Fishing world june 2016

SUPER WINTER-LONG SPECIAL!

BONUS Boa

t Fishing Guide

HOW TO

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Road Trippin’ Follow The Currents North

Winter Jewie Secrets

We Crack The Code Use Bait Jigs Stay Warm While Fishing Understand Jig Heads

Got The Blues?

Fishing Travel 101 How To Make It A Ripper Trip

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CONTENTS fishingworld.com.au JUNE 2016

Big jewfish or mulloway are one of Australia's most sought-after sport fish. While schoolies can be caught by many anglers on a regular basis, catching the big specimens isn't so easy! Kevin Savvas reckons he's cracked the code by discovering the habits of big jewies and where they hunt food during the cooler winter months. Turn to page 10 to find out more.

➤

10

Contents

REGULARS 09 EDITORIAL 16 NEWS 36 NEW PRODUCTS 44 DAVID GREEN 46 ROD BUILDERS 48 KNOTS & RIGS 56 Q&A 64 SHIMANO JUNIORS 78 THE FISHING SCHOOL 84 DAVE RAE

COVER STORY 10 BIG WINTER JEWIES

BY KEVIN SAVVAS

Winter is big jewie time and Kevin reveals his secrets for catching trophy fish over the cooler months.

TECHNICAL 22 GETTIN' JIGGY

58 WEEKEND AT

RMI

BY BEN CADDAY YE

The famous fish hing town on the NSW South Coast has a variety of year-round op ptions for offshore and estu g uaryy anglers.

OFFSHORE 66 BEAT THE WINTER BLUES

BY LUKE REILLY

BY JAMIE CRAWFORD

With an abundance of different shapes and sizes, choosing between different jig heads can be confusing.

Jamie has the low-down on chasing southern bluefin tuna, a species seeing a resurgence off the coast of SA.

ESTUARY

TRAVEL

30 KEEP YOUR COOL IN QLD

72 5 TIPS FOR THE TRAVELLING FISHO

58

BY DAVID GREEN

BY MARK FRENDIN

Winter in southern Queensland offers an abundance of species for the keen estuary angler.

Fishing travel has never been more popular and accessible to the average angler. However, for a successful trip it pays to plan carefully and avoid the risks.

DESTINATIONS

36

50 WINTER ROAD TRIP Cover: Techniques for catching jewfish have come a long way with anglers developing and refining modern techniques for catching these popular fish.

BY CHRIS CLEAVER

Chris packs his bag and tows the boat north in search of warmer currents and big fish.

fishingworld.com.au | June 2016 | 5

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EDITORIAL

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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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ISSN 1320-2839

Growing Participation In Rec Fishing

BY SCOTT THOMAS

IT may seem odd to encourage more participation in fishing. After all, most of us live in big cities where crowded fishing spots, busy boat ramps and overfishing is a genuine ongoing concern.

Australia’s population is growing at a fast rate and that’s not a bad thing. It’s essential for the economy to grow and prosper and this will work well if populations are managed properly and the extra tax dollars aren’t squandered.

However, in some areas, rec fishing isn’t growing at the same rate as our population.

So why do we need more participation? Why would I want more people fishing my spots? For starters, our tackle industry needs constant growth to continue investment into Australia. We all love new developments in tackle, but without a thriving rec fishing sector, this will slow down.

Just as importantly, politicians and decision makers will always take care of a healthy and prosperous industry. Numbers are everything to pollies and the more collective power we have, the better off we’ll be in the long term.

The past decade has seen some unprecedented challenges thrown at rec fishing. And it doesn’t look like slowing down any time soon.

S

why do we need more ipation ... why would I want more people fishing my spots?”

Some of these challenges include fishing closures from an ever-growing series of marine parks around the country. A segment of the highly-organised extreme environmental movement is working overtime to stop you fishing in certain areas with little concern for science or fact.

At the opposite extreme, we have the Supertrawler and unsustainable industrial fishing doing untold damage to Australia’s fishery for very little return.

Coastal communities and rec fishers have been screwed by the Supertrawler and its supporters in Canberra.

Again, it’s vital these threats are addressed and that there's a solid dialogue between rec fishers and the decision makers in parliament.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom! The Australian Fishing Trade Association (AFTA) and Keep Australia Fishing (KAF) has been kicking some goals over the past few years. Rec fishers are now on the radar and, despite some challenges, are proving our economic and social contribution to those in power.

Gone Fishing Day will take place in October and has the support of government and industry bodies.

As part of AFTA’ and KAF’s commitment, an announcement was made to host a national initiative called Gone Fishing Day. While works are still in progress, the Gone Fishing Day will take place in October and is a fantastic idea to promote fishing amongst the greater population. It’s also a great reason to take a kid fishing!

I encourage you to find out more and get behind this great initiative. Check it out on Facebook and stay tuned to this magazine and our website www. fishingworld.com.au for more details leading up to the day in October.

Bumper winter season Welcome to our winter long edition. Inside you’ll find stories about a number of cold water species, tactics and winter hot spots. While winter and the transition period between seasons calls for a change of tactics and species, it still remains a great time to catch fish.

We’re lucky in this country to have not only a mild winter, but in many cases a bumper winter fishing season. Traditionally in other parts of the world, fishos would pack away their gear and go into fishing hibernation awaiting the first signs of spring.

That’s just not the case here! So despite the frosty mornings and short days, get out there and enjoy the winter ahead!

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

Big Winter

Jewies Winter is big jewie time and KEVIN SAVVAS reveals his secrets for catching trophy fish over the cooler months.

Images by CHRIS CLEAVER.

M

U ULLOWAY are high on the p priority list of most estuary anglers and it doesn’t get much better than landing one over the magic 50lb mark. If this article was written 30 years ago that mark was more in the 70lb region, but times have changed!

Regardless, that class of fish is nothing to snicker at.

It’s a worthwhile opponent and doesn’t come along all too often.

That is unless you know where and when to look...

And therein lies the reason why I've been so obsessed for the past 10 years.

I needed to consistently catch this class of fish before I moved on.

10 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

140cm of prime deepwater estuary jew taken on a soft plastic around the new moon.

fishingworld.com.au | June 2016 | 11

WINTER SPORT FISHING

And I reckon I’ve done it! While I haven’t figured out the whole picture, what happens now is I tend not to waste effort on hunches in less productive times and instead focus my attention on four very specific months of the year. If you want to catch Mr Big then read on.

The winter theory Over the years I’ve heard just about every incantation relating to when big jewies are best caught and most of them in some part are true.

You’ve got the new moon theorists, full moon theorists, high tiders, bottom of the tiders, high barometers, falling barometers and night timers all pushing their own barrows. The fact is big jewies can be caught during any of these conditions, but in my experience, it’s usually a mix of a few of them that yields success. That said, I tend to focus my attention elsewhere.

When it comes to the big boys it’s all about

food. A healthy 25kg plus jewie needs to eat a fair whack of grub to sustain itself so if you’re looking for one common denominator to underpin your approach for trophy fish then become single minded about its food source. Track the bait, find the fish, it’s a simple philosophy!

Their dedication to eating is magnified even further when jewies are conditioning themselves to breed. The hunger pangs are in full overdrive and the fish become obsessive. So much so, that they go to great lengths to eat as much as they can in areas you would least suspect.

Winter, in fact, presents the perfect feeding conditions and will give you your best hope of encountering that fish of a lifetime.

The prime time is between July and September but October can be productive if the cold water hangs around longer than expected.

During these colder months the tides reverse

order and the highest highs occur at night, unlike in summer when the spring tides occur during the day. This allows large predatory fish like jewies access to new territory by entering shallow creeks and tributaries to hunt. Mullet are usually the drawcard as they school up in these areas during winter and are substantial enough for a jewie to make an effort chasing them.

If you consider a small creek with a depth of about a metre during times of peak two metre high tides, the depth doubles and even the wariest jewie will make forays into these systems to feed, especially on the turn of the tide as the bait starts to move back out. If you parallel this same scenario with summer, the peak highs are negligible and the depth of water isn’t to the liking of these big fish. The mullet have also moved on to other areas during these times.

Therefore they are elsewhere looking for a meal – my hunch is inshore reefs and on nearby beaches.

In 1-2m of water, jewies have a far greater chance of ambushing and capturing a feed than in 10m of water so there’s a reason they are hunting at this time in these locations. We do chase them in these creeks land-based and it’s not uncommon to see a jewie finning around on the surface. They don’t seem at all perturbed by the shallow water.

Where to look Now don’t go looking for a small creek to fish at night during winter, as you’ll still be looking for a needle in a haystack. Exact location details is not what this article is about. In the Hawkesbury River, like many of our great NSW river systems, there are thousands of small feeder creeks that fit the description so picking and choosing, then hoping you have the right one is problematic.

To make nightly forays into these small creeks on the big tides jewies need to station themselves nearby during the day in deep holes resting up out of the current. That’s where you intercept them.

Look for deep areas back in the main river close to the entrances of creeks, especially if it has good water flow. If the current races through the area then the deepest section will have the least current exposure and usually a jewie will be found in these zones. It means they can still feed during the day if bait happens to be swept by but they are exerting the least amount of energy ready for their night assaults.

I've always been a massive advocate of daytime fishing for jewies for this very reason. At night they’re hunting and can be pretty much anywhere looking for food. You need luck for them to find you. In the day they are inactive and in very specific locations so finding them is 12 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

Gina Cleaver with a lovely daytime Jewfish taken on a soft vibe lure.

OPPOSITE TOP: Over a metre of creek mouth jewie taken on a large tide and a hardbody lure.

OPPOSITE BOTTOM: 21kgs 132cm Jewfish taken early morning from a deep rock wall

much easier. While they aren’t feeding as actively as during daylight hours, a big fish still has to eat and putting a well-presented lure in front of their face won’t be refused.

The beautiful thing is during winter the big jews mingle with the smaller class of resident jews, so there are more fish competing for the same amount of food. This ramps up the aggression and makes those big wily fish easier to catch. They tend to lose their inhibitions a little and throw caution to the wind. In warmer months I can mark big isolated fish and find it near impossible to get them in the mood to eat.

They’ve got the food to themselves. The smaller fish can often prompt them to feed or they’ll miss out.

Obviously the largest tides occur around times of the new and full moons so this is when I would recommend flicking some lures. Debate rages about which moon phase is best but either produces good fish. I do tend to find the new moon is slightly more productive as this coincides with the prawn runs.

I

h ve used soft vibes, and while I can guarantee they while catch fish, they don’t attract the same class of jewies as a beautifully presented five or six inch plastic.”

What to use I'm a huge fan of soft plastics which probably doesn’t come as a surprise to regular readers. I have used soft vibes such as the Jackall Transams, Spanyid Snipers and River2Sea Fish Candies and while I can guarantee they catch fish, they don’t attract the same class of jewies as a beautifully presented five or six-inch plastic.

What all successful plastics have in common is a slender jerk minnow-type profile with pulsating tails. These lures swim beautifully on a straight

retrieve, can be lift and dropped like a fish profile or can be twitched like a jerk minnow.

Typically I use them with Berkley Nitro heads which should give away my approach. I find the best takes come when the lures are twitched mimicking a wounded fish rather than other presentations. However, if I need to vary things on the fly, the lures can easily handle it with their versatility.

If I’m fishing dark of the moon on the prawn run, I’ll use greenish-colured lures. At first light I’ll go something more pronounced like a fluorescent chartreuse colour and back it off during the day to more natural hues. At other times, I tend to stick with browns and greens and don’t get tempted with unnatural coloured lures like pinks, yellows and reds.

Due to the depth of water I tend to use 1/2oz jig heads and go up or down depending on the strength of the current. Obviously the lighter the better but it’s a trade-off between wasting time waiting for the lure to get into the strike zone which limits your ability to work more ground or fishingworld.com.au | June 2016 | 13

WINTER SPORT FISHING

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too heavy and putting fish off. A half ounce head is about perfect and jewies don’t shy away from it. For reference I’m fishing in water around 50-70 feet in depth.

When it comes to rod and reel, you don’t need to go extra heavy if you’re fishing out of a boat. You can chase the fish and tire it meaning you can fish lighter. I tend to use a G-Loomis NRX 10-20lb rod but it feels much lighter than that rating, probably more like an 8-15lb. I run one of the new 3000 Stella FIs but any decent 2500 to 4000 sized reel will suffice. The reason for the smallish reels is because you don’t need line capacity when fishing from a boat. And the drags on modern spin reels can easily handle decent jewies.

I use 10lb PowerPro Bite Motion braid mated to 16lb Ocea fluorocarbon leader and find this is adequate for any of the big jewies I've pulled. Once again I know it sounds light but gear these days is more capable than it used to be so 30lb lines are not recommended.

I have worn through a 14lb leader on a jewie well over 30kgs some 45 minutes into the fight

but that’s the way it goes sometimes. I’ve upped it to 16lbs now so I hopefully won’t have a repeat disappointment. I’m still secretly burning!

Lastly, you need to use scent. If I’m not the largest user of S-Factor on the eastern seaboard then I’ll walk backwards down Bourke Street.

I near on use this stuff for cooking I love it so much. There’s no denying my catch rates on jewies has multiplied since using it and where I once scored fish three out of every 10 trips, I’m scoring fish seven out of 10. It’s that good.

Nowadays a new player is on the market and is showing good promise. It’s called Sax Scent and the crab and bloodworm flavours are proving to be productive. It’s early in my experiment in comparison to S-Factor but worth a look.

So there you have it, the jewie secret is out. So go buy yourself some thermals, a scarf, a balaclava and a decent waterproof jacket and gear up for winter. While most of the part-timers are packing away their boats during the cold snap, the clued-up anglers know it’s almost time to catch the trophy fish.

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FISHING NEWS

BEST OF THE

Tuna catches JOHN West, the largest branded seafood supplier in Australia and New Zealand, has teamed up with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to ensure that 95 per cent of its canned tuna is MSC certified. It announced its commitment with a nifty marketing campaign which supplied cans of “Finnish Tuna”, and invited recipients to imagine oceans without tuna. The cans just contained water. WWF also ran a full page colour ad in daily papers congratulating John West on its moves to secure over 100 million cans of certified sustainable skipjack tuna a year, although the tuna in the photo were oriental bonito, not skipjack.

Meanwhile AFMA is very happy that Australian commercial yellowfin tuna catches in the eastern fishery are up 20 per cent, with the broadbill swordfish season also being described as “bountiful”.

By John Newbery

WEB fishingworld.com.au Here’s a rundown of the 10 most popular stories recently posted on the Fisho site:

➀ BAIT TIPS FOR BIG BREAM

➁ PRACTICAL CRABBING BASICS

➂ OPINION: AUSTRALIA'S BEST EATING FISH

➃ SUCCESSFUL JEWIE FISHING

➄ MASS COBIA INVASION AFTER FISH FARM BREAKOUT IN ECUADOR

➅ SURF AND SAND SPECIAL: JEWIES OFF THE BEACH

➆ HUGE WIN FOR RECS IN FNQ IS ALREADY PAYING DIVIDENDS

➇ FISH FACTS: MUD CRABS

➈ MONSTER MALLACOOTA FLATHEAD

➉ THE JACK GURU

John West committed to 100 million cans of sustainable tuna a year 16 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

Fishing World writer Chris Cleaver is one of the new members for Sydney.

Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council announced MEMBERSHIP of the Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council, which replaces the previous Advisory Council on Recreational Fishing, has been announced.

Fishing World understands NSW Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair wants the new council to represent anglers from regional areas.

The council will be chaired by Professor Johann Bell, a distinguished fisheries scientist and keen angler, and will advise the Minister on all issues relating to

recreational fishing. Members of the new council are appointed for three years.

RFNSW members are: Dave Rae (North Coast), Paul Lennon (Central Coast), Stan Konstantaras and Chris Cleaver (Sydney), Vicki Lear and Greg Reid (South Coast), Jo Starling and Max Castle (Far South Coast), Ray Tang, Matt Hansen, Karl Mathers and Steve Samuals (western districts/freshwater), Matt Poulson (spearfishing) and Vic Levitt (charter and game fishing).

Huge win for recs in FNQ is already paying dividends THE Carefish Cairns Gill Net Free Zone (NFZ) was declared 1st November 2015, and a solid recovery in fish abundance has already been observed. Locals started catching fish again within a couple of weeks and catches have been improving as around a tonne of mature fish each week has ceased being extracted by commercial operators. Locals are almost daily seeing evidence of improved catches and there’s no question that fish stocks are improving – quite rapidly it seems – as the region returns towards a more typically wild system.

Whopper barra, both blue and king threadfin, trevally, queenies and even mangrove jacks are being encountered straight off the beaches. Large predatory fish have established themselves and can be seen schooling bait into balls along the beaches, and fishers are once again getting a fair feed and plenty of action.

None of this could have anything to do with spawning and recruitment yet, but we can’t wait to see what will turn up with a few wet seasons under our belts. This took decades of community complaint and Carefish finally got it across the line after six years of sustained lobbying. We can all be very proud of that.

By Paul Aubin

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FISHING NEWS

ONLINE THIS MONTH FISHINGWORLD.COM.AU

Mass cobia invasion after fish farm breakout in Ecuador NVIRONMENT ➀ ENVIRONMENT

BY JOHN NEWBERY

DISCUSSIONS on how to respond to a spate of recent shark attacks in NSW continue, fuelled by explorations of the effectiveness of both current and proposed measures in both the print and electronic media...

➁

ISH FACTS: LUDERICK

BY DR BEN DIGGLES

THERE are only a handful of primarily herbivorous fish species commonly targeted by anglers in Australia. Of these, the luderick or blackfish, (Girella tricuspidata) is probably the most widely recognised, and certainly its targeted more often in our east coast estuaries.

18 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

T TENS of thousands of “nearly mature” cobia have escaped from an aquaculture facility off the coast of Ecuador and are making their way north at approximately 200 miles per month according to a report by US based magazine Sport Fishing. Cobia are a pelagic fish found in all tropical and temperate waters around the world except, strangely enough, the Eastern Pacific.

However that could all be about to change as the farmed fish are on a rampage headed north, and Sport Fishing magazine’s marine biology

Barra news ANGLERS in Queensland have responded positively to the creation of net-free fishing zones in the state’s tropical north, with one fishing resort operator reporting increases in bookings and profits of about a third, and happy clients catching fish.

Commercial fishermen in the NT are reporting good catches in the Daly, Moyle and Victoria Rivers despite the drier than average wet season, and more threadfin west of Darwin. Pros east of Darwin over as far as the Gulf are reported to be doing it tough.

By John Newbery

expert, Milton Love, rates them a 50/50 chance of reaching California. Capable of breeding, these fish could be a major disturbance to local biodiversity.

One possible outcome “is for these fish to become well established and start chomping down on native species,” Love said. Love also anticipates these sort of events increasing as aquaculture and its importance grow globally, with the appropriate regulations slow to maintain pace with the growth, particularly in the developing world.

WA commercial salmon fishing finished?

THE ABC has reported that lack of demand, low prices and the loss of canneries will probably see the end of WA’s Australian salmon season. Prices haven’t increased since 1981 and catches have been mainly used for fish paste and crayfish bait, as they aren’t highly regarded as food. Up to 2,500t used to be harvested each season, but of late much of the catch has remained unsold. While it’s a piece of history passing, it can only be good news for WA anglers.

By John Newbery

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FISHING NEWS

SEQ shellfish reef research approved

IN an exciting first for Queensland, it was announced that a community group has obtained over $30,000 to assist with planning for research into restoration of shellfish reefs in Pumicestone Passage, in Northern Moreton Bay. The funds were donated by the Moreton Bay Regional Council and Unity Water to match the $50,000 privately raised by the Pumicestone Passage Restocking Association.

These groups will work together with Fishing World’s own marine biology editor Dr Ben Diggles, Traditional Owners, Sunfish North Moreton, and catchment management group SEQ Catchments to undertake the required planning and permitting to get the research underway.

