the fish will convert from feeding to fleeing.

Don’t be surprised if the bite shuts down rapidly when the tide turns. You too should return to deeper water quickly if you are angling from a boat, unless you want to get marooned.

Trust me, waiting for the next high tide is not fun!

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9

Smack the red devil jack THE TWEED

David Solano

February fishing on the Tweed is all about the jacks, and boy it’s been a good season so far; well, maybe not for me, but my mates having been smashing them! The weather is really warming up so it’s only going to get better.

The best time to catch these red devils of the Tweed

is very early morning or in the middle of the night, but you must be patient as it’s a hit and miss affair. For instance, a mate picked me up at 1am and we headed to Tumbulgum Bridge. We jigged some livies and also had a couple of spinning rods rigged with 1/2oz TT jighead and a Z-Man Swimmerz. We fished until an hour after daybreak but all we could manage were a couple of little schoolies.

However, my mate Craig

School mulloway are also on the chew this month.

10

FEBRUARY 2014

Costigan went back the next morning, same time, same place using the Z-Mans and he managed to fish in an hour, one 57cm and the other 45cm jacks. Why did I sleep in?

Another time my brother Anthony rang me up to invite me for a jack fish, this time from the shore right next to the Ivory Hotel. As it was a weekday and I was pretty tired from work I said no, you guessed it, I got a photo from him with a 52cm jack.

He rang me up the next night with jack fever, said he was going again, same thing only this time the fish went 57cm! ARRRR! My brother caught these fish with an old egg beater he caught in Hinze Dam complete with a cane rod, so it just goes to show you don’t need the fancy gear, no lures, caught with a gang hook and pillies.

You begin to get to know the local jack hunters because there are a few popular spots where we bump into each other. One spot that’s becoming very well known is called The Jew Hole; it’s in between the oyster leases near Seagulls. I’ve never heard

February fishing on the Tweed is all about the jacks. of any being caught in the day but it’s a different story at night. You don’t need a boat to get there as there’s a track leading from the back car park at Seagulls.

Another interesting spot, I call it The Car Wrecks, is just past the Maritime Museum on Kennedy Drive. Over the Bridge to the Piggabean Road and you’ll find a park where I once saw a guy landing a massive jack at

10.30am. I know there are cars under there as I’ve seen them on my sounder.

Another good spot and you’ll need a boat for this one, is the Condong Sugar Mill. You will know you’re in the right spot when you see the sign THIS IS MY JACK SPOT GO AWAY. At all these spots I’ve mentioned you can find yourself catching school mulloway, especially at the appropriately named

Jew Hole. Condong’s known for its bull sharks and schoolies and you’ll find the marauding trevally everywhere.

I spent a lot of my holidays popping for whiting, which I love. My favourite lure is a Berkley Pop Dog in the hooch colour. They are not too dear, which is a good thing, as I had a few problems with little queenies in a canal, but that’s fishing!

Take a chance on pelagics BALLINA

Tristan Sloan

December and January are traditionally the months when I set my sights on the small black marlin that follow the warm water down the coast.

This last month has been a real hit-and-miss affair when it comes to offshore fishing. On some days the current has been running a warm 24ºC with plenty of bait and associated pelagics, while on other days it has been cold and lifeless. On the good days anglers have had a chance to tangle with marlin, wahoo and mahi mahi either trolling live baits or skirts and hardbodies such as Halco Laser Pros (surprisingly these are actually a great marlin lure when retrofitted with single hooks). Off Ballina the 32 and 42 fathom reefs are the place to be, as the inshore reefs haven’t received enough of that warm water to

of whiting and dart are yet to make a solid showing off the beaches.

This also applies to one of my favourite summer activities, spinning off the

jewfish) as well.

When the water warms up in the coming months and the inshore run of garfish begins you may be unlucky (or lucky) enough

The author with a small mangrove jack from the Richmond River. They get a lot bigger than this!

An example of the rig used to live bait for mackerel this month. make them a viable fishing proposition yet.

So far this year we have had several strikes but we just can’t seem to get a hook to stick in those hard bony marlin mouths. With a bit of luck this situation will change and I will have a some photos to show readers next month.

In between trolling we have been amusing ourselves catching the small mahi mahi (dolphinfish) and rat kingfish that have taken up residence on the FAD off Ballina. The usual suspects of snapper and teraglin have also been turning up for the bottom bouncers and we have often marked some good schools of these fish on the sounder in mid water while trolling around bait schools.

BEACH AND ROCK Due to the cold water lingering in close, the traditional summer species 12

FEBRUARY 2014

rocks for giant trevally.

While we don’t get barn door sized GTs around here, there are enough numbers of this hard-pulling sportfish averaging 3-4kg and up to around 8kg to make them an exciting proposition on 6kg spinning gear. I use a 9’ Shimano Shore Spin and one of the new Penn Spinfishers 4500 filled with 20lb braid. If you’re keen to do a bit of this style of fishing, the recipe for success involves spinning the local rocky headlands and pulling a variety of metal and surface lures through the white water.

The tide doesn’t seem to make a huge amount of difference; rather it’s all about the change of light, warm water and baitfish.

GTs love to ambush baitfish from under the whitewater and you will often catch bonito, tailor and small mulloway (school

to hook a longtail tuna and you will need every metre of line to land one of these speedsters. The rocks around Cape Byron, the Iron Peg at Skennars Head and Lennox Point are some of my favourite spots for throwing metals.

ESTUARY While the water off the rocks and beaches remains a chilly 22ºC, the same can’t be said for the estuaries.

The cold water is pushing into the lower reaches and making the fishing a bit slower than normal, but on a recent mission in the Richmond River up to the sand flats around Pimlico Island I was amazed to see it was 26ºC. This is certainly good news for estuary anglers and those prepared to get up early and fish the big morning tides pushing up the river. Most anglers fishing poppers or baits of pink nippers having

been suitably rewarded with excellent catches of whiting mixed in with bream and flathead.

If you’re in the mood for a monster flathead, I’ll share a trick with you that I learnt years ago from a canny old whiting fisherman. Simply put the first legal whiting you catch straight back out with a 4/0 in its back and keep fishing for whiting with another rod. If a big flathead doesn’t take your whiting you’ll still be able to have whiting for dinner!

As well as good whiting numbers, there has been an abundance of mud crabs lately. If you’re smart enough to drop a few crab traps amongst the mangroves on the way to your fishing spot you should be in line for a scrumptious seafood lunch later in the day.

When not out chasing marlin or whiting, I have been devoting quite a bit of time to chasing the local mangrove jacks. The Richmond River holds quite a good population of these fish, though the Brunswick is arguably the best jack fishing river around here. Over the years I have experienced some monumental bricking while fishing the Boat Harbour there; I vividly remember live baiting there one night and not even being able to stop fish on 50lb braid and 80lb leader.

Locally in the Richmond River I spend quite a bit of time spinning and trolling the rock bars of Emigrant Creek. I tend to use hardbodies predominately as I believe the constant contact with the lure gives me a split second more warning and control before I get driven into the snags by a rampaging jack.

Any type of deep

There are plenty of tasty whiting in the Richmond River. This one took a lure meant for school mulloway. diving barra-style lure that can bang the bottom in 2.5m-3m of water will catch jacks. Personally, I prefer using Mad Mullets and Jackall Squirrels.

Using 30lb braid and 60lb leader on an outfit that has a drag of at least 5kg will give you fighting chance.

THE MONTH AHEAD February will see all the traditional summer species still hanging around in the estuaries, and with a bit of rain (though not too much!) we should finally start to see the bass fishing improve above Lismore.

Once that warm water pushes in close to the beaches the whiting will make their presence felt.

South Ballina Beach is without a doubt the best local beach to catch some elbow-slapper whiting and I firmly believe that this due to the abundance of beachworms. If you’re like me and struggle to catch more than a few beachworms I suggest your arrive at low tide near your chosen fishing spot to give you enough time to catch some bait before the tide starts to rise. If you fail miserably at least you can do the ‘Pipi Shuffle’ and collect enough pipis for the session. While they’re

not as good as beachworms they are still great bait.

The first week of February is traditionally when the locals start to dust off their mackerel gear. The shallow reefs at Lennox Point, Black Head and the Riodan Shoals will all produce fish, providing the water is warm and running from the North. This should bring the slimy mackerel that these predators seem to crave about all other baitfish.

While trolling lures and dead baits does work, the most effective technique used by most locals is to anchor up over a prominent pinnacle and to fish live baits a few meters under a balloon in a sparse berley trail of pilchards and tuna oil. Most people rig their live bait on a stinger rig consisting of a short (30cm) length of 42lb singlestrand wire attached to 4/0 Octopus Hook and a 3/0 treble.

Remember to arrive at your chosen fishing location as early as possible to secure enough live bait for the session, and adjust your bait to sit deeper in the water column as the sun rises. This will ensure more strikes from these lightsensitive fish.

Daniel Sloan with a rat kingfish. These are in plague proportions on the Ballina FAD right now.

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There is a season for everything.

A rainy season, a cold season, a warm season and a dry season. There’s a time for catching this and a time for catching that.

At least, that’s the way it goes in most places.

Sometimes it feels different on the Coffs Coast! One of the great things about fishing Coffs is that there are many species where there is no off season. Sure, it changes and moulds around the current conditions, but for the most part there are some consistent residents that can be relied upon for

their ability to find their way onto our kitchen tables.

Snapper are the quintessential year-round quarry for any offshore angler in the Coffs region.

Even in the middle of February snapper can be caught from the near shore shallow reefs right out to the deep pinnacles and gravel beds. Anglers (especially summer visitors) tend to have their eyes set firmly on the warm water pelagics that visit our region over summer, completely neglecting the possibility of quality reds being found on the same reefs and under the same bait balls.

Mulloway are another of the year-round fish that are even more accessible to almost any angler. Throw a

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soft plastic or hardbody lure around any wave washed headland at any time of year and you have every chance of hooking onto anything from a small school jew to a 20kg+ fish of a lifetime.

Throw a worm, squid or slab bait in a decent beach gutter on high tide and the result could be the same.

The ability of recreational anglers to catch a whole range of mulloway sizes from the small to the very, very large is what researchers like Julian Hughes are hoping to utilise in the NSW Research Angler Program’s first phase: The Mulloway Project.

The NSW Research Angler program is funded by the Recreational Fishing Trust (funded by your fishing licence fees) and aims to gather information about the current state of our favourite species using length and age data from captured fish. To enable the collection of this data, Julian and those involved in the program are asking us to donate the frames of fish we have chosen to keep for the table. To donate a frame you will need to include information of the angler’s details, where the fish was

Cicada lures have been the gun lure in the freshwater for bass and in the upper estuaries for bream. Peter Byron got to sight cast his cicada lure to this topwater bream. captured and when. If you’re donating just the head, you will need to include a total length of the fish as well.

The researchers will use your donated frame to harvest and section the otolith bones (ear bones or ‘jewels’) to estimate the age of your fish. Once your fish has been processed and the data gathered you will be a sent a certificate with the details of your capture, including the age of your fish, a picture of the sectioned otolith as well as

details on where your fish fits into the other data.

Recreational anglers can be a huge asset to this research as the commercial catch rarely contains the larger and older fish. Donated frames from recreational anglers have already provided the 4 oldest fish surveyed so far in the project, so I encourage anyone who is keeping mulloway for the table to donate your frames to the project. Frames can be donated at participating tackle stores from the south

coast to the north coast of NSW. Fishing Tackle Australia is the drop-off point for this area. To find out about other drop-off points, or general project info, check out www. dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/ recreational/researchangler.

Please remember that the NSW regulations have changed in regard to the legal size and bag limits of mulloway. The legal size is now 70cm (up from 45cm) and the bag limit is Continued page 16

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Calm after the chaos THE CLARENCE

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January is usually pretty busy in Iluka, as it’s smack bang in the middle of the holidays. With the increase in recreational boat traffic through the day, early starts have been essential to get some peace and quiet at your favourite shallow water spot. But February should see things calm

down somewhat.

There has been plenty of quality eating flatties, with most people throwing around any soft plastics that have a bit of white or yellow in it or a blade. The machete blades have been working a treat of late with their shiny chrome flashy finish, triggering very aggressive takes.

If bait is more your style, drifting the weed beds with sandy drop-offs in places like, the North Arm, Goodwood Island

and Oyster Channel using white bait with a set of small gang hooks will still see you get among a few flatties.

These same spots can also be great spots to chase a couple of whiting with fresh yabbies or live worms.

The beach fishing will start to heat up at this time of year. The main summer species running along our beaches are whiting, dart, tarwhine and flathead. One of my favourite things to do

February has some great beach fishing with decent bream like this on offer.

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2 (down from 5). These changes have been made to protect a species that all of us want around for the future, which can only be a good thing.

If not for these yearround stalwarts of the

is go for a quick drive up the beach with the plastic rod and hit a few gutters chasing some flatties, it is such a nice easy way to pass a sunny afternoon away. The key is to keep moving, don’t just stay in one gutter and flog it to death, work it over and move on to the next one, hunt out the fish don’t just sit there and hope the fish will find you.

The same applies to bait fishing. So many times I have talked to people back at the cleaning table that didn’t do that great. I ask where they fished and they sat in the same gutter for three hours and caught hardly anything. If you’re not getting fish, move and find them.

On the rocks there have been some good size tarwhine and bream on

cunje and pipis. There have still been quite a few school mulloway around with baits like strip squid and beach worms doing very well. If you’re looking for a bit more size hardbody lures like the locally made Croaker Lures, Jewie Jewels in colour shadow have been doing better than most of late in pulling a bit better quality fish.

Up in the hills, the bass should be firing, with early morning and late afternoon best for surface bites. In the morning, work your lure a bit slower to see more bites, as the water hasn’t warmed up yet until the sun comes up. You will have to put in better casts closer to the structure with a sub-surface offering, like a spinnerbait or diving lure, to draw bites.

fishing scene in Coffs it may have been a very slow summer. The mackerel have only just started showing up in the last month and the inshore fishery has been plagued by cold, green water in close and a massive number of sharks.

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Julian Hughes recording data from a donated mulloway frame in the lab.

As the water heats up further this month, anglers will become increasingly distracted by the summer pelagics on offer. Mackerel, wahoo, mahi mahi (dolphinfish) and hopefully a run of black marlin will all provide that wanted distraction.

In the rivers the cicadas have been the dominant feature for most anglers.

There are plenty of bream well upstream chasing these bountiful insects, and the Tiemco Soft Shell Cicada is as close to a sure bet as you

will ever get. Bream and bass mega sessions have been experienced by many anglers over the last month and are set to continue until that constant drone in the trees dies off at the end of summer.

Most fish are keen on the surface this month so if you haven’t tried a cicada lure or a popper on the sand flats, now is the time to give it a go. ‘Strike the iron while it’s hot’ as they say, and in only a month or two it will start to cool so get to it while you can.

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Blue water pushing in COFFS GAME

Glen Booth

It’s called garden envy.

You know the situation: you sneak a peek over the neighbour’s fence to discover lush, beautifully manicured lawns, beds full of flowers and vegetables,

maybe even a water feature or a pool. Meanwhile, your garden looks like a weedinfested bomb site.

It’s the same situation with Coffs’ game fishermen.

We’ve been looking ‘over the fence’ to our Queensland neighbour’s ‘garden’ a lot of late, jealously wondering when we’re going to get our

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share of 800lb blues, inshore blacks, and tasty mahi mahi to while away the hours between billfish bites.

Well, it’s finally happening, albeit slowly.

For over a month now, a putrid green band of water has been trapped against the coast from Smoky Cape to Byron, with a strip of even more unappealing black water delineating the 100 fathom line. This has finally been scoured away though, and the blue water has pushed in as shallow as 40 fathoms, bringing with it a bevy of summer fun fish.

There has been a sprinkling of little blacks along the blue/green colour change, and while not totally unheard of in such warm water, a flurry of striped marlin bites between Christmas and the New Year was a bit of a surprise. Most of this activity came from around pilchard schools in 50 fathoms, and the crew of local boat Bear estimates they saw around 25 stripes on one memorable morning — hooking 2 and tagging 1. The fish were tailing on the surface, totally obsessed with smashing bait balls, and the crew didn’t score a bite until they dropped down to really small feather lures to match the size of the bait.

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A rogue longline float produced these 3 mahi mahi, although the marlin proved scarce on this particular day.

Unfortunately, the boat was on its way to Port Macquarie for the Golden Lure Tournament so the crew couldn’t hang around – and the further south they fished, the worse the water became.

Wider, the blues are a bit hit-and-miss, with some boats finding them and others not, but a pulse of freshwater working its way down the coast is traditionally the key to better bites. The sizes have been an eclectic mix ranging from 70kg to 300kg (the latter lost, worse luck).

Mahi mahi numbers have remained strong and help to break the day up nicely.

Wayward trap floats, timber pallets – in fact any floating object has been as good as money in the bank recently, and live baits trolled around the trap floats up near the Hole (and probably elsewhere) have produced some quality fish.

Oddly, the green inshore water has been holding a number of early spotted and Spanish mackerel, with a few of the spots topping 5kg. They’re fairly spread out, from the Patches to South Solitary and into Split, so it might mean dashing about a bit to find their location on any given day.

Those anglers that have put in the time trolling live slimy mackerel inshore (and for once the bait has been biting cooperatively), have also been bedevilled by hammerhead sharks — you remember, the species that

are supposedly endangered in NSW waters? There doesn’t seem to be any shortage of them if you spend time actually on the water rather than skippering a desk.

MARITIME GIVETH, AND CROWN LANDS TAKETH AWAY Finally, there’s some good news regarding Coffs Harbour’s appalling boat ramp. Funds have been made available through the Better Boating Program, and work is expected to commence very soon, with the duck pond being expanded to reduce the surge.

Whether the engineers get it right or not remains to be seen, and it’s inevitable that there will be a user-pays boom gate access arrangement some time in the future. Nobody should have a problem with that, provided the facilities warrant it. Of course, there’s a convenient escape clause worked into the release stating that “some surge may remain”. We await the final outcome with interest…

Sadly, every silver lining has to have a cloud. In this instance, the Crown Lands Department is proposing to make the entire parking area down at the harbour from the hardstand south of the co-op through to the slipway, either 2-hour or 30 minutes’ duration.

The 2-hour restriction is a real slap in the face for charter operators, be they fishing, whale watching or diving,

commercial fishermen, mechanics, shipwrights, full-time marina residents – basically anyone who wants to spend more than 2 hours on their boat.

You could be forgiven for thinking that Crown Lands want to drive tourists away, which the lousy boat ramp has successfully done for so many years. Just when that particular issue appears to heading towards a satisfactory resolution, this happens.

A paltry 65 all-day car parking spaces is simply not enough, especially on Sundays when the markets are in full swing. The 44 spaces that will become 2-hour adjacent to the North Wall are needed to maintain a balance between all-day boat users and visitors.

The lack of long-term parking will also have implications for people who leave their boats at the marina for the Coffs Harbour GFC’s Hot Currents tournament, the Solitary Islands GFC’s Heavy Tackle Challenge, and the Dave Irvine Memorial Snapper Competition — 3 big tourism dollar generators.

Good luck finding a car parking space without getting a ticket.

The window for public consultation has closed, but not before many of us had our say.

Hopefully our input will have made a difference. However, knowing how these so-called ‘public consultation’ periods work, it’s fair to assume it’s already a done deal.

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Quality fish move in closer SOUTH WEST ROCKS

Brent Kirk kempsey@compleatangler.com.au

Summer is in full swing and the fishing and weather are heating up. After weeks of northeasterly winds holding cold green water in close, we have had a few successive southerly winds bringing nice, warm blue water and quality fish with them.

Some quality catches of snapper and pearl perch have been coming in from the reefs out along the inside edges of the current line.

These catches were far above any expectations of bottom fishing for this time of year.

We now have mid to high 20ºC waters and a pelagic season starting to fire. Spotted mackerel have not been in huge numbers but they have all been of a quality size, and Spanish mackerel have been playing the game for those keen enough to fish light. This has been resulting in a lot of bust-ups but that’s OK – the fish will become less timid as the season progresses.

In close, small black marlin are making an appearance with reports of the odd sailfish out from Hat

Excellent Fishing + Perfect Beaches = A Fantastic Getaway

Brent Kirk with a crackin’ pearl perch taken in 60m of water off Scotts Head.

Head. Blue and striped marlin have been found out a bit wider along with some big mahi mahi (dolphinfish). The Fisheries FAD is loaded with small mahi mahi but it is hard to pull a decent sized fish from this area at the moment.

Mixed bags of bream, whiting and dart are in abundance among the beaches. These bread-andbutter species are a great way to get the whole family out, and with plenty of fish around it is easy to keep the younger ones interested.

Chris Webster with a 76cm flathead caught from the Macleay River.

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G1S4 N I OKfor 20 O B now

February and March are the best months to target flathead off the beaches. Low tide usually gives access to the best gutters. It is amazing how the shallowest of gutters can hold some of the best flathead. I try to find the gutter with the most baitfish, whether it be mullet or small whiting, because that means the flathead won’t be too far away. My favourite lures are 5” plastics, but metal lures, blades and even freshwater spoons can also produce the goods on any given day.

Rock fisherman are being rewarded with Spanish mackerel and cobia as well as jewfish, bream and the odd tailor. Black tip whaler sharks are around in large numbers at the moment as well as the less desirable shovel-nose shark.

Big flathead and school-sized mulloway (school jew) have still been a major feature in the river. These fish have moved upstream as the salty water pushes further up due to our lack of rain. The best catches have been in the Smithtown to Jerseyville section of the river.

Big schools of trevally have been seen in this same area, busting up schools of baitfish along with kingfish and tailor.

Bass are still in abundance in the upper

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‘Hot’ has been one word to describe the weather this summer, and for those of us with a piscatorial

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passion it has also been a great word to describe the fishing. Anyone with a liking for fishing will like it hot, hot, hot!

One of my summer favourites is bass, and the Hastings, Maria and Wilson Rivers are totally switched on with surface feeding bass at the moment. With the hatch out of millions upon millions of cicadas, the bass have quickly learned that these insects provide a very rich protein diet. The fish are keen to hit just about anything that falls into the water and they don’t waste time in snaffling an offering before another fish does.

The presentations that work the best have been those that you can work slowly and pause. Cicada walker patterns, poppers and fizzers will work a treat. Those lures that closely imitate a cicada in its appearance or action have been working the best.

Your best bet is to cast close to structure in the vicinity

What surface crunching bream could resist a Bassday Sugapen or Tiemco Cicada? Not these five, that’s for sure.

OFFSHORE Offshore action has been hotting up, and those chasing kingfish have not been disappointed. The grounds off Point Plommer are the best at the moment, but with the warmer currents that usually come in February they should be available at the FAD this month and further south.

In recent weeks the FAD has been holding some quality mahi mahi.

When they can be kept on the chew some decent fish

presented soft plastics should also yield positive results. A lot of people start moving further wide for snapper this month, but don’t dismiss the inshore reefs. Some quality fish of around 5-8kg are there for the taking.

BEACH Beach fishing has been a little hit and miss but this month the whiting should really start to fire on the beaches. Cathie Beach and Dunbogan Beach are the prime spots to target them,

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of noisy cicadas (although I have seen a cicada fall in the middle of the river, buzz on the water for a few seconds then be engulfed by a hungry predator).

With fish pushing further upstream this month, runs around Koree Island, Long Flat and Ellenbourough on the Hastings will be productive.

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Wayne Bale with a lovely Wilson River bass that hit a Tiemco Cicada cast under trees. This spot was alive with the noise of cicadas. have been showing up to check out the action. With improved water temps, the catch rate and quality of these fish will hopefully get even better this month.

Snapper are still around in decent numbers on the inshore reefs off Lake Cathie. Squid are the most popular bait, but slimy mackerel and well

and live beachworms are the best bait. Early morning sessions and late evening sessions are the optimum times, on either the start of the run-in or run-out of the tide. Fishing this way can also prove rewarding for bream, especially after dark, and don’t dismiss the possibility of a few school mulloway.

During the Christmas break some real cowboys roamed our beaches and gave some anglers and beachgoers a real scare with their fast driving and stupid antics. This month will be better as a lot of these visitors have gone home.

ESTUARY Estuary action has been fantastic, with surface fishing for whiting and bream the highlight for me. This kind of fishing C is really exciting, and the visual aspect of it is totally M addictive.

On a recent outing I Y went out very early to try my luck on the flats at CM Blackmans Point, a popular spot for day fishers and MY recreational boaters. It can get very crowded there, but CY if you can get to it early it can hold some decent fish.

CMY On this occasion I was lucky enough to pull up K and find it abandoned, and I managed some decent whiting. After catching a couple, a shore-based angler turned up and stood right in the area I was fishing and proceeded to cast as far as he could into deep water.

I knew my chances of catching more fish were very limited. I cast one more time in close to the shallows, metres from old mate, and managed to get the attention of a couple of whiting who shouldered each other out of the way to eat the lure. Lucky for me it was a 40cm model that hooked up, and it gave an excellent account of itself in only 1ft of water. After deciding to move on I gave some advice to my shorebased compatriot on casting along the sand bar instead of into deep water. As the water pushes over the sand, the fish are keen to get onto the flats and feed on areas they haven’t had access to for a few hours.

So as summer rolls into its final month, I hope you get out on the water and see if you can spice up your life with some hot fishing. Even if the action isn’t hot, you’ve already improved your life just by going out fishing.

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Big bream come out on top FORSTER

David Seaman dseamo@bigpond.com

At this time of year it’s not uncommon for many anglers to be tucked away, up a creek or river enjoying the explosion of life that has developed over the summer months.

The warmer water up the rivers has encouraged heaps of bream, gar, mullet, and even bull sharks to seek the warmer water of the tidal tributaries. Bream of 38cm or around 1kg are reasonably plentiful on the right day, as are the small

flathead that are only too willing to accept a minnow style soft plastic bounced close the shore edge. The top of the tide and the run-out are best for both the flathead and bream in and around the structure or deeper banks.

For those needing a surface fix, the bream have been in really good form up the Coolongolook and Wallamba rivers. Cicada style lures like the Tiemco Soft Shells are my pick; it makes sense with the deafening din of the bankside cicada hatch that has taken over this summer.

I have taken to wearing a

The run of channel or school prawns has been great, as have the numbers of mud and blue swimmer crabs.

pair of earplugs to make the noise bearable.

Tie your lure on with a loop knot and 8kg leader and you should be right, provided you keep your casts as close to structure or the shade of the banks as possible.

While on the subject of surface bites, the whiting in the lower lake, around the bridge and channels have been a good run of fish. While most anglers are picking these fish up on beachworms or yabbies there is no reason why you couldn’t stir them up on a pencil popper or fizzer.

The lease poles and weed beds around Wallis Island have some large luderick over them, and if you are lucky enough to have some green weed you will do well. For everyone else you may like to return during the even run-out with yabbies. The blackfish have a change of diet come nightfall and are often caught on yabbies and green prawns. It just may be that you are out on the lake at night during the run-out tide chasing the prawns.

It has been a good prawn run this year with heaps of them being put through

the local Woolies for those not able to get out on the water. Breckenridge channel is always a favourite spot to prawn, though getting away from the crowds and light of the street can be done further afield in spots like the Wallamba River mouth or The Step near Wallis Island.

Many people have been talking about how good the crabs in the lake have been in the last month and we can only hope this continues.

Pipers Bay area and the weed around The Step are good, as is the Coomba Bay area. Just keep a good eye on your traps and nets because they have a habit of disappearing. If I ever catch the individual or pro that steals pots and cuts crabs from nets, I’ll be only too happy to take ample photos with the 400mm lens and then name and shame – along with a postcard to Fisheries (DPI).

FRESHWATER What can I say about the bass fishing this year; it has been sensational.

Big fish and good numbers for anyone that has had the earmuffs or poor hearing required to cope with the cicadas. You can

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actually feel the sound reverberating in the water, and that obviously has the bass tuned up.

A sneaky hint when using cicada patterns is if you find you’re not getting many surface hits is to

‘shake and set’ the lure.

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February is the time when great changes occur in the movements of the fish populations in the Manning River. The big female flathead are still in the lower parts of the estuary and some of them still have to spawn. The smaller fish are spread out in all parts of the river and its tributaries right up to where the freshwater begins.

The bream are beginning to move downriver from the upper reaches and gather in small schools near rocky outcrops and the mouths of small creeks running into the Manning. Schools of small tailor chase baitfish in the

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Owen McPaul with a Manning River mulloway. middle and upper parts of the river and jewfish follow them around.

Whiting have moved upriver from the mouth of the estuary and can be found in great numbers up near Cundle town and around Dumaresq Island.

The prawns are moving downriver and any freshes caused by heavy rain in the headwaters of the Manning will send the prawns to sea to begin a rapid stage of growth and get ready to spawn. All this movement of bait makes fishing more exciting.

ESTUARY At the present time the flathead are fairly hard to find, with catches being only a few fish per outing.

The best results have come from upriver from the Taree bridge.

Whiting have also been hard to find, with the best spots yielding only a few fish on poppers. The anglers who fish the river consistently week in week out seem to think that the

coldness of the water has put the fish off the bite.

Luderick catches have also been down, with only 3 to 6 fish being taken during a night session.

BEACH AND ROCK The water on the beaches has been really cold, and only small chopper tailor have been on the bite. Most of the choppers are undersized with only the occasional fish over 30cm.

The beaches are in really bad shape with no good formations to bring fish in close to the beach.

A couple of weeks of northeasterly winds are needed to form the beaches up properly. Fishing from the rocks has not been that exciting, with only small groper taking crab baits.

OFFSHORE Results have been much better for the outside anglers, with good catches of snapper to 4.5kg coming from the Old Bar area.

Teraglin are also being caught in that area. Bonito

are plentiful and can be taken on trolled lures, especially when fishing along the tide lines. There are also plenty of legal sized mahi mahi to be taken from around the wave rider.

During the later summer months the northeasterly winds usually blow strongly in the afternoon so it’s best to get out to sea at daylight and plan to be back by lunchtime to avoid the choppy seas.

By sundown the winds have usually dropped and it is quite safe to do a few hours of night-time angling, especially when the moon is up.

By the middle of February the big tailor begin to show up at Mermaid Reef and Diamond Head.

Early morning spinning from the rocks with metal lures or big garfish on a ganged hook rig will get the best results. On the beaches the choppers have grown to a decent size and it is easy to score a bag of fish on lures or bait.

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Scorching hot fishing HUNTER COAST

Gary Earl earlybird13@optusnet.com.au

Scorching weather and warm waters will make the fish run and hit our area this month. The weather is also making anglers run for the shade, as we have had some extreme heat in the past 2 months. Nobody minds too much though, because the fishing has been scorching hot as well.

OFFSHORE Most reefs off the Hunter Coast are holding very good size teraglin and kingfish.

These fish have been eating

lures, both chrome and soft plastics jigged across the top of the reefs. A good option is to use no anchor when the wind is light, then as the wind picks up you can throw over a sea anchor or heavily tied bucket to slow your drift.

If you’re drifting across reefs don’t forget to drop a squid jig down. Lift it 5-10ft from the bottom then just leave it in the rod holder and wait until it bends. With live squid you can target the really big kingfish that may be around.

