Fishing Monthly Magazine | May 2020 by Fishing Monthly

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Gippsland after the fires • Fishing advice during COVID-19 • Local area reports •

Location Spotlight

Gippy Lakes after the fires

May, 2020 ISSN 2652-5798

by Brett Geddes

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CONTENTS

OUR COVER May 2020, Vol. 1 No.1 TAS

QUEENSLAND Tweed 12 Gold Coast South 14 Gold Coast 15 Jumpinpin 16 Brisbane 18 Northern Bay 20 Noosa 21 Hervey Bay 24 Yeppoon 26 Mackay 28 Whitsundays 30 Townsville 32 Lucinda 34 Hinchinbrook 34 Cairns 35 Port Douglas 35 Cooktown 37 Freshwater 28 NEW SOUTH WALES Pittwater 42 Sydney Rock 44 Sydney North 45 Sydney South 46 Botany Bay 47 Ballina 48 Yamba 50 Coffs Harbour 52 Hastings 54 Forster 55 Port Stephens 56 Swansea 57 Illawarra 58 Stokman 59 Bermagui 60 Tathra 61 Albury/Wodonga 64 Batlow 65 Lithgow/Oberon 68 Hunter Valley 54 New England Rivers 55 Canberra 70 VICTORIA West Coast 72 Warrnambool 72 Cobden 73 Geelong 74 PPB West 76 PPB East 78 PPB Inshore 79 Western Port North 80 Western Port South 81 Gippsland Lakes 82 Marlo 83 Bemm River 82 Lakes Entrance 84 Corner Inlet 84 Mallacoota 85 Robinvale 86 Yarrawonga 86 Wangaratta 88 Shepparton 90 Nagambie 92 Bendigo 92 Ballarat 93 Eildon 94 W/S Gippsland 94 4

MAY 2019

From the editor’s Desk...

Keiran Seddon with a beautiful 96cm Yamba flathead he caught on a Cultiva Rip’n Minnow 65mm. A Matt Seddon image. Come and visit Fishing Monthly Group’s official Facebook page for all your monthly fishing information. Download QR Reader to access.

TASMANIA Offshore 96 Hobart 97 WESTERN AUSTRALIA Metro 98 Busselton 101 Bunbury 102 Mandurah 103 Lancelin 104 Jurien Bay 107 Geraldton 108 Kamberri 109 Broome 110 Karratha 111 Freshwater 112

You’ll notice a change to your magazine this month. The May 2020 issue marks the time that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to merge all of the Fishing Monthly magazine titles into one masthead – Fishing Monthly Magazine. The pandemic response has hit fishing and boating businesses hard and we reflect that difficulty in the marketplace. Since April, our advertising income had more than halved and since the 400+ pages we make a month are very labour intensive, something had to give. Internally it was about half of our staff and the merging of all of our monthly titles. But, as always, we love to look at the positives in this situation. We realise that what makes Fishing Monthly special is the local area reports – the fact that there’s always something there about your area and the places you fish. We’ve done our best to retain the local essence in each of the sections inside. Fishing Monthly is still more of a local magazine than a national magazine. There’s significant content from Western Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and Queensland. We use local writers in local areas and create all of our boat test material ourselves. If you’re a subscriber to multiple Fishing Monthly magazines, you’ll just get one each month and the balance of magazines owed will be added to your subscription duration – two 12 month subs turn into a 24 month sub. You don’t need to do anything – we will make the adjustments internally.

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REGULAR FEATURES Gippsland after the fires 6 Starlo’s back to basics 10 WIRF 95 Sheik of the Creek 109 Recfishwest 114 Tournamements 116 Trades and Services 120 Track My Fish 122 Kayaking 124 Life jackets: get the right fit 126 TEST: Yellowfin 5800 128 COMPS AND OFFERS Find the logo Sub page Fun page

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Business Office: Unit 1, 11 Knobel Court, Shailer Park, Qld, 4128 Phone: (07) 3387 0800 Fax: (07) 3387 0801 Managing Editor: Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au Editorial Manager: Jacqui Thomas Field Editors: Jason Ehrlich, Wayne Kampe Publishers: Steve Morgan, Matthew Drinkall Advertising: Phone: (07) 3387 0800 Fax: (07) 3387 0801 Copy and materials should be sent direct to: ads@fishingmonthly.com.au Advertising Enquiries: Ph: (07) 3387 0800

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And as a member of the Australian fishing and boating industries, what can you do to support us? Buy from your local tackle store or boat yard. If you’re limited in your fishing – and most of us are – take the time to do essential maintenance or stock up for when you’re able to get out again. Remember that this will eventually end and you want your local businesses to be there when it does. We intend to be there with you and with them, so we appreciate your support through these difficult times. Remember the joy that fishing and boating has brought you and look forward to doing that again, unencumbered, when we have overcome the challenges. GIPPSLAND LAKES NET FREE There has been some good news, though, in the sea of bad. The Gippsland recreational fishing haven has now established in Victoria following the decision by the 10 licensed commercial fishers to exit the fishery on 1 April this year. The commercial fishers have shared in a record $9 million compensation package and what’s even better is that this has not come from angling licence fees but from Government election funding sources. It means an extra 200 tonnes of bream, dusky flathead, whiting, tailor, trevally and luderick for anglers to enjoy. An increase of 5% in recreational fishing in Gippsland equates to another $20 million to the State economy and this will be massive for jobs in the region. It’s great to see the Lakes being returned to anglers and the environment. Let’s hope we can get out there soon to enjoy it. – The Fishing Monthly Team

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Gippland flourishes after fires GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