Shellfish aren’t only food, they are important “ecosystem engineers” which filter the water and link up the base of the estuarine food chain, providing food and shelter for fish and crabs as well as uptake of nutrients and shoreline protection. Healthy oyster reefs mean healthy fisheries and research pioneered overseas in the US has shown it’s possible to regain the lost ecosystem services provided by shellfish reefs through the process of shellfish reef restoration.

More information can be found on the Restore Pumicestone Passage website.

DPI release protection guide for Eastern cod NSW Department of Primary Industries has released a protection guide for Eastern cod aimed at educating fishers and land managers on the rules and best practices to ensure the ongoing recovery of this endangered species.

The guide can be viewed or downloaded on the NSW Fisheries website.

NSW Fisheries are asking anglers, landowners and other stakeholders to familiarise themselves with the Eastern cod to ensure their ongoing protection.

20 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

Gettin’

Jiggy With an abundance of different shapes and sizes, choosing between different jig heads can be confusing. LUKE REILLY explains what you need to successfully fish soft plastics.

22 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

IMAGE: SHANE CHALKER

The weight, size and shape of a jg head is critical when targeting fish like bream over shallow clear water.

fishingworld.com.au | June 2016 | 23

TECHNICAL

S

OFT plastic pack in hand, you stare at a daunting wall of jigheads. Welcome to taackle-shopping at its most confusing.

Backk in the good old days, angler’s bought hooks and sinkers in separate packs. Oh what a simple process tackle browsing was, with only a single item to be considered at a time. The invention of the jighead and its inherent duality however brought many anglers unstuck. Both a hook, and a sinker in one, the jighead’s anatomy generates multiple layers of selection criteria. Add to this product sales jargon and whether you’re new to the soft plastic game, or an experienced angler, jighead selection becomes a little complicated.

Not to worry – it’s just a hook, and a sinker, right? Approach each element one at a time. If your point of departure is hook size, then be familiar with the system. The larger the number, the smaller the hook, is the golden rule – unless the number is followed by /0, in which the reverse applies. Lining up your plastic against the jig hook is a good on the spot measure; the right sized hook will exit the plastic somewhere between the first quarter and half way along the tail. Too big and you’ll compromise the plastic’s tail action, too small and you won’t have enough gape for the tip to drive home.

With the point of that hook talk down pat, now it’s time to work out the sinker side of things.

Taking us Aussies back fifty years to the world of imperial measurement, jighead weights across most brands are delivered in ounces. Unlike hook size, there’s not one jighead weight that will complement your soft plastic in all situations. For shallow water and little current a lightweight option will satisfy, but when the water depth increases and the tide is roaring a solid chunk of lead can be a necessity.

There is always the unweighted option too, but we’ll come to that later. To conform to the bastion of modern sports fishing, always use as light a weight as possible for the conditions, as this usually affords the most natural presentation.

CLOCK WISE FROM RIGHT: A big Hawkesbury bream caught on a plastic; When finesse isn’t required, a longer shank hook will prevent bite-offs with fish like tailor; Northern species such as coral trout love plastics such as this Gulp.

A heavier jig head was needed to sink in the strong current.

24 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

Now on top of hook size and lead head weight, there are a few other things to consider.

One is the keeper prong, which is designed to hold the soft plastic to the shank of the jig head. These come in various designs for different brands of soft plastics, some are a ribbed lead molded around the hook shank, others a simple wire prong.

Hook quality and gauge is another thing to take into consideration. Fine gauge hooks may not possess the ultimate in strength, but in finesse fishing situations they are sharp and superb when it comes to penetration. Heavy gauge hooks come into play when targeting brutal species on serious tackle.

To help make jighead selection that bit easier, below are the main players in jighead

manufacturing with the advantages and disadvantages of their products outlined.

TT Tournament Series These jigheads are built on Gamakatsu hook backbones, with a round fronted lead head and ribbed lead keeper on the hook shank. The Tournament Series is available in a comprehensive range of sizes from 2 to 8/0 hooks and 1/20 to 1½ oz. weights. Packets marked with H contain a heavy wire hook, which are a sharp, general purpose jig head. Packets not marked with H contain a fine wire hook, offering an edge in hook penetration ideal for finicky or hard mouthed fish. The disadvantage of light wire hooks is that they can be susceptible to opening up if pulled too hard on, as such they are best suited to light drag finesse fishing applications.

These jigheads match with the majority of soft plastics on the market, with the grub keeper holding the lure tight to the base of the lead head. However, the disadvantage of the thick lead keeper is that after three or more attempts of rigging a plastic the inside will be ripped out and no longer hold. In this instance, apply a drop of super glue on the lead shank before sliding the plastic over the keeper. This is a great trick on stretchy material plastics such as Z-Man and Snapback which can be difficult to push up and hold over standard lead keepers.

TT Headlockz The Headlockz keeper is a unique design ideal to match with elastic material plastics such as Z-Man. It’s a similar ribbed lead moulded over

the hook shank as in the Tournament Series, however the keeper is set at a 5mm gap away from the lead head. This space between the keeper and the head allows you to push your elastic material plastics up to the base of the lead head, where rather than springing back off the keeper, they spring back to hold over the front of it. This eliminates the need for superglue, as the plastics are locked to the jighead, as the name suggests. There are three models in the Headlockz series.

The Headlockz Finesse series are built on a fine wire Japanese hook and available in hook size 2 to 3/0 and weight 1/20 to 1/2oz. These are the perfect finesse option for maximum penetration with light lines and drags.

The Headlockz HD series feature a heavy gauge, Mustad Ultrapoint hook which are strong enough to withstand the jaw power of fish like snapper, jacks and jewies and the drag output required to put the brakes on fish like kings and GTs. Not to mention, the smaller sizes are great for chasing southern estuary species in structure.

From hook size 4 to 8/0 and weight 1/20 to 3oz., Headlockz HD is a comprehensive system applicable to the Z-Man range as well as any other soft plastics requiring a heavy duty jighead.

TT Demonz jigheads also feature the Headlock keeper and are constructed from heavy wire (H) Gamakatsu black nickel hooks. Unlike the plain lead head Headlockz, the Demonz are a painted head to match the colour tone of your soft plastic.

They also feature eyes, which affords a more natural looking overall offering. There are seven different colours available and hook sizing ranges

from 1H to 3/0H and 1/6 to 3/8oz. making them ideal for plastics up to about four inches.

TT Hidden Weight System When your soft plastic needs to appear as natural as possible, the TT Hidden Weight jigheads, where the lead is stamped as a keeper on the shank, are ideal. As there is no lead head on the front of the plastic, all of the weight is to be concealed inside the lure on the hook shank. This means the hidden weight jigheads are only available in lighter weight classes, however they are ideal for finesse fishing and imparting a steady natural drop to your plastic.

Available in light and heavy wire Gamakatsu hooks from size 2 to 7/0H and weights 1/60 to 1/6oz.

TT Snagless Weight Systems There are many models in TT’s range of weedless, weighted worm hooks. This style of jighead is ideal for presenting soft plastics in a snag proof fashion, as the worm hook design allows the hook point to sit flush against the back of the plastic.

This eliminates any protrusions to snags until a fish bites down on the lure and exposes the pointy end of the hook. With the lead weight printed on the belly of the shank, these jigheads can act as a keel for soft plastics fished on a steady wind across the surface. The Tournament Series Snagless Weight System is built on Gamakatsu EWG Worm hooks and available from 2/0H to 6/0H from 1/12 to 1/6oz., with the Head Hunter Extreme Snagless Weight System built on a more robust Mustad worm hook and sizes ranging from 6/0XH to 8/0XH and 1/8 to 1/4oz.

ABOVE: A gap between the head and the keeper, like this TT Headlockz, will help with spongier plastics like ZMans.

RIGHT: The TT Snakelockz has an openable eye for hook and weight changes.

The Chinlockz Snagless Weight System works on the same principlee, but is designed to hold elastic Z-Man style soft plastics on a protruding lead keeper below the bent neck at the eye. Formed on a Mustad hook they range from 2/0XH to 8/0XH, available just as a hook to fish unweighted, or with a weighted hook shank from 1/12 to 1/4oz.

TT’s Snake Head features a bare Mustad worm hook with a weighted, free swinging lead head. Ideal for fishing deep, snaggy territory they range from 2/0XH to 8/0XH and 1/12 to 3/4oz. The Snakelockz series, the latest addition to the TT range is similar to the Snake Head but built on a Chinlockz hook for securing Z-Man plastics. Further, they also feature a removable lead weight which clips onto the hook eye, allowing you to chop and change between different weights and hook sizes. They feature the same dependable Mustad worm hook in the Chinlockz available from 2/0XH to 8/0XH, but also include interchangeable weighted heads from 1/12 to 3/8oz. fishingworld.com.au | June 2016 | 25

TECHNICAL

TT Rev Head Featuring a spinning blade on the underside of the jighead, the Rev Head adds flash and vibration and a slower sink rate to soft plastics.

Built on fine wire, chemically sharpened Mustad Aberdeen hooks, they work great to attract and trigger strikes off territorial native fish as well as estuary and offshore species.

Available in both Willow and Colorado blades in either gold or silver, the Rev Heads come in a size 4 to 5/0 hook and weights from 1/8 to 1/2oz.

Wilson Fixed Jigheads A heavy duty offering, Wilson’s Fixed Jigheads are ideal to match with larger plastics to chase quality fish in deep water and strong current.

The heavy gauge hook features a ribbed lead keeper and is available in size 2/0 to 7/0 and 1/4 to 1oz.

ABOVE: EPs love soft plastics. Try small lightly weighted jig heads to match your plastics.

Jewies are another popular soft plastic target. Choosing the right jig head and plastic combination can make all the difference.

26 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

Mustad Darter Jigheads Darter Jigheads add action to curl-tail grubs and paddle-tails, and they make stickbait-style plastics come alive, according to Mustad. Worked with a rip and drop action or a slow roll, the Mustad Darter Jighead is as effective in the ocean and estuaries as it is in the freshwater lakes and rivers.

Available in a range of sizes with weights from 1.8g (1/16oz) through to 42g (1.5oz) all using a Mustad heavy duty hook from size 2 to 7/0 with 34 different jig heads overall.

Berkley Nitro Bream Pro Featuring an angled, darter style lead head and a four-ribbed keeper designed to hold Gulp! and Powerbait soft plastics, the Nitro Bream Pro are an ideal all round finesse jighead. Built on Owner light wire hooks, these jigheads are much like the light gauge TT Tournament Series jigheads offering great penetrative abilities with

finesse applications. They are available from hook size 4 to 2/0 and weight 1/50 to 1/4oz.

Berkley Nitro Stealth Featuring a rounded head shape, some models of the Nitro Stealth jighead range exhibit a lead lip at the base of the head which acts like a keel to keep your plastic straight in the water. Also, the lead keeper is positioned further down the hook shank than typical for greater weight distribution and concealment. Constructed on a forged Owner hook designed to give sound penetration on light lin ne as well as strength on larger speciees, the Nitro i 1 to 5/0 Stealth range is available in hook size and weight 1/8 to 1oz.

Berkley Nitro Saltwater Pro The Nitro Saltwater Pro is Berkley’s hard hitting jighead for large, tough species.

Constructed on a heavy gauge, forged, chemically sharpened Owner hook, these jigheads are also coated in a super tin finish to help suppress corrosion. Built around an angled, darter style head and four ribbed keeper, they are available in hook size 2 to 9/0 and weight 1/16 to 5oz.

Berkley Nitro Elevator Heads These jigheads feature a large swinging lead head attached to an Owner Elevator hook with ribbed keeper to secure a large soft plastic for a fast plummet to the depths. Designed for deep water applications, they are available in 1/2 to 6 oz. weights.

Berkley Nitro Dam Deep Nitro Dam Deep jigheads are heavy weighted, painted heads designed to fish sub 3” length plastics in deep water applications such as chasing schooled bass in dams. Constructed on a black nickel Owner hook they are available in hook size 2 to 2/0 and weight 1/8 to 5/8oz.

Squidgies Round Head A simple rounded lead head and light wire hook make up the Squidgies Round Head jig, a great, simple estuary jighead. They feature a wire prong keeper, which unlike ribbed lead keepers doesn’t tear the inside of a plastic apart after a few attempts at rigging. Further, the wire keeper sits tight to the shank and won’t split slim bodied plastics. They are made available from 1 to 12g and hook size 4 to 4/0.

Squidgies Weapon Head The Weapon Head features a heavy wire hook for durability and a wire prong keeper. Further, the larger sizes feature a second eyelet on the underside of the lead head where a stinger hook, whether it be a single, double treble or jigging assist hook, may be

TOP LEFT TO BOTTOM: Atomic Seekerz Hidden Weights are a great finesse option for tiny plastics; Squidgies Weapon Heads have a second eyelet for an extra hook; Darter-style jigheads like this Mustad add extra action to subtle presentations; The Nitro Bream Pro have great hook penetration due to their fine gauge; Nitro Dam Deeps are a highly specialised jighead; The weight is concealed in the Squidgies Secret Weight.

attached to increase one’s chances of a hook up. For a strong jighead that won’t tear apart soft material plastics, such as Squidgies, the Weapon Head is a sound option, available in hook size 1/0 to 6/0 and weight 1 to 40g.

Squidgies Secret Weight A painted hidden weight style jighead, the Secret Weight glows orange through translucent soft plastic tails. A finesse option for smaller plastics, it features a wire keeper barb and lead spread along the shank to allow a natural horizontal sink. Further, by concealing the lead these jigheads don’t leave any dents in gelcoat when your skipcast under a moored boat makes contact with the hull! They are available in a size 2 and 4 hook and 0.5 to 1.5g weights.

Squidgies Darter Finesse With a narrow lead head the shape of a bullet, the Darter head jigs give a unique, erratic action fishingworld.com.au | June 2016 | 27

TECHNICAL

the hook bend and a corkscrew keeper to secure the head of a plastic to the eye. Available in hook size 5/0 and 6/0 and weight 1/8 to 1/4oz.

Not a noted luretaker, luderick will usually only respond to a lightly weighted finesse presentation.

This one fell to a Squidgies Bug using a concealed-weight style jighead.

to flick bait style plastics. Built on a thick, sharp hook, they are a heavy duty option for finesse weight fishing. Featuring a wire keeper they are available in hook size 1 to 4/0 and 1.5 to 4g weight.

Atomic Seekerz Built around a sharp Gamakatsu hook backbone, Atomic Seekerz feature a darter style lead head angled to a point and a ribbed keeper on the shank. The standard wire version is available in hook size 2 to 2/0 and weight 1/24 to 1/4oz. and is a great all round finesse jighead. The Heavy Wire Seekerz come in hook size 1 to 3/0 and weight 1/24 to 1/3oz. For hard hitting species in

Savage Gear Stand Up

tough terrain the Seekerz XOS Wire is a brutal, reduced gape, heavy wire jighead available in hook size 6/0 to 8/0 and weight 1/4 to 2oz.

Atomic Seekerz Hidden Weights Built on a Gamakatsu fine wire hook the Seekerz Hidden Weight jigs are a classic finesse option for small plastics. Featuring a large, ribbed, thick lead keeper on the hook shank they are available in hook size 1 and 1/0 and weight 1/24 to 1/11oz.

Atomic Seekerz EWG Monster Built on a 4X strong Gamakatsu EWG worm hook, these are a great heavy duty weedless rigging option. They have lead moulded around

The Stand Up jighead range by Savage Gear is different to most other jighead designs. The lead head is flat, and positioned at 45 degrees to the shank. Designed to “stand up” on the bottom, it positions soft plastic tails upright, allowing any wriggling components to wave in the current. With no soft plastic keeper, the stand up jigheads feature a medium gauge hook and come in three models – 4/0, 12g and 1/0, 6g compatible with yabby and grub style plastics. The third model is built on a size 8 hook and 4 grams in weight, designed to be paired with small soft plastic crabs.

So once you’ve got that hook size and weight figured, take into consideration whether you’re targeting snaggy terrain where weedless rigging might be necessary, whether a light or heavy gauge hook is required and what sort of plastic material you’re using to determine the ideal keeper. Then you are ready to cut through the marketing, ease the decision making process and select the perfect jighead for the job. Good luck.

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28 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

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DESTINATIONS: SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

Keep Your Cool in QLD Winter in southern Queensland offers an abundance of species for the keen estuary angler. DAVID GREEN shows us what's on offer this season.

W

EN I moved to Queensland over irty years ago from the central coast NSW the first major difference I ed in estuary fishing was that it has always produced more variety and fish numbers in winter than summer. As a kid I was quite tuned in to how the fishing was in the local estuaries of Brisbane Waters and Cowan Creek by what happened in school holidays. The summer school holidays and the end of first term holidays in May were generally pretty good for fishing, but the August school holidays were a fish desert for a keen 12 year old. It was a time of cold water, few fish (apart from the hairtail in Cowan Creek) and not much else. In NSW, winter estuary fishing was often fish free and frustrating and way too cold to be comfortable. For the estuary angler in

30 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

southern Queensland winter is generally the best time of year to catch a feed of fish. While there are mangrove jacks and whiting around in summer, there are far less fish in the system in the warmer part of the year. Some species, like flathead, just seem to disappear in summer.

The main species I chase in winter are mulloway, flathead, tailor and whiting. There are also a lot of bream around at this time of year but they are a species I never specifically target. I fish on the Gold Coast in the Broadwater and its three rivers, the Coomera, Nerang and Pimpama. The Broadwater extends north to Jumpinpin, and is an extensive area of channels and sand flats between South Stradbroke Island and the mainland. North of Jumpinpin is the southern end of Moreton Bay. This whole estuary system is quite massive with hundreds of channels, drains and flats that all hold fish. It’s quite shallow in most places, rarely over 10 metres in depth apart from the entrances of Jumpinpin and the Gold Coast Seaway. Despite the fact I have fished this area for over three decades I still find new spots I’ve never fished before.

Cooler days In Southern Queensland winter marks the start of westerly winds. This cools the water down and flattens the surf and triggers the spawning runs of bream, mullet and luderick. These species start to gather around the river and ocean entrances in dense schools. At the same time we see a lot of small white pilchards, frog mouthed pilchards and hardiheads move into the estuaries, and these attract a lot of predators such as tailor and flathead. The first cold westerly winds are an amazing “trigger” event, and in the weeks that follow the estuaries are suddenly full of life. The water temperature drops fairly quickly from around 22 degrees to about 17 degrees. Despite what you may hear, Queensland can be cold at

A nice winter by-catch when chasing flathead - a giant herring.

LEFT: A northern calamari, which are more plentiful during the cooler months in Queensland.

fishingworld.com.au | June 2016 | 31

DESTINATIONS: SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

night and when we’re chasing mulloway in winter at night, we’re usually in single digit temperatures when the westerly blows. Days are generally characterised by clear skies and calm conditions and are ideal for fishing as the water also clears up in westerly conditions.

Winter species

ABOVE: A big 124cm mulloway on a live mullet in July at the Gold Coast Sea Way. BELOW: Salmon are occasional winter visitors in Gold Coast estuaries.

32 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

Winter flathead fishing in this region can be outstanding. While we don’t tend to get many of the big crocodile sized monsters that turn up in spring, we do often get catches of over 40 fish in a session up to around 70cm in length. Cool calm conditions with a mid-morning run in tide can produce some outstanding fishing casting soft plastics, blades and hard bodied lures. The top of the flats often carry a lot of bait in early winter, and there are usually plenty of flathead chasing them. When big schools of white pilchards are about the flathead are very aggressive and chase lures for long distances. Working shallow flats in about a metre of water is a great way to catch a wide variety of fish in the winter. Using small soft plastics cast to the edges of weed beds and feeder channels produces flathead, bream, yellowtail pike, small GTs, tailor and whiting. Winter is a great time to down size and use small lures as most of the fish on the flats are less than two kilos. There are occasional surprises such as giant herrings, kingfish, salmon, estuary cod, and increasingly a few barramundi are turning up in Gold Coast waters!

