New South Wales Fishing Monthly September 2013

In pursuit of pelagics HAWKSBURY

Dan Selby dan@sydneysportfishing.com.au

Surface feeding pelagics bring an unequalled level of excitement to anglers all across our country.

A lot of the appeal comes with the visual impact and the challenges associated with trying to fool fish you can see feeding – nothing in the angling world really compares.

This time of year harbours, bays and lower estuaries along the east coast come to life with small baitfish anglers refer to as ‘eyes’. They turn up in huge

schools and enter the inshore waters to feed and seek shelter.

Unfortunately most don’t get an opportunity to do either, because they are herded up on

Silver trevally tend to hang beneath the active surface schools and can be caught by presenting an offering down deep, where they await any scraps or unwary baitfish.

Frustration is all part of the challenge when trying to tempt fussy feeders.

MUSTAD.NO

the surface and devoured by ravenous schools of salmon, tailor, kingfish, bonito and silver trevally.

The easiest method to

locate surface feeding activity is to watch for gulls and especially terns, which should be hovering very close to the surface or diving repeatedly to indicate feeding activity from pelagics below.

Early and late in the day are the best times to spot these flocks from greater distances, because the low angle of the sun reflects off the birds’ wings, similar to the way the sun glints off someone’s wristwatch.

Gulls also tend to sit in large flocks on the surface and can be a sign of prior surface activity. A few prospective

When surface pelagics like this salmon are feeding on ‘eyes’ and refusing standard lure presentations, fly-fishing can be very rewarding. casts in their general direction are never unwarranted; all bird activity should be investigated and ruled out before moving on.

DON’T RUSH It’s easy to get all excited and rush up on these active schools of fish but that will most likely lead to the school

SWINGING SINGLES

In recent years I have been removing the standard treble hook that most metal slices come with and replacing it with a single non-offset J-hook. The hookup to landing ratio is far better when you have species like salmon and tailor that like to get airborne during the fight. The single hook tends to find its mark in the corner of the jaw and is hard to throw, even with the weight of the metal slice working back and forth.

Secondly, catch and release is the only way to go when encountering large numbers of these fish. Salmon aren’t the most highly desirable table fish so the majority are set free. A single hook is far safer for removal and is less damaging to the fish – and humans.

WELL AHEAD ON POINTS

Matching the hatch with this 7g metal slice proved productive on this day. Note the single non-offset J-hook in place of the standard treble.

being spooked and going deep, ruining the fun for everyone.

Taking the time to observe the behaviour and direction of the school is highly advantageous for your crew and the other anglers who will invariably be cashing in on the same action.

The technique is to pick which way the school is working; the fish will generally push into the wind and/or current.

With this in mind, you should position your boat well upwind/current and kill the engine. Let the fish come to you and then cast.

Let the school pass by before starting the engine and take a wide berth around the fish and head back to the upwind/ current side.

At times you can have fish busting up all around the boat and at other times the bait may use your vessel for cover and you turn into a mobile FAD (fish aggregating device).

Trollers, be warned: It is not appropriate to tow your lures through the middle of any bust-up. Pick your line and work the edge of the school so as to not spook and send the schools down deep, shutting them down.

At times it is hard to see what the fish are feeding on; it may look as if they are

Mustad’s unique Ultra Point is now available on treble hooks.

Ultra Point gives unparalleled durability and sharpness to chemically sharpened needle points. That’s reflected in tournament successes – like Kord Luckus’s 117cm barramundi (pictured above). It was hooked on a Mustad 36329NP-BN Ultra Point treble and was ‘Most Meritorious Capture’ in the 2011 Barra Classic.

Mustad’s Ultra Point treble hook range includes the 36329BLN Barra/Bluewater treble, the 36300BLN Short Round treble and the new Kevin Van Dam Triple Grip TG76BLN.

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6

SEPTEMBER 2013

NSWFM

Not all surface feeding activity will be indicated by large numbers of fish busting up.

Here a single tern alerted the author to a school of tailor working along the shoreline.

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Watersports home of Savage Watersports Marine is Sydney’s newest Savage dealer.

Located in Kings Park, Watersports Marine is the new home for Savage boats and are kicking things off with a bang at the Sydney International Boat Show with a selection of new Savage models.

Started in 1998 by dealer principal Anthony McEnnally, Watersports Marine is a sole Mercury dealership with a fully functioning service centre to offer support to their customers all the way through

their boating experience.

Watersports Marine specialises in recreational boating from family boats, fishing boats, ski boats and even race boats, making it the perfect home for durable and versatile Savage products, Australia’s oldest aluminium boat brand.

Anthony McEnnally said he was excited to moving back to the Savage brand and had a great range of stock ready for the Sydney Boat Show.

“We got a great reception for the new Savage Bay

Cruisers and the Jabiru 435 and 345, just to name a few,” he said.

Savage national account manager Ryan Dewson said he was happy to have found a home for the Savage brand in Sydney.

“Watersports Marine and Savage are a great fit for each other and we are really excite,” he said.

Check out Savage and visit the friendly team at Watersports Marine or visit www. watersportsmarine.com.au.

