Fishing world april 2016

BONUS BO

A FISHINT GUIDEG

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DESTINATIONS

Choose a Fishing Guide Connect Fishing Line Fly Fish at Night-Time

East Coast Gamefishing Heats Up

HOW TO

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AWARD WINNING

TACKLE MANAGEMENT

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CONTENTS fishingworld.com.au APRIL 2016

Sydney Harbour has a diverse range of fishing locations for finding flathead, from deep water to shallow weed-lined sand flats.

This month’s cover story takes some of the mystery away from targeting these urban lizards. Sami Omari has spent long hours working out the secrets to catching urban flatties in this unique waterway and despite the daily chaos, Sydney continues to produce quality fish on a regular basis.

➤

10

Contents

REGULARS 09 EDITORIAL 16 NEWS 36 NEW PRODUCTS 46 DAVID GREEN 48 ROD BUILDERS 50 KNOTS & RIGS 58 Q&A 66 SHIMANO JUNIORS 74 THE FISHING SCHOOL 80 DAVE RAE

COVER STORY

SPORTFISHING

10 URBAN LIZARDS

60 KING OF VICTORIA

BY SAMI OMARI

BY SCOTT GRAY

Unbeknown to many, urban areas around Sydney produce good numbers of solid flathead.

Sami has spent considerable time refining his techniques and here he shares some of that knowledge.

The mystery of big Victorian kingfish is being unravelled, helped along by ongoing research into their movements and habits.

OFFSHORE 22 AUTUMN GAME

BY DAVID GREEN

Autumn is a fantastic time for game fishos along Australia's East Coast. Find out what to expect this season.

FLY FISHING

36

68 FLY BY NIGHT

BY MICK FLETORIDIS

There’s something special and challenging about targeting lake trout at night with a fly rod.

DESTINATIONS: 28 COSTA RICA TACKLE TESTING

BY SHANE CHALKER COVER: Big cities like Sydney still hold good numbers of flathead. In this month's cover story, Sami Omari shares a few secrets for successfully targeting these popular sportfish on lures.

IMAGE: FISHING DOWNUNDER

There's no better place for testing the latest fishing tackle than the fish-rich grounds of Costa Rica in Central America.

BEACH FISHING 52 SURF’S UP

BY ANDREW BADULLOVICH

Beach fishing is fun activity for the keen fisho or family man.

68 fishingworld.com.au | April A il 2016 | 5

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EDITORIAL

www.fishingworld.com.au Editor

Scott Thomas Ph: (02) 9213 8278 scottthomas@yaffa.com.au

Journalist/ Online editor

Jereme Lane (02) 9213 8273

Field Editors

David Green, Pat Brennan, Greg Finney, Sami Omari, Dave Rae, Chris Cleaver

Technical Editor Marine Biology Editor Environment Editor Foreign Editor SA Correspondent NT Correspondent VIC Correspondent Staff Photographer Illustrator

Mark Williams Dr Ben Diggles John Newbery Martin Salter Jamie Crawford Peter Zeroni Martin Auldist Shane Chalker Chris Palatsides

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Specialise and catch more fish

BY SCOTT THOMAS

What does it take to become a skilled angler? Some say it’s patience or time spent on the water. That of course is true. One of the appeals of fishing is that it’s a life-long pursuit, and with a few exceptions, we get better at it with age. I can’t think of too many other sports where this applies.

But there’s another way to become a better angler – specialising. While I know plenty of proficient "all-rounders", most top anglers are very focused on a species or style of fishing. I bet even those skilled all-rounders got that way by specialising over the years and bringing all those skills together like a big complex puzzle.

The same can be said for all sports and pursuits.

The successful ones are focused, sometimes to the point of obsession. It pays off with impressive results. It stands to reason those who spread their expertise too thinly never become skilled at any one thing.

T

hee same can be said for all sports and pursuits. The successful ones are focused, sometimes to the point of obsession.”

Tournament fishos are one example. While I’m not involved in the bream tournament scene, there’s no doubt these guys and girls catch a lot of fish and are highly skilled anglers. They spend a great deal of time and money on chasing one species of fish and honing their skills. Their level of focus and competition between other anglers drives them to become better anglers. I’ve fished onboard a few tournament boats and I always walk away impressed by their consistent ability to find fish in any conditions and any waterway.

The Gold Coast Flathead Classic is another example. While it’s technically a “social comp”, there are a few teams who take it pretty seriously – in a fun way – and go the extra mile to win.

On that note, Fishing World will be competing in this year’s event which is held later in 2016.

Part of this year's Fisho team is flatty specialist, Ian “Big E” Phillips.

Big E and fellow South Coast fisho Dave Johnstone are two blokes who prove hard work and focus pays off in fishing. Both guys are top-notch flathead fishos with some notable catches under their belt. They fish regularly, they understand their target species, and they don’t concede defeat until they get what they want!

The best anglers often specialise and are always focused without spreading their skills too thin.

The same applies to styles of fishing, whether that’s fly, game fishing, freshwater, saltwater, etc.

The best fly fishers I know are focused on catching fish using this method only. For them it’s really the only way to become truly proficient at something. Of course, in the case of fly fishing, game fishing, etc, it pays to have a solid grounding in the basics before deciding to put all your effort towards one style of fishing.

There’s also a trend towards specialising further and refining a specific lure type or technique.

Tournament fishos have been doing this for years.

It’s normal practice to exclusively fish plastics, or hardbodies, or only fish specific types of water.

Beyond tournaments I’m seeing plenty of keen fishos who only hit the water with a box full of topwater lures, plastics or vibes. There’s no faster way to learn a technique than making it hard for yourself and limiting your options.

As Australians we’re lucky to have such a diverse range of species so close to home. Most people I know, myself included, enjoy catching everything from whiting to marlin on all sorts of tackle including bait, lures and fly. While many of us are not about to give up this awesome variety of fishing, perhaps focusing on a species or one technique would make us better all-round anglers? What do you think? Send your comments to scottthomas@yaffa.com.au.

I hope you enjoy this edition!

Scott Thomas Editor – Fishing World fishingworld.com.au | April 2016 | 9

Flathead will take a variety of hardbody and soft plastic lures depending on location, depth and tidal infleunce.

10 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

Urban Lizards

IMAGE: SHANE CHALKER

Unbeknown to many, urban areas around Sydney produce good numbers of solid flathead. SAMI OMARI has spent considerable time refining his urban flatty techniques and here shares some of that knowledge.

fishingworld.com.au | April 2016 | 11

S

DNEY Harbour and the Parramatta iver are a hive of nautical activity with hustle and bustle of Australia’s largest evident not only on land but also on water. This commotion would generally spook many species, however the dusky flathead that call Sydney home seem to thrive amongst the incessant disturbance. I love chasing flathead; they’re readily accessible to most anglers and are very receptive to lures, hitting a well presented offering with gusto. Chasing duskies in the Harbour is something I never tire of and is an enjoyable way to while away a few hours in the

hope of catching a few fish for the table or tangling with a croc destined for release.

Sydney Harbour is a diverse waterway with its waters meandering across deep channels and holes, expanses of relatively constant depth, shallow flats along with foreshores lined with sand or rock encrusted surrounds. All of these locations will hold flathead at various times and are worth exploring at various stages of the tide.

The trick is to fish each location under the optimal conditions with the following pointers outlining where to effectively target flathead around Sydney.

Flats and shallow grounds Flats and areas of shallow ground are a favourite location for chasing duskies. I like to cruise a likely flat under electric power or drift if the prevailing conditions allow as it’s important to be constantly on the move, flicking lightly weighted lures along pockets of weed and sandy patches featuring a scattering of broken ground. They’ll get right up into the shallows and bask in the sun which raises their metabolic rate and aggression resulting in some spectacular fishing during the warmer months of late spring and summer. I generally fish these locations on the top of the tide and start of the run out where the flathead will be waiting to pick off any baitfish or prawns fleeing the receding waters.

Rocky foreshores A rocky foreshore that meets a sandy, silty edge featuring intermingled gravel and patches of kelp can be dynamite for flathead. If the location has enough depth, the start of the run in which brings with it that first flush of clean water can fish exceptionally well. The key in these locations is to look for clean water and reasonable amount of current so it stands to reason that these spots fish well on the run in allowing you to fish right through the middle stages to the back end of an incoming tide.

If you find baitfish or prawns flicking in the shallows, chances are there will be a few flathead lurking about and they’ll often sit right up against the rocks so it pays to cast in as close to the rocks as possible though you are likely to snag up every so often and inevitably lose the odd lure.

Midrange waters

Big flathead are available within easy reach of a big city!

12 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

Moving off the shallow grounds, you will find often seemingly featureless expanses at a constant depth of eight metres or greater in the Harbour which can be dynamite for flathead.

Whilst structure may appear lacking on face value, these grounds are like a tidal conveyor belt for the flathead that park themselves on the seafloor and scan the tidal flow for tasty morsels passing by. The key is to look for slight anomalies in the seabed, namely a subtle ledge or bank that traverses an expanse of relatively homogenous bottom or hard reef covered by sand with occasional patches of weed. These anomalies are where the flathead will roost and wait in ambush. These spots fish reasonably at most stages of the tide however I have encountered most success when there is a moderate amount of run in the tide. The key is to cast your lures up current as the flathead will be lying with their eyes and body pointed into the oncoming flow of water. And, to cover as much ground as possible till you find an aggregation of fish that will often sit along similar depth contours in different parts of the waterway at any given point in time.

COVER STORY: URBAN FLATHEAD

Vibration style sinking lures work well on deepwater fish.

LEFT: A light to medium size outfit is ideal around Sydney.

Around the moorings

Deep water tactics

Moored boats provide shade and cover for both baitfish and predators alike. The mooring blocks disrupt the flow of water and form artificial reefs providing anchor points for kelp, algal growth molluscs and other invertebrates. Deep set kelp beds dotted across sandy, mooring lined bays in the Harbour can be a great general drifting ground for flathead with polarised sunglasses an asset when seeking out the deep, productive patches of kelp.

These locations can fish well at most times of the day and are a great fall back for those times when the sun is high in the sky and most other locations are failing to produce. I generally drift based on the prevailing wind conditions and line up my boat so that the drift allows me to cast between and around the moored boats.

Holes, channels and deep drop offs are a seemingly favourite domain of the larger flathead that I find in the Harbour with most of my 75cm plus fish coming from these deeper stretches. I initially found them as by catch whilst chasing mulloway in later winter and early spring with the tackle and tactics for the two species quite similar. The main thing to look out for when scouting these deep water locations in the Harbour and Parramatta River is to find a spot receiving a good amount of current that also holds aggregations of baitfish.

Time of day isn’t overly critical in these deeper spots with most of the decent flathead I’ve caught coming during the middle of the day.

I’ll often fish these spots as the tide slows around the turn and the fish start to actively hunt and feed. An electric motor provides immense

Brag Matts don’t lie! That’s a good fish for an urban waterway.

benefit allowing you to hold the boat in position while peppering a hole from all angles.

Alternatively you can dial down the electric power to drift along slowly and effectively fish an expanse of deep water. If you don’t have an electric motor you can simply drop anchor and fan out your casts to fish the deep stretch of water in its entirety.

Gear and tackle.

Flathead aren’t a line burning sport fish in the true sense of the term, however a decent lizard will slug it out down deep and give a good account of itself on light tackle. My outfit of choice is a light-medium single handed outfit with 8lb braid for the shallow water fishing terminated with about five feet of 14lb fluorocarbon leader at the business end. When fishing the deeper stretches, I’ll upsize the outfit slightly and fish 10lb braid with a 20lb fluoro carbon leader as the rasp like teeth of a larger lizard can wreak havoc with lighter leaders, especially when fishing vertically with the leader constantly rubbing over their teeth under pressure. The critical component in your setup is without doubt the rod. Importantly, the rod needs to have a relative degree of tip stiffness to transfer energy to the lure and impart the necessary action into the lure along with being able to drive the hooks home for a positive hook set. Try using a light outfit with a jig head that’s at the upper end or above what the rod is rated for and you’ll find the lure action will be muted as the rod becomes overloaded and flexes excessively, absorbing power that would otherwise be transmitted through the line to the lure. Flathead have a nasty set of spikes on the sides of their head and can be a challenge to manage boat side so a large rubber meshed net is a helpful addition, fishingworld.com.au | April 2016 | 13

COVER STORY: URBAN FLATHEAD

especially when targeting the larger fish which have an incredible knack of swimming out of the net and regaining their freedom.

Lure types Fishing the shallows is generally the domain of 1/4oz jig heads and 3 to 4 inch soft plastic lures.

If you know how to whip and jig for flathead then a soft plastic stick bait can be dynamite when worked vigorously. Alternatively, a curl tail grub or shad can be used by beginners of those still looking to perfect their technique. Translucent colours either light brown or greenish seem to work well as do opaque whites. Once the water gets a little deeper at 30 feet and beyond, the jig head weights go up a notch to 3/8oz and occasionally 1/2oz if the current is raging. Lure sizes in the deeper stretches are also larger ranging from 4 to 7 inches with the jig head carrying an appropriate hook size to suit the lure. Big shads and curl tail lures are the plastic of choice as it becomes difficult to continually whip a heavy stick bait to impart the erratic action required to

Patrick Sebile holds a solid deep water flattie.

14 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

T

e dusky flathead that ydney home seem to thrive amongst the incessant disturbance.”

elicit a strike. Vibration style lures are another lure type that I have been using with good success on deep water flathead, in particular both hard and soft body vibes which are relatively simple to use and highly effective when the fish appear sluggish or disinterested in other offerings. The trick with using vibes is to ensure the lure is on the bottom so a long sink time is required. A long draw of the rod brings the vibe to life with long pauses to allow the lure to sink and rest on the bottom before hopping it back to the boat.

One thing to bear in mind when targeting flathead is the size of the lure relative to the size of fish you’re hoping to tangle with. I often fish 4

inch plastics and hook many undersize fish which supports the notion that flathead are relatively aggressive for their size and will hit a larger lure than many anglers would appreciate. Just remember that a 20cm whiting is a relatively small fish that a flathead of a few pounds would readily try to devour – that whiting translates into a lure size that’s almost 8 inches in length so don’t be afraid to use big lures when targeting larger flathead, especially in deeper water.

There’s nothing wrong with taking a few fish home from the Harbour’s lower reaches and I normally keep fish around the 40-55cm mark for a feed while releasing the larger ones or any fish caught west of the Harbour Bridge. I love a feed of flathead and prepare them simply by knocking the fillets off each side then carefully skinning and deboning the fillets resulting in nice strips of light coloured flesh. A quick dusting of lightly seasoned flour or bread crumbs then pan fried in a little oil makes for a terrific and healthy meal that tops off any successful day chasing flathead around Sydney.

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FISHING NEWS A Harbour commuter wharf.

ONLINE THIS MONTH FISHINGWORLD.COM.AU

➀ ENVIRO NEWS:

SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT

BY JOHN NEWBERY

THE Australian Fish Management Authority (AFMA) cops a beating on this website fairly regularly, particularly in recent times over its handling of the small pelagic / super trawler issue. AFMA Management makes recommendations based on science and research…but then the AFMA Commission makes final decisions presumably after considering the broader views of the relevant parts of the commercial fishing industry, other stakeholders...

➁ FFISH FACTS:

A AIR EXPOSURE

By Dr Ben Diggles

IT has been said that air time is good for TV personalities and radio shock jocks, but with a few notable exceptions, as a general rule its not very good for fish. Anyone who has smiled at the antics of a mudskipper, marveled at flying fish in full flight or tried to work out the logic of jumping mullet would agree that some fish regularly go the aerial route as part of their day to day existence. But is removing fish from the water during a catch and release process a good idea?

16 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

RFA plan to use old commuter wharves THE Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) of NSW is pursuing the possibility of re-purposing old commuter wharves in Sydney Harbour and Botany Bay. Whilst these wharves sit idle the RFA is pursuing the NSW Government and is willing to work with local councils to help refit and re-purpose these sturdy pontoons as dedicated fishing platforms.

The RFA’s position is that they are currently

being wasted sitting idle when they could help alleviate the congestion in some of the iconic locations in Sydney Harbour and Botany Bay. They could also remove conflict on commuter wharves between fishers and non-fishers and slow what the RFA term “the erosion” of angler access to our foreshores.

Anyone who wants more information or to help with this initiative can contact the RFA directly through their website.

Two huge barra landed in minutes AVID Darwin angler Brendan Griffiths made the comfortable and leisurely one hour drive from Darwin to the Lake Bennett Wilderness Resort, an artificial lake 80 kilometres from Darwin. Bennett is an 81 hectare freshwater lake formed from a dam in the early 1980s.

It was stocked with 52,000 barra fingerlings in mid 2004 by the NT Recreational Fishing Unit. Void of crocodiles this recreational lake is known for its safe fishing, swimming and canoeing. Brendan and his partner Lauren Prosser were there with friends to see in the new year and for Lauren to test out her new pink spin outfit she received for Christmas.

As festivities got under way Lauren thought she would try her luck casting from the cabin’s pontoon and immediately hooked and lost a big fish. Brendan didn’t hesitate to grab his own gear and also cast around the pontoon and to everyone’s amazement he landed a meritorious 121cm barra. Several minutes later he landed another metery only a few centimetres shorter.

By Rocky Edwards

Hooked on Adventure.

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FISHING NEWS

BEST OF THE

Dodgy prawns?