On the run in tide when the clean water pushes inside the entrances there can be some great tailor fishing in the winter months throughout this region. The tailor are pretty easy to spot by watching for the attending birds, and are generally easily caught on cast plastics such as ZMans or metal lures. Most of the tailor are between 400 grams and a kilo. Bigger fish often fall to live baits, cast poppers or pilchards. Tailor schools are mixed with Australian salmon every so often.

The salmon fight extremely hard on light tackle.

These fish turn up irregularly in winter in southern Queensland estuaries but have become more frequent in recent years and are a bit of a novelty for Queensland anglers. Tailor are a very popular winter species in Southern Queensland on the beaches and in the estuaries and a lot of anglers chase them. The famous Australian made Alvey reel was originally designed with tailor in mind. My favourite tailor lure is the Raider 65gm model with blue reflective tape, and the 30 gram Lazer lure. The fish are generally not fussy and hit cast lures aggressively.

Another fish we often chase is the yellowtail pike. These fish are ideal live baits for kingfish and

mulloway, but they’re also extremely tasty tucker when scaled and pan fried in butter and are commonly called “sabre toothed whiting”. In calm clear conditions pike hold in quite big schools near eel grass beds and are usually easy to catch on small metal lures, small minnows and soft plastics. Their sharp teeth bite through leader quite easily so I’d recommend small cheap lures when targeting pike as you tend to lose a few lures through bite-offs. A live pike is the best method for big mulloway in the Jumpinpin Bar, and they also work well in the Seaway on both mulloway and kingfish.

Squid are another tasty winter treat and increase in numbers as the water cools. Working squid jigs over weed beds can be very productive throughout most of Moreton Bay. In southern Queensland there are two main types of squid, the northern calamari and the smaller arrow squid. I find the most productive time to go squidding in the day is to fish the last hour of the run in tide on a calm day with light winds and clean water. It pays to carry a range of squid jigs but most of the squid are caught in quite shallow water. The more natural colours in browns and gold work best for me, and I’ve also

had some success trolling for squid using the electric motor. Squid tend to turn up in the same spots where you find yellowtail pike. They can also be targeted from the shore in many areas where there are jetties and weed beds. At night squid can be caught around the rock walls, marinas and almost anywhere where a light is shining over the water. As in most estuaries, live squid make fantastic baits for mulloway, flathead and kingfish, but I prefer to eat them myself rather than feed them to fish!

Mulloway Mulloway are another target species in the deeper parts of the estuary in winter, and in Moreton Bay there’s also excellent snapper fishing on deep soft plastics. The mouth of the Brisbane River also holds a substantial population of big threadfin salmon around the extensive port facilities. In my local area, the Gold Coast, winter mulloway fishing in the estuaries is very popular. For several

decades now we have chased big mulloway at night in the Seaway area throughout the winter months. The key to this activity is the spawning run of tiger mullet and sea mullet. At night the mullet form large schools in the ocean entrances, and it seems very likely that the bigger mulloway move into the estuaries at night from the inshore reefs and beaches to hunt them. I’ve seen 20 kilo mulloway busting the surface and boofing mullet in the Seaway area many times over the years, and it’s very exciting fishing as you swim your live bait out near the hunting zone. The better and bigger the mullet run is, the better the mulloway fishing is. Most of these fish are between 13 and 20 kilos, measuring 110 to 125cm long on the ruler. On average, this run of “mullet-eaters” are bigger fish than the average mulloway caught during the day on soft plastic lures. Since the minimal size limit was increased to 75cm a few years ago the mulloway fishing has flourished in southern Queensland.

During daylight hours mulloway can be targeted in the deep water entrances throughout Moreton Bay and the

Working a winter drain for flathead. fishingworld.com.au | June 2016 | 33

DESTINATIONS: SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

in the creeks and draining rivers and I like to use fresh chicken frames or tuna for bait. The last few years have been quite good for crabbing in southern Queensland, as the water temperatures have been quite high throughout the colder months.

One of the beauties of fishing the estuaries of southern Queensland in winter is that you can have quite a varied fishing plan and do a lot of things in a single session. On the last of the run out tide I might target flathead by either trolling or casting. On the start of the run in we will generally find a gutter or drain and cast blades and soft vibes for flathead, then as the flats start to fill we might try popper fishing for whiting or start trolling the flats. When the tide is full the options are to either chase squid, head to the deep water targeting mulloway or move up to the mangrove fringes or chase flathead that are feeding on crabs. We may try five or six strategies in a session, which really makes the fishing interesting.

Overall, the winter estuary fishing options around Brisbane, and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts in winter are quite extensive. I really enjoy the diversity of this great fishery, and there’s always a productive option, and as a bonus, the weather is generally very good.

MUSTAD.NO

Mark Frendin with a nice winter flathead.

Gold Coast. Soft plastics, soft vibes and blades are all effective and a live pike or tailor fished close to the bottom is also effective. At times bull sharks can be a problem, and it’s quite distressing to spend several hours after a decent mulloway only to have it chomped up by a savage shark.

Sometimes, on side imaging sounders, the sharks are easily spotted cruising mid water, and when you see the sharks the mulloway are generally unlikely to bite. I like to use Gulp jerk shads and the Nemesis when targeting mulloway in the deep water. I work the back eddies on the run out, and the main channels on the run in. Most bites tend to come on tide changes, and at times the fish caught in daylight hours tend to be small, with a lot under the minimum legal length of 75cm.

I like eating mulloway around 90cm in length, they are superb fillets for crispy skin fish.

While the crabbing in winter is generally a bit slower than summer, it’s still quite possible to catch a few mud crabs throughout the winter months and they tend to be quite full. Sand crabs are also about when conditions are calm, and the best time to chase crabs is on the run in tide. For sand crabs use fish frames such as mullet, flathead or whiting, and set your pots in water 4 to 6 metres deep where there’s plenty of eelgrass. Mud crabs are generally at their best

Strong and sharp replacement trebles for your lures are an important part of any lure angler’s success. Mustad brings to you a range of specialised treble hooks that will take on the most timid trout through to the largest predator in the world.

With decades of hook development behind them, Mustad is proud to deliver this unparalleled range of treble hooks to the Australian market. If your lure swims, there’ll be a Mustad treble to make your lure even better.

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TO R RESILIENT

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34 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

TO SPECIALISED

3 35657NPBN Bream Treble B ‡ 5RXQG EHQG ‡ )LQH JDXJH ‡ ([WUD VWURQJ ‡ 6KRUW VKDQN ‡ 6L]H

32368NP-DS Kaiju ‡ 6XSHU VKDUS ‡ 'XUDVWHHO ‡ [ VWURQJ ‡ :HOGHG H\H ‡ 6L]H WR

NEW PRODUCTS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

New What’s

Fisho highlights the latest tackle, gear and accessories.

CAN YOU HANDLE THE TRUTH?

T

RU UTH Reels Australia has announced the arrival of its line-up to the Auustralian and New Zealand market. Developed and manufactured in V ginia, Truth Reels has quickly gained a strong reputation in the USA for Virg its line of conventional reels that draw on unconventional ideas and innovative solutions to deliver best in class performance at a competitive price.

The Truth Reels line-up currently includes six reels covering every discipline from slow pitch jigging and live baiting to tournament surfcasting and bluewater t rolling. All Truth Reels are cut, machined and assembledd from premium grade materials including certified 60611 T6 aluminium, 316 stainless steel gears, premium ceramic bearings, and carbon fibre drag washers.

The Truth Reels team produce every part in-house to ensure a high quality product and back this up with an unconditiona al lifetime warranty.

More info w ww.truthreelsaustralia.com.au

LONG OD ROM VA ATOR INNOVATOR

I

NN NOVATOR has introduced the new HLLS2 10’0” 6wt due to popular demand.

Thee company said it received plenty of T feedback from customers about the lack of a 10’ rod in its range for lake and boat anglers.

The advantage of longer rods in these fishing situations is obvious, longer casting distances are required with teams of flies, wading out in deep water allows back casts to stay clear of bank vegetation and hanging flies is easily achieved with a longer rod.

Development has taken 11 months in with plenty of small tweaks along the way, with the major one being the introduction of a counter balance system built into the reel seat. This allows the angler to balance this rod perfectly based on brand and model of fly reel. Innovator said it was imperative to have this feature added as 10’ rods have a tendency of feeling tip heavy, especially in today’s fly reel market where reels have never been lighter and don't properly counter balance the outfit.

Innovator designed a reel seat that would allow the angler to remove one weight at a time (4 x 9gram weights supplied) until their rod and reel combination balanced perfectly.

This takes away the use of wrist muscles holding the tip up which dramatically reduces angler fatigue.

More info www.mayflytackle.com.au

36 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

MEET YOUR NEMESIS!

C

OM MBINE the fish catching profile of a Jerkshad and e enticing tail action of a grub and you get the the Berkley Nemesis. Designed in Australia the Nemesis Be shape is now available in a bite-sized 3in model. Testing h by the Berkley Pro Team has proven they are deadly on bream with an enticing tail action at any speed, easy to swallow profile and that famous Gulp scent!

The tail action of the Nemesis is very enticing no matter the retrieve. On the drop, with a lift and wind action or straight up slow roll, the Nemesis tail swims at the slowest of speeds delivering continuous life like action. Each Nemesis is also loaded with Berkley’s exclusive Gulp scent and flavour formula, which is a powerful water based scent dispersion system made of 100 per cent natural ingredients that also makes Gulp 100 per cent biodegradable. Gulp releases 400 times more scent than h regular l plastic l i baits. b i More info www.berkley-fishing.com.au

BERKLEY GETS E-MOTIONAL!

B

TAKE THE PRESSURE DOWN!

A

RB B has released its premium range of Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems that provide customers with confidence when monitoring current tyre pressures, on and off the road. Meeting consumer demand for a simple, easy to read and easy to install Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), the ARB system is available as either a DIY external sensor kit, or an internal valve replacement kit, with both options featuring a 12v socket mounted display that is compact and easy to read.

Not only does the TPMS display all four tyres in real time, the monitor can quickly detect punctures and/or excess temperature. Once potential failure is detected, the monitor delivers both a visual and audible warning to alert the driver, preventing the possibility of an accident occurring. Utilising the vehicle’s 12v socket, another unique feature of the monitor is that it includes a 5V/1A USB output which allows you to charge devices such as mobile phones and GPS units, without having to remove the tyre pressure monitor from the socket.

More info www.arb.com.au

C&F LURE BOXES

J

APANESE manufacturer C&F Design has released two compact lure boxes. These boxes provide lure anglers with the perfect solution of storing a day’s worth of lures for h s or her favourite stream, lake or estuary. The boxes have magnetic strips fo built bl b ilt iinto the base which securely hold both setss off trebles.

The magnetic strips help in avoiding tangled trebles and also alleviate o waterproof with an lures rattling while walking. The boxes are also O-ring and firm latch and feature a clear top to easilyy identifyy the lures within.

There are two sizes to choose from. The sm maller of the two holds seven lures measuring up to 70mm and fits easily in shirt pockets. The second model holdds 12 lures measuring up to 60mm and fits most shirt pockets.

More info www.mayflytackle.com.au

ER KLEY E-Motion rods are for anglers looking to takke the next step in rod performance. From finesse estuary and freshwater presentations to punching out 7in jerkshads on inshore reefs, the Berkley E-Motion Performance Series of rods combines superb function and performance at a best-in-class value. Lengths, powers and actions are engineered to perform and designed with the keen angler in mind.

Constructed of a 100 percent carbon fibre blank, Berkley E-Motion Performance rods provide all anglers a unique balance of strength and sensitivity to detect even the subtlest bites. The High Energy Transfer Reel Seat Design provides maximum energy transfer from butt to tip for more powerful hook sets or working big fish out of heavy cover. The soft coat texture applied to the reel seat, combined with the ergonomically shaped split handles, provides added grip, comfort and control at all times. Utilising the proven Fuji Alconite guide system ensures smoother, longer casts.

Seven spinning rods ranging from 6’6” to 7’2” in length with extra light to medium heavy actions complete this range. Representing a powerful return to the Australian rod sector for Berkley.

More info www.berkley-fishing.com.au

FLYING X

I

IM MITATING a flighty prawn, this new creation from Megabass will have the M surface enthusiasts keen to try out f the erratic action produced by this lure's unique shape. Designed to be swam quickly across the surface or twitched underneath the Flying X is ideal for flats species such as bream, whiting and flathead.

This sinking lure is 52mm and 5.3gm More info www.megabass.com.au

fishingworld.com.au | June 2016 | 37

NEW PRODUCTS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

REVIEWED GLISS FISHING LINE

I

RE ECENTLY received the opportunity to field test Gliss, the latest wonder line to hit the e Australian market. Gliss is manufactured by the German company, World Fishing Tackle ((WFT) using extruded Japanese HMPE fibres. Initial reports on Gliss have been extremely positive so I was really interested in getting some to see if this line was as good as all the hype suggested.

I requested a 150m spool of 4kg (10lb) Gliss, which is the lightest size available. However, with a diameter of 0.10mm I don’t think you really need to go any lighter as this stuff is really fine. My first good opportunity to test this new generation line was on a recent trip to Mallacoota where it was subjected to a number of days of intensive lure casting for bream, flathead, tailor and squire using small metal blades, soft vibes and hard bodies.

I’m pleased to say that I came away from the Mallacoota trip extremely impressed with how the Gliss performed. I fished 4lb fluorocarbon leader connected to the Gliss main line with either a triple surgeons knot or double uni-knot and never had a failure. In three days of intensive casting I only had one minor wind knot which pulled straight out, and I was fishing in quite adverse conditions at times on the trip.

The super fine diameter of the Gliss line for the given breaking strain provided superb casting distance with even the smallest of lures. I found the handling qualities of this low stretch line to be similar to the good quality fused GSP lines on the market that I normally use for ultra-light lure fishing. If you’re into ultra-light finesse style lure fishing where covering the water with long casts is required then I’d suggest you check out Gliss. So far it ticks all the boxes for me and further testing will hopefully prove its long-term durability.

More info www.jarviswalker.com.au

By Mark Williams

GIV E THOSE BARRA A CAENAN!

N

OR RTHERN Australian waters are famous for barramundi, but as many would know, ey aren’t always easy to catch. Often, obstacles such as fatigue and tropical heat, the c ke an angler lose focus which is why quality gear is essential. With this in mind Shimano has just announced the latest Caenan baitcast reel – Shimano’s newest entry-to Shi S m mid-level baitcaster designed for those tricky barra.

The Caenan features four S A-RB bearings and brake performance technologies renowned for their consistency, SVS Infinity and VBS (Variable Brake System). The new S Infinity has 4-6 settings and an adjustable brake dial to provide anglers with a wider, SVS more precise range and to maximise control when casting to bass and barra hiding out in m snags or weedy banks.

Shimano’s Caenan baitcast reel is designed to reduce fatigue as baitcasters are often uused for long periods of time. S3D technology creates a balanced and thin-walled spool that reduces vibrations, and with comfortable EVA grips, casting accuracy will not suffer due to t ired arms and tropical heat. When it comes to precision casting, and sweating on those arger barra and bass to bite, you’ll have the reassurance of a needed five kilos of delivery la d drag pressure. Available in 6.3:1 and 7.2:1 gear ratios.

RRP R $149 M More info www.shimanofish.com.au

Anchor Right Australia Staying Ahead Of The Competition With Two World Leading Anchor Dessi ns Convex desig n, leaves the mud behind

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38 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

NEW PRODUCTS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

SLINGSHOT YOURSELF TO SUCCESS!

D

ES SIGNED to offer graphite performance to anglers at an entry-level cost, Shakespeare’s Slingshot rods perfect for fishos wanting to take the plunge and are pe upgrade to graphite rod performance. Slingshot rods include a host of performance features including ultra sensitive and light-weight 30 Ton graphite blanks, ideal for detecting structure and strikes.

Ceramic guide inserts offer increased casting performance and line protection, while comfortably shaped EVA grips ensure you can cast all day long.

Slingshot Engage rods feature a cool blue camo HD EVA grip and translucent blue wash paint finish to stand out from the crowd.

The extensive 17 model range covers light to medium applications such as bream and flathead on soft plastics, right through to medium and heavy models ideal for inshore lure fishing such as snapper on plastics and pelagics on slugs and poppers. Baitcasting models are also available for Barra and Jacks. Available in conventional one and two piece configuration, the Slingshot range also includes an additional six mutli-piece travel models complete with hard tube ready to hit the road.

RRP from $69 95 $69.95 More info www.shakespeare.com.au

PROFESSIONALISM MAXIMISED

A

BU U Garcia Max reels are dedicated to giving everyd e e day anglers professional results resul ts. Itt doesn doesn’tt matter if they head to the local river or to their favorite impoundment, the Max family of reels can handle the stress of everyday use. Abu Garcia has made many enhancements to this popular line, giving them even more attributes that make them a real workhorse.

Each feature a machined-aluminum ported spool that greatly reduces overall weight. The line of Abu Garcia Max reels have a one-piece graphite frame and graphite sideplates. Taking design cues from the Orra and Revo lineups, the new Pro Max combo delivers top-notch performance in an exceptionally smooth package.

The externally adjustable MagTrax casting brake ensures efficient casting control while the seven-plus-one stainless steel bearing system delivers a remarkably smooth retrieve. The high-speed Pro Max reels have a 7.1:1 gear ratio and feature an ergonomically engineered handle and star drag for greater comfort and feel. The result is a lightweight, compact combo that is engineered to take the abuse.

More info www.abugarcia-fishing.com.au

The KAISER R off German knives Made in Germany since 1776

OUTDOOR PRIMELINE - THE SERIES FOR FISHING, HUNTING & THE OUTDOORS All Giesser Knives feature: • Rustfree ‘Rostfrei’ • Lifetime warranty on marterials • Long lasting cutting edge

• HACCP compliant • Polish provides consistent high performance

• German steel and materials • Angular transition from handle to blade

• Each blade has an individual serial number • Soft & easy grip slide proof handle

Contact Tacspo Distributing www.tacspo.com.au | info@tacspo.com.au 40 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

HUNT UNDERWATER LIKE A PRO

FIND YOUR PREY WITH THE NEW DRAGONFLY 7 PRO SONAR/GPS. SIMPLY THE BEST IMAGING SONAR, DRAGONFLY’S WIDE-SPECTRUM CHIRP DOWNVISION™ SONAR DELIVERS SHARP, PHOTO-LIKE IMAGES, PLUS BEST-IN-CLASS FISH TARGETING. WITH ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST DISPLAYS IN THE INDUSTRY, DRAGONFLY LETS YOU HUNT UNDERWATER LIKE A PRO.

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NEW PRODUCTS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

PRODUCT OF THE MONTH PRAWN DOG! PRETTY much every fish loves prawns, and the Berkley 3B Prawn Dog is sure to be a fish favourite! It has an “X-factor� swimming motion that puts it up there with the best when it come to taking fish from the surface.

Berkley claim the Prawn Dog has got what you need to fool the fussiest fish; the most out of control, escaping prawn action ever!

Combine this great swimming action with the very realistic prawn profile and you’ve got yourself the makings of a classic topwater lure!

The Prawn Dog comes with Owner trebles and rings. The Zombie Prawn and Mad Crab are the two new additional colours to the 3B Prawn Dog range.

More info www.berkley-fishing.com.au

ICOM3012

Introducing the new IC-M25EURO and IC-M200 VHF Marine Transceivers

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42 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

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! Compâ€? 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 Joel Duggan is this month’s winner with a big snapper he caught early morning fishing off Kiama in NSW. He caught it on a Gulp Squid Vicious.

FISH ARNHEM LAND BOOKING PEAK SEASONS ONLY! Following the complete refurbishment of the iconic Arnhemland Barramundi Nature Lodge by new owners Outback Spirit Tours, fishing tours will only take place during the Top End’s two peak seasons.

World-class bluewater sportfishing

FISH THE BUILD-UP (October/November 2016) The Lodge will open solely for fishing during October and November 2016, which coincides with the Top End’s fabulous Build-up.

At this time of year, water temperatures increase and the barra are at their most active after the cooler dry season months. The Barra Lodge’s top record barra catches have come from the Build-up, and some huge fish are amongst them.