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FISHING FILL-ITS

Letter to the editor I read with interest your June editorial regarding the name changes for lifejackets and the Boating News article on the global push for lifejackets.

As you are aware RMS, formerly NSW Maritime, is promoting the wearing of lifejackets through various media releases. Indeed, a fullpage advertisement appears on Page 57 of the June issue.

You have obviously noticed that the two people are wearing inflatable jackets.

RMS have still not identified whether the owner of an inflatable lifejacket has the competence to perform self-testing without potential litigation should an ownertested lifejacket fail.

Fundamentally, there are many issues with inflatable lifejackets which many boaters have probably not taken into consideration being.

Once the inflatable lifejacket is out of the manufacturer’s warranty it MUST be tested yearly.

At the moment self-testing can be done by following instructions provided by manufacturers. The instructions are quite basic, being: Inflate the jacket for a minimum of 24 hours, check all the seams and weigh the gas bottle, thereafter recording the date of testing.

But how many boaters have the competency to ensure that they follow the instructions and how many boaters would have suitable scales to weigh the gas bottle?

Like many boaters, I have also purchased manual inflatable jackets and always wear one when boating.

I believe by wearing the jacket this provided an element of safety. However, I never considered that I could be knocked out and would not be able to pull the handle to inflate the jacket.

So now I partly inflate my vest and I have found that it did not really inhibit movement.

Also, each time you wear the jacket you know that the bladder is working if still inflated.

Perhaps NSW Maritime should consider that all

inflatable jackets should be partly inflated to increase safety.

There are many issues with inflatable jackets, whether manual or automatic, which most boaters do not realise.

• They will not provide any buoyancy until inflated. This imposes greater responsibility on the user.

• They must be carefully inspected prior to use on every occasion to ensure that the inflator mechanism is armed and in good condition.

• The user must be familiar with its use and operation.

• Auto-inflate jackets have been reported as activating when excessive spray or rain occurs, dissolving the activating pill/bobbin.

• If activated below decks, these jackets can inhibit escape from a vessel.

In cold weather the gas may not fully expand the jacket, hence reducing its buoyancy.

• Due to a slight delay in the inflation, this type of jacket is not recommended for non-swimmers.

• Inflatable jackets provide no protection from hypothermia.

Various companies who retail manual inflatable jackets tell me sales are booming.

In Sydney manual inflatable jackets are being sold for about $55.

• To have this type of lifejacket tested by an accredited organisation, the

minimum cost is $40.00 plus GST and parts, if required.

The majority of boaters are unlikely to have manual inflatable jackets tested, and will just purchase another new jacket.

Will they dispose of the out-of-date jackets? I don’t believe so; these will become just like the date-expired flares the majority of boaters retain. So in an emergency, will they use a jacket which they know is still covered by warranty or been tested?

I had a situation last year where I decided to test my four manual inflatable lifejackets. Three passed the tests required but one still in warranty would not retain the air in the bladder. Upon checking the jacket I found that there was no valve in the tube.

As I had never removed the jacket from the original packaging, I returned it to the retailer who could not assist as I was unable to locate my receipt. I contacted the distributor, who without hesitation agreed to provide me with a new jacket.

I had the new jacket within a week, with a pre-paid envelope to forward the faulty jacket to them.

Many boaters will probably not agree with my thoughts, however I consider a Life Jacket to be in the same category as a seatbelt.

Dennis Donald Croydon NSW

In Tune Marine keeps TABS Alloy boat manufacturer TABS has appointed In Tune Marine, of Long Jetty, as its dealers in the greater Newcastle area, giving them access to a full range of the plate craft as well as entry level TABS Tough Tinnies.

“The boys at In Tune tell us they already have the world’s best engine Suzuki, and now they now they have the world’s best boat,” said TABS sales manager Dean Wilson.

“The reason we chose In Tune was simple: Jeff

and the guys and gals have a passion for boating that few dealerships possess. In these hard times it’s easy to forget that you’re putting together someone’s pride and joy but In Tune haven’t forgotten and you can tell this straight away when you call.

“No matter what staff member you talk to, you get the right advice. They deserve the accolades they have achieved over the last decade and we believe them when they say their boats are the best on the water. – TABS NSWFM

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45

Every season is different BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsestuaryfishing@bigpond.com

Most seasoned anglers know you have to feel your way into a new season because every one is different.

There may be a lake or estuary that has closed or reopened to the ocean or there may be unseasonable rises or falls in offshore water temps. And then there is weather…

At the moment Wallaga Lake, north of Bermagui, and Cuttagee, to the south, are closed to the ocean but are poised to reopen.

This may be bad news to those who like prawning because both systems are carrying good prawn stock which should be of reasonable size next month.

Even if these systems open up, not all the prawns will be lost unless there is a massive flood.

If Wallaga is to open we should see Spring fishing like last year’s, especially for flathead.

The western side of the lake and up towards Narira Creek is likely to produce most of the fish because this is where the water is at its

warmest. One of the many soft plastic prawn imitations is all that is required to produce plenty of action.

In the Bermagui River fresh stocks of bream, flathead, luderick, whiting and trevally are constantly moving into the river, providing excellent early

with only a handful of striped tuna, an odd albacore and even a more stray bluefin tuna on offer.