Alternatively, if you’re like me and can’t resist a calamari dinner, you can just take your squid home.

For the bait brigade, fresh

This luderick with its wild colouration sure was worth the photo. It blew the author away when I saw it. come across them, don’t reach for your plastics or you will end up with a million softies with no tails. Tailor chomp so hard at times, and if they’re big greenbacks that run some of our rock ledges they can chomp the whole softy off.

You get back only your jigheads and no rubber at all.

Drummer are still around.

I talk to a lot of divers when I can, as they are the ones under there with the fish and they know what’s around.

They tell me that drummer, red morwong and some big cod and luderick are in great numbers off Merewether, as well as the odd big blue groper.

They also tell me there are patchy areas where the water is bathtub warm and other areas that are cold. This is why both winter and summer fish are in the mix together.

I have been spending my days trapping poddy mullet and white and small bluebait in poddy mullet traps; fresh is best, as they say. My son and I use them at night. Half a fresh poddy or a whole poddy can take flounder (yes, flounder!) and some big bluenose bream. My son recently lost a Hunter River jewfish which took a poddy mullet on the new Black Magic C-Point hooks. If you think chemically sharpened hooks are sharp you’ll be very impressed with these, and they’re strong as well. The jewfish got under a wharf and snapped the line, unfortunately for my son, who still hasn’t caught his first big jew.

We’ve had fishermen come up to us and say putting a glow stick on the very end of the rod with a small plastic

zip tie is a great way to see bites, and rod bells will wake you up if you nod off. They’re 2 old tricks that have been largely forgotten about, but we’ve found they have been a big help.

I have a fishing friend whose passion for fishing is unmatched. Tony ‘Smiddy’ Sloan lost his shed and all his fishing gear in the fires a bit back, so I got a few friends to band together to help him out. I want thank Wilson’s Fishing and Jennifer in particular; Jason Nunn from Fisherman’s Warehouse; and Kim from Schneider Tackle.

They all generously chipped in to put a smile back on Tony’s face, and he’s out on the water again doing what he loves doing. Some people have big hearts, and I want to say thank you to all.

SA005

Tailor have hit town in good numbers. Troll metal slices and hardbodied lures, and leave your soft plastics in the tackle box or they’ll get destroyed.

squid is the key. If you want really fresh squid but don’t have the time to catch your own, you have to get to the local fishing co-op pretty early as they are selling out very quickly.

BEACH AND ESTUARY It’s not just offshore fish that are going crazy – the beach and estuary are filling up with this year’s migration of some very nice size whiting up to around 40cm. Most fish are being caught within the first 5-6km in the river and all along Stockton beach.

Beachworms, pipis and small red lures are great depending where you are fishing.

Don’t be surprised if a flathead jumps on your lures as there have been a few taken up around the Hexham area.

I hate this place at night; you can box with the mosquitoes as they are so big. Even Rid Tropical and Aerogard don’t bother them. Bushman repellent is the only way to go, but it can melt or weaken certain substances like plastic (e.g. sunglass frames, car consoles). Keep it off your mono and braid as it can affect the strength, and avoid getting it on your lure or bait as the scent can put the fish off.

Tailor love January and February around here. If you

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Cooking with jamo

Smoked salmon and apple salad with blue cheese METHOD 1. Cut 6 discs of smoked salmon and put aside.

COOKING

Jamison Godfrey

There are many varieties of pre-sliced smoked Tasmanian salmon available state wide, but I can’t go past Mures.

It is really good quality, definitely not frozen, which is a sin from where I stand. Make sure that you have some fresh new season green apples that are not as sweet and a nice medium strength blue cheese to really make this dish stand out.

INGREDIENTS 8-9cm cookie cutter and a mandolin for slicing apples Pre sliced smoked salmon Green apples Blue cheese Walnuts Borage flowers Sprigs of fennel Prepared horseradish Cream Lemon juice ( fresh )

2. Core the apple and cut 6 even slices of apple on the mandolin and put aside.

3. Mix equal quantities of horseradish and cream together, put a squeeze of lemon juice in and combine.

4. To build the salad, stack the apple and smoked salmon together to form a small tower and place in the middle of your plate.

5. Spoon some horseradish dressing around the plate and then with your fingers crumble some blue cheese around, now place the other ingredients on the plate and serve.

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Easy to catch a feed PORT STEPHENS

Billy Gillon

February traditionally has high boat traffic and crowded ramps, but it’s a great time to fish the area.

Angling up a feed should be relatively easy, whether it be fish or crabs, and as the month goes on things

to arrive at the FADs in numbers now and there are also a few striped tuna hanging around in the same area.

Blue and black marlin are starting to be caught in better numbers now around the car park and canyons.

Find the bait and the fish won’t be far off. Live slimies bridle rigged with

There are still plenty of reds around Broughten, both big and small. should only get better with the warmer currents pushing down.

GAME FISHING The mahi mahi (dolphinfish) are starting

a circle hook work really well, and you’ll lose a lot less than you would if you were fishing lures.

OFFSHORE Up near Seals there

are some nice reds and flathead coming from Edith breakers. Just remember it is artificials only.

There are still plenty of reds around Broughten both big and small. Fishing 5” jerkshads is great but floating bait down a berley trail in the shallows is hard to beat. Dawn and dusk are the best times and don’t be surprised if a few rat kingies turn up in the trail as well.

Teraglin are still firing on all the usual grounds like the Gibber Gravel and Vee Pinnacle.

For some drummer fun, chuck an unweighted peeled prawn in the wash around North Rock or Little Island. The rougher days fish better but of course you need to keep your wits about you when attempting this style of fishing.

The wash around Fingal is producing plenty of kingfish, both rats and unstoppables. Just watch the marine park area.

Boondelbah island is holding a few groper on the northern side and some kingies in closer. You can also troll a live yakka or slimy in close around boat harbour for some kingfish fun.

A good mixed bag destined for the table. Teraglin are still firing on all the usual grounds.

ROCK FISHING Rock fishers can expect some bonito and kingfish to show up around the washes now. Put a live bait under a balloon for a king and chuck metal slugs around while you wait to cover all your bases.

BEACH Jimmys and Bennetts Beach are holding a few whiting, tailor and bream

near Yacaaba head. Fingal Beach is holding whiting and flathead, with fresh beachworms the favourite bait for the whiting.

BAY A few mulloway are being caught around the Kaurah Bridge. Fresh squid will out-fish all other baits, and remember to fish an hour either side of the tide.

Land-based anglers

won’t be disappointed either, with the bay break wall delivering some awesome kingfish fishing there at times. There are also plenty of bream there, providing good fun on lighter tackle. Little Beach Jetty fishes well for flathead and on the rougher days when the swell is up it should see some big snapper.

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Jason Scerri jayro@hotmail.com.au

We are now well into 2014 and it’s shaping up to be a great year for those anglers lucky enough to fish Lake Macquarie. The water temps are right up there now, and so are the catch rates. Fishing is great regardless of where you’re fishing; inside and offshore are both producing the goods and plenty of fish are also on offer for shorebased anglers.

The lake has a little of everything on offer this month. Once again the mighty yellowtail kingfish has made its presence felt in the lake and although there are plenty of rats around, there are also some quality fish on offer. More than a few in that 80-90cm range have been falling to a variety of methods. Throwing poppers around the Swansea Bridge is getting some results, but to give yourself the best chance of hooking one you’ll want to get out there very early in the morning. With all that structure around luck is your best chance of landing one.

Downrigging has also proved very effective and is gaining in popularity.

A few solid kings have fallen to trolled, downrigged live squid both at the bridge and around the deeper parts of the Lake itself.

Flathead fishing has slowed considerably but there are still a few being caught. The techniques have changed now that the waters have warmed – you need to fish the shallower spots for good regular catches.

Deep diving hardbody lures are proving effective, as are smaller 3-4” soft plastics.

There are a lot of smaller fish around at the moment, but when the waters start to cool (from around April onwards) and the fish head back to the deeper water, I’ll break out my flathead gear again.

There are still more than a few mulloway (jewfish) being caught in the Lake which is a great sign. The mulloway fishery in Lake Macquarie is going from strength to strength, and as long as anglers don’t get greedy and stick to the new laws regarding jewfish sizes and numbers, we should see this fishery continue to get better. Coal Point and Wangi area have been great producers of late, and live squid fished deep are always hard for a passing mulloway to pass up.

While on the topic of squid, there are loads in the

lake at the moment so even if you’re not into live baiting one for a jew or king, a squid is certainly hard to go past on the plate with a little salt and pepper.

Bream fishing has been hot to say the least. Some solid bream to 40cm are falling to a variety of offerings, with Jase Aguiar finding good fish all over his new Pro Lure D36 Crank hardbody. This latest offering from the Pro Lure stable is certainly proving very effective on the local bream population. Working the lake edges is a good way to locate the fish at this time of year.

Working the boat hulls on the shaded side of the hulls can also be productive, and without doubt the sand flats throughout the lake are extremely popular and rewarding at this time of year. Shallow diving hardbody lures and surface lures are doing the damage for guys fishing these shallower areas.

Beach fishing along our coastline at the moment is producing a good number of fish. Whiting are main fish being taken by beachgoers, and worms are proving to be the go-to bait for those anglers looking for a feed of tasty whiting fillets.

Offshore fishing is also firing. It’s a busy time of

Matt Hammond with a great flathead. This great example of a healthy Lake Mac flathead went 86cm. year for bluewater anglers along the entire east coast of Australia, with many game fishing tournaments during this period.

Marlin are on the chew, with fish all over the slimy mackerel bait balls located offshore. A few different methods are doing the damage on these fish, and one of the best is to jig up some live slimies and slow troll them around these bait balls.

Another very effective method is to troll a spread of quality skirted game lures around these areas. I like to work the areas a little wider off the bait balls and crowds of boats when trolling a spread of lures.

Depending on the conditions, the size of the boat and number of crew on board, a spread of 4-5 lures is recommended.

Generally a trolling speed of

around 7 knots will do the trick and get the most action from your lures. Locally-made Zacatak lures are proving to be one of the better lures yet again, taking some good fish this season. It is great to see a quality local product producing the goods.

Shark fishing offshore has also been productive, with some huge tiger sharks over 400kg landed by local LMGFC anglers in recent times. There are also good numbers of smaller sharks which means there’s plenty to keep the shark guys entertained.

Those looking for a feed of fish offshore are in for a treat. The inshore reefs and coastline have plenty of kings on offer, and many methods are working. Keen anglers have been jigging metal jigs and other anglers have been

With so many Lake Mac kings around this month, the best bait for serious anglers is a live squid fished off a downrigger.

Another option is to include a second hook towards the head. working live baits and a variety of other lures such as soft plastics and even trolling the cliff faces with bibbed lures for good results.

It really is one of the best months to be fishing our wonderful part of the world, so get outdoors and make the most of it.

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Fewer tourists, more fish CENTRAL COAST

Glenn Ellis-Helmers

Now that the holidays are behind us, the boat traffic and lines in the water will decline. However, the fishing will be as good as, if not better than, the previous month. So it

really is one of the best times to get out and cast a lure or bait for one of the many species that are active in late summer.

Pelagic fish, ranging from the ever-popular bonito and kingfish close inshore to the striped and black marlin out wide, should now be in full

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swing. I’ve heard a few promising reports of small blacks moving down the coast, with the main action up on the north coast. By now those same fish will be in our waters or even further down the coast.

Plenty of kingfish and bonito have been active around our headlands and inshore reefs in recent weeks. Most are only smaller fish, but a few bigger ones have been boated off Terrigal and Norah Head. Each year can be a bit different, but I see no reason why this season shouldn’t be a great one. Just make sure your drags are serviced and all knots are tied well. Your gear could be in for a big workout!

As is normally the case, many central coast anglers who are keen on

Bream and calamari squid should also be worth a shot from the rocks this month, so a nice seafood smorgasbord could be in the making – or at least some first class bait for kings or mulloway. If the water temps happen to be down a bit, just try your luck on blackfish or possibly a few drummer as these fish still eat at this time of year.

Back inside the estuaries, bream still dominate catches. When time has allowed I have enjoyed some great bream fishing in the lakes. Both topwater lures and Berkley Gulps have done a great job for me, with many of the better bream falling to 3” Gulps slow rolled over shallow flats near weed or rocks. I haven’t been lucky enough to score any real

Plenty of bream like this 35cm fish will be actively taking baits or smashing lures this month. but a nice fresh bait like a bloodworm or pink nipper is pretty much unbeatable

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rock fishing will now be concentrating on those bonito and kings, along with whatever else may show up. That could come in the form of anything from mac tuna to cobia. There’s always the odd tailor and salmon feeding around the rocks early in the morning or in the afternoon.

a couple of bigger models are also possible, especially down around The Rip bridge and into Broken Bay. Prawns and blue swimmer crabs are some other tasty treats worth chasing in our estuaries this month.

On the beaches we also have plenty of whiting on offer, and baits like worms, pipis and peeled prawns should do well. Pick a small, washy gutter and try fishing as the tide rises.

Some bream, flathead or dart may join in as well.

Later on as the sun sets it’s time for tailor and mulloway. A few jewies have been caught from my closer beaches like Birdie and Budgewoi lately so they should be a chance on other beaches along the southern end of the central coast as well.

February really is

monsters but a number of fish have been over 35cm to the fork which are still great fish.

In the sandier places like The Entrance or some of the Brisbane Water flats, whiting are another reliable fish to chase at the moment.

Of course, they are fun to chase with topwater lures,

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This tasty flounder was keen on eating the 3” Berkley Gulp that was aimed at bream. Flounder are always welcome for the dinner table!

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on whiting, especially as the tide pushes over the flats.

Some flathead will be around as usual. Again, The Entrance and many different spots around Brisbane Waters are reliable for flatties. A few schoolsize mulloway and maybe

a great month for our local fishing, with many different species to choose from. I will mainly be lure casting for bream, flathead and whiting, but others may be keener on the marlin out wide, spinning pelagics from the rocks or casting a bait from the sand.

The agony of choice THE HAWKSBURY

Dan Selby dan@sydneysportfishing.com.au

What a summer we have had on the Hawkesbury!

Great weather and good catches of bream, whiting, flathead and mulloway in the estuary, quality bass

feeding on the surface in the sweetwater and some cracking pelagics around the headlands and bays.

The hard decision is what to chase. Going for walk and discovering a hidden little creek down an old fire trail in search of the Aussie bass usually gets my

heart rate up. A comfortable backpack with the essentials like water, lures, pliers and a simple first aid kit is a must.

Don’t forget to let someone know where you’re headed and what time you expect to return, just in case the unexpected happens. Better still, take a mate along and

This bag of bream was secured while casting a ‘walk the dog’ style surface lure across the shallow sand flats in Berowra Creek.

Add short pauses to elicit a strike from these cautious fish.

This 41cm whiting couldn’t resist a lightly weighted live nipper cast to the edge of a sand flat.

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play leapfrog, hopping from one pool to the next to get the first crucial cast at the best snag.

Boat traffic will have quietened down in the upper tidal reaches with most people heading back to work this month. Bass in the tidal water have had a great season gorging themselves on the school prawns from Windsor to lower Portland.

The odd flathead, bream and EP are holding in the same areas and are a welcome bycatch when using soft plastics and small blades along the rock walls and weed beds.

The gorge at Penrith has turned on some great fishing for those placing their lures tight to the structure. Cast surface lures at dawn (or dusk), and then use small spinnerbaits and shallow crankbaits once the sun gets up. If your casting arm is getting a little tired or the fishing is slow, try trolling tight to the rock walls and weed beds with the appropriate depth lure to cover more ground, and

you’ll hopefully find an active patch of fish.

Wisemans Ferry has seen some great catches of flathead and school jewfish over the summer period and this should continue for the months to come. The bream seem to be a little absent this year but the odd decent

some old haunts in Cowan and Berowra creeks of late and trying some age-old techniques to secure some lovely fish using our modern tackle. Pumping nippers was a fun exercise when I was a kid and as I discovered, just as fun as an adult! Gathering fresh

Wading the shallows and casting small surface poppers and stickbaits for bream and whiting is an enjoyable way to pass a few hours on the Hawkesbury. specimen is being caught on bait and lures.

The flathead have taken station on the abundant sand bars and are favouring live and fresh frozen prawns over everything else. Lures are running a close second when the right colour is selected.

The best results we’ve had on charter were with a darker pumpkin seed coloured plastic around the 3” mark on a 1/4oz jighead. The windsock, the main point at Wisemans Ferry opposite the MacDonald River mouth and Dads Corner have all produced outstanding bags of flathead and school-sized mulloway this summer.

Broken Bay has produced some great catches also, with most anglers securing a feed from the reliable flathead when conditions have been favourable. Drifting with a selection of baits seems to be a consistent producer.

I’ve been rediscovering

live bait like nippers really gets the confidence levels up, and rightly so. I fished a 6lb leader with a pea sinker running to a longshank bait keeper hook, and cast to the weed edges that fringed the shallow sand flats that are abundant in these 2 creeks. There were a lot of pickers and smaller fish but there were also a few legalsized whiting and flathead.

The best whiting measured 41cm and on light tackle and drag settings it put up an amazing fight in the shallows.

Kingfish, bonito and the odd cobia have been harassing baitfish around the headlands and near shore reefs. Live yakkas and slimy mackerel are the standout baits set deep or under a balloon when at anchor, or slow trolled on the flat line or downrigger when you want to cover some water.

Keep your tackle well serviced and make sure your drag is set, as a big hoodlum will test every knot, bearing and binding on your equipment.

Dusky flathead have been a reliable species to target this season. Pumpkin seed coloured soft plastics and fresh frozen prawns are the consistent producers.

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Fisherman’s paradise SYDNEY NORTH

Darren Thomas

It’s fisherman’s paradise out here on the beaches at the moment. The water temperatures will continue to remain warm at least for another month and plenty of good fish have been coming boat side for many an angler.

While the warmer currents are still heading south down the coast, some rather large schools of slimy mackerel are heading with them and plenty of larger species are also in tow. Our local inshore reefs have been holding kingfish, trag, bream, morwong and snapper.

Most anglers chasing the kings are live baiting and downrigging live squid with plenty of success and while this action is on, make sure you take big plastics, stickbaits and poppers as these methods are now the norm for targeting the bigger fish out here on the peninsula.

The teraglin are a schooling fish and are generally 4-6kg. They look similar to a mulloway, but you can tell them apart

because the trag have a yellow mouth.

Fishing a paternoster rig of 40lb line with a couple of 7/0 hooks and 30lb mainline will be enough to stop some of these guys. Baits like fish and squid strips are very popular for most anglers fishing the bottom while chasing these species.

The amount of anglers that I know who have a sounder but are not quite sure how to use it bewilders me. If you do need more practice on your preferred model, go to your manufacturer or YouTube or even look for a Facebook site. If you are not getting enough out of your sounder, you will be reducing your capture rate.

There are a few good fish around in the washes at the moment and at this time of year a little bit of berley goes a long way. I have reports of snapper to 1kg taking pilchard tails at South Curl Curl and fish to 40cm further north at Bluefish Point on the same method.

Spinning the stones at this time of year would normally give you a shot at kings, salmon, tailor and

bonito but the bonito seem to be a bit of a slow show, with only a few popping up so far.

The tailor have been a terrific night option, particularly for anglers using a whole pilchard ganged up under a glow sticked float. You will find more of these fish in bigger numbers around the headlands, with some fish up to 65cm being recorded.

Some solid salmon are mixed in with the tailor and are keen on taking metals and topwater lures on sun-up casting from the stones.

The beaches have some mulloway doing the rounds, with 16kg being the largest I have heard. Mike Nilson was the angler and he was using 30cm live tailor as bait at Narrabeen during an overnighter.

Dee Why, Whale Beach and Manly are also successful venues for beach fishing this month, with plenty of whiting, bream and trevally being caught on various methods.

Generally bait is a given at the beach but working in a tackle store, I am now seeing a trend of people spinning plastics in the

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The latest in beach plastics. A growing number of anglers are now spinning plastics in the surf. surf – the likes of Slick Rigs for mulloway and other bigger fish, and 2” and 3” grubs for bream and trevally. There are now

some great variations of artificial worms that work well on whiting and other species. The Isome and Berkley Gulp brands are the

most popular, so if you are looking for something new I recommend pioneering some plastics from the beach.

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Take the kids out fishing PITTWATER

Peter Le Blang plfishfingers@bigpond.com

Over the last month the weather has been sporadic and so has the fishing.

Along our part of the

coast the kingfish have been a fair bit smaller than in previous years. Still, the run of smaller fish has been great for casting lures, and has been delivering explosive surface action. The smaller kingfish seem to be along just about every headland from

Barrenjoey Headland through to Sydney Heads. The better areas have been Newport Reef and Long Reef.

The baits to downrig in these areas have been slimy mackerel or small yellowtail.

The bigger baits aren’t seeing much action but when they do, it’s worth the wait.

Along Pittwater we are finding schools of kingfish and on most flat mornings they are cruising the surface giving anglers a chance at catching a few. They are easy to spook and still seem to be favouring the western side of the river from Longnose Point through to Sinclair Point. The better lures to use have been flashy Shimano Waxwings or small walk-the-dog style

One of the many kingfish that can be encountered along Pittwater. surface lures. We’ve found that a 6” Slug-Go gets the fish that are down a bit deeper

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38

FEBRUARY 2014

if you allow it to sink out of sight first. Most of the fish you’ll encounter at this time of the year are smaller specimens, but by working the depths there are normally a couple of better specimens to be found.

For those who downrig Pittwater, the better areas to try have been at Portuguese Beach, Soldiers Point, Stokes Point, The Kingfish Highway and Careel Bay. Freshly caught squid is still working far better than any other bait when downrigging along Pittwater, but once you go out onto Broken Bay, slimy mackerel and yellowtail are the baits that you want.

Catching squid along Pittwater has become a little easier in recent weeks.

There are patches of squid at Careel Bay, Mackerel Beach, Towlers Bay and The Basin.

If the water colour is like pea soup the brighter colours work very well, with pink or orange the stand-outs. In the shallows and clearer water the more natural colours work better than the brighter colours. Remember to swipe the jig just above the barbs with some Halco Catch Scent paste before you start your session. I find that these scents stay on for hours and they don’t seem to damage the cloth covering like some of the spray scents do.

Flathead are still being caught along Pittwater’s many drop-offs. The easiest to find is the large sand bar at the mouth of Pittwater. This area has a deeper channel along the western side in front of Mackerel Beach and a very steep drop-off that runs from Palm Beach across to Sinclair Point. This is the better area to try for a flathead while drifting around casting soft plastics. The same area is also producing whiting and some bream around the weed bed edges. Please be aware that much of this area is a no anchor zone, so drifting is the better method.

Out on the reefs along Broken Bay we are once again finding kingfish.

However, for the mulloway angler, Lion Island Reef, Flint

and Steel, Elanoras Bluff and Juno Point are all starting to fire up. The change of the tide is the best time to try but you must have fresh caught bait to give yourself a chance at a decent mulloway. Please remember that the recent rule changes make your new size limit 70cm for these fish.

Further offshore along the reefs we are seeing a variety of fish being caught.

Snapper are there for those who wish to fish the gravel grounds off Queenscliff. The foul ground in the same area has been seeing some decent fish but an early morning start is needed.

Boultons is seeing a variety of fish being caught.

Tailor, nannygai, flathead, teraglin and plate-sized snapper are all being caught on most occasions. The reefs further north are also seeing the same species being caught.

Fish the reefs that are 40-60m deep for the best results.

Over the sand the bluespot flathead have been a little tricky to find, but when you do locate them you’ll find quite a few are in the same area.

The better bait to use for flathead has been your humble pillie, with squid running a close second. I love to catch these fish using soft plastics and there are 2 ways you can do it. The first way is to attach your paddle tail soft plastic to your normal paternoster rig.

Just thread it onto the hook like you normally would.

The second is to use 4oz Elevator heads and to use Berkley Nemesis soft plastics.

Cast well ahead of the boat and work the lure along the bottom with hops and pauses or (the lazy way) drift along and just lift the rod from time to time. You must make sure that you do stay in contact with the bottom and let out more line when appropriate.

I hope this report sees you grabbing the kids and getting out onto our wonderful waterways and coast to catch some future memories.

• Peter Le Blang operates Harbour and Estuary Fishing Charters, phone 02 9999 2574 or 0410 633 351, visit www. estuaryfishingcharters.com.au

Fishing Friendly Accommodation Guide

Kiama: Something for everyone. Plus fishing.

Kiama is set on one of Australia’s most beautiful stretches of coastline and is only one and a half hours south of Sydney - just a slight detour off Highway 1.

The region is a rich mosaic of historic towns, dairy pastures, rugged sea cliffs and lush green hills that literally meet the sea.

There are plenty of activities to entertain visitors of all ages, from alfresco dining at many of the exquisite restaurants, cafes and wineries to some indulgent retail therapy along the village high streets

and quaint terrace shops.

Discover the region’s various attractions, including the Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk, Kiama’s famous ‘Blowhole’ and the thrills of Jamberoo Action Park.

There’s a wide choice of water activities at one of the many beaches, rock pools or rivers, or the chance to simply relax and unwind. And where better to stay than at one of the five award winning Kiama Coast Holiday Parks, situated in Kiama, Gerringong and Gerroa.

Fishing enthusiasts

are spoilt, with the choice of estuary, rock and beach fishing, as well as local fishing charters that offer deep sea, light tackle, big game and reef fishing.

tailor, snapper, leatherjackets, sole and flathead Kendall’s on the Beach Holiday Park – offers a choice of rock or beach fishing and depending on

Some great fishing available out from Kiama Harbour.

Take in and enjoy the abundant coastal scenery.

There is a great family atmosphere at Surf Beach.

HOLIDAY PARK FISHING GUIDE Kiama Harbour Cabins – Kiama Harbour is a great family fishing spot, with the choice of bream, blackfish and squid, or a choice of fishing charter boats.

Kingfish, snapper, drummer, trevally, salmon, tailor and groper can all be caught from the rocks.

Surf Beach Holiday Park – offers a choice of rock or beach fishing and a wide variety of fish to catch such as salmon, trevally, bream,

the time of year, the keen angler can catch flathead, whiting, salmon, bream, blackfish, drummer, kingfish or groper.

Werri Beach Holiday Park – offers a choice of rock or beach fishing and the ability to catch salmon, trevally, whiting, snapper, flathead, bream, tailor or mulloway.

Seven Mile Beach Holiday Park – is located between Seven Mile Beach (offering rock or beach fishing and the chance to

catch whiting, bream, tailor, salmon, flathead and mulloway) and Crooked River which is a popular place for prawns and good sized bream and flathead.

The Parks offer some of the best cabins in Australia, with spacious living areas, fully self-contained kitchens, reverse cycle air conditioning, Foxtel, gas log fires, spas, free in-house movies and private verandahs equipped with their own BBQ. Standard cabins, Eco-Safari tents and Surf Shaks are also available, as well as a range of en suited, powered and

unpowered sites for the avid caravanners and campers, together with clean, modern amenities and facilities and the friendliest of staff.

If you’ve ever imagined the perfect seaside holiday with the ocean on your doorstep, an abundance of fish to catch, eateries and shops just a short stroll away, discovery and adventure available to entertain the entire family within just a few minutes drive, or the perfect place to just relax, then stop imagining and do yourself a favour and enjoy the wonders of the majestic Kiama Coast.

A fishing explosion SYDNEY HARBOUR

Craig McGill craig@fishabouttours.com.au

Unseasonal 22.5ºC water and wall-to-wall pencil slimies is a recipe for a fishing explosion here in Sydney. The huge nutrient load, courtesy of 2 very wet years, is finally paying off.

I can safely say that I have never seen anything even close to the current slimy mackerel mass out there right now.

The rat kings are swarming at the moment and by the time you read this the big fellas should be around too. Flatties have been around in good numbers with some quality fish up to 90cm turning up around north harbour.

Flatties are well distributed right throughout the harbour from the uppermost reaches to the heads. The lower reaches around the heads are dominated by the smaller sand flathead commonly encountered offshore, with the occasional dusky thrown in especially when using larger live baits.

Upstream is the exclusive domain of the

dusky. Despite growing to considerably larger sizes this fish is comfortable in as little as 1ft of water.

Flatties have a reputation as being a poor sportfish.

This holds true when you’re using bait fishing techniques, but can be totally disregarded when you’re targeting them with lures.

The skill, thrill and anticipation involved in hunting flatties on lures is little different from that of other predatory species, including the tropical glamour fish.

Although the fight from a lure-caught flathead bears little resemblance to that of the northern mangrove inhabitants it is a huge improvement to that of a flathead caught on bait.

In the clearer water that’s often found in the upper reaches of Middle Harbour and Lane Cove River there’s the added appeal of the visual thrill of seeing the hooked fish in action.

Some of the best areas in the harbour to lure fish for flatties include the shallows of Rose Bay, the upper reaches of Middle Harbour, North Harbor, the entire length of Lane Cove River, Iron Cove and the Parramatta

River from Gladesville bridge upstream.

The best times to work these areas are the 2 hours before low tide and 1 hour after it starts to come back in. It’s even better if this tide occurs in the early morning or late afternoon.

Flathead congregate around channel edges, rock bars, weed banks and sand\mud bank drop-offs.

Any area where water is channeled off mangrove stands or flats on a falling tide is well worth a throw.

A single handed spinning or light baitcasting outfit loaded with 3-4kg line will handle any flathead, provided you use a more substantial trace of about 10kg.

Flathead will hit almost anything that swims past their face. With the emphasis on presenting the lure close to the fish, depth capabilities are the major consideration when choosing a lure for flatties.

Considering you will be fishing depths ranging from 1-15ft you’ll need quite a large selection of lures should you opt for diving minnow style lures.

A more versatile and possibly more effective option is to carry 2 types

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The rat kings are swarming at the moment and by the time you read this the big fellas should be around too. of soft plastic lures. For the shallows (1-4ft) you’ll find that stickbaits like the Berkley Drop Shot Minnow or Slug-Gos are deadly on flatties, especially around weed. To cover all depths it’s hard to go past a soft plastic on a jighead.

We’ve been catching a lot of blue groper as a by-catch of kingie fishing. Most of our king fishing involves fishing on the reef contours where the reef meets the sand using fresh squid suspended a few meters off the bottom. The groper have been nailing these baits and I can’t help wondering how successful this technique might be if we substituted the squid for a red crab.

It seems that the kings are getting bigger every year. We are now regularly landing fish around the 1m

landing one around the heavy structure where they are often found is another matter.

Success rates seem to be linked more to technique than to a tackle upgrade. Going up in line class creates a number of problems including difficulties in delivering baits or lures, and a decrease in interest from the fish due the obvious distraction of heavy traces. Heavy gelspun lines are a poor defense around barnacle-encrusted structure, despite allowing better presentations than mono of the same class.

Furthermore, heavy line and drag settings are detrimental to the technique that best suits landing big kings.

Working on the theory that the harder you pull the harder the kings pull, I’ve found it best to go fairly lightly until the fish is clear

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Working on the theory that the harder you pull the harder the kings pull, I’ve found it best to go fairly lightly until the fish is clear of the cover. mark with some considerably bigger fish getting in on the act occasionally.