FISH THE RUN-OFF (March/April 2017) The Barra Lodge will again be open solely for fishing from 1 March until 30 April 2017. This period is the Top End’s famous Run-off season when the barra often queue up at the entrance to feeder creeks and drains, feasting on the smorgasbord of small fish and crustaceans flowing down from the flooded river catchments.

Many of the Lodge’s metre-plus barra are caught during the Run-off.

SOME RUN-OFF FEEDBACK 12 Brand-new luxury safari suites with air-conditioning and ensuite bathrooms

“Outstanding trip from beginning to end. Knowledgeable staff and guides, with a real focus on ensuring that everyone had the most memorable experience.”

Tony, March 2016 “To catch eight fish bigger than a metre in two days is amazing. Upgraded boats were good and the new bus was a big improvement. Accommodation is first class.”

Ian, March 2016 “Andy and the team were fantastic. Very helpful and professional. A unique experience with the highest standard of hospitality. Congratulations on making our fishing trip so very special.”

John, March 2016

The Lodge’s Esccarpment Deck

Arafura Sea Melville Island Bathurst Island

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Talk to Alex Julius and his team to book your exclusive fishing adventure NOW! www.barralodge.com.au

barralodge@nafa.com.au

+61 8 8983 1544

find us on facebook

DAVID GREEN

Making a Bucket List Most anglers have a bucket list or a goal which includes catching a particular species or trophy fish. Greeny reveals the top “bucket list” species and what it takes to make catching one a reality.

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

If you want to catch bucket list fish like a metre-long cod, you must fish where they’re more commonly caught.

other anglers and go to the right port at the right time you should all stand a great chance of catching a marlin, particularly if you aren’t fussy as to whether it is a blue, black or striped marlin. Places like Port Stephens, Exmouth and the Gold Coast all have fantastic marlin fishing at times. The cost of the charter for four days split will generally be between $1500 and $2000 each plus your travel and accommodation. Cairns and Lizard Island will cost you more in peak season. Alternatively, you can target them from your own or a mate’s boat, put in the time and eventually strike pay dirt. It can be a very steep learning curve, particularly if you are towing your boat long distances. Sometimes a shared reputable charter is a good investment.

Metre long barramundi In the wild in many fisheries metre long barras are not all that common. I’ve fished in barramundi tournaments where over a thousand barramundi are caught with only one or two cracking the metre mark. There are some ways to increase your chances of catching the magical metre barramundi. In impoundments such as Peter Faust Dam near Proserpine, and formerly in the more southern dams, stocked impoundment barramundi regularly top the metre mark. In the wild fisheries there are select spots and times that produce a lot of metre long fish, such as the mouth and draining creeks of the Mary River in the NT in March and April after the run off, or the Daly River on spring tides through the run off period. If you want to tick the metre barra box, the impoundments are generally the best bet. A good barra guide can be a great help in achieving this goal, particularly if you’re targeting wild rather than impoundment fish.

Metre long Murray cod In my work I’m constantly reminded of the frailty of human beings. Age has an inevitability about it, and if you are a goal directed fisherman, there always the great fish you have caught, the fish you dream about and the fish you are actively chasing with a distinct size that you want to catch. These include things like metre long barramundi, metre long cod or big marlin. Some anglers focus on the exotic fish as a distinct target or goal and will travel to the ends of the earth chasing the wild and unusual species like peacock bass, giant tarpon and dorado. Fishing is all about the journey, and the older you are the less chances you are going to get. Never waste a day!

My personal bucket list is an incomplete 44 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

body of work but I have been lucky to catch some great fish over time. The following is a short guide to some relatively common Australian fish that are on many angler’s bucket lists, and a few tips on how and where to achieve that goal. Some fish, like the mythical metre long flathead, continue to elude me.

Catch a marlin – any marlin!

For many anglers, particularly in more southern parts of the country in colder climates, catching a marlin requires a bit of travel. There is an easy way to achieve the goal and a harder way. If you charter a reputable game boat in season for four days with three

I’ve caught quite a few of these now, and every one of them came from Copeton Dam in North Western NSW. This dam is a bit of a Murray cod mecca, and while we do put in the hours there is always the thought in your mind that the next cast could produce a monster.

The secret to catching a big cod is to fish where they are regularly caught, and these spots include Copeton and Pindari Dams, the Murray River near the South Australian border and some of the southern dams.

Big cod love big lures, and if you want a metre fish you need big spinnerbaits and hard bodies and put in the hours casting or trolling.

Big surface lures are also very effective at times, particularly in winter. A metre cod is a very impressive fish and a fat one from a dam often

weighs over 25 kilos. While you need quite sturdy tackle the fight is generally quite short and the fish are generally quite controllable on a decent baitcaster with 15 kilo braid.

account for some of the bigger fish. In times of flood really big mulloway feed on the edge of the flood water. A really big trophy mulloway is a fish that can take years of effort.

Rob See with a blue marlin, a fish on many angler’s bucket list.

A big mulloway (130cm or 50 pound in the old scale)

The metre flathead This mysterious creature does exist, and certain places like St Georges Basin have produced the odd metre flathead. I’ve caught a 985mm fish and a lot a centimetre or two short of this, and my mate Kelvin caught a beauty 995mm that was on the cover of this magazine.

The metre flathead is a rare animal in Queensland. In 23 Flathead Classics there have been roughly 70,000 flathead caught and none have cracked the metre. Making your own bucket list is a good way to set your future fishing goals, and remember that chasing these goals takes you on fantastic journeys. I’ve caught most big things that swim, but I’ve still got an extensive list to complete and as I get older I realise I have to go faster to complete all of the tasks!

There are plenty of 10kg fish and quite a few 15kg mulloway, but the really big ones are actually fairly uncommon in most areas and tend to be lone fish. I have caught a lot of mulloway over the years but only a few have cracked the 24 kilo/130cm mark. The key to catching a trophy mulloway is to put in the long hours, use big baits or lures and spend a lot of time fishing tide changes at night. You will catch quite a few in most good systems, but getting a big one generally takes a while.

The big rivers in northern NSW hold a lot of really big mulloway and one of the best spots to try for them is the mouth of the Clarence River near Yamba. Big baits such as sea mullet, live tailor and whole dead fish baits like bonito

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PERFORMANCE PRO 8 - NEXT GENERATION IN PERFORMANCE THE PROPRIETARY SUFIX R8 PRECISION BRAIDING TECHNOLOGY and high tension weaving process create a soft and silky smooth line that has low friction in the rod guides, resulting in silent, accurate and long casts. Made with 8 carriers of Dyneema® fibers for excellent strength to diameter ratio and optimal performance in finesse fishing.

Available in 150 yds and 300 yds. Sufix.com

Rating: DIA:

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12LB 0.12

15LB 0.15

20LB 0.18

25LB 0.21

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fishingworld.com.au | June 2016 | 45

ROD BUILDER WITH MARK SAXON

Tip: Fuji BMNOT size 10- 3.2

140 mm

Catch a Break

Fuji BMNOG size 10

150 mm

Fuji BMNOG size 10 170 mm Fuji BMNOG size 12

Looking for the ultimate breakwall jewie rod? MARK SAXON has the answer with this blank from Wilson, which he crafted into a custom floodwater jewie rod.

210 mm Fuji BMNOG size 16 230 mm

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY Fuji BMNOG size25

46 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

Having completed the grip and seat procedure you will notice a drop down around the butt cap to rear grip and reel seat and fore grip. The trick to finishing off this handle assembly is an application of a high build epoxy. I use Pro Kote High build, and I let it sit a few extra minutes before applying so that you can build up a 5mm band tapering off your reel seat and your butt cap.

This gives you a nice tapered grip and once the epoxy has dried I take a very fine grade wet and dry sand paper, and while the rod is turning, I just give it the lightest touch. The epoxy blends in perfectly with the shrink tube and looks great.

Guides on this rod are Fuji BMNOG and the reel seat is a Fuji DPSM30. For our guides we’ve used A grade under-bind in black with gold trim and in centre have opted for a two turn gold bind with a black wrap leading to a centre of black and gold trimar. The trimar in the centre of the underbind gives an appealing look when the guide is wrapped with an overbind of D grade black and then finished in two-pack epoxy rod finish. Three coats will get you that sweet clear glassy finish.

Now all thats left is to wait for suitable conditions and visit the break wall for that once-in-a-lifetime jewie!

310 mm

Fuji BMNOG size 30

400 mm

Fuji BMNOG 40

S PECIFICATIONS BLANK: Wilson live fibre ZWS 10 LMC REEL SEAT: Fuji DPSM 30 is 350mm from butt cap

Fuji DPSM 30

GRIPS FLOCKED HEAT SHRINK: black Rear grip 300mm and fore grip 250mm GUIDES AND MEASUREMENTS FROM TIP THEN FROM EACH GUIDE TIP: Fuji BMNOT size 10- 3.2 FIRST GUIDE: Fuji BMNOG size 10, 140mm from tip SECOND: Fuji BMNOG size 10, 150mm THIRD: Fuji BMNOG size 12, 170mm FORTH: Fuji BMNOG size 16, 210mm FIFTH: Fuji BMNOG size25, 230mm SIXTH: Fuji BMNOG size 30, 310mm STRIPPER: FUJI BMNOG 40, 400MM

Flocked Rubber Shrink tube ILLUSTRATION: CHRIS PALATSIDES

THE moment arrives and you’ve finally hooked that big silver ghost from a big man made rock wall. If you’re fishing a flood water bite you’ll probably have a raging current and water that looks like a muddy washing machine. This is when you’ll want a blank that’ll handle the fish as well as the extreme conditions. That’s where the guys from Wilson rods come to the party.

The blank I’ve chosen is a Live Fibre 10ft ZWS10LMC rated 10 to 15kg. It’s a high quality carbon composite blank and if you’re looking for something even heavier, they also have a 15 to 24kg in the range, however the 10 to 15kg is perfect for the breakwall, and for experienced fishos, can easily run 50lb braid.

This rod is being built mostly for floodwater fishing on the Mid-North Coast of NSW. Many anglers, especially jew fishermen, will be aware of the effect a good flood has on these big rivers from the Manning to the Clarence. Most of the older readers will remember a famous article in Fisho years ago profiling the pursuit of big breakaway jew. The Fisho lads had one seriously action packed session on a North Coast wall. Back then big glass rods and Alveys were common.

And, if I remember correctly, a few were used in that now famous session and there were plenty of fish landed. The legendary article and great pics gave many, myself included, the dreaded jewie bug!

As far as the fish are concerned nothing has changed. They still behave the same and will head to the river mouths to find the bait which comes running out with the tide. The good news is over the past three decades the gear has got a lot better and casting big heavy hard bodied lures on braided lines with these composite blanks is now a dream.

Let’s take a look at the set up for this rod. The fisho will be using the rod with a spin reel and rather than the typical Hypalon grips we’re going to use Flocked Rubber Shrink tube, of which there are several colours available. This is a great grip material for two reasons, firstly you can really feel the blank through the grip, and secondly your hands do not have to be in the gigantic size to get a grip, which means more control and comfort while casting and fighting your prized catch. The reel seat is 350mm from the butt, then we have 250mm of the shrink tube fore grip.

KNOTS & RIGS WITH MARK WILLIAMS

Bait Jig Basics Live bait is an effective way of targeting offshore sport fish and Sabiki rigs are known as the best way to catch livies.

Here Mark details the best method of using this deadly technique.

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

Well-known NSW North Coast sportfisho Graeme Johnson with a fine spotted mackerel taken on live bait.

48 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

OFTEN the best way to target large saltwater predatory sportfish is with live bait. One common theme amongst highly successful live bait anglers is to consistently procure good quality baits in even the toughest circumstances. The advent of Sabiki style baitfish jigs has revolutionised bait collection since I first started using them in the mid 1980s, particularly for offshore anglers targeting bait schools in deep water, and also shore based anglers sourcing live baits for pelagic gamefish or mulloway. The amazing range of baitfish jigs available today is truly mindboggling, and as with most things in life, you usually have to pay more for quality products. Offshore anglers that are using bait jigs off powerful electric reels to procure large baits such as oceanic slimy mackerel really need to spend a bit extra and buy top quality bait jigs with strong hooks that are constructed with heavier mainline and droppers to cope with the load exerted by those powered reels winching multiple large baits from down deep at high speed.

I try to always carry a range of bait jigs in various styles and sizes, as on those days when the slimies or yellowtail are playing hard to get, the size of hook or style of jig can make all the difference.

I must admit I’ve done consistently well over time with bait jigs that feature both the small lumo beads and fish skin construction. A great tip in low light conditions is to wear a head lamp and charge up your lumo beads prior to each drop. I’m sure it’s made a difference to my catches over time.

Attention to detail in rigging can also improve results. I prefer to use outfits rigged with GSP lines for improved situation awareness and the finer diameter compared to mono ensures a fast sink rate in deep water and strong currents. Using the optimum sinker weight when deep jigging for bait can make a drastic difference to results. Last season I noticed a mate of mine was consistently catching more baits than me and it was simply because he was using a slightly heavier snapper lead on his bait jig rig. I made the adjustment and my results improved accordingly.

I carry a small selection of sinkers in different weights and rig them all on a braid loop to make for quick changes if required on the snap swivel provided on the end of most bait jigs.

Alternatively, you can cut the snap swivel off and simply tie a loop in the end of your bait jig which works well with snapper leads. Also, a lot of experienced bait jiggers put a soft lumo bead on their GSP main lines to protect their rod tips from damage when cranking baits up from the depths at speed. I’m sure the lumo bead provides some added attractant down deep and is also a visual indicator letting you know the bait jig is approaching the surface. Retrieve speeds often approach warp speeds, especially when there are predatory species such as mackerel or bonito smashing your precious baits on the way up.

ILLOS: CHIS PALATSIDES

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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 IMPROVISED LINE STORAGE DEVICE

Sabiki / Bait Jig Sabiki / Bait Jig

Before a recent trip to the bush, the bloke at the tackle shop spooled my new reel on the machine. What I didn’t realise until I got to the river was that he had spooled it the wrong way! Having nothing else around to hold the line as I pulled it off the spool, I grabbed a beer from the esky, downed it, and then used the empty stubbie to hold the line so it wouldn’t tangle. Yet further proof that beer is mankind’s greatest single achievement!

Paul Graham – Via email.

Snap Swivel on end of Bait Jig to allow quick sinker change

Snap Swivel on end of Bait Jig to allow quick sinker change

Can replace sinker with Burley Cage for added attractant

These days I always tie a Mustad Fastach clip to the end of my GSP main line when deep water jigging so that I can replace bait jigs quickly if they become tangled or are destroyed by predators nailing baits off the jig on the retrieve.

Sabiki style bait jigs are prone to tangling so it pays to work quickly, but methodically when removing baitfish from the jig hooks. Tangles can usually be undone with a bit of patience, but when you’re in the middle of a hot bait collecting session, that commodity can often be in short supply. I know of anglers cutting bait jigs in half to reduce the potential for tangles. You can also buy packs that contain two jigs with three hooks on each, so

Sinker rigged on braid loop for ease of change to suit conditions

there must be a demand out there for such a rig.

During my days spent LBG fishing we used bait jigs suspended below torpedo bobby corks to source our slimy mackerel and yellowtail baits.

This surface rig can be berleyed around with bread, pellets, crushed up pilchards, or alternatively, you can use a weighted berley cage on the end of the bait jig in lieu of a sinker. If the fishing was slow we would add a small piece of fish flesh to the jig hooks as an added enticement.

When things are really tough on hard-fished inshore bait grounds the tried and proven technique of a small unweighted bait fished on light line in a burley trail is still the way to go.

* 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 | June 2016 | 49

DESTINATIONS: NSW ROAD TRIP

Winter Road Trip CHRIS CLEAVER packs his bag and tows the boat north in search of warmer currents and big fish.

A

the mild weather and those last fingers of the East Australian rrent drift away, it’s time to load the car, point the compass north urney to warmer pastures and better fishing. the cold sets in and the enthusiasm wanes I usually hatch a plan to hit a more temperate spot. Sometimes it’s a fly-by-night type trip, while other times, it's a thoroughly planned and executed operation. And over time I’ve learned a few things that have made trips more successful and enjoyable.

Use technology It’s no great secret social media, technology and the internet have changed the fishing community in a significant way. One of the biggest advantages is weather predictions. Back when I got my car licence it was a matter of hitting the road and hoping the weather was good when you arrived at your chosen destination. This scenario often had the car loaded with every bit of gear we owned, from freshwater bass, to offshore marlin, just in case we lucked out on a big swell. Days spent sitting around waiting for weather to abate were par for the course of going north, and a few weather wiped out trips soon had me “bitten once, twice shy”.

Fast forward 10 years and we have apps on our phones like Sea Breeze and Willy Weather which provide estimated weather patterns up to a week in advance.

A week out may not seem very long if you’ve a trip planned months in advance, 50 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

IMAGE: SHANE CHALKER

The Coffs coast has some great fishing and spectacular scenery to match.

OPPOSITE: Kings are quite common place in winter further north

fishingworld.com.au | June 2016 | 51

DESTINATIONS: NSW ROAD TRIP

B

ore putting rubber to the road and rattling up the y you'll need to make sure all boxes have been ticked.”

but it can help make a better decision to move locations if things look grim. This ability to be flexible and shift locations or even weekends at short notice can make all the difference to a trip away. It might seem painful to lose a deposit on accommodation, but not as painful as suffering cabin fever while staring at 3m swells and 25 knot winds. Here’s a tip – never fully pay your accommodation if the weather’s in doubt!

Having this information also helps to plan on what tackle to bring along. If the weather’s going to be fairly average, but fishable, there's a good chance the tuna and blue marlin tackle will stay at home while the snapper and Spanish gear will be loaded for the trip. I can’t stand having loads and loads of gear and only half gets used. The K.I.S.S mentality is the way to go... Keep it simple stupid!

A measured amount of gear covering the most likely bases has served me best. It also means less weight, less fuel cost, less clutter and far less preparation and rigging and more attention to detail can be taken with what's needed.

Having a large social media base of fishing friends living along the coast means a quick call to the local tackle shop or a hunt around the online fishing forums might give some insight into what has been

Sometimes it’s hard to avoid inclement weather. Luckily North Coast snapper don’t mind being too far from the ramp.

52 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

“biting”. This will also aid in choosing what tackle is needed for the trip if you're new to the area.

Before putting rubber to the road and rattling up the highway you'll need to make sure all boxes have been ticked. First time around its takes time, but future trips it becomes faster and easier.

Location Firstly you need to have a location in mind. For the Sydney and southern based angler the list is endless.

Some people will have childhood memories of camping trips north, or might choose where a relative or a good mate lives. Whatever the reason, have a planned base with a backup plan B location or the flexibility I mentioned earlier. The following will briefly cover what I call “The Big 4” destinations north of Sydney that yield some quality fishing for those willing to hit the highway.

Port Stephens (Port) Port Stephens is notably famous for its marlin fishing and hosting the inaugural Interclub tournament every year. It has some damn good fishing and is under three hour’s drive up the highway from Sydney. While it does lack the warmer water of northern locations there's just

enough to have a few options. If the weather is bad there's a myriad of options in the huge expanse of the bay and rivers inside the heads. Some seriously big jewfish are caught in this system every year, the deep holes and wrecks throughout the bay are the best option for the mythical silver beast. Large flathead are another calling card of this area and the bays to the entrance can turn on some superlative squid fishing at times. If the weather is kind there are endless reefs, islands and drop-offs that fish well for kingfish and snapper in the cooler months, especially toward Broughton Island and the Sisters reefs to the north.

Be sure to get a hold of the latest marine park maps as there are a few no-go zones and rules regarding certain areas to the north and south of Nelson Bay. If you're comfortable at sleeping overnight in the boat Broughton Island to the north does provide some anchorage area in coal shaft bay that's well protected in most weather, just be sure to check in with VMR Port Stephens coastal patrol on VHF 16, 67, 73 or 80.