EVER noticed on some packets of imported green prawns the tag line “not for use as bait”? It’s because some prawn viruses are resistant to freezing and it’s feared that they could infect and damage local prawn stocks if they got free as the prawns defrosted when used as bait. Now the good news is that these viruses have no effect on humans so it’s quite safe to keep a bag of frozen green prawns in the freezer for use in curries or stir fries. They’re usually from Thailand or Indonesia and are either vannamei or black tiger varieties. Both are also available as cooked product in most fish markets and major retailers at a lower price than locally caught or farmed prawns. Despite scare campaigns regularly run in the major papers, they’re good products, as long as with all prawns they look shiny, crisp and not discoloured around the head.

By John Newbery

WEB Global fis stocks ar

fishingworld.com.au

Here’s a rundown of the 7 most popular stories recently posted on the Fisho site:

➀ BAIT TIPS FOR BIG BREAM

➁ PRACTICAL: CRABBING BASICS

➂ SUCCESSFUL JEWIE FISHING

➃ VICTORIAN ANGLER CATCHES 17.6KG JEWFISH FROM KAYAK

➄ TOURIST KILLED IN BLACK MARLIN ATTACK

➅ OPINION: AUSTRALIA'S BEST EATING FISH

➆ THE JACK GURU

BUY ONLINE...

18 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

ACCORDING to a report released by the Nature Commucations journal, global fish stocks are falling three times faster than official numbers from the United Nations suggest.

The Guardian newspaper reported that overfishing is being blamed for the overall decrease but the discrepanccies in figures from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation are believed to be a rreporting failure on the part of sport, illegal and small scale fishing, as well as fish d discarded at sea.

The report is the result of a decaade-long study from over 400 researchers around the world.The report highlights that w while many fisheries have been exploited, certain stocks were being sustainably managed.

NSW rock fishos forced to wear lifejackets ROCK fishers in NSW will be forced to wear lifejackets under new legislation.

NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliot said the new laws would be introduced soon, according to a report on the ABC. “What we are saying to the people of NSW today is that if you enjoy rock-fishing, that’s fantastic, but we want you to get home. You have to wear a life-jacket if you are in a high-risk area,” said the Minister.

“Unfortunately, it has taken 37 deaths for this legislation to come through.”

Elliot said the penalties for not wearing a life jacket in these areas would be similar to those for on-water activities.

“This is legislation that has been forced on the Government because people have not heeded the public safety campaigns in the past,” Mr Elliot said.

The ABC reported there will be a 12-month grace period after the laws are introduced.

FISHING NEWS

Reports of WA fish deaths TWO major fish kills, two quite different causes. WA Fisheries reports that the Pilbara coast kill of thousands of baitfish was most likely caused by a combination of high water temperatures and low dissolved oxygen levels when the fish were confined in a small tidal catchment at low tide. The more dramatic Cockburn Sound snapper kill appears to have been caused by a toxic algal bloom, which resulted from high nutrient load, high water temperatures and reduced flushing conditions.

IMAGE: REC FISH WEST

By John Newbery

SNIPPETS

➀

TIM WINTON’S OWN FISH AUTHOR, angler and environmentalist, Tim Winton, has had one of the 20 new fish species discovered recently in the Kimberleys named after him. Melbourne Uni researchers discovered the new grunters, gudgeons and hardyheads across 14 different rivers in the Kimberley. Winton has written many fishing sequences in his books and is a vocal supporter of many conservation initiatives.

By John Newbery

Tracking yellowfin tuna YELLOWFIN tuna are a major commercial and recreational species as we all know. There are several international treaties and conventions aimed at maintaining the integrity of international stocks but rogue operators still flaunt the rules and claim catches have been taken in open rather than restricted areas.

CSIRO researchers have recently developed DNA sequencing technology

that will allow scientists in fisheries management and enforcement to determine the origin of captured fish, which should be very good news for sustainable fishing policy development and very bad news for fishery “pirates”.

A CSIRO-coordinated project will soon apply these techniques to other species such as billfish and sharks in partnership with a number of other major fishing nations.

By John Newbery

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20 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

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AUTUMN GAMEFISHING

Autumn is a great time for chasing blues.

OPPOSITE: The Eastern Australian Current pushes south during autumn bringing fishos good numbers of gamefish.

22 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

Autumn Game Autumn is a fantastic time for game fishing along Australia's East Coast. DAVID GREEN tells us what to expect this season.

IMAGES: SCOTT THOMAS

T

H HE East Australian Current is a reeasonably predictable phenomenon. starts east of the Great Barrier Reef spring and pushes south along the A l East E Coast throughout summer and Australian autumn. In general it is, in the whole scheme of things, a fairly narrow body of water usually about 100 to 200km wide. It is actually a giant back eddy forcing warm water from the north against the Australian mainland. For those of us that are avid students of watching sea surface temperature charts, the East Australian Current brings bands of warm water south along the NSW and Queensland coasts, sometimes pushing warm water as far south as the east coast of Tasmania, where captures of striped marlin are increasingly common.

When the current runs hard it can push up to 3 knots. In this situation the main body of warm water seems to run in an almost gun barrel straight line to the south. This usually coincides with fairly poor fishing on the wider grounds and

most pelagic fish seem to rapidly move south, not holding in a particular spot for any length of time.

In autumn the current slows, and there are often eddy currents as the warm water from the north hits colder southern current. It is these points that provide excellent game fishing opportunities in the autumn, especially for those boats chasing blue marlin.

In closer to shore the East Australian Current continues to run in southern Queensland up until June. At this stage on the Sea Surface Temperature charts the bands of warm water push as far south as around Coffs Harbour, but in recent years it has had a warm water effect for a lot longer period. Warm water species such as Spanish mackerel have been caught all through the winter right at what was normally considered the southern limit of their range. I am a very interested student of watching water temperatures and I have never seen warmer hotter more prolonged high water temperatures than I have seen in the past few years. fishingworld.com.au | April 2016 | 23

AUTUMN GAMEFISHING

LEFT TO RIGHT: An assortment of rigs for the autumn gamefishing season; Southern areas such as Port Stephens during March and April often sees striped marlin in good numbers; Greeny with a good sized Spaniard.

BELOW: Wahoo can be spectacular to catch and even better on the table!

In Southern Queensland autumn offers the game fisherman a lot of opportunities. The inshore run of juvenile black marlin that generally begins in December has usually finished by late February as the fish move south to NSW, but bigger 50 to 120 kilo black marlin turn up on the wider bait grounds on the 80 metre line and beyond at around the same time the smaller inshore fish slow down. Out on the continental shelf the blue marlin fishing generally picks up a bit as the current slows down, and some of our best ever days have been in April with occasional exceptional days where up to 10 blue marlin in a day are hooked by a single boat. Some really big wahoo turn up in autumn and on the inshore reefs spotted and Spanish mackerel are usually in quite good numbers. As summer swings into autumn dolphin fish numbers drop but there are still quite a few present on the wider grounds and these are generally caught as bycatch when chasing blue marlin. Striped marlin become more common of the Queensland coast as the water cools, but in more southern ports such as Port Stephens March and April see striped marlin in good numbers if the water temperature holds up.

In autumn the most important thing to consider when planning your trips is water temperature and current. If you look at a sea surface temperature chart (such as on Fishtrack) you will get a fair idea of what you are likely to encounter on both inshore grounds and off the continental shelf. By your local fishing grape vine you will know reports and have a fair idea of what is being caught. If the water temperature has dropped below 20 degrees no amount of trolling will make it warmer! In general, you won’t find billfish in the cold stuff. I like to be really specific in my planning. If I see an eddy and patch of nice 24 degree water with an eddy current wide of the Gold Coast Seaway in 200 metres, the plan is to chase blue marlin trolling lures on 37 kilo tackle. This doesn’t mean getting distracted by other things on the way out. While a certain degree of flexibility is important, the days where you decide to fish for “everything” often lead to catching nothing.

Autumn target species Billfish In southern Queensland the main billfish species encountered throughout the autumn months are blue marlin. These fish rarely stray inside the hundred metre line, and in general require a long run to the edge of the continental shelf before you put the lures in the water. From the Gold Coast

W

Seaway to the continental shelf is a run of about 50 kilometres and most of the better areas are between 55 and 80 kilometres from the home port, so you need a good weather forecast and plenty of fuel, especially when fishing from a relatively small trailer boat.

We troll a spread of five lures on stand-up 37 kilo tackle. Most of these lures are rigged on a single hook placed well back in the skirt in a “gaff ” rig setup. The single hook is connected to a short length of 49 strand cable and then held in a semi rigid position to the cable with heat shrink plastic, so the cable and the hook look like a small “gaff ”. This rig is enjoying world-wide popularity and in the opinion of many skippers gives a much better hook up rate than lures rigged with two free swinging hooks.

Trolling for blue marlin is a waiting game characterised by long periods of calm solitude that suddenly explode into screaming reels and chaos. It is, in my opinion, the absolute best bite you will ever experience in fishing. From a small boat blue marlin are extremely challenging fish to catch. Last season we had a double hook up on 300 pound blues from my six metre tinny with only two on board and managed to land both fish. I’d rate that experience as one of the most logistically difficult captures I’ve ever been involved with.

Having a screaming 80W reel sitting in your

hile a certain degree of flexibility is import important, the days where you decide to fish for 'everything' often lead to catching nothing.”

24 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

groin while trying to drive the boat without a rod bucket is not easy!

While blue marlin fishing is generally done by trolling lures, this is generally the least effective method when fishing for black and striped marlin in the autumn months. At this time a lot of the baitfish, predominately slimy mackerel, are holding in large schools often close to the bottom in between 60 and 200 metres of water.

The big bait schools attract a lot of marlin, and it is hard to get these fish to rise to the surface and take a lure when there are millions of delicious slimy mackerel holding down deep.

The most effective way to fish near big bait schools is to live bait, either by drifting or slow trolling. Marlin can usually be easily seen on the echo sounder holding just off the bait school.

Live baits can be caught on multi hook bait jigs and are then lowered into the area where the marlin show on the sounder using a circle hook rig and a break away sinker. Areas such as the Car Park off Port Stephens produce plenty of striped marlin using this method in autumn.

I do a fair amount of live baiting on my local grounds off the Gold Coast but it's my least favourite method. The bite is a slow drawing pull instead of something wild and highly visual, and it takes the fish a while to perform properly and jump. As far as effectiveness goes, deep fished live baits are deadly and are sometimes the only way to get a bite.

Wahoo Autumn is the best time of year to chase wahoo.

I have a real soft spot for these fantastic fish. We normally catch quite a few each season and when I see one come into range of the gaff I’m already thinking Panko crumbs and planning future

meals. The season of 2014/15 was disastrous for wahoo in my local waters. We never caught a single one. Last week, however, when the deep diving Halco took off in a head shaking flurry, I renewed our acquaintance with wahoo. I was almost salivating when I gaffed it. They are a beautiful fish in so many ways.

Targeting wahoo can be difficult if you don’t have a specific spot where they turn up regularly.

I like to put a single deep diving minnow out amongst the skirted lures. In general, when trolling at around seven knots, a wahoo will eat a hard bodied lure in preference to a skirted lure about 70 per cent of the time. This keeps the lure destroying fangs away from the more expensive skirted offerings, gives you tasty wahoo fillets and the hard bodied lure also catches quite a few billfish at times if rigged correctly. I’ve tried quite a few lures for this role

but without a doubt the Halco Laser Pro range are the stand outs.

High speed trolling is another great method to try for wahoo, but this requires quite specific lure types. Heavily weighted metal headed skirted lures such as Hex Heads are ideal. The ideal troll speed is between 10 and 15 knots, and I generally keep it at about 12 knots. The extra speed excites the wahoo into striking and at this speed the strikes are spectacular. While this is quite a wahoo specific method, it also works on Spanish mackerel and tuna species. The lures are rigged on 49 strand cable and the weight of the head keeps them in the water and avoids tumbling and fouling.

Trolling small live tuna on wire around pinnacles is another good method to target wahoo. Small frigates, mackerel tuna and stripies rigged on a two-hook wire rig are very fishingworld.com.au | April 2016 | 25

AUTUMN GAMEFISHING

LEFT: Check out those teeth marks! Toothy critters such as mackerel and wahoo are most common during this time.

effective in getting bites from big wahoo, and this method is deadly in places like the Tweed Nine Mile Reef and Fish Rock near South West Rocks.

Spanish mackerel Autumn is the best season to chase Spanish mackerel in northern NSW and southern Queensland. Unlike Wahoo, Spanish mackerel are an inshore species and rarely stray into water more than 50 metres deep. The best spots to target Spaniards are on reefs only a few kilometres offshore. The migrating run of Spanish mackerel moves south with the current. In spring the majority of the fish, along with the smaller spotted mackerel, are in central Queensland. They usually arrive in Noosa and the Sunshine Coast in December and the Gold Coast in January before heading south along the north coast of NSW where they are found as far south as Port Stephens, but in general the best fishing is from Hat Head to the NSW border. These fish migrate to very specific spots each year. Some reefs hold good numbers of mackerel, others never seem to produce them at all.

When mackerel are thick “easy� methods such as trolling hard bodied minnows can produce quite a few fish, but more often than not, a bit of

26 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

careful preparation is required when Spanish mackerel are being fickle. Few things out fish a carefully rigged dead bait or a live slimy mackerel or small tuna slow trolled behind a downrigger. In heavily fished areas this method is supremely effective. Mackerel are also quite easy to see on a good echo sounder. They tend to hold in vertically stacked schools above a pinnacle. At times they will rise to lures on the surface, but often when the bait is deep the only way to catch them is to deliver the bait or lure to the depth the fish are holding at. A good method to try is high speed spinning. Mackerel are very shy of wire so I use long thin lures with multiple

split rings attached and a single hook. The faster your retrieve is, the more bites you will get.

I make a long cast and let it sink to the bottom, then rip it up about ten turns, then stop, count to three, and start the retrieve again. Most bites come after the pause. Without wire you lose a few lures but the strike rate goes up greatly and overall you catch a lot more mackerel.

The autumn months are a fantastic time to fish off the NSW and Queensland coast. The warmest water temperatures are often a month behind the period of warmest land temperatures, and from billfish to wahoo there are great opportunities.

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GLISS KG line from German tackle company WFT has the slickness of mono, thinner diameters and better strength than braid, plus better casting performance than both. You might never fish with traditional braid or mono again.

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Costa Rica is a sport fishing paradise with a wide variety of tackle testing fish.

Clash in

Costa Rica There's no better place for testing the latest fishing tackle than the fish-rich grounds off Costa Rica in Central America.

SHANE CHALKER reports.

28 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

S

PORT fishing media from around th he globe were all converging on ro odile Bay Eco Lodge, situated on the Osa Peninsula at the southern end of Costa Rica.

A day or so earlier I met Mitch Birt, the Australian brand manager for Penn and Pure Fishing, at Sydney Airport before boarding the massive Qantas A380 for the 16 hour flight to Dallas. I'm far from a

seasoned traveller and found the long flight exhausting! After a further five hour connecting flight to the capital of Costa Rica we had a sleep over in San Jose before boarding yet another small plane to our fishing destination. This flight was more enjoyable, passing over prehistoric looking mountain ranges and small coastal villages that appeared to have great fishing grounds on their doorsteps.

fishingworld.com.au | April 2016 | 29

DESTINATIONS: COSTA RICA

We were greeted on the ground by a minivan and were quickly whisked away to the Crocodile Bay Resort. Our passports were photocopied and handed back with a local fishing license. This copy of our passport and license had to be kept on us at all times while fishing in case of an inspection from the coastal patrol. Failure to produce the requested documents could result in the officers detaining you! After a quick breakfast and a briefing, we were going fishing at last!

Clash of roosters For the purpose of testing the new range of Penn Clash spinning reels, each boat was supplied with numerous outfits ranging from CLA 3000 size to fish around 20LB braid

30 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

through to the CLA 8000 which were filled with 60lb and can boast an impressive 30LB of drag. All reels were spooled with the new Spiderwire Blue Camo, which did make the outfits quite pleasant on the eye. After being introduced to our skipper and deckie for the day we threw off the ropes and headed for the bait grounds. Mitch, fellow photographer, Dave Granville, and myself had arrived a day earlier, so lucky for us had an extra day fishing up our sleeve. Joining us for the day was Patrik Svensson who deals in product innovation at Penn and the editor of Voyages des Peches magazine in France, Julien Lajournade.

As the boat engine’s roar dulled to a purr, the rippling bait on the surface suggested we had arrived at the bait grounds. Strings of bare

small silver hooks were deployed and soon retrieved with what the locals called Sardines.

These looked a lot more like herring. Once the live bait tank held about 40 livies, we headed around the corner of the Osa Peninsula to fish for the elusive rooster fish. The baits were rigged quite simply with a sardine bridled to a 5/0 circle hook, then about one metre of mono trace to a swivel with a large ball sinker. These were slowly trolled only 20 metres from shore in five to 10 metres of water. Amazingly the first bait in the water was taken within 20 seconds and Patrik was hooked up solidly. The fish fought similar to a kingfish with powerful runs and constant direction changes. "Rooster, rooster" was the call from the skipper!

This species has a unique look with four

distinct black bands along its body and a dorsal fin with large black and yellow sickles coming from the top of its head. It’s impossible to confuse these fish with any other species, and growing to 100Lb, they’re a trophy fish sought by many anglers around the world.

Once in the boat, the decky made a point of releasing the fish quickly. Roosters can die in less than a minute, so I worked fast to get some shots before the fish, estimated to be close to 10kg, was successfully released.