There is more chance of finding a mako shark in a berley trail than anything, although anglers fishing deep in the canyons have encountered tasty deep-water

Hooked up solid to another reef fish – what will it be? season angling.

The upper tidal regions are producing better with the exception of the bridge at night, which is very productive. Here prawns travelling on the tide are easy prey for fish.

OFFSHORE Out at sea, water of 14°-18° has put the game fish on hold.

There has been no significant recent captures

species. Working deep in the canyons off Bermagui is becoming more popular with the modern electric reels available.

It is a double dip for anglers out where the game fish are: if one form of fishing is not happening

Darren Redman djsestuaryfishing@bigpond.com

After Winter rains, a lot of the estuaries that have been closed to the ocean have reopened, especially the Bega River.

This is great news for anglers as it allows fresh stocks of fish to move into the systems.

126 Lamont St Bermagui NSW 2546

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Looking at fishing BERMAGUI? Call us anytime for the latest fishing reports, weather & surface temp info!

PH: 02 6493 5444 www.fishbermi.com 50

SEPTEMBER 2013

NSWFM

Flathead like this were common in Wallaga Lake last season. Will they be as good this year?

Rock or Tilba Beach to the north or Barragoot and Cuttagee south.

The Blue Pool is one of the better areas for rock fishing with drummer and

luderick the mainstays.

Those who like to fish tough should try using red crabs for blue groper, which provide one of the best challenges from the rocks.

Estuaries open for business TATHRA

“Located at the boat ramp on the Bermagui River”

they can switch to the other and not come home emptyhanded. Species like ling or ghost cod, hapuku, gemfish and blue-eye trevalla are all likely and you can always expect other weird and wonderful fish.

For those who don’t want to venture as far, the inshore grounds are shaping up nicely. Tiger flathead are starting to show in numbers in the usual spots like northeast of Tilba and east and slightly south of Bermagui, with most fish in 40m-60m.

In these depths there are numerous reefs so you can start up on the edge of the rock and some of those early north-east winds can drift you south to encounter blue or jackass morwong, ocean perch, nannygai or snapper before drifting onto the flathead grounds. Often at this time of year one or two moves may be all that is necessary.

SLOW SHORE Things are pretty ordinary along the ocean shoreline.

From the beaches the best on offer are schools of salmon frequenting Camel

The further you go up the estuary, the warmer the water gets and that is what fish like.

One prime spot is the entrance to Blackfellows Lake, 4km-5km up the Bega River on the southern side.

Early mornings here can be very good as the warm waters from the shallow lake provide a perfect nursery for prawns to grow. As the tide recedes, fish wait in ambush at the entrance to the lake.

Anglers can expect bream, flathead, trevally, luderick, whiting and even estuary perch to congregate within the area.

Lures are effective here and will become more so as we move into Spring, but nippers, worms or preferably fresh or live prawns gathered the night or early morning can be devastating.

There are other areas throughout this river similar to this lake that would also be well worth a look.

Further up the river, into the sweetwater, with a few warm days and some insect life we just may see the bass getting active.

SALMON, TAILOR Things are a little quieter along the coast as cold waters still prevail.

On the beaches you can expect mostly salmon and a few tailor.

By using berley you might attract other species like bream, mullet or trevally, but don’t expect great beach fishing until the water warms up.

Trevally of all sizes are to be found in the Bega River and off Tathra Wharf.

One fish that does like cooler water is silver trevally, which are a popular target from the Tathra Wharf. Sometimes they can be quite thick and of good size, resulting in many a crossed line testing anglers’ patience.

There are usually plenty of yellowtail and slimy mackerel for bait or fun and also may be some juicy garfish.

The nearby rocks and those down behind the pub are still producing reasonable drummer and luderick on cabbage weed or cunjevoi, while a red crab may just prove the undoing of a blue groper.

TIGER FLATHEAD Offshore, it is time to start looking for tiger flathead, which move into the area in the Spring to provide many a tasty meal. Water depth is the main key to finding these fish with around 50m-60m optimum for the better size fish.

One of the prime areas

is down south out from Bournda, where these fish seem to concentrate in good numbers. Often anglers don’t need long to acquire their bags (20 in total) so on the way back to Kianinny Bay boat ramp, try some of the reefs out from White Rock.

You may need to move around trying various depths to find a few snapper however blue and jackass morwong are usually in good numbers at this time of year.

Don’t expect too much out over the continental shelf because the cold water has scattered the game fish.

You may happen on a stray bluefin or some striped tuna but the best chance of something big is a mako shark. Berley hard and while you’re waiting, drop baits down in the canyons for some of those delicious deep-water fish.

Freshwater

Matching the hatch NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.starlofishing.me

This month, we continue to expose of the basics of successful lure fishing with an examination of one of its core principles.

As touched on last month, ‘matching the hatch’ is one of lure fishing’s accepted rules, and owes its origins to fly fishing for trout. Many of

most vulnerable, and likely to be included on the trout’s menu.