There are plenty of places to stay from Soldiers Point right through to Nelson Bay and there are a number of ramps available depending on the location of your accommodation.

South West Rocks (SWR) Known to many simply as SWR and possibly one of the North Coast’s worst kept secrets is South West Rocks. A little over five hour’s drive from Sydney makes it well within reach for many

and can be knocked over in an afternoon without too much fuss. SWR’s claim to fame is the infamous black marlin and mackerel run every summer and autumn, sport fishing folk from everywhere eagerly await reports of when it’s starting to fire. A big plus is the main fishing ground is situated within sight of the Trial Bay Gaol camping ground. The cooler months does see a shift in the fishing into filling eskies with tasty fillets of species such as, snapper, pearl perch, bar cod and similar. If the water is still reasonably warm there’s a chance some big mackerel, kingfish and cobia might be lurking around the inshore reefs and islands like Fish Rock, Black Rock and Green Island.

SWR does have one set-back and that is there's a bar crossing from the Macleay river to enter the ocean. On most occasions it's good to be sure and take a drive to the breakwall and check the conditions for 15 minutes. A word of warning is to avoid going out or returning on dead low tide. Care must be taken on big runout tides as the pressure waves can be a handful. However not all is lost if the bar’s too big as the Macleay River holds some great jewfish and monster flatties.

Most people choose to stay at the Trial Bay Gaol camping grounds, plus there are plenty of other options, especially holiday houses. Being off peak season if you’re going with a few mates, a holiday house can be a reasonable and comfy option with a few creature comforts.

ABOVE: Ben Coombes first trip north during winter resulted in multiple personal best fish.

LEFT: A thumping offshore mangrove jack!

Coffs Harbour Six hours from Sydney and known as a snapper mecca in the cooler months. Coffs rose to fame some years ago as being the number one spot on the NSW East Coast to nail a big reef dwelling red. From experience this area can still turn on some truly amazing fishing but is nothing like five or more years ago. Even noting that fact it would still be my pick of places to chase big snapper in the cooler months. Mackerel is another big drawcard at this time of year. While most believe they are gone, the ones that are still there are bigger. It will take some moving around to find where some are but it will be worth it. Pearl perch and bar cod become prevalent on the deeper reefs and nearly always find the way to the esky with their excellent eating qualities. Kingfish start to move into spawning aggregation schools around the islands and reefs and when in the mood will happily smash top water poppers and stick baits. Nothing to have pack attacks of 10-15 kingfish shouldering each other out of the way for a chance at snatching the top water candy.

One drawback the past few years is what only can be described as a diabolical boat ramp, most notably the surge. Recent years also saw a small sand bar cover the entrance. This claimed a few vessels that got stuck and eventually ended up on the breakwall. Thankfully Coffs council has changed the structure somewhat and dredge the

entrance on a more regular basis. While it hasn’t rectified the problem, it's made a significant improvement. Please exercise some caution in regards to the surge and take your time as it can be deceiving!

Ballina Ballina makes a good base for a more extended trip. While it's almost a nine hour drive from Sydney, it does have Evans Head to the south and Tweed Heads to the north, which both boast some fantastic fishing. The cooler months are pretty much a lucky dip in this area. The water is still warm enough to have cobia, mackerel and amberjacks but also cool enough to have large snapper, pearl perch and jewies. The inshore reefs are best to target snapper and jewfish, but be sure to gear up as some big fish live in these waters.

Once you move a little wider to the wrecks and

reefs, amberjacks, kingfish and pearl perch will be more common. Ballina, Tweed and Evans all have bar crossings with Ballina and Evans being the better of the three. As with SWR, be sure to survey the conditions beforehand and avoid low tide and take care on large run-out tides. If the weather is too bad Ballina hosts the Richmond River, which has a reputation for some good jewies, big flathead and a reasonable shot at a NSW mangrove jack.

While I prefer the above four locations, there are many more with equally, or in some cases better fishing. Port Macquarie, Forster, Seal rocks, Hat head, Crowdy head, Yamba/Iluka just to mention a few. Be sure to research as much as you can about the area and don’t jump in the deep end before flying out to sea without knowing the area and how prevailing conditions affect the local terrain. fishingworld.com.au | June 2016 | 53

DESTINATIONS: NSW ROAD TRIP

The checklist

winch etc, and lastly, check the tow ball and make sure trailer lights, brakes, indicators are working and negligible.

Before hooking up the boat and blasting up the highway with stars in your eyes, here are some precautionary checks that need to be done. They might seem like a buzz-kill and monotonous, but it beats being stuck along the highway in the middle of nowhere at night. Or worse still, possibly an accident that has damaged property or caused injury ending the trip before it started.

Boat

Trailer Trailers and all the associated parts need to be in good shape if you're hauling up the tarmac at 100km/h for 10 hours. Too many times I see great well kept looking boats, but the trailer underneath has ill inflated tyres rusted looking discs and brakes, and who knows what other gremlins lying hidden underneath.

Firstly, tyres need to be adequately inflated with even tyre pressure all round, including the spare. On a recent trip we got a flat tyre on the trailer and we still had a long part of our journey to go with no spare! So for a more extended journey it might be worth carrying two spares or at least the tyre repair aerosol

54 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

spray cans that may scrape you into a town should the inevitable happen.

Brakes are another big one and always seem to be a bug bear on boat trailers. Saltwater and brakes just don’t mix. Check the discs are reasonably smooth, the pads have meat left on them and the electronic or hydraulic ram is operative. Wheel bearings and poorly maintained failures would be right up there as number one killer to most trips. Make sure to check grease levels and that no water has entered the bearings. Besides the above, simply inspect bolts, nuts, leaf springs, coupling, and

Most people maintain their vessels quite well, so on a whole probably not a considerable amount of preparation involved in making sure the boat is ready. That said, I always was make sure batteries are completely charged and connections are tight and free from corrosion.

Then I systematically check the bilge, lights, sounders, deck hose, gauges and other ancillary pieces all have power and are working with adequate spare fuses to suit. Make sure the external fuel water separator is tight and in good condition and free from water and if the motor is a two-stroke you have enough oil for multiple tanks of fuel. Simply after that an external once over around the boat and motor mounting area should be all that’s required.

While the above might seem boring, tedious and a pain in the butt, it will make things a hell of a lot smoother for regular journeys north. So get some mates, pick a spot, study up and have a crack at what the North Coast has on offer this winter!

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Q

How hard is it to fit an electric motor to the front of my 4.5 metre tinny? I’ve been given advice that I should get it professionally done but a few mates reckon it’s a simple job. Do I just need some basic tools or is it more complicated than I think?

Greg Hynes – via email.

A

I had the same questions about 18 months ago when I needed to fit an electric to my 4800 Tabs. I’d never had a boat with an electric fitted let alone tried to fit one so I did some research and found out it wasn’t all that difficult.

Most tinnies these days have an electric bracket up front so that makes things a lot easier. If you have a fibreglass boat you will need to get a bracket or flat plate fitted to mount the electric.

I went with a Minn Kota 55 with iPilot and the fitting of the motor on the Tabs bracket was as simple as drilling four holes and using the supplied mounting pad, bolts and nuts. You need

Fitting an electric to your boat as a DIY project is quite easy.

to make sure the motor will tilt and drop into the water so don’t just charge in and start drilling. Take your time to read the instructions and get it right before you pick up the drill.

Once the motor is fitted it’s a simple matter of deciding what size battery you need and fitting it in a battery case in a suitable location. I went with a 120 amp hour battery and it runs the 55lb Minn Kota all day without being drained, and I also fitted an Anderson plug. That motor get’s a heap of use and is one of the best things I ever did to my boat.

PLASTIC SCENT

Q

What’s the go with all the soft plastic scents on the market these days? My local tackle shop has dozens of them but no one can tell me how or why they are necessary.

I’m a bit sceptical to be honest so convince me that I should spend more money to make my plastics smell or taste better.

Richard Gardener – Bairnsdale, VIC.

A

I guess it depends who you ask when it comes to whether scents work and make a difference. I know some guys who swear by

dips and scents but I know a lot who reckon it’s a complete load of crap and a big con!

One theory is that scents such as S-Factor or Sax Scent, etc, contain pheromones. When a fish eats your soft plastic it tastes these and the plastic seems more “fish-like”. This makes the fish hold it in it’s mouth a little longer which allows a better hook up rate.

These same proponents of scent also reckon the smell and taste gets in the water when the lure is being retrieved and encourages fish to feed more freely. I’m not completely convinced but I do use S-Factor and Sax Scent on my soft plastics.

Colour dips such as Spike-It and Quick-Coat do have some scent in them but they are designed to add contrast to plastics by giving them a red or pink, etc. tail. I’m a big fan of contrast on my plastics and my favourite combination at present is black and gold with a hot pink tail.

Opponents of scent reckon with braid line and chemically sharpened hooks the fish doesn’t need to hold the lure in it’s mouth any longer. You should be in touch with the lure at all times and feel every bite. They also say the fish eat the lure because they see it as food and are hooked well before they taste any pheromones. I’ll leave the decision up to you Richard!

The jury is still out when it comes to the benefits of scent on plastics.

Finney reckons colour dips are definitely worth using though.

56 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

Hervey Bay in March and April is longtail time.

LONGTAILS ON FLY

Q

A

I’m keen to get amongst some longtail tuna on fly. I’ve been flyfishing for two years now and have caught some salmon and kings in Sydney Harbour but I’ve got the longtail bug and would love to get up north to get one on fly. What time of year is best for Hervey Bay longtails?

Jeff Ainsworth – Lidcombe, NSW. The first time I fished Hervey Bay for longtails on fly I caught fish but they are difficult. I encountered several problems. Mack tuna racing in and grabbing the fly before a longtail, getting close enough to actively feeding fish to get a cast in the strike zone and sharks eating hooked longtails. I fished with Andrew Chorley and he has a good reputation for finding longtails for novice fly fisherman. His experience and knowledge is as good as you can get.

There are heaps of longtails in Hervey Bay each March and April so these are the pick of the months to get up there. If you have experience with pelagics on fly, you will know what’s required to get close to feeding fish. Approach from upwind, read the direction the fish are feeding and be ready as you will only get a couple of false casts to get the fly in amongst the fish.

The nets are coming out of the bay 33 of 43 licence holders have accepted the compensation package to exit the Port Phillip Bay net fishery in April 2016.

These 33 licence holders have caught 87 per cent of the commercial catch of fish targeted by recreational anglers.

The departure of these 33 delivers nearly all of the expected benefits for recreational anglers well ahead of the original eight year time frame.

Eight licence holders have elected to stay in the fishery using non-net methods beyond 2022. Until that time they will continue to fish using existing gear including nets, under strict new catch limits.

Two licence holders have not accepted the compensation package in year one, but will be subject to catch limits.

Removing nets from the bay is a key commitment of the State Government’s Target One Million plan for recreational fishing, which aims to grow participation to one million by 2020 and get more people fishing, more often. vic.gov.au/targetonemillion

#target1million

Weekend at

Bermi

The famous fishing town on the NSW South Coast has a variety of year-round options for offshore and estuary anglers. BEN CADDAYE reports.

INSET: The region is well known for its yellowtail kingfish.

MAIN PIC: Just north of Bermi lies one of the South Coast’s best fishing spots, Montague Island.

58 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

your fishing time is precious, an ngling destination that offers “the is worth its weight in gold. And it’s even more valuable if it’s just a few hours from home!

I can think of a few “all-round” fishing spots on the NSW coast, but I can’t think of a better one than the sleepy far south coast town of Bermagui.

Built around fishing, Bermagui is about

four hours’ drive south of Sydney and about three hours from my home in Canberra.

More importantly, it offers everything the visiting angler could ask for, from blue-ribbon offshore game fishing through to first-rate rock and beach angling and bread and butter estuary fishing.

If you want to target everything from marlin to mullet, and you’ve only got a weekend to spare, Bermagui has it all!

PHOTO COURTESY OF BEN MARDEN (SAPPHIRE COAST TOURISM).

I

fishingworld.com.au | June 2016 | 59

DESTINATIONS: BERMAGUI NSW

The full Monty You can’t visit Bermagui, a town steeped in game fishing tradition, and not venture out onto the blue water.

For me, offshore fishing in this slice of paradise revolves around the iconic Montague Island, a landmark that’s been drawing anglers from across the country for decades.

Montague is about 15 nautical miles north of Bermagui and it can take around 50 minutes to reach it by boat from the town’s safe, sheltered harbour.

But it’s worth the trip, especially in the warmer months, when the waters around the island play host to large numbers of kingfish. In fact, after a run of tough seasons a few years back, the kings have returned in a big way to Montague and have really reinvigorated the offshore fishing scene.

Rat kings under the 65cm legal limit generally start to appear en masse around the

ABOVE: When Montague’s kings go quiet it doesn’t take much effort to switch techniques and bag a feed of tasty reef species.

The secluded estuaries around Bermagui are lightlyfished and yield terrific bream and flathead.

60 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

island in November. The run of fish then builds momentum until consistent numbers of larger (legal size to 85cm) kings take centre stage in late summer and into autumn. The fish continue to bite into the cooler months as well, with some or the largest specimens landed in winter.

Regardless of their size, Montague’s kings are great fun and respond to a variety of techniques.

Live baiting with slimy mackerel and yellowtail is the gun method if you’re after the larger models. Most runs out to the island involve a live bait gathering section close to shore, with small slimies the bees’ knees when it comes to tempting solid kings.

We fish our livies on lightly weighted rigs, free spooling them behind the boat until a fish shows interest. It’s a wonderfully simple method which yields results on most occasions. It’s also tremendous sport on light to medium tackle. A 5-8kg spin rod, 4000-size

reel, 15-20lb braid and 30lb leader makes for an evenly-matched tussle around the island’s relatively shallow, reefy terrain. In saying that, anglers may need to upsize their tackle if metre-long fish arrive in numbers.

If livies are hard to come by, Montague’s kings also respond well to soft plastics, metal jigs and trolled lures, especially small skirted lures and shallow divers.

Kings are a notoriously moody fish. When they’re on, they’re on, but they can go quiet at the drop of a hat. That mostly has to do with water temperature and, more importantly, current flow.

When the current’s pumping, it’s generally a good sign (especially if the water’s over 18 degrees). As the Bermagui locals put it: “no flow, no go”.

Race to the bottom The great thing about fishing Montague Island is the variety of reef fishing on offer if the pelagics fail to show.

Some of the tastiest fish in the sea, including snapper, morwong, sand and tiger flathead, nannygai, sea perch, pigfish and trevally, abound over the reefs around the island. It means you can be almost assured of a feed if the kingy action amounts to nought.

The best places to drop a bait for a tasty bottom fish are where the hard reef gives way to gravel and mud – and there are plenty of areas close to the island where this occurs. If you’re hooking red rock cod, sergeant baker, sweep, wrasse and other unwanted ooglies, you’re probably fishing directly over hard reef (rather than on the edge of it) and should adjust your position and/or drift accordingly.

This form of fishing doesn’t have to involve heavy sinkers and thick monofilament lines. On recent sojourns to the island we’ve experienced enormous success with comparatively lightlyweighted “floating lines” fished in quite shallow (30-45 metres) water.

With the assistance of braid, a rig comprising a medium-sized bean sinker running straight down to a 2/0 or 3/0 circle hook can gently waft its way to the bottom, where it’s often seized on by a solid little red, hard-fighting mowie, plucky silver trevally or other sought after table fish.

Fresh squid, prawns, pilchard pieces or striped tuna chunks are the best baits. We’ve also caught some nice little reef fish on those wired-looking octojig-style lures, which can be simply dropped over the side and allowed to bob up and down with the movement of the boat.

The currents that spiral their way down the east coast during the warmer months often bring unusual species to the reefs surrounding the island. Last spring/summer, bottom bashers caught a few juvenile samson fish and two or three stray pearl perch around Montague – so prepare to be surprised!

ABOVE: This is what a weekend at Bermi is all about – a solid Montague Island king.

LEFT: A typical size Bermi flathead.

BELOW: Bream abound in the shallow, isolated estuaries in and around Bermi.

fishingworld.com.au | June 2016 | 61

DESTINATIONS: BERMAGUI NSW

Estuary action It plays second fiddle to the outstanding offshore angling on offer, but Bermagui’s estuary fishing is first-rate. After a torrid day battling kings on the blue water, there’s nothing better than a change of pace in the form of a relaxed session on one of the lakes, rivers and creeks in the area.

Wallaga Lake and the Bermagui River are close to town and are stand-out locations for flathead, whiting, bream, tailor, blackfish, trevally, garfish and even the occasional mulloway.

But it’s Bermagui’s proximity to a number of small, secluded and very lightly-fished lagoons and lakes that makes it one of my favourite estuary fishing locations on the east coast.

In an area known as the Sapphire Coast, these are the true gems.

Sublime little systems south of the town include Cuttagee Lake, Murrah Lagoon, Wapengo Lake and Nelson Lagoon. There are some even smaller isolated lakes and creeks in between that are also fishable, but I’ll leave those to the curious and adventurous to find and explore.

The systems I’ve mentioned are, in many parts, surrounded by private property and access can be difficult – but that’s what makes them so fish-rich.

Anglers prepared to hike, kayak or canoe into them can experience some of the best lure fishing for flathead and bream on offer on the far south coast.

In a particularly memorable session a couple of years ago, a mate of mine and I hiked into a remote area of one of these estuaries and found the flathead in an aggressive mood. I personally landed 10 fish to 55 cm in just over an hour on soft plastics – and dropped a few more. There are some genuine monsters nudging a metre in these backwaters too, so expect anything.

The estuaries in this part of the world are also renowned for their whiting and blackfish. Again, it’s the harder to reach systems that turn on the most action-packed fishing.

Rock and beach Bermagui’s rock and beach fishing is excellent.

The region’s rugged shoreline features a handful of

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School-sized kings just over the legal 65cm mark dominate the waters around Montague in early summer.

productive surf beaches that fish well year-round.

Tilba, Camel Rock, Beares, Barragoot and Cuttagee beaches are popular locations for salmon, tailor and bream. Cuttagee in particular fires after rain if the nearby inlet is open to the sea. Beach worms or pilchards fished on the rising tide at dawn or dusk will produce good bags of fish. You can also try walking the sand with a spinning outfit and metal lure in search of a sambo or chopper.

Small rocky headlands jut out to sea at regular intervals to Bermagui’s north and south and many are good platforms from which to chase tailor, salmon and rock blackfish. Point Dickinson, right on the edge of town, is the closest rock fishing location and is certainly worth a try for all three species. Anglers can also experience some reasonable action for tailor, salmon and trevally from the rockwall at the mouth of Bermagui Harbour.

So if you’ve only got a few days to spare and you’re looking to cram it with as many different forms of fishing as possible, check out Bermagui – it’s got the lot!

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CT BOX

CH TER OPTION, THE SMARTER OPTION If you’d like to sample Bermagui’s offshore fishing, you should touch base with the team from Fishbermi.com Charters.

Operated by experienced local angler Scott Bradley, Fishbermi.com specialises in half and full-day kingfish/reef fish trips to Montague Island and surrounds. Scotty and the guys also arrange trips to the Shelf for marlin during the warmer months and southern bluefin tuna during winter. I’ve fished with them regularly over recent years and they’ve always produced results and are very reasonably priced. Fishbermi. com can cater for groups of up to eight anglers; tackle, bait, drinks, snacks and sunscreen are all provided as part of the package. Phone (02) 6493 5444 or email info@fishbermi.com to find out more. You can also find Fishbermi.com on Facebook.

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FISHING CLUB

SHIMANO JUNIORS

Q&A Fish Scales

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Do all fish have scales and what is their purpose?

Ben via email

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No Ben, not all fish have Scales. Most of the fish that don’t have scales will generally have a thick mucus that covers their skin for protection. Tuna are an example of a fish that doesn’t have scales. Also, with some fish it can be quite hard to distinguish if they have scales with the naked eye, like freshwater eels, which

actually have very small scales but they are difficult to see. Scales on fish come in many shapes and sizes too. For example, the scales on a trout are very small, about the size of a match head on a big fish.

