Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Issue 119 2015 December by Tasmanian Fishing

December 2015 - January 2016

Tasmanian Fishing and boating news â&#x20AC;&#x201D; issue 119

Little Pine

Page 15

Micro Jigging

Page 31

Bream on Plastics Print Post approved 100003074

Page 34

City Success

Page 38

Summer fun â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is fishing Peter and Karen Brooks searching the Mersey River. See page 5 for his story. Photo: Mike Stevens.

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December 01 heralds the start of Summer. In the highlands it snowed that day, but get ready for fun.

Tasmania had a very dry and warm Spring. Low rainfall and warm temperatures were the defining features of October and also November. Numerous towns had their driest October on record, resulting in the State-average as the driest October on record. Many places also had their warmest October on record. November rain was also well below average

and temperatures higher than normal, except for a cold windy snap at the end. It looks like Tasmania will suffer serious drought this Summer and lakes are already very low, with some like Lake Leake unfishable. Great Lake is outstanding when it is low, so watch that, although it may get hard to launch your boat.

Soft Hackle Flies – and how to fish them — Peter Brooks

Skin Cancer Kills – how to reduce your risk — Peter Dixon

Think Your Way to More Fish — Mark Youngman

Lesson Learned at Little Pine — Andy Howell

Sounders for Kayaks — Jo Starling

Drogue Testing — Michal Rybka

Lake Lea — Shane Flude

Micro Jigging in Tasmania — Steve Starling

Five Simple Rules to your First Bream on Soft Plastics — Steve Starling

Smoking Ugly – a simple fish smoking guide — Gard Saxon

Success in the City – Derwent River at Rosny — Tom Wilson

Marine Fisheries News

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Some will be distressed by what many are predicting as the driest Summer ever. It does mean you will need to consider your fishing destinations more carefully. As I mentioned on the cover, Great Lake fishes very well when it is low and I am sure it will attract more attention than ever. For some reason is has not been particulary popular in recent years, but don’t ignore it. Arthurs Lake will continue to drop, but hopefully there will be some good fishing there. Likewise Lake King William may be low, but it does offer some fantastic fishing — as detailed in the last magazine. Penstock has been outstanding early in the season, but may taper off as it warms up. I could be wrong on that though. Lake Echo is well worth some close attention and it does not get a lot of fishing pressure. It can be extraordinary for trollers, lure and fly fishing. I love fishing in the trees there. In this issue we have some fabulous stories. Peter Brooks takes us through his experience fishing a very old technique with soft hackle flies. There is a lot to learn here. Mark Youngman, a competition fly fisher with worldwide experience, gives

Mike Stevens talks fishing with Chris Wisbey ABC Statewide Saturday mornings 6.40 a.m.

Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Published by Mike Stevens: PO Box 7504, Launceston, 7250. Mike Stevens – P: 0418 129 949 or E: mike@tasfish.com Stevens Publishing, ABN 79 095 217 299 All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. Print Post approved; 100003074

Fishing News - Page 2

a lesson on how to approach a water and using a number of techniques find where the fish are. It is a fly fishing article, but lessons can be learned for lure fishers as well. The gorgeous Jo Starling continues her series on setting up and using kayaks for fishing and husband Steve Starling gives us two very interesting stories. One on latest craze in fishing — micro jigging and another on catching bream on plastics. You may think the bream story is old hat, but many still don’t understand the tricks needed to fool a bream on a plastic. Bream are not easy. It is a short, helpful article. Follow it closely, test yourself and you will catch bream. Tom Wilson has a lovely piece about fishing in the city and any keen angler knows what it is like when you are surrounded by water, but not sure what to do. Tom works it out. The extensive biotoxin bloom has closed much of Tasmania’s rock lobster and shellfish fishery. Let’s hope it does not persist. My message is — don’t be disheartened, just look at doing things differently and fish new places. Hopefully you will find some outstanding fishing where you never expected it. Mike Stevens

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Fishing News - Page 3

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Peter Brooks hooks into a nice Mersey River fish.

Soft hackle flies ... and how to fish them Peter Brooks

aren and I run a guiding and accommodation business called Driftwater. It is based in Deloraine, which is close to two beautiful rivers, the Meander and Mersey. These are two rivers on which we have been using and learning more about soft hackle flies. Not many people fish with soft hackle flies, it is an old technique, but one which can be outstandingly successful. Most fly fishers look to more modern techniques, but let me explain. Soft hackle flies imitate emerging mayfly nymphs and also dead adults. Soft hackle flies in their most basic form are easily tied and can be as simple as a hook shank wrapped in thread, floss or peacock herl with a hackle of partridge, hen, grouse or any other soft hackle. They are unweighted and should be sparse. Shop bought flies are mostly overdressed. Some anglers like to experiment with bead heads. It has been well documented and promoted by the late and great Sylvester Nemes from Bozeman USA. Sylvester was stationed in England during WWII and often fished the River Test. In 1975 he published â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Soft Hackled Flyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which was widely credited with the

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Fishing News - Page 5

resurgence of this method – especially in the USA. In has not been forgotten in England and Europe, but as many know the good old USA is very influential. He loved his ‘spider’ pattern flies and railed against ‘bead heads’. Sylvester passed away in 2011. I first learned about the technique by reading Sylvester’s book and then a couple of years back we were in the north east of England where fishing with soft hackle flies is very strong. They love the spider flies tied with partridge hackles in a variety of colours. And then on a visit to USA this year Karen and I really became interested in this ‘new’ technique and I did a couple of ‘soft hackle’ workshops at the International Federation of Fly Fishers 50th Anniversary Fair, whilst Karen was undertaking her IFFF Certified Casting is Instructors Certificate.

There are a number of techniques that can be employed to fish these flies. You can use any size rod around 7 to 8 foot. Most use a light 3-4 weight. I also use a 9 foot 4wt and now experimenting with a 10 foot 2 wt but in all rods, I like it a little soft in action. Weight forward floating lines are good and light tippets will give you better drifts. Leaders can be as short as the rod, but I like 12 feet plus tippet. For the tippet I always use fluorocarbon 5X and 6X. I want the tippet to sink. The most common way to fish the ‘soft hackle’ or ‘spider’ flies is to cast across and downstream, let the fly sink and then swing in the current, rising as the line tightens – much as a natural fly does. It is as the fly rises when a take from a trout can be expected. You can lift and drop the rod tip, feed more line out and manoeuvre the flies back and forth covering a lot of fish holding water. Of course more than one fly can be employed. The next is the Hidy subsurface swing. It is similar to above, but the cast is 45 to 60 degrees across current. It is important to twitch the line to ensure the fly sinks.

It is important to keep slack line to a minimum. As the fly starts to swing it is important to drop the rod tip to eliminate drag. This allows the fly to swing slowly and without drag across any feeding lines. The take can be hard to detect, so it is important you are watching. This technique can be most effective in smooth glides and tailouts when fish are refusing floating flies. Hidy uses a fly he calls a flymph – half a wet fly and half nymph. The next technique is to cast your flies across and upstream and using numerous mends in the line get a drag free drift and have the flies cover a lot of water – hopefully in front of some fish. A long rod helps and good mending techniques are essential. The Mersey and Meander hold a lot of water that these techniques suit. Water with good riffles and glides are great swinging flies through these areas covers a lot of water and inducing fish to take our flies is very exciting. Some parts of these rivers suit perfectly, but others less so.

Soft hackle flies should be very sparsely dressed. Fishing News - Page 6

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I like to position myself in water that has some flow and fish into the faster water. This time of the year – spring and summer, is the best of all as insects of all types are hatching and on the water. Fish expect to find mayflies and any manner of bugs. This is in our favour of course as they are looking up. If you want to read more from the experts there are several books that you may find interesting. The Soft Hackled Fly and Tiny Soft Hackles, A Trout Fisherman’s Guide by Sylvester Nemes. A Guide to North Country Flies and how to tie them by Mike Harding. Wet Flies, Tying and Fishing Soft Hackles, Winged and Wingless Wets, and Fuzzy Nymphs by Dave Hughes. As seasoned anglers, it is interesting to try a new method and sometimes the new experience can be enjoyable and also rewarding. I read an interesting comment from an American guide where he follows his “two fish” fly fishing policy. Once he has caught two fish he changes his fly. This has an added benefit in that he limits his catch which is good for the fishery and it forces him to try new flies and methods. To him, fly fishing is a sport and for relaxation and not just catching a heap of fish. Peter Brooks

The Mersey River is a premium fishery with many miles of outstanding runs, glides and pools. Peter Brooks about to release another Mersey fish with his wife Karen in the background.

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Fishing News - Page 7

Skin cancer kills Wear Protection Peter Dixon

wo in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70. Tragically, skin cancer is one of the most preventable cancers.

Fact 1

Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world — in fact it is higher than the road toll. The major cause is exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or artificial sources such as solariums.

Fact 2

Skin cancer and melanoma can occur in your teens, however every decade of high sun exposure further increases your risk of melanoma (the most dangerous form of skin cancer). No matter what your skin type, exposure to the sun and its ultraviolet radiation changes skin cells, and over time the skin become permanently damaged, increasing your risk of skin cancer. To see the affect of sun damage compare the inner aspect of your upper arm with your forearm, an area of lesser exposure! Having many moles and freckles and having a personal or family history of skin cancer are other factors that can increase your risk of developing skin cancer

Fact 3

Increased use of sun protection against sun exposure will help prevent skin cancer at any age. Introduced in 1981 the now internationally recognised — Slip! Slop! Slap! Campaign describes the fundamental actions to protect you against an increased risk of skin cancer. Next time you set out to catch a fish make a habit to; Slip on long sleeved UV rated clothing, Slop on sunscreen and Slap on sunglasses and a hat, not just a peaked cap, but a hat with either at least a 7-8cm cm brim or legionnaire style with a flap that covers the neck and overlaps at the sides of the front peak. Your wrap around polarized sunglasses an essential on any fishing trip, do much more as they protect your eyes from cancer and cataract formation.

Fishing News - Page 8

Many fishers are also using UV rated Buff style tubular bandanas and sun gloves. All these things help.

Fact 4

Over 95% of skin cancers can be successfully treated if found early. Become familiar with your skin. Skin cancer can occur in an existing spot or as new! If you notice anything different or unusual, including any change in shape, colour or size of a spot, or the development of a new spot, visit your doctor as soon as possible. Check all of your skin, not just sun-exposed areas, the scalp, soles of the feet and back are areas of your body are difficult to examine and unfortunately have some of the worst outcomes! Ask your spouse or friend to look and then reverse the favour. It may save your life — or you theirs! Have a yearly skin check with your medical practitioner. There are three main types of skin cancer. Like all body tissues our skin is made up of cells: basal cells, squamous cells and melanocytes. Skin cancer types are named after the skin cell in which the cancer develops: The most serious is a melanoma; they are usually diagnosed in sun-exposed areas, but not always. Melanomas can grow very quickly and tragically life threatening as they spread to other parts of the body. Early intervention provides superior outcomes. Basal cell cancers (BCC) are most common skin cancer. BCCs tend to grow slowly, usually on the head, neck and upper torso. A BCC may appear as an ulcer or lump a dry or a scaly area. They are often multiple may be red, pale or pearly in colour. As it grows, it may appear like a sore that fails to completely heal or one that once healed then breaks down again. Squamoue Cell cancers (SCC) may spread to other parts of the body. They grow over some months appearing thickened, red, and scaly or a spot that bleeds easily. Chronic crusts or thickening of the skin are regarded as suspicious.

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Sunscreens

The regular use of sunscreen is one of the most effective methods of sun protection. In Australia we have some of the most stringent legislation and controlling testing and sunscreen labeling. SunSmart recommends SPF 30 or higher broad spectrum, water resistant sunscreen. When used as directed, SPF30 sunscreen filters 96.7% of UV radiation and SPF 50 filters 98%. Both provide excellent protection applied properly NO matter what the brand you purchase price is not necessarily a determinate of quality. Choose the style and SPF suited to your requirements, use it regularly and use it liberally! Sunscreens containing Zinc or Titanium with “nano technology” disperse the old fashioned white face look are reflective are most suited to facial protection. Apply sunscreen 20 minutes before you go outside and RE-Apply every two hours (whether or not the label tells you to do this). Use a generous amount of sunscreen. The average-sized adult should apply more than half a teaspoon of sunscreen (about 3 ml) to an arm and the face/

neck (including ears), and just over one teaspoon (6 ml) to each leg, the front of the body and the back of the body. That is, approximately 35 ml of sunscreen for one full body application. Sunscreen does not store well! Check the ‘use by’ date and store sunscreen below 30°C. On sensitive areas such as tip of ears nose and lips apply extra amounts or use specific lip balm UV stick.