Next it was Dave’s turn with a much better fish. After 15 minutes, the fish showed itself to be another rooster of about 20kg. It was nervous moments as it had a few strong runs close to the boat and having a fairly soft mouth, Dave took it easy making sure not to pull the

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Well-known luremaker Patrick Sebile showing off some designs; an underwater view of a local snapper; Penn’s latest spin reel, the Clash, was put through its paces on a variety of hardfighting fish; Penn’s Mitch Birt with a hard-fighting rock snapper.

fishingworld.com.au | April 2016 | 31

DESTINATIONS: COSTA RICA

hooks in the final moments. This was an amazing looking animal and Dave couldn't have been happier!

The action slowed a little, but was consistent throughout the day with some nice GTs, more roosters and Mitch landing a rock snapper.

The session ended with Patrik catching an African Pompano, a trevally looking species with long hair-like sickles, silver like a mirror, and good to eat.

Costa Rica magic

ABOVE: Mitch Birt with a healhy trevally.

RIGHT: Rooster fish are great fighters and all were released unharmed..

MAIN IMAGE: One of the lodge’s boats searches for marlin under a stormy sky.

Day two saw the rest of the participating guests of the "Costa Rica Clash" arrive nice and early. After an introduction from staff and a welcome speech from the Penn representatives over breakfast, everyone was put into their groups for the day and shown to their rooms to gear up for a full day of fishing. Legendary lure designer and maker, Patrick Sebile was also there and was busy rigging lures for the day. Introducing myself, I quickly realised what a nice guy he is and enjoyed his company many times over the next three days.

While the others prepared themselves I walked down to the long jetty with camera in hand to get some filler shots. While admiring a small lizard on a coconut, in the corner of my eye I saw a mullet jumping towards shore with a rooster fish in hot pursuit catching its prey a only few metres from the beach. This place was alive with fish!

I was fishing with Penn business manager Mike Rice and a host of editors from various international magazines. The day started well with a couple of nice GTs and a few small rooster before things went quiet through the late part of the morning. We moved in closer to a small patch of shallow reef that would break on certain swells. We continued with the slow trolling of live bait program while lures were cast from the front deck. I managed a nice rooster on a Sebile magic swimmer which I was pretty stoked about and after that things got a little more exciting. There were plenty of surface strikes on the lures and the hits on the livebaits kept on coming too, resulting in eight rooster fish for the afternoon session. It was smiles all round as we had a beer on the cruise back to the wharf.

Marlin Blue marlin were the target species on day three with a bit of an earlier start to the morning to allow for the 45 mile run out to the FAD. I had heard stories of epic days on these fishing grounds with 10 rampaging blues in a day and larger numbers of sailfish not out of the ordinary. Large dolphin fish are also common here but with extraordinarily hot water temps due to the El Nino affect they hadn't shown up 32 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

T

re were plenty of surface strikes on the lures and the hits on the livebaits on coming too, resulting in eight rooster fish for the afternoon session.�

fishingworld.com.au | April 2016 | 33

DESTINATIONS: COSTA RICA

this year. With glassed out conditions, and an average speed of around 25 knots in the Striker, it wasn’t too long ‘til the gear was in the water.

Fishing a mixed spread of skip baits, skirted lures, teasers – some of which had hooks in them, a small lure for baitfish and two rods ready to switch bait anything that showed its head, it seemed a recipe for mayhem.

Fishing with some experienced marlin anglers they were a little confused about the set up thinking to tow just lures or just try and tease up a marlin and switch it would have been a better option. On the bait rod we managed some bonito and the smallest yellowfin I’d ever seen, which we rigged on the Clash 8000 ready to pitch at a marlin if it showed up. It would have been a great test for the outfit. We had one good size marlin crash one of the lures but failed to hook up. We watched other boats from the Crocodile Bay lodge catch three fish around 150 kg mark which put on a great show and made for some good boat to boat photos.

Lessons in lures For me the best day’s fishing was saved until the final day, not only because there was plenty of action, but sharing a boat with Patrick Sebile and talking with him for many hours one-onone was an experience that will probably never repeat itself. Having Mr Sebile onboard for the day meant one thing – no bait – we were to fish his lures all day. Getting a jump on the other boats in the fleet because we had no need for live bait paid quick dividends. Within the first few casts we had a double hook up on a

34 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

Another rooster comes boatside. It’s not hard to see what makes these fish so appealing.

rooster fish and a GT. We had plenty more action straight up, not on huge fish but the consistency of the fishing was amazing with plenty of hits, misses and hook ups. A few mackerel showed up but once hooked other fish in the school were prone to biting at the joining knots between the mono and braid making for a bit of lost gear. We had driven past a couple of rocks that came out of the water and being surrounded by bombies for the past three days which looked extremely fishy and hadn’t had a cast at them meant I was pleased to be heading in their direction. Patrick launched a great cast into the eddie behind one of the rocks with one of his mackerel coloured stick shads. I followed his lure being retrieved through the view finder of my camera to watch two solid roosterfish fight after it with one

pushing the other aside and engulfing the lure.

I got some photos of it but videographer, Hunter Shyrock got some great footage that looks great in slow motion. The fish eventually won its freedom, much to Patrick's disappointment as he jumped up and down and cursed in his native French language.

My other new French mate, Julien caught a fish I was extremely keen to see on this trip, a Cubera snapper. It smashed his popper and he was able to put the brakes on this dirty fighter with the help of the heavy drag on the Clash 8000. The fish didn't disappoint, looking like a mangrove jack on steroids. It was a great day’s fishing, one I may never forget and a great way to finish what proved to be a trip of a lifetime.

Shane Chalker fished Costa Rica courtesy of Penn and Pure fishing.

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he Shimano S Socorro Spin is back, but long-time fans may have a bit of trouble recognising h these new reels. With a glossy black XT-7 body and a gold anodised AR-C spool, the cosmetics are remarkably different, and intternally it’s a much-improved reel r as well.

With the SW (Salt Water) designation they are built saltwater tough, so the Socorro is capable of handling anything in the jigging, spinning,, trolling or bait fishing spectrum .

The Socorros not only look unlike their predecessors, but they come packed with a load of new featu ures too. They have Shimano’s Hagan ne cold-forged gearing, four shielded A-RB beearings plus one roller bearing, X-Ship bearing supported pinion, and increase ed water resistancee in key areas.

The waterproof Cross Carbon drag is another major improvement, annd with this comes a major ste ep up in drag capability.

There are five sizes in the new series: 5000 5000, 6000, 6000 8000 and 10000, with the first two having a retrieve speed of 4.6:1 and the beefy 8000 and 10000 models 4.9:1. The vented round handle knob is more comfortable to use with fast retrieves, and Dyna-Balance eliminates rotor wobble when you’re really cranking that lure in.

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ZMAN RAZOR SHADZ 4.5''

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idg geline claims the Highlander jacket was its most innovative step forward in technology for 2015. The Highlander 3 in 1 can be worn as one large three-layer jacket to protect you against the l harsh elements. From there it can also be split into 2 different light-weight jackets. One is a fleece base layer jacket and one is a waterproof outer shell.

RRP $419.95 More info: www.ridgelineclothing.com.au

36 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

MA AN’s new RaZor ShadZ 4.5” features a segmented, fish-shaped body and forked tail to create an extremely life-like profile in the water. The segmennted tail allows maximum action with the slightest twitch of the rod tip and the buoyancy of the 10X Tough, ElaZtech construction brings the RaZor ShadZ to life in the water.

RaZor ShadZ can be rigged on a TT Lures HeadlockZ jighead to fish the required depth or alternatively rigged weedless on a TT Lures ChinlockZ hook for the erratic darting diving action of a dying baitfish, with a deadly slow rise on the pause. pause Zman said that the surface hits were spectacular during the testing phase by slow rolling and twitching the plastic as a wake bait. For those throwing spinnerbaits and chatterbaits, they are also gaining popularity as a trailer.

Available in 6 different colours with 4 plastics per pack.

RRP $11.50 More info: www.z-man.com.au

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Coleman has also designed it with uniform holes throughout the top of the burner which coupled with a large diametre burner (will fit two 30cm pots side by side) heats a larger surface area.

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GERMAN STEEEL POCKET SIZE MEASURING TAPE

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ER EK’S Marsh Slider Measuring Tape is a pocket-sized measuring tape that will go anyw an where and fit anywhere, giving all anglers the chance to measure their fish in l any situation. Constructed using durable PVC and with large numbers for easy reading, the Marsh Slider measures fish up to 120cm and rolls up to a compact 13cm high by 7.5cm wide. Compact, easy to use and even easier to store, including in your pocket while walking and fishing from the bank, the Zerek Marsh Slider Measuring Tape is a convenient and simple tool to help you know the length of your catch anywhere and at any time.

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NOMAD MADSCAD

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OM MAD said its Madscad is a sinking stickbait that covers evverything from smaller pelagics like salmon and longtail tuna right h to the monster end of town like GTs, tuna and wahoo. The 190 th throug Deep can be trolled at over 15kn, and is a deadly wahoo and tuna lure.

One of the most versatile casting stickbaits available and tried and tested over the last five years in some of the toughest testing grounds there is, like the Coral Sea and New Zealand.

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38 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

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HE E Allegiance II surf rods are PENN’s new land based casting series, each rod specifically designed as a performance castinng tool utilising high modulus graphite blanks and Fuji O guides for superior casting performance whether casting lures or baits. Whether in the surf, off the rocks or on the pier, Penn claim the Allegiance series will cast your bait to the horizon.

Featuring Penn’s super comfortable heat shrink rubber grip system, the Allegiance is lightweight and well balanced in the hand. Ideal for delivering the power required to cast long distances. All five models are two- or three-piece for convenience and range from 9ft through to 13ft and rated from 8-12kg to 12-20kg.

More info: www.pennfishing.com.au

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The Ugly Stik Cooler Bag is convenient enough to hold 6 cans and keep a full day’s worth of food. The zippered closure ensures you’re always ready to enjoy a cold drink. ry With a revolutionary industrial design, the back of the cooler bag folds down to reveal 2 drink holders, essential for hydration during a day’s fishing. The engineers at Ugly have thought of everything, the Cooler bag includes an Ugly Stik stubby cooler!

RRP $29.95 More info www.shakespeare.com.au

WIN PRIZES! As part of our New Product of the Month section, Berkley is offering a fantastic prize package. Simply email a photo of a fish you’ve caught on a Berkley Gulp! product (try and include pack in the photo) to “Berkley Gulp! Comp” at comps@fisho.com.au. Please include a few words to describe the capture and your full address and contact details and you’ll go into the draw to win this great prize pack which includes: • Powerbait large tackle bag c/w 3 large tackle trays • 6 x Dog lures, 8x Gulp soft plastics • Nitro Pro jigs • 2 x FireLine Tournament Exceed line • Value over $300!

Get your entries in now!

THIS MONTH’S GULP WINNER Adam Shearer, from Glenning Valley NSW, caught this 75cm flathead at Wangi Point in Lake Macquarie. It was taken (and released) on a 2” baby shrimp in the Pepper Prawn colour.

Well done Adam, a Berkley prize pack is on its way out!

40 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

WICHARD COMPACT KNIVES WI

W

ICHARD claims the Aquaterra is the must-have knife for cleaning fish, cutting bait and all-round geneeral fishing use. Equipped with a stainless ge steel blade it offers excellent cutting t l bl capabilities, optimal corrrosion resistance and features a strong, grrippy handle.

Available with a smooth or serrated blade ew for wine lovers. and an optional corkscre are The Wichard Aquaterra knives k manufactured in France and are sure to be popular with fishers, campers and boaters.

More info: www. wichard.com.au

WESTIN RING TEEZ

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ES STIN said the protruding bands on its new Ring Teez cause tempting vibrations in the water and will attract any bass oor perch lurking within range. Once they’ve spotted it, the vibrant colours and wacky tail-action will send them crazy!

Featuring optimal flexibility and very realistic eyes, the Ring Teez is available in a selection of colours and scen Th The Ri Ring TTeez i (10 (10cm l ng andd come in a pack of 8.

More info: www.jml.net.au

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es tin claim that the Slim Teez looks like a baitffish, swims like a baitfish and even smells like a baitfish so it’s no wondder that it gets jumped on by all kinnds of fish from bass to flathead – especially on those days when the fish fi h are playing hard to get. With its soft, flexible tail movement and deep, turbulence-creating body cuts, it can be fished any way you choose; with subtle movements in midwater, flicked around bottom structures, drop-shot, jigged, Texas or Carolina rig. Draw the fish in with panicky movements and once they get a look at the realistic ghost eyes and a whiff of that amazing fishy smell, hold on to your rod! The Slim Teez are 5in (13cm) long and come in a pack of six.

More info: www.jml.net.au

WILSON BEACH ROD HOLDER

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OL EMAN’s new Divide range of torches will preserve battery life using its patent-pending “battery lock system”. The strong, ligh ightw h eight and water-resistant aluminium construction puts out 350 s on high and 35 lumens on low setting with run times of two hours l on high and 50 hours on low. A one-button operation and simple twist to engage or disengage the battery lock keeps it all very simple and the lifetime LED never needs replacing.

More info: www.colemanaustralia.com.au

42 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

AV VING a place to safely store your rod on the beach, out of the sand d and surff is a necessary part of beach fish hing.

It doesn’t matter if you hold your rod while fishing or let it sit in the holder,, at some stage you’re going to need bot h hands free to do something like bait up u or re-tie a rig.

Wilson’s Beach Rod Holder is a powder coated, extra strong alloy to ensure, even under the most trying circumstances, your equipment stay s high and dry. A large, two-winged fluuke is double welded to provide extra security and the rod rest and butt rest are sim mple and effectively designed.

Easy to transport, easy to use and built for the harsh conditions found on o the beach, the Wilson Beach Rod Holder is an essential companion on any beaach fishing trip.

More info: www.wilsonfishing.com.au

Growing Gippsland’s bass fisheries

Seventeen Gippsland waters have shared in 120,000 Australian bass fingerlings thanks to fishing licence fees and the State Government’s Target One Million plan, which aims to increase participation to one million anglers by 2020.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Blue Rock Lake – 25,000 Lake Glenmaggie – 10,000 Narracan Lake – 10,000 Mitchell River – 10,000 Timbarra River – 10,000 Macalister River – 9,000 Tambo River – 8,000 Nicholson River – 8,000 Thomson River – 5,000 Avon River – 5,000 Tyers River – 5,000 Valencia Creek – 3,000 Hospital Creek – 3,000 Traralgon Creek – 2,000 Freestone Creek – 2,000 Cowwarr Weir – 2,000 Rainbow Creek – 2,000

#target1million

Since 2002, more than 687,000 Australian bass have been stocked in Gippsland.

Target One Million has also delivered improved access to Blue Rock Lake with boats of all lengths and engine sizes now permitted. A speed limit of 15 knots applies. The tagged bass fishing competition continues with great prizes on offer. Learn more at www.vic.gov.au/bluerockbass

Blue Rock Lake has been stocked with more than 185,000 Australian bass fingerlings since 2002.

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N the past, buying a decent fly rod often meant out-laying some serious cash. These “top end” fly rods were out of reach of the averagge angler and as a result fly fishing was seen as somewhat exclusive. A rich man’s sport. Of course there were cheaper options, but these were the extreme opposite and were often poor quality.

Thankfully that’s all in the past with a few companies now producing mid-priced fly rods with impressive performance. Innovator is a leader in this market and its new range - the HLS - is one of the standout rods. Coming in at under $400 it’s still not a giveaway, but its performance rivals many higher price point rods.

I’ve owned several Innovator rods over the past 15 or so years including the Matrix series and more recently the Nitro Velocity.

These black Velocity rods performed very well with a fast action.

The latest HLS2 series builds on this and has taken on a more modern appearance while offering the same crisp action for casting.

The HLS2 uses advanced multi-directional carbon fibre matrix which Innovator says makes it lighter and stronger.

The range consists of two series - Freshwater and Saltwater. The freshwater models claim to have softer actions more suitable to fishing streams for trout using light tippets, while the Saltwater series have faster actions and are more suitable for chasing larger fish on bigger flies and in windier conditions.

I tested the 8 weight rod for a few weeks while fishing my home waters around Sydney Harbour. While the fishing wasn’t exactly red hot,

rus usta tace cean an n

Curl Tails

Jerk Shads

I managed some salmon, tailor and small kings and fished in all sorts of conditions. It’s an impressive rod! It’s light in the hand and takes little effort to belt out a good cast in strong wind. of course no rod will make you a good caster, but it helps to have the right tool for the job and the HLS2 fits that bill nicely.

If you’re looking for a mid-priced fly rod for fresh or salt, it’s well worth checking out Innovator’s HLS2 range.

More info at www.mayflytackle.com.au.

By Scott Thomas

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44 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

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DAVID GREEN

Cold Blooded Fishing Encounters Sooner or later most fishos will have an encounter with a snake – and as Greeny recently experienced while fishing offshore – it can happen in the strangest places.

A LONG-TIME FISHO CORRESPONDENT, DAVID GREEN ENJOYS CATCHING EVERYTHING FROM FLATHEAD TO MARLIN.

A surprise encounter with a green tree snake onboard Greeny's boat.

46 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

I GREW up as one of those feral kids who had a backyard and a bedroom full of snakes and lizards. This was in the period before keeping reptiles was in anyway regulated, and at the time if you caught it you could keep it. Lots of kids I knew in my local area of West Pennant Hills in Sydney were quite similar, and the number of snakes and lizards we had in various cages, fish tanks and out of ground swimming pools was quite amazing. Reptile collecting trips were a bit like fishing was at the time, with success measured by how many things were in the sack or pillow slip at the end of the trip. My first scientific papers were published in the journal called Herpetofauna in 1973. These were “The reptiles of the northwestern suburbs of Sydney” and “Habits of the Southern Leaf Tailed Gecko”. While I was an extremely keen angler at the time, my focus was on catching any creature at all, whether it swam, ran or jumped.