Barramundi, on the other hand have quite large scales which can be about the size of a 50 cent piece on the bigger fish. Regardless of the size of the scales, their main purpose is protection. This can mean from predators and or the harshness of the habit in which they feed or reside.

Grin

possibilities. It can get quite confusing, so best to have a nice light spin rod with 6lb line mono or braid. This can be used with small minnows and plastics in the 2-3inch range and also with a running hook and sinker rig with some worms for bait fishing. Look for areas of slacker water where the current is broken and even more so if this coincides with a bit of deeper water. Rapids running into the head of a pool are a great place to look as the trout will be sitting at the front of the pool waiting for food items to be washed down. Cast your minnows or plastics in this area and work them over thoroughly from surface to bottom. Or, alternatively a bunch of worms on a #2 hook with a running sinker – just enough to touch the bottom – in the same area should get some action.

This nice brown trout was sitting at the head of the pool.

River Trout

Q

What is the best way to fish a river for Trout?

Trent via email

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There are many ways to target trout in the rivers, and depending on the time of the year, one technique may be better than another. Fly-fishing with dry or wet flies, spinning with minnows, blades, plastics, Celta’s and Tassie Devils, and bait fishing with worms, mud eyes, caddis and even maggots are just a few of the

Cleaning Fishing Gear

Q

What is the best way to clean my rod and reel after a fishing trip?

Matt via email

d Wi !

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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!

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Harrison Headley, aged 11yrs old, caught his first mahi mahi off Cairns at Lindon Banks after a huge day of fishing with his best mate William. Well done boys!

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Six year old Charlie Clay from Lugarno in Sydney caught this 55cm dusky flathead on a blade off Towra Point in Botany Bay. It was his first flathead. Well done Charlie!

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Fishing at his uncle's secret spot, nine year old Finn Miles caught this lovely Australian bass on a vibe lure. Finn released the fish to catch again next time!

Jackson Puckridge, 12, from Fairview Park in South Australia caught this great dog shark on the Port River in Adelaide. Nice catch Jackson!

Win A Great Shimano Spin Reel!

WITH CHRIS CLEAVER

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Rod and reel maintenance is a very important facet of fishing that is often overlooked.

The best way I have found is to fill a small bucket with warm water and a little bit of dish washing liquid. Using a sponge, dish cloth or rag clean your rod and reel gently, making sure to remove all salt water which should come off with a gentle wipe. Also make sure to pay close attention to the rod guides as these are very susceptible to rust. Afterwards, wash the soap off with a very light mist spray with the hose. Let the gear air dry in a safe place before storing. A small spray occasionally with lubricant on the reel’s moving parts like bail arm and line roller should keep everything running smoothly.

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.

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Across 1. Dishwashing liquid and fill with warm _ _ _ _ _.

3. The ones that do not generally have thick _ _ _ _ _.

5. This can be used with small minnows and _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

6. A very important facet that is often _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

Down 2. There are many ways to target _ _ _ _ _.

4. Even some fish it can be quite hard to distinguish if they have _ _ _ _ _ _.

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THE WINNER of last month’s crossword competition was Hamish Wilks of Plainland, QLD. Well done, Hamish, 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.

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Shimano Pic of the Month Sydney Snapper!

Nine year old Jonna Everitt from Earlwood in Sydney, caught this thumper snapper on a soft plastic with 6lb leader in Sydney Harbour. Great catch Jonna, well done!

CROSSWORD ANSWERS ACROSS: 1:WATER, 3:MUCUS, 5:PLASTICS 6:OVERLOOKED DOWN: 2:TROUT, 4:SCALES

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10 year ear old Jaeger Fawcett from Indented Head, Victoria caught this banjo shark on a whole pilchard, off St Leonards in Port Phillip bay. Nice work Jaeger!

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

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

WINTER SPORTFISHING

Beat The Winter Blues South Australian correspondent JAMIE CRAWFORD has the low-down on chasing southern bluefin tuna, a species seeing a strong resurgence off the coast of SA.

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ILE many fisheries are reported as agile or in decline, there’s one uthern species bucking the trend. migration of bluefin tuna through out ustra ia s offshore waters has improved in leaps and bounds over the past several years and right now we’re in the midst of yet another bumper bluefin season here in South Australia.

From a recreational perspective it’s been a real boon with schools holding over reef systems right along our southern coastline. The first schools made an appearance in November – several weeks earlier than the “traditional” migration – and by early January we regularly saw patches of fish holding over most of our recognised southern and western reef systems.

The ever-reliable islands wide of Coffin Bay and further up the west side of the Eyre Peninsula have housed good numbers of fish. But the tuna schools haven’t just been restricted to the Eyre Peninsula. Chunky tuna were being landed on 66 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

Lower Yorke Peninsula, around Kangaroo Island, The Pages off Cape Jervis and the Seven Mile Reef at Victor Harbour, south of Adelaide. It wasn’t long ago that SBTs had all-but vanished from some of these near-shore Fleurieu reef systems so it’s an encouraging sign to see good numbers return.

It’s also been a really good season for the commercial sector, with strong numbers of well-conditioned fish being reported. Most of Port Lincoln’s commercial vessels secured their quota in only a few weeks of fishing. It was interesting to note that the fish weren’t holding over traditional commercial grounds in the Bight, but were pushing to the eastern banks and islands a lot quicker than normal. We’re still not sure why this is so, but there are a few theories going around.

It’s also been interesting to see a greater size variation this season with our migrating SBTs. In previous years the stock standard size in our area has been 10 – 20kg, but this year we’ve been some

This nice bluefin was caught on a Whip Bait soft plastic.

OPPOSITE: Casting to bluefin with light to medium threadline gear is fantastic fun.

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WINTER SPORTFISHING

good fish in the 20 to 50kg size range; and even a few fish up around the magic 100kg mark.

We don’t generally see the barrels in our local waters, so it’s been pretty exciting to see and hear of some bigger fish. With the shelf still some 60 to 80km further offshore than most of our recognised tuna grounds, the likelihood of some barrels venturing into our near-shore reef systems and islands seemed unlikely. Barrels aside, the mainstream fish are still in that 10 to 30kg size range; stacks of fun on the right size gear.

Finding Fish Here in my local waters of the Eyre Peninsula we start looking for SBTs on our bigger reef systems from our southern and western coastline from December onwards. Any significant reef system or tapering island rising from about 60m of water has the potential to hold bluefin. Some of our most productive reef systems rise from around 80m of water and peak at 20 to 30m from the surface, with the more significant peaks having the greater likelihood of holding SBTs. Some days it’s easy to spot schools of tuna with wheeling terns and petrels and fish visibly breaking the surface. It’s great when you have these flashing neon signs directing you to fish, but it’s not always the case. Sometimes the feeding activity is a lot more subdued and you have to look for subtle signs of life. Birds in the sky are definitely one of the biggest indicators. Terns hovering and swooping are a good sign that bait is nearby – even if the birds aren’t actively bombing the water.

Study the direction the birds are moving, as they’re often following fish and waiting for baitfish to be driven to the surface. If you notice terns moving in a particular direction, it pays to run some lures in front of the birds, as

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they’re often hovering above bluefin.

Sometimes birds are absent but fish are still feeding on the surface. This surface activity can range from an all-out foaming mass to just a couple of fish flicking the water surface as they turn and feed. Any surface disturbance is worth a look, unless of course, it’s a pod of dolphins. Pods of oceanic dolphins are a common sight in our waters and from a distance you can be fooled into thinking you’ve found a big patch of fish.

When the conditions are glassy calm, tuna are often spotted “rippling” on the surface. This is where fish are moving just below the surface as a tight school. Their feeding behaviour can vary when they’re rippling and most of the time they need a trigger to provoke a feeding response.

On the other end of the spectrum, rough conditions can see the fish dispersed. I prefer not fishing in rough weather for tuna, but sometimes the conditions can deteriorate while you’re on the water. You will occasionally see tuna feeding down the face of the swell, and for this reason we try to run our lures in the direction of a following sea.

My preferred conditions for targeting SBTs is to have rippled surface or low chop; wind around 8-12 knots is ideal. Bright conditions generally see the fish rising to feed better than overcast conditions, with a definite bite period around mid-morning, and again mid to late afternoon.

Trolling The most widely adopted method for targeting SBTs in these parts is still to troll. Running a spread of divers or skirts is a good way to cover ground, especially if the fish are scattered.

If we haven’t seen any fish on the surface we’ll generally run a spread of 4 and 5” skirts to cover ground. Skirts are good because they can be

trolled at higher speeds and you can scout an area more effectively. I troll skirts between 6-8 knots, with blues, purples and pinks good colours for our local bluefin. Another advantage with skirts is they run a single hook, which makes releasing fish a lot easier.

If, on the other hand, we’ve found some fish feeding on or just below the surface, we’ll run hard bodied lures. Diving hard body lures in the 120 to 160mm size which dive down around 2 to 4m are effective for our blueys. Natural pilchard and mackerel patterns are always good, but when the fish are actively feeding, they will swipe most colour schemes.

I try to troll these diving hard bods between 4-6 knots. The best lures for us have been Halco Laser Pros, Yo Zuri Hydro Magnums and Rapala CDs. If you intend to release your fish it’s a good idea to retrofit you diving lures with single in-line hooks, such as the Owner S-125 Plugging Singles.

It should go without saying, if you see a patch of fish on the surface, don’t run a spread of lures smack-bang through the middle of them. This will generally push the fish deep and spook them.

Always aim to run your lures along the edge of the school, or if you can decipher which direction they are moving, run your lures in front of them.

This will keep the fish up high for longer and might give you a second pass at the school if you miss a strike on the first attempt. It also helps in keeping the peace with other fisho’s on the water.

Casting Once word gets around that the tuna have arrived these offshore grounds can get congested with boat traffic. After a while the fish can become wary and often push deep with the sound of an oncoming boat. This can make trolling pretty frustrating

en the conditions are glassy calm, tuna are often spotted ‘rippling’ on the e. This is where fish are moving just below the surface as a tight school.”

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when you’re seeing scattered patches of fish rising to the surface, but you can’t get close enough to make an effective pass.

In this case, approaching the school from up-wind and cutting the motor will often see you drift close enough to fire some casts at the surface fish. Metal slugs and soft plastics are both really effective lures in this situation.

We use metal slugs in the 20-40g size range when the fish are feeding on the surface. Try to crank the lure as quick as you can – and even skipping along the surface so it makes a bubble trail (usually results in a pretty speccy surface strike too). You will generally have to upgrade the treble that comes standard with these lures, and replace for a heavier gauge single. These singles don’t have to be in-line, but something without a downturned eye is preferred.

Sometimes when you approach bombing birds you can see fish feeding a few metres below the surface. You often see clouds of baitfish-scales flickering in the water indicative of feeding activity.

In this situation I prefer casting soft plastics so they can reach a bit of depth before being retrieved. I usually let the plastic drop a few metres before beginning a fairly quick stop-start retrieve.

Effective plastics for us this season have been 100mm Squidgy Whip Baits in Pilly and White Lightning colour, and the ever reliable 5” Gulp Jerkshads. In the jig head department, I’ve been using the 20g Squidgy Weapon head which has a 6/0 chemically sharpened hook. Most jig heads around the 20 to 30g mark will suffice, but make sure the hook gauge is up to the job.

Outfits for casting at school bluefin needn’t be too heavy – in fact you get better results with

ABOVE: A school bluefin taken on the troll.

LEFT: Bluefin put up a good scrap on the right tackle.

MAIN: Trolling a spread of lures over an offshore reef in South Australia.

fishingworld.com.au | June 2016 | 69

WINTER SPORTFISHING There was a wide range of sizes in this seasons bluefin stocks, with quite a few 20 to 30kg bluefin caught.

lighter outfits which allow you to lay a cast from a reasonable distance out. A rod in the 5 to 8kg weight with a bit of length, say around 6’8” to 7’0” is ideal. Matched with a threadline of around 5000 in size and spooled with 20 or 30lb braid makes a perfect combo for casting to school SBTs. I usually run a rod’s length of 40lb fluoro leader.

Cubing It’s almost the lost art of tuna fishing, but cubing is still a very effective way of getting a hook-up when the fish are sitting deep. A couple of times this season we’ve sounded a school of fish and they were reluctant to rise to strike lures. We started a cube trail of chopped pilchards, and managed to get fish to take baits in the trail.

We started by creating a trail of chopped pilchards, and floated down a couple of baits within the trail. This was done on the drift and before too long we had a hook-up with a fish rising to the surface to take berley at the back of the boat.

Looking after your catch Bluefin are a fantastic table fish, but only if the fish is properly dispatched and the flesh iced immediately. Seeing pics of bluefin sprawled over

70 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

the back deck of rec boats under the sun is never a good look. Because of the great distances SBTs migrate and their resulting high metabolic rate, they can maintain their body temperature up to 10 degrees above that of their surrounding environment. This means they have a high core temperature which needs to be dropped quickly.

Similarly, fighting bluefin on ultra-light tackle is good fun, but not advisable if you’re planning on keeping fish for the table. Tuna build up lactic acid in their muscle at a higher rate than many other finfish species, which can taint the flesh.

It’s best to land the fish in good time if possible if you’re hoping for high-grade sashimi and steaks.

First up brain-spike the fish and then bleed the fish through the lateral vein located aft of the pectoral fin. I normally tie a strop of rope to the fish’s tail and hang the tuna’s head in the water while bleeding – this helps to keep the mess at a minimum. After a few minutes lay the fish in a large insulated fish bin or fish bag and surround the fish in ice, making sure to insert ice into the gut cavity. It pays to take the extra time to look after your tuna. Let’s hope our bluefin stocks continue to strengthen and that we’re spoilt with champagne SBT fishing for many years to come.

They are a great southern sportfish and are now more accessible than ever.

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5 Tips

For The Travelling Fisho Fishing travel has never been more popular and accessible to the average angler. However as MARK FRENDIN explains, for a successful trip it pays to plan carefully and avoid the risks.

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E attraction of new species and r off destinations is a powerful for many anglers. The travel business is worth big dollars and with our relative affluence, particularly over the last few decades, more anglers are buying into the fishing adventure holiday. Options range from longrange reef trips to exotic destinations on the other side of the world.

Specialist fishos are well catered for

with charters in all the hottest locations chasing everything from giant marlin, dogtooth and GTs to bonefish or arctic char.

There’s no such thing as a guarantee in travel or in fishing and there’s plenty of room for disappointment and frustration on any trip. The following tips are designed to assist you in getting the most from your fishing travels.

MAIN PIC: Travelling further afield can be productive if you follow a few simple rules.

INSET: Always take the essential tackle on a trip fishingworld.com.au | June 2016 | 73

FISHING TRAVEL

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anage the risk

hat could possibly go wrong? A simple k management process can help the travelling angler identify and address elements that could wreck a trip. In simple terms you identify things that were they to go wrong, or stop working, would affect the trip. You label each risk with a severity “grade” such as minor, serious or catastrophic. Then each risk gets a likelihood grade. Again you can use three labels: possible, probable and very likely. Then you try to reduce or “treat” each risk.

Information is vital in selecting a trip and managing risk. If you contemplate using a travel company find out about travel arrangements, accommodation, fishing set up and environment.

Read relevant websites and brochures and find articles and reports on the area. It can be invaluable to speak to someone who has recently gone to your destination. Charter operators are generally happy to answer your questions. Do this before you book and pay a deposit.

Jigging dogtooth can be costly on lures and line so take replacements.

OPPOSITE TOP: Getting stretched on a remote atoll.

OPPOSITE BOTTOM: Many of the better destinations involve light aircraft.

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The DIY option requires a detailed understanding of not only the fish species, but the environment, the prevailing conditions and support arrangements. It can be more difficult to get “hard” information about a DIY option and when this occurs it should be listed as a risk. Now you can start to design your trip hopefully avoiding most problems.

How do you “treat” risks? First, any issue attracting a very likely catastrophe grading is a show stopper. No trip is worth your life. These include war, criminals, disease, political unrest, etc. Most risks are going to be less dramatic. What you can do about them is based on what control, resources and effort you are able to apply.

Using well known fishing charter companies is a good way to reduce the risks concerning tackle, the bite and life support (accommodation, food, water) aspects. However while these companies often excel at what they can control there is still things that can become a problem.

What are the common trip wreckers? Travel is

one of the most frustrating complications because there’s often little you can do when things like mechanical failure, volcanic dust or strike action causes a delay. Often the schedule is too tight to allow for changes and delays. The answer is to work as much flexibility and time into the journey as practical. Avoid connections that need to happen within an hour of landing and destinations where there is only one flight a week.

Bad weather is another pain. Look for more stable periods outside cyclone or storm season.

Make sure you understand the local climate and plan for a period of “weather”.

Regardless of previous experiences you risk the problem of a shut-down bite regardless of where you go. Even remote wilderness locations have quiet periods. Many areas fish better on certain moon phases or tides. Research is vital in identifying these windows. Planning well in advance will allow you to be there when the peak bite times occur rather than on sub optimal tides.

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edundancy and repair

hen essential gear such as an outboard tor, four wheel drive, portable freezer breaks down having redundancy is the best solution. On a recent trip to a remote WA rock fishing ledge a good mate had a car breakdown and lost several days getting the vehicle recovered and repaired. The first problem was to get help and he was forced to leave the vehicle and walk several kilometres on a rarely used dirt road.

Luckily he got a lift to a phone and could make some arrangements. As a rule, the more remote and isolated the location, the more you need two of all essential gear.

Thanks to airline baggage restrictions or limited space you often have to pack light. However relying on someone else’s gear is risky. Charter gear, even if it is the best brand is going to be well used. After a few bad experiences with charter outfits I take my own gear. The charter outfits can be called on if something goes wrong with your rig.

In many cases people buy outfits and a heap of lures before a trip only to discover they got it wrong. On a trip to Vanuatu two anglers spent nearly $1500 dollars on outfits that were totally unsuited to dragging big GTs off the reef. The company website gave excellent info on this and would have saved the anglers’ wasting their money if they had bothered to read it.

Plan to tie on an effective lure for the last cast of the trip. We lost nearly thirty jigs each on a recent trip but thanks to a good understanding of the issues with sharks and snags we had this covered. Any piece of tackle that if it were broken or lost would stop you fishing should have a spare or in the case of lures several dozen spares! This includes split rings, hooks, assist cord, shrink tube, terminals and wire rigs.

Apart from a rod and reel, spare braid, terminal tackle and trace is essential. One bloke we met on a trip to the Quobba WA last year had lost over three hundred metres of 40kg braid first drift

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nning well in advance low you to be there when the peak bite times occur rather than on sub optimal tides.”

with his balloon rig and had to travel into Carnarvon for an expensive resupply.

Even the best tackle can breakdown. Take repair items including super and epoxy glue, tools, replacement rod runners and tips, binding thread, heat shrink and some lubricant. A bit of wire, some zip locks and a good length of strong thin string will get you out of some tricky problems.

Spare reels are also very handy.

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ackaging and protection

orting out packaging and protection is ne after you decide what gear and tackle you’ll need. For the bulk of clothing and tackle a hard-backed, wheeled bag is ideal. It can be towed around easily while keeping a free hand.

Couple this with a backpack which can be used for taking tackle onto the boat or for day trips. A waterproof hard case is also an excellent

investment which will protect cameras, phones and other fragile gear.

Multi-section travel rods are now every bit as good as one and two piece rods and reduce the likelihood of damage in airline baggage systems.

DIY rod tubes made to length are ideal rod protectors. By choosing a slightly longer suitcase you can store them inside where they are less likely to get bent or crushed.

Tackle can be organised effectively in many ways but for me soft wraps are the preferred option. Hard plastic tackle trays are bulky, fragile and contain a lot of wasted space. Lure rolls, soft wraps with clear plastic leafs and similar packages can be flattened down. Lures go without trebles so you can carry more while on blue water trolling lures consider using in-line singles.

I can fit a trip’s worth of terminals and tools in two multi page folders.