In Summary

Get in the habit of using a combination of the five sun protection points on every fishing trip. Avoid becoming a victim and another statistic! • Slip – on sun-protective clothing. Make sure it covers as much skin as possible. • Slop – on SPF30 (or higher) broadspectrum, water resistant sunscreen. Apply 20 minutes before going outdoors and reapply every two hours. • Slap – on a broad-brimmed hat that protects the face, head, neck and ears. • Seek – shade when away from that ellusive fish. • Slide – on wrap-around sunglasses that meet Australian/NZ Standard AS/ NZS 1067:2003. Peter Dixon

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Fishing News - Page 9

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Think your way to more fish

Mark Youngman

hy do some anglers catch heaps more trout on slow days than others on popular highland waters like Arthurs, Woods, Penstock and Little Pine Lagoon? Does this matter to a lot of anglers or are they just out for a relaxing day in the outdoors with good company? If there is a chance of catching fish on a dry fly line with a dry fly will you spend the whole day fishing this way? Would you also put another dry on and fish with two or three dries on your leader?

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Fishing News - Page 11

Would you consider moving, twitching, shaking, pulling, retrieving your dry flies on a regular basis, even each cast? Will you leave your flies hanging at your side if wading or beside the boat for 5 to 10 seconds and watch a fish miraculously appear and grab your fly beside you ie “hang your flies” Would you put a nymph on with your dry to increase your chances and also fish in and under the surface? If there are no fish moving and they are down deep will you put on an intermediate or sinking line and work out where the fish are or persist with the dry fly hoping that one will take your floated offering? Picture the scene with five good looking mates and myself on the back shore in our twenties waiting for the dun hatch in January. Guys like Hairy Castles, Jules Fantarella, Joe Conti, Neville Hudson, Brett Fazackerley arriving at about 9.30 am. All fishing with Sage 4 weights or Loomis IMX 6 weight rods, floating lines and dun patterns. Some days were fantastic and the action started as soon as we arrived and went all day. Other days by 1 pm we had

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Trevor Berne Cat Fly Fishing News - Page 12

Shrek

hardly cast as we only cast to moving fish and boredom had set in. Cigarette smoke hazed the water in a line of five. How could we catch these fish if they were not co operating or should we just pack up and go home? One day with nothing happening Joe Conti fished, much to our amusement, with a floating line and nymphs - doing a slow figure of eight retrieve. After half an hour he hooked in to a nice fish and landed it near us to a round of applause. It was possible to catch a fish when nothing was happening on top or while waiting around for the duns to start. There were other ways to catch these fish than only sight fishing. While we all love sight fishing, the majority of times we visit the Highlands, due to poor weather or time of day often nothing is obviously happening. Most times the fish are feeding on scud, stick caddis , snails, galaxia. When fishing at the tough times of day, adaptability and flexibility are required to be effective. Either that, or go back to the caravan or shack and sleep during the day and just fish mornings and evenings. For dry fly fishing, in my opinion, a team of three flies is most effective, and moving the team of flies is essential on a regular basis. When duns are around a Claret Dabbler, partridge type March Brown, or Duck Fly by Trevor Berne is essential on the top dropper. Often every fish will take this fly when moved and especially on the pulled pauses and on “the hang”. On the middle dropper it is very hard to go past a black foam head Bibio Hopper or Orange Hopper in the middle. In Scotland the foam head Bibio is absolutely deadly on the lochs and was used to great effect by the Australian Team on the Isle of Islay during the Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships. The point fly is the presentation fly and is what is delivered to the moving fish if sighted. My favourites would be a Parachute Dun, Barry Lodge Emerger, Possum Emerger, Trevor Berne foam strip suspended nymph on grub hook or a dark brown fly, like a fat brown spinner with soft hen hackle. All these flies sit in or suspended in the surface film which is an important attractor.

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Fishing News - Page 13

If on top doesn’t work, the fish are often on the bottom or mid water and a range of sinking lines and 10 foot 6 weight rod are essential. A Sage One is my main lake rod, plus an older Z-Axis and my old favourite the mighty Sage XP. The longer rod is important for hanging flies and casting distance. Lines in my opinion are more important than the flies. Changing the line which competent anglers can do in 30 seconds should be common throughout the day - and, for me, is as much or more a consideration than the flies used. Starting with a sink tip, clear intermediate, slow and fast intermediates, Di3, Di3 sweep, Di5, Di5 sweep, Di 6 and Di7. The favourite lines if just getting two would be a clear intermediate and Di3, then a Di5. The number on these lines e.g. Di3, indicate the sink rate in inches per second. So a Di3 sinks at three inches per second. Non stretch lines with braided core are essential as for salt water fishing with braid for bream as the non stretch means you can feel plucks, weed and hook ups easily. Other lines are not as sensitive and is why the most popular lines by Airflo are called Sixth Sense Lines. Cortland lines are also good and the Cortland Clear is a favourite for nymphing and smaller wets. This line is also great for a roly polying retrieve as high in the water. Scientific Anglers lines, along with Rio all have some outstanding lines these days and it does seem like we are spoiled for choice. The count down and retrieve are also important as in most lakes the preferred depth is 4 feet to 12 feet. It is best to mix up the sink when the fly hits the water from a short pause to varying counts from 1 to 15 depending on the line. Retrieves are varied as to the type of strip from roly polying, being a uniform speed, slow to fast and varied with pauses to strips from slow to fast and the popular strip, strip, strip and pause being extremely effective. The roly poly is usually done with the rod clamped under the arm and both hands used for the retrieve. Try it some time. A good ‘hang’ is vital and some days all fish are caught on the hang, and often on the top dropper. If fish follow and are consistently not taking, drop the rod tip down, to give them another chance, rather than just pulling the fly out of the water. So when you think you have finished your wet fly retrieve just let your flies hang in the water for a few seconds. It can be amazing to have a big Arthurs’ brown or Penstock rainbow smash your fly beside the boat or when wading. It is one of the most visual and exciting types of fishing there is. Many anglers mark their flyline 20 feet from the end. Often this is with some thread or something tactile that can be felt, rather than seen. Aquaseal or similar can work well. When this part of the line comes to hand you know you have 10 feet of flyline out plus your leader and will know exactly where your flies are in the water column. Break offs can be common, on ‘the hang’ with the big rainbows and browns. As a result it is vital to use 8 to 10 pound fluorocarbon leader. A single 6 metre length is used with the top dropper longer (12 inches) than the middle one (8 to 10 inches), for hanging purposes. Figure eight each fly to the top, after the hang and look for following fish. If the line tightens at all strike, as in river nymphing. Fishing News - Page 14

Too much tackle is barely enough. A selection of floating and sinking lines is essential for competition success and can bring great results for casual anglers as well. Where to fish in a boat is based on experience, water depth and weather conditions, particularly wind. The prevailing wind is north westerly. At Arthurs rather than drifting across a whole bay it is often much more effective to do a shorter drift from say 100 metres offshore and drift in from deeper to shallower water. A good drogue and drift is essential. Often the best fishing is the last 20 metres right onto the shore. As a result expect to have some dinged props as there are lots of rocks. Zig zag along the shore, moving in and out and the rewards will come. My favourite flies for this type of fishing are Trevor Berne’s yellow bodied Cat Fly with barred olive zonker strip representing a galaxia and which is absolutely deadly on Arthurs, Joe Riley’s Shrek as green and gold is also deadly on Arthurs. The wonderfully reliable Terrific (named after my old man), a black and purple woolly bugger with black tungsten 3.5mm bead head on the point, black and gold Humongous in large and smaller sizes and a smaller black and red Woolly Bugger also tied by Trevor Berne with gold bead head. These colour combinations have proved the best over the last 20 years and each trip the fish go for often one or two colours in particular, so use a combination of the three colours on your leader and also vary their positions in the team

of 3, to see what is working. If your boat partner is catching them on a particular depth line or colour fly, change to what is working and if they want green and gold put one on the top dropper and one on the point. Well, there you have it and for the traditional dry fly methods, while effective during the good times, they don’t work nearly as well during tough fishing conditions. There is heaps of fun to be had and fish to be caught by trying other methods. So take off the blinkers when it’s tough and don’t go home. Try something different and after a while you will realize there is a whole new world of fishing waiting for you. For those willing to give it a go the rewards are awesome. Mark Youngman

A good drogue is vital to success.

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Lesson learned on Little Pine Andy Howell

Andy Howell with a successful result.

especting the elders, acknowledge the regulars, and challenge the conventional thinking by finding your own route to success. Little Pine is a great water and it’s the gift that keeps giving. Early on I developed an affinity for Little Pine Lagoon – or as many know it, just “The Pine”. Initially I caught nothing. Not a cracker. Not a jot. It was a place that had me hooked on it, time and again - the location, the barrenness and the (sometimes) moving fish – those frustrating buggers that I could see but couldn’t catch! In the early days of any person’s fly fishing career, David Scholes said something like, just catching a fish was the goal, and then it was more fish, and then bigger fish became important, and then it was just about being on the water and chasing fish in new and challenging ways. For me at The Pine, I would have been happy just to catch a fish… any fish! But I was an irregular visitor to this marvelous water through the seasons, and I couldn’t quite get my head around the place or any patterns in those early days. It always intrigued me. How could a water that at times looked like it was dead, at other times be so full of life, but be so tough to crack the code? Passing through on the way back from the Bronte system over Christmas as an early teenage fly fishin’ punk, I first fished The Untouchables shore. I saw hordes of fish, probably sipping emergers on the way up – and to me it seemed like there were fish everywhere, left, right, behind, in front and back again. I was probably stomping around in my plastic, Hornes-look-a-like waders my mum bought me, seven sizes too large for me (“you’ll grow into them…”). I had no hope of getting a decent line to a fish without spooking it and seven others near besides. But this early event, watching fish feeding like mad banshees with scant regard for a teen floundering around in the mud and weed, sparked an early interest in the water that saw me years later return again and again, learning little by little a bit more about this wonderful and intriguing water.

After uni, when I revisited fly fishing with more devotion as well as more time on my hands, I began to chase The Pine fish again. Sometimes it is just a short mission on a drive-by to other favoured waters of the Bronte chain (Pine Tier, Clarence Weir and Bronte itself). Gradually the visits to The Pine got more frequent, longer, and eventually specifically to visit The Pine alone. Eventually I ended up hitting up regular morning visits, leaving home well before dawn to spot some tails, and also headed up after work camping up near the shack shore boat ramp to sprint around for last light fun up towards the river mouth and cricket pitch shores. Both dawn or dusks were highly anticipated 90 minute drives from Launceston – how would the wind be, would the light be right, would there be trout tucker on the water, and importantly in the words of early mentor Guy Nicholson would there be “satisfactory fishular activity”? The more I visited and became acquainted with The Pine, the more the fishular activity became the norm rather than the exception as I started to find the fish and more occasionally fool them. Despite many visits, initial fish that were snavelled at The Pine were I felt were just in many cases ”good luck” rather than outstanding fishing ability or anything particularly revelatory. But in hindsight a good deal of these early fish incidents in fact had all the hallmarks of some of the things I later learnt were probably somewhat “typical” for The Pine – for me anyway. A later introduction to the Horan family, and some regular trips to the Pine with the lads Pat and Will, resulted in more learning, different perspectives, and importantly later joining up with the Fly Fishers Club of Tasmania. Fortuitously, the club at the time also had a delightful shack at Little Pine, Noonamena, an old two room timber thing, potentially which could have been cold and damp but usually had two blazing fires and a host of great club personalities regularly gracing the place with their presence which made it inviting and a

great haven to retreat to after a long evening on the water well after the fading light had left the plateau. Regular Little Pine plunderers in Martin, Maurice, Hawley and Frankcombe, along the Horan brigade, could mean long nights, red wine (or Patto’s port) and some tall tales before a quick kip and it was back into it for a pre-dawn sprint to the favoured edge ready for some tails at first light! These were some great adventures, and in my book exactly what I really enjoy about fishing and everything that goes with it. The FFCT also gave an opportunity to meet and talk shop with many of the old warhorses of Tasmanian fly fishing. These are gentleman who have amassed decades of experience, through trial and error, experimentation and observation, success and failures. Not only have many been wholly generous with sharing information and their experiences in general, but they have at times put myself and other young’uns onto great fishing with detailed and specific directions, which has