The Gippsland Lakes are back! Of course they didn’t go anywhere but the area went into lockdown after the devastating bush fires, but around late February things went back to normal… until COVID-19. It now seems such a long time ago but the catastrophic fires back in January are still having an effect on East Gippy towns. The overwhelming and distressing grief of losing homes and even loved ones is still sadly welded into the memories of those who lived through the worst of it. It can be months after the event that people can still remain distressed. And for that reason alone we should continue to support our wonderful country community the best we can. This pesky virus may have distracted us away from the bushfire heartbreak but let’s

not drop the ball. The easiest way we can all help while in isolation is to plan our next holiday at local destinations. When the ban gets lifted, don’t go overseas, get the fishing

rods out, pack up the boat or strap on the kayaks and head to the Lakes. Even landbased anglers have plenty of options there for great fishing, beaches, hiking, bike riding,

downstream then reached the river mouth where it empties into Lake King. The Latrobe, Avon, Nicholson and Mitchell rivers were also running very brown.

Pinkie snapper are common in the lakes from Metung to Kalimna and readily take lures, like this Hurricane Sprat soft plastic.

Where the rivers meet the sea at the township of Lakes Entrance. Photo courtesy of Tania Sederlan.

Rod Tatterson knows that Lake Victoria holds big numbers of bream around 30-45cm, and blade lures will score you plenty.

visiting wineries, great pubs and restaurants. Let me remind you about some of the treasures of the enormous Gippsland Lakes area and explore its tourist activities, places to stay and of course how and where to fish. BUSHFIRE IMPACT: WHAT’S CHANGED? For the main part, when you visit the Gippy Lakes you’ll see little change to the towns of Sale, Bairnsdale, Paynesville, Metung or Lakes Entrance. The biggest impact to the area immediately after the big fires was ironically rain. Heavy downpours hit the burnt out catchments and the runoff filled the rivers with very dirty water. The upper Tambo was worst affected and the stream was hit by thick mud, burnt wood and ash. It looked terrible and flowed way

The coloured waters looked very confronting at first but, incredibly, a lot of land-based bait anglers were catching tonnes of big bream in the brown flows. A lot of switched-on anglers know that

freshwater like this can really get bream on the chew, so don’t be put off by any of the discoloured rivers. FACTS AND FIGURES Being right on my doorstep, I’m very passionate about the Gippsland Lakes. When you study a map of this estuary it looks huge on paper but when you spend time exploring in a boat it then becomes absolutely massive.

Fancy a breathtaking helicopter ride to get an eagle eyes view of the vast Gippy Lakes and out into Bass Strait? Photo courtesy of Tania Sederlan.

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MAY 2020

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Having lived here for 25 years now I’m still discovering brand new fishing haunts and, over the last few years, even catching new species of fish. The never ending stretches of open lakes and the five impressive rivers are all worth fishing during most of the year. The Gippy Lakes at around 600km2 is the largest complex of inland waterways in Australia, so even during

A stunning view of Lakes Entrance where the magnificent 90 Mile Beach begins. Photo courtesy of Tania Sederlan.

the busiest holidays you can find somewhere to escape the crowds. For most of its life, the system was closed off to the ocean and the water level of the lakes would gradually rise until the waters broke through to Bass Strait and then drop down to sea level. In time this ‘break-through’ would eventually close up and the lakes would fill again. It would often be years before another new channel to the sea broke through and sometimes this could be quite a while a long time from the last one forming. However, in 1889 they decided to build a wall to permanently position a perennial channel, which is now much bigger and always open due to constant deep dredging. This has changed the Gippy Lakes from mostly freshwater to now a saltwater environment. This also means

that the fire impacted rivers and dirty water mixes with large volumes of the cleaner saltwater and mostly absorbs any negative impacts to the aquatic life. LET’S TALK FISHING Bream The number one target for the lakes and rivers is black bream, and they can be caught all year round. You can find them just about anywhere, but I would start my search with a visit to the Mitchell River. First stop would be a trip to get some bait. Local suppliers, Bairnsdale Bait Supply, have an array of sandworm, spider crab and prawn baits, along with up to the minute fishing reports that could put you in a hot spot and have you fishing within half an hour. Lure anglers will benefit from paying attention to where bait anglers are concentrated, as they are probably parked there for a very good reason. If the rivers are still

Captains Cove Resort has stunning views and a private jetty for mooring your fishing boat. Photo courtesy of Tania Sederlan.

Under the current COVID-19 restrictions, Victoria has an outright ban on ALL recreational fishing and boating. We strongly advise all anglers to check the rules in their state before leaving home.

The magic of Paynesville viewed from above with its stunning lake views, moored boats and resort accommodation. Photo courtesy of Tania Sederlan. running dirty and don’t appeal to you, there are plenty of lake fishing options, like Hollands Landing, Paynesville, Metung and Lakes Entrance, just to name just a few. If you’re serious about

all sizes. They are the best all round lure in my opinion because they catch bream in very deep water and are most effective in the shallows as well. The best method is to use these blades dead slow and

Tony Pettie with a 40cm bream caught on a Hurricane Vibz blade. catching bream on lures, make sure you have plenty of small blades as they are deadly when searching for bream of

with long pauses – even the best of anglers fish them too fast at times. My biggest ever PB

bream at 50cm was caught in Lake Wellington on a Hurricane Sting blade in black. Hurricane Lures owner, Peter Nord, is located at Bairnsdale. He is a gun lure angler and has developed a huge range of his own branded fishing gear including countless soft plastics, hard bodies and blade lures that catch the hell out the local bream. The staff will also put you onto where the biggest bream are biting best. PLENTY OF SPECIES There are so many different species of fish to target at Gippy Lakes. Whiting and big flathead are a prime target from October through to the end of May. The best area to find them is in Lake King between Metung and Lakes Entrance. Estuary perch are now high on the list for mainly lure anglers. The Mitchell River has a big population of them, especially around the Highway Bridge in Bairnsdale. Way upstream from the town where the bass are, EP are also commonly found, thanks to years of heavy stocking. The biggest win for the Gippy Lakes over the last five years has been the big numbers of kingfish that have moved in. They now push To page 8