Hooking one of these big fish is the easy bit; actually

of the cover. Some fish charge straight into the cover regardless of what you do, and I don’t think that there’s a thing you can do about

that. But in general I’ve found that leading fish away from cover gently is a lot more productive than going hammer and tongs.

Once you are confident that the fish is either tired or too far from the cover to get back, it’s time to move the boat quickly towards him. From here on keep the boat directly above the fish. The greater the angle of the line is from the boat, the greater the chance the fish has of clipping it across the top of bottom structure.

Furthermore, being directly above the fish means that for him to make any ground downwards toward bottom structure he’ll have to take drag, expending more energy.

Low line angles created by the fish being away from the boat mean that the fish needs only to swim sideways to make ground towards cover, without having to take drag.

In the case where you have led the fish gently away from cover, wait until you feel you are a safe distance from the cover and then go hard. But before you get stuck into it, ensure that you place the boat between the fish and the cover to encourage the fish to swim away from the boat and hence away from the cover.

All this is much easier if you are drifting but it can be achieved at anchor providing your crew acts quickly Once the fish is close to the boat, back the drag off a touch to compensate for the reduced stretch of a shorter line.

Presenting your bait in a way that draws the fish away from the cover has obvious benefits. You can do this by casting your bait so it lands very close to the structure and letting it sink, on a tight line, back towards the boat.

This encourages the king to chase the bait out of the structure.

• If you are interested in doing a guided fishing trip on Sydney harbour with Craig McGill please call 0412 918 127 or email craig@ fishabout.com.au.

www.ausmarine.biz for your nearest dealer

Touchy about temps SYDNEY SOUTH

Gary Brown gbrown1@iprimus.com.au

Many anglers fall into the trap of thinking that every time they go fishing they should catch a bag limit of fish to take home.

When you think about it, if you were lucky or good enough to catch your NSW limit of 20 bream, 20 sand whiting or even 10 dusky flathead, that would be a lot of fish. Do you really need to keep that many?

Fishing should be about

So what made the difference? My guess is the water temperature. In Middle Harbour it was 19ºC and where we fished in the Lane Cove River the water temperature was a warm 23ºC. Since then I have been back out on Middle Harbour and the water temperature has risen to about 23 degrees and the fish have been on the chew.

In recent weeks the water temperature in Botany Bay has varied from 19 to 23 degrees.

On some days the fishing was very hard, while on

Dennis with a couple of quality bream that were caught near the entrance to the Lane Cove River. more than just aiming to catch your limit, surely.

I certainly didn’t get my limit a couple of weeks ago. I took my sister-inlaw’s partner Dennis out for a fish on Middle Harbour, and the idea was to only use soft plastics and blades to get a few flathead and bream for tea. Dennis and I worked the water to lather and we never caught a legal fish. We did catch a couple of undersized snapper, but nothing else.

After talking to a number of other anglers that were out on the water, I found that they too had had very little success.

Not to be outdone, I invited Dennis out again 2 weeks later to do exactly the same thing, but in a different place. From the first drop Dennis was on and the fish just kept coming. We managed between us 14 bream to 38cm, 1 leatherjacket and a sand whiting that measured in at 40cm. Not bad for four hours’ fishing.

The only difference between the 2 days was the location that we fished. Nothing else was different. We went out at the same time, the tide was the same (a run-out), we used the same blades and soft plastics, the time of the tide was similar and the barometer was much the same as before. Even the techniques we used were the same.

other days it seemed like the fish were jumping in the boat. February should see the water temperature in Botany Bay stay around 21 to 22 degrees, which is perfect if you want to target a few kingfish, tailor,

flathead have been going extremely well of late.

To get myself ready for this season’s kingfish in the bay I have bought a small downrigging outfit and I am going to try downrigging a few live squid or yellowtail.

Places worth a shot would be along the break wall in Yarra Bay, Bare Island, Henry Head, inside Kurnell Point, the mooring drums in the middle of the bay and at the end of the third runway.

One thing that I have found over the years of fishing in Botany Bay and the Georges River is that anchoring up and berleying is so much more productive than drifting the bay. Places worth a shot during February are: the end of the third runway, the artificial reef in Yarra Bay, the groynes off Silver beach at Kurnell, Dolls Point, Brighton-Lee Sands, the Captain Cook and Tom Uglys Bridge, Bald Face Point, Como Bridge and the stretch of waterway leading up to the 8 knot area near the Lugarno seafood restaurant. The area called the Moons and Soil Point is also worth a shot for bream, flounder and flathead.

The Port Hacking can be extremely hard to fish one day and very easy the next, and once again the best approach I have found when bait fishing here is to anchor up and have a small but consistent berley trail going.

From January through

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41

Sydney from the shore SYDNEY SOUTH

Gary Brown gbrown1@iprimus.com.au

There are hundreds of land-based fishing spots to go in the Sydney and Southern Sydney areas, and some are very easy to get to. At places like the

Esplanade at Dolls Point, there’s plenty of parking and it’s so close that you only have to walk a couple of metres. Some other great land-based spots, such as Middle Head in Sydney Harbour, require more effort to get to.

I’ll cover these couple of spots in future reports

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as they tend to fire better in autumn and winter. For now, let’s look at some good options for February.

MANLY COVE Anyone fishing off the shore at the entrance to Sydney Harbour is likely to see birds working the schools of tailor, Australian salmon and bonito that are feeding in this area. Most of the times these schools of fish are out of reach of the shore-based angler.

To try to entice the fish closer to the shore I recommend taking a bucket of berley with you.

The berley can consist of chopped up pilchards, striped tuna, garfish, bread and chicken pellets.

Even though the parking situation is not the best (actually it’s terrible), try to find a parking spot and then walk to Fairlight Pool, which is situated on the northern side of Manly Cove off the Esplanade Scenic walkway. This is not a bad place to take the family, but the closest amenities are back at the

This small point off Fairlight Pool can be very productive during a couple of hours either side of the hide tide. Just keep an eye out if the swell is coming from the southeast.

Manly Pier. They also need to be able to cast about 25-30m, because that’s how far the sandy spots are from the shore.

Some swimming baths are adjacent to the water

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here, and from the baths it’s a short walk to the water’s edge. A good set of polarised sunglasses will be a great asset when fishing here.

The main species you’ll catch are bream, squid, silver trevally and leatherjackets on light to medium outfits. Tailor, salmon and the odd bonito can also be caught here.

For the leatherjackets you will need to use a single hook paternoster rig with a small snapper sinker.

For the bream and silver trevally you will need to either fish as light as possible (ball sinker down onto the bait) or use a small bobby cork. Your rod should be between 3-6kg with a 40-50 sized threadline reel or a 15cm Alvey. You could try fishing out wider here, but you will need to cast 20-25m.

GROTTO POINT Grotto Point Reserve on the northern side of the entrance to Middle Harbour is another land-based spot to try during February. It’s not great for younger kids though; most of the fishing

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from here is off what I would class as ocean rocks, even though it is situated inside Sydney Harbour.

Grotto Point is known for its bushwalking tracks, but there are also some great fishing spots there.

The only drawback is the walk in, which is not what I’d call easy. However, if you don’t mind the walk the fishing rewards can be great. This is another place that during the right conditions will produce tailor, squid, salmon, bonito, bream and trevally.

Just remember to take in that bucket of berley.

Light surf rods of around 3.6m in the 4-5kg class are the go. I recommend a 50 to 60 sized threadline reel or a 15cm Alvey reel spooled with 5-6kg line for bream, silver trevally and squid. Ball sinker sizes to bring are 000, 00, 0 and 1. When you’re targeting bream and silver trevally, I recommend using number 1 to 1/0 Owner circle hooks.

The best baits are tuna cubes, strips of bonito and mullet for the bream, and whole pilchards and

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A few bream and trevally that took a liking to a Berkley PowerBlade. garfish for the tailor and salmon. You will need to take all your bait into this spot and remember to bring back your rubbish. This is another place that you will need to bring in the berley. You could try using floating shallow divers here, but you will need to get in a decent cast to get over the boulders.

To get to the Grotto Point Reserve you will need to travel south along Woodland Street at Balgowlah Heights, turn left into Alder Street and then left into Cutler Street.

Park your car and then walk for about 30 to 40 minutes out to Grotto Point.

KURNELL If you’re in the southern area of Sydney and like to park your car close to where you’re going to fish, and you want to take the family along with you, try going over to Kurnell.

Prince Charles Parade runs parallel to the water on the southern side of Botany Bay and there is plenty of parking, white sand, amenities and take-away shops. It’s a great place to take the family, you don’t have to have a very long rod and you definitely don’t have to cast very far.

If you are into catching a few flathead, bream and

whiting on lures, this is the place to go as you can fish straight off the sand here.

Once you get here you will see that there are a number rocky groynes (13 in fact) that you could walk out to the end of and cast out a bait or two. Take care here as some of the boulders can move and some are very slippery.

I have found over the years that the best time to fish here is about 2-3 hours either side of the hide tide.

It’s not a great spot to fish when the wind is coming from a northerly direction, but if you know that a southerly is going to blow

up this is the place to go.

The wind will go straight over your head and it also assists with your casting.

If you have any landbased spots that you want

to know more about, don’t hesitate to send an email to gbrown1@iprimus.com. au and I will give you some hints on how to go about fishing it.

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Don’t miss a day ILLAWARRA

Greg Clarke clarkey1@westnet.com.au

The best piece of advice I can give you right now is this: Don’t miss a day because you will probably regret it.

It doesn’t matter what you chase, there is something out there for you.

The northeasters have backed off a bit now so the offshore scene will be more forgiving on the body over the coming weeks. That’s unless you are hooked into one of the big marlin, kings, or sharks, but that is pain you can live with.

The black marlin are at their peak, with Bandit looking like a boat show marina – particularly when a few fish are on the boil. The schools of mackerel are there and being accosted by marlin and some big kings, and hook-ups have been a regular occurrence.

There is plenty of bait on Wollongong Reef too, but for some reason there aren’t so many boats there. That makes it a good option when the crowds gather up north.

It’s also much closer to the Wollongong FAD so if you’re not doing as well as you would like on the billies you can duck out to the FAD. Anglers have been getting some decent mahi mahi (dolphinfish) there over the past few weeks. Marlin like dollies too, so you may score one out there as well.

As always, the fishing action all depends on the current. If it is belting down

from the north your odds are always enhanced, and if the water is still you often don’t do so well. No run, no fun.

You can always head further out looking for the big blues and, because you need to cover a bit of ground to get to the shelf, it is always wise to tow some plastic. At this time of year there’s always the chance of wahoo, spearfish and small yellowfin.

A couple of small lures won’t go astray either to get all of those striped tuna for bait.

You should also keep an eye out for anything floating as it will probably be accompanied by a few if not heaps of mahi mahi. The small lures and smaller live baits might even attract the attention of a stray sail, as they often venture down this way when the water is hot. If you are lucky enough to get one, work the same area as there will often be a few more hanging about.

Closer in around the islands, Bass Point and Bellambi have been providing anglers with lots of kingfish action. The best days have been when there has been a bit of current about. It just gets them going.

Downrigged squid is always a great bait, but a slow trolled frigate mackerel, be it downrigged or on top, will not be missed if there are any decent kings about. Don’t forget the humble yellowtail either, because on some days they are all they will eat.

Strange critters, kings.

Many of the kingfish are just on that borderline of 65cm

so make sure you measure them if they are close. Or you can just live by my motto: If you need to measure them, they are too small.

Quite a few fish are in the 10kg bracket with some pushing 15kg, but they get wiser at that size and a whole lot more powerful. Bust-offs in the rough are common in shallow water.

If you just want to have fun, keep your eye open for the birds on the top of the water. They will lead you to schools of marauding salmon and bonito, and smaller kings, trevally and frigates that turn the ocean to foam when they bail up the baitfish.

Schools of striped tuna are in close as well to supplement the bait supply. Most of the action is happening less than 1km from shore all along the Illawarra coast, so the yak fishos will have a lot of fun without paddling too far. Light gear is the key; 2kg tackle will get the most out of these little speedsters and get plenty of bait for other types of fishing.

BOTTOM FISHING There are some nice snapper about over the deeper reefs, and a few are starting to

Wahoo are a nice by-catch when chasing marlin this month. show up in a bit closer around the bommies as well. Snapper just can’t resist a piece of fresh frigate or striped tuna. There are also plenty of smaller fish about to keep you busy while waiting for the big fella to arrive.

Sharks are a bit of a problem, but that’s to be expected in summer. The small hammers and whalers go alright on light tackle and are pretty good on the BBQ as well, so they are not always unwelcome visitors.

If you can’t get a flattie in the lake this month, give it away. Some of them aren’t too bad either.

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With the warm water and plenty of bait about, the bottom dwellers are getting in on the act too. Good catches of flatties have been coming from all the sand patches all along the Illawarra coast.

Leatherjackets are patchy but not as bad as the past few years.

Over the reefs there are trevally, small samsonfish, pigfish and mowies. Even the odd teraglin, pearl perch and spangled emperor has come in over the past few weeks so you just don’t know what will grab your bait this month.

ROCKS It is fun time on the rocks as the northeasters push the bait into the little coves and corners of the north facing

headlands. The frigates, bonito, small kings and salmon go to town on them early in the mornings after the northerlies.

Port’s northern wall is always good as are Wollongong, Bellambi, Windang Island and the gravel loader at Bass Point and blowhole point at Kiama.

Good approaches include using small metals cast and retrieved fast, or flies on a trace behind a bobby cork.

On the deeper rock ledges a frigate mackerel fed back out at dawn is almost certain to be grabbed by a big king, particularly down around Kiama, Cathedral rocks and Marsdens. If it gets past a king and keeps on swimming, you’re in with a chance at a marlin. A hungry hammerhead is more likely to grab it, but you never know. It’s certainly worth a try.

Whole pilchards and pilchard pieces will account for plenty of bream and salmon in the washes with the odd trevally and small snapper thrown in as a bonus.

Don’t forget the fun of the frigates in and around the harbours with the kids. Grab some very small metals and get to Bellambi Jetty, Wollongong Harbour or Kiama Harbour and get the kids into these little speedsters. They make good bait for everything later.

BEACHES On the beaches at the moment it is about as good as it gets. There are whiting on all beaches, and to get them you just need fresh beachworms.

Dart are about too, with bream and heaps of salmon and tailor in the evenings just on dark and the early hours just on dawn. Some of the tailor are pushing the 3kg mark so expect the odd bite-off.

Flathead are in many of the gutters and are usually picked up as bycatch unless you go for a walk with some plastics and work the gutter edges. There are some nice fish to 80cm among them, plus a bycatch of school-sized mulloway, particularly in the evenings.

Some solid jewies have been coming in from the secret society of jewfishermen over the past weeks. Your best bet

for a chance would be Coniston behind the sewerage depot, Coalcliff beach, Windang near the lake entrance or any deep gutter nearby and down on Bombo. Fresh frigate mackerel are a good bait to start with.

Remember to take a few traces and hooks because it is whaler time on the beaches.

Honestly, if the general public only knew how many sharks came onto our beaches under the cover of darkness they wouldn’t stick their big toe in the water at this time of the year. I do swim on the beaches but never late or early in the day. The odd noah has been spotted in the lake of late but that won’t worry us.

Down around the entrance there are salmon and tailor ripping into baitfish on the bigger run-out tides and can be caught from the break walls or the boat on small metals and hardbodies.

Then there are the flathead. If you can’t catch a flattie on a plastic over the next few weeks, give the game away and take up croquet.

The flatties are all through the channel from the entrance to the drop-off, and along every other patch of sand in the lake. Prawn-style soft plastics like the Gulp Shrimp are scoring heaps of fish, but just about anything will work at the moment.

Plenty of nice whiting are taking worms and nippers over the flats, and if you can get a quiet day it’s worth throwing little poppers as well.

Throwing lures for bream is good fun but if you’re after a feed your safest bet is to use bait. Grab some live prawns and drift them down around the break walls, bridge pylons or around the rocky parts of the islands during the evenings and you will catch nice big bream without too much effort.

As for the prawns, there will be plenty on this dark if you can get a spot. Scooping the flats at the entrance or around Primbee is always good for some bait.

Minnamurra has much the same on offer with some solid bream around the bridge pylons and good flathead all along its length.

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Surface gets smacked NOWRA

Wes Murphy wesmurphy@bigpond.com

With the holiday season over we finally have our fantastic waterways

back to ourselves! I don’t blame the tourists for wanting to be here though, with the fantastic run of summer weather and above average fishing we have been having.

Firstly we’ll take a look

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at the Shoalhaven River, which has been fishing the best I have seen in years.

We’ve been experiencing a great topwater bream bite around the cliffs and rocky shores upriver from the bridge, and they’ve taken a particular liking to cicada imitations. A long pause with a few twitches here and there should see your cicada lure get belted!

Soapy jewfish (small mulloway) have also been turning up in and around the canal area. The best method to target these is to use 100mm paddletails such as Squidgy Fish in the drop bear colour or Z-Man MinnowZ in Houdini.

The bass have been a bit hit-and-miss with the better size fish coming from the lower central sections of the river. Like the bream, they’re readily taking cicada imitations at the moment. A

This 92cm, 5.5kg flathead was caught in St Georges Basin by Peter Roth.

Offshore, things have really been heating up for the bluewater enthusiasts, which is great news after last year’s non-existent marlin season. We are now

The kingies have been a little shy, with patches of rats turning up at Currarong bommie with the odd decent size fish to keep you on your toes. Jigs and

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Gavin McCallum with a nice Shoalhaven River bass taken on the surface. long pause should see you with good results.

Even the estuary perch have been in plentiful supply, with the best EP I’ve seen this season measuring 47cm to the fork. This solid specimen was caught and released at the Grotto.

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starting to see a few blacks turn up, which have been captured off the banks and inside Jervis Bay. The guys fishing the stones are seeing quite a few every day with a couple of captures to kick things off. With any luck we should see a few fish tagged this summer.

livebait have been doing the work so far with the fish favouring the livies.

I recommend getting out there well before sunrise if you are hoping to get a few squid, as they have been very scarce of late.

On the inside reefs we’ve seen some nice reds

CaOtRcEh M

which have been taken baits plonked on the bottom on paternoster rigs. Focus your attention around Long Nose and Middle Ground, but keep an eye on your sounder to find the feeding fish.

Down in the Basin the boat traffic has eased up so the fish are really starting to turn it on. Make sure you wake up early to get the morning bite around the edges. Throwing mid diving lures in both minnow and Chubby-style profiles will see maximise your chances of success. Concentrate around the cockle beds in the 0.5m-1.5m depth to find the better fish. The Basin is a hot spot with families prawning on the dark the moon, so don’t be afraid to throw a bigger lure out there.

As always there have been a few nice flathead around, with regular captures of fish in the low 90cm class. These fish have been in both the shallows and out deep, but make sure you up your leaders and throw plastics in the 100mm size range. Keep to natural or dark colours for better success.

That’s it for this month.

Stay safe and tight lines, good times.

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Solid fish on the prowl NAROOMA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

Narooma and its surrounds have copped their fare share of boat traffic lately, but with quite a few visitors finishing their holiday it just may be the time to get out there and wet a line.

The estuaries have been a bit hit-and-miss of late, with Wagonga certainly fishing better than its northern cousin Tuross.

Anglers fishing the deeper water in Wagonga have been rewarded with legal snapper, bream, flathead and flounder. A mixture of bait and lures has accounted for the fish, with bream responding well to blades fished deep around the whitebait schools. You do lose the odd lure to tailor, but the trick is to fish it hard on the bottom with smaller hops of 1ft or so. Some of

main basin and Fosters Bay. Anglers fishing surface lures have done OK of late, especially on afternoon rising tides. We had a solid session there recently that netted us over 30 fish for the afternoon. That’s solid fishing but the key was wind. When we had it the fish went on the chew, and when it backed off so did the bite. That’s why the afternoons have been better when the northeasters get up; the wind provides plenty of ruffle and better fishing.

Up at Tuross the fishing has been hard. There’s still the odd flattie around with bream and whiting but you do have to work for them.

The river section has been the better area to fish, especially for lure casters. If you’re there at the right time you will do OK, but expect to put a lot of casts in to get results.

Bait fishos have fared better, with whiting all the go at the minute. I have seen good bags come in by local

made a welcome return with pilchards, surf poppers and metal lures getting results.

The salmon action had been very quiet with calm seas, but with more swell and whitewater it has really turned around. Fish to 3kg can be expected, though the average fish will be 1.5kg or so. Still good fun on the right tackle.

BOTTOM FISHING Outside anglers fishing for the table have had excellent results, with snapper, morwong, kingfish and sand flathead being caught in numbers. The bottom end of Montague has been the pick of the reefs, with Potato Point and Brou reefs also producing.

Those after the flathead can’t go wrong, with great captures right along the coast. Fishing in depths of 30-35m straight off Kianga and Dalmeny has seen most of the action.

At Montague Island the kingfish population has

My good friend Arnold with a solid flattie prior to release. the bream are nudging 1kg and better. They’re solid fish for around here and great sport on the light stuff.

The flatties have been a little quiet but I suspect this will pick up this month. Those anglers who have done well have been fishing lighter leaders, which seems to be making a real difference, although you have to expect to lose the odd better fish. Still, if you’re getting fish, losing the occasional one doesn’t hurt too much.

Over the last few weeks the Longmores from Junee have nailed a few 80-90cm duskies, but they had to work for them.

I’d expect mulloway encounters to increase too, now that there’s less boat traffic on the water.

Concentrate your efforts around the tailor schools, which are plentiful in the

anglers in the know. These fish are in shallow water but the freshest of bait is the key to success. Live squirtworms and bloodworms are the gun baits, and a few whiting have succumbed to live nippers as well.

BEACHES Over the last few weeks the beach action has certainly turned around; before that it was a little slow. With the water temperature increasing, whiting have really turned it on with some quality bags being caught. Fresh pipi and live beachworms have been the best baits.

Some good bream are mixed in with the whiting.

Beaches to try include Narooma main, Tilba and Brou. The southern end of Blackfellows beach (Tuross River entrance) has also produced some solid results.

Salmon and tailor have

woken up, with fish to 7kg succumbing to live baits and jigs. The better sized kings have been slow thus far, but with the water now warming up we can expect the action to be more consistent. The north and western side of the island are the places to fish, with some of the better kings in close on the northwest corner. Remember the Marine Park rules here with live bait. It’s an exclusion zone until the end of April so jigs are the go here.

BLUEWATER Out wider, game anglers have had good results when the weather has allowed.

The water temperature is hovering between 22-26 degrees; very warm and perfect for marlin. All 3 marlin species have been caught, though stripes from 70-100kg are the most common. Trolling skirted lures and switch baiting with

Young Jake had some great fishing at Tuross. He managed these whiting, plus bream and flathead all taken on surface walkers. He released everything he caught. live slimy mackerel have again been the best methods for the beakies.

The fish have been widespread along the shelf, though the Tuross canyons and Kink grounds have had some memorable days of late. There have been reports of yellowfin tuna but the fish are on the smaller side.

What has been interesting this season is the abundance of mahi mahi (dolphinfish). I know of several fish over the 20kg mark being caught and some monsters hooked while trolling for marlin. We don’t see too many of this species this far south, and it just goes to show how good the water is out wide.

ROCKS Off the stones the pelagic speedsters are keeping the rock fishing fraternity happy.

All platforms are producing, with the Golfie Rocks in town, Dalmeny headland and High Rock near Mystery Bay all worth a look. You can expect bonito, salmon, frigate mackerel and smaller kingfish. Chromed lures,

pilchards and live bait have all been working at times.

There’s definitely the chance at a northern bluefin

tuna as well, especially with the water quality and bait concentrations we have in close at the moment.

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Top lake turns it on MERIMBULA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

Despite the increased boat traffic that both the Merimbula and Pambula Lakes have copped over the last few weeks, it amazes me how both these systems still produce the goods. Some cracking fish have been caught this year.

Flathead are still abundant, with some solid models up to 90cm being caught. Anglers using soft plastics up to 100mm and live poddy mullet have fared best, though the odd fish has succumbed to blades, especially in Merimbula Lake. Fishing the shallower margins early

in the morning has been the go, with lighter leaders a must for consistent results.

You do lose the odd fish, but you will definitely get more bites on light leader than using heavier gear.

It’s not unusual to get bag limits inside a session, but thankfully these days more anglers are keeping only what they can eat and releasing the rest.

Bream and whiting have been abundant, with the channels fishing well on a rising tide. Using live nippers and squirtworms has been dynamite but with these softer baits you may need patience and persistence to get through the pickers. If re-baiting all the time isn’t for you, use fresh striped tuna cubes in conjunction with

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berley for good results on bream. Bream find it pretty hard to resist fresh stripy, particularly during low light periods.

If lure fishing is more your thing, surface walkers and poppers have been the go-to lures, especially in Pambula. You can expect bream, whiting and the occasional flathead when surface fishing, with a few of the whiting upwards of 44cm – solid fish in anyone’s books.

The better areas to concentrate on are spots that have a mixture of sand bottom with intermediate patches of weed covering it. These types of spots hold plenty of prawns, which in turn attract whiting and bream.

The top lake at Merimbula is fishing extremely well despite its size. Tailor numbers have been on the improve with the odd mulloway being caught as well. I know of several quality fish caught up there recently, with the best a cracking 16kg. This fish fell to a visiting angler fishing mid-range soft plastics aimed at flathead.

After a 30-minute fight he got a surprise when a gleaming jewie came up the side of the boat. This angler

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Bec Canham with her best flattie to date, a 73cm fish that she released.

You can expect bigger fish like this over the coming weeks. would be well and truly hooked now, as a mulloway of that size in any estuary is a great effort.

There have been a few bruiser bream around the racks but they have been a little gun-shy of late with all the boat traffic. That should now improve as we head further into February, with fewer boats on the water.

Use smaller hardbodies and poppers on a rising tide. The last 2 hours are the best.

BEACHES On the beaches it’s all systems go with bream, whiting, salmon, tailor and mulloway all chewing at times. With the warmer water the whiting action is full on. Fish to 45cm have been caught, with bag limits reached inside a few hours. Live beachworms and fresh pipi have been

getting your own bait but the end reward will make it worth it. Most beaches are holding fish but the better ones to try include Haycock, Merimbula main and North Tura.

OFFSHORE Offshore the marlin action is hot to trot, with multiple captures occurring daily. Both blacks and stripes have been caught, mainly by boat crews trolling lure spreads of pushers. The beaks are wide though; the 70-fathom line and further east has seen most of the action. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few fish get caught in closer over the coming weeks. The water is 23 degrees in close, loaded with bait and the current is pushing south – all the

have any trouble. Snapper, morwong and kingfish are plentiful on the reefs, with sand and tiger flathead in good numbers on the sand.

Fish in 30m straight off the Pambula River mouth for the sandies, and the gravel edges along the reefs in deeper water for the tigers.

ROCKS The rocks are still firing well for the pelagic species like salmon, tailor, striped tuna and kingfish. Short Point and Tura Head have seen most of the action, with anglers using live bait faring best on kings. I know some big fish around the 15kg mark have come from Tura Head of late, and a lot of luck needs to be on your side to land a fish like that. Casting smaller chromies up to 50g should also work, especially on the

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This solid bream was caught when fishing for flathead, a welcome by-catch that was released after the photo. the better baits, and a little berley used sparsely helps things along.

Some decent yellowfin bream are mixed in with the whiting, with fish to 1.2kg falling victim to the softer baits. It can be hard

ingredients needed for marlin fishing. There were a few marlin last season caught only a stone’s throw from shore, so let’s hope this season is the same.

Those anglers after a feed of bottom fish won’t

smaller pelagics.

The rock fishing will only get better as the weeks pass. February to May is prime time so if a decent fish off the stones is for you I’d be heading down there for a look.

Billfish on the bucket list BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsestuaryfishing@bigpond.com

If marlin fever has ever taken hold of you and you just ‘gotta’ have one, well this February is primed!

Now is the heart of the season, so let’s go get some.

Stripes, blues and blacks are all there following the many schools of baitfish.

Out over the shelf in the deep water of the canyons, blues are patrolling searching for large prey in the form of striped tuna, small yellowfin, albacore and mahi mahi. This is the time to troll lures, big ones at that. If you want a big blue think big! The more commotion you make out the back the more likely

amazing creatures. Often schooling in vast numbers, methods of targeting them will vary from live baits to lures and now the more exciting switch baiting.

This is where anglers will troll lures without

the rock has been good this season producing great sport.

They have been responding to most methods from jigs to bait fished in various ways.

Leaving the Island, try out from Tilba on The Step for sand flatties, these fish

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hooks, teasing the fish to the back of the boat where the lure is replaced with a pre-rigged bait resulting in an instant hook up.

Blacks are lurking around with the stripes and are varying in size.

They will respond to lures although live baits in the form of mackerel, frigates and small striped tuna will produce best.

If gamefish is not your scene, plenty of activity can

There is an influx of bream along the coast at present, which are easy to catch from the beaches and the estuaries. truly spectacular from the electric blues, subtle purples to golden bronze they are

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Flathead are abundant in the lakes and offshore. you are to attract a fish to your pattern.

Big blues will often turn up from nowhere to just scoff a lure, so time on the water and distance travelled is often a must. However don’t expect frantic action, if you want excitement maybe think about the small stripes concentrating on the Twelve Mile Reef.

The beauty of the stripes is just that, at close quarters the colours on these fish are

are plenty of prawns in Wallaga at present, which are of good size.

If you are anything like me then you would rather eat the bait. Prawning is good in the dark, starting the first week in Feb.

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be had fishing the reefs and around Montague Island.

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are in good numbers in depths around 40-50m.

South of Bermagui, most of the regular reefs are holding good stocks of morwong, snapper, perch while out from them large tiger flathead and gummy sharks are also gracing anglers bags.

If you don’t own a boat big enough or if offshore is not your scene, try the estuaries. There are plenty of them to choose from and you would need a couple of weeks to explore most of them.

Bream and flathead are most prolific although most other species are also common.

How you wish to target the estuaries is up to the individual. Fish are responding to wellpresented lures (hard and soft bodies), but fresh bait is producing best.

The hot spots are the Bermagui River for flathead, bream, trevally while around the bridge and break walls have good numbers of luderick. Wapengo Lake south is firing, while fresh live prawns are providing good angling in Wallaga Lake. Match the hatch and use what is on offer, there

Beaches and adjacent rock platforms are being visited by a host of species ranging from small pelagics like bonito, kingfish, tailor and frigate mackerel, mainly off the stones through, to salmon, tailor, large whiting, bream plus even a few mulloway.

South the beaches of Barragoot, Cuttaggee and Murrah have been producing most species, while up north at Camel Rock has seen the action with the mulloway.

The main headland at Bermi has had most of the land-based action just inside Horseshoe Bay around the old wharf providing plenty of entertainment. Mystery Bay and Goalen Head have produced their share of action with the odd good kingfish being captured, or lost, plus a few sightings of marlin patrolling the coast line, although no reports of any hook ups.