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A nice brownie. Fishing News - Page 15

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Fishing News - Page 16

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proved invaluable in the development of my fly fishing approach. This is where I learnt to trust these old hands’ knowledge and listen closely to their advice. Patto and I were fortunate one night when Charles Peck invited us in for a cuppa and a yarn after dinner. The hot tip coming out of the discussion was about Charles’ thoughts on the likely potential for a midge hatch to amass food overnight down the dam wall end near the rocks, which would likely mean a hot session early which shouldn’t be missed. The result when we got there in the morning probably somewhat skeptical that anything would happen? A simply sensational session, fishing in the mist to the sound of rises as much as the sight – Patto and I experienced an epic time hooking, missing, and landing many fish over a forty minute period until the mist lifted and the fish slowed. The combination Charles mentioned of midge in a certain area and a specific wind forecast dropping out is certainly a combination I will await again, and the advice was certainly appreciated! No matter how much you learn about The Pine, the knowledge of a lifetime on the water still shows there is so much more to understand and experience for relative newbies like me. Having said this however, there are times, particularly when things aren’t working, when an altogether unorthodox approach which doesn’t appear to fit with conventional Little Pine thinking can also be successful. Obviously on a regular morning sitting, waiting, anticipating the show of tails, fins and tell-tale signs of moving fish is what I very much enjoy, and would take this any given day as one of my favourite forms of sight fishing, especially at The Pine. However, sometimes after waiting for way too long (sometimes hours), there are sometimes just not the moving fish

Is that a Red Tag? you hope to see. One day, I was fishing the back shore on my own I nearly turfed the rod in frustration at the complete lack of fish I had seen moving – so I waded in trying to spook a fish, at least to see if there was any fish at all in the shallows, lying doggo, or just out of sight slightly deeper. To my surprise, and with just a little sun coming up through the clouds over my shoulder wading back to the West, I started seeing fish, cruising just a bit deeper and without breaking the surface in the very shallowest water. I ended up with a couple on the dry, missed a couple more, and have since used this on the right shores a number of times when conditions have required it, and of course only when there has been no one else around to disturb, turning an otherwise dead day into a decent one.

In hindsight of course something like this should have been obvious, but I’d never thought of doing it on the shores of the pine when otherwise chasing tails, or seen anyone doing similar. So what else have I found that works for me or that someone has told me about at The Pine? What’s new, consistently good or just different? A few things have come together over time, and others probably disagree or have found the opposite to be true – just some observations! I started using a fly I call the “purple fanny tag”. I started using it at The Pine first, and I think I surprised even myself when a tailer in early September one year took it off the top as my first fish of the season from The Pine, and many more have followed since. It’s just a

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Fishing News - Page 17

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Red Tag style fly but with a hot pink tag and silver-purple dubbing body instead of the peacock herl, but geez it is easy to see in those low light situations, and the fish seem to smack it like any other tag imitation. Maybe they haven’t seen anything like it and just can’t resist! If no one is around and nothing is showing, I’ve taken to walking further, and trying to spook a couple in the shallows to check where the fish are sitting, to try to work out a pattern, and then set a trap when I see a similar set up. Over time though I’ve worked out some regular locations where at certain water depths I have often seen or caught fish, and now my walking involves selected casts at particular features which have often increased my chances. A couple of the same runnels, drop offs, and trenches regularly hold fish. Fishing to the nervous water – I’ve learnt from some bream fishing time on the water, and I have become better at this, of noting and casting to nervous water on a hunch, even if you think it’s the slightest wind disturbance. It can and does sometimes result in something much much better! And even if it isn’t a fish it is good casting presentation practice. Cast to where you see a fish rising out deep - one fish often means more feeding in the general area. A sneaky trip up top in April 2013 with long time Pine Pilferers Turry Beevor and Nik Byrnt Beans had just such an occurrence, when several hours wandering for not a things spotted along the entire back shore to the river had things looking particularly dire. A single fish moving on the water around a half cast out saw a lightning cast out and a few more casts following up, and this turned the morning from tragedy to triumph in just over an hour with searching casts in the area resulting in a frenzy of fish fun with some banked fish and several more lost and missed. On a single stretch of around 60 metres of shore line we banked nine fish in around 30 minutes between three of us, just from casting to nervous water and seeing that single rise out further. I’m a lover of flicking wets like a small Robin, a Silver Invicta or an Alexandra off the shack shore, very close to the shore and any structure, whether that be a rock, sag or shape. I like to think about wind direction and which way fish are facing or likely to be moving. Chris Crawford has told me a few old hands used to do similar things along this shore, and it has certainly been kind to me too. One of my favourite set ups are the ledges up the river mouth where the spits from the channel come out, or as Turry calls them the old “Heath Ledgers”. They sit around water level, and wind blows food through gaps and funnel it over the shallow ledges and runnels. The fish sit in behind them and snavel whatever comes up – especially late arvo or evening - my dusk missions here have often been unreal. On the flip side of walking lots and covering water, there is also time to play the waiting game – eventually I noted successful guys often sat still, kept low, and waited for a single fish to move. They would track it and cast quickly, carefully and clearly. They would not race up and down the shore looking like you may do in the Western Lakes, covering lots of water. I guess this comes from learning to pick the best spots, and the patience to sit and wait, and wait, and wait. Eventually something has to move, and usually it does.

Testing conditions at ‘The Pine’. I’ve come to appreciate soft rods having learned this the hard way fishing my cannon/broomstick the Scott SAS. It was, and is too stiff for this fishing I find, breaking fish off or popping them regularly. In the shallow water fish often go way too hard to get back to the deeper water, taking off and getting leverage off the bottom perhaps even when they buck… a soft rod seems to help, and I always try to fish a softer rod now at The Pine and it’s improved my conversions I’d think. High season duns – not what I search out often but when I have, the late afternoon hatches have many times continued into the evening, and the spent fly life on the water later is even better. An old hand got me on to these late hatches and the joy of fishing outside the generally accepted hours of play. When the boats are moving off the water mid arvo is often when I was turning up, and the fish were usually still going somewhere or other and easily found. Those river mouth bay duns on dusk have generally been consistent for me (and appreciated!). A noted highland guide once said that Little Pine is one of the greatest waters on the plateau for blind fishing, especially with the dry but equally with the wet. His idea was simply that the large head of fish in there and the shallow water meant that there was always a fish or seven to be turned over relatively easily. It’s just that often people get focused on the two main events talked about - the duns and the tailers. I’d agree that these events are worth hitting hard when they’re on, but equally there are other methods and ways of chasing fish that can be even more successful on any given day. I’m not claiming to be smashing them every trip or to be the oracle of all knowledge on the Pine – but with a feeling that I’m getting somewhere with this magic place, yet so much still to learn and keep me interested, it’s a place I can see myself continuing to patronize for many years to come. It’s a great water right from opening day, and I’ve caught fish along with the Horan boys on dries on closing weekend – it is a fantastic water that deserves more of your attention!

Nic Byrne at dawn. Some of my go to flies for The Pine include: Emerger (possum or Barry Lodge) and various claret duns. Purple fanny tag – or a Deer hair tag for the windy days. Droppers – stick caddis, stick caddis, stick caddis — although others swear by a brown nymph or green scud. Robin, Alexandra, Silver Invicta on the searching shores. Yeti on the search, Wooly Bugger MK2 in the shallows when I’m searching and covering lots of water – the fish seem to really chase and snip at it. Study the water, spend the time, observe, experiment, and prepare for some fun! It’s a long game, but well worth the work that goes into it fishing this magic water. I reckon I am about 15 years into a 60 year or more adventure up here (I’d hope!). Here’s to many more seasons chasing Little Pine Shenanigans! Andy Howell

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Fishing News - Page 19

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Sounders for kayaks D

Jo Starling explains

id you read our last article on the why’s and wherefores of sounders in ’yaks and decide that you want one? If you answered “yes”, you may well have been waiting for this follow-up article, where Jo Starling runs you through the simple steps and sneaky tips to follow to successfully install your through-hull transducer. Modern sounders are like a portal between alien worlds, clearing away the meniscus barrier that divides our atmosphere from that of the fish. The transducer plays the part of translator, interpreting sonar reverberations into a visual language that we humans can understand. Having just competed in yet another fishing tournament where the target species were scattered and pernickety, my penchant for a trustworthy sounder is stronger than ever. My love affair with my sounder unit and its pixelated predictions of what fishing fortunes might await would be severely diminished if it painted an unreliable picture. This will happen if your transducer is not installed carefully and correctly. Luckily, installing a transducer in your kayak is not a difficult task… and to make it super easy, I’ve broken the process down into some easy-to-follow steps.

A bubbling concern

It’s important to understand what might cause interference and unclear signals right from the start. To get the best out of your unit, you will need to avoid cavitation, air bubbles and any solid particles passing or being trapped between your transducer and the structure you are scanning. Therefore, the position of your transducer is a very important consideration right from the get-go.

In any kayak, you will want your transducer mounted below the water level, so that there is no air between the hull and the water, and if (like me) you run a Native Watercraft kayak with a pedal-driven propeller, you will not want to mount your transducer under your seat or to the rear of your ’yak, as the bubbles generated by the prop would constantly interfere with your sounder image. Pretty straightforward, right? Less obvious is the prospect of grit and air getting trapped between your transducer and the hull during installation. Trust me, there is nothing more frustrating—and nothing to do but start again, if it happens. Fortunately, it’s not hard to get it right.

Prepare yourself

As with everything, “prior planning and preparation prevents poor performance”. Consider where your transducer is best positioned. Central to your seating position and out of the line of any moulded strakes or other “bubble-causing” features will be your best bet. Remember to ensure that the face of the transducer is completely below the water line. It’s important to note that you will need your transducer to be pointing straight down, regardless of the form of the hull. This is an important consideration and a good reason to stay central. Once you’ve decided upon the best location on your particular hull, ensure the area is clean of any dirt, grit, loose material or film. For best results, give the area a light sand before cleaning to help with adhesion.

What you’ll need

Of course, you could buy an off-the-shelf kit, containing foam transducer bed, “goop” and instructions (retailing around the $65 mark at most kayak dealers), but I don’t like paying any more than I have to… so for those of you who are budget conscious, here’s my list of DIY items (totalling around $25) to get you through: The sounder of your choice, with transducer A drill with selection of hole cutters A sharp box cutter A permanent marker A piece of compressed foam (non-porous) Marine “Goop” Boiling water Suitable “through-hull” fittings with O-rings Let’s do this! Step 1: Place your transducer onto your piece of compressed foam (I use garden kneeling pads, but a rubber thong or similar will also work). Holding it still, trace around the transducer with the marker angled in so that your template is as close to correct size as possible. You want a snug fit when you cut the hole.

Step 2: Using a sharp blade, cut on the inside of the marker line, discarding the centre to leave a transducershaped hole. Cut off excess foam to leave a rectangular “nest” that will securely hold your transducer in the spot you’ve chosen. Kayak hulls are not flat; so it’s best to keep your foam to a size that will best conform to the shape of your mould. Too much excess foam will be difficult to stick down without pockets of air forming underneath. Step 3: Measure twice, stick once. Check that you have a snug fit. If your transducer doesn’t hold in place, cut a new nest. Once you are confident that you have it right, place your cut foam in its intended position, tracing around it with the permanent marker. Make sure the hole is running central and inline with the hull and that the transducer is facing the right way (pointy end to the front). Step 4 & 5: Read the instructions on your “Goop”. It’s usually a contact adhesive, meaning you will need to apply a thin, even layer to both the back of your foam piece and the hull. The Goop I use suggests allowing two minutes before bringing to two surfaces together. Follow the instructions on your tube.