MAY 2020

Fish only for a feed SOUTHERN GOLD COAST

Mark Ward markward222@bigpond.com

After a few tough months in the estuaries, things have finally improved. Flathead have been on the bite and my son and I have bagged just about everything from reef fish in the canals to bream and whiting on the flats.

daily, I have no idea what will be install for us by the time this goes to print. So I will write this up as though nothing is happening but please be aware of the current restrictions. ESTUARY It took a long time for the water to clear but as soon as it got a green tinge to it instead of the brown that I was getting use to, the flathead started biting again.

the water had a chance to warm up and the results have been excellent. By now the water will be even cooler so the fishing will continue to improve. Fishing for bream in the canals has turned up a lot of good-sized flathead. Not what we were chasing, but a good by-catch just the same. It’s common for flathead to be in the deeper, cooler water of the canals that have

Trevally will be harassing baitfish this month. Find the bait and trevally won’t be too far away. of the lures. Working plastics around canals and other structure has been catching a lot of juvenile reef fish. Spangled emperor, grass sweetlip and juvenile snapper have been in good numbers. Look for gravel patches, rocks and structure that has good current flow and preferably lots of bait fish. In the Nerang River, the rock patches in front of TSS, the racks and structure near

Cody Ward with a thumping bass landed by slow working a Hot Bite Spectre Vibration Jig. Slowing it down as the water cools can be very productive. We are in the middle of COVID-19 lockdowns so fishing has been limited to only fishing for a feed at this stage. With it changing

The water temperature has still been up a little so I started fishing the flats and shallows on the cooler, overcast mornings before

good tidal flow. The flathead respond well to even the smaller bream lures with soft plastics, such as ZMan and Berkley Grubs being the pick

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The rocks and bridge around the mouth of Tallebudgera has been producing a lot of fish as have the rocks around the Tweed and the gravel patch near Kennedy Drive boat ramp. If working lures for bream, keep leaders as light as you can and, when you think you are fishing slow, go slower. When bream are in a school, they will aggressively take a lure

never return, but some bream anglers wind the line up and wait to feel the weight of the fish before striking. Either way has its hits and misses so that’s some thing each angler can work on. I know that winding and waiting for the fish to load up can sometimes keep the bream interested enough to strike again, if he misses the first time. Lots and lots of options this time of the year. The weather is often very kind so as long as the rules don’t end up treating anglers like professional football players, we should all have tight lines. BEACH Flathead and bream migrate up and down the surf beaches during autumn. It’s not uncommon to catch flathead in the 70-90cm range in very shallow water. I grew up fishing South Stradbroke Island and the Straddie Cocktail was a pipi with a bit of beach worm. The amount of oversized flathead I landed on that bait, lead me to believe that a big flathead loves a pipi and worm cocktail as much as a bream and whiting does. Frozen worms and pipis are not anywhere near as good, but will work if nothing else is available. Other frozen baits include white bait and pilchards cut The author with a canal bream caught on a soft plastic. in half. I only like to use whole pilchards on gang the council chambers and due to the competition but hooks for tailor as I find the the bridges around Bundall when feeding alone, they are hook up ratio for flathead have all been fishing well for very wary and presentations and bream significantly juvenile reef species. need to be perfect. Use very higher when using single Trevally have also been light braids as a main line hooks as opposed to a whole caught around the canals and and leaders, between 8-4lb pilchard and gang hooks. structure. Trevally have big is ideal. Work very short Tailor have been moving appetites and need a good movements and allow the up the coast and this is the supply of bait fish to keep plastic to sit or drift along perfect time to get out and flick some pilchards or them happy. Golden and with the current. giant trevally have been The best tip I can give is slugs for tailor. The rocky around and this time of year to let it sit or drift on slack headlands can see schools we should also see diamond line. I keep my line bright of smaller chopper tailor trevally. as possible so I can easily but the bigger greenback Bream will be increasing see the bow in it as the lure tailor are very much loaners in numbers as they prepare is sitting and this bow is my or in very small schools. to spawn. They are still bite detector. It’s often a very There have been a few big very shy with lures but bait sudden, light flicker of the tailor landed from around fishing can be deadly. As slack line that is the only hint Cabarita and Kingscliff but these fish may be spawning, to a bream picking up the for a Queenslander that can’t take only what you need for plastic. I always strike but I travel across the boarder, it is a feed and leave the rest. miss a lot of fish and they To page 15

It’s time to be safe and play by the rules GOLD COAST

David Green

At the time of writing, recreational fishing from a boat is allowed as long it is for the purpose of food collection and can only be done with members of your household with ideally one or two persons on board. With this in mind, my column will focus on tactics to produce a feed of fish for your immediate family. I work as a doctor in the middle of a busy emergency department on the Gold Coast and am working with COVID-19 patients everyday. I can’t emphasise enough the importance of social distancing. As anglers, we are still allowed to fish with reasonable restrictions in place. These must not be ignored, because it is quite clear that the government will rescind the current rulings and stop From page 14

killing me! Good options this side of the boarder are the rocks around Tallebudgera and Burleigh Hill as well as the spit and South Stradbroke Island. Another good trick is to flick an unweighted pilchard towards the rocks on the north wall of the Gold Coast Seaway.