Growing up, going to university and moving out of home restricted my reptilian pursuits, but the experience I gained with reptiles has been quite useful both as an angler and as an emergency physician where we get to look after the victims of snake bite. If you’re a fisherman chasing bass, trout, cod or barramundi the chances are that you will have quite a few encounters with snakes and other reptiles. Snakes generate fear in a huge section of the population, and as with anything that creates fear, the responses from anglers are often quite irrational and bizarre, far out of proportion to the real risk presented by the animal encountered. The first and most important point you need to be aware of is that the snake you stumble upon has not been stalking you with a desire to kill you. It is more scared of you than you are of it.

The snake bites we see at work often involve inherent genetically based stupidity, alcohol, drugs, bravado and a desire to kill the reptile.

Some involve mistaken identity when the “python” gets picked up and played with by an intoxicated self-acclaimed “snake expert” and is in fact a very angry large eastern brown snake. As an angler, most of your snake encounters will occur when you are walking along inland streams and rivers where there are a lot of frog eating snakes such as red bellied black snakes and mainland tiger snakes. On the North Coast of NSW and in Southern Queensland there are rough scaled snakes and further north you can add taipans into the mix. In the main however, with the exception of Tasmania, most of the snakes you are likely to encounter will be quite harmless.

The main risk faced by anglers comes from walking in long grass where you may inadvertently tread on a snake and it will strike you as part of its defence. I was fishing the upper Severn River and I put my boot directly on a large black snake. It

didn’t bite me but it was quite a surprise for both of us! When walking along river banks such as occurs when trout fishing the streams of southern NSW, wear good walking boots and socks and gators are also useful protection. In general tiger snakes, copperheads and black snakes are not very aggressive and these are the main dangerous species found around trout waters.

It’s important to carry a compressive crepe bandage if you frequent river banks where your risk of snake bite is relatively high. Sometimes snake bite victims never actually see the snake, it is just a sharp sudden bump with a scratch or puncture wound. We have looked after a lot of “stick” bites where the suspicion is low, but every so often all the blood tests go off the scale and the person gets quite sick. The message is that you shouldn’t ignore potential snake bites even if you didn’t see the snake! If you are bitten or suspect you may have been bitten, do not wash the wound. We can often get a swab from the bite site that lets us identify the type of offending snake species. Apply a firm crepe bandage,

I

was quite slow, and we had trolling for about an hour when Mark yelled out ‘Snake!’.”

immobilise the limb and call for help. The firm crepe bandage is important as it delays the effects of the venom.

Different snake species cause different types of symptoms. Some, such as death adders, cause paralysis but have few other effects. Eastern Browns, probably the most dangerous snake we regularly deal with, stop the blood from clotting, cause some paralysis and have digestive enzymes that effect the muscles. The symptoms can be many and varied, but double vision, drooping eyelids and voice changes with profuse sweating are typical severe symptoms.

A week ago I had one of the most bizarre snake encounters I’ve ever heard of. We launched the

boat, set up the gear and were trolling a spread of lures chasing dolphin fish, black marlin and wahoo. It was quite slow, and we had been trolling for about an hour when Mark yelled out “Snake!”

My eyes scanned the water, as it's not unusual at this time of year to see a few big olive sea snakes pushed south on the East Australian Current.

I couldn’t see a snake in the water, but there, wrapped around my Ian Miller rod being trolled in the short corner position, was a snake. It had obviously been coiled up somewhere in the boat and wasn’t enjoying its trip out to sea. It was a harmless green tree snake that thought a fishing rod was the nearest thing to a tree. I picked it up, put it in a lure bag and it was released back into the wild the next day. I don’t think I’ll see that happen again in my lifetime!

As an angler fishing in wild environments, you will, from time to time, encounter snakes.

Leave them alone, treat them with respect and remember that they are protected wild life.

Snake bites happen due to the actions of the person, not the snake in most cases.

Season 3 On Now Sundays 11am on ONE HD

Check local guides for details

Keep up to date with the latest news at www.facebook.com/fishingedge

fishingworld.com.au | April 2016 | 47

ROD BUILDER WITH BRAD JOB

Tip: TFST 7/2.0

80 mm

TKWSG 6

85 mm

Featherweight Title Fighter

TKWSG 6

90 mm

TKWSG 7

90 mm

TKWSG 7

100 mm

TKWSG 8 110 mm TKWSG 8 110 mm

BOB RUSSO takes the challenge of building this ultra light baitcaster while maintaining its crispness and performance.

TKWSG 8 130 mm

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TKWSG 8 140 mm

48 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

F

orr a blank so light with taper it was the particular pa very sharp and responsive when pushing out the light bream and bass lures.”

TKWSG 10 140 mm

TKWSG10

180 mm

touch. It is what it is. The blank has not lost much, if any of its action. When Scott came down to pick it up we went down to the river at the end of my street with a few lures of different weights and the blank worked a treat. For a blank so light with the particular taper it was very sharp and responsive when pushing out the light bream and bass lures. It was a real treat to use and something you could hold in your hand and cast all day without any issues Scott wanted me to add markings along the blank at 35cm 45cm and 50cm for quick reference to the length of his fish. Not a bad idea I thought. Then I got wind of a stick on measure that’s available... It's always the way.

TKWSG 12

Fore Grip 75mm cork

S PECIFICATIONS Reel Seat : ACS-SD 16/9.5

BLANK: UNITED COMPOSITES UC 601 GUIDES : TKWSG AND TKTSG SIZES : #12 ( TKWSG) THEN 10, 10, 8, 8, 8, 7, 7, 6, 6, 6. (TKTSG ) TIP : TFST 7/2.0 REEL SEAT : ACS-SD 16/9.5 REAR GRIP 140MM RUBBER IMPREGNATED CORK FORE GRIP 75MM CORK GUIDE SPACINGS

ILLUSTRATION: CHRIS PALATSIDES

FISHO editor Scott Thomas recently asked me to build an ultralight baitcaster rod that would allow him to cast tiny lures. Scott wanted this particular rod to fish specifically for bass and EPs with his trusty Shimano Chronarch and newly acquired Curado 70HG. The rod also wouldn't be out of place chasing bream and flatties.

Scott had already spoken to United Tackle for a suitable blank. The blank chosen for this “ultra-light” build was United Composite’s UC 601. While the blank is very slender and is built with a moderate taper, it does have plenty of integrity down on the lower end. In layman's terms, it had balls!

With finesse blanks like the UC 601 particular attention to guides would be necessary owing to the bug bear of line touch.

I was concerned that the extra guides needed to stop line touch could possibly change the blank's action. The compromise between weight and potential line touch led me to use Fuji TKWSG & TKTSG guides. These guides have SIC inserts in Titaniam frames and that's about as light as a guide could get on a baitcast rod.

The stripper and second guide would be double footed with the rest being singles, but they come with very low frames.

An exposed reel seat would let the angler get more "feel" through blank and also helped keep the weight down. Evey little bit helped.

A short 75mm cork grip and a 140 mm rubber impregnated rear grip finished the business end of the ultra light bass rod.

To maintain the blank's action I used a size 12 double footed stripper guide followed by single foot guides from size 10 through to 6.

When finished, this rod was certainly lightweight. The bindings were A grade black with metallic emerald green and silver trims. Bindings were kept to a minimum. The build was finished off with a light coat of FlexCoat epoxy.

I half expect to get criticism from some readers as the rod ended up with 11 guides ... yes 11!

No matter what I tried with the chosen guides I needed to use the extra guides to avoid line

Rear Grip 140mm rubber impregnated cork

KNOTS & RIGS WITH MARK WILLIAMS

A ‘Yak Fisher’s Knot Grant Ashwell is an accomplished kayak fisho with a long list of notable catches. Mark shows us “Grant’s knot”, an effective connection for line up to 20kg.

TECHNICAL EDITOR MARK WILLIAMS IS A HIGHLY EXPERIENCED ANGLER WHO WRITES REGULARLY FOR FISHO.

ONE of the pleasures I get from writing this column is providing recognition to outstanding anglers, especially those quiet achievers who consistently make exceptional catches, yet somehow stay under the radar of the wider angling community. Some of these gun anglers that I’ve acknowledged over the years include Bob Williams, Scott Thorrington, Grant Ridley, Eugene Partridge and Steve Craine. The common denominator between all these highly successful anglers is they’ve largely built their reputations on their own local hard-fished waters. In the modern age of social media it’s relatively easy to build a reputation as a good fisho if you’ve got the cash to travel to exotic remote locations with hordes of fish that have never seen a lure. Doing it on hard fished waters in high populations areas is a completely different kettle of fish.

Grant Ashwell is a successful offshore kayak angler who, like the other gun anglers previously mentioned, has concentrated his fishing efforts largely on his home waters along the Mid-North Coast of NSW. He’s well known in the kayak fishing community for his dedication to the pursuit of billfish and other game fish from his Hobie Revolution 13 kayak.

At the time of writing (January 2016) he’d just landed his 34th black marlin from a kayak, not to mention three striped marlin and three sailfish that he’s also previously landed. It’s a tremendous record that most boat anglers, me included, could only dream of compiling.

Grant is one of those guys who is always happy to share his hard-earned experience with fellow kayak fishos. On a recent fishing trip he showed me a knot he regularly uses for connecting terminals such as hook to line or leader up to about 20kg breaking strain in fluorocarbon or monofilament. Grant said for leader material over 25kg you’re probably better off using another option such as a uni-knot which is a time proven means of connecting heavy leader material to terminal tackle such as hooks or

GRANT’S KNOT

MAIN LINE OR LEADER

1. Feed your double line through the eye of the hook.

50 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

TAG END

2. Wrap the doubled line around the main line and tag end 3 times and then feed it through the loop adjacent to the eye of the hook.

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

H

LEFT: Grant’s knot is a simple and effective method of connecting lines under 20kg.

OPPOSITE: Grant's ability to catch big fish off a kayak is second to none.

swivels. Anyway, I was pretty sure I hadn’t seen this knot before, so when I got home I had a look through my collection of reference books by noted knotologists such as Geoff Wilson, Lefty Kreh and Fisho’s own Chris Palatsides and I couldn’t find anything like it. To my way of thinking it’s something of a cross between a half blood knot and a Palomar knot. He hasn’t given it a name as I’m not sure he’d even shown it to anyone before, so it’s just Grant’s knot for the purposes of this column.

The accompanying illustration by Fisho’s Chris Palatsides demonstrates how to tie Grant’s knot. I’ve found it a straight forward connection to tie. As with most knots it’s best to lubricate it with saliva once it’s formed and then take your time tensioning it up. I usually find when I’m trying to tie a new connection that it can take a couple of attempts to get the hang of the best way to pull it up, however on this occasion it pulled up quite neatly on the first effort and looked good. Like most people I’m more likely to continue to use a knot if I find it user friendly. What I like most about this knot is that it provides two wraps through the eye of the hook, which I’m sure results in a connection that is better suited to coping with the pressures and wear resulting from extended fight times with hard pulling game fish.

To tie this knot you simply double around 15

to 20 centimetres of the end of your main line or leader back onto itself. Feed the doubled line through the eye of the hook and complete three wraps back around the main line and tag end.

Then you feed the doubled line through the loop formed between the hook eye and the first twist in the same way as you would when tying a half blood knot. Finally, to complete the connection you pull the doubled line over the hook in exactly the same manner as you would finish a Palomar knot.

If you want to check out the calibre of gamefish that this new knot has been tested on I suggest you go online and search the forums at either www.theyakshed.com or www.kfdu.com.au where there’s plenty of cool pics of an array of impressive billfish, cobia, Spaniards, wahoo, kingies and yellowfin tuna caught by Grant Ashwell on his knot from his Hobie kayak.

The best anglers I know are always looking to improve their rigging skills and acquire knowledge. Consequently, if they see a new knot developed that may suit their requirements they always check it out. Some new connections can be massive game changers such as the FG knot or Lefty’s loop knot, while others may only provide a slight improvement over an old time proven favourite. I reckon this one is definitely worth your consideration.

NDY INTS

WIN! A SPOOL OF BRAID

To enter, simply send us a photo of your original or innovative handy fishing hint or tackle-rigging idea, ensuring you include any relevant written information *

THIS MONTH’S WINNER TIC TAC BOXES For small pieces of terminal tackle, things like swivels, sinkers, clips, and small hooks, I’ve always had a problem with storage. That’s until I discovered empty Tic Tac boxes. These cheap boxes are useful to use after you’ve finsihed with your mints. Being clear it’s easy to see what’s inside and the handy latch on top keeps your gear secure until you need something. As a bonus, you’ll always have fresh breath!

Mike Mclean - Southport, QLD.

3. Feed the doubled loop over the hook point, lubricate and slowly pull up the knot tight.

ILLOS: CHIS PALATSIDES

* ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Send us a digital photo of your handy hint in action, with a 50-60 word description. Rigs, knots and hints for any fishing application are acceptable. The lucky winner will get his/her idea published, and will receive a 135m spool of Rovex Viris 10lb super sensitive braid.

Send your e-mail entry to: fisho@yaffa.com.au

fishingworld.com.au | April 2016 | 51

BEACH FISHING

Surf’s Up T

ERE'S something ecial about the eching sound of sand r toes and that refreshing flush of seawater around your ankles.

These sensations are symbolic of beach fishing, and are all part of the experience when sliding a fish onto the sand from the suds. Beach fishing is popular with most anglers, and for good reason. Most beaches are accessible and available to the majority of people with some boasting a sealed car parking, BBQ facilities and amenities. Some of these areas are great for hosting a picnic or sausage sizzle; however, it’s the fishing opportunities that attract me to the beaches. There are many different spec you can target from the surf, and various forms of angling techniques too. It’s the simple “bread n butter” style of fishing that I enjoy most. I absolutely love fishing with my wife and kids and they're more likely to join me in a beach fishing session if I keep the process simple.

Timing Most families are time poor due to sporting commitments and excessive workloads, not to mention the onslaught of “kiddies birthday parties” that seem to pop up every Saturday! This said, you can still find a few hours to wet a line.

It's difficult to get my troops moving at sparrow’s fart, so I tend to favour the afternoon sessions.

The afternoon/evening period is a great time to fish as the fading light will often entice the fish to come out and play. Besides, there isn’t a better place to be during a hot summer’s afternoon.

A beach pole in one hand and a cold beer in the other – what a way to go!

Tides can dictate the difference between fruitless sessions as opposed to fillets in the pan, which can also have significant bearing on your family enjoying themselves or hating the whole 52 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

Beach fishing is a fun activity to enjoy for the keen fisho or family man.

ANDREW BADULLOVICH shows us the basics.

cursion. I favour the rising tide as the n falls. This is a great tide for most rms of fishing, and there is no exception the rule when it comes to beach fishing. he rising tide will fill gutters and holes ose to shore, which in turn, enables fish move in and feed on the morsels that habit the intertidal zone. Most fish hich patrol the surf wash zones will ast on pipis, crabs, baitfish and orms… all of which can be found idst the intertidal zone. The flooding so means that you won’t need to cast ry far to catch a fish, as most species ill prospect close to shore. This is great ews for the beginner, especially if cast istance is not your forté.

Not all high or rising tide phases he goods, and some high tide periods are difficult to fish. For example, the spring high tides during the full and new moon periods are great for large predators such as mulloway and sharks; however, these tides also have a tendency to rush in hard and cause turbulent side draw, currents and rips. It makes it hard - and unenjoyable for that matter - to fish if your line is washed back onto the sand directly after making a cast. Those who are savvy with angling at these times will catch some nice fish, however it's not the best time for the beginner (or your kids) to test their luck. Depending on your location; three or four days before the new and full moon phases should provide good tides with more family friendly conditions.

There is a catch, though. It’s vital that you have a bit of wave activity to stir up the prevalent food source in the area, and some side draw or flowing water will prove beneficial, too. The saying of “no run, no fun” is very relevant when beach fishing. The gentle flowing water will allow your bait to be washed along the beach gutter in a natural manner, which will appeal to fish more so than anchoring your bait stationary.

Zero swell and no side draw may seem like the

Rali Badullovich with her first ever Australian Salmon. Rali said it fought incredibly hard, and was released to fight another day.

OPPOSITE PAGE: A size 2 longshank hook is perfect for the job.

This size hook also reduces deep hooking which can harm the fish if you intend on releasing it. fishingworld.com.au | April 2016 | 53

BEACH FISHING

T

es can be the difference between fruitless ons as opposed to fillets in the pan, which has significant bearing on your family enjoying it or hating the whole excursion.�

54 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

glamour conditions to fish the beach, but it's very rare that the fish will play the game during calm conditions.

Where to fish?

The best places to start fishing are in or around gutters. A beach gutter is defined by an area of unbroken deeper water that generally runs close to shore. Gutters can be easily identified and are typically situated between the shoreline and wider sand-bank formations. The wider shallow sand bank will force the waves to break, creating white-wash. This stirred up concoction of foam and sand then washes across and into the un-stirred deeper section of water close to shore (known as the gutter) before reforming as a wave and crashing onto the shoreline. These gutters can vary in depth and length, but there is no denying that this is where the fish will be. I like to fish around the areas within the gutter that show some form of structure; such as, a spit that juts out from either the bank or shore – or even an alteration in width or depth to the gutter. I prefer to move around a bit until I get a bite, or a fish, then I will work that area over for a while in case there are a few more fish in that vicinity. It’s all about trial and error, and you’ll need to keep active until you find where the fish are holding. This is why I like taking my family with me… I spread them out up and down our chosen gutter until someone catches a fish, then we all crash their party and cast in the same area to where the fish was just caught. It makes sense to have a baited hook where the fish are feeding, as they may only hold there for 20 minutes before moving on to the next gutter. Cast to all areas of the gutter to ensure you have entirely covered the area, as the fish may be holding either along the outer edge of the gutter at the sand bank – or on the inside of the gutter right at your feet! This said, it’s worth making a few casts at any likely formation, whether it's a random pot-hole, or isolated sand bank among an expanse of deep water. Another neat idea is to slowly retrieve line after a cast and keep your bait moving. Take note where you get a bite or a fish to determine how far out the fish are holding. This is a great tip for whiting as they love a moving bait.