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Step 6: When it’s time, carefully place your transducer “nest” in place, pressing firmly to squeeze out all air bubbles and ensure solid contact. Step 7: Hold the foam in place with even and firm pressure, until stuck. Given the shape of the hull in our example, we created a makeshift wedge with a piece of cut ply and our marker. This kept the foam pressed tightly into the keel of the hull. Step 8: While the contact sets, bring some water to boil in a saucepan that is big enough to fit your tube of Goop. THIS BIT IS IMPORTANT! Once the water is boiled, remove it from the heat and drop your tightly sealed tube of Goop into the water to heat up. Heating the Goop will make it runnier and therefore easier for any trapped air to escape. Step 9: As we do not want any air trapped between the hull and our transducer, we are going to fill the void with our heated Goop. You will want enough Goop to half fill the “nest”. Step 10: It’s important to allow any air to escape through this step, so instead of placing the transducer in flat, you need to insert one side first—sliding the transducer in on an angle—and then roll it into its flat position, pressing firmly to force all air out the side. Step 11: Press down and hold flat. Remember that you want the beam to shoot straight down. Step 12: While the Goop sets, decide where would be best for your cables to exit onto the topside of your hull. Considerations might include cables getting caught up with pedals, curves preventing waterproof seal

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or recesses that hold water causing a leak… clearly all situations to be avoided! Once you’ve identified the best spot for you, take the threaded backing nut off the throughhull fitting (I find the Hobie ones to be best. They’re readily available through any Hobie dealer) and use it as a hole template. Remember to test that your sounder plugs will actually fit through the backing nut before you drill your hole. Step 13: Choose a hole-saw bit to match the diameter of your selected fitting. Step 14: Again… measure twice, cut once. You do not want to make a mistake when drilling holes in your hull. Once you are confident, carefully drill your hole. Step 15: To seal the hole around your cables, you will need the backing nut inside the hull and the washer on the outside. To do this, thread both the power and sounder cables through the backing nut with the finger toggles facing away from the back of the plugs. Next, feed all cables through the hole from the inside of the hull. From the topside, feed the cables through the O-ring and then the cap. Step 16: Pull through enough cable to reach the desired location of your head unit, allowing some excess so that you can run the cables along the hull (preferably secured in place to avoid getting your feet caught) and for position and angle adjustments. The remaining cable can stay inside the hull. Once you have the lengths you need, tightly screw the backing nut onto the cap to form a watertight seal. Step 17: Step back, admire your handiwork and start planning your test run! Jo Starling

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Fishing News - Page 23

Drogue review by Michal Rybka

was recently asked to conduct a comprehensive review of a drogue based on a design by Peter Hayes, but with further development and changes. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this product, a drogue is simply a device that enables you to slow down the drift speed of your boat.

Why use a drogue?

Drogues are used to slow a drifting boat and, to a lesser extent, control the boat’s direction. If you are fishing the lakes, the speed at which a boat drifts is dependent on the wind. If you are fishing in a river, both the current and the wind will influence the movement of your boat. When there is a significant wind blowing, it will push your boat along so fast that tends to overrun your fly or lure, and you will end up retrieving faster to catch up with the boat. This means that the lure or fly won’t have had the time to sink to the depth that you are trying to target. The speed of the drift may also mean that you may not even get a chance to properly work the lure through the water, and you also don’t have much time to fish a particular area. It can be a big pain in the butt! It is in such conditions when the drogue becomes very valuable piece of equipment. In windy conditions, you will be able to drift more slowly and this means that you will have more time to cover the area that you want to fish. The more time you have, the more effectively you can work that lure or fly and the more chances are that you will catch fish.

How it works?

This drogue is rectangular in shape and made of a durable shade cloth type material creating resistance, which slows the boat. The original was solide weave fabric and it required a hole in it to stop it yawing. The shade cloth type material eradicates the need for a hole in the middle. There is a light chain at the bottom to add weight to the drogue, and a float at the top. This ensures that the drogue hangs vertically in the water and doesn’t spin or flip over as you drift. The drogue is secured at the bow and stern so that it holds the boat side-on to the prevailing wind and, as a result, the boat drifts sideways and downwind. As a general rule, the closer the drogue is to the boat, and the closer it is to the surface, the less it will slow the boat. Therefore, Fishing News - Page 24

in stronger winds you will need to let out more rope, which will produce more drag and slow the boat drift to a greater extent. If your ideal drift is not directly downwind, the drift direction can be controlled to some extent by lengthening either the bow or stern line, which will alter the position of the drogue so that it is no longer parallel to the length of the boat. Obviously, you will need to adjust the rope lengths until you achieve the desired result. Joining the bow and stern lines to make a continuous line will make this adjustment process easier, essentially enabling the angler to use the drogue to steer the boat.

What you get

The ‘Stevens’ Drogue comes neatly rolled and will fit in a 3kg Australia Post bag. It is quite compact. Included are simple A4 printed instructions that will give you all of the information required on how to properly set up and use the device from new. Out of the bag and unfolded, the drogue measures 1800 mm long x 900 mm deep. Short, top quality braided lines extend off each tow point; however, you will need to attach your own ropes to these so that the drogue can be connected to your boat. I have used a couple of pieces of plain nylon rope, which is both pliable and very cheap. Hint: Be sure you melt the cut ends of your ropes with a cigarette lighter to stop any fraying.

A thoughtfully used drogue, in windy conditions, allows you to fish the water more comprehensively and more effectively.

Test results

I managed to test the drogue at Four Springs one afternoon in a stiff breeze. I wasn’t able to measure the wind speed, but I was able to measure my drift speed using the Lowrance HDS5 sounder using GPS (Global Positioning System). GPS is a pretty accurate way of measuring speed, distance or position on the earth’s surface. Drifting south along the western shore with my boat in the traditional ‘broadside’ drift position (side on at 90° to the bank), I recorded my speed at 1.8 km/h without the drogue. You may not think that this is a fast drift, but it’s enough to be too quick for any type of slow retrieve work. Anyway, back to testing. The next step was to repeat the same drift with the drogue in place. I looked at the GPS and I was now drifting at 0.5 km/h. The large reduction in drift speed made it possible to retrieve the wet fly I was using in a slower and more controlled manner. It also allowed me to fish the fly deeper over the weed beds without having the boat running over it.

The time difference

Here is a simple calculation to give you an idea of the time difference between drift speeds with and without the drogue. The distance of the drift on that western shore was approximately 400 metres. The time required to cover this distance, drifting at a constant speed can easily be calculated:

Without the drogue:

This drogue is compact when folded, but opens to 1800 x 900.

With the drogue Drifting speed reduced to 0.5 km/h (0.13 metres per second) Time = distance (metres) ÷ velocity (metres per second)

Drifting speed was 1.8 km/h (0.5 = 400 ÷ 0.13 metres per second) = 3076 seconds Time = distance (metres) ÷ velocity = 51 minutes to complete the drift (metres per second) with the drogue = 400 ÷ 0.5

= 800 seconds = 13 minutes to complete the drift without the drogue

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From these results, it is clearly evident that by using the drogue I had significantly more time to fish that 400-metre stretch of shoreline!

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is a danger of larger the drogue the more resistance it then setting it provides. While working on the same in the water. principle (water resistance), they tend to This can cause slow the boat less effectively than the a n a c c i d e n t rectangular ‘Stevens’ model. A sea anchor or it can even will also provide less control over the drift flip your boat. direction. They are also more difficult to & RECEIVE A SHIMANO Freight extra some extra some country areas S o d o n’t bFreight e retrieve. country areas CAMERA VALUED Products on this page have been Available to order some stores lazy. Stick it The ‘Stevens’ Drogue isHARK an essential HARK AROUND $400 specialists and not be av Available to order 2 DOOR SMOKER PATIOmay SMOKER somewhere MORE INFO piece of gear for those of you who are some stores where it won’t your trout fishing. I know PAGE 5 serious about • Layered graphite/fibreglass construction LIMITED TIME ONLY. WHILE STOCKS LAST. ON HK0528 makes these rods incredibly strong while HK0522 be blown out that I absolutely love mine and won’t ever still sensitive • Solid tip • Portable design of your boat! go fishing without it! It is easy to handle • Alum oxide guides • Porcelain enamel coated • Factory matched with especially and will enable you to maximise the time Finally, • BBQ grill included produced power reels • Heavy Duty charcoal grate • *Featured 6’6” 1 piece spent fishing each section of water. It w h e n u s i n g with PF30 reel @ $89.95 • Chrome plated rotisserie shaft CAP NUSoutboard BOyour works very well with my boat, which is and meat prongs x 39.5cm x 60cm around 4.5 metres in length. or electric bow Drift speed can be reduced•• 38cm by 75% or more, and set Battery operated rotisserie with counter weight mount motor, properly the• boat also beto sailed across wind. Sizes may can vary between stores As a final note, I will leave you with a • Up to 8kg weight rated suit local conditions ensure that the quote from Jim Allen: Brings in minimal water on retrieval drogue or the lines of the drogue cannot “A properly set drogue is as Available to order be caught in the propeller. into your boat. some stores fundamental to an enjoyable days NUS CAP BO Easy set up with full instructions VD D fishing as is confidence in my fly, D N A Summary SHIMANO BRAG MATS included. • Designed for Australian conditions EVAKOOL ICE KOOL rod, reel and boat. Don’t go fishing • 6’6” 2-Piece Light The environmental brag Spin mat allows you • 5 year national warranty While the Drogue SILSTAR POWER TIP COMBOS FEMME FATALEis a FISH AUST Combo to record your catch details‘Stevens’ without • Superior quality insulation about how *602SPL/FA230 $ 6’6/30 FROM 95 • 98cm xwithout Cons 99cm x 48cmone, but think FEAT 6’6 SPIN FROM FEAT. FEAT. 6’6/30 FROM • Sizes may vary between damaging the protective slimey coating, • Sizes may vary some stores rectangular ‘sail-like’ device, there are may vary EA • 240V S/SSizes motor with up to 32kg finsstores or scales. 1.2m long • Discount off recommended retail HARK SMALL SPIT HARK and when, or even ‘if ’$ you deploy it.” $ any faults 95* $ 95• weight rated I can’t say that I found with other • Purple now available some some stores. MEDIUM BARREL 95 SPIT HD grill plate included storesdrogues available called sea anchors. Theand‘Stevens’ Drogue sells for RRP the ‘Stevens’ Drogue. • H/D charcoal drip trays Some people also call them ‘drift chutes’• Strong castor wheels Email mike@tasfish.com for However, this safety precaution applies or ‘drift socks’. To get things straight, •aAsk us$120. about cooking tips! retailers near you. • Protect your tackle to all drogues - when motoring at speed sea anchor is little more than a bucket • and sporting equipment SAVE YOUR Michal ensure that the drogue is well stowed. If it with ERIES • Easyato hole assemble inTT the bottom (in fact, a BA Products onRyba this page have•to • Convenient storage of fishing rod is just resting on a gunwale sitting on a BatteryLock™ • Durable -or Duratec laminate composite system stops bucket can be battery useddrainasto a crude drogue). specialists and may not•• • Organise sporting material for toughness, yet is soft to the preserve battery life and reducegoods: corrosion casting deck, it can blow • touchoverboard. There •Different Allows flashlight batteries to besticks, stored for Clubs, bats, hockey pool cues. sizes are available, but the • Comfortable - 20cm single SK2C602SPL years (up to their inherent shelf life)

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Lake Lea Shane Flude

Boating into the outflow bay to clean the catch.

ext time you visit the Cradle Mountain area make sure you make time you include a trip into the picturesque Lake Lea which is situated a short distance further up the road. It is a very scenic isolated lake, well worth a visit just for the scenery, let alone the fishing. It contains a moderate population of generally well conditioned trout in the 1-2 pound range and caters well for all methods of angling at various times of the year.