all recreational boat-based angling if the conditions are flaunted. Good target species this month include Spanish and spotted mackerel, wahoo, snapper, mulloway and pearl perch. Always remember the reason to go fishing under the new laws is for food collection, so it is important to observe size and bag limits. One decent Spanish mackerel or wahoo will feed a family for weeks. The best way at present to catch mackerel is to slowly troll live baits or rigged dead baits from a downrigger. This generally out-fishes most other methods. Lure trolling for mackerel has been quite poor this season so far. Good alternative methods to get a feed of mackerel include anchoring up and berleying with chopped pilchards, and then fishing pilchards under of float or drifting in the berley trail. Metal lures can also be quite effective when spun at speed through the

berley. This method catches a variety of mackerel species, including doggy mackerel, spotted mackerel and Spaniards. Mulloway, tailer, snapper and tuna also turn up frequently using this method. As the focus on fishing is to produce food for your family, make sure you take plenty of ice. You may well be asked to show your catches to any inspectors and catch and release of legal sized edible fish will be frowned on during this period. I also think that marlin fishing should be considered off the agenda, as it is not a normal practice to eat a blue marlin! There are some good bottom fishing options this month that should produce a feed. The water cools down a bit this month and the start of the snapper run shows towards the end of the month. Fishing soft plastics and pilchards on the 24 and 36 fathom reefs should

BASS The dams are all closed at the time of writing, but I was out just before the closure and the fishing had started to slow significantly. We had big schools of bass that just wouldn’t bite so working out ways to get them to take a lure was challenging but a challenged that I enjoyed. I landed them on

everything including spoons, spinnerbaits, ice jigs and chatterbugs. The best option for the Hinze and Clarrie Hall is to work the edges early and late in the day and to jig the timber of schools in the middle of the day. It can be challenging but it is also very rewarding. Hopefully, the dams will be open again soon.

produce some nice fish this month. The aim is to produce a feed of decent fillets rather than target trophy fish. Good edible species that will also turn up include teraglin, parrotfish, mulloway, tailor and marble flathead. Fishing offshore in the early evening or into the night is a great way to produce a feed of fish in minimal time. Live bait is the key, and mulloway are a good target. The week leading up to the full moon is generally the most productive. I use circle hooks for this type of fishing. Offshore fishing under the new rules must be food focused. Take care to minimise contact with others when you are fuelling up and never take people out in your boat apart from your immediate family. RIVERS AND ESTUARIES Once again, it must be emphasised how lucky we are to be able to go fishing, and it is in the estuaries where there may be temptation by some to flaunt the rules. Please stay in the rules! This month the idea is to keep things simple to achieve the goal of producing a feed of quality fish for the table. Estuary target species this month include bream, flathead and whiting with the odd mangrove jack still around. There should still be good numbers of sand crabs too. The central Broadwater from Crab Island through to Tipplers Passage generally fish very well in May. The rain we had in late spring

has brought the estuaries to life and there is currently a lot of bait throughout the entire estuary system. White pilchards, anchovies, hardiheads and herring are all in big schools at present. These attract a lot of tailor and flathead and the fishing should be very good this month. Most of the flathead this month will be smaller fish with a lot under 40cm. The aim is to get a feed of more decent fish around 50cm in length. Working the flats at high tide generally produces a few bigger fish, and the bream feed hard prior to spawning. One of the many casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the cancellation of the 2020 Gold Coast Sportfishing Club’s Flathead Classic. This decision was not taken lightly and with the current global degree of total uncertainty it proved impossible for the club and the sponsors to commit to the event. I’d like to thank Bruce Anderson and the club for their work in difficult circumstances and

they have made the right decision. Hopefully, there will be a smaller scale catch and release tournament sometime later in the year when things finally start to settle down. To catch sand crabs this month, work the weed beds in 3-6m of water between the Seaway and the Alderschotts. The run-in tide early in the morning is generally the best time to chase them. Good fresh fish frames, like mullet and whiting work well for sandies. On the flats near where you catch sand crabs there will be plenty of garfish. Use a mesh bag full of bread soaked in tuna oil to attract them and fish with a number 10 hook under a quill float. Garfish are excellent eating with sweet white flesh. The bones are easy to remove, and they are easy to clean. We are all in difficult times. We can fish with our immediate family to provide food for our tables. Please do not flaunt any of the current rules or we will not be able to fish at all.

Gary’s Marine Centre

Flicking for bream in the canals can produce some big lizards this month. Landing them on light leaders can be a challenge.

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Fishing is going strong SYDNEY SOUTH

Gary Brown gbrown1@iprimus.com.au

Even though the water temperature in the Port Hacking River will have cooled down a fair bit by now the fishing will still be good on most days. During May, I will mainly target bream, trevally, leatherjackets, luderick, squid and tailor. With the odd flathead and mulloway thrown in. You need to decide on what particular species you are going to target on your next session and whether you are going to use bait or lures. Sure, you might want to have a couple of small metals for the tailor or a couple of squid jigs as a backup. If I am going to go bait fishing for bream and trevally out of my boat, I will take

four rods, a bucket of berley, a packet or prawns, a few pilchards and maybe a fillet of freshly caught mullet. When you find the spot that you are going to fish, anchor up, throw out a couple of handfuls of berley, cast out your baited-up rigs and wait and see what happens. Throw out a couple more handfuls of berley over the next 15 minutes. If nothing happens then move to another spot. It may only be 50m away, and start again. This is what I had to do on my last session and it took to spot five to start and get fish. Places that are worth a shot are the drop-off on the NE side of the flats at Lilly Pilly on a run-in tide, the entrance to Yowie Bay on a run-out tide, at the start of the 8-knot area that lead to Grays Point, the drop-off at Maianbar and the edge of the weed beds that at the

entrance to Gunnamatta Bay. Luderick and leatherjackets can be caught fishing the edges of weed beds, rocky points, wharves and pontoons on both the run-in and run-out tides. Place to try are Lilly Pilly, Gymea and Gunnamatta Bay baths, the weed beds at the entrance to South-West Arm and the ballast heap. Early morning and late afternoons are the go for trolling for tailor and salmon in the bays and main channels. I use 30-60g metals, Fish Inc Winglet, 87mm Zinc Stickbaits and even whole garfish or pilchards on the TT’s bait trolling rigs. I have found that 2-4 knots would be an ideal speed.