The fact that specific environmental triggers such as water temperature, day length or wind direction can flick a switch that sees literally millions of insects hitting the surface over a short period (sometimes an hour or less) makes these hatches intense events. Fish are hard-wired to cash in on these protein bounties. When they do, they can become

A pair of plump, daphnia-feeding rainbow trout taken on a Shimano Waxwing lure that is hundreds of times larger than a single daphnia, but which incorporates a little of the same green hue found in those tiny crustaceans. the insects trout eat begin life as aquatic nymphs, crawling on streambeds. As they mature, these nymphs swim to the surface, crack open their little shells and hatch into flying adults.

It’s during this transitional phase that they’re at their

frustratingly single-minded in their pursuit of the main course, often swimming past tucker they’d otherwise savour to slurp down the emerging insects.

This behaviour is referred to as ‘selective feeding’ and it’s not confined

to trout waters, as any angler who’s been on an Australian bass river or bream estuary during a big termite hatch will attest! Similarly, those who chase pelagic species such as Australian salmon, yellowtail kingfish and the various tunas may also have come across incidences of this single-minded behaviour, be it salmon and silver trevally locked onto krill, or keg-sized yellowfin tuna blasting sauries. Incredibly, these marine hunters can become just as fixatedly fussy about their diet as any mayflyeducated trout or termitesipping bass!

Amongst the hardest of all fish to fool are smaller pelagic species such as salmon, kingies, skipjack (striped tuna), kawa kawa (mackerel tuna) and longtails (northern bluefin tuna) feeding on clouds of minuscule baitfish fry.

These semi-transparent piscatorial matchsticks are nick-named ‘eyes’ by the anglers who regularly chase their finned tormentors, in recognition of the fact that those pin-head sized black eyes are actually their most visible feature.

Pelagics gorging on ‘eyes’ drive anglers to distraction. Attempts to match the hatch lead to the selection of smaller and smaller offerings, until your diminutive offering

Big trout can become quite selective about eating tiny insects during a hatch. be capable of inducing an ‘attack response trigger’ and enlarging (literally!) upon those elements.

This phenomenon of exaggeration is clearly demonstrated when lake fishing for trout (especially rainbows) feeding on daphnia or ‘water fleas’ (tiny arthropod crustaceans that graze on algae). Daphnia occur in huge numbers, often forming distinct feed layers that moves up and down with varying light

Interestingly, lake trollers often score quite well on daphnia-feeding trout by specifically targeting the exact depth at which the feed layer lies and using lures that match the green hue of a mass of daphnia. Exactly why or how this approach works when the lures involved are hundreds, if not thousands, of times larger than a single daphnia is a good question, but one that seems unimportant

simply becomes lost in the multitudes… one of many millions, with a statistical chance of getting eaten that’s every bit as slim as its profile!

Oddly, tying on a big popper or some other dramatically different piece of hardware can occasionally turn things around. So can choosing a slightly over-sized match (pun intended!) with exaggerated features, such as larger-than-life eyes. But

This longtail tuna fell to a metal baitfish profile lure that very closely matched the size and shape of the prey it was hunting at the time. you can still expect to make lots of casts most days.

As a rule of thumb, the smaller the prey items responsible for inducing selective feeding, the harder it is to fool predators into eating something else.

Also, the smaller and more prolific the food source, the less effective it is to exactly match the hatch by imitating just one prey item.

Sometimes, the best way to match the hatch is to imitate a group of prey items, or even to choose some aspects of the prey you suspect might

intensity and can be dense enough to return signals on a good depth sounder.

When trout feed heavily on daphnia their stomachs become distended with a green sludge made up of tens of thousands of partially digested organisms. Each daphnia is about the size of a pinhead. Not only would it be next to impossible to create a lure or fly that perfectly imitated a single daphnia, it would also be unproductive, because of the one-in-a-million principle already discussed.

when an energetic rainbow jumps on!

On one day, matching the hatch may mean precisely that: imitating as closely as possible the size, action, colour and swimming depth of a certain prey item. Yet, on another day, it could mean throwing the rulebook out the window and trying something distinctly leftfield. The great thing is that there’s no single, correct answer. Your theory is as valid as the next angler’s… at least until tested!

FISHING FILL-ITS

Peter Russell calls time after 23 years June marked the end of an era at Fishing Tackle Australia and motackle. com.au. After 23 years of service to the business, Peter Russell hung up his boots, picked up his fishing gear and headed off into the bliss that is retirement.

Way back when, Peter was selling ads for a local media company and when he tied to sell advertising for the tackle shop on the fringes of the Coffs Harbour CBD, the owner offered him a job – which he started the very next day.

Peter spent time working in every area of the FTA business, through the ups and downs of those 23 years in the fishing tackle industry, and watched the massive changes that have occurred in the industry over the past two decades.

Peter was there for the move from the not-toolittle independent tackle store in Little Street, Coffs Harbour, to the current megastore site on the Pacific Highway.

He saw the business expand several times into neighbouring buildings to become the largest fishing tackle store in the world.

Peter was involved in over 127 issues of the Mo Tackle catalogue from its inception, as well the

Peter Russell now has more time for bothering bass. eventual development of the Mo Tackle website.

A former TV worker in Canberra for some years, peter was an integral part of Mo Tackle and Fishing Tackle Australia advertising campaigns, fronting most of the TV ads for many years.

Pete also performed countless other, less seen, duties, including human resources manager.