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49

The crowds have gone TATHRA

Darren Redman djsestuaryfishing@bigpond.com

The Christmas holiday period around Tathra is a good party time for all to enjoy, but if you’re after serious fishing in a quieter environment, now is the time to be here. Things go pretty quiet around here in February but the fishing is great. Whether you like going out to sea, bobbing around in an estuary or fishing from the shore, now is a perfect time to capitalize on the warm weather and water temps.

In the Bega River, all throughout, the system is

firing. The upper reaches towards and into the fresh are producing good bass as well as estuary perch. Some days it’s so good that just about every lure placed to a snag will get smashed, while on other days when the barometer is down, your only reward may be exercising that casting arm. That’s why it’s important to choose your day carefully when targeting these fish.

In the mid reaches through to the entrance of the river you’ll find that most estuary species are only too willing to feed. Lures will do the job on most species like flathead and bream although for best results fresh live mullet, nippers and prawns will attract the most attention.

Whether you are off the Wharf, rocks or in the estuaries, silver trevally are a regular catch.

Speaking of prawns, the river is holding good stocks for those who want to go chasing them. With the dark being in early February, go and enjoy.

Beaches around the area are also fishing well, with the highlight being whiting on beachworms adjacent to the Bega River. These fish are of a good size and there is plenty of them. Mixed in are some sizeable southern yellowfin bream and big sand mullet.

Salmon and tailor are prolific on most of the beaches in the area, and are being taken on strip baits, pilchards and lures either side of the high tide.

Tathra Wharf is well worth a visit now that the crowds have departed. A whole host of species are available, from pelagics in the form of tuna, kingfish and sharks to the lessor bonito, frigates, salmon and tailor. Live baits or lures will both perform for these speedsters.

Mackerel and trevally are playing havoc around the pylons, and there are sand flathead on the bottom plus luderick and garfish closer to the rocks. Lots of these species can be caught from the adjacent rock platforms, especially the gamefish. Live baiting is by far the best approach, drifting them out under a float or a

The Spencer family from Canberra regularly enjoy days on the coast catching a variety of fish. balloon. Time can be spent chasing groper, drummer, leatherjacket and wrasse while waiting for that big bite, or you can cast lures to passing schools of salmon.

Out to sea, warm water has provided the right conditions for both bottom fish and gamefish. Small tuna schools and baitfish have been attracting large predators like marlin, sharks and large tuna in very close to shore. Using live striped tuna has been accounting for some large hammerhead sharks plus the odd marlin, particularly blacks.

O UT L AW

For better results, go to lures to cover the water more effectively, and target a greater range of species. Blue marlin are more likely to be captured this way, hitting large skirted pushers with gusto.

Around the reef complexes the bottom fishing is also excellent, with a variety of species gracing anglers’ bags. Flathead are the most highly prized table fare here, with grounds both north and south producing tiger and sand flathead with the odd red gurnard thrown in.

North to Goalen Head, this

complex system is providing anglers with plenty of fun with nice snapper, morwong and some excellent kingfish. Be prepared here as gamefish like marlin will come close to shore.

And a visit to Tathra wouldn’t be complete without a day trip to Brogo Dam chasing Australian bass. Evenings are providing good surface action for both fly and lure anglers. Casting to snags or weed beds will also produce, or you could just lay back, soak a worm and enjoy the beauty of this picturesque waterway.

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Mulloway have a particularly keen sense of hearing.

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wind drift or an electric motor operating at low revs.

In fact, I’ve even been known to switch my depth sounders off for ‘silent running’ when hunting these fish.

I’m a great believer in stealth when fishing for any species in any environment.

I heartily dislike (and avoid) rattling anchor chains, booming doof-doof music, heavy-footed companions and even shouted conversations from boat to boat. While there may be plenty of exceptions to such rules of thumb, I believe that you’ll generally catch more and better fish by turning the volume down.

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obviously have extremely keen hearing. One such species that springs to mind as ticking all those boxes is the mulloway. And, as if to confirm the importance of sound in the mulloway’s world, these are also highly ‘vocal’ fish, capable of producing a distinctive drumming or croaking sound, no doubt as a form of school communication. It seems to be a lot more than coincidental that most of my more memorable mulloway luring sessions have occurred when there was very little boat traffic in the area and I approached as quietly as possible, using a fortuitous

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sound waves can also travel a lot further underwater than they can through the air.

But what about the old story that sound can’t travel from air into water, so you can scream your lungs out up above and the fish won’t hear a thing down below?

Well, remember when you were a kid swimming at the busy local pool, diving down to the bottom of the deep end and still being able to hear your mates shouting, yelling and skylarking above? The sound was garbled and subdued, for sure, but it still reached your brain, even via ears that had evolved purely for above water applications.

Certainly, when any wave reaches an interface between two media with different properties, it splits. Much of the wave is reflected back into the original medium by the interface, while the

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and the otoliths bends little hairs or ‘cilia’ on the wall of the fish’s inner ear. That movement is interpreted by the animal’s brain as sound.

Most fish also have lateral lines, used to detect vibration and water flow.

One source of vibration is obviously sound waves. It’s thought that fish’s lateral lines are mostly used to detect and analyse low frequency sound waves generated fairly close to the fish, typically within a few metres. This sense is particularly useful for maintaining a tight school formation, but probably also aids in detecting both prey and potential predators.

It’s also worth thinking about the way sound travels in water. For starters, did you know that sound travels more than four times faster in water than it does in air?

Under specific conditions,

CH

We can use sound to our advantage, too, and rattling, noise-making lures can be highly effective at times.

remainder is transmitted across the interface into the second medium. This is exactly what happens with sound waves at the air/water interface. Interestingly, the waves that make it into the water begin to travel much more readily, because of their increased speed.

So, what’s the bottom line? For me, the answer seems obvious: fish can definitely hear and react to sounds, whether they’re generated beneath or above the surface. Furthermore, fish with larger otoliths (ear bones), big gas bladders, linkages between the two and well-defined lateral lines

PE R RY

Over the past couple of issues we’ve looked closely at the critically important senses of sight and smell in fish, and examined how these senses impact upon our success (or otherwise) as anglers. Before leaving this fascinating area, it’s worth considering one more fishy sense: hearing.

Hearing is definitely a significant sense in the fish world although, like sight and smell, it’s importance varies between species and habitats. A quick look at the way fish detect and translate sound waves travelling through the water (in other words, how they ‘hear’) is helpful in understanding the importance of this sense.

Fish’s bodies have roughly the same density as water, so any sound waves moving through the water also tend to travel right through their bodies. It’s reasonable to assume that fish can therefore ‘feel’ at least some sounds, much as we actually ‘feel’ the thump coming from a big bank of amplifiers at a rock concert.

Fish with large swim bladders (gas sacs located near the gut cavity) are likely to be able to ‘feel’ sound much more readily than those without, as these hollow, low density organs will be momentarily compressed by the passing sound waves.

Even more importantly, fish also have an inner ear mechanism specifically designed to detect sound waves. There are small bones called ‘otoliths’ suspended in jelly within the inner ear of most fish, and these are considerably denser than either water or the rest of the fish’s body. As a result, these ear bones move more slowly in response to sound waves than the rest of the fish. The difference between the motion of the fish’s body

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51

Chasing rainbows CANBERRA

Bryan Pratt

Something is terribly wrong with the rainbow trout in the Snowy Mountains lakes – there aren’t any.

The first inkling of a problem came during the rainbow spawning run up the Eucumbene River in August-September 2013.

The river was full of rainbows, all seemingly in good health. Then there was a major flood and few fish were seen thereafter.

When the season opened in October the absence of rainbows in anglers’ catches was immediately noticeable.

The browns were there, and even though they were hard

to catch they did provide some satisfaction for the many hours that bait, fly and lure anglers put in.

Now, 3 months on, the rainbows have still failed to put in an appearance and anglers as well as fisheries biologists are becoming more concerned.

Various anecdotal theories have been put forward to explain the absence of the fish – wipe-out by floods, predation by cormorants, pathogens, change in diet whereby fish are concentrating in deeper water feeding on Daphnia, yabbies etc. Or simply not responding normally because of the adverse, changeable and erratic weather conditions we have experienced in the past few months.

I can find no validity for any of these suggestions, except perhaps for the erratic weather.

It’s interesting to note that there is plenty of food available for the fish. There have been massive insect hatches during the past few months but little sign of rainbows feeing on them.

So it’s a dilemma.

Normally at this time of the year you chuck in some Power Bait, Gulp, scrubworms or bardi grubs and you have a rainbow.

Troll a small minnow lure or cast a fly and you have another fish. But at the moment you can put in many hundreds of hours and you might be lucky enough to score some browns but not a rainbow.

NSW Fisheries are worried and are investigating, while anglers are scratching their heads for an answer.

We’ll keep you posted if

Golden perch are highly active in all regional waterways, including Canberra’s urban lakes and Burrinjuck Reservoir. taken on bait, spinnerbaits and deep divers and plenty of golden perch on bait and lure. The best of the cod have come from the Main Basin but the goldens have been more numerous up the Murrumbidgee Arm and the

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Yass River Arm. Shrimps, yabbies and scrub worms have been the top baits.

Blowering also has been fishing well, with news just to hand of a monster cod 140cm long and estimated about 70kg being captured.

Canberra angler Mick Maher also had great success at the Yamaha Cod Classic fished at Lake Mulwala, beating 2200 other anglers to win the trophy for the largest cod. It was 113cm long and took a brown Custom Craft lure made by our mates in Wagga.

Canberra’s local lakes also have fished well. There have been good numbers of cod and golden perch on bait and lure and even a couple on fly.

The big new sport, though, is fishing for cod at night with big, splashy surface lures. Everybody is having a crack at it, fishing up until 1am on some nights with lures such as the Halco Nightwalker, Koppers Live Target Field Mouse, Heddon Torpedo and Lucky 13, River2Sea Live

from Yerrabi Pondage went 87cm and there are larger ones yet to be landed.

This is a new sport that is definitely here to stay.

BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF CARP The other new sport is feeding carp to pelicans, vying to see how large a fish one of these biological control agents can get

down their throat. To date the record is 3.5kg, set in Yarralumla Bay in Lake Burley Griffin. The procedure is to wave a carp you caught – and banged with a baseball bat – in the air until a pelican sees it and comes over. You toss the bird the catch and after it carefully arranges the fish it picks up the carp head first, holds it in its bill for a moment, then throws it down the hatch. Too funny, and a good result all round.

CARP AND REDFIN ACTIVE Carp have all finished spawning and are active in all of our local waterways.

The coarse fishing brigade held their annual Canberra Classic in Burley Griffin and it was a great success. They fish with traditional rod and pole combinations and really are masters of their art – some of the best fine line fishermen in Australia.

The redfin also have finally put in an appearance.

They made a late start this year, presumably because of the odd weather but are now around in droves.

Despite their pest status they are good fun to catch, delightful to eat and even make good aquarium fish where regulations allow them to be kept in captivity.

Night fishing with lures for Murray cod is the big new sport in Canberra’s urban lakes. Nathan Walker landed this 85cm fish at 11pm on a pitch dark night.

Big results in small streams BATLOW

Wayne Dubois waynedubois@westnet.com.au

No matter what your target species is, the best fishing in February will be had at cooler times of the day – dawn, dusk and night. Avoiding the middle of the day in summer isn’t something that only humans do. Fish also

feel uncomfortable in the middle of very hot days and will seek deep water or hide on the shady side of any structure, making them very hard to entice.

REDFIN There is one exception to this, with redfin not feeling the effects of hot days as much as our natives or trout do. Redfin can still be caught all day long on hot days and are your best

With backdrops like this, catching a fish is just a bonus. Fly fishing in the smaller creeks and rivers is fantastic, with trout more than willing to stick their noses out for a well drifted ‘big’ dry fly.

target if you simply have to fish during the day. At this time of the year they can be found anywhere, from the surface all the way down to about 40ft, so it pays to have a good sounder. You’ll find it will make locating them that much easier.

The best techniques depend on the depth of the school, but if they’re holding deep and holding tight to the bottom I recommend jigging with ice jigs, blades or lipless crankbaits like Jackall Mask Vibes.

If the fish are in quite shallow water or holding mid-water, casting and retrieving or trolling with small lipless crankbaits and plastics will be your best bet.

MURRAY COD AND GOLDEN PERCH Your best chances of hooking into some of Blowering Dam’s resident natives will come after dark.

As I mentioned earlier, the temperature drops at night to a more comfortable zone and it seems to make the natives feel much more at ease. Add to this the fact that night is a form of cover for the fish, and you can see why it pays to concentrate

your efforts after dark.

When targeting Murray cod at Blowering Dam, trolling is by far the most popular technique, and the ever-reliable spinnerbaits have been the most consistent fish taker over the beginning of the season. There have been some nice fish caught trolling hardbodies as well but nowhere near as many as those caught with spinnerbaits. I suspect this is mainly due to the fact that most people use spinnerbaits there.

TROUT STREAMS The real drawcard in the area at the moment is the insanely good small stream trout fishing. I have fished several small creeks over the last couple of months and all but one of them have been fishing well. Reports from other creeks have also been very positive, with good numbers finally back again after a fairly slow opening to the season.

I’ve been having all of my luck on the fly of late, with plenty of trout willing to rise for a dry. It seems the bigger the fly the better thanks to the plentiful cicadas and grasshoppers around this year.

The small stream trout fishing in the greater Batlow area has been sensational this summer with beautifully marked fish like this about in good numbers. Both lure and fly fishing techniques have been working well.

Fish that haven’t been keen enough to stick their noses out for a dry have happily taken a weighted nymph suspended below the dry fly. My favourite nymphs are the red copper John gold bead nymphs, but natural blacks, browns and olives will also fool plenty of trout.

My other half has been doing quite a bit of trout fishing with me as well.

Her preferred technique is lure fishing and she has been accounting for her fair share of trout. The trout in the creeks that have been low and clear

have all responded well to small, naturally coloured hardbodies like Rapala CD3s, IMA Sukaris and Asari Matsutas.

The Tumut River has also fished well which is no surprise, as it is one of the most consistent trout fisheries in the country thanks to the super cold discharges from the bottom of Blowering Dam. The best techniques have been bait fishing with grubs or Powerbait, as the river has been super high all season so far and this makes it very difficult for lure and fly anglers.

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25 years guiding and counting JINDABYNE

Steve Williamson swtrout@airlan.com.au

Welcome to February and welcome to the 25th Anniversary of my business, Lake Jindabyne Trout Fishing Adventures. Those 25 years have seen a whole lot of trout being caught, and many a story I could tell you about the varied people I’ve guided. Some good anglers and not so good anglers, anglers willing to learn and a few who just wouldn’t listen!

Famous people, rich people, poor people, disabled people,

and a whole lot of really nice people – some of whom have become good friends.

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Parliament House in Canberra in 2001 and I even have a Lifetime achievement award for Services to Tourism.

I have been writing for NSW Fishing Monthly for many years, and it was a shame to see Tony Zann move on. Thanks Tony – we will all miss you.

I have also been working with [Fishing Monthly Editor] Stephen Booth since he started working in the industry with Freshwater Fishing magazine.

Stephen was just a boy at the time and I guess I am sounding a little old right now!

But life goes on for an old trout fishing ‘guru’ as they say, and hopefully you have all enjoyed my reports over the years. I always try to be as honest as possible with how the fishing has been, and what anglers can expect in the coming weeks and months.

As the now President of The Professional Fishing Instructors and Guides Association of Australia, I have many things that I would like to achieve before I retire.

First of all, I would like to see fishing guides licenced or regulated in some way.

I am sick to death of selfconfessed ‘experts’ claiming to be experienced guides.

These operators, with minimal experience in fishing and a lot less in business practices, often damage the guiding industry.

It’s time for Fisheries agencies to support accreditation and professional guiding, as is done with maritime and the charter boat industry.

I believe it’s also important that we support nationally recognised fishing courses that are within the guidelines of the Vocational Education and Training system. It is about time the recreational fishing industry realises that fishing is not just a recreational pastime, or even a sport – to thousands of us, it is a professional career.

As such, it is time that the government recognise that fact and introduce fishing in one form or another into schools.

So as I head into the 26th year of my career, I would like to talk further about what I think is a way forward for recreational fishing in Australia, and how we can improve our fishing opportunities.

Meanwhile, let’s look at the fishing for February.

THE MONTH AHEAD As reported last month, the river fishing season was very late this year and is only now about to peak. Due to the late season and cooler conditions the flyfishers are only now experiencing the best flyfishing for years. With lots of bugs about now, the trout are leaping for joy!

The water level on the streams is lower and clear, but river lure spinners are still doing OK with small spinners and small minnow lures.

Over the last month Lake Jindabyne’s water level dropped a tad, but it’s still high and fishing well.

It was also a late start to the boat fishing this season but the trollers are now doing OK early and late with surface lures and on lead core lines and downriggers in the middle of the day. We have seen some very big rainbow trout caught over recent weeks.

Overall it is the time to hit the mountains for a little trout fishing while the weather is warm and the fish are biting, so I hope to see you on the water soon.

Let’s now have a look at how to catch one in a little more detail.

The boat trolling this year has been very good and we are still catching trout on the surface because the water isn’t as warm as it has been in previous years. We have been using downriggers on the really hot and bright days, but the downrigger depth hasn’t been as deep as in previous years. Around 25-35ft is about perfect.

We should see this formula continue over the next month or so. Start off early in the day with surface lines, and the trick is to have at least 60m and even up to 100m of line out to get best results when trolling the edges of the shoreline.

After about an hour add a lead core line into the equation.

With lead lines you should start with 2 colours (20m) early and 3 colours (30m) later in the morning.

The Tasmanian Devil number 111 ‘Willy’s Special’ is still about the best Tasmanian Devil colour at the moment followed by the yellowing brown bomber. My new black/ gold Tasmanian Devil and the holographic have been the best for darker conditions and also have been good for downrigging.

I have also been doing well with 9cm Rapalas down off the downrigger and lead lines. The best colours are rainbow trout and brown trout. Gaden Trout Hatchery released the baby rainbow trout fingerlings into Jindabyne last month so all natural rainbow trout colours are working well.

With water levels still high, some of the better trolling areas this month will be Hatchery Bay and Hayshed Bay and

Mark France with a good brown on a Rapala.

Sid’s Bay through to Rushes Bay. Just be sure to watch the rocks as the East Jindabyne Islands start to reappear as the water levels drop.

The best lure spinning on the lake has been in the shallow bays early and late in the day, and you can start by spinning the edges with Celtas or flicking floating Spotted Dog Rapalas.

The best spinning late in the day is where there are steep drop-offs with plenty of rocks.

Bays like Creel, Hatchery and the Snowy Arm all fish well.

On brighter days, change to a Tassie and cast further out over drop-offs, letting the lure sink before you slowly retrieve.

The best areas have been down at the South Arm or near Banjo Patterson Park.

Fish are still being caught in the Thredbo River also on small Rapalas in the floating variety, with the best colours being rainbow trout and perch.

You can also try some Vibrax Glow spinners very early and late in the day or some soft plastics like the Strike Tiger in olive pepper.

On the smaller streams like the Moonbah or upper Snowy, a variety of lures will work, but the best will be small bladed spinners, like the Gillies Spina or Celtas in numbers 1 or 2. For deeper water, I recommend the Rapala CD5 Spotted Dog or Gillies Tailbender.

Bait fishing on lake Jindabyne has been good over recent months with the higher water levels. Mudeyes have been good used under a float or even worms under a float. Some anglers have been getting good results on the new Ecogear Bream Prawn 40 under a float. These look very much like a real mudeye.

Another bait worth suspending under a float is the old faithful grasshopper. It’s a bait you don’t often see used these days but it works a treat.

The newer artificial Dynamite bait is gaining favour, with the bloodworm and honey work flavours working well over the past month.

The best bait fishing areas are Creel Bay, Hatchery Bay and Curiosity Rocks. Another

great area is the bottom of Discovery Holiday Park near Widows Creek Inlet.

Some of the best lake flyfishing is during the coming months, and this year with the steady lake level we should see some big fish caught.

Try any of the streamer patterns such as Mrs Simpson and Williamson’s Snowy Mountains Gold Fish. Olive green nymphs and shrimp patterns are also worth a try.

The South Arm, Creel Bay and Kangaroo Bay are all great.

On the rivers, the Thredbo River has been spectacular.

The season has been late and we should continue to see some fantastic dry flyfishing again this month.

The Alpine streams are still at their best and plenty of small fish are being caught on dry fly. Fly selection is not too critical in these streams but placement is critical or else you’ll just scare all the fish.

Flies you must have are brown beetle patterns, Snowy Hopper, Stimulator, Royal Wulff and Parachute hoppers.

Maybe a brown and a black nymph if the fish are not rising and a white moth or white Wulff. You had better throw a midge pattern, brown mayfly and an Adams in as well to make certain you have most circumstances covered.

All in all, we are looking good for at least some great lake fishing over the coming months, so get your gear together and come and try some our fantastic trout fishing.

If you would like some personal guiding, I will be available over the coming months for flyfishing tuition and lake trolling trips. Lessons can be booked from 2 hours and trolling trips from 3 hours to a full day.

If you want to know more about the latest in fishing conditions, give me a call on 02 64 561551 or visit www.swtroutfishing. com.au. We also post daily updates on Facebook – just search for Steve Williamson’s Trout Fishing Adventures and like the page.

Until next month, hope you catch the big one.

Things that go bump in the night and bite LITHGOW/OBERON

Glen Stewart stewie72@bigpond.com

The month of February can be a hot one – surface water temperatures in the lower altitude native fish dams, such as Wyangala and Burrendong, are typically in the high 20s at this time. Higher altitude trout lakes, such as Oberon and Thompsons Creek Dam, will be a little cooler.

In a way, these extremes on the temperature scale can often make finding the fish a little easier. Trout naturally occur in northern hemisphere countries where colder water temperatures are more the norm, so finding these fish in our Aussie dams at this time of year is all about finding colder, oxygenated water.

For the most part that means going deep.

depth sounder on your boat will shorten your odds on finding fish tenfold. At this time of year you will quite often see on your sounder a definite separation of cold water and warm water, and this separation is called the thermocline. It shows up as a smudgy layer, sometimes 3-4m thick in mid-water on the sounder.

Below the thermocline is generally cold, de-oxygenated water that is nearly lifeless. Above the thermocline is warm to hot water that the trout find very uncomfortable to be in for long periods.

However, the thin layer of water in between can be full of life, with baitfish, water fleas, and other tasty morsels at this time of year.

More often than not these thermoclines are located in the main basins of dams where the deepest water is.

Catching these fish can sometimes prove very

Moon phase is something to take into consideration for cod fishing at night. This cod was caught with no moon. The fish were hot to trot but it was frustrating pulling lures from snags.

How deep?

That depends on a lot on local factors. A good quality

difficult. To fish these depths, some anglers use specialist equipment such

as downriggers, lead bombs, clips and so forth.

Deep jigging heavy spoons can also work a treat at times, along with slow rolling heavy lead head soft plastics, full sink fly lines and streamer flies. Most of these tactics work best in combination with a drift drogue and electric motor.

And don’t discount this layer of water for native fish or redfin either. The next cod or golden perch caught out in open water down on the thermocline won’t be the last. Wyangala and Burrendong have plenty of potential for this style of fishing, but I would be having a good look around in both these dams before dropping the downrigger bombs. Plotting a path on the GPS would be the go.

NOCTURNAL ACTIVITIES Night time fishing is not for everyone, but at this time of year it can prove very productive. The days of carrying around the Dolphin torch while you fish are long gone, now that we have good head lamps to free up our hands. Only take the essentials with you, always fish with a mate, and tell somebody where you are going and what time you will be back.

Cooler temperatures and low light levels encourage fish to feed more actively after dark at this time of year. Cod move away from their daytime snags to actively hunt for food, so fan your casts across shallow snaggy flats in the dams and big open pools in the rivers and creeks. You’ll find you can get quite a savage response.

It pays to do some scouting during daylight hours to check out the conditions, depths of water, structure locations weed bed edges and so forth. This way you will be a lot more familiar with your surroundings after dark.

The moon phase is

Low light levels and cooler temperatures can encourage trout to feed at shallower depths at this time of year. For the most part though I would be targeting deep fish on the thermocline. something to take into consideration as well. A full moon can sometimes see the cod holding on structure just like they would during the day. Generally I like the lead-up to the full because it gives you enough light to see what you are doing but the fish are still encouraged to move about a little. No moon can be sensational but it’s just so hard to pick out the bank and structure.

Night trolling for native fish, especially cod, is going gang busters at the moment. Word spreads pretty quickly about big fish captures these days, and Wyangala, Burrendong and Windamere have plenty of potential in this regard.

I have had some success at Wyangala but have yet to land a monster. This form of fishing does have a lot going for it, particularly the lack of water traffic (during the day out there it can be like being in a washing machine). Like any night time boating activity, check conditions, go prepared and do your scouting runs during the day.

Hope to see you on the water soon.

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55

The winds of change a lot less congested, making launching easier, especially at the dams.

The Hunter River has been fishing really well for bass right up to Aberdeen, with most catches coming from the low light periods using surface lures and live bait, specially crickets and shrimp. The Paterson River has also been accounting for some good numbers of bass, with surface lures up the higher end and spinnerbaits and lures down around the lower tidal reaches.

There are heaps of surface lures to choose from but I have my favourites – the Megabass Siglett and Smith Bisen. The locally made Marz is also

MAITLAND

Dave McLean djfmclean@bigpond.com

So far this year the weather hasn’t been as hot as last year, so the water temps have started to fall. However, this has actually improved the fishing, and also made it more comfortable.

The dams have been holding up well over summer and have fallen only slightly.

If they get the usual late season rainfall this could bring them back up.

With the holiday season now over, the boat traffic has lessened. The ramps are

Lowrance sounder shot shows bass holding in against cover where the wind was blowing.

very good.

The lower section of the Hunter, from Morpeth to the Terrace, has some really good areas to target, including rock walls, steep banks and sandy flats which are very productive as they hold prawns which the bass feed on. Be prepared to tangle with the odd bream and flathead as well.

The Williams River has had a lot of skiers over the break and will take a while to settle down, but as the month progresses the bass will be back. This system holds a lot of bass – not monsters, but it’s still very enjoyable fishery with its bankside cover and serenity. Trolling along the edges with 40mm lures and 3/8oz spinnerbaits a very good option, as well as casting Betts Spins or Jackall TN50s into the cover.

Baitfishers can’t go past using live prawns, shrimp or crickets on any of these lower river systems.

Lostock Dam has been pretty popular over the holidays. There have been some nice bass caught there, mainly on lures. The fishing should also be on the improve here as the water temp drops a bit and the dam gets a bit of influx of freshwater from up the tops.

Lake St Clair is still

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Chloe Moir from Scone with a beaut golden caught trolling up the back of Glenbawn Dam. holding plenty of water and the water temperature is just starting to drop a few degrees, which will make for better fishing. When it gets down around 24°C the bass definitely come onto a better bite.

This summer there haven’t been many good weed beds around the dam compared to a couple of years ago, and this also makes for some frustrating times trying to catch a few fish.

Still, there have been some reasonable numbers of fish caught with the baitfishers getting some catties off the banks and goldens around the deep timber. The bass have been coming from the edges on surface lures very early and late, and have also hit trolled lures in the deeper water, around 5-8m.

The bass have been moving around the dam recently, which can be very frustrating. One day you can catch them along the edges on cranks and spinnerbaits, and next day you find they have moved to deeper water and will only take a slow rolled plastic or blade fished right on the bottom.

I think the fish behaviour depends on the wind at this dam, as it has very little protection from the southerly that is common this month.

The fish are actively feeding on the firetail gudgeons now,

and the wind not only blows the schools of bait around the dam but it can also turn the column over which can make them go very deep.

A very good sounder

useful tool I use on my Lowrance is Insight Genisis Mapping as it can locate hidden gutters and different bottom compositions.

If I plan to do some

Matt Hodges from Scone with nice bass from Glenbawn taken during the holidays. can help to find the baitfish, especially if it has a feature like Structure Scan, which can cover virtually 180° of the water under your boat and save you a lot of time. Another

surface fishing after dark I like to sound out the spots earlier in the day, finding fish holding out deep (6-10m), and then there is a fair chance they will Continued page 57

“2 World Champions, 5 Australian Champions and 7 AFC Anglers can’t be wrong!”

e. steve@duffrods.com.au

No shortage of action TAMWORTH

Adam Mears adam.mears@hotmail.com

This is my first article for NSW Fishing Monthly, and I’d like to say thank you to Steve and the team for having me on board.

Michael Poulos of Cod Seeker Lures knows how exciting surface fishing is. With a fish like that, who wouldn’t be excited?

Being raised in Tamworth since I was 10 years old, I have focused most of my fishing trips around the Tamworth region hiking, casting and searching for the piscatorial treasures that call our inland waters home. I have a strong passion for targeting native fish, and I reckon fishing for Murray cod and golden perch is almost as good as it gets.

In recent times I have also taken to flyfishing for these fish, as well as for European carp and rainbow trout.

I hope you enjoy my articles as much as I enjoy writing them, and I hope to see you out on the water soon.

THE MONTH AHEAD With the summer heat bearing down on us, a long day’s fishing can really take it out of you. If chasing

Cameron Jones caught this Peel River cod on his recent trip to Tamworth on a Squidgy Fish.

From page 56

move up onto the edges after the sun goes down.

Along with the various surface lures I like to use, I have found that jerkbaits are very handy to fish amongst the weed patches at St Clair.

My two go-to ones are the Jackall Squirrel Soul Shad in ghost gill and HL gold/black.

The deeper banks and gullies up both the Fallbrook and Carrowbrook reaches, especially those that have had some wind on them, will fish well with both spinnerbaits and lipless cranks. This is also the case for Gindigah point and Reedy Cove if there has been a westerly blowing.

Around the Broadwater, Swanny Bay, Jeanie Miller Bay and Connell Inlet are good areas to troll. Work the deeper areas and fish the banks in low light periods.

During December the Singleton Fly Fishing Club with the assistance of the Fisheries dollar-for-dollar scheme did their annual stocking of bass fingerlings into the dam.

Lake Glenbawn has produced some reasonable catches of bass over past weeks along with the odd golden and silver that fell to a live cricket or grasshopper.

During my past 20 years of fishing this dam I have found that January and February can be the toughest months to catch a fish.

The dam has dropped a bit recently, which makes the fishing a bit tough – and with very little weed around the banks it’s not easy to find the fish. I recommend doing a lot of talking and sounding, using every resource possible.

Things are the same here as at St Clair. You can find and catch fish in an area today and come back the next day and find that they have moved. It can be very hard to work out a pattern of fish behaviour.

The bass this month tend to come from the deeper areas, rather than around the banks.

Usually the deeper bass come from areas in the 13-20m range and will take a slow rolled plastic on 1/4oz jighead, or a blade. These areas can be around sunken timber and close to steep rocky walls, such as Golden Point and Sunken Cabins at the bottom of the dam.

When jigging around this timber in that depth I like to use Downscan to actually see the fish in amongst the tree limbs. Before I start jigging I like to drop a lipless crankbait with no trebles as it appears to

get the fish a bit active.