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When I was last out, I came across a few blue swimmer crabs on the sand flats. Remember that you cannot use any type of crab traps in Port Hacking, it has been so for about 40 years. Don’t forget that you now have to wear a lifejacket when fishing off the rocks in the Sutherland Shire. Bream, trevally, drummer, luderick and tailor are being caught off the rocks at Kurnell and in the Royal National Park. When the seas are huge outside and you can’t fish off the front at Kurnell you should try just inside of Sutherland Point. The trick to fish here is to fish as light as possible, or suspend your bait under a small bobby cork. Peeled prawns, half pilchards and strips of tuna, bonito or mullet are the go. The rocks south of Cronulla Point are also worth a shot. Both the shore-based and boat anglers are getting into good quality squid throughout the Port Hacking and offshore. I have been getting a number of them

on Fish Inc Egilicious squid jigs in the coral shrimp, bleeding belly and fluoro orange colours. During the wild weather that we experienced when we had the floods, some of the beaches in Bate Bay copped a fair bashing. With piles of stinking kelp piling up and much of the sand been washed out to sea. Finally, the beaches have come back to normal and there have been a number of great gutters formed up from Elouera to Boat Harbour. Much further south at Garie and Stanwell Park beaches the erosion hasn’t happen like up at Cronulla. Try these beaches for bream, whiting, dart during the day and tailor, salmon and mulloway on those overcast days, early morning and late afternoons. Remember we are only allowed to go fishing for food and only with our immediate household. Don’t forget to keep those reports coming in to gbrown1@iprimus.com.au.

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MAY 2020

Mick and the author ventured down south for a nice drummer session before the lockdown.

Keep moving to find the fish BOTANY BAY

Gary Brown gbrown1@iprimus.com.au

Wow, what a few weeks of rain will do to any system that has been through a drought. Not only have the dams increased in capacity, the creeks, rivers and bays have had a fair bit of a clean out. Just as we all go into lockdown! But there are still plenty of opportunities to

and don’t forget to berley! Tom Mitchell from Botany reports that he and his brother have been getting a few luderick and trevally off the eastern side of Bare Island. Green cabbage and pilly tails have been the best baits. Lately I have been using the Neptune Fish Magnet Burley Pilchard Logs. Simply place it into a berley pot or bucket and tie it to the side of your boat, or just put it into your berley pot on your boat.

and oils from tuna will get into the water. Mulloway can at times be pretty hard to get. You need to spend time on the water and note down when, where and what you caught your mulloway on. Baldface Point, Kangaroo Point, Tom Uglys, Como and Captain Cooks bridges are all great places to fish for mulloway. I have found that the best time to fish for them is about an hour either side of the

Mark Olsen came aboard to give me a few tips on how to use my new 12” Lowrance HDS Live sounder and he managed a couple of bream on hardbodied lures. catch your dinner and keep your social distancing. By now the kingfish and flathead bite in the bay would have slowed down. There will still be plenty of bream, trevally, salmon, tailor and bonito up for grabs. It will be just a matter of moving about a bit if you can’t find them. If you have never fished the bay before, I would try places like trevally alley, the end of the third runway, the drums, the oil wharf and wide off Towra, if you are fishing out of a boat. For those of you that are fishing off the shore I would try Frenchmans Beach, Bare Island, Silver Beach at Kurnell, the NE corner in Yarra Bay, the breakwall at the entrance to the Cooks River, Dolls Point and the southern and northern ends of the Captain Cook and Tom Uglys Bridges. Using whole and half pilchards, peeled Hawkesbury River prawns, piece of chicken breast, strips of mullet and pudding baits would be the go,

them live. I will cube with small pieces of pilchards. I had my first go at trolling (2 hours) large hardbodied lures for mulloway in Botany Bay, but with no success. This is not going to deter me as I know that I have the right lures, went at the right time of the tide and was trolling at the right speed, and there was plenty of bait fish around. I reckon that I will need to put in a lot of hours on the water before I have success. Further upstream in the Georges River the bream tournament anglers have been pulling in a few bream along the rock wall downstream of Lugarno, upstream of the Alfords Point Bridge, the Moons, Picnic Point and at the base of the Milperra Bridge. ZMan 2.5” GrubZ and Slim SwimZ, Gulp 2” Shrimps, Cranka Crabs and Pro Lure hardbodied lures have been working well. You need to make sure that you are fishing as close as possible to the rock walls and edges to get more bites. Try fishing the mangrove edges in the Woronora River for bream, mullet, garfish and flathead. Lightly weighted prawns and pink nippers would be my first choice. Pilly tails and strips of mullet would be my next go-to baits.