The team at FTA wishes Peter Russell all the best in his retirement and pledges its determination to try to fill his shoes. – FTA NSWFM

SEPTEMBER 2013

53

keep heading upstream or down.

When you do find these deep bass, you will often need to make a further adjustment to your choice of lures.

Variations that sink

will be a lot more effective, because they will get down to where the fish are. If the fish are in less than 3m then the deep-diving minnows or spinnerbaits will still tempt them.

If they are holding deeper

Surface lures can account for some monster Spring bass, like this one caught on an OSP Bent Minnow.

Bass mark up really well on a good quality sounder. These fish were targeted with a variety of vibration lures and soft plastics. crankbait or topwater lands, let it sit for a few seconds longer before commencing the retrieve.

If a bass is in the area it may take a bit of time to swim over to your lure. If the fish are active, they can move a fair way to attack a lure.

The extra time spent on the pause may be just enough for the fish to close the gap before you start working the lure.

USE YOUR SOUNDER I have two sounders on my boat, a Humminbird 898 on the console and a Humminbird 587 on my front casting deck.

I am always glancing down at the units, no matter where I am on the boat.

You would be amazed how many fish that we drive over while casting at the bank. If you catch one or even a few fish on the bank,

always take a bit of time to sound around the area just out from where you just caught your fish.

Quite often the bass will school up in the deeper water and then move periodically to the bank to feed. The fish that you may have just plucked off a snag may be the tip of the iceberg and the main group of bass is actually holding just out from the bank, waiting to

Sinking vibration lures like this are a great choice for targeting deep bass and they’ll also pull fish when cast to the bank.

than this then you may well need to look at lures like metal vibes or blades, lipless crankbaits, plastics rigged on reasonably heavy jig heads or even ice jigs.

These schooled-up bass can often have a serious case of lockjaw to start off with, but if you can get one or two to bite then the rest of the fish will generally fire up as well.

Take your time on them, keep the noise in the boat down to a minimum and mix up your lure choices and techniques until you find something that they want.

If you can’t get them to bite then mark the school on your GPS. If you don’t have one then take a rough landmark, and then return to the same area a bit later in the day.

The fish may turn on later in the afternoon or be waiting for something like a tide change to fire up, so be wary of subtle changes in the weather while you are out there.

Any of these things may change, which will ultimately affect the fish.

Spring is a great time to be out on the water. The more clement air temperatures make an early start a bit more bearable and there are more daylight hours. It’s also a great time to be catching bass so get out there and have a go.

NSWFM

SEPTEMBER 2013

65

BASS LAKES

LAST MONTH’S SOLUTION

BAROON POCKET

LENTHALL

BORUMBA

MACDONALD

BROGO

MAROON

BULLEN MERRI

MOOGERAH

CLARRIE HALL

NARRACAN

CRESSBROOK

SAMSONVALE

FLATROCK

SOMERSET

GLENBAWN

TOONUMBAR

GLEN MAGGIE

WIVENHOE

GREGORY

FIND-A-WORD COMPETITION WINNER Congratulations to Jenny Chubb of Caringbah, 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

FINS SCALES & TALES

HAWK FISHING

FIND-A-WORD COMP

by A. Both

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: Hawk Tournament Competition PO box 3172, Loganholme Qld 4129 Name Address

BARRA COUNTRY

by Brett Currie P/Code Phone (day):

Find the Isome Boy prize winners

BITE ME

by Trisha Mason

G&N

by Michael Hardy

The Find the Marukyu Isome Boy prize winners for July were T Vidler of Denman, W Lewis of Bella Vista, P Sodermans of Silverdale, H Gravina of Glenhaven, B Fisher of Pacific Palms, R Melbourne of Forster, D Johnston of Bulahdelah, D Walker of Thornton, R Kresevic of Canley Vale, D Pagett of Tea Gardens, G Sanson of Boronia Park, A Higgins of Helensburgh, J Sandor of Colo Vale, K Hester of Beverly Hills, S Roweth of Millthorpe, A Barclay of Warren, D Chandler of Theodore, W Brazell of Aberdeen, R Jones of Toronto, R Micallef of Llandilo, A Sinclair of Lalor Park, D Gerstner of Liverpool, N Melotti of Ryde, S Hollands of Goulburn, L Boyd of Hawks Nest, B Markham of Tea Gardens, R Waters of Temora, R Clark of Russell

Lea, R Dowden of Goondiwindi, R Bochdal of Shoalhaven Heads, J Morante of Singleton, R Crowhurst of Halekulani, A Bird of Wattle Flat, C DeBoer of Valentine, K Moore of Spring Farm, P Bellis of Greystanes, K Chubb of Caringbah, N Bryant of North Albury, J Blevins of Emerton, L Robinson of Fishermans Paradise, M McLeay of South Lismore, T Millbank of Mittagong, R Knee of Lawrence, L Burraston of Armidale, N Moody of Sans Souci, N Webster of Kurrajong Heights, K Weatherstone of Luddenham, E Ristau of Ilford, V Dimento of Punchbowl, C Firth of Fraser, who each won a packet of Marukyu Isome Grab and Go Sandworm pack valued at $10.95!

Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – NSWFM

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE The subscriber prize winner for July was L Deighton of Bungendore, who won a She Left Hawk Eye HD video sunglasses valued at $300.

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All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws.

Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks.

– NSWFM

No scheduled maintenance for 3 years or 300 hours.

NAROOMA

SYDNEY NORTH

COFFS HARBOUR

NOWRA

SYDNEY SOUTH

Kingfisher Marine

Huett Marine Centre

Coffs Harbour Marine

Dave Hill Marine

Hunts Marine

19 Graham St Narooma 2546

1131 Pacific Hwy Cowan 2082

311B Pacific Hwy Coffs Harbour Sth 2450

1 Berry Street Nowra 2540

62 Princes Hwy Blakehurst 2221

P: 02 4423 6137 E: davehillmarine@onestream.com.au

P: 02 9546 1324 W: www.huntsmarine.com.au E: info@huntsmarine.com.au

P: 02

4476 2650

E: kingfishermarineinfo@gmail.com

PORT STEPHENS

P: 02 9456 1444 W: www.huettmarine.com.au E: info@huettmarine.com.au

SYDNEY WEST

P: 02

6652 4722

W: www.coffsharbourmarine.com.au E: info@coffsharbourmarine.com.au

FORSTER

COWRA

LISMORE Lismore Outboard Sales & Service

Bay Boat Sales

Blakes Marine Pty Ltd

Graham Barclay Marine

All Service Motors

332 Soldiers Point Rd Salamander Bay 2317

Cnr Windsor & Mulgrave Rd McGraths Hill 2756

129 The Lakes Way Forster 2428

1 Redfern St Cowra 2794

P: 02 4577 6699 W: www.blakesmarine.com.au E: sales@blakesmarine.com.au

P: 02 6554 5866 W: www.barclaymarine.com.au E: info@barclaymarine.com.au

P: 02 6342 2590 W: www.allservicemotorscowra.com.au E: allservicemotors@bigpond.com

P: 02 4982 7899 W: www.bayboatsales.com.au E: bayboatsales@hotmail.com

59 Union St Lismore 2480 P: 02 6621 2657 W: www.lismoreoutboards.com.au E: lismoreoutboards@bigpond.com

NSWFM

SEPTEMBER 2013

71

A new boat in the making FMG

Stephen Booth sbooth@fishingmonthly.com.au

Everyone who owns a boat understands that they have a life expectancy and when that point is reached with your current boat, it’s time to start looking for a new one. Commonly that point is size related and most people upgrade to a bigger rig.

And so after 8 years in my old boat, the time had come to get a new one.

The trouble was I wanted a specific layout inside and a performance outside that was going to be hard to get ‘off the shelf’. This of course led to a customised internal to the boat, a more expensive but ultimately more Boothyfriendly option.

The best part was that I could put my rudimentary design skills to work and design an interior that a ‘real’ boat designer could assess and tell me how wrong I was. I talked to a lot of people (probably too many!) and got some great ideas and some not so great ideas and it all culminated in the rough internal design you can see in the diagram hereabouts.

I’ll take you through my thought process on why I wanted what I wanted, then next issue I will talk about who and what I went with, the build and bringing everything together before talking about the end result in the following issue. After that I will get one of our boat testers to hit the water with the new rig and undertake a standard boat test.

From all this I hope you will get an appreciation of the complexity that goes into designing and building a boat, even an off the shelf rig, and that you will get a few good ideas to help you solve a problem or two with

your boat. And let’s face it, there is not one boat that the owner does not want to change something on, or is that just me?

THE HULL I chuck lures at fish and often in country that leads to all sorts of mishaps like running into snags, bumping over rock bars and generally not treating the hull wonderfully well. For these reasons alone I wanted to get into something with a bit of toughness about it that would withstand the occasional confrontation with a snag or 10.

I have to admit that my experience has been pretty much with aluminium tinnies and I am swayed by this, however it does tick a lot of boxes. But would aluminium be the answer?

I’ve ridden in enough ‘go-fast’ boats to know that a tinnie will never ride as well as a glass boat in open water, but I don’t want to go that fast and if it’s that rough, chances are I won’t be out there anyway as seasickness and I are very close friends. Plus I wanted a boat between 4.4 and 4.8m that was tiller steered and there are not too many glass boats that can deliver that on the market. There are some locally made ones available though and they presented very compelling arguments for a small glass boat.

And lastly I wanted slightly higher sides than a standard v-nosed punt. With a young daughter giving me advice on the hull I knew I was in trouble, but all she asked for was higher sides.

That should be relatively easy to accommodate.

So I was having some serious discussions with a lot of people about hull material and all that ended up happening was that I got very confused! That’s pretty easy to do to me, so it was no surprise.

DECK SPACE This is the big issue with boats for me, there is simply not enough deck space with the design features I want. For starters I wanted a big front casting deck that could easily fit two anglers and three at a pinch. I don’t like the idea of back boating a mate I am fishing with as I really enjoy seeing their success and enjoyment as much as I do when I catch some good fish.

The deck needed to have a few inclusions like an esky/ livewell, a front storage area with a dedicated area for the electric battery, a smaller storage area for tackle trays and a separate anchor well.