Getting there

Access to Lake Lea is simple, follow the signs to one of Tassies most popular tourist destinations namely Cradle Mountain but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t turn off into Cradle. Continue another 3 kilometres west along the Belvoir Road until you spot a well conditioned gravel road leading to the north. A Vale of Belvoir conservation sign is situated near the main road, follow this road in a short distance until confronted with a T intersection and finally a sign that points you in the right direction to Lake Lea, about another four kilometres away to the north. The rather large gravel road you are now travelling on was initially

The boat ramp ran dry in early October. Fishing News - Page 26

developed to lead to the 140 bed tourist resort that was destined to be constructed on the peninsula area of the lake. When sewerage plans failed so too did the lodge so the nice wide gravel road is all that is left. That being said some large potholes and ruts have now developed along the road but with a bit of care even the family sedan can be driven safely to the Lakes southern most shoreline. A new boat ramp, viewing deck and information area has been constructed beside the main road where waters from a small lagoon flow in. Although the road continues a few hundred meters to the private property that was to house the resort, there is a large locked gate across the road and unless you like ten point turns do not go any further than the ramp. I should use the word boat ramp loosely because it really is just a gravel ramp extending onto the lake bed. At time of writing this report the water was 150 metres from the end of the gravel. We launched a ten foot tin dish two months ago but still had to drag it in, anything bigger is too big. Canoes are ideal.

Description

From a fishing perspective I will now describe the lake in detail travelling clockwise from the car park. At full water level it is a seven kilometre walk around the shore. In most years with reasonable rainfall that small lagoon to the south usually has a handful of fish in it and is well worth doing a lap. This year it stopped flowing into Lake Lea by early October and has now dried up considerably, bear it in mind next season. The southern bay between the car park and the peninsula is worth fishing thoroughly when full and is frog central in wet years. As the levels recede large patches which have little or no weed growth are perfect to wade Polaroid on. The neck area itself is one of the lakes hot spots. A deeper channel runs down the centre right out to the main lake. Whatever the time of year fish this area fully. As you walk around into the main lake heading north the neck area opens out to large sand banks on either side. There are very few obstructions for casting and the clear sandy bottom is great for fly fishing. About

Counting down the soft plastic across the Mutti Hole

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Typical well conditioned brownie.

two hundred meters due north of the peninsula the lake drops into a slight bowl like depression for about a hundred meters to a depth of around 8 feet. Considering the majority of the lake is only 4 feet deep this is quite a feature and should be waded out to and fished from the bank. Continuing around the shoreline the remainder of the peninsula shore is quite shallow and weedy but reasonably firm to wade on. In the south western corner of the main lake you will next encounter the “mutti hole”. Tucked into the corner, surrounded by rainforest that circular edge of the lake actually drops to a whopping 14 metres deep and is over 100 metres across. I imagine it’s an old limestone sinkhole which are prevalent further up the valley. Being so deep it is an obvious fishing hot spot. On a recent trip, a well conditioned 2 pounder was dragged from the depths fishing soft plastics. It is just possible to wade the edge of the hole under the rainforest canopy but if water levels are too high the rainforest can be easily negotiated. Another interesting bottom feature exists on the northern side of the hole behind the small island. There is a 4 metre deep trench that runs about 100 metres directly out into the lake, another obvious fish location. Continuing north along this shore it features mainly weed, is difficult to polaroid on and very soft in places to wade.

The stupid fish mentioned from north western creek.

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Fishing News - Page 27

2/10/2015 10:36 am

Near where the lake turns and heads east there is a minor inflowing creek which extends into the bush about 50 meters. All the pools are deep and worth a cast of whatever you are using. A stupid fish even grabbed a gary glitter plastic I dragged through the large pool nearest the lake last trip. There were two more mooching in the channel as it entered the lake. There is another creek inflow about 200 meters further down, they are both hotspots and should be fished carefully. The remaining northern shore is quite shallow and weedy. Around the middle of the shore there are some large rocks that form a point into the lake as the levels drop in summer. The bottom is quite dark and difficult to polaroid on. It is probably the least productive shore on the lake.

Fishing News - Page 28

The Lea River drains Lake Lea from the north eastern corner although this year flows ceased in early November. The river itself flows through tussocks and grass for the first 800 meters or so below the lake and is a really nice place to visit and fish your way back upstream. The deeper holes in the river usually contain a trout or two although most are smaller than ones in the lake. The small bay that forms the outflow is another hot spot in the lake as there is a distinct deeper channel (well 4 ft) that always holds some fish. There is very little weed so all fishing methods can be practised. Turning now and heading south along the eastern shore the first 300 meters is quite deep and well suited to spinning and soft plastics. No need to wade here just

Fly fishing the eastern shore.

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Fishing News - Page 29

Methods

Apart from the mutti hole and trench the remaining 98% of the lake is around 3-4 ft deep. Although somewhat daunting in the tannin stained water you could actually wade across most of the lake. (OK tall guy in chest waders). The depth obviously dictates the fishing methods. Wet and dry fly fishing is well suited, cobras and small minnows work well and small plastics such as the gary glitter 50mm on one eight jig head are great. Small boats are handy but for the rest of this season are out.

Hot Spots and Fish Size

Perfect place to take in the scenery. fish the water from the bank as it quickly drops to the 3-4 ft depth. The water behind the sand flats is worth an extra cast or two. The next feature encountered up the eastern side is the extensive sand flat area, they extend for about 400 metres along the shore and depending on lake level about 100 metres out. There are very few obstructions along these sand banks so it is the best area to polaroid trout in the lake. Fishing clockwise around the lake usually means you have the sun behind you as you wade this shore. The flats extend right back to the neck area described earlier and your lap is completed as you enter and cross the southern bay. Depending on water level zig zag your way right up the sand.

The neck area leading out of the southern bay, the mutti hole, creek inflows and sand banks are the best locations. Expect brown trout between 1-2 lb in good to excellent condition in moderate numbers. Most have superb red flesh and are good eating. The odd monster between 2.5 and 3 pound exist but are rare. A lap of the lake should see you bagging between 4-6 on a good day. I doubt you will be disappointed in your Lake Lea adventure, you will certainly not be bothered with crowds as you enjoy the superb scenery and fishing and just think, everybody 10 ks up the road had to pay to get in. Shane Flude

Sand flats looking north down the eastern shore.

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Micro jigging in Tassie

An introduction to Slow-Pitch and Micro Jigging in Tasmanian waters Steve ‘Starlo’ Starling

low-pitch and micro-jigging are becoming “flavour of the month” right around Australia… but how much application do these fascinating vertical fishing methods have in Tasmanian waters? Well, according to Starlo, plenty! When most anglers think of offshore jigging with metal lures, their imagination immediately conjures up images of massive knife jigs weighing as much as half a kilo, heavy tackle and an exhausting, intensive style of angling requiring a bewildering combination of high speed reel cranking and violent rod movements. Two or three drops with that style of gear, especially in deeper water, and most of us are ready for a break! Throw in a hook-up or two on a yellowtail kingfish, albacore or tuna and you’re really looking at a form of angling that’s best suited to the young, the fit and perhaps the slightly mad! But the great news is that this isn’t the only way to go jigging! In recent years, micro-jigging and slow-pitch jigging have emerged as the real growth areas in offshore lure fishing. Not too surprisingly, both forms or styles of fishing, and also the gear and lures associated with them, developed in Japan. From those Asian origins they have been slowly spreading throughout the rest of the fishing world, including here to Australia. Those anglers who’ve embraced the micro and slow-pitch jigging revolution have discovered that it is not only highly effective on an incredibly broad range of fish species, but also a lot less physically demanding than high-speed “mechanical jigging” with hefty knife jigs… In fact, it’s damn good fun and can quickly become quite addictive! Micro-jigs are basically any metal lures suited to vertical presentations that weigh less than about 100 or 120 g. While most weigh anywhere from 20 to 80 g, some go right down to 10 and 15 g in weight or even less, although these very small jigs are obviously more useful in shallower water with minimal current or wind.

Slow-pitch jigs (also referred to as flat-fall jigs, butterfly jigs and so on) cover a significantly wider range of weights, but are designed to be worked with much slower, gentler lifts and drops than the standard knife jigs. There is a great deal of overlap between these jigs and the style of presentation involved in using them, and most micro-jigs are in fact also slow-pitch jigs, although all slow-pitch jigs are not necessarily “micro” models, if you get my drift! In other words, it’s possible to slow-pitch with jigs weighing as much as several hundred grams. This is an important fact to remember, especially in deep water scenarios… It’s not all about teeny-weeny lures and little fish!

Micro and slow-pitch jigs are usually fitted with one or two “assist” style single hooks.

Charter operator, Michael Haley jigging inshore off Binalong Bay.

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Fishing News - Page 31

Spin and overhead gear can be used, but braided line is practically essential. Slow-pitch jigging is closely related to the sort of jigging some Aussie anglers have been doing with skirted octa-jigs like the Shimano Lucanus for nearly a decade now, but it takes the whole slow jigging concept several steps further. Slow-pitch and micro-jigging also catch a wider range of species than any other vertical presentation style yet devised. So, while you’ll still hook kingfish, albacore, tuna and the like on slow-pitch and micro-jigs, you’ll also catch a lot more stripey trumpeter, snapper, morwong, gurnard perch, other reef fish, flathead and

Who would have thought you could catch striped trumpeter on jigs?

the like… In fact, you can even micro-jig in freshwater for trout and redfin! (That’s another topic for another time.) Tackle for these slower-paced jigging styles will obviously vary depending on the environment, depth and target species, but it’s generally much lighter than “mechanical jigging” equipment, with an emphasis on longer rods in the 2 to 2.5 m range with relatively soft tips and slower, more parabolic tapers. Tip action is an integral factor in imparting action to these slow jigs. Both spin and overhead reels

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A younger editor with a jigged kingfish from St Helens. can be used, but the keenest slow jiggers prefer compact overheads with either star or lever drags, as these seem to give better lure and line control… and that line is almost always quality, PE-style braid rated in the 10 to 30 pound (5 to 15 kg) range, with a reasonably long (2 to 10 m) fluorocarbon leader tied to the end. Many devotees also prefer a braid that is marked or dyed in different colours to indicate length increments: a rather handy tool when working out exactly what depth your jig is at. Trying to describe in words the precise rod and reel action best used when micro and slow-pitch jigging is extremely tricky, and beyond my capabilities. But if you jump on-line and Google these topics, plenty of instructional video clips will come up on YouTube and elsewhere. Don’t stress that so many of these clips are narrated in Japanese! Just turn the sound down and watch… You will quickly start to glean some of the vital tricks of the trade involved in these deadly vertical jigging styles, and also find out plenty about the best tackle to use. You’ll also discover that there is no absolutely “right” or “wrong” way to do it, and that each exponent of the art

has his or her own personalized style of working these lures. The take home message from that discovery is that you can experiment, add your own tweaks and still catch plenty of fish. Along the way you’ll also have a ton of fun! In my opinion, micro-jigging and slow-pitch jigging have a massive future in Tasmanian waters. So, are you going to make a New Year’s resolution give them a try this year?

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Fishing News - Page 33

Five simple rules to your first bream How to catch your first bream on a soft plastic. Steve ‘Starlo’ Starling Lots of Tasmanian anglers still struggle to crack the bream-on-lures code. Truth is, these fish are no pushover. But if you follow Starlo’s simple, five-point plan, we’re confident you’ll be posing for a photo with your first-ever bream on a soft plastic very soon!

You’ll never forget your first decent bream on a soft lure!

s I travel the country fishing, researching stories and gathering material for this and the many other publications I contribute to, I come across increasing numbers of anglers who’ve embraced lure fishing and, in particular, the use of soft plastic lures. The uptake of soft plastics has definitely been one of the most significant trends in Australian recreational angling over the past 10 to 15 years, and its popularity shows no sign of diminishing any time soon. Softies are great lures and they’re not all that hard to use. Most new chums start catching at least the odd fish very early in their plastic-flicking careers. But some species are tougher nuts to crack than others, and the humble bream is perhaps the trickiest of the lot. It’s also the one I get asked about the most. The question

Small, natural-looking plastics and light jig heads with fine, sharp hooks are the way to go, especially when getting started. Fishing News - Page 34

Georges Bay is a great place to target bream with soft plastics or hard lures.

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typically begins with a statement along the lines of: “I can catch plenty of flathead on plastics, but I’m damned if I can work these bream out!” If you’re in that camp, I’m here to help! Below I’ve listed a simple, five-step strategy for cracking the bream-on-plastics code, and this is accompanied by a short, no-nonsense how-to video clip on my “Starlo Gets Reel” YouTube channel. You can go straight to that video by scanning the QR code at the end, or by typing this URL into your browser: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=8wuLI5-M3UQ Okay… Are you ready to learn how to catch your very first bream on a soft plastic? Here we go:

1. Use the right gear:

The perfect tackle for chasing bream on soft plastics consists of a 1.9 to 2.2 m “flick rod” with a nice, light tip, usually rated for 1 to 3kg line. Match this light rod with a 1000 to 2500 size spinning reel and fill the spool with quality 2 or 3 kg monofilament line, or braid carrying a similar strength rating. (If you choose braid, always add at least a rod length of clear monofilament leader of a similar strength to the end before tying on your lure.)