Plenty of bream and trevally are schooling up off the rocks, with the odd goodsized tarwhine mixed in with them. That’s unless it’s an overcast day, then I will venture out during the day. I use whole pilchards and garfish for the salmon and tailor, and strips of mullet and tuna are great for the rest. Offshore Scotty Lyons has been getting his clients into morwong, snapper, pigfish

and sand flathead while off the Wedding Cake Island at Coogee and way down south at the Humps. He has also been trolling his way to these spots and picking up bonito, salmon and the odd kingfish or two. Don’t forget to keep those emails coming to gbrown1@ iprimus.com.au.

The ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ in greasy prawn helped Gavin Maguire catch his first ever bream while fishing the flats. It’s a great way of attracting fish to your area. You can also chop the log into pieces, and mix it with chicken pellets or bread, as well as leftover bait or seafood. The natural blood

low or high tide. Baldface Point is good on the run-in, Kangaroo Point near the marker that is off to the north is good on both run-in and run-out. Anchor away from the marker and fish back to it. Tom Uglys, Como and Captain Cooks bridges are good on both run-in and run-out. You will just need to work out which pylon is holding the fish at particular time. I catch my own squid and use them either whole or in strips. Much the same as I do for kingfish. Whole and butterflied slimy mackerel, mullet and yellowtail are a good bait. You could also try

During the wild weather that we experienced when we had the floods, over the past few months some of the beaches north of Botany Bay copped a fair bashing. There was piles of stinking kelp and much of the sand had been washed out to sea. Finally, this has come back to normal and there have been a number of great gutters coming and going from Maroubra to Bondi Beach. Bream, whiting and dart are being caught during the day and if you are into fishing at night, there have been salmon, tailor, sharks and rays about. I prefer to fish at dawn and dusk for my salmon and tailor.

While fishing out at Broken Bay Wide off Sydney, Luke Galea scored this impressive bull mahimahi that weighed in at 16.5kg.

MAY 2020

Local lakes will still be producing good catches CANBERRA

Toby Grundy

This is a tough report to write. In many ways, the fishing in Canberra has never been better but with the advent of COVID-19, most anglers in the local region are choosing to stay home. This virus has had an enormous impact on the local fishing community with some tackle stores facing closure and many popular waterways closing intermittently to comply with social distancing laws. I canâ€™t stress enough how important it is, now more than ever, to shop local and support the people who support us in pursuing our passion. Most of the local tackle stores in the ACT and Queanbeyan have online ordering and are well placed to get anglers what they need so that they can fish the local waterways (which

performer in the cooler months, especially if fishing around low light periods. The spillway remains the best spot to target a big native with large vibes and medium sized spinnerbaits accounting for some cracking yellas over the last few weeks. There are schools of redfin sitting just off the points near the

Carp will readily take a lure right through May. they move from crevice to crevice. There have been plenty of massive redfin caught

Some of these articles were submitted prior to the COVID-19 fishing restrictions and may mention targeting fish that are not suitable for eating. Under the current restrictions, you may only fish for the purpose of eating your catch. Please be aware that the regulations may change after this magazine has gone to print and we strongly advise all anglers to check the rules in your state before leaving home. For further information go to: www.covid19.act.gov.au. of the lake. The Murrumbidgee River is fishing well and a few cracking cod have been landed by anglers fishing the faster water. Large plastics, medium sized swimbaits (like the Jackall Gantia) and spinnerbaits slow rolled around sunken rock have also accounted for some good-sized fish

good starting off point. The resident cod are also on the chew but are sitting deep, so to target these fish you

The river is starting to kick into gear.

still remain open). So shop local, order online and get out for a feed of fish. LOCAL LAKES Lake Burley Griffin is the place to be. This lake fishes particularly well through May when the larger golden perch come in close to the bank, feed up on small fish and big yabbies before returning to the deeper water in winter. These fish can be targeted with small jigs and blades, but by far the best method is casting a vibe out along a likely flat and then slow rolling the lure near the bottom. If there is a lot of rock along the bottom, even better as the goldens patrol these areas constantly through May, picking off yabbies as 70

MAY 2020

Golden perch are on the bite.

will need a kayak or boat and a good sounder. Lake Tuggeranong is really firing up. This lake has always been a proven

dog park and, as always, the area directly under the bridge is worth a look as all three lure targets regularly move through this part

recently with some almost touching the magic 50cm mark. These fish can be found in a variety of locations from the scattered willows, which line the banks along Lady Denman Drive, and in close like under the rowing jetties at Yarralumla Bay. Lake Ginninderra is my pick of the urban waterways during late autumn. There are always large golden perch feeding up along the weed edges and these fish canâ€™t refuse a soft plastic slow rolled parallel to the weed. Shallow running divers are also a good choice if after a large golden or good sized reddie, with the rock wall leading from the Police Jetty right round to the college being a

Vibes are working well on the resident goldens.

while a few anglers have also caught big numbers of small to medium sized golden perch using small vibes fished tight to the bank. SURROUNDS Anglers fishing Googong Dam have been provided with many memorable captures of late including several large cod up to 130cm. Most of these large cod have been landed by anglers targeting golden perch on small vibes and using deep jigging tactics. Therefore, it pays to upsize your terminal tackle if hitting the dam and ensure line and leader are 20lb+. Plenty of big goldens have also been caught by boat and land-based anglers, while the ever present reddie population has kept anglers entertained in between the natives. These fish also taste great and should be taken home for feed.