Further up the dam around the Boot and Castle Rock, blades and plastics are a good choice in the drop-offs to deeper water whilst around the Dogleg I recommend trying deep plastics, especially early in the morning.

Up the back of the dam other deep jigging areas are along the face of Big Mountain in 20m amongst the sunken trees, and then out in the open river channel in about 13-15m casting and slow-rolling plastics and blades around the Panhandle up to the Eagles Nest.

This is also a good area to troll very deep lures and heavily weighted lipless ranks and spinnerbaits.

They will need to get down around 7m.

The baitfishing can also be pretty tough but if you have some live crickets, shrimp or yabbies and fish the timber you are in with a chance of a couple. Areas around Cemetery Point up along North Run are a good starting spot.

This is the last month of summer and so we will look forward to the cooler days and hopefully better fishing conditions in autumn.

The author with a beautifully coloured golden perch taken on a Jackall TN60 cast around the trees. natives is your thing, try fishing around the prime bite periods of dawn and dusk.

Not only will the fish be more active but you will also be a lot more comfortable.

Having said that, fishing during the day won’t necessarily be fruitless.

Fishing the shaded sides of willows has accounted for many good fish for me this summer.

DAMS Keepit Dam has been fishing really well over the last few months and I expect this to continue. There are good numbers of golden perch holding around the deeper rock walls and tree lines that are prominent around the dam. Shrimp has been the best of the baits, and many boats have been coming in with good results, often bagging out before sun up.

For those casting lures, it’s hard to go past a lipless crankbait. Jackalls and Mazzy Vibes have been accounting for some great fish when slow rolled or hopped.

Trolling is also a nice way to pass the day, and deep diving lures in the 4-6m diving range are the most

successful.

Chaffey Dam (closer to town on the Nundle side) has been producing hordes of silver perch for anglers using worms, and a few young guns have been into some great cod trolling the western foreshore of the dam.

One trend that’s catching on in this dam is chasing carp on fly. It is dam fun (excuse the pun) because they fight hard and will take you well into the backing on a #6 fly outfit. There’s certainly no shortage of them, so even if you’re just starting out you will get dozens of opportunities to present a shrimp fly or a Fuzzy Wuzzy to these brutes. If you have ever wanted to get into flyfishing, now is the time.

At Nundle there have also been some big rainbow trout in Sheba Dam for those who put in the time and effort. Lightly weighted baits of worms, shrimp or corn should produce a few good fish with bladed spinning lures being the pick for those walking the banks. A light outfit of 2-4kg will cover most fish that you’re likely to encounter, but don’t be surprised if a

trophy fish takes a liking to your offering.

RIVERS Fishing our alpine streams is a great way to cool off as you wade the shallows. The trout fishing is steady, with the streams to our north already showing some good fish holding in the deeper pools around Bendemeer and Armidale.

The flyfishers have been getting the better fish.

After the recent rains both the Peel and Namoi rivers have been fishing well, with good numbers of Murray cod and golden perch falling to a variety of techniques. On a recent trip we encountered many small cod in the 40-60cm bracket willing to smash surface lures as the sun dropped towards the horizon. There is something special about that surface strike that brings me back time and time again; I love the anticipation and suspense that’s suddenly broken by the savage strike of the Murray cod. If you haven’t tried it, summer is the prime time to cast surface lures. Once you crack the code it’s hard to focus on anything else!

DAM LEVELS

Dam

% Full

Blowering......................................... 79 Brogo................................................ 99 Burrendong...................................... 25 Burrinjuck........................................ 52 Carcoar............................................. 46 Chaffey............................................. 62 Clarrie Hall....................................... 97 Copeton............................................ 50 Dartmouth........................................ 95 Eucumbene...................................... 42 Glenbawn......................................... 94 Glenlyon........................................... 60

Dam

% Full

Glennies Creek................................. 93 Hume................................................ 68 Jindabyne........................................ 84 Keepit............................................... 33 Lostock............................................ 93 Oberon.............................................. 74 Pindari.............................................. 33 Split Rock......................................... 42 Tantangara....................................... 29 Toonumbar....................................... 95 Windamere....................................... 51 Wyangala......................................... 53

(All levels correct at time of going to press. Dam levels can change at any time, so please check with local authorities to ensure safe boating and fishing.)

FEBRUARY 2014

57

Defying predictions WAGGA WAGGA

Scott McAuliffe

Nobody had predicted seeing so many quality Murray cod coming out of our local rivers and dams.

Since mid-December we have experienced some of the best fishing in over a decade.

The Murrumbidgee has been fishing very well since the Murray cod season opened in the start of December. Although the hotter temperatures during the middle of the day have

with have been averaging 6-8 fish in an afternoon.

The majority of cod have fallen victim to spinnerbaits cast close to structure, and the best colours have been purple/red, red/black and purple/black Surface lures have also been performing during the last half hour before dark.

Cast these right in close to the back and pull them back out slowly through heavy structure. Aim to fish between 0.5 and 1.5m of water when fishing the surface.

February is usually a

Local gun angler Matt Fletcher with an average-sized Murray cod from the Murrumbidgee. Matt caught this fish by slow rolling a spinnerbait in the early afternoon. generally seen the fish go a little quiet, the evenings have been outstanding.

Most of the anglers I fish

very hot month, so the focus needs to be on early mornings and late evenings if you want to maximise your catch

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rates. The evening session is good for surface fishing, so once the sun has fully set I recommend you tie one on and persist with a slow rolling retrieve. Persistence is the key to success and believe me, when your lure gets smacked for the first time it’s as good as catching 5 sub-surface fish.

EUCUMBENE There is no doubt about it, February in the Snowy Mountains is hot! It’s one of the tougher months to fish the lake, but this doesn’t mean you won’t catch fish – it just means you need to pick your techniques and times well in order to maximise your chances.

Early mornings are good and it’s worth putting in a few hours either side of sunrise. Bait, lure and fly will all work at this time of the day, but choose your banks carefully. Shallower bays with deeper water close by are the ideal place to fish this month, as the deep water offers some respite for the fish as the water temperature rises.

The same locations are worth fishing in the evening as well, and I think the evening offers much more lucrative fishing. During the

MOAMA

Ian Page

The summer is well under way with some great weather, and our native fish are really firing.

After a slow beginning to the season, due mainly to fluctuating water levels and clarity, the lure fishers are now coming into their own.

I notice a lot of anglers tend to troll lures too far from their boats so if you are having little or no success try placing them about 15-20m away and let the lure get to

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morning as the day gets hotter the number of accessible fish drops considerably, but in the evening the water temperature is on the decline.

These cooler temperatures, combined with the decreasing amount of light, mean the fish continually come into the shallows from the deep water, rather than leaving. Don’t be afraid to fish well into the night; you will catch plenty of fish once

the sun has well and truly set.

Mudeye patterns are working very well for flyfishers, while the lure fishers should opt for a darker coloured lure.

Plastics are my favourite casting lure by a long way and I find it difficult to recommend any hardbody over a plastic, especially during these hotter months when it’s important to fish your lures slowly. While

they do have a place in casting for trout, hardbodies are best suited to trolling in these hotter months.

Bait fishers have had reasonable success on both live and artificial baits.

I recommend looking for similar banks that I mentioned above. Plenty of big browns are still being caught, with the majority falling to bardi grubs and scrubworms.

Natives are firing on lures

Grabine Lakeside State Park ly” th t “Come a nd relax wi

When the temperatures reach 30ºC or more it’s best to remove the fish from the water for the shortest possible time. Remember to give them a good swim before release to ensure their survival.

State Parks

its desired depth, which will mean it is bouncing on the bottom and over structures.

Hold your rod horizontal to the water and you will feel the lure hitting and hoping over logs.

A good lure retriever or poll is a worthwhile option in any angler’s armoury; it only has to save 2-3 lures and the retriever has paid for itself.

There is always a lot of discussion on which are the best coloured lures to use. I don’t think there is any correct answer, I always suggest to try different options and, especially if fishing with a friend, to start with two different lures and change them every 20-30 minutes into your session until you find what is working on the day.

Having said that, if the water is clear I always try my purple and yellow lures as they have always served me well.

Most importantly look at your sounder to know the depth of water you’re trolling to make sure the lures are getting to where the fish will be.

Don’t be afraid to troll big lures, such as Oargee 25+ or 15+ Custom Crafted Hammerheads, Predatorsor, the good old StumpJumpers or, if you’re more prone to casting lures, any of the

above or spinnerbaits. Cast over the same snag many times as cod will sometimes turn and attack a lure just to get it out of their territory.

For those of you who love to baitfish, I would try scrubworms, yabbies or bardi grubs and, if the shrimp are plentiful, put in a shimp net and gather a few. Be prepared to put 2-3 on your hook with a running sinker rig.

There have been some good reports flowing into the shop of catches 2-3km up from the east ramp in Echuca and 4km down from the 5 Mile ramp. Gunbower is still

patchy but on the right day is good, the mouth of the Goulburn and upstream for a few kilometres are all going well. The Campaspe around Rochester and Elmore are seeing some good redfin catches on lures and yabbies. So take advantage of these great conditions and get out and get amongst them.

• For the latest fishing and boating information in the Echuca/Moama region, drop into Boats and More’s Echuca store at 76 Northern Hwy or give them a call on (03) 5482 1992.

Deano from Bendigo caught this well conditioned cod on a spinnerbait near the 5 Mile at Echuca.

Preventing the spread of WATER WEEDS Can’t see the fish through the weeds?

Don’t let your favourite spot get like this.

Help prevent the spread of water weeds!

WHAT ARE WATER WEEDS? Water weeds are invasive plants that pose a threat to the economic, environmental and recreational value of our waterbodies.

HOW DO THEY AFFECT ME? Water weeds can form large floating mats, dense submerged thickets or extensive stands along the bank. They create poor water quality conditions affecting the diversity and abundance of fish and other aquatic life.

Heavy infestations restrict watercraft navigation, prevent access to fishing spots, foul fishing gear and make it difficult to land fish.

Water weeds can be spread by fishers and boaters. Propellers and anchors can cut plants into fragments and spread them within and between waterbodies. Fragments can spread from an infested waterbody to a weed-free waterbody by attaching to watercraft, trailers and fishing equipment. Some weeds can survive considerable time out of water and a single plant fragment can start a new infestation.

WHICH WEEDS ARE CONSIDERED A PROBLEM? Weeds such as alligator weed, salvinia, water hyacinth, water lettuce and

cabomba can have serious impacts on the health of water systems, as well as restrict access for recreation (e.g. boating and fishing). Recent outbreaks of water hyacinth on the Dumaresq river near Tenterfield and alligator weed on the Namoi and Peel rivers near Gunnedah and Tamworth raise serious concerns about the invasion of water weeds in the Murry/Darling river system.

HOW CAN I HELP? WHAT SHOULD I DO? You can help reduce the spread of water weeds and prevent new outbreaks by:

SALVINIA (Salvinia molesta): a floating water weed.

WATER LETTUCE (Pistia stratiotes): a floating water weed.

WATER HYACINTH (Eichhornia crassipes): a floating water weed.

CABOMBA (Cabomba caroliniana): a submerged water weed.

ALLIGATOR WEED (Alternanthera philoxeroides): an emergent water weed that can also grow on land.

• Inspecting and removing any plants from watercraft, trailers and all equipment before leaving a site or launching at a new site.

• Learning to recognise water weeds.

Be on the lookout for new or unusual water plants.

• Avoiding weed-infested waterbodies and stopping the engine in infested areas.

• Reporting suspicious infestations using the contact information at the bottom of this page.

Inspecting and removing water plants from watercraft, trailers and gear can help reduce the spread of water weeds.

Report to your local council weed officer or NSW DPI on 1800 680 244 or email weeds@dpi.nsw.gov.au Further information on water weeds can be found at ww.dpi.nsw.gov.au/weeds

Chase the Mulwala legends YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

With things starting to settle down and resemble some sort of normality after a hectic Christmas/New Year period, it’s time to get back in the boat and attack the home of the Murray cod, Lake Mulwala.

Traditionally, January through to May is your prime time to be chasing the Mulwala legends and there is no time better than the present.

For the beginners, mums/dads looking to put the kids onto a fish or those who haven’t got access to a boat, bait fishing from the

shore is your best bet. Areas on the NSW side of the lake that have good access and prove productive for the bait fishos include the Train Park, the foreshore around the Mulwala swimming pool and the park opposite Club Mulwala, directly at the end of the main traffic bridge.

On the Victorian side, the Yarrawonga foreshore, Hogan’s Road foreshore and the Yacht Club give great access.

Those with boat access have unlimited options and plenty of area to explore.

Bait anglers are best served seeking out some water with good depth and current flow.

Choice baits, according to Cod Classic catch cards, include bardi grubs, cheese,

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scrub worms or yabbies.

Lure fishing, where do I start? The choices and applications are endless.

Easiest bet, and surprisingly one of the most productive, is trolling the open water in front of the Yarrawonga/ Mulwala townships. Even though there is no visible structure (trees) above the water there is a plethora of timber below. Lures that troll to depths of 5-6m are your best option and will keep you from continually being snagged. Don’t discount casting this open water, as the cod in this area have not seen as many cast lures as those in other parts of the lake.

Those that like ‘active’ fishing casting any style of lure, whether it is a hardbody, spinnerbait or crankbait, have endless options. Important things to remember are lure presentation, as close as possible to the snag, current flow, lure choice and ‘slow’.

Keep things fairly simple and rewards will come for those who put in the time.

Looking back, early

60 Johnson Street, Forbes NSW P: Jamie 02

68511425

E: jamie@loomzysfishnfix.com.au

MILDURA

John Menhennett

River levels have fallen and are back in their banks. Flows are to a minimum and water clarity is good enough for catching good fish on lures. This year is gearing up to be a fantastic summer of fishing around Mildura, particularly for the iconic Murray cod in the mighty Murray River.

Some very nice yellowbelly have been caught all around Mildura during the warm conditions, especially around the

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Harry Snook was very happy with his 70cm Murray cod. help you chose your preferred water margins, sneaky creeks or just for basic navigation is priceless.

With the competition season upon us, there are a few events coming up over the next couple of months.

The first is the ever popular Lowrance Da$h 4 Cash, Feb 15-16. Following this is the His & Hers Partners Classic, March 1, a great day for understanding couples to share time together in the boat. To round out the comp

season is the Cod Nationals, five days of serious tournament fishing for the dedicated green fish angler.

If you are visiting town I urge you to call into Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski (Opposite the Post Office) in Mulwala and say G’Day. We are your largest Murray cod specific shop in Yarrawonga/ Mulwala and specialise in all things “Green”! For any information on the upcoming events or fishing reports give us a hoy on 0357 443133.

Hurry to the Murray River goobyfish@hotmail.com

YOUR ONE STOP INLAND SHOP!

December proved tough due to the unseasonal cold snap but as the weather warmed, so did the fishing action. Numerous cod were reported by happy customers but none happier than young gun 11yo Harry Snook from Gunnedah. Harry and his father David spent a few days here pre-Christmas and did very well landing numerous cod measuring well into the 70cm bracket.

Surface fishing is very popular this time of year and should not be discounted at any time, especially dawn or dusk. Doing some homework on wind direction and fishing areas will always find you with pockets of calm water to fish even when it is a tad windy.

After reading my own report over and over again, I can’t stress enough how handy the new Lake Mulwala mapping system from Charted Waters is, even if you think you know the lake like the back of your hand or are only new to the waterway. For the ability to

Merbein and Wentworth areas. These fish have mostly been caught on lures big and small, but bait fishos are having the best time with some cracking fish being caught upstream of Mildura on grubs and worms.

Trolling with smaller lures, intended for catching yellas, have been working well around the timber and clay banks, but quite a few anglers have reported catching large Murray cod on these small lures. There is no doubt, however, that bigger lures are one of the keys to catching big fish.

Biggest of the yellas of late has been around the 55cm mark, which is a great river fish. Others have been coming in at the usual 40-48cm range, typical of summer yellowbelly. A lot of yellowbelly have been full of eggs and catch and release should be practised where possible. The yellas have been hitting the large lures very hard, which is indicative of their aggressive behaviour at this time of year.

Quite a few Murray cod have been caught on grubs up stream of Mildura but lure casting and trolling for this species is a bit far and few between at the moment. Some fish have been up to 25lb caught on bait; others caught on 120mm trolled hardbodied lures have been between 15-20lb with the odd one

Jack Menhennett, 5 years old from Mildura, with a lovely river yellowbelly. Fish around this size are plentiful in the Murray River during the summer months. coming in at over 50lb.

Running a combination of 50lb braid and 50-60lb leader seems to be optimum for targeting big fish at this time of year. Lighter gear will also see you land the big one, but with so much cover in the river, like snags and rocks, to contend with, the chances of line breakage, probably with a nice fish on the end of it, are high, and no angler wants that.

Good-sized catfish are also being caught on bait around Mildura in multiple locations, even on large lures intended for Murray cod. Reports from local anglers indicate that this iconic species are still around in decent numbers.

The best smaller

lure lately has been the Koolabung 90mm Codbait. But larger lures have done most of the damage in catching and releasing large Murray cod. One lure that has dominated the cod season so far has been the Koolabung 120mm Codzilla in all colours.

The next month should see the continuation of one of the best Murray cod seasons ever, due to the old river getting back to normal; flows at a minimum and levels normalised.

This summer is set to be a cracker of a season, so get out there and wet a line, you may be surprised what puts a bend in your rod.

Wrangling the wrath of summer ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

The Murray River continues to fish well as we head into the full wrath of summer and its relentless heat.

Up until now Robinvale has good numbers of golden perch on bait and some sizable catfish. The later, a protected species, seems to have made a big comeback these past few seasons. Carp too are back in big numbers and there are no shortages of these bait-gorging pests to keep a bend in the rod while drowning bait.

On that note it seems a common habit for anglers to pile these fish on the bank and leave them to rot. Not the most pleasant of smells when you go to roll your swag and pitch camp, believe me. It would be far more practical to either bury your catch with a shovel or break their

necks and return them to the river for shrimp and yabbies to feed on.

Anglers fishing below

Golden perch too have been plentiful in this area with most sessions providing a feed for those inclined.

and head to the coast in pursuit of other desirable fish species. Midsummer temperatures are hard on

Dave Savage with a decent mulloway landed from the surf at Salt Creek.

We prefer to leave the cod alone when the temperature is high. the Euston Weir have reported Murray cod to 15kg on lures and bait.

Top: Jock Mackenzie with an average-sized cod taken locally in the Murray River on a Cod Dog lure. Bottom: Some good-sized golden perch have been landed on bait in most local sections of the Murray River.

There have also been good numbers of smaller perch in the mix, which is a good sign for seasons to come.

Water clarity is improving so the catch ratio on cod has swung towards lures over bait. Large shallow divers are working best in a range of colours from pink right through to purples and browns. The one that gets closest, the hungry fish, appears to be the best colour of the lot I believe.

Anglers fishing the Darling River with bait are catching good numbers of cod to 20kg. Grubs and large yabbies fished closed to the snags at first and last light are working best with several unstoppable greenfish rampaging their way back through the timber. That’s just a part of cod fishing and one of the things that makes these giant fish so special.

The Edward River at Moulamein has also fished very well since the opening with cod up to and over a metre caught on lures and grubs. Moulamein angler Bryden Whitfield has caught several nice fish on spinnerbaits and small hardbodied lures cast along the snags. Much of Brydens fishing is done walking the banks, so a boat is not a prerequisite for catching some nice cod along the Edward River.

In the Wakool River it’s a similar story with several cod landed on bait and lures around the Kyalite reserve area. Golden perch too have been hot to trot at this location, with shrimp and worm cocktails the most effective bait closely followed by scrub worms.

As the weather continues to heat up we will pack the cod gear away

both anglers and cod alike; over the years we’ve found that you are in with an even-money chance of losing a big cod to stress regardless of your best efforts when it’s hot. Not worth the risk in my books!

Snapper and mulloway from the beach is a whole different story, and one that I hope to unravel over the next month or so. Our first session from Salt Creek along the back of the Coorong this season provided some great action under much more temperate weather conditions. Until it starts to cool down I will leave the cod fishing to those who don’t mind getting fried.

Kenna Mackenzie with a solid silver perch she caught from the Murray River on worms.

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What’s new fishing Powered by

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STORM KNOCK’R MINNOW

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BUGSAWAY APPAREL

When you check out the new Storm Knock’R Minnow you’ll instantly notice the shiny external disks on its sides.

As well as providing added flash, these disks form the walls of the Knock’R Minnow’s through-body rattle chamber, which generates a loud, knockin’ sound.

A pronounced lateral line and realistic fins add to this lure, creating additional vibration in unison with the cadence of the rattle chamber, producing an orchestral underwater experience that makes fish home in.

‘Big’ is an understatement when trying to describe the paddle tail of the Knock’R Minnow. The kickin’ action produced from it, together with the natural strong body roll of the bait combine to create a soft lure that’s truly irresistible.

At 18cm long and weighing 67g, the Storm Knock’R Minnow is built for big gobs. It comes complete with a VMC single hook and belly treble for an increased hookup rate.

Price: approx. $17 www.rapala.com.au

ExOfficio has created a clothing line for men and women that will repel bugs without odour or irritation.

The boffins at ExOfficio have infused the line with Insect Shield technology, while the designers have maintained that classic ExOfficio style. By treating the garments with permethrin, ExOfficio has ensured that when you wear BugsAway clothes the mosquitos, ticks, ants, flies and midges will be sick at the sight of you!

Highlights of the range include the Halo Long-Sleeve Shirt, a button-up shirt crafted from lightweight, sun protective nylon.

It incorporates a ventilation system to keep you cool.

The Ziwa Convertible Pant zips off to become a stylish pair of shorts and has a partially elastic waist to keep your movements free and easy. They are also quick-dry and have deep cargo pockets, making them perfect for use in the bush.

Any item of ExOfficio clothing that bears the BugsAway seal will repel bugs for a whopping 70 washes.

Price: RRP $99.00 www.outdooragencies.com.au

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ZMAN – NUKED CHICKEN GLOW

After the initial release of ZMan’s Nuked Chicken Glow in the 5” and 7” Scented Jerk ShadZ, angler requests have flooded in for the colour to be added to other favourites in the range.

Nuked Chicken has proven very popular for those chasing everything from flathead and mulloway in the rivers and estuaries, to those targeting snapper and other reefies offshore, so it makes sense to add some new members to the Nuked Chicken Glow family.

Models that are now available in Nuked Chicken Glow include the 3” MinnowZ, 3.75” StreakZ, 4” StreakZ Curly TailZ and 4” DieZel MinnowZ, along with the 8” StreakZ XL for those chasing reefies and offshore speedsters.

Price: SRP $8.95 / 8” StreakZ XL $9.95 www.z-man.com.au

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SALTIST ROD RANGE

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IFINDFISH APP

The Saltist reel range has become one of Daiwa’s most popular saltwater offshore reels, and now you can complement them with Daiwa’s latest Saltist rod range.

Whether you are jigging for snapper on the reefs, popping for GTs, or casting from rocky headlands, the Saltist rod range has it covered.

Using the latest graphites and specialised composites, combined with advanced design and construction techniques, the Saltist rod range provides the optimum combination of strength, power, sensitivity and most importantly price. Built ultra-tough, these rods feature Fuji Hardloy guides, Fuji reel seats, gimbals on selected models, tough EVA grips, and a graphite butt weave for maximum power. The superior strength and increased lifting power allow you to tackle the denizens of the deep like never before.

There are 15 rods in the series, including standard overhead and spin models plus specialist jigging and poppering models. Line ratings range from PE 1-2 through to a beefy 24kg. More detailed information on each of the models is available on the Daiwa website.

Price: from RRP $169.95 www.daiwafishing.com.au

The iFindfish app has one goal in mind: to help you catch the fish you want to catch.

Developed by Adam Royter, iFindFish is a must have for anglers. It gives anglers ‘to the minute’ knowledge of where the fish are, what’s being caught, who’s catching them along with tips and tricks of how to put together a successful day.

One of the cool features is the Share feature, which lets you share catches with your friends and the world for bragging rights.

You can also use the Hot Spots feature to find the most popular fishing spots in your local area or around the country. You can opt to hide your catch location if you don’t want to share your secret spots. And the Logbook function allows you to keep a logbook history of all the fish you’ve caught with photos and details.

For the time, cost and effort of organizing your fishing trip, iFindFish will help you achieve a better result and improve your chances of catching the fish you want. It’s available now from the iTunes app store.

Price: Free for a limited time ifindfish.com

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BLACK MAGIC KL RANGE EXPANDS

Black Magic has increased the size options in their legendary KL hook range. The original range ran from a size 1/0 up to a size 8/0, but now there are four smaller sizes available.

The KL is of course a recurve circle hook and is designed to ‘self hook’ the fish, usually in the corner of the mouth. This makes it easier to de-hook fish, and is also better for fish intended for release.

The new sizes are 01, 02, 04 and 06 and are great for a number of Australian species like sand whiting, garfish, luderick and bream.

The new hooks are available in Black Magic’s economy-sized packets and, like the existing hook range, they are chemically sharpened and made in Japan from premium grade high carbon steel.

Price: RRP $11.95 www.blackmagictackle.com

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Please send contributions to: The Editor, Fishing Monthly Group PO BOX 3172 LOGANHOLME, QLD. 4129

What’s new fishing Powered by

7

The next generation of C-12 is here, bringing a whole new Samaki experience to your fingertips.

Now designed with a stealth-like X weave cosmetic finish, it features AAA grade cork grips for ultimate comfort, as well as a rubber cork butt inlaid with Samaki butt cap detail. It also boasts Fuji K SiC guides and Fuji reel seats.

This sleek design looks as crisp as each and every model’s action, designed specifically for Australian conditions using only premium 40 tonne Toray carbon fibre blanks. The C-12 Gen II range consists of 7’0” spin models and 6’0” and 6’4” baitcast models, from extra light to heavy, so there’s an action for every angler.

Price: RRP $299.95 www.samaki.com.au

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SAMAKI C-12 GEN 11

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ZEREK HOOKS AND JIGHEADS

Wilson Fishing has released a new Zerek range of weighted worm hook and jighead packs. These specially designed weighted hooks perfectly match the popular Zerek Live Shrimp and Zerek Live Cherabin Lures.

Anglers can choose from an assortment of weight styles and shapes on each pack of hook sizes. The same reliable super strong chemically-sharpened hook that comes with Zerek Lures are featured in the Zerek hook packs, giving you the option to fish many presentations and depths with the same Zerek lure body.

Zerek Live Shrimp lures come in 2”, 3.5” and 5” models, and the matching hooks are available in the following sizes: 1g and 3g weights for the 2” model; 2g, 4.5g and 7g for the 3.5” model; 4g, 8g and 11g weights for the 5” model.

The Zerek Live Cherabin is 4” long, and its hooks come with 3g, 7g and 9g weights.

More sizes will be coming out soon, so keep an eye out at your local tackle store.

Price: RRP from $8.50 www.wilsonfishing.com

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FISHING THE CAPE

There aren’t too many anglers out there who have not visited or are not planning to visit Cape York and with very good reason – the fishing is world class!

Two guys who are better known for the skills at catching big green fish in tough country have made the trek after years of planning and, as luck would have it, filmed the expedition to inspire others to take up the challenge.

Josh and Jamie’s Fishing The Cape is a travelogue DVD from Horn Island that showcases some of the most amazing fishing Cape York has to offer. Pristine and wild rivers, uncluttered beaches, seclusion and weather changes that only the Cape can muster. Through the vision you get to witness barramundi in all their headshaking, gill-flaring brilliance as they strike at lures, get hooked jump and cavort around all over the place and throw lures back at the anglers. Some compelling viewing that will certainly get the casting arm twitching.

With a running time of around 70 minutes, Fishing The Cape gives a realistic view of the awe-inspiring beauty and amazing fishing found in this remote part of Australia.

Price: $35 www.joshandjamiefishing.com.au

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NEW FROM JACKALL

Jackall has released 2 new lures onto the Australian market.

The Chubby Pencil 55 is 55mm long and weighs 3.1g, and has been designed by Jackall for bream, whiting and bass. As usual it has the perfection attitude of all Jackall products, and it walks from the first twitch of the rod. It’s available in 5 colours.

The Chubby Vibe 40 is 42mm long and weighs 4.8g. It’s a proven slow sinking, vibrating fish catcher already in fresh- and saltwater.

Both lures are available now from all good tackle stores.

Price: SRP $22 www.jackall.com.au

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WILSON UV HEADSCARVES

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DAIWA LATEO

Wilson Fishing has announced the release of the new Wilson and Venom headscarves.

Wilsons had the material tested by ARPANSA (Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency) to ensure their headscarves 100% complied with Australian Sun Safety Standards. The UPF Rating came in at 15+, providing Good Protection, which means that 93.3% of UV rays are blocked from reaching your skin.

The Wilson & Venom Multifunctional Headscarves are made from 100% Polyester microfiber. The seamless design makes them comfortable, and with the moisture wicking properties as well as the high sun and wind protection they are the perfect cool and comfortable outdoor wear.

One size fits most, and there are many versatile ways to wear them. There are currently 2 designs to choose from: Wilson blue and yellow camo (HSW) and black and red smear (HSV).

Price: RRP $15.95 www.wilsonfishing.com

Designed as the ultimate rocky shore and beach lure fishing rod series, the Lateo’s unique design delivers unparalleled casting performance.

Daiwa’s latest design innovation – X45 – delivers ultimate strength, power, and weightlessness, resulting in an ultra-slim blank that eliminates blank twist and massively increases torque, and blank recoil. The blank returns to its straight form quickly, delivering faster acceleration and longer, more responsive casting. By combining HVF (High Volume Fibre) carbon with X45 construction, Daiwa has created a powerful lightweight blank with more responsiveness and sensitivity than ever before.

The Lateo range features Fuji’s epochmaking guide system, and Alconite ‘K’ guides to dramatically reduce line wrap and improve line speed for faster, more accurate casting.

Lateo rods also feature customized oval reel seats for ultimate comfort and sensitivity, custom alloy componentry, and minimalist ultra-tough EVA grips to reduce weight for high speed casting acceleration.

There are 7 models, all 2-piece, ranging from the L 76MH (2.29m, medium heavy action, 10-30g cast weight, 5-9kg line rating) through to the L 110XH (3.35m, extra heavy action, 60-150g cast weight and 10-20kg line rating).

Price: RRP $349 www.daiwafishing.com.au

Please send contributions to: The Editor, Fishing Monthly Group PO BOX 3172 LOGANHOLME, QLD. 4129

What’s new fishing Powered by

13

GARY HOWARD EXTREME

Metal jiggers, trollers and live baiters alike will appreciate the Japanese carbon fibre blank, Alps stainless steel guides and a touch of class in the new Gary Howard Offshore Extreme jig/troll rods, designed by master rod builder Gary Howard.

When you first hold one of these rods you’ll find it hard to believe that something so light can be so strong and have such lifting power.

That’s thanks to the Japanese nano technology and a sophisticated blank design that results in incredible low-down power and a superb tip action.