2. Choose the right lures

Start off with small, curl-tailed grubs or wriggler-style plastics measuring somewhere between 50 and 100 mm in length. Pick natural, life-like colours that mimic prawns, worms or little fish. Combine these tails with light jig heads weighing anywhere from about 1 to 3.5 g (about 1/30 to 1/8 ounce) that carry sharp, fine-gauge hooks in sizes from No. 6 up to No. 1 (a No. 4 or No. 2 is usually perfect).

3. Rig the lure straight!

You’d be amazed how many people get this important bit wrong, and it makes a huge difference on bream. Take the time to properly rig every tail and if it’s not right, do it again. (Study the accompanying video on my YouTube channel for step-by-step instructions.)

Prime bream habitat typically contains a mix of depths and plenty of hard structure.

4. Fish where the bream live

You won’t catch ’em if you cast where they ain’t! Bream love structure, including man-made structure. Concentrate on snags, rock bars, creek mouths, bridge or jetty pylons, weed bed edges, oyster leases, boat moorings, breakwalls, channel markers and the like, and cast your lures close to these structures.

5. Work your softies slowly

As a rule (unless the spot you’re fishing is very snaggy), start by letting your rigged plastic sink all the way to the bottom. Then work it with a series of fairly slow lifts, hops and drops. Again, study my basic how-to video on the “Starlo Gets Reel” YouTube channel for more details and a demonstration.

And that, folk, is about it! As I like to say, it ain’t rocket science! Follow this simple five-point plan, watch my accompanying video for additional information, and I can all-but guarantee that you’ll start catching bream on soft plastics sooner rather than later… So, what are you waiting for? Steve Starling

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Light, sensitive spinning gear based around a 1000 to 2500 reel and 1.9 to 2.2 m flick rod is perfect for bream.

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www.maynesmarine.com.au sales@maynesmarine.com.au Fishing News - Page 35

Ugly as sin, but these hot smoked fish will go down a treat. Smoking food performs several functions. It preserves the food, it flavours the food and it cooks the food. So – how do I do it? Read on!

1: Catch the fish!

Smoking Ugly

This is probably the most fun part for most readers. Any edible fish can be smoked. I usually use trout, redfin perch, or Atlantic salmon, but you can also smoke saltwater species. (I reckon garfish would be a winner).

2: Clean the fish

Gard Saxon

hile more and more people fish for sport, some of us also enjoy a feed of fish. In fact, some inland trout waters here in Tassie are considered to be ‘overstocked” so taking some for the table is a win – win solution. (well, maybe not for the trout)... I enjoy eating fresh trout, but usually 2 – 3 nights in a row of eating the same meal is plenty , and it loses some of its quality when frozen, thawed and then cooked. What can you do when you have a good day on the water and come home with more than you will eat over the next few days? Smoke them! Smoked fish can be consumed straight away, stored in the ‘fridge for several days, or frozen for later use. It can be the main ingredient of a meal, or an accompaniment, and you can eat it hot or cold. Smoking can be complex, and use thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment, or it can be pretty simple and use stuff you probably already have at home. Also, you can “hot smoke” or “cold smoke”. Hot smoking is the simplest, and safest (as the heat will kill more bacteria than the smoke alone will.) This column will concentrate on simple hot smoking, using a minimum of equipment. Fishing News - Page 36

Noones’ favourite part. I smoke fish whole, so preparation is simple. Gut them, cleaning gut cavity thoroughly. I leave the skin and head on. Even scaling is optional, depending on whether you want to eat the skin or not. “Pan size” (3035cm) trout are perfect for smoking. Larger fish should be filleted to ensure meat cooks evenly all the way through. Cut in to pieces around the same size, especially thickness.

3: Brine the fish

There are as many recipes for brine as there are people who smoke fish. Some people “dry brine” by coating the meat in sugar and salt and any other herbs/ spices they want to use. Most people (myself included) brine in a solution of water, salt and sugar. A good basic brine is: 6 litres water, 1 1⁄2 cup salt and 1 cup brown sugar. I use some boiling water to dissolve the salt and sugar, add cold water, and chill it before adding the fish, I don’t want stewed fish! This can soak overnight, but 24 hours is better.

4: Rinse and dry

Ideally, air dry fish on a rack in the ‘fridge, or in cooler weather hang them in the shade, away from insects for a few hours. A mesh fish keeper is perfect for this if you are smoking away from home. Leaving the heads on makes hanging fish to dry much easier if they won’t fit on a rack.

1. First catch the fish.

5: Smoke the fish

Plenty of options here, basically any nontoxic container that can hold smoke, fish and a heat source. You can spend hundreds, or a few dollars, or nothing at all. I use an old 4 burner hooded BBQ. These are cheap enough new, and very cheap second hand, if you can’t get an old one for nothing and don’t already have one. You need some woodchips. Be careful here, some wood can be unpleasant tasting and some even toxic. Plenty of places sell woodchips for smoking – Hickory is a favourite, or dry prunings from pretty much any fruit tree can be used. Whatever wood you are using, soak it for an hour or three (I do it while the fish is drying). You want it to smoke, not burn, but don’t use green wood. Once soaked, wrap the chips in a double layer of alfoil and poke a few holes in it to let the smoke escape. Turn on one burner of the BBQ (on low) and put your woodchip package on it. Close the lid. Wait for it to begin smoking, then wait another ten minutes because that initial smoke can be “greasy” tasting and unpleasant. Now place your meat on the warming rack, close the lid, and leave it alone. I usually turn mine after about 30 minutes, and smoke for a total of one hour. Larger fish / fillets will need longer.

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6: Serve it up and eat it!

A whole smoked trout with some new potatoes and veg, or salad makes a delicious main meal. Head on or head off, your choice. You may prefer to just serve the meat. The skin will peel off easily if it has been smoked properly, and the flesh should just flake away from the bones, leaving nothing but delicious, boneless fish on the plate. Another great way to enjoy smoked fish is to add the flakes of smoked meat to some crème fresh (or sour cream) and add some chopped dill. Spread on toast, or use as a dip. That’s the basics. You are limited by your imagination. You can have more sugar and less salt, or more salt and less sugar in the brine. You can add other herbs and spices and you can change the length of time you brine for. As for the actual smoking – use different species of woodchips, use more woodchips, or less. You’re in control. I tend to use “lighter” brine mixtures and fewer woodchips for fish I will eat as main meals, and more of both to intensify flavours of fish I will make into dips /

The fun part - eating it. spreads. Sometimes I use the same brine, but leave some fish longer for more of the salty / sweet flavours, and I might alter duration of smoking and even add a second lot of woodchips for the fish I want strongly flavoured.

Equipment list: Optional:

Fish, salt, sugar, water, herbs and spices. Alfoil and woodchips. Covered BBQ*. Kerosene smoker, electric or gas smoker.

Drying rack** / ‘fridge / fish keeper (hanger) *Have a look on google – people use cardboard boxes, metal filing cabinets, old clothes dryers and just about anything else you can think of. Just be sensible – ask yourself “could this catch fire or give of toxic fumes when hot?” If the answer to those questions is no, it may well be suitable as a smoker. ** Don’t use your wife’s good cake rack. Don’t ask me how I know this... ***Over the sink works well. Even better if you will be all finished and cleaned up before significant other gets home. I’ve even used a log of wood with some long nails tacked into it in winter when there are no wasps or flies around. As you can see, a minimum of equipment is needed to smoke fish. Not a lot of work either, although it does require some time, but you don’t have to stand around waiting. Give it a try – and let me know how those garfish turn out.

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Fishing News - Page 37

Success in the city Tom Wilson

et me begin this article with a shocking confession: I’m a Melbourne boy who knows very little about the bountiful fishing waters of Tasmania. I know that’s a very strange way to begin a fishing piece but it’s true; until beginning work on the Royal Hobart Hospital in 2015 I had never set foot on the apple isle.

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Fishing News - Page 38

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The Beltana Hotel in Lindisfarne was my home away from home and it’s just a ten minute drive from the Hobart CBD. The view from the bistro here is stunning; Mt Wellington towers over the city with the sparkling waters of the Derwent river estuary at its feet. With such a picturesque and expansive waterway right at my doorstep, it wasn’t long before the urge to wet a line set in.

The Miracle Worker

Success in the city

You’d think that finding a fishing spot in a city surrounded by water Chunky wrasse like this one pull hard, just would be easy but where to begin? don’t let them drag you into the snags! I started by going for a long drive south of Hobart. The scenery was breathtaking but with no knowledge of the area, I just Gear up for lure flicking Gear selection for lure casting is an important part of couldn’t find a decent land based spot. Next I headed north to have a try from the bridge at Sorell. It’s a spot the process and there are number of things to consider with plenty of potential but it still couldn’t provide me in this location. An estuary environment like this is with my first Tassie fish. So after enduring these very not likely to produce monstrously large fish so using disappointing outings, a mate from work suggested we reasonably light braid and leader is the way to go. Braid have a look at nearby Rosny. It’s only a five minute trip of around 8 lb breaking strain is fine enough to give from our accommodation so with nothing to lose, we you an impressive casting range and leader of 10 to 12 lb should be easily strong enough to steer a boisterous set off to check it out. We arrived at the rocky shoreline below the Rosny 40 cm salmon away from the rocks. When fishing with soft plastic lures you have a lot Esplanade to find a number of very promising looking rock platforms. The deep blue water appeared to be well to think about in terms of lure style, hook size and jig within casting range and I knew right away that this spot head weight. Of the three main styles of soft plastic: had serious potential. I rigged up a soft plastic Zman curl tails, paddle tails and jerk shads it’s the curl tails grub, flicked out my first cast and BANG, fish on! I that I prefer as I feel that they’re the most versatile. The couldn’t believe it, I must have landed my cast right on inbuilt tail action creates a great little baitfish imitation the head of that chunky little salmon! Little did I know when retrieved quickly but is also deadly when allowed that the school of veracious blue rockets was thick and to flutter slowly down through the water column before that I’d be tangling with them for the rest of the week. being subtly hopped along the bottom.

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Fishing News - Page 39

Selecting the right jig head for your chosen soft plastic is arguably as important as choosing the lure itself. For starters, I find a fairly small hook size of 1 or 2 is suitable for small to medium sized fish in this estuary. Jig head weight is a little more involved and it can depend on the conditions. On a perfectly still day I fish as light as possible (1/6 oz. is about right) because it allows me to hop through the reef with much less chance of getting caught up in weed. If the wind picks up you might need some extra weight (1/4 or 3/8 oz.) just so you can achieve a reasonable casting distance. My other lure of choice at Rosny is the humble metal slug and you’ll find that most tackle shops have plenty to choose from. They’re generally shiny or sparkly and come in a range of pretty colours but really it’s the weight that you need to get right. On my 6-10 kg rod, lures between 25 and 40 grams are perfect. Don’t fall into the trap of buying lures that are too heavy for extra casting distance because this will only pay off with a very heavy duty rod and is more suited to surf fishing.