FUN PAGE AND COMPETITIONS EDIBLE CATCHES IN AUSTRALIA S

K M M U

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MULLET MULLOWAY NANNYGAI PRAWNS QUEENFISH REDFIN SNAPPER SQUID THREADFIN TUNA WHITING

Name: Address:

P/Code: Phone (day):

The first correct entry at the end of each month will win the prize pack. SEND ENTRIES TO: FMM Find-a-word Competition, PO box 3172, Loganholme Qld 4129

FMM MAY 2020

BARRAMUNDI BREAM CRABS CRAYFISH DHUFISH FLATHEAD GUMMY SHARK KINGFISH LUDERICK MACKEREL MAHIMAHI MARRON

GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

FIND-A-WORD

The Find-a-Word prize winners for March are: M Couchman of Roma, B Sanson of Melrose Park, O Sorell of Prahran, L Doecke of Byford. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – FMM

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE

The subscriber prize winners for March are: P Cinotta of Tinana, B New of Pagewood, M Lewellyn of Wangaratta and J McAlinden of Greenwood. All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – FMM

FIND THE ZMAN LOGO

The Find the ZMan Logo prize winners for March were: Queensland: R Waters of Temora, J Carvolth of Peak Crossing, R Treacy of Frenchville, K Bennett of Doonan, R Durie of Holt, D Allen of Moggill, R Davis of Sarina,J Goody of Mt Berryman, A Remfrey of Rothwell, J Boneham of Eight Mile Plains, M Gillett of Boonah, O Dillmann of Southbrook, K Martin of Dalby, D Hutchins of Bundaberg, R Elworthy of North Bundaberg, A Kross of Glenvale, H Morrison of Forbes, J Drew of Burrum Heads, D Davison of Guyra, J Northam of Worongary, C Robinson of Edmonton, B Adams of Bongaree, D McClurg of Boondall, G Anderson of Emu Park, C Renz of Crestmead, K Goodman of Mount Morgan, C Couper of Chinchilla, E Lezuchowski of Darra, K Williams of North Mackay, I Hamson of Conondale, K Edwards of East Innisfail, P Moody of Kingston, A Tretter of Ocean View, O Noffke of Kulangoor, J Bugno of Bardon, J Rasmussen of Frazerview, B Barratt of Bucca, M Hever of Childers, C Hendry of Imbil, B Rosenthal of Thornlands. New South Wales: B Laurenson of The Bight, F Bubas of Albion Park, J Szabo of Penrith, T Cosgrove of Girraween, I Donaldson of Cessnock, K Thompson of Ermington, D Turner of Kincumber,B Gorham of Toronto, M Beckett of Woollamra, N Chamberlain of Goulburn, G Tasker of Belfield, A Hoss of

Complete the Find the Word and go in the draw to win a Fishing Monthly Prize Pack containing a limited edition neck scarf and a Fishing Monthly environmentally-friendly tote bag.

SPOT THE

Darawank, P Gravina of Glenhaven, R Chown of Glendenning, P Lyneham of Fern Bay, E Owens of Banks, G Walsh of Greystanes, I Dando of Tuggerawong, N Webster of Richmond, B Bell of Wodonga, D Sullivan of Aberdeen, J Wicks of Cootamundra, D Hohnberg of Trangie, D Burgess of Elermore Vale, J Vincent of Beechwood, D Drayton of Moore Creek, S Roweth of Millthorpe, B Weiss of Hughes, D Farrawell of Port Macquarie, S Chapple of Nambucca Heads, J Morante of Wauchope, R Webster of Booral, T Polley of Tinonee, C Anthony of Heatherton, D Reeves of Windsor, I Salmon of Basin View, J Smith of Kelso, P Bak of Denman Prospect, B Newham of Penrith, M Wettelano of Boorooma Victoria and Tasmania: M Adams of Grahamvale, J Sherman of Enfield, R Coombes of Vermont, J McKeown of Langwarrin, P Hutcheson of Moe, M Stevens of Alfredton, J Booth of Miners Rest,A Melis of Reservoir, R Newton of Wangaratta, L Greaves of Doreen, R Price of Mildura, R Waters of Temora, B Bell of Wodonga, C White of Geelong West, G Bell of Mernda, T Darker of Daylesford, D Culshaw of Banyo, D Hill of Cranbourne North, D Dunn of Warrnambool, D Coltish of Tatura, S Ward of Curlewis, M Forys of Indented Head, G Ball of Tatura, A Durante of Randwick, H Siesmaa

of Ferntree Gully, R Holley of Murchison, W Johnson of Morwell, G Thomson of Geelong North, R Pool of Invergordon, C Adams of Echuca, K Sutherland of Drysdale, S Roweth of Millthorpe, C Peeters of Colac, S Waters of Prahran, R Drendel of Mt Helen, J Smith of Carranballac, G Carroll of Euroa, N Bryant of North Albury, N Brown of Belmont, C Mehir of Belmont. Western Australia: D Culshaw of Banyo, S Cameron of Tyndale, D Werder of Dawesville, L Gibbs of Boulder, J Hislop of Yokine, K Lockwood of Rockingham, A Hogan of Parmelia,N Martin of Winthrop, B Jacobs of Safety Bay, G Higgins of Eaton, C Carey of Bentley, A Honey of Oldbury, N Robinson of Dowerin, J Curley of Falcon, L Doecke of Byford, M Howlett of Collingwood Heights, B Barwick of Wandina, P Dunlop of Capel, C Walker of Canning Vale, M Curry of Ballajura, I Jones of Dunsborough, S Szabo of Albany, G Uren of Ballajura, M Pforr of Bicton, K Cowton of Mount Helena, G Duncan of Duncraig, R Stoddart of Denmark, P Baskerville of Glenfield, B Piercey of Eaton, K Andrews of Kalgan, I Macleod of Busselton, R Coddington of Hillarys, L Zaremba of Little Grove Prizes delivery can take up to 8 weeks. – FMM