Fold reel handles down or remove them to reduce the chances of damage in transit and pack them in bubble wrap and a reel bag.

Noting airline restrictions on baggage, weigh your bags and don’t go over the limit and hope to get away with it. If weight is an issue, pre pay excess baggage as doing it at check in can be very expensive.

Fishing trips will expose gear to damaging elements such as heat, saltwater spray or rain. Also don’t underestimate rubbing, as this can damage rods and reels and is easily avoided by packing thoughtfully. It also pays to think about how you transport and organise each days’ gear along with fragile and precious items. In many cases it’s the hard shell case that’s the answer.

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eather, climate nd health

takes a few days to acclimatise when we travel to a radically different climate or time zone.

Flying into a Kimberley wet season from a cool southern state or coping with the freezing Tasmanian wilderness can throw your metabolism out. Adding rest days and slowing the trip tempo are good ways of working into a new area.

Hot tropical or arid areas, jungle or wet cold areas are all best handled with specific clothing solutions. You’ll eat more in colder areas and you’ll need more fluids in hot zones. Suffering trip ending issues like sun stroke in the Pilbara or getting annihilated by sand flies in a NZ beech forest are avoidable if you prepare carefully.

Again, knowing what you’re in for is key. Most areas have insects and bugs and you should take these little creatures seriously. Sand fly and mozzie bites, midge swarms and other pests are never far away and skin and eye protection is going to keep you fishing, not itching. Malaria and dengue fever are insect borne and prevalent in many countries. If camping in the bush, consider a “mozzie” net and fishingworld.com.au | June 2016 | 75

FISHING TRAVEL

taste in accommodation, food and entertainment. The best experiences come from people who enjoy new things and can handle some setbacks.

Sharing a trip with someone who’s also interested in a wider range of things such as sports or wildlife can ensure the conversation flows freely. If you have spent several long fishless days with a person who remains upbeat and sociable you’re on a winner. Good mates who pitch in and pay their way will greatly enhance a trip.

This is what proper planning and a successful trip away looks like!.

battery powered insect repellent systems.

While ill health can be unpredictable you can avoid many problems by drinking clean (bottled) water, using insect and sun protection and taking appropriate medicine for the region (anti-malarial tablets).

New food can cause an upset stomach which is no fun while you travel. Having a big night at the start of a trip can have a very bad effect later. A visit to your GP can provide you with the right advice and assist in preparations.

I mentioned bad weather earlier. For storms and rainy low depression systems it may be a case of modifying the days’ plan or just riding it out.

Cyclones are events worth cancelling a trip over.

NEW GEAR

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People

76 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

Information is vital in trip planning. It pays to get travel insurance and plan for flexibility in your timetable. Airlines and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Smart Traveller website can offer advice. If in doubt about safety, don’t go.

In some cases you simply cannot manage the risk beyond identifying and mentally preparing for it. On every trip something will probably go wrong. In some cases the whole deal can go bad thanks to things that are outside your control. As fishermen we know there is no iron clad guarantee of fish. Nonetheless many problems can be sorted if you take time to get the right info and think ahead.

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Summary

Fishing trips are often fairly close affairs.

Yoou sit with the group at the airport and on the plane.

You share a boat with them and eat with them.

Sometimes you’ll even share a tent or cabin. So it’s important you select your company carefully.

In today’s busy world it’s harder to get people to commit and last minute bail outs are pretty common trip wreckers. Beware the “vacillator”.

Most people have a few peculiar traits which are pretty easy to overlook if things are going well, but could cause friction in tough times.

The best companions are people who share your level of enthusiasm and within reason your

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Comfort in Cold Weather Winter fishing is often cold and uncomfortable but can also be very productive. Sami has a few tips for ensuring the cold days are remembered for all the right reasons.

WITH SAMI OMARI

For most anglers, the latter part of autumn and the onset of winter is a cold, bleak period where boats and tackle generally collect dust as fishing becomes a distant memory.

It’s tough leaving a warm bed for a dawn stint on a frigid morning, likewise the days are short and with the sun setting early, dusk brings with it the early onset of cold and bitter nights. The days however can be crisp and clear; cool enough to remind you of the season with a smattering of glorious sunshine to warm the soul. Around my home town of Sydney, the prevailing wind in winter is a westerly and with it the inshore seas dissipate leaving many days of calm waters with the added bonus of less competition from fellow anglers. You don’t need to suffer in the cold and here are a few pointers to help make it easier to enjoy a day on the water during the coldest months of the year.

IMAGES: SCOTT THOMAS

Layering of clothing

ABOVE: Winter weather can be miserable.

It pays to dress accordingly!

RIGHT: A quality jacket may cost a lot, but will last a long time and keep you dry and warm during bad weather.

78 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

A key factor that turns people off fishing in winter is the cold. Whilst you can’t beat the weather completely, you can maximise your level of comfort by wearing appropriate clothing to suit the conditions. In winter that generally means effective layering. Having appropriate clothing layers allows you to remove clothing so that you don’t overheat if you are active or when the sun comes out while keeping warm when idle or if the temperature drops.

When you sweat in winter, any moisture left close to your skin will cool resulting in you getting cold. For this reason, the base layer of clothing that makes contact with your skin needs to be able to “wick” away moisture, capturing the moisture from your skin and helping it evaporate. A good base layer will be snug fitting synthetic or merino wool; you’ll probably see these also called “thermals”. Next comes the mid layer which insulates your body to retain warmth while helping block out wind chill. A quality fleece jacket is an effective mid layer that helps retain warmth without being too heavy or bulky while also helping to wick away moisture. Finally you have the outer or shell layer which is your primary defence from the elements. In dry weather, a windproof soft shell type jacket should suffice however when it’s wet you’ll need a specifically designed wet weather jacket.

I cannot stress the importance of buying the best quality wet weather gear you can afford, especially if you plan on fishing regularly. I invested in a high quality jacket plus a set of overalls used for offshore sailing which cost me an arm and a leg about six years ago but have been one of the best investments I’ve ever made. They keep me dry in all conditions and are a godsend when the weather turns with storm cuffs and

multiple adjustments ensuring dryness regardless of how heavy it rains.

jaffle iron plus some pre-made sandwiches you can enjoy a quick and tasty hot meal.

Other comfort items

Minimise clean up afterwards

Extremities suffer in winter. Wet hands and feet are a common side effect when fishing, especially if launching and retrieving a boat. Sea boots are a godsend for keeping feet dry while gloves, beanies and balaclavas help keep the cold away. Inevitably you’ll need to bait up or handle fish and in extreme cold, getting your hands wet can be painful so a pair of disposable gloves over your warm fleece gloves work well. Alternatively, neoprene gloves can help if you’re constantly immersing your hands and need something a little more resilient. One of the ultimate accessories is a pocket warmer which you fill with lighter fluid and ignite resulting in a glowing filament that lasts for hours and heats the casing, acting like a heater in your pocket to warm up those frosty hands. A thermos of hot coffee or tea provides a welcome, warming boost. It pays to make more than you’ll actually drink so that you

An annoying part of a winter fishing trip is the inevitable clean up afterwards. Cleaning fish is generally an outside job unless you want a smelly house and having to clean fish late in the evening after a day on the water can add to the winter pain.

Naturally, if you catch a fish during the comfortable part of the day, it pays to clean it immediately to minimise any post trip clean up however a benefit of the cold weather is that fish will generally last longer so that annoying task of cleaning fish on a winter’s night can wait till the following morning. Just remember to top up your esky or bucket with ice and keep the fish in a cool shaded spot. Hosing down boats and fishing gear can also wait until the following morning however if you’re like me and are concerned about corrosion on your gear you can always give them a rinse in the shower before you hop in yourself – I’ll leave you to explain that one to the missus however!

Bringing a thermos full of hot coffee or a gas stove will save the day during quiet periods in winter.

can sacrifice a little to swirl around your mug and pre-warm it before discarding and filling up to maximise heat retention. An insulated mug will keep your drink warmer for longer. I love a hot coffee and there’s nothing worse than going to all the effort of preparing a piping hot thermos only to have it rapidly cool when using a tin or stainless mug which isn’t insulated. A portable gas cooker can boil a billy if you choose not to take a thermos and with the addition of a small

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DAVE RAE

Hunter Gatherer Knife Maker Ever considered making your own fishing knife? Dave describes how to craft your very own from a few simple materials.

BY DAVE RAE

• Buy the gear: a knife blank (440C is a good knife blend), wet and dry sheets (240-2000), brass hilt material, brass cobies to secure the handle and material for the handle (timber is probably easiest). Our gatherer used deer antler saved from a previous trip. Any decent knife-making supply business will be able to help.

• Design a knife shape and construct a template from cardboard or plastic sheeting.

• Trace the shape onto the steel and cut out the shape using a metal band saw or angle grinder, leaving 1-2mm to ensure a square edge can be ground across spine of the knife.

I

was pitch black and ckly confronted the assailant when the ruckus of the gathering destroyed a very peaceful and dark bass session.”

MY mate is the ultimate hunter gatherer. No piece of road kill or deceased aquatic creature is safe… Of course he isn’t active in NSW as road kill is protected!

Many a fishing trip has been disrupted due to his necessity to “gather” and our only real disagreement came when I confronted an unknown person who was “gathering” a feral goose off my local bass creek. It was pitch black and I quickly confronted the assailant when the ruckus of the gathering destroyed a very peaceful and dark bass session.

I was not impressed when the identity of the gatherer became known and expressed my views ABOVE: The finish and quality of Michael’s knife is second to none.

RIGHT: While this knife was made for hunting and general purpose, bulding your own fishing knife is an achievable goal.

84 | fishingworld.com.au | June 2016

in very clear language. Likewise the gatherer was unimpressed by my attitude.

Happily we are friends again, and the above said gatherer just popped in to drink my coffee and show me his first homemade knife, which by the way is absolutely awesome!

If like me, you’ve never even considered making your own fishing knife (this however, is a deer skinning knife for his boy, Tom… Yes Michael also “gathers” deer), then read on with this brief step-by-step gatherer’s guide to knife making.

Understand however, there is much more to it and you’ll need to get further info before you start:

• Use a scribe, to mark the top edge of the cutting facet; do that on both sides and the centre line for the finished edge. File from facet to knife edge. Take great care to maintain the correct angle or you’ll stiff the facet!

• Wrap a flat mild steel bar (300 x 50 x 5mm thick), with gaff tape and wrap it with 240 Wet and Dry. Using the sandpaper dry, start grinding. Repeat as you work through the grades, being sure to sand through each set of metal grain lines before dropping to the next grade, sanding at the required angle each time. Expect to be about a day on this bit.

• Send off to be heat treated and tempered. 58 Rottwell is ideal.

• Cut brass hilt blank to suit and pin to knife blank. Take extreme care to shape the hilt on a grinding belt, without marking the blade.

• Buff the blade with buffing compound.

• Using a step drill, drill the two handle pieces and the knife tang in order to set the handle correctly with the brass cobies. Then shape the handle.

• Grind cobies flush with handle and repeat wet and dry on the handle (600-1200) and buff to a gloss.

• Complete a final buff and you’re done.

Understand that the above is a brief overview only. Knife making is an art form and making your own knife is not about saving money. It’s about the satisfaction gained from creation. The possibilities are endless if you are that way inclined.

Because I tend to lose things, I think I’ll keep spending $30-50 on “losable” knives.

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Baby Crusher Bar Crusher’s Sleek 490WR

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Contents

CONTENTS

94 ELECTRIC MOTORS A BASIC GUIDE Mick Fletoridis An electric motor is one of the most useful accessories that can be installed on a sportfishing boat. Mick explains why you should have one.

90 LONG-TERM TEST: BAR CRUSHER 490WR Scott Thomas Bar Crusher's 490WR is a small and tough centre console which punches above its weight in performance and fishability.

100

98 DIY ‘YAK CRATE Mick Fletoridis Kayak fishing is a whole lot easier when you organise your tackle. Mick shows us a useful DIY project for keeping things in check on the water.

90

100 BOATING BITS All the latest and greatest from the world of boating.

106 NEW FROM STACER Scott Thomas Stacer's 2016 line up features a brand new model for the family fisho and several changes to its existing line-up.

COVER: Bar Crusher’s pint size 490WR is a truly versatile boat capable of fishing a variety of conditions in fresh and salt. IMAGE: Scott Thomas.

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Baby Crusher Bar Crusher’s 490WR is a small and tough centre console which punches above its weight in performance and fishability. Scott Thomas reports.

BAR Crusher’s 490WR is one of the latest models from the Melbourne-based plate boat builder.

While Fishing World has previously reviewed the 490C, a cuddy style boat based on the same hull, I was looking forward to getting on board the open configuration version for an extend length of time.

The team at Bar Crusher were kind enough to loan Fisho the new 490WR for several weeks and we sure made the most of it... During that time the 490 was put through its paces in the salt and the fresh while fishing solo, two-up, three-up and even with a couple of kids on board. This extended test gave us a genuine opportunity to determine whether the boat lived up to its reputation as a serious pint-size fishing machine.

All the small things The 490WR basically looks like a smaller version of the larger Bar Crusher models. It's constructed of heavy duty 4mm aluminium and 3mm sides and features extra wide gunwales and tough chequer plate flooring. For this reason it’s a unique boat and it feels overbuilt, in a good way.

Having extensively used a similar size centre console fibreglass boat, I was keen to see the difference in performance and fishability.

The first thing I noticed was the generous freeboard and wide gunwales while fishing. Even in rougher water I felt incredibly safe. Bar Crusher’s Waveslicer deep-V hull and Rigideck sub-floor structure provide the boat with a safe ride when conditions get rough. The 490 also

features a ballast system, which floods the keel with water at rest and adds to to the stability.

Given its excellent stability and aforementioned freeboard, it provides a snug feel at rest.

Features Since Fisho’s last test on the 490C, Bar Crusher has installed a clever bait board/livewell at the transom. This was in response to the lack of built-in transom livewells featured on Bar Crusher's larger models. Given its small size, it can’t have every feature built-in, so the fellas at Bar Crusher did a good job adding this livewell to such a small and already feature-packed boat.

Moving forward and there's a deep ice chest which doubles as a seat and accommodates two

LONG-TERM TEST BAR CRUSHER 490WR

MAIN IMAGE: The 60hp Suzuki pushed the 490WR along at reasonable pace and proved fuel efficient.

LEFT: Small and light enough to launch from the bank, freshwater options are definitely on the cards.

BELOW: Extra wide gunwales and chequer plate flooring remind you that you’re still in a serious saltwater plate boat!

people. I opted to use this area for water tight and lockable storage, although there is plenty of storage space elsewhere if you wanted to turn this into a functional kill tank. The top features a cushion and works well as a seat behind the console.

The console is relatively low and allows an average height driver to sit or stand. In calmer water I preferred to sit and without a windscreen it gives a clear field of view at all angles. I prefer to stand in rougher water and around busy waterways and this console makes it easy. There’s space on top to attach a large sounder and other accessories. The test boat featured a 5-inch Raymarine Dragonfly, a capable unit and perfect for most applications in the fresh and salt. If you wanted something bigger, you could easily go up

to a 7 or maybe 9-inch unit. The only thing missing from the console was a grab rail. I found the passenger regularly looking for something to grab while driving across rough stretches of water.

In front of the console there’s enough space to fish one person, or two at a squeeze. There’s an elevated carpeted casting platform which features good storage underneath. The test boat also contained a second battery in this compartment to run the 12-volt Minn Kota trolling motor on the bow. Even with the battery mounted, there was plenty of space to store fishing gear. Centre consoles are often lacking in storage. This one with its large ice box, casting platform, plus generous side pockets under the wide gunwales and at the

transom, provides more than enough storage for a sub-5 metre boat.

As mentioned, on the bow Bar Crusher mounted a 12-volt 55lb bow mount Minn Kota electric. This came in handy chasing bass in the fresh and bream, whiting and flatties in the salt.

It’s an option I could never live without and turns this boat into something truly versatile.

Fishing There’s no mistaking the 490WR as anything but a great fishing boat. It accommodates up to three anglers, and while I preferred to fish with only two people onboard, we did have one productive session chasing kingfish on Sydney Harbour with three without any problems. At one point I even

91

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JUNE 2016

The rear baitboard and livewell is an innovative use of space in the 490WR

broke out the fly rod and caught a few fish while the other two used lures up front.

It's also a very versatile boat. Over the past month we fished everywhere from Sydney Heads to small saltwater creeks and large freshwater impoundments to freshwater rivers.

Finding a boat capable of doing these things without too much compromise isn’t easy. The 490 did it all surprisingly well.

During a trip to Lake St Clair it was launched off the grassy bank. We fished into the night and early the following morning with the electric motor catching bass. The smallish size of the 490 made this finesse fishing easier and the rough nature of the boat had my mind at ease around all the hidden timber.

Back in the salt and the small boat handled itself surprisingly well in rougher conditions.

And while some salt spray is hard to avoid in all centre consoles, it was a relatively dry boat on the slop often experienced on Sydney Harbour.

Back at home and it’s small size and relatively light weight meant I could easily handle it solo and push it around the garage. That’s a big plus and meant more time fishing and less time stuffing around at home.

Power The 490 was fitted with a 60hp four-stroke Suzuki. It’s a very quiet and fuel efficient engine and suited this boat without feeling over powered. Bar Crusher recommends engines between 40-70hp for this particular boat. If you enjoyed slightly more top end speed, a 70hp may work well. However, I found with a top speed just under 30 knots, the 60 was more than adequate.

The 490 features Bar Crusher’s latest Gen2 hull design which includes a wider chine aft and the company’s Delta Flare. This, according to the brochure, delivers more hydrodynamic lift for efficient planing and fuel efficiency. On the water this really works! The transition from idle to plane

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is simple. It almost seems to glide onto the plane.

This unique hull design, its light weight and the fuel efficiency of the four-stroke meant costs were kept to a minimum at the fuel bowser. While we didn’t have any gauges hooked up to accurately record fuel economy, anecdotal evidence suggests the 60 litre tank went a long way.

Over the course of several weeks we took the 490 through its paces and fished a variety of locations. It’s an impressive boat and really punches above its weight when it comes to performance and fishability.

It feels and acts like a bigger boat. If you’re in the market for a small open centre console without compromising on fishing features and sea worthiness, it’s worth checking out at www.barcrusher.com.au.

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JUNE 2016

Electric Motors - A Basic Guide An electric motor is one of the most useful accessories that can be installed on a sportfishing boat. Mick Fletoridis explains why you should have one.

THE electric trolling motor has evolved to become one of the most important accessories anglers can install on their boats. While an electric mightn’t directly catch you more fish, it will put you in their vicinity more stealthily, and in the case of many current models, keep you on the spot using modern GPS technology. Many electric motors will also automatically steer a course along a troll line, run virtually silently, deploy at the push of a button and more. If only they could brew coffee!

Electric evolution Like many keen anglers, I’ve long relied on electric trolling motors to assist my fishing. The first electric motor I owned was a Shakespeare 12v 24lb thrust model bought in the ‘80s for use on a canoe and a 10ft Brooker tinny. While not as sophisticated as the current crop of electrics, that old Shakespeare repaid its initial outlay cost ($75 from memory) many times over the years,

mostly trolling for trout in the Snowy Mountains and natives in south western NSW. Being a basic design though, the Shakespeare’s 3-speed toggle switch set on High would drain a fully charged car battery (pre deep cycle battery availability) in quick time.

When I upgraded to a 3.9m Stessl Edge Tracker I fitted a Minn-Kota 42lb bow-mount 12v electric with foot pedal control and autopilot – at the time these motors weren’t common place in Australia.

It was also a freshwater model, the precursor to the later Riptide saltwater series. That motor delivered years of trouble free duty and helped me fish for everything from trout to natives, flatties and bream. When upgrading again to a 4.3m Webster Bassmaster, I installed a new Riptide 12v 42lb thrust Minn-Kota bow-mount, later retrofitted with a Co-Pilot remote control. That motor was used on the majority of my fishing trips over the next 10 years, apart from offshore, and indirectly caught me a lot of fish.