Soft Plastic Tactics

I caught a number of good fish using soft plastic lures in this spot but it’s certainly not without its challenges. At the base of the rock platforms is a weedy reef system that extends for roughly fifteen meters into the water and it can make bottom fishing difficult. Ironically, the same weedy reef that makes fishing difficult is no doubt the reason there’s such an abundance of fish! The harsh reality is that a land based fishing spot like this will cause you to get snagged sometimes but with practice and good technique, you can maximise your efficiency and catch more fish. If you arrive at this spot to find pelagic species like salmon and barracoota taking lures you’re in luck; you can target these species without letting your lure touch reef at all. This technique is a simple but very exciting one, just cast as far as you can and begin a medium/ fast retrieve as soon as your lure hits the water. You can add some attention-grabbing jerks and twitches to your retrieve if you like but the key is to just keep that lure swimming. Both of these species spend their days chasing lightning fast little baitfish so they love to smash

Not a bad result from my first cast at Rosny. a quick moving lure in mid water and there’s no need for your soft plastic to ever hit the snags. If the salmon aren’t around or you’re ready to tick off a new species, try hopping your soft plastic lure along the bottom to tempt hungry residents like flathead and wrasse. I found that with my maximum cast I was getting a few meters past the reef allowing me just a couple of weed free hops and twitches before I hit the danger zone. Efficiency in this spot is a matter of knowing when to continue with a retrieve and when to pull the pin. On some casts I managed to work my lure cleanly through the reef while on others, a slight feeling of weight let me know that my lure was covered in weed. Once your lure is weed-affected it’s a matter of reeling it in as fast as you can, ditching the troublesome weed and firing out another cast. The more time your lure spends swimming freely, the greater your chances of snagging that fish! On one particular day I was getting very frustrated by the fact that weed was ruining most of my casts. It was my determination to land a flatty that kept me casting into that reef and I wasn’t giving up easily. Persistence paid off eventually as it so often does and my Zman grub was hit hard. I couldn’t believe the weight in this fish, I usually have some idea of what I’ve hooked before I see it but this one had me stumped! At the end of a tense battle I landed myself a nice wrasse wrapped in about a kilo of weed. Not quite the epic catch I was hoping for but with a new species ticked off in a new spot I wasn’t complaining.

success with these shiny little lures over the journey but it was the fierce wind that forced me to pick one out on my second trip to Rosny. Metal slugs cast well in pretty much all weather conditions and my options on this day where to tie one on, or to retreat to the shelter of my room. Boy am I glad I braved the Antarctic blast on that day! I began firing casts, my glimmering forty gram bullet slicing through the head wind like it wasn’t even there. The second my lure hit the water I was winding fast and it wasn’t long at all before my rod buckled. Salmon after salmon chased that slug down and in one brutal hour I must have landed ten, not to mention all of the ones that twisted me around the rocks to avoid capture. When I arrived back at the pub and walked past the lads they asked straight away what was wrong. My eyes were bloodshot with white rings around them and the rest of my face was glowing red from the icy wind blasting. ‘All good’ I said and I meant it; I’d do that again any day of the week! Tom Wilson

Metal Slugging

After landing that salmon on my first cast at Rosny I was quick to tie on a metal slug. The technique to use with these lures is similar to one I described earlier; simply cast them as far as you can and roll them in fast as soon as they hit the water. I’ve had plenty of

Fishing News - Page 40

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RECREATIONAL SEA FISHERIES NEWS December 2015/January 2016

BIOTOXIN UPDATE

Check the Rock Lobster Biotoxin Closure Status before Fishing A very strong and extensive bloom of the toxic alga Alexandrium tamarense has persisted off a large portion of the East Coast for a prolonged period since early spring.

Following elevated levels of the paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) in areas off the East Coast, ongoing sampling and analysis of rock lobster and bivalve shellfish is being undertaken. Under the Rock Lobster Biotoxin Management Plan, the rock lobster fishery is closed if elevated levels of PSTs are found in bivalve indicator species in a particular Biotoxin Zone (see map). This then triggers the testing of rock lobster samples. The samples are processed at the IMAS laboratory in Taroona before being dispatched to the national biotoxin accredited laboratory in Sydney for PST analysis. The Department will continue to monitor PST levels in bivalve shellfish and rock lobster in other zones of the East Coast in accordance with the Rock Lobster Biotoxin Management Plan.

What conditions are needed to open the rock lobster fishery?

DPIPWE fisheries staff aim to open the closed zones as soon as possible taking into account: that PST levels are safe; the need for an orderly opening; and consideration of the impacts of concentrated fishing effort on rock lobster stocks should only certain zones in the Eastern Region be clear for opening.

How do I stay informed?

Recreational Rock Lobster Fishers are advised to check the Department’s website and Fisheries Tasmania Facebook page for the latest information. You can also register for email alerts at www.fishing. tas.gov.au/emailnews Standing Public Health warning on eating wild shellfish Fishers should follow the cur rent Public Health standing advice at DHHS webpage www. publichealthalerts.tas.gov.au or phone the hotline on 1800 671 738: Discard the gut or organs of wild rock lobster or crab and the roe of recreationally harvested scallops prior to consumption; Do not eat wild shellfish from areas impacted by toxic algal blooms; Do not eat shellfish from the Tamar and Derwent estuaries; Do not eat shellfish from marinas or other areas potentially subject to boat discharges; Do not eat shellfish from areas adjacent to sewage, industrial or storm water outfalls or where septic tanks may be failing.

Licence refunds

Please note that recreational licence refunds will not be granted if you are unable to fish in some waters due to biotoxin closures. Licences grant access to all Tasmanian waters and biotoxin closures apply only to specific zones within those waters. Licence holders can still fish outside any closed areas.

Catch limits definitions Bag limit is the amount of fish an individual fisher can take in any one day. Sometimes people refer to this as the ‘individual daily bag limit’. Possession limits is the amount of fish an individual fisher can possess anywhere in Tasmania including in your home. Boat limit is the total amount of fish that can be on a boat at a given time. The person in charge of the boat is responsible for adhering to boat limits. Boat limits only apply to certain gamefish, shark, striped trumpeter and blue eye trevalla. There are no boat limits for flathead. Sand and Tiger Flathead example: A daily bag limit of 20 has been introduced for the flathead (sand and tiger) group. The possession limit of 30 has not changed. As an individual you cannot possess more than 30 fish in the flathead group (sand and tiger). This includes what you have just caught and at home. You as an individual can retain up to 20 in total of sand or tiger flathead per day (daily bag limit) but you also need to consider what you already may possess at home. If you have 10 or fewer at home you can retain your full daily bag limit. However, if you have 20 at home in the freezer you can only retain 10 as you would be over the possession limit. If you caught 20 say yesterday and ate 10 last night - or gave 10 away, you now only possess 10. You can still go out the next day and catch your daily bag limit of 20. The catch of other household fishers or your mates in your boat generally does not affect your individual limits.

Need more information?

Get a copy of the Recreational Sea Fishing Guide from Service Tasmania Download the Tasmanian Sea Fishing Guide app Go to www.fishing.tas.gov.au; or www.facebook. com/FisheriesTasmania Phone: 1300 720 647 or 03 6165 3233 Email: fishing.enquiries@dpipwe.tas.gov.au

Scalefish Bag and Possession Questions

Following the introduction of the new scalefish rules on November 1, some fishers have asked for clarification about bag and possession limits:

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Fishing News - Page 41

Formidable offshore Formosa Plate Boats Quality, size, strength and performance are combined to make Formosa one of the best valued plate boats in Australia. Built in Brisbane, Formosa have been around for a long time, but they have only just featured on the radar in Tasmania. Established in 1998, Formosa has been building a reputation as one of Australia’s best built, designed and versatile range of plate aluminium boats.

Formosa Marine prides itself on build quality, performance and competitive pricing. Nominated for 2010 & 2012 Aluminium Fishing Boat of the Year and a Best Buy for 2009 by Trailer Boat Magazine. Formosa plate boats are available from 4.3m up to 6.6m in a wide variety of designs from a fresh water Bass boat, through to the popular off shore walk around centre cabin and half cabin models.

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Australia’s BEST VALUE PLATE BOATS...

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Formosa 580 Classic Half Cabin MK4 • Folding Rocket Launcher with Aluminium Sun Visor • Front and Side Clears • Auxillary Motor Bracket • Side combing • Honda 135hp 4-Stroke • Stainless Steel Prop • Dual Battery System • Dunbier Trailer • On-road, on-water costs incl. $54,790

Formosa 580 Classic Centre Cabin MK3 • Black • Kill Tank • Bait board with Tank • Transom Door kit • Hard Top Visor • Front & Side Clears • Mercury 115hp 4-Stroke • Smart Craft gauges • Dunbier Trailer • Dual Battery system • On-road, on-water costs incl. $56,550

Fold down Centre Cab has plenty of room and protecion from the elements and the rear work station is all you could ever hope for. Huge amount of further information, boat reviews, models and more at:

formosamarineboats.com.au

21 Wellington St, Longford TAS 7301 Ph: 6391 1543 Mon-Fri: 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM Sat: 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM Email: info@tasmaniamarine.com.au Web: www.tasmaniamarine.com.au Left: Easy fold top makes for easy storage and travel. Centre: Boarding and getting big fish on board Fishing News - Page 42

is easythrough the generous transom door. Right: Hefty beam gives the Centre Cab plenty of space to

the port and starboard of the generous cab without compromising seating.

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Introducing Formosa Boats?

Established 17 years ago in 1998 in Brisbane, Although new to Tasmania, Formosa has built a reputation as one of Australia’s best-designed and versatile range of aluminium boats. This has been achieved by working closely with dealers and Formosa boat owners to bring the strength, performance and design qualities that the owner are most looking for. Whether you are looking for a fishing workhorse or a weekend family pleasure craft, all boats are designed with versatility and practicality in mind. Each boat has the same engineering specifications so you can be assured that our famous strength qualities are present in each hull regardless of the size or model, while our spacious layout and freeboard allows you to have the best of both worlds without compromise! After developing models in the pressed boat market, in 2006 Formosa evolved to cater for a growing demand for a plate quality boat with the family friendly designs and price of a pressed boat. We start with a 4mm bottom, 3mm side hull as standard which allowed a modern flat side look, combined with new layout designs and even further hull strength designs not possible with a 3mm bottom. Formosa have further developed the build process to allow for the introduction of a new hull construction technique featuring fully welded floor ribs and longitudinal hull structure. Besides giving further strength qualities, this process provides a more consistent hull shape along the keel line — which means a smoother ride and better trim range — plus a firmer underfoot feel as you ride through the chop. Best of all prices are very competitive against like sized boats while maintaining our existing quality and attention to detail.

Tomahawk

In 2009 Formosa released the Tomahawk series and in 2011, Formosa Marine evolved the Classic range with a new hull release called the MK3 Classic. Based on the popular Tomahawk hull, the hull now features a host of new standard features including a reverse chine hull, fastback transom and raised sheer line. This new hull not only offers improved on water performance, comfort and practicality, it also demonstrates that Formosa Marine as a company is always moving forward through product innovation.

Classic Centre Cabins

The walk-around Cabin design provides protection from the elements while maintaining full round access found only on much larger models. The Classic Centre Cabin will suit anyone who is looking for a boat that has the layout and features of 6 — 6.5m boat but without the extra towing, running costs and launching issues. A good boat for anyone looking to spend more time in open water fishing or those who are downgrading from larger vessels but still want the option to go back to their favourite spots. The Rocket Launcher can be folded down to allow for under roof storage.

Formosa 620 Tomahawk Centre Cabin with fold down top shown. Formosa Classic features include: Reverse Chine Hull Famous for the onboard stability in the Formosa Classic hull, a 100mm reverse chine with the extra hull weight in the Tomahawk series, ensures excellent tracking performance in tight turns, smoother ride through choppy conditions and great weight/balance distribution when fishing at rest. Fully welded side decks — not stitched. Welded side decks offer greater hull rigidity, easy clean decks and better paint longevity. Raised Sheer line Providing not only a sportier look, the raised sheer line provides even greater protection from large swell as well as additional space and freeboard to the top deck area. Longitudinal Hull Structure Unlike most similarly priced boats, the hull structure in a Formosa boat is welded to the bottom sheets and reinforced with longitudinal hull strengtheners. The advantage of this process is increased hull strength and consistency in hull shape — resulting in better performance and a more solid ride

Formosa Barras

Made for the calmer waters but built in the traditional Formosa way to handle all boating conditions, the Formosa Barra provides a great fresh and salt water model ideally suited for trout and estuary fishing. Raised casting deck with large storage bins, battery tray for an electric motor, as well as room for an optional forward mounted live well makes a user friendly craft. With an underfloor fuel tank, 4mm bottom and longitudinal stringers, so it can handle the off road trailer pounding and 3mm sides, this craft is designed to combine strength, stability and practicality. plate build within an attractive package 4.3, 4.5 and 5 metres.

Buy a Formosa and get what you want One of the great features of ordering a Formosa built boat is you can take advantage of the opportunity to have the design customized to suit you rather than what most manufacturers try to tell you what you want. Although these boats are not a true custom built (hence the small price tag) the company, through your local dealer, are more than happy to provide various design layouts based on your ideas. Check out further details and models at

formosamarineboats.com.au Distributed in Tasmania by Tasmanian Marine Centre, Longford.