Catch the bait The best part of beach fishing is catching the bait.

As I mentioned earlier, crabs, worms, and pipis are dynamite bait for bream, whiting and salmon.

Digging in the sand along the intertidal zone at low tide will reveal molluscs known as pipis or cockles. These are great bait, and also make ideal finger-bait for catching beach worms.

Beach worming is an art in its own right, and it's not for the squeamish. It takes lots of practice to get it right, but the results are worth it. It’s my belief that beach worms are the “gun” bait, and your chances of obtaining a feed of fish are

ABOVE: Is there a better way to spend an afternoon with the family?

LEFT: Catching beach worms is a skill worth learning.

MAIN: There’s no better place to be on a hot summer’s afternoon than the beach!

definitely enhanced if you have live beach worms among your arsenal of bait. Beach worms are generally caught within the last hour of the run-out tide, and can be enticed to expose themselves from the sand by waving a form of berley among the receding waves. The berley used is known as stink-bait, and can consist of a fish frame or oily fillet, or even a tin of cheap cat food shoved into a woman’s pantyhose. Wait for a wave to wash up the beach, then, wave the stink-bait around in the water as the wave recedes. The worms will detect the smell, and raise their heads above the sand in an attempt to snare the potential food source which they presume is coming their way. Beach worms are easily identified by a small V shape in the receding water, which looks like an arrow head. By carefully offering the worm your finger-bait (pipi or piece of fish flesh) you’ll be able to entice it out further from the sand where you should be able to get a grab on its head with your thumb and forefinger. The trick is to allow the worm to attach itself to the finger bait then slowly lift it higher to enable your fingers to slide around the worm’s head for the grab. Try not to make

contact with the worm during this process as the worm will spook and disappear in a flash. Once you have ample room to make the grab, don’t lift any further; hold the worm in this position until the worm arches its back before ripping the finger bait downward into the sand. The key tip here is to grab the worm just as it commences arching, and then pull it from the sand with one foul swoop. It’s a fun family activity that the whole gang can join in on, not to mention, a great way to obtain the best beach fishing bait in the business.

Naturally, fresh bait is best, but frozen bait will catch fish, too. Prawns, pilchards, whitebait and salted strips of tuna will all catch fish.

Target species Fish species that inhabit the surf break regions will vary from state to state. I’m from the far south coast of NSW, so my main targets are bream and whiting, with a few east Australian salmon thrown in for good measure. While most anglers will target salmon using a whole pilchard bait rigged on a ganged hook, you will encounter quite a few with worm, crab and pipi bait too. Bream and whiting are excellent on the plate, and often fishingworld.com.au | April 2016 | 55

BEACH FISHING

mashed potato, lemon juice, onion and herbs make awesome fish-cakes, and my family and I eat them regularly.

ongoing debate between some fishos as to whether braided line or nylon monofilament is better for bait fishing from the beach. For me, the bites are hard enough to detect at times when beach fishing, so I opt for braided line. Braided line allows you to stay in direct contact with your bait, which aids bite detection. You can tie your braided mainline directly to a swivel, or a length of mono via a double uni knot before attaching your rig. The rig I prefer is a paternoster rig. This rig should be built with 9lb monofilament line, and consist of two #2 long-shank hooks. Two baits are better than one. You will still catch fish if you wish to fish with one hook. The reason why I prefer the paternoster rig is because the sinker is at the bottom of the rig and allows an easy “tanglefree” cast. The sinker attached to my two-hook paternoster rig is a swivel bomb, and will tumble and roll with the flow of the ocean. This is fairly crucial for success when targeting whiting as they seem to prefer bait that moves. This rig will also keep you in the market for any species that patrols the beach gutters. It’s worth noting that a standard rig consisting of running sinker onto a swivel before a short length of mono trace attached to your hook will suffice.

Rig it right

Fun in the sun.

The good thing about targeting bream and whiting, is the gear you use need not be complex or heavy. I personally use quality tackle from Daiwa, but any 9 feet to 12 feet rod with a line rating around 4-8kg is a good start. You could fish with a rod that is much lighter; it just depends on what you're more comfortable with.

I personally wouldn’t fish with anything heavier, as it's not only overkill, it may be too heavy for your children to handle. Spin reels around the 3000 size are a nice trade-off between being large enough to accommodate good line capacity, whilst remaining light enough to make the experience more pleasurable. Line capacity is not a necessity for whiting fishing, however you’ll thank yourself should you connect with something larger, such as a mulloway. There is an

Even though there is no better sight than watching your kids wrestling with a bending rod, it’s not all about the fishing. Take the time to have some fun in the sun and connect with your family. Kick the shoes off, take a walk, kick a football around, have a swim, or build a tee pee.

Kids love searching for washed up cuttlefish bones and shells, but watch out for those nasty blue bottles! I spent the majority of my childhood hanging out down the beach with a fishing rod, but probably only fished for a quarter of the time that I was there. I was never forced to participate; therefore, I will never force my kids to do so either. Encourage them to have a crack, then allow them to run wild and they'll enjoy their day spent beach fishing with the family.

Give it a try for yourself!

Australian salmon are readily available across southern beaches and take a variety of baits and lures.

school up which can result in catching a decent feed. Both species of fish are relative easy to catch, which is a great if you have young children.

During the warmer months of the year, whiting and bream can be found on most beaches; however, if your chosen beach is close to a river mouth…then all the better! When the whiting are on the chew, it's possible to catch two at a time, (provided you are using a rig consisting of two hooks) and the action can be thick and fast for the whole family! It’s a good tip to carry a small ice-box (or cold bag) with you to ensure your catch is kept in the best possible condition for the table. The best thing about targeting bream and whiting is that one universal rig will suit both species, as well as a variety of others. Despite what you may hear from others, don’t deter from taking a salmon for a meal if you fail to catch a feed of whiting or bream. The salmon’s eating qualities are not fantastic, however they taste okay if bled and dispatched to the ice box quickly after capture. Trimmed salmon pieces mixed with

56 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

Q&A PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

®

ACTION CAMS FOR FISHING

Q

QA &

Greg Finney is one of Australia’s best known fishing writers. Send your fishy questions to Greg at Fisho’s Q&A.

EMAIL: COMPS@FISHO.COM.AU SNAIL MAIL: GPO BOX 606 SYDNEY NSW 2001 FAX: (02) 92812750.

I’m m currently looking around for a waaterproof video camera to film some of our fishing exploits. I do a lot of estuary fishing with mates and I reckon we would get some good footage to look back on now and then if we had a waterproof video camera. There’s a heap of action cameras out there these days so what should I look for and how much should I spend on something that’s going to work and last? What about editing the footage at home?

Jason Sinclair – Via email

A

here are several video cameras on the Th maarket that will do an excellent job. A few tips Go G for 1080HD capabilities, something tips. that can be used underwater and stay away from cheap imports. Anything under several hundred dollars may sound attractive but it won’t last and you’ll have no end of problems trying to claim overseas warranty.

I’ve been using a GoPro 4 Silver for almost a year now and I’m very happy with the ease of use, free editing software and versatility. I use it on a chest pack and head strap when

ABOVE: A quality waterproof sports camera can be used to take video and still photos in a boat and also underwater release footage.

fishing alone but I also fit it to the boat or a selfie stick and even use it under water on a floating handle. It’s very easy to use and shoots great footage.

I’ve made dozens of short videos that I’ve uploaded to Instagram and I’m currently shooting and collecting some footage to make into short videos documenting the fishing we enjoy each year.

LEADER CONFUSION

Q

his may sound dumb but I’m having a bit Th of trouble understanding leaders. I cannot get my head around why some people fish a very heavy leader while others say a light leader will catch more fish. I do a lot of beach fishing for bream and whiting and the occasional jewie and most of the time I don’t use a leader at all. Why use a leader and what size? What determines which leader you should use?

David Blaund – Whale Beach, NSW

A

he purpose of a leader can be twofold Th deepending on what you’re fishing for, yyour main m line and how you fish. When game fishing a heavy leader is used to avoid being worn or bitten off by large fish. You can’t obviously fish 15 kilo line straight to the hook when chasing marlin so a 150 or 200 pound leader of hard mono is used. The same

applies when casting poppers at GTs or soft plastics at jewfish. The leader is used to present the lure but also to avoid being worn off by teeth or structure. In these cases, the leader is usually heavier than the mainline.

When finesse fishing for bream, trout, whiting, etc. a lighter leader may need to be used. Six or eight pound fluorocarbon could be used to present the bait as naturally as possible. That leader may be lighter than the mainline so in this case the leader is being used to present a bait so the fish doesn’t see the leader or mainline and get spooked. Leader size can be a bit of a juggling act when trying to present a lure or bait around structure.

A light leader may be needed to fool the fish but that light leader may be easily chafed or shredded by a bream or jewfish if it runs for cover amongst pylons or oysters.

Jigging for kingfish over reef systems requires heavy braid mainline and hard mono leaders.

58 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

LIVE WELL SURVIVAL RATES

Q

We recently fished with some friends on W St.George’s Basin on the NSW South Coast.

We saw sa quite a few boats catch large flathead and some bream and they all put those fish in live wells on their boats. I asked our friends what the purpose of that was and how long the fish would survive like that. If the fish are going to be released why not just let them go when they are freshly caught and still healthy?

Adrian Telbarco – Via email

A

Th he purpose of live wells is to keep fish alive wh hen tournament fishing where a boat and two or thrree anglers may have up to six or eight hours to catch a bag limit of five fish. The anglers obviously want to weigh in the heaviest fish so a live well is designed to hold the fish so a smaller one can be released when a heavier one is caught to replace it.

You simply put the bigger fish in and take out the smallest one. At the end of the day the competition anglers will have their five heaviest fish that they caught that day to weigh in alive.

Bream and flathead will stay alive in a live well all day as the water recirculates and is replaced with fresh water when the boat is at rest or under speed while travelling.

VICTORIAN KINGFISH RESEARCH

King of Victoria

The mystery of big Victorian kingfish is being unravelled and helped along by ongoing research into their movements and habits. SCOTT GRAY reports.

D

RING the warmer months of the ear, usually from October to April hen water temperature begins to yellowtail kingfish are often found on the inshore reefs in Victoria providing access to what appears to be a growing fishery.

This may be because more anglers are targeting them, or perhaps climate change is affecting water temperature and the movement of this species? Or are they simply becoming more abundant? No one is certain, but one sure thing is that Victoria has a fishery that rivals most of Australia’s other states with fish being caught from Mallacoota in the east to Portland in the west. While the numbers of larger fish in excess of 20kg often found in

60 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

South Australia and New South Wales remains elusive, it may just be that the full potential of Victoria’s fishery is yet to be unlocked. There are so many locations to target kingfish in Victoria that it’s difficult to get around to all of them. Many locations still remain undiscovered. For example, many of the offshore Bass Strait islands off Wilson’s Promontory remain rarely fished.

One of the most exciting aspects of the Victorian kingfish fishery is the fish are an attractive pelagic species often schooling in large numbers and can be caught on a variety of methods. They are abundant in sizes from just legal at 60cm minimum length (VIC) and around two kilograms in size, to well over a metre in length and around 15 kilograms.

Kingfish can be caught with a variety of methods in a range of habitats in Victoria.

Heres a quality jig caught specimen from the southwest Victorian coast.

OPPOSITE: Kingfish are a pelagic schooling fish and are becoming more popular amoungst recreational anglers in Victorian Waters.

fishingworld.com.au | April 2016 | 61

VICTORIAN KINGFISH RESEARCH

Y

u only have to look back to the fishing in the 1970s arly ‘80s to see that fish of over 30kg were once reasonably abundant.”

Kingfish are most abundant on the inshore reefs in the warmer months where they provide excellent surface fishing with stickbaits.

62 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

Kingfish are a schooling fish, meaning if you find them, the fishing can be mind-blowing!

While their fighting qualities are second to none, they are also provide excellent eating.

When and where?

Kingfish are a highly migratory species with some individuals capable of swimming long distances. There have been observations of fish swimming between NSW and New Zealand and from South Australia to the East Coast waters. There are also plenty of observations of fish swimming over 500km from their point of tag and release. Whether these are simply highly migratory individuals or there is movement of large numbers of fish still remains a mystery. In Victoria it’s unknown whether kingfish remain in Victorian waters all year or whether they are part of a much larger more transient fishery.

With anglers spending more and more time offshore throughout the year, particularly in western Victoria targeting southern bluefin tuna (which now appear to be in Victorian waters all year around), kingfish are also becoming encountered more often as a by catch and more pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall into place. For the last two summer seasons it's been common to find school southern bluefin tuna and yellowtail kingfish schools mixed together and at times anglers have had double or triple hookups while trolling or jigging.

I used to always start fishing for kingfish when the water warmed to around 16 degrees, which usually occurs in early December, and targeted them until April when the water started to cool down. I caught my last kingfish for the season in the middle of July last year when the water temperature was only 15 degrees while chasing tuna and the first fish for the “new” season were caught by local charter boats targeting tuna in late September.

This presents the argument that this species are more abundant than first thought in our waters and appear to be available nearly all year round, but their habitats and the best techniques to catch them are still to be unveiled.

Catching kingfish in colder water is very common and you only have to look at New Zealand where they often catch their biggest fish of the season in the winter months when the water is 12-13 degrees. Here in Victoria no one fishes for kings during this time and while the weather can often hamper your attempts to get out, I think if you give it a go the rewards are there to be found. Each year I spend more time searching the outer reefs looking for holding areas.

Where are the big ones?

The mystery surrounding where Victoria’s large fish are is still to be established. Each year fish

F RE

CT BOX EATIONAL FISHING LICENCE (RFL) FUNDED YELLOWTAIL KINGFISH RESEARCH IN VICTORIA

Yellowtail kingfish are a highly sought after recreational species mainly due to their fighting ability and eating qualities. Commonly caught off NSW around reefs and Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs), it was not uncommon for Victorian based anglers to travel to places like Eden and Narooma to target them.

Historically (prior to 1990) yellowtail kingfish were caught by recreational anglers at various locations across Victoria including Mallacoota, Wilsons Promontory, Port Phillip Heads and Portland. While the number of fish taken was not as high as those from other states (particularly NSW), fish were sometimes very large (up to 40kg). From the mid 1990s through the early 2000s both the number and size of fish taken has decreased and general interest in targeting kingfish declined. Many fishers believed the cause of decline was related to changing environmental conditions, food availability and the NSW kingfish trap fishery, but the actual cause is unknown.

Since around 2010, targeting yellowtail kingfish has increased in Victoria and a wide size range of fish are reportedly taken. During early February 2015, around 100 vessels were actively targeting kingfish at Port Phillip Heads on a single day. On some occasions fishing effort was so high that the Port of Melbourne issued alerts to anglers to avoid particular regions of Port Phillip heads as they posed a hazard to shipping traffic.

In Victoria, fundamental stock structure information is limited on this re-emerging fishery. However, with increasing fishing pressure it is important to understand the biology and structure of the stock.

Funded by Victorian recreational fishing licence fees, the objectives of this two year project are to: • Determine whether yellowtail kingfish caught in Victorian waters are from a single or multiple stocks.

• Define population characteristics (age and growth, size structure, spawning characteristics) of Victorian yellowtail kingfish.

• Determine the future potential of this fishery using historical recreational catch information.

• Trial the use of satellite tags as one method to understand movement characteristics (spatial, depth, temperature preference) of yellowtail kingfish.

• Trial otolith chemistry analyses as a method for investigating yellowtail kingfish temperature preference.

Information such as spatial and temporal stock structure (i.e. where and when do we see them), spawning age and growth data are basic knowledge requirements used to assess the status of the current population. This information will help us understand the

LEFT: Taking length measurements for comparison with age estimates.

BELOW: Taking fin clip samples for DNA analysis to assess whether fish are part of a single stock and test for the possible existence of subpopulations.

productivity of the fishery and improve our management strategies that aim to enhance its potential.

Similarly, investigating movement and temperature preference will help us understand the distribution of this species. We will determine if satellite tags are suitable for tracking yellowtail kingfish. Such tags have been extremely valuable in tracking southern bluefin tuna. This trial will determine if satellite tags will hold in kingfish and whether behavioural characteristics allow effective transfer of data from the fish to satellites.

Stable isotope analysis of their otoliths (ear bones) has been successfully used to determine the temperature preference of many species; however, this technique has not yet been trialled on yellowtail kingfish.

Such information will allow Fisheries Victoria to determine where kingfish are likely to live during different times of the year.

Fisheries research projects rely heavily on collecting samples and the involvement of recreational anglers is important in making this work a success. As such Fisheries Victoria are asking the recreational fishing community from all over Victoria to donate their unwanted yellowtail kingfish frames. From just the frames alone we can collect much of the above information. If you are keen to help out and donate some frames please contact Dr. Corey Green at Fisheries Victoria for more information.