To the port side I wanted to have an 8’ rod locker capable of handling 6 rigged rods and the rear deck would hopefully be able to be used by a third angler (like when we are fishing the Flathead Classic) at a pinch, although the rear deck space would be mandated by the length of the tiller arm on the outboard.

Inside a 4.6m-ish boat that’s a lot to ask.

I may have complicated the wish list a little by really wanting hatches that are waterproof, much like the American bass boat style.

This is a big miss in Australia as waterproof hatches are brilliant and should be an option on all boats.

The cockpit area had to take my overly large landing net. I have unreal expectations with my landing net and many newcomers on my boat laugh at the size of the net until an 80cm flathead or 1.1m barra is sliding into it.

I also wanted a small console on the starboard side to hold my sounder, which originally I wanted to be able to twist around so I could see it from the front deck.

I have since been coerced into mounting another sounder bracket up front and I can then simply click off

A smaller boat will still get me into some of the smaller jack waters I love to fish.

These angry red fish still attract my undivided attention. the sounder from the main display and click it up front when we are actually fishing.

It saves the expense of two sounders and also allows me to easily see what’s going on underwater.

The boat also needed a pretty big livewell. I wanted something that could double up as a kill bin and be used to create an ice slurry so a livewell system that allowed me to do this would be a must too. Think about how easy

really like the console idea.

The trouble was that even the smallest console took up valuable space inside a small boat. I also had a desire to get back to even more simplicity with a tiller steer.

In truth I was a little tired of the steering getting claggy and hard in the console boat, and after 8 years you can probably say that’s to be expected, but it was a hassle I could do without and an extra expense at servicing time I

Chasing saltwater barra is awesome fun and the rig will need to be able to take a bit of chop.

Fishing big lures in big snags along the Murray will be a job this boat has to do well.

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it is to create an ice slurry within a livewell. Simply pour in some ice and turn on the livewell and it’s done.

Alternatively you can have the water in there and then pour in some ice – either way a livewell system was a must.

So what ended up as being a tough ask, after some drawings and consultation ended up being a fairly simple design. That’s great for me as simple is easy to use and this design had everything I wanted.

TILLER My last two boats have been side consoles and I

could definitely do without.

A tiller was the obvious choice for all of those reasons and the modern tiller steer outboards are fantastic. But, as I do, I wanted to have an electric start, electric trim and tilt and also a rev control option of some kind or a lower rev limit so that I could more finitely control my trolling speed for flathead and Murray cod. The boat is primarily a lure casting machine, but when it comes time to troll, then I want to do it in comfort and how I want.

I also wanted to power the boat at the upper end of its

capacity. This meant a 50hp would be about right, but depending on the size it may get me into the 60hp range.

I don’t want to race anyone to a fishing spot as I don’t fish tournaments that require that level of speed, however I believe boats perform better with an outboard that does not have to struggle to get the boat out of the hole and an outboard that can have the boat cruising well at around 4500rpm. The tiller steer also had to be a 4-stroke or a modern version 2-stroke as it just makes good environmental and fuel use sense. A 3 star rated OEDA outboard was a must.

And one other thing I was told I had to have was a fuel filter. This is a very underused piece of equipment and should be found on all boats, so I added that onto my growing wish list.

TRAILER With all the kit I was going to build into a 4.6mish boat I wanted a trailer that could handle the work.

I live all of 1km from the boat ramp but I do plenty of highway driving up to the barra lakes and down to the Murray so the trailer had to contend with long road miles and a bit of light off-road work when we go exploring along the Murray tracks. In essence I wanted the trailer over-engineered for the boat.

The trailer also had to be set up as drive on and drive off for those solo efforts I make when the flatties are running.

The trailer also had to have a spare wheel attached to it as I am tired of remembering and then lifting in and out of the boat the spare wheel. Add to this a motor bracket down back and I reckon I have my ideal trailer.

If there was a chance, I would prefer to get a trailer made from I-beam or C-beam as these trailers are super easy to clean down after a dunk in the salt, but most of these trailer styles were made for much bigger boats.

Aluvan Razor 4.3 with Yamaha 40D FMG

SPECIFICATIONS

Steve Morgan

Hull Length:.......................................................... 4.40m Beam:................................................................... 2.10m Bottom:................................................................... 3mm Sides: ..................................................................... 2mm Top speed as tested: ......................................... 50km/h Price as tested: .................................................$12,990 Standard inclusions: Carpeted floor and front casting deck, side pockets, bow and side rails, nav light brackets, anchor well, rear step and rail, extruded side decks, fuel tank rack and cleats.

s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

Relatively new on the boating scene, the Aluvan boats are the brainchild of Terry and Ben Allen. Not many will know that father, Terry, was instrumental in the development of the immensely popular Quintrex Hornet Millennium hull.

Thirty-year-old son, Ben, heads up the production on Brisbane’s northside.

Chatting to Ben about the history of these boats, it’s obvious that the family’s passion for boats and boat

building runs deep. Ben explains why the brand came into being.

“We wanted to make a You can see the Aluvan hull doing exactly what it’s meant to do in this shot – cut the water and drop the aerated water under the wide chines to improve ride. boat that was both beamy and could compete with the [Quintrex] Hornet for smoothness of ride,” Ben said, “but we wanted to be able to do this with less horsepower.