There are 4 models, all 6’ and one-piece, with a 24kg and 37kg in both spin and overhead, the latter doubling as an excellent multi-purpose rod equally good at jigging metal, or trolling baits and lures. All 4 models make light work of live baiting and bottom fishing reefs and wrecks, too.

Durable high-quality EVA grips and a gimbal butt complete the design, which is attractive, robust and well-priced.

Price: from $129 garyhowardfishing.com.au

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GULP FLOATING SHRIMP

The Gulp Floating Shrimp has arrived!

Impregnated with micro balloons of air, Floating Gulp can be fished unweighted as a floating bait or lightly rigged for a slower sink rate. When fished on a heavier jighead floating Gulp has enough bouyancy to ‘stand up’ off the bottom, enticing fish to strike.

The Gulp 2” Shrimp is arguably the most popular tournament bream soft bait in Australia. The reason for this is simple: they work. Floating Gulp in the Shrimp shape has been designed to give seasoned anglers the edge! You can check out the full range of Gulps at berkley-fishing.com.au. To see the Floating Shrimp in action, visit www.youtube.com and type in ‘Gulp Floating Shrimp’, or scan the QR code hereabouts.

Price: RRP $9.95 www.berkley-fishing.com.au

15

OCEA SWITCH BAIT RODS

An approach originally developed to tease marlin, sailfish and the like into range for a saltwater fly rod shot, switch baiting is about the most exciting, visual, in-your-face gamefishing method ever developed. Smart anglers have been using it with conventional tackle of course, and last year Shimano released a series of technique-specific rods to cater for the special demands of switch and pitch.

This year, the Ocea Switch Bait series has been expanded to include 2 new rods in spin or overhead options for lighter 10-15kg line classes (or 20-40lb braid if you prefer). This makes them perfect for small blacks, sailfish, larger striped marlin if you want to have a crack, and any other species prepared to come up and monster a teaser.

No expense has been spared to make these rods absolute standouts; the fittings include Fuji K Series ‘Tangle Free’ guides with SiC inserts, marine-grade aluminium Alps reel seats with Delrin inserts, tubular graphite Slick Butts, and all based around an advanced TCurve TC4 blank designed by The Australian Rod Builder, Ian Miller.

Price: from approx. $425 www.shimanofish.com.au

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FIN-NOR BISCAYNE

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Fin-Nor Biscayne spin reels have been the benchmark for tough, affordable saltwater spin reels and now, more choice in large sizes adds another advantage. With the introduction of the FS100, the 7-size range has you covered for all saltwater fishing.

The FS100 is packed with all the great Biscayne features, including the strong aluminium body and side plate, matched with a computer balanced rotor and aluminium spool. This tough foundation is made even more durable with an electrostatic multi-layer corrosion protection.

The heavy-duty carbon fibre drag is considered a leader in this class, with a multistack of impressive oversized washers that dissipate intense heat and deliver smooth power for when big fish run hard. Other features include 4 stainless steel ball bearings, a heavyduty instant anti-reverse bearing, a tough metal handle and large rubberised grip for comfort and control.

The Biscayne FS100 holds 430 yards of 20lb mono and has a 4.9:1 gear ratio. The large line capacity, extra-strong build and powerful drag provide superior quality and performance at an affordable price.

Price: RRP $189 finnorfishing.com.au

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WILSON SLICK BACK

The Aussie-designed Slick Back Lures from Wilson Fishing have been created to target Australian native fish like cod, golden perch and bass.

These lures are available in multiple depths and sizes and come in an extensive range of colours, giving you a variety of options to suit any fishing conditions. Slick Backs feature super-strong, specifically-sized trebles, so these lures fish reliably straight out of the box. Other features include a stainless steel anchored tow point, durable polycarbonate bib, Laser Eyes and rattle. The unique scalloped belly allows the point of the trebles to be exposed at all times, providing a greater hook-up rate.

These lures are tank tested and tuned to ensure you get the best action. There are 3 models available: the Slick Back 50 (50mm with a 4m+ diving depth), Slick Back 80 (80mm with 6m diving depth) and Slick Back 100 (100mm with an 8m+ diving depth).

Price: from RRP $10.95 for the 50mm model www.wilsonfishing.com

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TIAGRA ULTRA LINE

Game fishers demand a lot from their lines, as do the fish they chase, so they’ll be extremely pleased with Shimano’s new Tiagra Ultra game fishing line.

A light blue in colour, Tiagra Ultra is easy to see above the water, but harder to see under the water. This makes it great for bait fishing when cubing for sharp-eyed albacore, yellowfin and bluefin tuna.

The line has low stretch, is IGFA rated and is available in 8, 10, 15, 24 and 37kg breaking strains on 1000m spools. It is also quite thin in comparison to other brands.

This means you can squeeze a bit more on a reel spool, and it’s also less affected by water pressure when a hot runner gets a lot of line out in a hurry.

Price: from approx. $45 www.shimanofish.com.au

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Please send contributions to: The Editor, Fishing Monthly Group PO BOX 3172 LOGANHOLME, QLD. 4129

What’s new fishing Powered by

FEATURE PRODUCT Improved FireLines from Berkley Smoother than ever, right out of the package and tougher too is what you can expect from the recently released FireLine Tournament Exceed from Berkley.

FireLine from Berkley has been a leader in the superline category for years. FireLine was always smooth and now it is even smoother.

FireLine was always tough and now it is even tougher. Just about every characteristic for the line is now improved.

New FireLine, thermally fused with Dyneema, performs best on spinning tackle with longer casts, up to 17% longer, and it is quieter through the guides due to the new smoother coating formula. The smooth finish is noticeable right out of the package and combined with the line’s thin diameter FireLine allows lures to dive deeper, getting the lure where the fish are.

The abrasion resistance is improved resulting in less fraying. It also has 3% greater strength retention after wear; standing up to rocks, timber and even mussels and oysters better. With FireLine anglers can cast farther in open water to reach those sensitive fish or present the lure into the thickest cover knowing the line will hold up. These are all great advantages for flats fishers and those chasing tough quarry in tight cover.

With the new FireLine anglers discover improved casting with more accuracy and smoother handling. The line also has better colour retention. The colour retention is vital in allowing the user to see those subtle bites that register as no more than a little ‘tick’ on the line. Seeing is believing in this case, and the more you can see, the more you’ll believe.

FireLine, with new packaging, is available in line sizes from 2lb (crystal colour) through 30lb test. Colours include the original crystal plus smoke and flame green, and the spool size is a very useable 125 yards.

FireLine Tournament Exceed, also with new packaging, is now available in line sizes from 2kg through 24kg.

Colours include the original crystal plus blaze orange and flame green. Spool sizes available include 135m, 300m, 600m and 1500m.

Price: Fireline from $24.95 Fireline Exceed from $29.95 www.berkley-fishing.com.au

FEATURE PRODUCT Rigrap – Fishing rig storage systems

I spend a lot of time preparing for a fishing trip to ensure that when I’m fishing, I spend the maximum amount of time with my bait or lure in the water.

Much of this preparation is ensuring that I have ample back up of any rigs I may need, to replace a set up after the big one has got away or if my casting accuracy wasn’t quite up to scratch. This prep work can become null and void when the rigs you have tied or purchased end up in a tangled mess on the bottom of your tackle box.

Rigrap tackle cases from Tacspo are a very simple and effective way to avoid this. Available in six sizes, you can store everything from your Sabiki bait rigs to you large offshore set ups knowing that the next time you go to use them, you will only be moments away from fishing.

The larger models also offer the ability to store multiple rigs separately in one box - great if you want to use different breaking strain lines or have different hook styles for the same type of fishing.

It is simply a matter of choosing the

correct size case for your rig, opening the case, winding the rig around the slotted spool (using the slots to hold any hooks, swivels in the centre of the spool), closing it and locking it in place using the locking clasp. Your rig is secure, can easily be identified and ready for use when required.

The benefits don’t stop there. They store easily in your tackle box, protect your rigs, can be stored in a tackle vest, protect your fingers from loose hooks, they float and most importantly your used rigs can be stored ready to be used again. The added benefit for the saltwater angler is that the cases have drainage holes allowing you to rinse and dry everything in the case, after you have been fishing.

If you want to remove the frustration of having to untangle your premade or purchased rigs, avoid finding those same rigs rusted or caught in every nook and cranny in your tackle box, I believe these cases are a great solution. – Peter Jung Price: from $7.95 www.rigrapoline.com

TESTED:

Bassman’s Yellaman Spinnerbaits – more than just goldens I have been fishing spinnerbaits a bit lately, something I wouldn’t normally do as I am really average at using them.

The spinnerbait of choice has been the Bassman Yellaman, a compact little spinnerbait designed for golden perch but which is certainly suitable for other species like bass, cod and saratoga.

The Yellaman comes in 2 weights (3/8oz and 1/2oz) and has been designed around the popular Carl’s Compact series from Bassman.

This means the Yellaman is a compact spinnerbait that doesn’t have a large profile like those spinnerbaits designed exclusively for cod. The blade configuration sees a gold mag-willow blade teamed up with a silver Colorado blade. This combination has been shown over the years to be very attractive to golden perch in other spinnerbaits, so it seemed sensible to incorporate this feature into a spinnerbait designed for goldens.

Colour-wise, designer Glen Casey has incorporated the requests of the best anglers into the range. The basic range sees 10 colours, from attractor colours through to more natural shades. To add spice, Bassman has also built in a pre-rigged stinger hook loaded up with a small paddle-tailed plastic that is colour matched to the head and skirt colours. Many anglers believe the trailer plastic is an important contributing factor to the success of a native fish spinnerbait. I’m not so convinced that a trailer is essential, but I don’t see it as a deterrent to fish either.

However, I do think that the stinger hook is essential, and wrapping that stinger hook in a plastic is a good way to hide the hook. I

have caught good fish with the plastic attached, but I have also had good success without it – after some angry Brisbane River bass ripped the plastic off one of my lures.

The first time I used these lures in the field was while chasing bass in the Brisbane River. I used a bright fire tiger pattern and a more subtle purple pattern over the course of the day. The fire tiger pattern was first up and it caught 3 bass fished off a threadline outfit. After this initial success I changed to the purple spinnerbait fished on a baitcasting outfit and landed a further 6 fish for the day. This was all river work, casting towards

snags and laydowns and using the current to my advantage.

I found the lures were easy to cast (fire tiger was 3/8oz and the purple was 1/2oz) and simple to fish. There was the odd foul-up on the cast where the spinnerbait spun on the cast, but with blades, skirts and trailers all making this a not so aerodynamic casting lure, you

would expect some fouling. In the water the lures swam true and handled a bit of pace before rolling over onto their sides.

I made most of my casts tight to structure, allowed the lure to sink a metre or so and then retrieved it slowly back to the kayak. The Yellaman spinnerbaits were perfect for this work. The blades bit easily and once they were spinning you could really slow the lure down and keep the blades ticking over.

While I didn’t get the chance to test the running depths (the Brissie River section we fished was generally shallow), all spinnerbaits can be fished at virtually any depth so the point

is probably a bit moot. Just let it sink a little longer if you need more depth or you can wind a little slower – easy!

The next trip out for the Yellaman was chasing saratoga at Borumba Dam. This was stillwater casting to structure where the idea was to keep the lure up high as saratoga generally feed close to the surface. Casting

to sticks and trees was great fun and the Yellaman walked over a lot of snags easily.

The first toga to smash the purple Yellaman took me totally by surprise, but I was one happy camper as the fish came from one of those casts where you say, “That has to get a bite!” And it did.

Needless to say I am pretty impressed by the Yellaman spinnerbaits from Bassman and I can hardly wait to actually chuck them at some golden perch – the intended quarry. Yellamans retail for around $15 and are widely available at all Bassman stockists. To find your nearest stockist log onto the Bassman website at www. bassmanspinnerbaits.com.au or look them up on Facebook. Trust me, if I can catch fish on them they have to be good because I am a very average spinnerbait fisher.

– Stephen Booth

Please send contributions to: The Editor, Fishing Monthly Group PO BOX 3172 LOGANHOLME, QLD. 4129

Keeping your cool FMG

Stephen Booth sbooth@fishingmonthly.com.au

Whether you’re on your annual pilgrimage or just heading out for the day, keeping things like drinks, food and your catch cold are important considerations. I have traditionally grabbed a bag of party ice and dumped it over my drinks in the cool box, then used the same box to keep the catch, but is this good enough?

There is a right way and a right type of ice for different situations, plus there is the modern version of plugging in a portable fridge/freezer

to consider. To find out what the best options and the best methods are for different situations we took the time to chat to Tony Mee from Ithaca Iceworks, a company that produces a variety of ice products for different purposes.

Let’s take a look at some common fishing, camping and boating situations and solve the icy issues.

KEEPING THE CATCH The first step to keeping your catch fresh is actually in the treatment of the fish on capture. To achieve the very best results for the table you have to ensure that the fish is killed quickly and humanely and then placed in an appropriate storage device

A fish bag that is filled with party ice is a bare minimum for keeping your catch in the best condition possible.

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that keeps the fish fresh and slows or halts the breakdown of the flesh and the flourishing of bacteria.

So what is the best way to despatch a fish?

There are two ways that are currently considered the ‘best’ ways to despatch fish.

The first is with a sharp knock to the brain with a priest or fish bat. This kills the fish’s brain instantly. The other way is with an Iki Jime spike, essentially a brain spike that again kills the fish instantly.

By killing the fish instantly you stop stress from building up in the fish and a general toughening of the flesh.

After the despatching of the fish, the flesh needs to be cooled, and quickly. The best option is an ice slurry as the water and ice mix completely wraps around the fish and cools it very quickly. However this is not always available so packing them in party ice comes a close second.

It’s also important, if you can’t chill the fish quickly, to remove internal organs as they quickly deteriorate and spoil the flesh. In fact any time you are legally allowed to remove the internals, do so at your earliest convenience as most of the problems start in this area.

• 36 x 375ml Cans

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CARRY HANDLES & SHOULDER STRAP

A tough and rugged tackle bag that can double as an insulated food and drink carrier is what the Kelso V bags bring to the table.

Made from insulated 0.6mm PVC with mesh, these top load bags include a waterproof zipper that keeps everything in the large compartment cool and dry regardless of the situation.

Able to take multiple tackle trays, these bags keep valuable and expensive lures safe from the hot sun just as well as they will keep your food and drinks cool and fresh for the entire day on the water when you are out in the Aussie sun.

A detachable shoulder strap, side mesh pockets, front pockets with elastic loops and Velcro straps on top are all features of these great bags.

The two bags have a capacity of 21L for the larger yellow bag and 12L for the smaller blue bag from PrecisionPak allowing you to choose the bag that is right for you.

Price: 12L $49.99, 21L $59.99 www.precision-pak.net

2 Techniice

Reusable Dry Ice Packs

For a dealer near you Phone: 07 5492 7777 sales@evakool.com www.evakool.com FEBRUARY 2014

days without some ice in a cool box and/or fish bag.

The simplest way to deal with a day trip is to prepare two cool boxes, or a cool box and a fish bag. Tony suggested that anglers should avoid cooling down food and drinks in a container used for keeping fish as the possibility of cross contamination is real. So let’s assume we are taking a cool box and a fish bag.

The best ice in this situation is party ice as it has a list of advantages that make it ideal. Firstly it will cool your drinks quickly as

V Storage

5 YEAR NO FUSS WARRANTY

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A quick summary: despatch humanely immediately, remove internal organs and chill as quickly as possible. Then all you need do is enjoy some of the best fish in the world that you have caught.

DAY TRIPPING Most day trips involve keeping drinks and food cool, while also requiring your catch to be cooled down to preserve its eating qualities.

Most go without ice, however adding it to your day’s list of things to remember will make everything just that little better.

I rarely go out fishing these

1 Kelso

• 12 x Wine Bottles or • 6 x 2Ltr Soft Drink or

A fridge/freezer is a great way to keep your food fresh and cold on a long trip.

Techniice Australia has just released their long awaited 2014 Re-Usable dry ice packs.

The new 2014 model features a new micro perforation technology that enables the product to hydrate faster and easier than ever before, and is powered by a new FDA approved polymer, which not only

you can literally wrap your drinks in party ice. Basically more ice surface is touching the drinks and therefore it cools quicker. Party ice is also great in the fish bag or bin as it creates the perfect ice slurry (a mix of saltwater and ice) or can be placed inside the gut cavity of kept fish and wrapped all around the fish to cool it quickly.

In summary, day-trippers should look to be using 2 storage devices (an esky or a smaller powered fridge for food) and party ice (keeping fish in the best condition) for ideal results.

outperforms previous polymers, but does it without any of the slippery residue normally associated with partially hydrated commercial ice packs.

The 2014 model Techniice Reusable Dry Ice Packs are still manufactured in Australia and live up to the company’s motto ‘Coldest Longest’ and are powered by the latest cross linked post treated, active P.A.P., food-grade, non-toxic polymer, and one of the few ice packs in the world to carry full F.D.A. approval. .

Price: 3 pack $24.95 www.techniice.com

3 Techniice

Signature Series Ice boxes

Developing the Signature Series has been one of the most ambitious projects the Techniice Company has undertaken since the company was established.

The plan was to celebrate the company’s 30th birthday with an ice box that can keep ice longer than any other production ice box in the world, size for size. After a 3 year research and development phase, Techniice presented their Techniice Signature Series icebox to the world.

Having recently won New Zealand and Australia’s leading consumer testing organisation’s No. 1 ice keeping award, it is now on its way to America where it has already caused a storm of excitement as it takes on America’s best.

The Techniice Signature Series is a genuine game changer which can outperform fibreglass iceboxes and have the robustness of poly ice boxes. The range includes sizes from 35 litres through to 125 litres and even the smallest has 7cm thick walls! They certainly live up to Techniice’s ‘Coldest Longest’ motto..

Price: 35L $159 www.techniice.com

WEEKEND CAMPING The traditional Aussie weekend camping trip is a great institution and a great way to get away from the hustle and bustle of every day life. Being that these trips generally take in 2 nights and 2 full days, the need to keep things cold becomes even more important than on a day trip. Depending on the size of the crew, food requirements are magnified and keeping steak, chicken, pork, ham and other meats cold is essential.

The same applies for products like milk, butter/margarine, yogurt and other perishables.

All of these products do not take long to spoil and no one wants to get seriously ill from eating dodgy food.

Then you add to the above the need to keep caught fish cool until you can get them home and the ice requirements take on a very important part of any trip planning. Again this leads to 2 storage devices.

There are two effective ways to keep things cool over a weekend. The first is to use block ice and layer the bottom of the cool bin with it, then place party ice on top of that.

The party ice allows things to be cooled quickly, while the block ice keeps things cool for longer. Both storage devices would do well with this style of set up.

For a more effective method it is suggested that you use dry ice on the bottom of the esky, then party ice still in

Party ice is perfect for making an ice slurry – the ideal method of keeping your catch in tip top condition on a day trip.

its bag and layer your cool box as per the diagram hereabout.

This method will allow you to keep everything, including the party ice, pretty well solid until it’s time to go home. The beauty of this system is that a 5kg dry ice block will last for around 48 hours, and the excess party ice can be transferred over to your fish bag if you’re lucky enough to catch a fish or two to take home – brilliant system!

WEEK LONG FISHING TOUR In Australia, especially in our northern or inland regions, a week-long trip presents all sorts of perishable food problems.

While a weekend trip will need careful planning, a week-long trip is 3-4 times longer and requires at least double the thought and planning to pull it off successfully. Sure we can all eat out of cans and use powdered milk, but seriously, who really wants to unless you have to?

Luckily there are strategies to maintain a cool food supply and even store fish properly.

At the heart of the system is the use of dry ice. Dry ice in 10kg blocks will last around 4 days in a modern cool box. If your main cool box is packed with dry ice on the bottom, then frozen foods (in their own airtight containers), then party ice, then drinks and perishables, you will find your cool box maintains itself for a long time.

As the dry ice evaporates

off, the party ice (which was kept frozen by the -78ºC dry ice) takes over the cooling job. Another option is to take several cool boxes for food and a further cool box for fish to take home. The preparation of the two food cool boxes will allow for a camp of 5 days to operate without fear of food spoiling and still allow you to take home a fish or two for a feed as the party ice can be used in the fish box when needed.

FRIDGE/FREEZERS These days many anglers make use of portable fridges that have an ability to also act as a freezer. Clearly this is one of the best ways to deal with keeping food, drinks and your catch cold, but they do have limitations.

I am a big fan of a portable fridge for keeping food cool when and if I have the space. By this I mean most of these units are reasonably large (especially if you are talking a week-long sojourn) and you will need some way to power them. I have tried several different forms of power supply and all work; it’s simply a matter of how much hardware you want to take away.

Car-based camping is ideal for a portable fridge. You can plug it into the car and it can all be as simple as that (assuming your car’s battery set up is capable of course).

A powered fridge/freezer is a wonderful option for car-based camping. This 80L Engel was ideal for a week long trip along the Murray, ably powered by solar panels keeping the charge in the 120aH battery I was using for power.

Other options include gas powered fridges, offsite power from batteries and generators and the growing trend to keep everything running with the aid of solar power, either by direct feed (a little unreliable!) or by keeping the power feed batteries charged.

The advantages of a fridge/freezer are obvious.

No water, no mess and everything kept at the perfect temperature. The disadvantages include space, hardware and convenience.

From day trips, through to weekenders and to the yearly week away with mates or the family, a portable fridge is a fantastic option and one that may just be the best option for you. It is my preferred

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1

option when I can mange the logistics of it as it’s just like being at home.

GET COOL Hopefully the above information will help you to choose the right cooling options for your needs and ensure your food and fish are kept in the best possible condition, regardless of your trip details. Good luck keeping your cool over Easter.

• This article was written with the help of Tony Mee from Ithaca Iceworks. Thanks again to the team at Ithaca Iceworks for their help with some information. Contact them on 07 3348 7855 or visit their store at 121 Gosport St, Hemmant for all your ice needs.

BUDDY 1K 17DD

This is a dual function icebox/drink dispenser TALL ENOUGH TO STAND WINE BOTTLES AND 2 LTR BOTTLES UPRIGHT

2

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5 YEAR NO FUSS WARRANTY For a dealer near you Phone: 07 5492 7777 sales@evakool.com www.evakool.com FEBRUARY 2014

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4 IceKool

Buddy

by Evakool

The new IceKool Buddy is a drink dispenser, icebox, wine cooler, lunch box and seat in one. It has a 17L capacity and can hold ice for 3-4 days.

This multi-use drink dispenser/icebox is made of tough, fully insulated polyethylene which is UV resistant and won’t rust or corrode.

The Buddy is lightweight at only 3.7kg, and it’s easy to carry with handles and a shoulder strap. It has a user-friendly tap and an easy to pack square shape. It’s tall enough to stand wine or 2L soft drink bottles.

The standard colour is blue, but other colours are available on request (minimum order quantities apply for other colours).

The external dimensions are 410mm (H), 275mm (L) and 380mm (W), and it comes with a 5-year warranty for peace of mind.

Price: RRP $99 www.evakool.com

5

Techniice Cooler bags

Another product from Techniice are these Techniicece soft cooler bags.

Anyone who has used regular cooler bags would know they generally have very thin walls and thin lids and are not all that great at keeping things cold. This new cooler bag from Techniice has addressed all that and actually has a very thick lid, and very thick walls, which are far more durable enabling them to keep ice much longer than regular cooler bags.

They also have a pocket on the inside of the lid so you can cut up one of the Techniice

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FEBRUARY 2014

Reusable Dry icepacks to keep your food and drinks colder. Techniice cooler bags come with an adjustable carry strap and carry handle. On the bottom, they have a protective base and rubber feet. It’s a great cooler bag if someone wants to get a cooler bag that actually works.

Price: 5L $15 www.techniice.com

4

6 Techniice

Portable Fridge Freezers

The Techniice portable car fridge freezers are built with an Italian designed Domus compressor, engineered for high efficiency.

These car fridge freezers are covered by a 2 Year warranty with a nationalised service network. Available in three sizes, 30L, 45L and 60L these fridge/freezers are fully insulated with high density PU insulation, in addition to which you will get a an insulated cover. The fridge/ freezers are able to run off 12v or 24v for use in cars, trucks and 4WDs as well as for boating requirements. In addition to this, you also get a 240v mains power adaptor. This is great for when you have reached your destination and would like to keep everything in your fridge cold or frozen without running the vehicle battery down.

A feature of our fridges are their power management facilities. The start-up of the fridge is withheld by 3 minutes preventing surges and overloads. Once up and running, the 3-stage battery protection assures you your vehicle battery won’t run dry. Standout features such as tamperproof controls and full digital memory function add to the value on offer.

Price: 30L $449 www.techniice.com

5 6

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6 Locking clips on edges for secure tie down

2013 Yamaha Cod Classic YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

Hiccup free, the 2013 Yamaha Cod Classic has blown past without a drama, but I suppose that comes with 14 years of practise!

Action started first thing Friday morning as a full book of exhibitors set up in readiness for the fishing and outdoors expo that is now a standard feature of the Cod Classic. Gates opened at 2pm with a constant stream of eager fishos passing through for the afternoon.

Friday evening saw Rod McKenzie, Gus Storer and Dr. Paul Hardy Smith conduct Cod Talk, an informative interactive talk session based around anything that has to do with cod fishing from catch and release through to lure selection and casting tips. After a comprehensive event briefing, the drawing of the first boating package for all competitors who had registered up until 8.30pm took place. Brian Courtney of Lancefield was the lucky winner and thought this was just reward for many years of participation.

At the close of registrations Saturday morning, 2,653 keen anglers (2,210 adults, 443 juniors) had nominated. Perfect conditions with only a hint of a slight breeze saw everybody take to the water in search of the mighty Murray cod. None were more highly prized than Brian, a specially tagged cod who carried an added bonus of $20,000 if anybody managed to catch him.

With the previous few days’ cold snap (the coldest December day for 8 years), all fish proved to have a case of lockjaw and were being presented at a much slower rate to measuring stations than past events.

One person who didn’t have trouble finding a cod was Michael Maher. Michael’s trolled Custom Crafted lure

was gobbled up by a 113cm monster to see him leading at the completion of fishing Saturday. Junior angler Brock Pierce was another very lucky boy when a 108cm green beast took a liking to his well-presented scrubworm.

Surprisingly carp numbers were down after last year’s explosion within the region.

Saturday night saw approximately 5,000 people converge on the Mulwala football ground for the night’s activities. Flathead Fred kept the children entertained for an hour with his energyfilled Kids’ Fun Fishing Show. Following this, lucky door prizes were given out.

Amazingly only 150 adults missed out on a lucky door prize thanks to our many great sponsors. All major lucky door prizes were then drawn followed by giving away another three boating packages. To close out the evening many encouraging hecklers stayed around to witness the final round of the Australian Invitation Pro Casting Championships.

Young casting gun Kaleb Oxley claimed his first title and is sure to give it a fair shake for many years to come.

Sunday morning saw slightly less excitement amongst anglers who had done it hard the previous day.

Many changed tact fishing different sections of the lake or river to what they had fished the previous day to try something different. Not a lot of headway was made at the top of the leader’s board but numerous other great fish were presented making things interesting for the minor placings.

Presentations for all fishing categories got under way Sunday with another large crowd in attendance: The juniors got onto some nice fish with Brock Pierce’s beauty measuring 108cm taking the chocolates. Tom Webster claimed the coveted title of Swagman Lures Overall Junior Champion for the second time. His two

impressive cod that measured 80cm and 84cm would be the envy of most anglers.

Tom had an amazingly successful weekend winning the Swagman Lures Overall Junior Champion title, finishing in third place with junior longest cod, second place in the junior casting section and to top it off, won the open section Charlie Carp boat for anybody who managed to catch a carp.

Unbelievable!

In the adult’s section, Michael Maher’s 113cm beast never looked like being passed and allowed him to take home the Mulwala Football Netball Club Champion Angler title. Two great specimens measuring 94 and 91cm filled the second and third placings. All in all, 204 legal size Murray cod, 151 golden perch and 1,700 carp were presented for measuring.

Thanks to BLA, the Old Town Canoes and Kayaks Australian Canoe & Kayak Cod Fishing Championships entered its third year with 50+ yakkers taking to the water via paddle or pedal. Darren Fletcher was the lucky man to hook a 76cm cod and the title of 2013 Australian Canoe & Kayak Cod Fishing Champion.

To round out the weekend, the 9th Cod Classic Golf Championships took place. Rules such as if you do not hit it you don’t count it, if you can retrieve it within 10 seconds from the tee you can have it again, you could choose to have 1 kick and 1 throw somewhere within your round and all sledging is fair while having your shot, made for an interesting and very funny morning. Flash Burgess finished with the best score but official rules state that you can’t win in your first year of participation. This left a very proud Darren Ryan the victor and deserves his name on the trophy with other previous legendary winners!

Upon registration, all juniors received a Wilson Slickback Lure, Bassman

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Spinnerbait, and a chance of another lucky dip prize.

Throw in a dozen specially autographed lures and many fishing section prizes, the kids went away with some great rewards. For the adults, 2050 competitors received a minor lucky door prize. On top of this there were 110 major lucky door and fishing section prizes to add to the awesome prize pool package.

Announcements were made in regards to the 2014 15th Anniversary Cod Classic. For the first time, the Cod Classic prize pool will include a vehicle, your choice of either a Ford Ranger 4x4 Ute or Ford XR6 Ute. Stay tuned and look forward to our biggest event ever in 2014.

What the Cod Classic is all about – hooking up to a mighty Murray cod.

STATS, FACTS AND FIGURES Competitors:................................................. 2210 Adult 443 Junior Total:............................................................. 2653 Boat Winners Friday Entrants:............................................ Brian Courtney, Lancefield Early Entry:................................................... Peter Plytus, Newport Cod catch and release:................................ Bradley Sharman, Harden Carp Boat:.................................................... Tom Webster, Benalla Fish Numbers Murray cod:.................................................. 203 Murray Cod Golden perch:............................................... 151 Golden Perch European carp:............................................. 1,700 approx. European Carp Total:............................................................. 2054 Longest Cod Adult:...................................... Michael Maher, 113cm Longest Cod Junior:..................................... Brock Pierce, 108cm Junior Overall Champion Angler:.................. Tom Webster, 80 + 84cm Lady Champion Angler:................................ Ann Przybysz, 69cm Longest Golden Perch Adult:....................... Shane Davies, 59cm Longest Golden Perch Junior:...................... Alex Hawke, 51cm Longest Carp (Open Section):...................... Michael Makoshev, 84cm Cod Stats Most Productive Methods Bait:............................................... 90 Lures:............................................. 46 Unidentified Bait or Lure and Non Sponsors:...................................... 68

Golden Perch Stats Most Productive Methods Bait:............................................... 61 Lures:............................................. 14 Unidentified Bait or Lure and Non Sponsors:...................................... 76

Baits Used Bardi grub:..................................... 47 Cheese:......................................... 24 Yabby:.............................................. 7 Worm:.............................................. 6 Shrimp:............................................ 4 Bread:.............................................. 1 Chicken Chips:................................ 1

Baits Used Worm:............................................ 47 Shrimp:...........................................11 Bardi grub:....................................... 2 Yabby:.............................................. 1

Lures Used Bassman Spinnerbaits:................. 10 AC Lures:......................................... 8 Jackall Lures:................................... 4 Goulburn Codger:............................ 3 Custom Crafted Lures:.................... 3 Predatek Lures:.............................. 3 Predator Lures:................................ 3 Paul Nicel Lures:............................. 2 Gangster Lures:............................... 2 Lake Mulwala:.................................. 2 Bait ‘em:.......................................... 1 Balista:............................................. 1 Koolabung:...................................... 1 Mud Guts:........................................ 1 Native:............................................. 1 Trik Fish:.......................................... 1 Size of cod 60-65cm:....................................... 82 66-69cm:....................................... 82 70-79cm:....................................... 23 80-89cm:........................................11 90-99cm:......................................... 4 1m+:.................... 2 (108 and 113 cm)

Lures Used Bassman:......................................... 5 AC Lures:......................................... 2 Jackall Lures:................................... 2 Predator Lures:................................ 2 Goulburn Codger:............................ 1 Halco:.............................................. 1 Swagman:........................................ 1 European Carp Approximately 2,000kg of carp removed and taken to Charlie Carp for processing.