Corey Green Fisheries Victoria P.O. Box 114, 2A Bellarine Highway, Queenscliff, Victoria, 3225 Ph (03) 52580275 corey.green@ecodev.vic.gov.au

fishingworld.com.au | April 2016 | 63

VICTORIAN KINGFISH RESEARCH

of 20kg are caught in Victorian waters, but fish larger than this size tend to be elusive. I'm sure they are there and you only have to look back to the fishing in “The Rip” at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay back in the 1970s and early '80s to see that fish of over 30kg were once reasonably abundant. It's possible these larger fish may have even spawned in the bay in the past. This happens in South Australia at locations like Port Augusta and Coffin Bay where mature fish return to the same areas each year to breed.

In the past, local professional fishermen along the Southwest Victorian coast encountered kingfish as by-catch offshore in deeper waters (> 200m) in the winter months when targeting shark in mesh nets possibly indicating fish may move offshore and deep in the cooler months of the year often out of range of most anglers and therefore move back in closer to the coast when the water begins to warm up. What is interesting about this species is that they inhabitat a wide range of habitats from depths as shallow as one metre in the warmer months out to depths in excess of 200m in the cooler months, which means that

ABOVE: Releasing a heathly kingfish. In the second year of the project scientists hope to satelite tag a number of fish and track their movements and behaviour.

they can be targeted seasonally using all techniques such as trolling live baits and downrigging, vertical jigging, or surface fishing with lures such as stickbaits or poppers.

Last season I encountered kingfish as early in the season as October and found them in water temperatures as cold as 13 degrees for the first time, which once again has caused me to re-evaluate my theories and it is exciting to see some preliminary research now being conducted on this species in Victoria waters.

Growing recreational interest in the fishery and the popularity of this species in local waters has prompted the investment of recreational fishing licence revenue by fisheries managers in baseline population research. Without any significant targeted commercial fishery for this species in Victorian waters, recreational anglers have at present got excellent access to the full potential of this species locally.

In NSW the fishery has been extensively studied, the commercial catch is estimated to be between 85-160 tonnes annually and the recreational harvest is estimated to be between 120-340 tonne annually, which indicates the popularity and importance of this species to recreational fishers in this state.

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64 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

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Q&A Trolling Rivers

Q

Can you troll rivers for bream and flathead?

Tracey – e-mail

A

Most certainly our coastal rivers, lakes and basins can be trolled for species such as bream and flathead but don’t be surprised if the odd whiting, tailor or luderick are caught as well. Regular Fishing World writer David Green is an avid fan of trolling the rivers of the Gold Coast in Queensland and he catches some exceptionally big flathead. Do

keep in mind if are lucky to land a big flathead it is probably best to get a photo and release if above 75cm.

In my experience the best method I’ve found is to troll adjacent to weed beds or rock walls where fish should be waiting for food. I place one shallower running lure on the side closest to the bank and one lure that runs a little deeper on the outer side. If you are trolling against the tide go very slow so the lures are not working too fast and with the tide it will be quicker to get them working.

Good Luck, I hope you troll up some great fish!

Mini Barrels

Q

There are lots of little tuna around in schools, how do I catch them?

Ben – e-mail

Grin

Small tuna are fantastic fun on light tackle!

A

I spent a large part of my summer and autumn months chasing schools of small tuna around the eastern foreshores bays and harbours when I was still in school. I always remember our school bus would go past a large ocean bay, and when it was full of birds the few of us that fished could not wait to bolt home and grab the gear to get into the action. They are best targeted with small metal lures that do not exceed 6cm and a slim profile of less than 1.5cm. If in a boat try to predict the direction they are moving and move the boat into a position where you can cast to intercept the moving school. Try to avoid driving through the feeding fish or getting too close

as it will probably spook them. If it’s the case that you’re fishing land based, probably best to cast the small metal lures continually until feeding fish are spotted. Also try a few different retrieve speeds and depths in either situation to see what works best on any given day.

Scent on Softies

Q

Do scents really work on plastic lures?

Craig – e-mail

A

When scents made a boom on the Australian market some time ago I was quite sceptical of their actual performance. Now, after much time on the water, I do

d Wi !

4

Each month as well as our lucky “Pic of the Month” major prize winner, five more junior fishos are selected as worthy winners from the entries and kitted out with a cool Shimano shirt and cap! So keep those Pic of the Month entries coming in for your chance to win!

2

1

Six-year-old Hope Liapis from Mill Park in Victoria pictured here with her first squid. Well done, Hope, and your dog too!

66 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

13-year-old Sean Francis from Brisbane caught this 88cm kingfish in Moreton Bay. A great catch, Sean, especially on 10lb line!

3

Three-year-old Sam Tubridy from Fairy Meadow caught his first fish, this tarwhine, while trolling in Lake Conjola.

Well done buddy.

Charlotte Elmore from Bushland Beach QLD caught this great flathead off the beach in Townsville. Well done, Charlotte!

Win A Great Shimano Spin Reel!

WITH CHRIS CLEAVER

firmly believe that some scents definitely work and can help to make a better fishing day. Firstly it can mask the unnatural smells of petrol, sunscreen, chips etc. that our hands will come into contact with. And secondly, on those quiet, harder-to-fish, slower days, the addition of a scent can really make the difference between getting a fish or two and going home empty handed. There are a few brands available that have been scientifically and laboratory tested and proven to tempt fish into striking the plastic based on the taste, smell and the resulting belief that it is actually food.

I recommend you give it a go and see if you notice the difference.

Send in your completed crossword and go into the draw each month to win! Post your entries to: Shimano Junior’s Crossword, c/- Fishing World Magazine, GPO Box 606, Sydney NSW 2001.

1

2

3

4

Across 2. Can make a better _ _ _ _ _ _ _ day.

4. I was quite a sceptic on the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .

5. I spent a large part of my summer and autumn months chasing small _ _ _ _.

5

Down 1. They are best targeted with small metal _ _ _ _ _.

2. Do keep in mind if you are lucky to land a big _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

3. Lakes and basins can be trolled for species such as _ _ _ _ _.

THE WINNER of last month’s crossword competion was Pete Thurbon of Jabiru, Northern Territory.

Well done, Pete you’ll be glad to hear that a great Shimano spinning reel will soon be on its way to you.

Congratulations!

Send in your questions!

To Chris at: Fisho’s Shimano Junior’s Q&A , GPO Box 606 Sydney NSW 2001, email to comps@fisho.com.au or fax 02 9281 2750. Published questions receive a beaut Squidgy lure pack – make sure to include your name and address.

. u

Shimano Pic of the Month Downrigger Flathead!

KIDS! Send us a digital photo or print of your catch and you could be in the running for some great monthly prizes!

Nine-year-old Nathan Richards from the ACT caught this 75cm flatty trolling with a Micro Mullet from a downrigger.

A very technical catch Nathan, well done!

5

Nine-year-old Mackenzie Weatherly from Tenterfield was on holiday in Ballina when she caught this lovely whiting on a local green prawn.

Great stuff, Mackenzie!

Each month we will select a Pic of the Month Major Prize Winner as well as FIVE other lucky winners for our Grin & Win section. Pic of the Month winners receive ALL of the great prizes you see here, while Grin & Win kids will each receive a cool Shimano cap and Squidgy DVD (right)!

E-mail your entry and contact details to: pictures@fisho.com.au or post it to: Shimano Pic of the Month, Fishing World, GPO Box 606 Sydney NSW, 2001 Please include your name and age and details of your catch. Send a stamped, Visit the Shimano Junior Anglers’ self addressed envelope if you want your photo back! Good luck! website at www.shimanofish.com.au

CROSSWORD ANSWERS ACROSS: 2:FISHING, 4:PERFORMANCE, 5:TUNA DOWN: 1:LURES, 2:FLATHEAD, 3:BREAM

Fly By Night There’s something special and challenging about targeting lake trout at night with a fly rod. MICK FLETORIDIS reports.

68 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

A typically spectacular night sky in the Snowy Mountains. A boat makes it easy to move locations if you need to when the wind changes, as it so often does!

fishingworld.com.au | April 2016 | 69

FLY FISHING

T

E sun descends into the valley across e water, its rays filtered by gathering k clouds. The odd splash in the n be heard as the big lake’s trout begin their nightly feeding ritual. Well beyond casting distance from where I stand a big fish leaps in pursuit of a hovering insect. Dragon fly? Being prime mudeye season it’s a good bet.

Despite the anticipation there’s been no interest in my fly. Should I change it?

Hope builds as the sun gets lower in the sky and the rises come closer. Working the furry streamer back and forth in the mild northerly breeze the line rolls nicely, whooshes and somehow softly lands the fly on the water. I’d consciously slowed the casting rhythm to let the rod do the work, rather than exert too much energy and put the timing out. In another hour or so when the fishing hopefully kicks off, the casts probably won’t be neat or easy. In the heat of the moment fish can rise in close, left and right, sometimes all over the place. Adrenaline takes over, leaders tangle; usually the result of badly timed false casts or excited changes of direction.

From the near point I hear a splash. Pat is hooked up. I put my rod down and quickly stride towards him – as fast as thigh waders and a dodgy

70 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

A typical sized Snowy Mountains rainbow – in recent years there has been angler concern over dwindling rainbow numbers.

lower back allow – hoping to test out a new camera on the fish. It’s a spritely rainbow of a pound and a half, its silver flanks gleam in the fading light. A few clicks and the fish’s image is safely stored on the memory card. Pat quickly dispatches the trout. It’s a rare kill for him, but he’s promised some fish for a work mate.

Back at my station on the muddy bank a swirl to the right signifies my first real chance. The trout rises again with a loud slurp. It’s moving quickly along the bank edge and again takes something from the surface. It’s an easy cast away. Not overly confident in the fly attached to the thin 4lb tippet I throw it anyway. It lands gently enough and I let it settle before beginning a slow staggered retrieve.

Eight, nine, ten…. Nothing. Another rise to the left. The line is whipped off the water and redirected toward the expanding swirl. A few strips get the same result. After another few casts and more rejection I wonder aloud, “what’s it eating?”

The start of several fruitless fly changes begins.

Before the light fades completely there’s time for a quick regroup and a Thermos coffee back at the boat. Brett has walked from the end of the bay to see how Pat and I have fared. He’s had no success yet. We discuss the rising fish we’ve seen and the lack of any obvious pattern or clues to what they’re

taking. Like magicians we pin our hopes on conjuring something for the main act – in the dark.

Unfortunately I pull out of the game early due to lack of match fitness. I sit in the boat a while in the hope the dodgy back comes good. Meantime, Pat digs out some sort of magic nymph streamer hybrid fly and gets on a roll. Before the session is over he lands a bunch of trout; two more average rainbows and a couple of nice browns to 3.5 pounds or so. Half his luck.

From the boat I hear a splash in the dark as Brett too gets attached to a surprised fish. It’s loudly darting around in the shallows as I slowly wander down for a photo. It’s a chunky rainbow and Brett is still playing it out as I arrive. Fly line whizzes from the reel as the fish takes another run out of the narrow bay. Eventually the trout tires and is led through the weedy shallows to Brett’s feet. He scoops the fish up and it writhes and slips from his grasp. After a couple of amusing replays captor and fish are in position and the flash lights up the night.

Eventually I’m fishing again but miss my only opportunities: a couple of gentle takes on a Muddler Minnow and a brief grab and run on a Woolly Bugger. Despite the result I can’t wait for a return trip.

Snowy Mountains lakes such as Eucumbene pictured here are susceptible to fluctuating levels during the warmer months which can greatly affect the fishing.

LEFT: When fly fishing for trout at night there are plenty of proven patterns that work consistently. Generic patterns will still work though when you can’t match the hatch.

BELOW: A well prepared angler has everything close at hand when night fly fishing, in this case a well stocked fly vest, stripping basket to control fly line and quality head torch.

Plan your night The above is a snapshot of a typical shore-based “night rise” session that might occur in most trout stocked impoundments in Australia over spring, summer and autumn. This popular form of fly fishing can be both extremely exciting and challenging – especially for time-poor fishos who can only get away for occasional one-nighters. Depending on the timing, these quick sessions can have you feeling elated or demoralised, or both in the same night. Either way, targeting trout under the cover of darkness can become addictive.

Like most forms of fishing, regular success on trout lakes comes down to strategy, planning, and timing. Even then an element of luck can sway things your way.

There are plenty of natural factors that come into play. Local weather conditions can potentially make or break a short trip so this should be your first consideration when choosing an evening to chase lake trout. Other contributing factors include lake height, water quality and temperature, insect activity, moon phase – all can have a large effect on your success, so it pays to plan as well as you can before embarking on a night fish. When you can only get away for the odd trip, putting it all together to catch trout during a short window can be a big ask. When you’re on the lake, having a game plan saves you wasting precious fishing time running from spot to spot when the wind changes or a thunderstorm passes through, which it often does in the high country.

Knowing where you plan to fish to make the most of the prevailing weather is often the key to success. Arriving at the lake a few hours before dark means you don’t have to rush to get on the water and if you have to change locations there’s time. If you use a boat to get around the lake the last thing you want to be doing is driving in the dark to find spots. Have a Plan B location in case, say, your favourite bay that fishes best in a nor-easter is already taken up by other anglers.

Having a Plan C or D to fall back on can also save your night. You can never have too many backup plans!

When to go The warmer months of the year from October through April are generally the pick for night fishing on Australia’s mainland trout lakes such as those in the Snowy Mountains, Southern Highlands, Blue Mountains and other southern parts of the country. The time of year has a large influence on the behaviour of trout found on these large waterways. Post spawning, which usually occurs in early spring, can see a large influx of hungry trout migrating around lake margins. At this time, fly fishers can experience some excellent fishing, although the condition of the fish may be testament to their exhaustive spawning efforts. The trout, especially browns, can often be skinny or “slabby” and a long way short of the fine shape they take on in the months that follow. While the condition may be down, spring fishing can be memorable.

Spring lake trout generally aren’t as fussy as they become post Christmas – too much food to choose from can make trout very selective – and there can be some champagne fishing to be had.

Through the Christmas period and into autumn, things really start to warm up on Australia’s premier trout lakes. Midge can provide challenging and exciting fly fishing in early summer and from around February to April, swarms of mudeyes travel to shore to complete their life cycle before the onset of winter. By then the trout have put on condition and if your timing and strategy is spot on, you can be in for some world class fly fishing. fishingworld.com.au | April 2016 | 71

FLY FISHING

Match the hatch?

In the bigger alpine lakes such as those in the Snowy Mountains, the resident brown trout tend to feed heavily on yabbies for much of the year. To that end, fly fishers who use large nondescript flies such as #4-6 Woolly Buggers, Bushy’s Horror and various yabby imitations have a good chance of regularly turning over good browns close to shore.

Fished with long slow strips like a small natural yabby skirting the muddy bottom can produce aggressive splashy takes and the occasional leap as a big silvery brown makes for deeper water.

Rainbows too can get in on this act, although flies may need to be downsized for regular success.

This time of year often sees rises from opportune feeders making the most of whatever’s big on the menu on the day. Tadpoles hatching in the shallows, dragon and damsel flies on the wing, caddis, crash landing Christmas beetles and grasshoppers, clouds of midge, dragonfly nymphs (mudeyes); this and more is often on the trout’s menu in spring and throughout summer. You’ve just got to be able to read the signs and decipher what the fish want on the night. Easy right?

Matching the hatch can be very difficult, especially in fading light and moreso after dark.

With many insect hatches taking place around dusk it doesn’t necessarily mean all feeding trout in your vicinity are tuned in to the same food.

Different fish can become very selective and hard to catch. This is why many fly fishers use flies that don’t typically resemble any food item in particular, but may represent quite a few. When you don’t have more than a night to work out

Fisho’s Pat Brennan playing out a rainbow as the sun disappears behind the hills in the distance.

72 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

exactly what the fish are “on” the aforementioned all-rounder flies will usually catch you fish. As well as covering the yabbie feeders, most popular night patterns also loosely resemble mudeyes, tadpoles, beetles and other common trout food items. Unless you’re up on your entomology, keeping it simple can pay off and save you wasting time changing flies when you should be casting at feeding fish.

The way flies are fished makes a big difference to success. Varying retrieve actions and speeds can put you back in the game if things go quiet.

Slowing retrieves right down and using big black flies is a proven method especially on nights when you can’t see your hand in front of your face. On the subject, the moon phase can greatly affect the result, usually not in a good way. While you might be able to see better under a full moon, many experienced fly fishers avoid fishing for lake trout around this time. That said, the overall weather and lake conditions play a vital role in your success. When you have a small window of opportunity it pays to make the most of any available forecasting technology. These days it’s easy to get long range weather forecasts, moon phases and lake heights at your fingertips. While some online services aren’t always accurate they usually provide good indicators of what to expect.

That said, there’s nothing worse than driving a couple of hours only to have the fishing shutdown due to a storm that your favourite weather app hadn’t predicted! But if you’re up for the challenge, give night fly fishing for lake trout a go – you might find yourself hooked.