“The result is the Aluvan Pro-X [short for Project X] hull design, which features a sharp entry point to cut the waves and a long waterline length that combines with the

Standard carpeted deck and front casting deck give you plenty or from to crab, camp or fish.

The anchor well is standard on all 4.3 Razors. The trolling motor bracket is standard on all Brisbane Yamaha Aluvans.

broad, wetted edges to smooth the ride.

“The best part about the design is that the centre vee actually creates some positive lift,” Ben explained, “and the confused water it makes under the chines really helps add to the cushioning effect. We don’t think you’ll ride in a smoother boat that needs as little horsepower to perform.”

In fact, the 4.3m Razor we tested was powered by a miserly no-nonsense carburetted, three-cylinder Yamaha 40HP. Fed by a standard 24L plastic fuel tank, you’d be hard pressed to drain that reservoir in a day on the water. The top speed of this unit hit 50km/h on my GPS. With the massive deck space a given, I was interested to test out the ride in the pressure waves and chop around the bottom of Bribie Island in Moreton Bay on a big, making tide.

Coming off the tops of several, near cresting waves at full noise certainly gave me the full ‘landing’ experience, and although definitely cushioned by the hull design, you still knew that you were in a tinnie.

Like all Aluvans, this rig made use of the SponsiTrack design. The SponsiTrak Hull is an original plate alloy design, offering a handling and ride that is remarkably smooth and

CONTACT YOUR NEAREST DEALER

MERIMBULA Merimbula Outboard Services 382 Sapphire Coast Drive Merimbula NSW 2548

ph: 02 6495 9634 email: info@merimbulaoutboard.com.au NO RUST • NO CORROSION • NO OSMOSIS

1800 336 603 For more boats visit:

www.polycraft.com.au 82

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The helm is simple and leaves the cockpit open.

TIDE PREDICTIONS FOR SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) SEPTEMBER – 2013

SUNDAY

EASTERN STANDARD TIME

MONDAY

TUESDAY

1

0527 1.17 1103 0.58 1733 1.51

2

0015 0612 1152 1817

0.46 1.24 0.52 1.57

6

12

6

8

0335 0950 1559 2205

12 18 0 0412 0.30 1032 1.60 1646 0.36 2250 1.46

6

12

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

3

0051 0650 1234 1856

0.39 1.31 0.46 1.62

6

12 18 0 0452 0.36 1118 1.60 1740 0.40 2340 1.36

4

0125 0726 1315 1932

0.34 1.38 0.41 1.65

6

12 18 0 0538 0.42 1209 1.58 1841 0.44

FRIDAY

5

0157 0800 1353 2008

0.30 1.44 0.37 1.66

6

12 18 0 0038 1.27 0632 0.48 1308 1.56 1952 0.46

SATURDAY

6

0228 0835 1432 2045

0.27 1.50 0.34 1.65

6

12 18 0 0147 1.20 0737 0.53 1416 1.55 2109 0.44

7

0300 0912 1514 2124

0.26 1.55 0.32 1.61

6

12 18 0 0307 1.19 0851 0.53 1530 1.59 2219 0.38

1.5m 1.0m 0.5m 0

18

0

0.27 1.59 0.33 1.54

9

10

11

12

13

14

1.5m 1.0m 0.5m 0

15

18

0421 1004 1639 2320

0

1.25 0.48 1.65 0.30

6

16

12 18 0 0523 1.34 1110 0.40 1738 1.72

6

17

12 18 0 0013 0.22 0616 1.45 1208 0.32 1831 1.76

6

18

12 18 0 0100 0.17 0704 1.54 1302 0.26 1920 1.77

6

19

12 18 0 0142 0.15 0749 1.62 1352 0.22 2007 1.73

6

20

12 18 0 0222 0.18 0833 1.66 1441 0.23 2052 1.65

6

21

12 18 0 0301 0.23 0915 1.67 1528 0.26 2135 1.55

1.5m 1.0m 0.5m 0

6

22

12 18 0 0338 0.30 0957 1.66 1614 0.32 2217 1.44

6

23

12 18 0 0415 0.38 1037 1.62 1700 0.39 2300 1.33

6

24

12 18 0 0451 0.47 1117 1.56 1746 0.47 2344 1.23

6

25

12 18 0 0530 0.55 1200 1.50 1837 0.54

6

26

12 18 0 0031 1.15 0615 0.62 1248 1.43 1935 0.59

6

27

12 18 0 0130 1.10 0711 0.67 1345 1.39 2041 0.60

6

28

12 18 0 0240 1.09 0819 0.69 1452 1.37 2146 0.58

1.5m 1.0m 0.5m 0

6

29

12 18 0 0351 1.13 0930 0.67 1558 1.39 2243 0.52

6

30

12 18 0 0450 1.20 1032 0.62 1654 1.44 2329 0.46

6

12

18

0

6

12

18

0

6

12

18

1.5m 1.0m 0.5m 0

6

12

18

0

6

12

18

0

© Copyright: Commonwealth of Australia 2011, 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.

0

6

12

18

0

6

12

18

0

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