Best Represented Club: Cobar Fishing Club - 24 members.

Raffle: David McManus, Gembrook Adult Lucky Door: Daniel Hartwell, Crookwell Junior Lucky Door: Jake Stoeckel, Renmark

Victorians dominate Tallowa kayak event The first round of the Hobie Kayak BASS Series was held at Tallowa Dam, nestled among the undulating hills in Kangaroo Valley approximately 30 minutes

a clip-on spinner rigged with a Z-Man GrubZ. Fung continued to fish edges till 11am before moving to deeper water and upsizing his lures.

What Boss Hogs eat. west of the small village.

This event saw the 2014 Daiwa Hobie Kayak

Using a OSP spinnerbait he continued to catch fish, improving his bag as he

BOSS HOG TACKLE Rod: Shimano Rack Raider Reel: Shimano Symetre Line: Berkley Fireline Exceed 8lb Leader: Berkley Vanish 8lb Lure: H&P 3/8oz spinnerbait Fishing season off to a great start with the biggest number of competitors to attend a Kayak BASS event so far.

FUNG FIRST The event winner, Victorian Chesney Fung, took advantage of the early start and pedalled for a full hour to reach his spot. Fung was able to catch his bag on edges within the hour using

WINNING TACKLE Rod: Self made 6’6” Reel: Daiwa Sol Line: Berkley Fireline 8lb went. Overall, Fung said he landed about 15 fish with 5 of those being legal.

Amazingly, this was only the fifth time Fung had chased bass since he started targeting the species only 1 month ago, at a Victorian dam stocked by Fisheries and local angling groups.

At the prize presentation, Fung expressed his gratitude to his Victorian friends for encouraging him to attend the event, even though he had just started fishing for bass.

Like many other anglers who competed on Sunday, he had travelled a long way to fish but said the experience was definitely worth the trip.

“You get to meet nice people and learn how to fish,” he said. “The night before the competition gives you a chance to meet new people around the camp and share information, and it’s a great atmosphere.”

WORLD CHAMP SECOND Travelling another

1.5km further than Fung, current World Champion Richard Summerton from Victoria managed 6 legal bass through the day but fell shy of the 108cm needed to equal the winning length.

Richard took out second place using a Megabass Pagani Siglett early and

RESULTS Angler 1 Chesney Fung 2 Richard Somerton 3 Scott Baker 4 Andrew Death 4 Stewart Dunn 4 Benjamin Davidson 7 Clark Wilson 8 Dave Mann 9 Alan Britcliffe 10 Glenn Allen

Fish 1 (cm) 38 35 38 37 34 33 29 37 30 31

Fish 2 (cm) 34 36 35 30 32 32 36 30 31 31

FISHING FILL-ITS

Illegal fishers caught out NSW Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson said the NSW Government takes illegal fishing seriously, with around 50,000 fishers checked by fisheries officers over the past 12 months.

“Fisheries officers have been out in force across NSW checking to see if our State’s fishers are complying with the fishing rules and regulations,” Ms Hodgkinson said.

In the past financial year officers detected around 6000 offences for fishers flouting the rules, which resulted in: • O v e r 2200 penalty notices; • m ore than 200 matters successfully prosecuted in court; • 33 jail sentences; and • 26 bonds imposed.

“108 court imposed penalties were also issued

Victorians filled the podium at Tallowa.

including hefty fines of $14,000 to two men who were found illegally eel fishing near the Nambucca River,” Ms Hodgkinson said.

“A Queensland fisher was fined $35,000 after fisheries officers seized 232 illegally caught mud crabs consigned for sale at the Sydney Fish Market in a joint operation with Queensland officers.

“More than 52,000 fish and invertebrates were seized, including abalone, lobsters and cockles and pipis. Where possible, all were returned to the water alive while some consumables were donated to charity.

“Fisheries officers also seized 3100 items of fishing gear and equipment including boats, cars, meshing, hoop and cast nets, crab and yabby traps, and diving gear.”

“More than 3500 phone calls to the Fishers Watch Phone Line and online reports of illegal fishing were recorded.

“I am proud of the importance the general public places on securing our fisheries resources for the future of the next generation and the value of our precious environment.

“I commend the work of our fisheries officers, both inland and on the coast.

“Illegal fishing is serious, so don’t get caught doing the wrong thing. The rules and hefty penalties are in place for a reason,” Ms Hodgkinson said.

To report illegal fishing contact the Fishers Watch Phone Line on 1800 043 536 or visit http://www. dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/ compliance/report-illegalactivity. – NSWDPI

Fish 3 (cm) 36 35 32 31 32 33 32 28 32 31

Total (cm) 108 106 105 98 98 98 97 95 93 93

then switching to Beetle Spins and spinnerbaits as the sun got higher.

BOSS HOG BASS The Boss Hog Big Bass was caught by Rob Walters on an H&P Spinnerbait in 12m of water just before 11am. This event was Rob’s second time fishing

for bass out of a kayak and his first time fishing an impoundment. The 47cm bass was Rob’s only

competition legal fish, but if you catch only one fish it might as well be the Boss Hog Big Bass!

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FEBRUARY 2014

71

DIY kayak cradle AYR

Steve Farmer

I knew I needed a better way of transporting my Ocean Kayak Prowler 13 kayak the day I picked it up from the retailer. Unloading it at home a couple of hours later highlighted two problems that needed addressing if I was going to enjoy kayaking and kayak fishing.

Firstly, despite being firmly tied upside down on the roof bars when I left the shop, the kayak wasn’t as secure as I would have liked by the time I

got home. It wouldn’t have come adrift, but it had worked itself lose, despite a web of tie-down ropes.

S e c o n d ly, (an d probably the cause of the first problem) the plastic hull was now warped where it had been lashed firmly to the roof bars. The heat of a hot shed soon saw the hull return to its correct shape, but I knew I needed a better way of getting my yak to the water. Ideally I needed something that would make loading and tying down the 26kg craft easier and more secure.

I could have just purchased a set of kayak saddles, but these have their

problems and limitations and I believed I could come up with something better and easier to use. The final product is a cradle which drops onto the roof bars, the kayak is then positioned in the cradle and finally both the kayak and cradle are strapped or tied down to the roof bars. The specially shaped cradle positions and supports the kayak, allowing it to be strapped down firmly without warping.

I began by positioning the roof bars about 1300mm apart. This, I believed, was a good spacing to support my kayak in its mid-section.

Obviously this spacing will

The kayak travels up the right way in the cradle.

Transferring the hull shape to the cardboard.

Tying down both the kayak and the cradle.

FEBRUARY 2014 Feb 15-16 Bluefin Boats BASS Electric Series, Danjeera Dam

ABT - 073387 0888 or www.australianbass.com.au

vary with different kayaks.

You should also try to position the bars so that there is minimal kayak overhanging at the front or rear of your vehicle.

I then built a frame from 25mm RHS or box section steel which would sit on the roof bars and to which the cradle supports could be bolted. I made this frame about 50mm wider than my kayak’s beam, making for a stable base but not taking up any more of the roof bar space than was necessary.

The length of the long sides was the distance between the outside faces of the roof bars plus about 100mm at each end. These overhangs on the longer sides are simply to reduce the risk of inadvertently missing the roof bars and dropping the frame onto the roof of your vehicle when fitting it.

The narrow sides of the frame (the front and rear sides) were butt welded to the longer side rails so that when the frame was placed on the roof bars the narrow

Mar 30

BETS Bream Round 3, St Georges Basin Chris Gates - 0413 795 382 or www.betsbream.com.au

Mar TBA

Riverina Classic Fishing Competition, Darlington Point RCFC - 0459 909 443 or www.riverinaclassic.com

Feb 22-23

Panthers Fishfest, Nepean River Peter LeRoy - 0414 733 878 or www.facebook.com/PenrithPanthersFishingClub

Feb 22-23

Jackall Yellowbelly Championships Series, Burrinjuck Bruce Anderson - 0419 011 333 or www.yellowbellychampionships.com

APRIL 2014 Apr 4-6

Club Marine Trailer Boat Fishing Tournament, Nelson Bay Tony Poole – (02) 9029 6554 or www.tbft.com.au

Feb 23

BETS Bream Round 2, Lake Macquarie Chris Gates - 0413 795 382 or www.betsbream.com.au

Apr 8-9

Daiwa-Hobie Kayak BREAM Series, Forster ABT (07) 3387 0888 or www.bream.com.au

Feb 28 – Mar 2 Humminbird Mathoura Fishing Classic, Mathoura

MVBC - 03 5884 3730 or www.mathoura.com

Apr 13

Bluefin Boats BASS Electric Series, Lostock Dam ABT (07) 3387 0888 or www.australianbass.com.au

MARCH 2014 Mar 2

Bluefin Boats BASS Electric Series, Clarrie Hall Dam ABT - (07) 3387 0888 or www.australianbass.com.au

Apr 13

Gamakatsu TS Rd 2 Mid, Taree 0459 401 612 or GTS - 0459 401 612 or fishingcomps.com.au/gts

Mar 2

Gamakatsu TS Rd 1 South, Brisbane Waters GTS - 0459 401 612 or fishingcomps.com.au/gts

Apr 26-27

Jackall Yellowbelly Championships Series, Burrendong Bruce Anderson - 0419 011 333 or www.yellowbellychampionships.com

Mar 7-9

Bidgee Classic Fishing Competition, Gogeldrie Weir Park Adam Ryan - 0402 310 167 or www.visitnsw.com/events

MAY 2014 May 4

BETS Bream Round 4, Foster Chris Gates - 0413 795 382 or www.betsbream.com.au

Mar 8-9

Toray BASS Pro Series, Lake Glenbawn ABT - (07) 3387 0888 or www.australianbass.com.au

May 4

Gamakatsu TS Rd 2 South, Georges River GTS - 0459 401 612 or fishingcomps.com.au/gts

Mar 8-9

Tuross Head Flathead & Bream Comp, Tuross Head THCC - 0458 485 800 or www.turossheadfishingclub.org

May 17-18

ABT BREAM Series, Mallacoota ABT - (07) 3387 0888 or www.bream.com.au

Mar 15-16

ABT BREAM Series, Sydney Harbour ABT - (07) 3387 0888 or www.bream.com.au

May 31-1 Jun Daiwa-Hobie Kayak BREAM Series, Lake Macquarie

ABT - (07) 3387 0888 or www.bream.com.au

Mar 23

Gamakatsu TS Rd 1 North, Clarence (Iluka) GTS - 0459 401 612 or fishingcomps.com.au/gts

Mar 29-30

Bluefin Boats BASS Electric Series, Toonumbar Dam ABT - (07) 3387 0888 or www.australianbass.com.au

JUNE 2014 Jun 8

BETS Bream Round 5, Lake Macquarie Chris Gates - 0413 795 382 or www.betsbream.com.au

Mar 29-30

Jackall Yellowbelly Championships Series, Copeton Bruce Anderson - 0419 011 333 or www.yellowbellychampionships.com

Jun 15

Gamakatsu TS Rd 3 Mid, Forster GTS - 0459 401 612 or fishingcomps.com.au/gts

Jun TBA Sussex Inlet Family Bream Classic, Sussex Inlet www.visitnsw.com/events

Add your tournament or competition to this list by emailing nsweditor@fishingmonthly.com.au or calling 02 6682 5488 in office hours.

Just supply a date, venue, tournament name and a telephone number and contact name.

72

FEBRUARY 2014

and a padlock, meaning I don’t have to store the cradle inside the vehicle for security reasons while I’m away paddling.

The next step was to create the two cradles which would hold the kayak. Firstly I had to get a template of the shape of the kayak hull at the spots where I wanted to position the cradle. Once I had those spots marked I transferred the shape of the hull onto a sheet of cardboard. This was done by clamping the cardboard to a piece of light plywood which acted as a backing. The same clamp also secured a short piece of timber which braced the plywood against the hull, making it easier to hold the plywood and cardboard stable and at right angles to the hull while the shape was traced.

Transferring the shape was done by taping a pencil to a short piece of timber.

The timber and pencil were then moved across the hull with the pencil tracing the shape onto the cardboard.

It is important to hold the timber vertical to the hull shape to get a reasonably true reflection on the cardboard. Cut the shape out with scissors and check it against the hull, trimming it as necessary to ensure a neat fit. Assuming your hull is symmetrical (and you would certainly expect this) it might be easier to create half templates and flip them over when transferring the hull shape to the timber cradles.

I made the actual cradles by gluing and screwing two pieces of 20mm plywood together and marking the hull shape with the

templates. It’s important to keep the kayak as low as possible on the roof bars, so make the distance from the bottom of the kayak cradle to the bottom of the curve where the centreline of the kayak will sit about 50mm.

The width of the cradle timbers should be a neat fit between the long sides of the frame, allowing for the thickness of the carpet to be fitted later. Round the corners where the vertical

off any rough surfaces with sandpaper.

Now is a good time to paint the frame and the timber cradle pieces. Wire brush and grind the welds to eliminate any blobs of splatter before painting.

Apply an undercoat or primer and at least one top coat of oil-based, gloss paint.

Next I cut strips of indoor/outdoor carpet to cushion the kayak

travelling.

The kayak cradle is now complete and you could lift your kayak into place and head for your favourite fishing hotspot.

However that can be a bit of a struggle, especially when lifting some of the heavier yaks onto high 4x4s or vans alone. To overcome that problem I built a loading arm which makes it relatively easy to load my Prowler 13 by myself.

Ready to go. The cradle is padlocked to the roof bars. sides of the cradle join the hull shape. This will eliminate sharp corners which can mark your yak and will also make it easier to slide your kayak up and into the cradle.

When you’re happy with the shape of the cradle pieces, use a jigsaw to cut them out and then smooth

hull against the timber cradle. These strips were then glued in place with contact cement.

Finally I drilled the cradle pieces and the frame so they could be bolted together with 6mm bolts. Use spring washers or nylon lock nuts so they don’t vibrate lose while

Details on that next month.

By the way, while my cradle suits my situation, it may not be suitable for your kayak, vehicle or personal abilities or requirements.

Carefully assess your own situation and requirements to decide if this design is safe and suitable for your needs.

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From top: 1. Half templates of the hull shapes where the two cradles will fit. 2. The cradle positioned on the roof bars. 3. Small tabs of flat steel welded to the long sides prevent the cradle from moving forwards or backwards. 4. The cradle is easily lifted on and off the roof bars. sides were positioned on the top of the roof bars.

Short tabs of 25x6mm flat steel were then butt welded at right angles to the long sides so as to locate the frame on the roof bars and prevent it from sliding forward or backwards.

Allow a clearance of about

5mm between the locating tabs and the forward and rear faces of the roof bars.

At this stage I also welded a single chain link to the frame above one of the roof bars. This allows me to easily secure the frame to the roof bar with a short length of light chain

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FEBRUARY 2014

73

Find the C-POINT Hook NEW!

Find this...

Find the

This month there are

hook competition

15

HOOKS

hidden throughout the pages of Fishing Monthly. and page Find the C-POINT HOOKS m and go in number, fill in the entry for correct the draw to win! The first 50 the month entries drawn at the end of INT HOOKS. will win a Packet of C-PO MAJOR All entries will go into the PRIZE DRAW (Drawn MAY 2014)

Monthly Prize Black Magic C-Point Hooks Sample Selection Made in Japan Value at $5.95

MAJOR PRIZES PAGE NO: 1

2

$ 600 ST PLACE

1 3

VALUE OF BLACK MAGIC PRODUCTS

4

5

6

7

MAIL ENTRIES TO: NSWFM Find the C-POINT HOOKS Comp, PO BOX 3172, Loganholme QLD 4129 Entries must be received

by FEBRUARY 28TH 2014 Original entries only. No photocopies.

Images for illustration purposes only.

$ 400 ND PLACE

2 8

VALUE OF BLACK MAGIC PRODUCTS

9

10

11

$ 200 RD PLACE

3 12

13

VALUE OF BLACK MAGIC PRODUCTS

14

15

NAME ..........................................................................................

ADDRESS .....................................................................................

SUBURB .....................................................P/CODE .....................

PHONE ......................................................MOB .........................

EMAIL ..........................................................................................

NSWFM FEBRUARY 2014

• • • •

HAWK FISHING • FIND-A-WORD COMPETITION

Places to wet a line, but shouldn’t

CHURCH

GRAVY

SOUP

COFFEE

KETTLE

SPA

DOGBOWL

MILK

SWAMP

DOWNPIPE

PUDDING

TOILET

DRAIN

PUDDLE

VASE

FONT

RUM

WETDOG

FRESHPAINT

SEWER

WINDEX

FRIDGE

SHOWER

ZIMBABWE

FRUITSALAD

SINK

Name Address

P/Code Phone (day):

The first correct entry at the end of each month will win a Hawk Fishing cap, Hawk Fishing line, Hawk HB Lure, assorted Panther Martin lures and 3 packets of Youvella chemically sharpened hooks.

SEND ENTRIES TO: NSWFM Hawk Tournament Competition

PO box 3172, Loganholme Qld 4129 NSWFM FEBRUARY 2014

FINS SCALES & TAILS by A. Both

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE The subscriber prize winners for December were B Caudle of Moorebank, K & D Maltby of Glenfield, G Cook of Pottsville, T Collins of Captains Flat, P Bunyan of Booligal, R Lindkvist of O’Connor, T Kennedy of Tahmoor, K Bell of Laurieton, M Saracof Kenthurst, A Jameson of Jilliby, who each won a Island Tribe Sunscreen pack valued at $35.

All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – NSWFM

BARRA COUNTRY by Brett Currie

BITE ME by Trisha Mason

FIND THE BLACK MAGIC C-POINT WINNERS The Find the Black Magic C-Point Hook prize winners for December were B Whyte of Myers Flat, K Markham of Tea Gardens, S Sikorski of Glenfield, R Crowhurst of Budgewoi, D Walker of Thornton, C Snowden of North St Mary’s, R Micallef of Llandilo, D Sullivan of Aberdeen, S Dunford of Young, R Carey of Jindabyne, J Blevins of Emerton, R Cooper of Forster, L Palmer of Narrabri, S Horan of Orange, L burraston of Armidale, C Brown of Binnaway, I Dando of Tuggerawong, A Brayshaw of Tumut, G Tasker of Belfield, T Baillie of Millmerran, V Dimento of Punchbowl, M Ryall of Singleton, G Roseman of St Clair, B Mannering of Leumeah, J Kotevski of Moorebank, D Miller of Cobar, E Turnbull of Franklin, R Boulden of Laurieton, C Carter of Richmond, G Niven of Brandy Hill, J Roberts of Camden, G Cook of Pottsville, S Pollock of Avalon Beach, J MacDonald of Petersham, A Grcic of Raymond Terrace, R Hollebon of Baulkham Hills, D Craig of Goulburn, R Derrick of Barraba, J Cross of Mondrook, G Waugh of Greystanes, P Sodermans of Silverdale, C Hosking of Alstonville, A Bird of Wattle Flat, P Stever of Austinmer, C Engelbrecht of Wagga Wagga, T Ryan of Wagga Wagga, P Lyneham of Fern Bay, I Hutchings of Glenfield, I Dando of Tuggerawong, C Wheatland of Wentworthville, who each won a packet of Black Magic C-Point Hooks valued at $5.95!

Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – NSWFM

RAPALA GOMOKU OUTFIT WINNER!

G & N by Michael Hardy

Congratulations to Alan Hepper of Iluka, who was the winner of the Rapala Gomoku outfit competition!

Winners receive a Gomoku outfit consisting of rod, reel, line, and lures. Prize delivery can take 8 weeks. – NSWFM

FIND-A-WORD WINNER Congratulations to B Sanson of Boronia Park, who was last month’s winner of the Hawk Tournament Find-a-Word Competition!

Monthly winners receive Hawk Tournament Tested Bayer Perlon IGFA line, assorted Panther Martin lures, Youvella hooks and a keyring. Prize delivery can take 8 weeks. – NSWFM 75

• DECEMBER 2010

This section in NSW Fishing Monthly consolidates the trades and services in your area that are relevant to your fishing and boating. Whether you’re a local looking for more options or a travelling angler fishing around the state, this guide will direct you to reputable businesses in the area you’re searching.

Fish Taxidermy

Neptune’s Treasures - Your Catch Reproduced 0405 226 282 www.neptunestreasures.com.au

Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call (07) 3387 0834 or email ads@fishingmonthly.com.au

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Bait & Tackle BYRON COAST

Traditional skin mounts

Yamba Bait & Tackle (02) 6646 1514

www.taxidermy.net.au

Compleat Angler Kempsey (02) 6562 5307 Rocks Marine Bait & Tackle South West Rocks (02) 6566 6726

MACQUARIE COAST

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Boat Moorings

Graham Barclay Marine (02) 6554 5866 Manning River Marine Taree (02) 6552 2333

Online Tackle Products

Botany Bay Moorings

Port Macquarie Tackle World (02) 6584 9972

HUNTER COAST

www.fishin.com.au 0425 230 964

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Limited availability only a small number remaining.

Port Stephens Tackle World (02) 4984 2144

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CENTRAL COAST

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Boat / Trailer Modifications & Repairs

RANGE

Out of the Blue Tackle 0417 608 344 www.outofthebluetackle.com.au

OF TACKLE

Bold Trailers (02) 8544 8114 www.boldtrailers.com.au

CHEAPEST BAIT AROUND

02

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Salt Away 1800 091 172 www.salt-away.com.au

Mo Tackle (02) 6652 4611 www.motackle.com.au Specialty Fishing Products www.specialtyfishing.com.au U-Make-Em Soft plastics ww.u-make-emsoftplastics.com.au Adrenalin Flies www.adrenalinflies.com.au Techni Ice www.techniice.com

SYDNEY

Gabes Boating & Fishing Centre Narellan (02) 4647 8755

Chandlery & Accessories

Gabes Boating & Fishing Centre Sylvania (02) 9522 5100 Windybanks Bait and Tackle (02) 9477 1520

EDENS COAST Bermagui Bait and Tackle (02) 6493 5444

FRESHWATER Loomzys Fish and Fix (Forbes) (02) 6851 1425

Screen Printers / Labels

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FREECALL For more info

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VISIT www.salt-away.com.au Anchor Right (03) 5968 5014 Korr Lighting www.korlighting.com.au

WANT IN? EMAIL : ads@fishingmonthly.com.au

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www.boatminder.com.au 0456 618 718 Boat Minder 0456 618 718 www.boatminder.com.au

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Don’s Mobile Marine 0415 904 124

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Your Mates on the Water  Salvage  Fuel drop offs  Battery jump starts  Battery replacements  HIN numbers

FRESHWATER

Sussex Inlet (LJ Hooker) (02) 4441 2135 Riviera Caravan Park, St George’s Basin (02) 4441 2112

Holiday With Us, Sussex Inlet (02) 4441 2135 Surf Beach Holiday Park (02) 4232 1791 Kendalls on the Beach (02) 4232 1790 Werri Beach Holiday Park (02) 4234 1285

EDEN COAST Fishermans Rest (Eden) (02) 6496 1999

Watersports Marine (02) 9676 1400

CHIFLEY DAM CABINS

Neken Marine (02) 9979 9649

Just 20 minutes drive Sth of Bathurst Affordable self-catering accommodation Quiet peaceful setting Great spot for fishing

Family Boats (02) 9622 0222

MOBY MARINE

S E R V I C E S P T Y L T D MARINE ENGINE PARTS DISTRIBUTORS

FRESHWATER Burrinjuck Waters State Park (02) 6227 8114 Providence Lodge (Eucumbene) (02) 6454 2200 Winter Keep (Snowy Mountains) www.winterkeep.com.au Gugegong River Park (02) 6373 0378 Grabine Lakeside State Park (02) 4835 2345

Your one stop shop for outboard & inboard service options

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Outboard and Sterndrive Specialists All Services & Repairs by Qualified Technicians We are one of the Largest Distributors of After Market marine engine parts in Australia

Book now on 1800 68 1000 Book online at visitbathurst.com.au

44 Barry Ave, Mortdale, NSW Contact us today

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MOBILE MARINE BOAT SERVICES

www.aquacash.com.au

FOR MORE INFO VISIT:

Holiday Rental

Blakes Marine (02) 4577 6699

PHONE: 041 5 600 301

FREECALL 1800 655 819

Seven Mile Beach Holiday Park (02) 4234 1340

Cohoe Marine Products (Sydney) (02) 9519 3575

Mechanical and Electrical Boat and Jet Ski Servicing All Watercraft Repairs Boat Fitouts Break Down Service Boat and Outboard Inspection NSW Boat Code Agent (Mobile)

Werri Beach Holiday Park

Killalea State Park, Shell Cove (02) 4237 8589

Boab Boat Hire (NSW) 1300 002 622

Aqua Marine 0415 600 301 www.aquacash.com.au

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FREECALL 1800 111 224

Currarong Beachside Tourist Park 1300 555 515

Moby Marine (02) 9153 6506 www.mobymarine.com.au

AquaMarine

FREECALL 1800 222 334

Kendalls on the Beach

Nowra Marine (02) 4423 3440

Boat Hire

SYDNEY

Surf Beach Holiday Park

Kiama Harbour Cabins (02) 4232 2707

Dubbo Marine and Watersports (02) 6882 2853

Marine Mechanics

FREECALL 1800 823 824

Sunset Motors & Marine (02) 4297 2888

Dave Hill Marine, Nowra (02) 4423 6137

Boat Assist 24 02 9746 6224 www.boatassist24.com.au

Kiama Harbour Cabins

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Great Parks

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Manning River Marine Taree (02) 6552 2333

 Breakdown assistance  Running gear untangled  On water towing  Water pump outs HH JOIN UP NOW! HH

5

Seven Mile Beach Holiday Park FREECALL 1800 666 665

Graham Barcley Marine (02) 6554 5866

Providing on water marine assistance to boating enthusiasts in the Sydney Harbour region

Great Locations

Wyangala Waters State Park (02) 6345 0877 Bass Lodge Macleay River NSW 0433 482 325

Charter Boats Ben Chifley 1800 681 000 www.visitbathurst.com.au

BYRON COAST COFFS COAST Pelican Park Nambucca Heads (02) 6568 6505

HUNTER COAST

Evans Head Deep Sea Fishing Charters,0428 828 835 Sea Master Fishing Charters, 07 5524 8849 or 0415 593 901 Reel Time Fishing Charters 0428 231 962

Wangi Point Lakeside holiday Park (02) 4975 1889

COFFS COAST Oceanic Sea Urchin II Charters, 02 6566 6623 or 0428 650 321

Macleay Valley Coastal Holiday Parks 1300 COASTAL

CENTRAL COAST Blacksmiths Holiday Park (02) 4971 2858 Central Coast Holiday Parks 1800 241 342

South West Rocks Fishing Charters, 02 6566 5298 or 0429 995 390 The Rocks Fishing Charters, 0412 074 147 Wooli Deep Sea Tours, 02 6649 7100 Trial Bay Fishing Charters, 0427 256 556

WANT IN? EMAIL : ads@fishingmonthly.com.au

Trades, services, charter boats & guided fishing tours directory MACQUARIE COAST

Charter Boats Continued

Castaway Estuary Charters 0427239 650 Ocean Star Fishing Charters, 0416 240 877

HUNTER COAST Tailermade Fishing Adventures, (02) 4928 2653 or 0411 096 717

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Harbour and Estuary Fishing Charters, 02 9999 2574 or 0410 633 351 Sydney Sportfishing Adventures, 0405 196 253

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2014

SILVER STAR FISHING CHARTERS

NOWRA NSW

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BATEMANS COAST Aussie Fish Estuary Adventures, 02 6495 9902 or 0400 062 504 MV Capricorn Star 0408 755 201 www.amytiadventure.com.au Mikat Cruises Fishing Charters Swains & Coral Sea 0427 125 727

Greenwell Point only 10 mins from

Michael Ph: 0427 125 727

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Jervis Bay Fishing Charters (02) 4447 8177 0412 506 422 Silver Star Fishing Charters, (02) 4421 7462 or 0412 977 000

• Reef, Deep Sea and Sport Fishing • 20m Cat – Large comfortable & stable • Air-Conditioned & fast (cruise up to 18 knots) • Professional crew (over 22 years experience) • Cater for groups up to 14 for up to 10 days • Fully licensed bar • Dories available • Three large bathrooms • Blue Ray DVD + Plasma Tv’s • Desalinate unit • Trips designed to suit your requirements

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BATEMANS COAST Top Cat Charters, (02) 4472 7340 or 0427 727 340 Batemans Bay Fishing.com.au 1800 636 396

EDEN COAST Esprit Fishing Charters, 1300 556 658 The Sheriff - Montague Is Game (02) 4476 4664 or 0428 277 727 Freedom Charters Eden (02) 6496 1209 or 0415 602 446

Young Jack with a great bream taken on a Cicada Fizzer on an Castaway Charter.

NEWS

FROM THE BOATING WORLD

NEW DESIGN FOR QUINTREX

The new Hornet range including the F450, F481 and F500 models have received a brand new design that’s sure to impress.

The new F- Hornet features a new bow design which sees the front casting deck expanded with improved storage space and stability. With a wide beam of 2.1m, the F500 Hornet offers great stability at rest and underway. As a member of the renowned Quintrex Hornet Range, the new F500 is set up for the serious angler, with rod holders, fishfinder and a 95L fuel tank as standard.

Quintrex National Account Manager Cameron Wood said the F500 Hornet had received a lot of attention after being officially released at the recent Sydney International Boat Show. “ It is a significant design change that has really increased the storage, stability and size of the casting deck,” he said. “And being rated up to 115hp, there is plenty of power behind the F500 so you can load her up with your fishing gear without a problem.

The F500 Hornet is available to option up with a bimini and envelope, bow mount thruster plate, live bait tank, rear ladder, rod storage pocket and berley bucket. It is available as a Quintrex Instant Boating Package including a boat, Quintrex trailer and Evinrude E-Tec engine complete with a 3-year factory warranty.

For more information on the F500 Hornet or the entire Quintrex range head to www. quintrex.com.au. - Telwater

NEW LOWRANCES Lowrance has 2 new additions to its Elite and Mark family of compact fishfinder and chartplotter products: the Elite-4 and Mark4 Hybrid Dual Imaging (HDI) series.