F L

CT BOX TROUTING ESSENTIALS

If you want to get into night fly fishing for lake trout there are a few essential items you’ll need. Depending on the time of year, waders should be one of the first items packed. Early spring can still be pretty cold in the high country so quality chest waders can help keep the cold out and have you fishing longer at night. Thigh waders are also a less expensive option, especially for use over summer and autumn. Just remember, if you use a boat to reach your locations wearing waders is highly dangerous in the event of a capsize. A quality headtorch is another essential item. Most LED models have different output modes, including red, which is useful for seeing when rigging and landing fish without lighting up everything and everyone around you! Always take plenty of warm clothing with you. The weather in the high country changes quickly and it’s easy to get caught out at night, even after a very hot day. A fly vest or similar wearable item for portable storage of fly boxes, tippet spools, head torch, clippers, and other must-haves is a worthwhile investment; it pays to limit what you store in your vest as too much weight on your shoulders causes fatigue and affects your fishing. As for tackle, a 5-7 weight fly outfit will cover most lake fishing situations. A typical 8’6” to 9’ rod is fine for most shore-based lake situations. Reels don’t need to have loads of backing or impressive drags as most trout are fought in close, sometimes only on the stripped line in hand. Weight forward floating lines are the best all-round for lake trout as all types of flies from weighted sub-surface streamers or nymphs to big buoyant flies fished on the surface. Carry a selection of tippet materials from around 1.5kg (3lb) to 4.5kg (10lb) for repairing leaders and a spare leader or two in case of bad tangles. Lastly, a flask of hot tea or coffee and a bite to eat will keep you energised for the night fishing ahead. Good luck!

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FISHING guides or instructors are masters in the art of fishing and transfer of knowledge to both novice and experienced anglers alike. I’m not talking about the chunder bus trips with a dozen punters sinking tinnies all day and fishing whipper snipper like handlines, I’m talking about the more personalised experience of spending quality time with likeminded folk and a professional guide that pays attention to detail, tailoring the experience based on cues on the water and feedback from their clients.

Fishing guides are experts in their domain.

They know their chosen waterways intimately, have a deep understanding of fish habits and feeding patterns along with the requisite tackle knowledge to maximise success. These are all critical pieces of the fishing puzzle that take years to master for a beginner so it stands to reason that employing the services of a guide can save time and money as you learn the most appropriate bait and tackle choices to fish more effectively.

Making the most of any guided instruction requires thought and input; some pointers on how to optimise the experience are noted below.

Plan your day

ABOVE: Fishing with an experienced guide is an unbeatable learning process.

RIGHT: A fly casting instructor will identify and fix your casting faults, meaning you can concentrate on catching fish.

74 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

Guides will know the best course of action for a day’s fishing and instruction however you should have input and be part of the process. If you want to target a particular species, make it clear when enquiring and ask which dates and conditions would be optimal. Fishing is a dynamic activity so your target species may not be biting. Take cues from your guide and discuss what the best fish to chase might be if conditions aren’t conducive for your target species. Ask what you will need to bring and how long the session will last. If you want to learn to use a new outfit, ask if it will suit and inform the guide that you have gear you’d like to use or be taught with. Any specific bait or lure styles of fishing that you want to learn should be shared with your guide prior to your outing so they can prepare and advise on how to best accommodate your learning objectives.

Observe and take notes The purpose of learning from a knowledgeable angler is to examine their behaviour and gain fundamental insights that will give you the skills needed to catch fish in most scenarios. Each guide will have a routine and approach that works best for them and their clients so it pays to be observant to every detail of the outing.

Take a look at how they organise their gear and tackle, how they’ve rigged the outfits you’ll use for the day and the specifics of the rods, reels lines and bait or lures employed. Politely strike up a conversation and quiz them on their choices to gain valuable knowledge on the “how” and “why” they have made those choices to learn about the

requisite tackle, rigging and baits needed for success on the water. If you want to learn how to tie knots or rig a particular bait, ask them!

You might start fishing immediately or might commence the day by catching bait. Each location you visit has a thought process behind it – observe what the guide is doing when seeking out a location and ask meaningful questions to understand why the location was chosen. Water levels, time of day, stage of tide, seasonality, air and water temperatures, prevalence of baitfish and other food sources are all pieces of the fishing puzzle that a guide can help you learn.

Cost versus value

Do your homework ABOVE: If you’re willing to travel overseas, why not hire a guide and ensure a successful trip in unfamiliar territory.

some flies myself and was directed to fish rich water from the get-go. I asked plenty of questions and learnt valuable information which improved my fly casting and helped me catch more fish when fishing local rivers back home.

I didn’t catch huge numbers but caught fish where the guide suggested they’d be whilst learning the intricacies of fishing various sections of a river with dry flies and nymphs. Having someone watching over me at all times and

As with many other consumer buying decisions, there are a myriad of choices and guiding options. A guide will generally need to have relevant insurances along with the appropriate licences and permits to allow fishing in a given waterway. It pays to shop around and ask for feedback from other customers returning from a day on the water or online through the various social media sites. Some guides are generalists whilst others have particular areas of expertise so remember to make a list of what learning objectives you want to achieve and speak with a few guides to find the ideal mentor who will help make your day of instruction a productive and worthwhile experience.

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People often look at the fee for a day on the water with a guide or instructor and balk at the cost. I recently paid for two days with a guide whilst on holidays in New Zealand. I didn’t have the luxury of time to figure out the local waterways and trout movements along with the techniques and flies required for success.

I borrowed the guides gear but brought along

providing adjustment and guidance accelerated my learning; it may have cost a pretty penny but the value offered exceeded the cost multiple times over. Don’t look at the money spent as a cost, it’s an investment which will save time and money in the long run.

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DAVE RAE

Porkers and Pranksters Anglers are known for telling fishy tales and playing jokes on mates– and as we discover – Dave is no exception.

BY DAVE RAE

fraudulent claim of a fish caught and released.

Within 15 minutes I’d caught five bogus bass and Mitch was starting to scratch his head, or at least it sounded that way. He is such a great mate, sincere and as honest as they come, and here I was making him think I was catching fish when he couldn’t realise a strike...

I should feel ashamed!

That said, I’ve fallen victim to the odd porker myself. Take Mick for instance. Another regular companion who had me convinced that he’d caught 25 school jew from a certain hole in our local river. So convincing was he that I paddled up there more than once without success. He thought it was a great joke when I shared my lack of success. The facts were that he hadn’t even fished it, let alone caught jew there. Some mate!

A

uick grunt in the night, of ‘I’m on’ then a short period of hand-slapping the surface provided what was needed for a fraudulent claim.”

Honestly... It was this big!

UNFORTUNATELY some anglers can’t be trusted. Some blokes feel the need to advertise their successes, yet they hold their fishing spots so jealously that they lie to protect them.

Others “embellish” both the number of fish caught and their size. The former I can cope with, but to my mind it’s better to say nothing if you don’t want to share your spot. But it’s the second group of tall-tale tellers, the outright bull artists, that get up my nose.

Not too long ago I took a guy jewie fishing and we caught nothing. A few weeks later a mate commented on that trip as he’d been told we both caught two jews around 8kg each…

Not a good idea to tell a porker to one’s regular fishing buddy!

There are however some blatant untruths that are worth celebrating. Take for instance the time Glen and Steve took Paul down to Lake Eucumbene for a smelting jig trip. The first two were experienced trout jiggers whilst Paul was a jig virgin. Despite being told, and despite having a zero success rate whilst the jiggers had amassed 14 trout, our intrepid angler persisted throwing a Celta. Finally he 80 | fishingworld.com.au | April 2016

landed one scrawny post spawn brown. Glen, being a wicked weasely chap, started filling Paul’s trout with small rocks whilst Paul had walked further down the stream. Upon his return, Paul commented that he “didn’t think his trout was so fat”. Later in the morning, Paul filleted his fish and the other two somehow managed to keep quiet as they heard Paul’s knife “chink” against rock as the filleting took place. A new theory was born, and to my knowledge, Paul remains unaware of the deception laid upon him by the Wicked Weasel; and it is this, that the trout suck in gravel when feeding on caddis fly larvae (who are attached to the rocks). Even when Steve pointed out that there are no caddiss fly larvae present in winter, the theory persisted!

I'm far from innocent. Just last week whilst enjoying a night time bass trip with my mate Mitch, I was actively causing deception. The fish were slow and we were on three or four apiece when my mischievous nature took hold.

A quick grunt in the night, a call of “I’m on” and then a short period of hand-slapping the surface provided all that was needed for a

All of which brings to mind a current feud that commenced last year when Brett placed a rather large, but deceased mudcrab into the pot at Mick’s front door. Unbeknowns to Brett, Mick has just left home for a week away, so by the time he returned the mudcrab was supporting a healthy maggot population that was enjoying the juices of decay running onto the patio from the drainage holes in the base of the pot. After a few stinging jibes to both parties it became apparent that it would be best to distance myself from this particular prank.

As funny as our pranks can be, there is always the danger of going too far. The infamous case of the Gold Coast Fish Father comes to mind. It was a fun prank that involved a covert house entry and the placement of a marlin head in the victims bed.

Word is that Mrs Victim was far from impressed and that she may still be reticent to invite the perpetrators into her home to this day. I guess the Fish Father did not take the time to consider stained linen and a mattress that inherited the fishy odour of marlin blood (if you need more... or the expenses incurred for a lengthy counselling program. Even though the Qld Police Department never did charge the gang members, we in fact have a good idea of who the ringleaders were!). Better luck next time boys!

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Maximum Velocity Sea Jay’s All-Round Fishing Machine

‘YAK JEWIES Kayak Fishing’s Holy Grail

CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON Formosa’s 620 Tomahawk

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APRIL 2016

Contents 86

CONTENTS

94 86 REVIEWED: FORMOSA 620 TOMAHAWK Greg Finney checks out Formosa's 620 Tomahawk, a plate boat which packs some serious offshore fishing credentials.

90 REVIEWED: SEA JAY VELOCITY SPORTS 4990 Some boats are just better designed for sport fishing than others. This all-rounder is definitely in the former category.

94 BOATING BITS

98 'YAK JEWIES Catching a jewfish from a kayak is no mean feat. We hear how Alex Bartroff went about catching his first 'yak jewie.

All the latest and greatest from the world of boating.

96 MARINE ELECTRONICS: SIMRAD & LOWRANCE 3D SONAR Is 3D imaging the way of the future? We check out the latest technology from Lowrance and Simrad.

COVER: The latest boat from Queensland-based Sea Jay is a quality built all-rounder designed for serious sport fishing.

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Performance Four Stroke The big news in 4-strokes are the new Tohatsu 50,40, 30 and 25 HP engines – which boast new features, features with more options matched with even better performance.

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APRIL 2016

REVIEWED

Offshore Weapon FORMOSA boats started up in Brisbane back

Greg Finney checks out Formosa’s 620 Tomahawk, a plate boats which packs some serious offshore fishing credentials.

in 1998 building quality pressed aluminium hulls. The company’s growth has been steady with a long list of upgrades and quality improvements. In 2006 it went over to plate hulls after searching for a stronger and overall superior quality boat. It was this upgrade that resulted in the distinctive high-flared bow that makes Formosas instantly recognisable on the water. In 2009 it introduced the Tomahawk range and in 2011 the MK3 Classic hull evolved. That steady progression of improvements and refinements has resulted in the 620 Tomahawk V2 centre cabin that I recently tested at Batemans Bay with dealer, Aussie Boat Sales.

Jason Graham and his wife Johanna run Aussie Boat Sales ACT NSW in Canberra.

They recently opened up a sales office and operation in Batemans Bay at the marina to expand operations. Jason is very hands on and has had significant input in the design, features and options of the Tomahawk V2 range. He knows his boats and isn’t just a boat retailer. He understands what works and what fishermen are looking for in modern boat design. That knowledge is a breath of fresh air in the industry and very handy to have when selling boats into the demanding fishing market.

The 620 Tomahawk is a substantial fishing machine. I’ve seen plenty of Formosas out on the water but I’ve never fished out of one so this test was quite an introduction to the range. To say I was impressed with the build quality and performance would be a big understatement.

The review boat was set up with electronics and was actually sold, but the Melbourne based owner agreed to let Jason use it as a display boat for our review before taking delivery.

Features The 620 Tomahawk is a centre cabin plate boat built in Brisbane. The sides are 4mm and the bottom is 5mm 5083 grade aluminium plate.

Overall length is 6.35m with a 2.5m beam.

Deadrise is 18 degrees which is a very handy compromise between stability at rest and ride performance in chop and into a bit of rough stuff. The MK3 V2 hull range incorporates self draining decks with a fully welded floor.

A reverse chine design keeps things nice and dry which is what you expect from a boat this size that will see work in rough conditions if you are serious about your offshore fishing. Hull weight comes in at around 950kg. The build and weld quality is as good as it gets. The gunwales are

BOAT REVIEW FORMOSA 620 TOMAHAWK

OPPOSITE PAGE: High sides ensure safe fishing offshore.

FAR LEFT: The beamy boat features loads of fishing space in the cockpit.

LEFT: The set-up was rigged with clears and a rocket launcher, ready for fishing.

fully mig welded which give a very tidy finish that just exudes quality and attention to detail.

The grey paint selection was very classy and faultlessly applied.

The underfloor design is a series of welded ribs and longitudinal stringers that set up a very strong base for the plate hull and welded floor above. Underneath the carpeted floor is a 220 litre fuel tank mounted in the middle of the cockpit with a gunwale filler. Behind the fuel tank is a substantial kill tank that's big enough to take a 10 kg yellowfin or mahi mahi or a decent catch of deep water bottom fish. There's also the option of an extra 88 litre tank in front of the fuel tank and right behind the seat pedestals. This tank can be used for additional fuel with a second gunwale filler or used for fresh water storage. That’s a great idea in my books.

Additional fuel to a total of 300 litres for extra long trips or just less trips to the service station when away or fresh water storage for a hose down at day's end or if you want to do an overnight

stay up river. The transom design is as you would expect in a high performance fishing machine.

A heavy duty plastic transom door, livebait tank with clear window, bait board on top with two access hatches to the dual batteries. Behind the transom door is an access ladder to get in when the boat is on the trailer or if an arvo swim is on the agenda.

Up front is an undercover cabin with storage underneath and a shelf around three sides. Not a huge area but we are talking centre cabin here and not cuddy or half cabin. All around access was excellent with heaps of room to reach the large anchor well with anchor winch. Having that 360 degree access is great in my books. I ran two cuddy cabins for a total of eight years until recently and one of the major drawbacks was only being able to fight fish out of the back and sides. Being able to fight and follow a big fish all round the boat is a huge advantage as far as I’m concerned. The test boat was set up with clears and a rocket launcher on top of the centre cab.

The cabin with clears provided a very dry and workable steering position with a heap of grab rails and seats with foot rests if required. Under the seats were aluminium box pedestals with plenty of dry storage room.

Electronics The test boat electronics were set up for the owner with a bracket mounted Raymarine sounder/GPS up top and a Garmin GMI 20 Nema2000 information screen that worked a treat. Also fitted were a Fusion stereo and GME radio. I could see a much more serious setup being used in this boat for guys at the serious end of offshore fishing. The test boat dash has been redesigned since it was made and can actually be customised to suit electronics selection. I could see most guys opting for one or two permanently flush mounted screens in a large flat area and this is no problem for the guys at Formosa or Aussie Boat Sales.

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APRIL 2016

BOAT REVIEW FORMOSA 620 TOMAHAWK

Power The test rig was powered by a 200HP Honda four stroke. It’s been a few years since I’ve fished out of a boat powered by a Honda motor and to be honest I was under the impression that the four stroke market was more or less dominated by Yamaha and Suzuki. The Honda’s come with a seven-year warranty these days which has rocketed them back in to the fishing market in a big way. I gave that motor a good work out over the full rev range and believe me, it was faultless. As smooth and quiet as any motor I’ve driven and even power right through the rev range. The 620 Tomahawk is rated to a maximum of 200HP and the Honda was a great fit. We maxed out at 5000RPM and 34 knots. I don’t have any fuel usage numbers but I would think that if you ran the big Honda at sensible speeds, a days gamefishing and trolling out wide wouldn’t break the bank by any means.

Out on the water the 620 didn’t disappoint.

The ride and handling were as you would expect from a top of the range plate boat. There was about a metre and half of long, slow roll coming in past the Tollgates and we belted our

Honda’s 200hp four-stroke pushed along the Tomahawk with ample power.

way out though it without too much drama at 20 knots. With the motor trimmed up a little it was a bit bouncy but no plate boat with an 18.5 degree dead rise will keep up with a heavier ‘glass boat and 21 degree deadrise. By trimming the motor down and getting that lovely shaped bow down a bit the ride improved significantly.

The hull turned on a dollar coin with the aid of hydraulic steering and running back with the swell was an absolute blast. Out to 5000 revs and we just cut though that long roll like a hot knife through butter.

Overall I’d have to say I was very impressed with the Formosa 620 Tomahawk. I particularly liked the hull shape, finish, overall quality and attention

to detail. A 6.2 metre centre cabin makes a very practical offshore game fisher that can be customized for some very serious work along the shelf. It also doubles as a great family boat when it’s too rough to get out fishing and some swimming or dough-nutting is on the agenda. At around 2000kg towing weight it is also a dream to travel with and a piece of cake for a diesel dual cab or SUV. Aussie Boat Sales sells the Tomahawk for about $79,000 on a dual axle trailer.

Contact: Aussie Boat Sales ACT NSW: www.aussieboatsalesactnsw.com.au Formosa Boats: www.formosamarineboats.com.au Honda Outboards: www.marine.honda.com.au

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APRIL 2016

REVIEWED

In The Game Some boats are just better designed for sport fishing than others. This allrounder is definitely in the former category, according to Mick Fletoridis.

THE 4.8-5m trailer boat class is very popular with

fishos for many reasons. Boats of around this size offer advantages over both larger and smaller craft.