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Fishing News - Page 43

Much more than a beautiful boat

Building boats with 50 years of design excellence and so much more; Practical, Hard working, Family friendly, Quiet, Superb handling, Easy to tow, Models to suit everyone, and offer excellent resale value. Tasmanian Marine Centre are Tasmanian dealers for Australian-built Haines Hunter Fibreglass Boats. Drawing on over half a century of boat manufacturing experience, Haines Hunter has a deserved reputation as the most respected fibreglass boat brand in the Southern Hemisphere. The result of this experience is evident in each and every boat.

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TEST DRIVE NOW Haines Hunter 565 Offshore Family and Fishing

The perfect balance between fishing and family, adventure and leisure. This family all-rounder ticks all the boxes for family fun on the water while doubling as a wellequipped and functional offshore fishing vessel. A wide 2.4 metre beam provides a very roomy cockpit and excellent stability whether underway or at rest. Interior features such as a large rear seat that seats three adults and can be removed when fishing. Inclusions such as a rear door to enter and exit the boat or to land fish and a 200 litre long-range fuel tank make the 565 a highly versatile boat. A large spacious cabin that allows someone of 6’1” to lay out straight and a new ergonomically designed dashboard allows all todays’ modern electronics. A bait board is standard and can be easily removed.

A ski-pole can be added for summer fun for water for water-skiing and ski biscuits. At the end of the day this boat is also a highly capable offshore fishing vessel for when it’s time to chase some serious fish. It can be towed by the average family car and easily fit in most family garages. The 565 above is ready for summer. Fitted with a 150hp Honda 4 stroke and is priced at $64,990. Test drive this superb boat today.

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With over two dozen trailerable models – from dedicated fishing boats to family/ cruising and sports boats – in its awardwinning range, the build quality and attention-to-detail in every Haines Hunter boat is second to none. Only premium quality materials and fittings are used throughout and all hulls are backed by a full seven-year structural warranty. Setting the benchmark to which all other manufacturers aspire, Haines Hunter’s reputation for excellence stems from its unwavering focus on research and development, cutting-edge design, advanced construction techniques and unparalleled on-water performance. More information on Haines Hunter boats can be found at www.haineshunter.com.au

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Haines Hunter 525 Profish

The 525 Profish is the perfect mid-range all-rounder in the Profish range. Perfect for any occasion on the water, this boat represents excellent value for money and is designed with both families and fishermen in mind. The 525 Profish weighs in at approximately 680kg and is rated up to 130 horsepower, with a 120 litre

fuel tank. Standard inclusions are curved glass windscreen, bilge pump, stowage locker and rear cleats. In stock now and ready to test drive. Comes with Bimini Top and Clears, Mercury 115hp 4-Stroke, Smart Craft gauges, Dunbier Trailer and all onroad, on-water costs. Package Price $50,475.

21 Wellington St, Longford TAS 7301 Phone: 6391 1543 Mon-Fri: 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM Sat: 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM Email: info@tasmaniamarine.com.au Web: www.tasmaniamarine.com.au Fishing News - Page 44 www.tasfish.com - Get the knowledge - Get the fish.

A few good reasons why a Haines Hunter is the boat for you and your family THE POWER OF RESALE At Haines Hunter we understand that boat owners are constantly looking forward. While each boat we release is of the highest standard, many anglers and boat owners outgrow their vessels and want to upgrade to larger models. What Haines Hunter can offer current owners and potential buyers is the power of resale; and with a Haines Hunter it’s very powerful. Our 50 years of design excellence and high quality craftsmanship has made us one of the most sought after and researched boats on the second hand market. A Haines Hunter can still hold excellent value even 10, 15 and 20 years after purchase. Managing Director John Haber comments; “At Haines Hunter we make boats to last and each model has an almost cult following on the boat and fishing scene. This is what provides buyers with the ability to sell their current model at a great price and then upgrade into a new Haines Hunter. We have countless customers that are in their third or even sixth Haines Hunter and while that’s a testament to the quality of the boat, it’s the excellent resale value that allows them to keep upgrading” Many of the design and build processes at Haines Hunter are unique to the industry and are put in place to allow decades of marine use. Whether you’re buying a boat for life or you’ll be looking to upgrade, Haines Hunter’s resale value offers buyers the luxury of choice. HAINES HUNTER 675 WINS TRADE-A-BOAT MAGAZINE’S BEST BOAT OF 2015 The 675 Offshore Hard Top was up against 65 boats to make the finals and beat another five in the final test. Five judges scored the boats out of ten over ten separate categories. The 675 scored perfect tens in multiple categories. Managing Director John Haber comments, “the entire Haines Hunter team is proud of this achievement. It’s a team effort to build a great boat and we believe we have the best team at Haines Hunter and the state of the art facilities that enables to produce such amazing boats.While we have always been confident that we make Australia’s greatest boats, it’s always nice to have confirmation within the industry and from what we felt were knowledgeable and experienced judges.”

THE TEST DRIVE Taking a on a test drive is very important. You want to be comfortable with the boat and organising a test drive with a dealer is the best way to learn about any boat. The dealer can show you all its features and how the boat performs. We encourage you to test boats from other brands. We want you to feel the difference!

BUDGET & SIZE The first thing is what size boat you want. Things to take into consideration are where you’ll store it, what kind of car you have to tow it with and then what size boat you’ll need for the kind of fishing, diving or cruising you’ll be doing. While most likely everyone would love to be driving around in our flagship 760, it doesn’t always suit other aspects of our life style and that’s why we have boats ranging from 4 metres through to 8 metres in various configurations. We also have boats designed to suit various budgets. WHAT WILL YOU REALLY USE THE BOAT FOR? Once you have decided on size and budget you need to think about what you’ll be using the boat for the majority of the time. Is it predominantly fishing? If so, inshore, offshore, inland? You will also naturally progress and start fishing different areas so keep this in mind too, however, have a realistic idea of what you’ll mainly be doing. WHAT CLIMATE DO YOU LIVE IN? You also need to think about the weather you’ll mainly be fishing in. If you live in a warmer climate and you’ll be doing a lot of lure casting, then one of our centre consoles may be the best choice. If you’re going to be going offshore and you live in a colder climate, then one of our hard top or enclosed boats may be a better choice.

OPTIONAL EXTRAS The list of options that can be installed on your Haines Hunter is endless and you may need many or just a few. Have a good think about what you need and remember you can always add items as you go along. CONTACT YOUR DEALER OR HAINES HUNTER If you’re having trouble deciding on what’s best for you get in contact with your dealer or contact us at Haines Hunter. No one expects you to rush into your purchase. We want you to take your time and be happy with your new Haines Hunter. We’ll be more than willing to help. WE’RE ALWAYS HERE FOR YOU At Haines Hunter we see our relationship with our customers as a life long partnership.Whether you want to upsize, downsize or just get into a newer model we want you to stay with us at Haines Hunter. Once you get the keys and leave the yard that isn’t where the relationship ends. We’re always here to help with any questions you may have. We have a state of the art Haines Hunter aftercare facility and our dealer network right around Australia is always near by for anything you may need. We hope that this helps you in your purchasing decision and that this will be an enjoyable and exciting time for you. We understand that purchasing and owning a boat is a big decision and lifestyle choice and we want to help make it a memorable and joyous experience. For more information please contact: Tasmanian Marine Centre, Longford 6391 1543 or www.haineshunter.com.au

ARE CHILDREN AND FAMILY INVOLVED? Think about seating arrangements, water skiing and swimming? A boat with a cabin, fold down lounge and a dive door may be best.We have dedicated ski boats, boats that cross over for both fishing and family and we can always add extras to make any vessel more family friendly. CHOOSING A HAINES HUNTER If you’re having trouble choosing we can help. Whether you’re upgrading or getting into one for the first time; it’s a fun yet somewhat daunting experience choosing a new boat.With this in mind, here are some things to think about to help narrow down your next purchase.

POWER AND FUEL USAGE All our boats have a minimum and maximum horsepower ratings. While it may be tempting to just opt for the maximum horsepower, you may find that a smaller engine suits your needs perfectly which will save you money on the initial purchase and on fuel consumption also.

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Fishing News - Page 45

The Leven

The Leven slide on camper is constructed from light weight fibreglass panel and has outstanding insulation properties. The aerodynamic shape of the Leven not only looks great, but is functional saving you fuel on those long road trips. The electric powered roof gives the Leven it’s stylish exterior and the camper is able to be used even with the roof down. Security features in the Leven include the Aussie Traveller security door, and double glazed windows with triple lock down points that ensure a strong and durable seal. The quality fitted interior is designed to allow the maximum use of space. The features include a pull out table which can be stored when not needed and comfortable face to face seating in a choice of durable fashion fabrics. The sleek kitchen design features overhead storage, plenty of draws, and a choice of gas or electric hotplate. A fridge is also included in the camper so you will have everything you need including the kitchen sink.

Little Henty camper - this is a great camper for couples who want a very light weight fully insulated slide on with extensive customization options. So make it suit how you want to live while on the road. With seven models in the range and three of them set for those who travel alone we have it covered.

Phone : 03 6437 2791 email : drafting@penguincomposites.com.au

Your ad can work if it’s here. Phone Mike Stevens 0418 129949

FRANKLIN MARINE Open 7 Day s Launceston’s Only Authorised Dealer and Service Centre Mercury and Motorguide 8 Legana Park Drive Legana Industrial Estate, P: 6330 2277 E: chris@cjmarineandkarts.com Fishing News - Page 46

Full fishing and cray store + gear and bait and all boating gear Drive in parking with boat Ph: 6266 3768

Call in for all your fishing tackle including full range rods, reels, lures, landing nets and bait. Also life jackets plus diving gear and stuff for all water sports.

Scott, 53 King St. Scottsdale.Ph. 6352 2357 Julie-Anne, 41 Quail St. St Helens. Ph. 6376 1390

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Top Service – Top Price

Boat trailer wheel and tyre

St Helens

Your every need catered for • Eight en-suite cabins • Convenience store • Hot takeaways • Groceries • Newspapers • Boat parking • Fuel • Bait and tackle • Boat and car wash

Dunbier and early Holden pattern

around $90ea 62 Hopkins St, Moonah 6228 0274

Hillcrest Tourist Park and Mini Market

100 Chimney Heights Rd. St Helens 6376 3298

Outboard Technology

Gone Fishing Charters

• East coast estuary and bay • Whiting, Bream, Salmon, Garfish, Flathead, Squid and more • Soft plastics, lures, fly and bait • 5.8 metre sportfishing boat.

Quality service and repairs to all Outboard Motors

Southern Region

Gone Fishing Charters St Helens

David Gillespie 6248 9080 or 0417 562 859

Michael Haley 0419 353 041 mhaleycharters@bigpond.com www.breamfishing.com.au

96 Clifton Beach Rd Sandford Tas 7020

Fish

World class fishing in the heart of the central highlands

Stay in a luxury art deco 3 bedroom cottage Atmospheric Highlander Arms tavern on the doorstep 3 course meal provided each night Catch your own salmon in Tarraleah lake and learn how to prepare it with expert chef 18 lakes within 30 minutes drive

(03) 6289 0111 info @tarraleah.com www.tarraleah.com

cosy wood fires

wine & whisky tasting

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guided fishing trips

great pub

Fishing News - Page 47

Better safety and facilities for Tasmanian boaters

Scan to see the lifejacket awareness video.

Incorrectly worn or fitted lifejackets may not work effectively. Don’t risk your life. Make sure you know how your inflatable lifejacket works. Incorrectly worn of fitted jackets may not work effectively. Scan the QR code above or go to www.mast.tas.gov.au to see MAST’s lifejacket awareness video.

Is your inflatable auto or manual inflate? If you don’t know - don’t go.

$1,000,000 every year is spent by MAST improving recreational boating facilities around Tasmania. Your licence and boat registration money at work. Clockwise from top left: Kingston; Gordon Street, Swansea; Gypsy Bay and navigation markers at Ansons Bay.

Apply any time for better boating facilities. Go to www.mast.tas.gov.au

The Boatwise could save your life. Download it now.