A Jarvis Walker Watersnake 55lb thrust bow-mount electric resides on the current boat in my shed - a 3.9m Quintrex Hornet Trophy. The point of all this is that any fishing boat I own must have an electric motor fitted. For mine, an electric motor is as important as a sounder/GPS unit for getting connected to fish. So if you’ve never owned an electric motor, here’s what you need to know.

History of electrics The first electric trolling motor was invented by O.G. Schmidt in 1934 in Minnesota, North Dakota, USA. The motor was a basic design achieved by attaching a starter motor from a Ford Model A car to a flexible shaft and propeller. Schmidt’s invention later resulted in the birth of the Minn Kota Manufacturing Company, named after its location near the Minnesota/North Dakota border. As well as Minn Kota, there are other reputable brands of electric trolling motors on the Australian market today including Motorguide and Watersnake.

All provide propulsion via brushed electric motors driven by 12 or 24v DC battery power.

Unlike petrol outboards which are rated in horsepower, electrics are rated by their propulsion force at full speed, measured in pounds thrust. As a general guide, 12v creates thrust up to 60lb with currents up to 55 amps,

ELECTRIC MOTORS

ABOVE: While motor depth is adjustable it’s important to select the right shaft length for your boat to avoid potential cavitation issues.

24v will create thrust to 100lb and current to 55 amps. To provide the power, 12v marine deep cycle sealed lead acid batteries are most commonly used. Unlike car batteries, deep cycle batteries are designed to withstand constant discharging without damage.

The modern electric is designed around a motor sealed inside a watertight compartment at the end of the drive shaft. Being submerged during operation, prevents the motor overheating.

Which motor?

Typically, on a boat fitted with an electric motor the fuel-driven engine is used to quickly get from place to place, while the electric is only used when fishing. An electric motor performs best for slow speed manoeuvring when lure or fly fishing, trolling or to help hold position in current or against wind. In case of a main engine breakdown an electric may also get you home in favourable conditions, but is best not relied on for that purpose.

The electric motor that best suits your boat comes down to boat size, weight and intended purpose. Selecting the perfect motor can be challenging as there are many variables, and electric motor manufacturers generally only provide basic guidelines. As a basic guide, each 100lb (45kg) of boat weight requires around 2lb of

LEFT: Being able to control the boat via foot pedal while also having a depth sounder in handy view is hard to beat!

MAIN: Slow and go – A super fast US-built bass boat fitted with bow mount electric with anglers slowly working lures around some oyster leases.

thrust. Going by that, if you’ve got a popular sized boat of around 4.5m that weighs 1000kg (including, motor, fuel and 2 x occupants) that’s around 2200lb, which equates to 44lb of thrust.

Given that most fishos cart way more gear on boats than they need a little leeway is required, but in this case a common 12-volt electric model providing 55lb of thrust should adequately do the job. As when selecting the power rating of your fuel engine, it’s also best to avoid over or under powering your boat with an electric motor.

Bow or stern mount?

This is a big consideration when choosing an electric. In general terms, bow mounts pull the boat through the water and steer quicker, using less power than a stern mounted motor that pushes the hull. Bow mounts too can usually be operated remotely which is a big advantage when fishing. Bow mount electrics are commonly

deployed by depressing a lever by foot while simultaneously sliding the motor housing from its cradle by hand. In the case of the recently released Minn Kota Ulterra, deployment can be done via a touch of a button on the unit’s i-pilot remote control. If there’s a downside of sophisticated bow mounts like this it’s usually only the initial outlay.

If you intend to mostly troll under electric power a tiller control model mounted on the boat’s transom might suit you best. There are plenty of tiller control models on the market and most are reasonably priced, especially in comparison to higher specced bow-mount electrics. Most tiller control models feature a twist throttle like a petrol outboard, and a simple locking tilt/trim arrangement. Tiller control models are generally 12v powered and provide up to 55lb thrust, with some manufacturers offering higher propulsion models. An advantage of the tiller control electrics is that they can be easily adapted for use on canoes and kayaks.

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JUNE 2016

Fisho writer Sami Omari with a nice Hunter Valley bass caught lure casting around snags with the aid of a Watersnake bowmount electric.

Bow mount electrics as their title suggests are fitted to the boat’s pointy end, commonly via a form of quick release plate that allows for easy removal for travel, maintenance or security. Operating bow mount electrics is usually done via a foot control or wireless remote. Most foot controls have on/off, speed and steering controls with the latter operating via electronically controlled servo motors. Many bow mounts come equipped with both foot and wireless remote control which means operators can choose which system suits them best. In recent years, key-fob style remote transmitters have revolutionised electric motor controls. These remotes – that are commonly worn via a lanyard around the neck or as a wristwatch style – not only steer and direct the boat, they can hold your position even in current and wind using GPS technology. Trollers are also able to point their boat in the direction they want to run and the motor will self adjust to keep the boat on course.

Height advantage Electric motors are available with different shaft lengths, so when choosing one for your boat it’s important to get it right. While the depth of the motor is usually adjustable via a standard locking collar system, having enough length for adjustment to start with will prevent problems. If your boat has a healthy amount of freeboard the motor will be mounted a longer distance above the water surface and require a longer shaft than a lower slung craft. When fishing in any swell the rise and fall of the boat will see the electric motor housing do the same. This is accentuated in the case of a bow mounted electric. If the motor shaft is too short the motor propeller will cavitate at the surface on maximum rise and make steering and manoeuvring the boat very difficult. If you’re unsure which length suits your boat ask the dealer or someone who has the same boat as you. Online forums can be a great source of info for this sort of thing. As a general rule, in this case, longer is usually better.

12 or 24 volt?

Having never owned or operated a 24v electric motor I can’t see a huge need for one, however, if you have a big heavier boat that might struggle from the maximum thrust offered by a 12v model going to 24v is possibly your best bet. The main consideration with going up in voltage is the extra weight and bulk of installing extra batteries and the associated cabling. If you’ve got an average weight boat of up to 5m, which is the sort of craft more commonly fitted with electric motors, a 12v model should be available to suit your needs.

Considering other factors such as hull shape, windage and more will affect this decision. The best way to narrow down your choice of electric motor is to talk to owners of similar boats to yours who can give you firsthand advice on any potential pitfalls. Once you’ve chosen the right electric motor for your boat you’ll be amazed at how much your fishing will benefit. Ultimately, you’ll be catching more fish.

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1300 1 HONDA | marine.honda.com.au

98

JUNE 2016

KAYAK FISHING

Keeping things clutter free will mean more fish and less stress on the water.

DIY ‘Yak Crate Kayak fishing is a whole lot easier with organised tackle.

Mick Fletoridis shows us a useful DIY project for keeping tackle and gear in check on the water.

FISHING from a kayak can open up many new opportunities. Depending on the type of kayak you own can mean easier access anywhere from creek to sea. While kayaks offer many fishing options, the amount of gear you can carry is a limitation of most paddle craft. While ‘yaks don’t offer the room or storage space that larger boats do, if you’re organised you’ll be amazed what you can carry. To that end, plastic storage crates are a common accessory many yakkers add to their craft. In basic terms these crates are the same as those used to transport milk or for household storage, but can be easily modified for use as effective tackle storage crates for kayaks. My current crate had been used to store firewood in our shed for many years. While I’m unsure of its

origins, many such crates are available at retail storage outlets, or often, on the side of the road!

If you do plan to use something like a milk crate you’ve found, make sure there are no legal implications in doing so.

After a trial run to ensure the crate fitted the storage space behind my Jackson Coosa’s seat, it was given a clean and jetwash. Any rough or sharp edges were then smoothed over using a file and sandpaper. The next step was deciding what I wanted to install on the crate, being mindful of having most tackle items and ancillaries together in easy reach. I firstly settled on three plastic upright rod holders, which I happened to have on hand.

These I mounted to one side of the crate, spaced apart to allow for complete rigged outfits, and

secured using stainless screws at the top and cable ties tightened around the holders. I also had a Scotty fly rod holder which was mounted on a crate side adjacent to the upright holders. The Scotty holder is angle adjustable for height and secures the rod via a rubber flap arrangement. It works well and being on the side is readily accessible from the kayak’s seat. Below the Scotty holder I mounted a base for a Railblaza Camera Boom 600 which angles out (to port) and provides different angles when shooting photos or video with a GoPro or point and shoot camera. A RAM metal rod holder was also screwed atop one of the plastic upright holders to provide more adjustment for trolling rods or for stowing a landing net/GoPole (another GoPro mount) at better angles. A portable Seacure waterproof compartment attached to the crate via its webbing strap has proven handy for storing valuables like keys and phone. A velcro-secured pouch is also fitted to the crate and stores lip grips, pliers and a knife. At the bottom of the crate I fitted plastic matting to prevent small items falling through. Lastly, the crate was treated to a couple of coats of matt black pressure can spray paint. On the water the crate houses a Hobie sea anchor, Backwater hand paddle and various tackle boxes and items needed for the day’s fishing. Secured on the Coosa using the kayak’s elastic strapping this DIY crate has proven to be an inexpensive and practical “one stop shop”.

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100

JUNE 2016

BOATING BITS

Boating Bits Go Free converges NAVICO’S GoFree Hooked app is a mobile tracking solution for anglers, with the capability to record and share every fishing trip – whether from a boat or the shore. GoFree Hooked automatically saves the time, location and navigation track of each outing. The app features a fast and simple “Catch” functionality to quickly log fish-catch details like photos, size, weight, species and other information. After anglers log a catch, they can quickly inform friends or family by sharing these details via text or social media.

The app also merges GPS navigational data with catch details for a complete picture of every catch, providing a clear picture of catch patterns from the fishing trip. All data is stored on secure Go Free cloud servers for easy access anywhere. This allows users the option to overlay personal catch details as waypoints on their own private layer of the Insight Genesis Social Map, where personal catch details are kept confidential from other GoFree users.

An industry first, the app also delivers a powerful “Compete” feature, so anglers can create their own personal tournaments among friends. Competition guidelines are easy to set up, and are customisable by key tactics, like weight or length and quantity. A record of the competition is saved based on the date, location, tournament name and participants – allowing anglers to prove their skills within a defined group or “community.”

More info at www.gofreemarine.com

GME's "Black Box" VHF radio THE GX750’s unique Black Box concept provides all the functionality of a conventional fixed-mount VHF Marine Radio in the palm of your hand with the supplied full-function LCD Controller Microphone. This allows the compact Black Box radio unit to be mounted almost anywhere in the vessel, making it the perfect choice for installations where dash space is at a premium.

The GX750 has been designed with the same white and grey colour scheme, consistent with the recently launched GR300 Marine Entertainment product. The unified design and colour scheme ensures GME radio communications and entertainment products blend seamlessly into the boat dash. The GX750 will also be available with a Black LCD Controller Microphone to suit contemporary vessel interiors.

Built to withstand the harsh Australian marine environment, the GX750 chassis is waterproof to the IPX7 standard and the unit is UV stabilised to maintain the satin finish ensuring lasting performance.

RRP $329 More info at www.gme.net.au

Silent Hitch Pin stops your balls rattling PRO Series has aannounced its new Silent Hitch Pin. Designed as a soolution to reduce audible rattle created by trailer ball mounts, ts the Silent Hitch Pin Pin’ss unique key ways push the trailer ball mount against the far edge of the hitch receiver, creating friction and dampening audible noise.

The Silent Hitch Pin prolongs life and reduces wear on the trailer ball mount compared to other products available on the market. Easy to use and adjust, the pin can be tightened with any length spanner. The Pro Series Silent Hitch Pin eliminates the risk of the hitch-box cracking or bolt breaking and is effective and engaged whilst towing.

RRP $37 More info at pro-series.com.au/towingaccessories

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Milf d ECS T Milford Tow B Bar Wi Wiring i Harness kits are the simplest, most convenient and complete tow bar wiring system on the market.

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Milford Ultra Load Weight Distribution Hitch kits are available in 270 kg (600lb) and 360kg (800lb) variants & importantly, feature our legendary lifetime warranty for complete peace of mind!

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102

JUNE 2016

BOATING BITS

Marine Spring Kits from Trojan TROJAN has announced the release of its Marine Spring Kits. The kits come ready to go, with all parts required to attach to the trailer, meaning they are simply bolted on and then it’s ready to go.

Available in 3, 4, 5, 6 and 9 leaf versions, there's an option to suit any trailer.

Trojan Spring Kits retail from $112.20 and are available at all good trailer and boating stores.

More info at www.trojanparts.com.au

Telwater appointed as Evinrude Australia distributor TELWATER, the Queensland-based brand behind Quintrex, Stacer, Savage and Yellowfin, has been appointed the Australian distributor for the range of Evinrude direct injection two-stroke outboards.

The agreement covers the distribution of engines only. While Telwater makes the transition, Evinrude’s parent company BRP will continue with parts and accessories as well as technician training and warranty administration from Sydney.

Telwater will now be distributing Evinrude through its existing boat dealer network via boat, motor, trailer packages. It will also

distribute “loose” engines and work with other manufacturers and dealerships to continue the supply throughout Australia.

“Since 2011, we have been working with BRP to offer quality Telwater boat and Evinrude E-TEC engine packages. This new agreement will further strengthen our collaboration and ensure we continue to offer consumers products that provide the best boating experience possible,” said Telwater managaing director Paul Phelan.

As part of the announcement, Telwater has now officially confirmed the cessation of its Vortex engine brand.

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Since 1898 Savage has been helping Aussies escape the 9 to 5 grind and get into the action on rivers, lakes and bays across the country. There’s not a lot we don’t know about catching fish and having fun on the water! With an Ultra Lift Hull designed to get you there fast and dry, as well as tough plate sides on the 385 and up, Savage boats can handle just about anything. At a price that makes our competitors wonder how we do it!

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JUNE 2016

Create your own maps with Garmin GARMIN Quickdraw Contours is a free software feature that allows boaters to instantly create personalised HD fishing maps with 30cm contours on any body of water.

Powerfully simple, Quickdraw Contours results are generated right on the screen as the boat moves – there’s no waiting around or sending the files to Garmin, and the maps can be kept private or shared with others at no cost.

Built-in as standard in the 2016 echoMAP CHIRP range – and available as a free software update for other echoMAP and many GPSMAP series products – the software can be used with any transducer, including Garmin Panoptix, HD-ID, DownVü and NMEA 2000 transducers.

Quick and accurate, Quickdraw Contours results can be viewed in real-time, or created in the background for use at a later time. For the most comprehensive coverage, Quickdraw Contours clearly shows where usable depth information has been collected and where gaps exist, so users can easily see what still needs to be collected.

More info at www.garmin.com/en-AU/explore/onthewater/

BOATING BITS

Milford announces full range of towing solutions MILFORD has been involved in automotive safety accessories, including designing and manufacturing the toughest and most durable vehicle specific towing solutions, for almost 50 years.

Using the very latest in innovative CAD software and high quality materials, Milford towbars, accoridng to the company, are made to endure Finite Element Analysis (a form of simulation testing) and extensive “on-vehicle” dynamic testing to ensure that the highest level of safety, strength and quality is guaranteed.

To accompany its towbars, Milford also offers a unique and complete range of towing accessories including vehicle specific wiring harness kits. The carefully calculated elements in each kit are purpose designed to minimise strain on the vehicle’s circuitry system to ensure maximum convenience without compromising on safety or functionality.

More info at www.milford-auto.com

Engineered, sealed sub-floor strength

For easy launch and retrieve

Water ballast for stability 5

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4 Next-gen hull with Delta FlareTM

POWERED BY SUZUKI

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C SERIES 490C, 535C, 575C, 615C, 670C, 730C

Image may include optional accessories.

Confirm spec with dealer.

Bar Crusher’s C (Cuddy) series offers a cuddy cabin configuration that provides the best of both worlds – a clear and spacious cockpit fishing area protected by good cover forward, to keep you warm and your gear dry when the weather turns nasty. The folding gas-strut roof (with side clears) provides much-needed protection from the elements while on the water, yet when folded it reduces the on-trailer height for easy storage under carports and in low garages.

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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Bar Crusher uses the toughest hull building system in the world. They’re real plate boats, using cutting-edge technology in their design and construction.

C SERIES

HT SERIES

Head office: 5 Quality Drive, Dandenong South, VIC 3175 Phone: 03 9792 2999 Email: info@barcrusher.com.au Sales: 0408 776 080 Website: www.barcrusher.com.au

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DEALERS AUSTRALIA WIDE

WR SERIES

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106

JUNE 2016

NEW RELEASE

The new Sea Rangers will appeal to offshore and Top End fishos looking for an abundance of fishing space.

These boats feature an abundance of fishing space and performed well in the choppy waters around the Jumpinpin bar.

Ocean Rangers Another new addition is the 589 and 619 Ocean ranger hard Top plate range. These are new sizes added to the existing range which was released a few years back.

Again, these boats perform well offshore and can be optioned with extra fuel capacity, which in my opinion is an essential addition.

The new models feature more freeboard at 730mm and all come standard with trim tabs.

Another new feature is the Side Deck Water Shield which deflects water off the bow.

Other models

Crossing Over Stacer's 2016 line-up features a brand new model suitable for the family fisho and several changes and additions to its existing range. Scott Thomas reports.

POPULAR tinny brand Stacer recently launched its 2016 line-up of boats on the Gold Coast. The brand has experienced some big developments over recent years with a series of fresh designs catering for all budgets and interests. The most recent launch saw a number of changes to its fishing range, plus the introduction of a new crossover fishing/family boat.

The Crossfire On the back of customer feedback, Stacer launched the Crossfire side console range in sizes 489, 509, 539 and 579. The Crossfire, according to Stacer, is a combination of its existing Outlaw, Nomad and EasyRider models. More importantly for serious fishos, it’s been labelled at 80 per cent fishing, 20 per cent fun.

Unlike many so called fishing/family boats, the Crossfire is still a dedicated fishing boat and features all the inclusions you’d expect. The test boat featured a Motor Guide bow mount electric, full enclosed rod locker, rod holders, plenty of storage and fishing space and a side console. With a list of optional extras, the fishing family man doesn’t need to compromise on fishability.

However, if the wife and kids spend a day on the water, there’s a V-shape lounge/day bed complete with cushion, which can be easily be

turned into a casting platform by removing the cushion and adding an infill.

There are plenty of options to customise it further, including a ski pole, swim ladder, drink holders, bait board, etc.

The Crossfire features Stacer’s Evo Advance Hull with its sharper bow entry and deeper V without compromising on stability.

The 509 size test boat was fitted with a 115hp Evinrude E-TEC and wasn’t short on power with a top speed of 39 knots.

Sea Rangers Stacer this year has released the new 619 and 679 Sea Rangers. The Sea Ranger is a large centre console sport fishing boat with 5mm alloy bottoms and 4mm sides.

The 619 is rated to 200hp and has a fuel capacity of 168 litres, while the 679 has a maximum rating of 225hp and carries 215 litres. Both models can be optioned up with larger fuel tanks. That’s not a bad option and makes the Sea ranger more versatile for overnight trips and long runs offshore.

Stacer also added two brand new models to the Nomad line-up. The 449 and 469 have been added to the existing 489, 509, 539 and 579 models.

The Nomad range now feature 4mm bottoms and 3mm sides, making them tougher and more appealing to fishos. Other new features include Shark carpet which is soft and provides better grip, plus the new standard Sports Side Console.

The Nomads are a spacious fishing boats and cater well for the fisho looking for a versatile and affordable estuary boat.

Another popular fishing model, the Assault Pro was released a few years back and suits the bass and bream market.

The updated models now feature the Sports Side Console which in the 459, 489 and 519 models, takes a 10 inch sounder. The new models also feature Shark carpet and newly designed pop-up cleats.

The larger 519 now comes standard with4mm bottoms and the 489 can be optioned up with 4mm if required.

For more details on the 2016 range of Stacer boats, check out the website at www.stacer.com.au and watch the video at www.fishingworld.com.au to see the boats in action.

The Crossfire is a good compromise boat for the family fisho.