A boat of five metres or less is generally easy to tow behind a standard vehicle, launch and operate solo and generally has enough size and sea-keeping ability to fish inshore and offshore, depending on conditions. For mine, a boat of around the 4.9m mark makes for a perfect all-rounder for the reasons just listed and the fishing opportunities they can open up. It was the local fishing options I was thinking about as young Brock Cohen of new southern Sydney dealership Marina Bayside pointed the Sea Jay Velocity Sports 490 towards a glassed out Botany Bay. The fishing on offer on this historic waterway is varied and often productive, depending on time of year. Flatties, bream, whiting, squid and trevally over sand flats, tailor, salmon and kings in the deeper open water of the bay, and secret jewie hotspots for those in the know. With the connecting Cooks and Georges Rivers also well worth exploring there’s plenty of fishing available and a boat like this is ideal to do it in.

Feeling sporty Bundaberg-based Sea Jay Aluminium Boats has long held a reputation for its quality pressed aluminium and plate boats designed for the sport fishing market. One look at the Velocity Sports 490 makes it clear that the tradition is continuing. This particular boat is available in three models – 490, 520 and 550. The 490 I recently jumped aboard stood out from the crowd, courtesy of its stylish, mostly blue, factory fitted vinyl wrap. Adding bling to the package was the mag wheel fitted Dunbier trailer it had arrived on.

The Velocity Sports model features Sea Jay’s Samurai hull which boasts a healthy deadrise, prominent reverse chine and a sharp entry point for a combination of impressive ride and stability. The hull is constructed from 3mm thick aluminium sides and 4mm on the bottom – and it shows. The boat felt rock solid when climbing aboard and a short session throwing it around on the bay did nothing to change that impression. It just feels well balanced overall and definitely built to last. Moving around on board or shifting weight dramatically to one side didn’t greatly affect the Velocity Sports’ stable attitude.

While billiard table conditions on the Bay made it difficult to assess the boat’s manners in rough conditions it highlighted what fun is to be had behind the wheel! The boat boasts a 2.3m beam and good freeboard that, combined with the hull’s raised sheer line and prominent bow, affords a secure feel and should help deliver a drier ride when the going gets messy.

The boat’s bow section is a roomy area for lure or fly fishers to cast from and featured a 55lb thrust Minn-Kota I-Pilot bow-mount electric as part of the dealer package. A useful 32mm grab rail is fitted on the pointy end and if you like taking everything including the kitchen sink

REVIEWED SEA JAY VELOCITY SPORTS 490

“Having a stint at the wheel of the Velocity Sports, I was impressed by how well balanced the overall package feels.� along on fishing trips, there’s loads of up front storage. The bow’s deep hatches will eat up tackle boxes, bags, wet weather gear, camera cases and other ancillary items and keep them off that pristine carpeted deck. There’s also a good sized anchor well for your ground tackle as well as bowsprit roller and three solid metal bollards well positioned around the boat. As an indication of the manufacturer’s attention to detail, the hull’s stern also carries welded anchor points either side for easier tying down to the trailer and there’s a fold-down boarding ladder fitted to the engine/swim platform.

The Velocity Sports was fitted with a side console unit – a centre console is also an option on this model – and two non-adjustable pedestal seats, with five mounting positions available around the boat. The console carries a grab rail above, dark tinted screen and roomy facia panel for mounting electronics; the test boat was already sold and was just in need of fitting a buyer specified Furuno sounder. As part of the

dealer package the console was fitted with a GME radio and a set of Yamaha smart gauges for monitoring the 70hp four-stroke fitted astern.

Extra storage space for portable valuables is available on a shelf inside the console and below and there are aluminium side pockets either side of the deck. The transom was fitted with a plumbed live well on the port side and an open storage section directly below. A removable solid metal bait prep table with four rod holders sat prominently in the middle and the cranking battery and isolation switch to starboard. The gunwales were also fitted with six plastic rod holders and upright storage for another six outfits is available at the front of the side console.

Show and go This particular boat is rated to a maximum of 90hp. While the test boat was fitted with a 70hp Yamaha four-stroke it didn’t lose anything in terms of performance. While we were only

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MAIN: Boats of this size are popular due to their versatility and fishing features.

BOTTOM OPPOSITE: With an electric motor fitted, the Velocity Sports is equally at home chasing bass in the fresh as it is on Sydney’s choppy Botany Bay.

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APRIL 2016

The Velocity Sports was fitted with a side console unit. A centre console is also an option.

UNCOMPROMISED ANCE PERFORMA

RPM

SPEED

3500rpm (planing)

13.9 knots

4000rpm

18.3 knots

4500rpm

20.9 knots

5000rpm

23.5 knots

5500rpm

25.2 knots

6200rpm

28.7 knots

Having a stint at the wheel I was impressed by how well balanced the overall package feels. At speed the boat smoothly covers the water without fuss while providing minimal wake. For fishos who generally fish with only one other person or often go it solo the Yammie 70 will provide more than ample get up and go. If you see yourself suddenly having more mates when you buy a boat like this, it’d be wise to opt for a 90. It’ll make it easier in the long run if you plan on adding extra accessories like batteries and lugging around a mountain of gear each time you hit the water. While the Velocity Sports had cable steering it was nice and light and responsive and certainly didn’t have me preferring hydraulics. The low seat driving position sitting isn’t ideal for height challenged fishos like myself as the tall bow obscures the view somewhat, but driving standing is a workable compromise. Overall, the boat was a lot of fun to drive and throw into the odd fast turn and change of direction. It was easy to control and just feels like a well put together boat designed for serious fishos. Definitely a boat I’d like to spend some serious fishing time on.

Sea Jay Velocity Sports 490

ICOM3010

two-up, young Brock – who is a Formula 3 powerboat racer and no slouch behind the wheel – showed how the Velocity lives up to the Sports part of its name. While barely audible at idle the Yammie developed a nice growl at higher revs and pushed the 490 along very nicely. For the record the speed figures via the Yamaha gauges were:

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Length: 5.04 LOA Beam: 2.30m Fuel: 100ltr Weight: 555kg (approx.)

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Power: Max. 90hp Price: As tested (plus electronics), around $50k Contacts: Marina Bayside (02)9524 0044; marinabayside.com.au; seajayboats.com.au.

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For easy launch and retrieve

Engineered, sealed sub-floor strength 5

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HT SERIES 575HT, 615HT, 670HT, 730HT, 780HT

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Bar Crusher’s HT (Hard Top) and HTP (Hard Top Pilothouse) series are all-weather offshore Fishing Weapons. Featuring full-height, tinted glass windscreens and hard tops, these boats allow you to keep going even when the going gets tough... really tough. The stealth-bomber-like appearance and high-end performance of the HT and HTP series (the latter with lockable pilothouse) is complemented by large cockpits ready for serious fishing action, functional helm stations and spacious cabins for overnight trips.

THE BAR CRUSHER DIFFERENCE

WHY CHOOSE BAR CRUSHER?

Designed and built in Australia for Australian conditions, Bar Crusher boats deliver a super-smooth ride (a far cry from the uncomfortable, pounding ride of other aluminium boats) and superior stability at rest.

They’re easy to tow, economical to power and low maintenance.

Incorporating exclusive innovations such as the Waveslicer® deep-V, nonpounding hull, Rigideck® engineered sub-floor system, Quickflow® water ballast technology, and the evolutionary Gen2™ hull design with Delta Flare™ (490 series to 615 series), Bar Crusher boats are renowned for their quality construction, superior performance and maximum fishability.

Every Bar Crusher boat is factory-packaged on a custom-designed trailer, which ensures launching and retrieving is a breeze. Self-centering and aligning perfectly every time, the innovative Bar Catch™ system also allows for single-handed launch/retrieve – no matter what size Bar Crusher you own.

Every feature of every Bar Crusher boat has been carefully considered for its performance, practicality, versatility and – importantly – durability.

Bar Crusher boats are also fitted as standard with a range of fishing-related features other manufacturers charge as extras!

REAL PLATE BOATS The best definition of a ‘plate boat’ is a boat that’s built using an engineered sub-floor frame; heavy-gauge, high-tensile aluminium cut from flat plate; and has a welded-in aluminium floor.

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APRIL 2016

Boating Bits Minn Kota Micro remote THE Micro Remote provides quick command of speed, steering, Spot-Lock, Advanced AutoPilot and prop on/ off, all from a compact design. It’s waterproof, it floats and comes standard with a neck lanyard.

The remote suits both i-Pillot and i-Pilot Link syystems, and w works along with tthe existing emotes.

“If you’re already using your Linnk or i-Pilot rem mote, you can add the micro model as well, allowing three remotes per motor,” said h, brand manager.

Justin Welsh “One of the benefits of having multiple remotes on board is so that you and your mates can easily take over driving if either of you hooks up to a fish.”

RRP $299 More info at www.minnkota.com.au.

Garmin EchoMAP PACKED with Garmin’s latest sonar and mapping technologies, the new echoMAP CHIRP series is a powerful step forward in the evolution of combo units for freshwater and saltwater anglers.

Competitively priced, the echoMAP CHIRP series features built-in CHIRP traditional sonar, CHIRP DownVü and CHIRP SideVü scanning sonar, is preloaded with BlueChart G2 Australia and New Zealand coastal charts, and has Garmin Quickdraw Contours as standard – a new software feature that allows users to instantly create personalised HD fishing maps with 30cm contours on any body of water. Selected models also support Garmin’s exclusive Panoptix LiveVü all-seeing sonar and are NMEA compatible for integration with engines, autopilots and other equipment.

More info at www.garmin.com

Tohatsu celebrates 60 year anniversary AS the first manufacturer of Outboards in Japan Tohatsu hits another milestone in 2016 as it celebrates 60 years of manufacturing. Tohatsu said that its first Outboard produced in 1956, the OB-1B was a big step forward in boating as it is today with the stunning MFS50A Four Stroke model.

Generally perceived as one of the smaller outboard manufacturers, this is far from the truth with its plant being the largest in the world today.

In fact in 2014 the general manager of Tohatsu confirmed production

reached a Milestone 3.5 Million units. With a capacity to put out 200,000 units per year the group is well placed to meet a growing demand.

In the past two years Tohatsu has concentrated on adding and developing its mid range four stroke models. The first was the MFS40/50A, which it claims is the Lightest, most efficient and torquepacked model in its class. The second was the MFS25/30C a model that was developed from the first battery-less EFI outboard the MFS30B. More info www.tohatsu.com.au.

BOATING BITS

ICOM VHF transceiver ICOM’S IC-M25EURO VHF marine transcei ver is a slim, lightweight and high performancee radio that is packed full of features.

The Float’n Flash function allows the uni t to float above water and be located easily usiing the flashing red LED light. The unit also boa asts a 550mW Audio Output which ensures thatt everything can be heard loud and clear. A Large, easily viewable LCD and 11 hours off battery life ensure further ease of use.

A USB charger provides a convenient charging method and a standard USB connector such as a smartphone charger or a cigarette lighting station will provide users with a portable charging solution.

Additional features include a waterproof construction (1m depth of water for 30 minutes), a 4-step battery life indicator, dual/tri watch function, instant access to Channel 16 or programmable call channel, a favourite channel function, auto scan function and more.

RRP $330 More info at www.icom.net.au

Raymarine unveils Dragonfly 7 pro RAYMARINE said its new Dragonfly 7 PRO is the most feature-rich sonar/ GPS combination yet for fresh and coastal saltwater fishing. Offering the same advanced features as the award-winning Dragonfly 5 PRO, the 7 PRO is equipped with an extra-large 7” display for maximum visibility. The super bright display is also opticallybonded for all-weather performance, and is guaranteed to never fog up.

Unlike conventional imaging sonars that transmit each pulse at a single frequency, Draggonfly 7 PRO’s DownVision sonar uses wide sp pectrum CHIRP technology to transmit across multiple sonar frequencies simultaneously. As a result, Dragonfly 7 PRO produces higher resolution, photo-like sonar images.

Raymarine claim Dragonfly 7 PRO surpasses ordinary imaging sonars with superior deep water performance to 600 ft (180m) and reliable high speed bottom tracking. It’s also equipped with a conventional high frequency CHIRP sonar channel for targeting fish and bottom tracking down to 900 ft (277m).

RRP Starting at AUD $1,065.

More info at www.raymarine.com.au

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APRIL 2016

ELECTRONICS

Under the Sea in 3D Is 3D imaging the way of the future? Jereme Lane jumps onboard Navico's Edgewater boat and checks out the latest technology from Lowrance and Simrad.

FISHING World recently got a hands-on look at the innovative StructureScan 3D technology from Navico, the parent company for Simrad and Lowrance. The new 3D imaging quickly scans underwater terrain and fish-holding structure to create high-resolution, 180-degree super wide, three-dimensional views. The result is a three-dimensional perspective that’s clear and easy to read.

A combination of standard sonar, StructureScan HD (SideScan and DownScan), and the new Structure Scan 3D, gives the angler a fantastic understanding of fish, depth and structure in relation to their boat. This is sure to be popular with anglers who don't like getting too technical with their electronics. The 3D

perspective makes the sounder very easy to read straight out of the box. For the more advanced sonar user, there are still plenty of features to make this a worthwhile investment.

The new transducer not only provides accurate three-dimensional readings to depths of 100m, but also includes improvements to both the sonar and SideScan technology currently in use on Simrad multi-function displays or Lowrance Gen3 units. Both DownScan Imaging and StructureScan HD have been boosted to provide even more detailed imaging, and the side scanning range has been doubled from 100m to 200m. This makes searching for underwater structure like reef, pinnacles or wrecks much easier as it’s now possible to cover a wider range, and in greater detail, with each pass of the boat.

Another great feature, which was previously available across Navicos’s range of sonar technology and now extends to 3D, is TrackBack. This allows the angler to scroll back through already scanned terrain to have a closer inspection and mark waypoints at precise locations. The unit continues to scan and when the angler is ready he can move forward through the scan to the boat's real time position, or at a single touch, get straight back to real time.

MARINE ELECTRONICS

The viewing angles and touch screen controls are also very straightforward, logical and easy to use. Getting information, such as the distance from the boat to a piece of bottom structure or a bait school is available with one touch of the display.

In addition to crystal-clear imaging, StructureScan 3D has many other features exclusive to Navico including: • Leading Edge scanning reference provides a clear graphical illustration of the sonar beams as they intersect with the bottom contours and gives the angler a better sense of target depth.

• SelectScan water column target colouring automatically shades fish-holding cover and suspended targets in a colour that contrasts the selected colour palette, making target identification quicker and easier than ever before.

• Vertical Depth Enhancement provides emphasis to vertical drops and crucial depth contour changes making them easier to identify relative to the surrounding underwater terrain.

• 3D Waypoint Overlay makes it easy to revisit fishing areas, structure and other underwater sweet spots. Use the waypoint keypad to save a waypoint at the boat location or switch to

LEFT: 3D sonar is an intuitive way of understanding what lies beneath the boat.

“A combination of standard sonar, StructureScan HD, and the new Structure Scan 3D, gives the angler a fantastic understanding of fish, depth and structure.”

cursor mode and save a waypoint over specific targets, baitfish schools or cover.

Images for Structure Scan 3D are viewed on the Gen3 Lowrance HDS or Simrad Evo2 (NSS and NSO) units when used in combination with the new StructureScan 3D Skimmer transducer and Structure Scan 3D module. So, for those already running Gen3 or Evo2 units, all that is required is the upgraded transducer. Simrad & Lowrance’s Structure Scan 3D is now available with a RRP of around $1400.

More info on the Lowrance and Simrad websites.

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APRIL 2016

KAYAK FISHING

Catching jewies like this off a kayak requires plenty of preserverance.

BELOW: Familiarising yourself with an area before sunset helps when fishing after dark for jewies.

‘Yak Jewfish Alex Bartroff tells the story of his first jewfish from a kayak.

THE search began on a Sunday afternoon, my two friends Kyle and Dan and I cruising up the estuary in kayaks.

I found casting and presenting plastics from a seated position to be quite awkward at first and using one arm to maintain position with the paddle opened some moments where bites could be missed. On the flipside being able to approach spots stealthily from the water is a big advantage.

I envied my two friends with pedal kayaks, which looked far more comfortable, manoeuvrable and stable than mine and also allowed them to maintain full focus on their fishing.

I've spent a considerable amount of time studying the jewfish, researching likely spots and practising technique. Having read about other anglers’ experiences with jewies I was prepared for a long and patient journey to catch my first.

I'd previously caught a tiny specimon and I'd also caught two soapies on a charter with Dan Selby (sydneysportfishing.com.au) who taught me a lot about soft plastic fishing and corrected the many flaws in my technique. He gave me the confidence to go out and make it happen for myself.

It took about a week of landbased exploration trying different tides, times of day and a variety of lures and presentations until I landed my first Jewie – a soapie at 70cm and I was completely

“I placed a cast, hit bottom, imparted two small hops to the lure, felt a subtle 'tink'”. chuffed. I was excited to explore the system further with the stealth and accessibility of the kayak, so a few days later on a full moon, we set out to try our luck.

The light was starting to fade as I paddled ahead of my friends towards a prime rock wall.

I placed a cast, hit bottom, imparted two small hops to the lure, felt a subtle "tink" through the rod and set the hook, and it was on! A slow rise with brutal head shakes was followed by a harrowing 10 second run.

My wingman Kyle took hold of my old kayak, calmed me and guided me into place with his pedal kayak as we followed the big fish up and down the system. Without the kayak I wouldn’t have stood a chance! At one stage the fish had laid itself on the bottom, motionless and I thought it had buried me in some structure. Thankfully after about three nervous minutes it rose again and with renewed hope we continued the chase.

It lugged it out under the ‘yak for a while longer, but finally after about 45 minutes in total, we inserted the lip grips. We heaved the fish onto his kayak and finally took a breath as we made our way back to dry land to photograph the big fish.

For a full photo gallery visit www.fishingworld.com.au.

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