The new HDI units feature a built-in GPS antenna, high-definition mapping options, and the Lowrance exclusive Hybrid Dual Imaging technology that combines Broadband Sounder and Downscan Imaging for the best possible view beneath your boat.

Replacing previous Lowrance Elite-4 and Mark-4 models, the larger and super-bright Elite 4.3-inch colour and Mark grayscale displays have 70%t more pixels and 36% more useable screen area. Built into the HDI Skimmer transducer design, Broadband Sounder technology is ideal for marking fish arches and tracking lure action, while Downscan Imaging provides easy-to-understand, picture-like views of structure and bottom detail.

Advanced Signal Processing (ASP) reducing the need to manually adjust settings to see fish, structure and bottom detail more clearly. TrackBack functionality allows anglers to scroll back in recorded sonar history to review structure, transitions and fish targets, and pinpoint locations with a waypoint.

The Elite-4 HDI line has Elite-4x HDI fishfinder-only, Elite-4m HD chartplotteronly and Elite-4 HDI combination models.

The Mark-4 HDI is available as a fishfinder/ chartplotter combo unit only. Elite-4 and Mark-4 HDI models with chartplotter capability feature a highly accurate built-in GPS antenna.

A C-Map bundle model is also available.

Lowrance Elite-4 HDI combo models are priced from RRP $449 and the Mark-4 HDI fishfinder/chartplotter from RRP $279, and both have a limited 1-year warranty. For more info or to find your nearest dealer visit www.lowrance.com. - Lowrance

AQUASEAL MARINE WIPES

Aquaseal Marine Wipes (#262690) come in a pack of 75 convenient wipes containing a powerful anti-bacterial additive, ideal for use on all cleaning and maintenance jobs.

These wipes are formulated to clean hands, tools and surfaces from engine oil, bilge grime, semi-cured paint, sealant, adhesive, grease, mildew stains, scuff marks, waterline scum and exhaust stains. They’re supplied in plastic re-sealable dispenser bottle and have a RRP of $22.40.

The Aquaseal Marine range also includes a variety of sealants to suit almost any application, electrical insulation tapes, self amalgamating repair tapes, timber primer, bonding tape and PTFE thread tape.

These products have been specially developed for the demanding marine environment and formulated to provide outstanding protection against severe weather exposure, resistance to saltwater and extreme UV light. They also offer superior adhesive characteristics to most marine substrates such as GRP (glass reinforced plastic), gelcoats, aluminium, glass, chrome, wood and stainless steel.

For more information on the Aquaseal range visit www.bla.com.au. - BLA

GME HANDHELD VHF RADIOS

GME’s GX800 and GX850 VHF radios have Digital Selective Calling and inbuilt GPS, making them an essential safety device for boat owners.

Built to withstand the harsh marine environment, the GX800 and GX850 are waterproof to the IP67 standard. Both models feature a large backlit LCD display, making the screen easy to read in bright sunlight. If either model is dropped overboard, it will float to the surface with the bright LCD flashing to make it easy to find and retrieve.

5/1W switchable transmission power enables users to reduce battery consumption by selecting the low power setting when using the radio at close range, or at full 5W power for communicating over longer distances.

The GX850 features Digital Selective Calling (DSC) and a 48 channel GPS receiver.

With a registered MMSI number, users are able to transmit important information direct to another radio. In times of an emergency, DSC can be used to alert all radios within range of the distress, even when a listening watch is not being maintained. The built-in GPS receiver means that any distress call will automatically include current position and time. And the GX850 features 2 receivers, one of which is dedicated to DSC so users will never miss a DSC call.

The GX850 also has a Man Over Board (MOB) feature. You simply press and hold the MOB key to gain an accurate location of the point at which the incident occurred.

The GX800 is priced at RRP $229, and the GX850 at RRP $329, and both models can be used worldwide. For stockist info visit www.gme.net.au. - GME

BRAVO TWO PROPS BACK

Responding to popular demand, Mercury Marine has reintroduced a full line of aluminium propellers for that legendary workhorse, the Bravo Two sterndrive.

Mercury has brought back the 11, 13, 15, 17 and 25 pitch 3-bladed Bravo Two aluminium propellers in both right- and lefthand rotation. These join the 19, 21 and 23 pitch aluminium propellers, to provide boatowners with a full range to choose from.

“At Mercury, we’re in the business of providing what our customers want,’ said John Temple, Mercury Marine’s General Manager, Australia, NZ and South Pacific (ANZP).

“These propellers really enhance mid- to top-end performance, and our customers told us loud and clear they wanted that option.”

Bravo Two propellers offer a large blade area for maximum thrust and a beefy design for excellent manoeuvrability and better holding during turns.

To maintain high quality, the Bravo Two propellers are cast in-house at Mercury’s casting facility in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

They feature MercAlloy, Mercury’s patented aluminium alloy for superior strength.

Aluminium and stainless steel Bravo Two propellers fit all Bravo Two drives and are now available in 11 to 25 pitch in right-hand and left-hand rotations.

For more information, including Mercury’s 5-Step Guide to the perfect propeller, visit mercurymarine.com.au. Mercury

MARINE POLISHING SET

Fein’s Marine Polishing Set is the latest product to join the elite fleet of power tools.

An unpolished boat can mean much more than a dirty surface. Wax polish replenishes the gel coat on fibreglass boats, which protects the hull from fading and erosion.

A wax polish on a painted boat renews the emollients and oils from the initial coat of paint, restoring the fresh, bright look and extending the life of the surface.

Fein’s 750W, carbon brush motor combined with variable speed control boasts speed settings between 500-1500rpm for surface machining on all marine vehicles.

The polisher’s design has been developed with a superior ventilation system to ensure that it doesn’t heat up under use, as well as maximum speed stability at any load over the full setting range.

It’s priced at RRP $1090, and you can find out more at www.fein.com.au or by calling Fein on 1300 798 688. - Fein

PLATINUM APOLLO PFD

The Platinum Apollo PFD Level 100 lifejackets in child’s and adult sizes have been designed to meet AS4758.1 safety rating.

These lifejackets offer value and comfort in a feature-packed child’s PFD in sizes XXS, 5-15kg; XS, 10-15kg; S, 15-25kg; and M, 25-40kg. The bright yellow nylon Oxford 420D material offers high visibility, as do the SOLAS-approved retro-reflective material strips. The WKK zip front, the large adjustable webbing strap with synthetic nylon closure and adjustable padded crotch strap work together to ensure your child has the perfect fit. The Apollo Child PFDs also feature an elastic waist band, a grab strap atop, and a whistle.

Adult sizes include S, 40-50kg; M, 50-60kg; L, 60-70kg; and XL and XXL for adults over 70kg. The adult sizes offer a level of comfort expected from PFDs of a higher price. They are also made with bright yellow nylon Oxford 420D material, SOLAS-approved retro-reflective material strips and a whistle. The WKK zip front and large adjustable waist webbing and synthetic nylon closure combine for the perfect fit.

Apollo Child and Adult PFDs are selfrighting to ensure the user’s mouth is kept clear of the water.

Prices start from $39.95, and more info is available at platinummarine.com.au. – JM

Please send contributions to: The Editor, Fishing Monthly Group PO BOX 3172 LOGANHOLME, QLD. 4129

485 Mako Cat by Alf Stessl ILLAWARRA

Greg Clarke clarkey1@westnet.com.au

The waters around the Australian coastline offer some of the most consistently uncomfortable ocean conditions in the world.

There are solid southeasters along Queensland and southwesters in Victoria and SA – and then there is Tassie. You don’t want to take that on in a small boat, particularly a mono hull.

But Aussies, being the

innovative thinkers they are, got to work on developing and improving catamaran designs, because two hulls breaking the water has to be better than one.

Catamarans of one form or another have been around for quite a while, and some are much better than others.

Some of the larger ones with their heavy fibreglass hulls and large twin engines give a dream ride in the rough stuff but you certainly pay for in it fuel bills and maintenance.

Then there have been the aluminium cats with twin

motors, some lighter than their glass counterparts, some not. Most of them have come and gone.

Now we’re seeing a newer breed of cats that cut down on fuel and maintenance by using a single engine, while still trying to achieve that soft ride the cats are renowned for. Some succeeded, others did not. For the most part they seemed to be small companies with big ideas and little experience which, in the dog-eat-dog world of the boating industry, saw many of them disappear into history.

SEND THIS!!

Up on the plane all the spray is thrown well clear of the boat in calm and rough conditions.

WANT TO SPEND MORE TIME ON THE WATER?

So when I got the call to have a look at the new cat on the block I felt a small degree of trepidation. I was determined to approach it with an open mind though, as it can be difficult to get a cat just right for open water. It won’t work if it’s just a box with a pontoon on each side as some have been.

And then I found out it was

by Alf Stessl – an innovator in Australian boating for so many years. He has many great and different hull types to his name and a reputation for excellence in the finished product, so I was excited to see what he had come up with.

In Alf’s early days he made mono hulls, then mono hulls with track rails for greater stability, then the tri hulls and now he has thrown his hat into the ring with his new Australian Power Cats.

RIDE AND PERFORMANCE The Mako Cat comes on its own purpose-built aluminium trailer with mechanical override brakes for easy drive on and off launching and retrieval. Being a small boat you don’t need a massive 4WD to tow it; a family 6 or even 4 cylinder car will pull it. It also takes up less space at home so it already scores points.

The pontoons and sides are 3mm aluminium with continuous welds on all parts of the vessel.

At the ramp it was perfect boat testing weather – a nasty 25 knot southeaster with gusts to 32 knots had been blowing for about 12 hours and the swell was up a bit and the ocean was filthy slop.

Just what cats are built for.

Launching was simple, back down the ramp and drive it off the trailer. Gone in less than 60 seconds.

The ramp is in the lee of the wind so it was smooth going until we turned the corner and copped it. Cruising on about 4000 rpm and doing just under 20 knots I was

From the rear you can see the ample room for fishing or family. sitting on the skipper’s chair. I never sit in boats. It had been a while since I had been in a cat, and when we hit the first of the chop I closed my eyes, waiting for a spinal fracture.

It didn’t happen. The 4.85m boat hit a solid chop

and a few times I expected to get that bone-jarring crunch that happens when you hit a chop wrong. But there was no crunch, and I decided I could get used to this.

Then it was time to get side-on to a now very nasty

SPECIFICATIONS Length..........................................................4.85m Beam........................................................... 2.25m Depth............................................................. 1.3m Internal freeboard.......................................580 cm Hull weight...................................................500 kg Length on trailer..............................5.8m (approx.)

Min hp................................................................60 Max hp............................................................. 115 Transom shaft length......................Extra long only Max. load......................................................550kg Max. people..........................................................5 Fuel capacity................................. 75L under floor Motor as tested.................... Evinrude E-Tec 90hp at 20 knots and it just puffed over the sea like it was a light morning breeze.

If I had to find fault I’d say there needs to be a passenger grab bar because in any boat you need something hold onto to stop you from swivelling on your seat when turning. I have since been told that this has been addressed.

We powered into the swell for a kilometre or so,

sea, and the Mako Cat just took it all in its stride. There was just the slightest of spray coming from the odd broken chop as it hit the sides, but not enough to really wet you or slow you down.

We slid along for a while just trying to see if I could get a pontoon to dig in, but there was no chance of that. We went straight as an arrow.

Now for the scary part. No

Lifetime Manufacturers Warranty ✦ Independently collapsible front & back ✦ No straps or struts front or back ✦ Top quality frame & materials ✦ Large coverage area

www.undercovercanvas.com.au Tel: 02 6686 5116

The cockpit is simple and spacious with clear 360˚ vision for the skipper and plenty of storage under the front. The instruments are well set out and easy to see.

80

FEBRUARY 2014

matter who you are, taking on a 2m swell with about the same amount of broken chop on top and pushing down the face at speed can make you take a deep breath. There are many boats I have ridden in that I would not even try to take that on, let alone a small boat that I had never piloted before.

This was a test and you have to know, so down she went and out we came. Not a sign of broaching and as smooth as silk, so we did it again with the same result.

Now with a bit of confidence it was time to hit the waves from every direction and have some fun, and for the next 10 minutes that was what we did.

We got a bit of air a few times, all while sitting and not even looking like getting jolted.

Now it was time to see how she went at rest so we stopped in the slop. As you would expect from its width, the cat was very stable at rest.

Despite the poor conditions it was very easy to move around, with no hip hop or even the soft shoe shuffle. Even with 2 of us sitting on one side of the wide gunwales it didn’t even look like becoming unstable.

And no water came over the sides or splashed up through the transom motor well, as can happen on some boats.

We headed back into calmer waters to see how she travelled, and at 5400rpm we hit 29 knots. Getting there

at 1000 rpm saw 3 knots, 2000rpm 6 knots, 2900rpm we hit the plane at 13 knots with the wind, 4000rpm 18 knots and 5000 rpm 25 knots.

Heading into the wind we planed at 9 knots with the wind under the hull giving us extra lift and a lower planing speed.

The good thing about the single engine on the Mako Cat is the turning capabilities. It turns almost in its own length and doesn’t list the opposite way to a mono hull as cats with twin engines do. This makes it drive and feel just like a mono.

The steering was smooth and precise with the single cable non-feedback system, and the smoothness and quiet economical running of the Evinrude E-Tec 90 was exceptional. You could

go a long way on the 75L underfloor fuel tank.

The E-Tec 90 had more than enough power with its 15” stainless prop to match the hull. The maximum rated outboard is 115, and if you put one of those on the back it would be a weapon.

LAYOUT AND SPACE The 2.25m beam in this boat gives you a heap of extra room. I don’t own a pet cat but you could swing one and not hit a thing in the work area.

There was more than enough room to put a large fish box and still have a heap of room for fishing. All the rest of your safety and standard gear would store away up under the front of the boat or in the ample underfloor and side pocket storage.

The extra large anchor

well has more than enough capacity to hold all your rope and anchor, and the roller is solid as it is on all Stessl boats.

Access to the well is through a generous access door in the windscreen.

The floor is fully carpeted with hatches for easy access to the bilge pumps in each pontoon. It is finished off with bow and gunnel rails for extra safety, nav lights and a transom door opening with ladder for easy boarding.

FISHABILITY This will make an exceptional fishing platform.

Everyone has different fishing styles but this boat could be adapted to anyone’s personal taste. The internal freeboard is 580cm so the gunwales are not so high as to be up under your elbows and are just high

enough to give you confidence when moving around.

With plenty of rod holders in the gunwales when fishing and the optional extra of overhead rocket launchers for more rod storage, tonnes of room to move around and the optional fully-plumbed large live bait tank/livewell, bait board and plenty of room for nets, gaffs and tag poles, the possibilities are endless.

So for inshore and estuary to offshore gamefish, this boat is suited right down to the water to suit any needs.

Thanks must go to Leisure Coast Marine at 20 Princes Highway Fairy Meadow (02 4284 4803) for the test boat and time. The price of the boat as tested was $46,700, with packages starting from $39,100 with a 90hp direct

injection motor.

There is also a larger 5.3m version available as a raised front hard top runabout.

There would be some room in that one.

So as cats go this is not a lion or a tiger in the large end of the range, it is more a snow leopard – agile, sleek and highly manoeuvrable at speed, and beautifully finished. It’s really worth a look if you are serious about a soft riding practical fishing platform.

Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith.

Performance of individual boat/motor/trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

Left: The purpose built aluminium trailer in made for simple drive on, drive off launching and retrieval. Middle: Look at how much fishing room there is down the back where all the action happens. Bait tank, cutting boards and rod holders all at arm’s reach. Right: The step-through transom is very handy and there are plenty of rod holders in the gunwales, side rails for extra hand holds and bollards. Side pockets provide extra storage.

NEW Australian Power Cat 485 Mako Cat PH: 02 4284 4803 20 Princes HWY, Fairy Meadow Wollongong NSW 2519 E: info@leisurecoastmarine.com.au W: www.leisurecoastmarine.com.au

BOOK A WATER TEST

CALL TODAY

FEBRUARY 2014

81

Savage Piranha: small boat, big bite WARRAGAL

Martin Auldist martinauldist@gmail.com

You don’t have to know too much about boating to know the name Savage.

The company has been

available. Hanging off the back of the Piranha, was the impressive Mercury 60hp EFI 4-stroke Bigfoot outboard – more than adequate for a boat this size. Incidentally, 60 ponies is the maximum recommended for this boat, so you could get away with

feels much bigger. This has been achieved by building in a large, carpeted casting deck over the forward half of the hull, and a smaller one at the back, so that every square centimetre of the upper surface is useable. When I say useable, read heaps of

compartment along the left hand side of the boat, though you’d probably want to retro fit it with some secure rod holders before stashing your expensive rods in there. Add in a 70 litre in-floor fuel tank, a recess for the battery, and the option for a livebait well, and David Garcia puts the 455 Piranha SC through its paces. A small windscreen in front of the centre console provided protection from spray – not that there was much of that. short chop with ease, even at top speed. Cornering was no problem with the running strakes and reverse chines, the latter of which were also very effective at deflecting spray away from the boat so that the interior remained dry: something I was very grateful for with $5,000 worth of camera gear sitting on the deck. The ‘dry factor’ was further enhanced by the broad sides of the Piranha, with a substantial slab of aluminium between the chines and the gunwale. With three people on board and a motor that was yet to be run in, our GPS showed the Piranha still popped out of the hole at much less than

The 455 Piranha SC is a good looking boat.

The big casting platform at the front will prove popular with light tackle sport anglers. designing, manufacturing and selling quality boats in Australia since 1898. That makes it one of the oldest brands of boat in the country. I have a Savage boat myself, so I jumped at the chance to take one of the new Piranha range for a spin.

The model we were to test was the 455 SC. As per convention, the 455 refers to the hull length, 4.55 m, while the SC indicates that the boat is controlled from a side console on the starboard side of the boat. The other Piranha models in the range include the 435 and 485, with the bigger boats available with the option of a centre console instead of the side console.

Sitting on the trailer in the yard, the 455 was a striking sight with its bright red paint job. The boys assure me that red is the fastest colour but

a smaller engine if that better suited your budget. As pointed out though, there’s not much difference between the 50 and 60 horsepower engines in terms of size, weight or price, so most people go for maximum power. You don’t have to use it, but it’s nice to have.

As luck would have it, when the test day arrived it dawned overcast and drizzling.

By the time we reached the ramp the combination of a high tide and 20 knot winds had churned the shallow water into a sloppy, brown mess.

Nevertheless we pushed on and launched, confident that the uninspiring conditions would prove perfect for testing the Piranha, even if they were photographically challenging.

The first thing I noticed when I climbed aboard was

The 455 Piranha SC was pushed along easily by a Mercury 60hp EFI 4-stroke Bigfoot outboard. fishing space! Storage space isn’t compromised though, with lots of stowage under the decks. The front deck, for example, houses a huge underfloor compartment with four separate hatches, along with an anchor well at the

The Mercury 60 hp EFI 4-stroke Bigfoot had the 455 Piranha SC pushing along at nearly 50km/h with three people aboard. if it is too bright for your liking, there are other colours and even unpainted versions 82

FEBRUARY 2014

the space. There was plenty!

The Piranha 455 is a fairly small boat, but it definitely

bow and a plate for attaching an electric motor. There is also a full-length rod storage

it’s quite amazing how much is hidden ‘below decks’.

The console itself sits in a sunken area between the two raised decks, and in the test boat was covered by a bimini (an optional extra that definitely came in handy on the day we tested the Piranha). There are two fold up pedestal seats that can be deployed in four different positions, one of which allows the driver to control the vessel while comfortably seated. A small windscreen above the console provides a modicum of protection from any spray, not that there was much of that anyway. The standard dashboard houses a small glove box, drink holder, the Mercury SmartCraft multi-function gauge, fuel gauge and switches for the navigation lights and bilge pump. Although the test boat hadn’t yet been fitted out with all the fruit, such as a sounder, chart plotter, radio and stereo, there is plenty of room to do so.

ON THE WATER That’s all very well, but how did it handle? In a nutshell, extremely well. The ‘Ultra Lift’ hull is designed to give the boat extra lift and stability, and the pronounced V-bottom cut through the

20km/h, and reached a top speed of just shy of 50km/h at 5,500rpm. The bottom of the hull is constructed from 3mm aluminium plate while the sides are 2.5mm, so there should be no problems with strength and durability.

The Mercury 60hp EFI 4-stoke Bigfoot engine, by the way, has a taller, more heavy duty gear case than standard outboards, together with larger gears and a shaft that places the propeller deeper into the water. This means it is capable of turning a larger diameter propeller. The test boat was fitted with a Spitfire four-blade prop which, having up to 20% greater surface

SPECIFICATIONS 455 PIRANHA SC Beam: 2.05m Bottom sides: 3.00mm Depth: 1.10m Height on trailer: 2.10m Length maximum: 4.55m Length of hull: 4.55m Length on trailer: 6.30m Max. HP: 60hp Number of people: 5 Top sides: 2.50mm Transom material: 3.00mm Transom shaft length: L/S Weight (boat only): 350kg Price as tested: $26,500

Along the left hand side of the deck there is a full length rod storage compartment.

Top: The 455 Piranha SC is controlled from a side console on the right hand side of the vessel.

The bigger models in the Piranha range have the option of a centre console instead. The dashboard has plenty of room for all the fruit.

Bottom: At the bow there is an anchor well and a plate for attaching an electric motor.

area, gives greater grip on the water than a standard three-blader and the increase in thrust was noticeable.

Like most four-strokes, the Bigfoot was pleasantly quiet, purring away unobtrusively in the background. Like all new Mercury outboards, this motor is covered by their fully transferrable, non-declining 3+2 year warranty.

When we got back to the fairly rudimentary ramp, the Piranha was easily nestled back on to the drive-on trailer, even in the 20 knot side wind. Being a trailer made

by Savage themselves, it had the advantage of fitting the boat perfectly, which makes good sense not only for launching and retrieving but also for transport: ill-fitting trailers will ultimately wear holes in your boat. One thing I wish I had on my trailer was the walkway from front to back – a clever inclusion that would surely save you from wet feet on many occasions.

The trailer also featured brakes and alloy wheels that incorporated bearing buddies.

Though I don’t have the data to prove it at my fingertips, I’d be confident that the popularity of ‘open top’ boats with big casting decks has increased markedly in the deep south since the ‘discovery’ that bream eat lures. The flow on from that discovery has been an

increase in the popularity of light tackle sportfishing, plus the establishment of a tournament fishing scene in this state and others. The Savage Piranha range of boats – and don’t those two words go together well – is a boat that should find favour in these types of markets, but especially amongst those anglers that like to mix a little opewn water bay fishing with their estuary angling.

With this Savage/Mercury package (as tested) priced at $26,500, including New South Wales inshore safety pack and all registrations, this combination of two quality products is great value for money. If you like to spend time fishing for bream and flatties in the estuaries and snapper and whiting in the bays and inlets, the Piranha 455 could have your name on it.

For further information or to arrange an inspection, contact Watersports Marine on (02) 9676 1400 or go to www. watersportsmarine.com.au.

Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith.

Performance of individual boat/motor/ trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

[02] 9676 1400

11 Binney Road Kings Park NSW 2148

Top: There is heaps of stowage room under the casting deck at the front.

Bottom: A large casting platform over the front half of the boat ensures heaps of space for fishing.

MARINE

info@watersportsmarine.com.au

www.watersportsmarine.com.au FEBRUARY 2014

83

TIDE PREDICTIONS FOR SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) FEBRUARY – 2014

EASTERN STANDARD TIME

Add one hour to the predicted times during periods of Daylight Saving

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1

0245 0911 1541 2145

6

12

8

0302 0946 1535 2124

6

12 18 0 0206 0.45 0827 1.70 1452 0.35 2054 1.44

0.23 2.00 0.08 1.62

1.5m 1.0m 0.5m

2

0339 1000 1627 2234

6

12

9

0405 1057 1647 2225

6

12 18 0 0243 0.43 0901 1.69 1523 0.34 2128 1.48

0.24 1.92 0.13 1.63

3

0432 1049 1711 2323

6

12 18 0 0504 1.51 1154 0.58 1746 1.19 2321 0.61

0.30 1.79 0.22 1.61

4

0527 0.38 1138 1.63 1756 0.33

5

0014 0624 1228 1840

6

12 18 0 0009 0.57 0638 1.61 1316 0.45 1913 1.31

1.57 0.48 1.46 0.44

6

0105 0725 1321 1929

6

12 18 0 0051 0.52 0716 1.65 1350 0.40 1947 1.36

1.53 0.57 1.31 0.54

0 1.49 0.63 1.19 0.61

7

0201 0833 1423 2023

6

12 18 0 0130 0.48 0753 1.68 1422 0.37 2021 1.41

18

0

1.47 0.65 1.14 0.65

1.5m 1.0m 0.5m 0

18

0

1.47 0.63 1.14 0.64

10

NSW tides 6

11

12 18 0 0555 1.55 1238 0.51 1833 1.25

12

13

14

15

1.5m 1.0m 0.5m 0

16

6

17

12 18 0 0320 0.43 0936 1.66 1554 0.35 2201 1.50

6

18

12 18 0 0400 0.44 1012 1.61 1626 0.37 2239 1.52

6

19

12 18 0 0442 0.47 1049 1.54 1700 0.40 2318 1.52

6

20

12 18 0 0527 0.50 1130 1.45 1737 0.45

6

21

12 18 0 0003 1.52 0618 0.54 1217 1.36 1821 0.50

6

22

12 18 0 0054 1.51 0720 0.57 1315 1.28 1915 0.55

1.5m 1.0m 0.5m 0

6

23

12 18 0 0155 1.52 0833 0.57 1427 1.23 2021 0.58

6

24

12 18 0 0305 1.56 0952 0.52 1548 1.23 2137 0.56

6

25

12 18 0 0416 1.64 1102 0.43 1702 1.30 2247 0.49

6

26

12 18 0 0521 1.74 1203 0.32 1804 1.40 2350 0.40

6

27

12 18 0 0619 1.84 1256 0.21 1858 1.51

6

28

12 18 0 0047 0.31 0713 1.91 1345 0.15 1947 1.61

6

12

1.5m 1.0m 0.5m 0

6

12

18

0

6

12

18

0

6

12

18

0

6

12

18

0

6

12

18

0

6

12

18

0

 Copyright: Commonwealth of Australia 2012, Bureau of Meteorology (ABN 92 637 533 532) Disclaimer: These tide predictions are supplied in good faith and believed to be correct.

No warranty is given in respect to errors, omissions, or suitability for any purpose.

Tidal information is provided courtesy of the Sydney Ports Corporation. Copyright in the Tidal Predictions is owned by the Bureau of Meteorology.

Users of these tables should be aware that the heights shown in this publication are predictions only and that the actual water level height may vary due to meteorological conditions (including barometric pressure, wind effect and storm surges) and seasonal variations.

Sydney Ports Corporation is not responsible for the average time differences for other locations.

18

0

Wollongong 5 Islands Marine 40 Princess Hwy Yallah Phone: (02) 4256 6135 | Fax: (02) 4256 6701 Email: info@5islandsmarine.com.au Website: www.5islandsmarine.com.au

Hunter Valley Maitland Power and Marine 23 Melbourne St, East Maitland Phone: (02) 4933 3284 | Fax: (02) 4934 1544 Email: sales@mpm.net.au Website: www.mpm.net.au

Sydney North West TR Marine World 44 Curtis Rd McGraths Hill Phone: (02) 4577 3522 | Fax: (02) 4577 3255 Email: sales@trmarine.com.au Website: www.trmarine.com.au

Central Coast Central Coast Boat World 19 Lake St Budgewoi Phone: (02) 4399 3568 | Fax: (02) 4399 3568 Email: ccbw3@bigpond.com Website: www.centralcoastboatworld.com.au

Riverina Maverick Boats Cnr Hammersley & Theiss Rds Corowa Phone: (02) 6033 3222 | Fax: (02) 6033 4488 Email: maverickboats@bigpond.com.au Website: www.boats-albury.websyte.com.au

Sydney North West Watersports Marine 11 Binney Rd Kingspark Phone: (02) 9676 1400 | Fax: (02) 9676 7588 Email: info@watersportsmarine.com.au Website: www.watersportsmarine.com.au

Cowra Cowra Marine Centre 29 Grenfell St Cowra Phone: (02) 6342 2904 | Fax: (02) 6341 1217 Email: cowmar@bigpond.com Website: www.cowramarine.com.au

Far South Coast Merimbula Outboards 382 Sapphire Coast Dr Tura Merimbula Phone: (02) 6495 9634 | Fax: (02) 6495 9345 Email: info@merimbulaoutboard.com.au Website: www.merimbulaoutboard.com.au

Sydney A & J Outboard & Boating Service 734 Woodville Rd, Fairfield East Phone: (02) 9728 9311 | Fax: (02) 9728 9322 Email: sales@ajoutboards.com.au Website: www.ajoutboards.com.au

Newcastle Tomo’s Marine 96 Marks Point Rd, Marks Point Phone: (02) 4945 3202 Email: tomosmarine@hotmail.com.au Website: www.tomosmarine.com.au

Illawarra Nowra Marine Princes Hwy South Nowra Phone: (02) 4423 3440 | Fax: (02) 4423 0486 Email: admin@nowramarine.com.au Website: www.nowramarine.com.au

Central Coast Insinc Marine 278 Manns Road, Gosford West Ph: (02) 4324 4300 Fax: (02) 4324 4400 Email: troy@insincmarine.com.au Website: www. insincmarine.com.au

Port Macquarie Hastings Marine 185 Hastings River Dr Port Macquarie Phone: (02) 6583 5511 | Fax: (02) 6583 5797 Email: sales@hastingsmarine.com.au Website: www.hastingsmarine.com.au

ACT Queanbeyan Marine 20 Yass Rd Queanbeyan Phone: (02) 6297 5457 | Fax: (02) 6299 6336 Email: qbnmarine@bigpond.com Website: www.queanbeyanmarine.com.au

Northern NSW / Gold Coast Tweed Coast Marine 147 Pacific Hwy Tweed Heads South Ph: (07) 5524 8877 Fax: (07) 5524 3324 Email: dan@tweedcoastmarine.com.au Website: www.tweedcoastmarine.com.au

Coffs Harbour Jetty Boating 7 Keona Circuit Coffs Harbour Phone: (02) 6651 4002 | Fax: (02) 6652 1320 Email: jettyboat@westnet.com.au Website: www.jettyboating.com.au

Sydney West Penrith Marine 4/133 Coreen Ave Penrith Phone: (02) 4731 6250 | Fax: (02) 4732 3863 Email: sales@penrithmarime.com.au Website: www.penrithmarine.com.au

South Coast Kingfisher Marine 19 Graham St, Narooma Phone: (02) 4476 2650 | Fax: (02) 4476 1593 Email: kingfishermarine1@gmail.com

Sydney North Shore Shannon Outboards 3/41 Leighton Pl Hornsby Phone: (02) 9482 2638 | Fax: (02) 9476 0009 Email: sales@shannonoutboards.com.au Website: www.shannonoutboards.com.au

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