10 DIFFERENCES

ORIGINAL

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS

The answers to Find the ZMan Logo for March were: Queensland: 11, 12, 16, 24, 26, 31, 36, 41, 46, 50, 58, 62, 69, 90, 96. New South Wales: 8, 14, 18, 26, 31, 34, 39, 41, 47, 55, 69, 72, 75, 78, 84. Victoria and Tasmania: 8, 13, 18, 22, 25, 32, 40, 42, 50, 54, 57, 60, 65, 80, 83. Western Australia: 8, 10, 13, 15, 19, 22, 25, 26, 31, 33, 34, 47, 59, 51, 55. MAY 2020

No hiding in the cold climate WEST COAST

Brett Carson

Traditionally, anglers have targeted mulloway in the warmer months with an ‘r’ in them (like yabbies), however, we

freshwater spring fed creeks, like 8 Mile Creek and Deep Creek. In years gone by, we have targeted the 50lb specimens that cruised the large kelp beds while hunting the masses of bait that are there. When the Glenelg mouth is in good

feeds –even just one catch for the night can feed the family a few times. The beach sunsets are often inspiring and when the sun starts disappearing the fishing can turn on. Sauries are a great surf bait that are oily and hold together, we also sell a lot of frozen mullet to the surf fishos too as the sharks seem to love them. Bream and perch are fishing well with the perch surface bite still a thing, some are using small live bait to target them below a float. The snags up river are holding large perch that smash the lures and bait and head for home the second

they hit. You may need to upsize the leader to try and beat the snags, depending on how heavy the country is that you are fishing. The day time tides in autumn are a great time to target the bream in the estuary, as the blue water pushes in. Crabs are the best to weed out the smaller fish. Pod worms will match-thehatch in the area, as the bream will be naturally digging for these tasty little morsels in the sand banks as the tide stirs the sand. If the state border restrictions are lifted, May is the last chance to go over to South Australia for a feed of crayfish, as the season Jack with a healthy cray taken while snorkelling.

Charlie with a 38cm bream taken on podworms. now have better ways of finding and targeting fish in the cold water. Vibes changed deep-water lure fishing and sounders leave nothing to chance when exploring fishing spots. The last few years we have had exceptional fishing in the colder months. Summer through to April is the time of the year that large schools of mulloway congregate in the bays of the nearby South Australian Coast, often around the

condition, at the end of summer/early autumn, those large specimens can swim up with the bait schools and make for a bumper winter. The surf has fished exceptional of late with stories of awesome gummy and schoolie catches throughout the area. It’s a great place to cut your teeth and, with this area’s abundant untouched coastline, there is so much ground to explore. The average size of the fish caught will provide a few

Laurie landed his first gummy in the Nelson surf.

ends at the conclusion of the month. Drop nets are a simple way to target them when the sea is flat, if you don’t want to purchase a yearly pot licence or expensive snorkelling gear and gloves. It’s funny how holding a crayfish that’s prickling your hand is bearable when you love the taste. I’ve poked one inside my wetsuit before and while he took the skin off my guts, I grabbed another. I’m chubby and food tends to steel my nerve. So don’t put away the rods yet, the fish haven’t read the

news and don’t give a rats about dunny paper. Stay safe and do the right thing! • So good luck and feel free to come and see us at Nelson Boat Hire for the latest info, we have the local “live bait licence” meaning we stock live mullet, crabs and pod worms along with all the frozen bait, tackle and lures you need for the area. We’ll do our best to give you some local knowledge and get you on the fish quicker. Remember you can hire any of our boats without a boat licence, including our very popular houseboat.

Salmon set to soar WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

In these crazy times, the importance of our pastime in keeping us sane has never been more evident. So let’s forget about what’s going on in the world for a minute and talk fishing. The Hopkins River

still remains open to the sea and has continued to fish well. Normally it closes over summer but this hasn’t been the case this year, with the constant tidal exchange perhaps being a contributor to the good fishing experienced there recently. Bream have been taken in good numbers, with just enough 40cm+ fish encountered to keep things interesting.

Luke Gercovich with 45cm of surface lure boofing estuary perch. 72

MAY 2020

Mulloway have been a little quiet, with most captures being incidental ones whilst fishing for bream, rather than being about in the numbers to specifically target them. Estuary perch have been responding to black crickets fished on the surface during calm evenings. Keen lure casters have also been getting in on the action using surface lures that imitate the struggling insect on the surface. The implosion of a decent perch on your lure when you least expect it certainly gets the heart racing, particularly if it’s in the dark. May is often a great month to target the EP in the freshwater as they begin feeding up and moving down to the estuary in the winter months. With isolation rules applying and the snakes in hibernation, it’s an excellent time to get out a canoe or wander the banks of a nearby freshwater waterway. The trout should be well and truly firing come May, as there have been a few good fish encountered over the past few months whenever we have had a cooler spell with a bit of rain. As always minnow style hardbodies and plastics

May is usually a good time to target Australian salmon. will do the damage at this time of year. Tuna seem to be making the transition from inshore, summer behaviour to more traditional tuna behaviour and depths. It will be interesting to see what happens this tuna season, as there will surely be fewer boats on the water with travel restrictions in place. King George whiting and squid have been popular inshore targets in autumn, but whiting generally slow down by May. Last winter was a very quiet for salmon fishers. May is often a time when

they fire up, particularly in places like Killarney, Point Fairy beaches and the Warrnambool breakwater.

Hopefully this winter will see a few more big schools of this exciting sports fish around.

These articles were submitted prior to the COVID-19 stage 3 lockdown restrictions so will contain advise on fishing that is no longer accessible. We fully support any government restrictions and their decision to stop recreational fishing to halt the spread of the virus. However, the nature of any crisis response is fluid and ever-changing, so we have made the decision to print the reports in the hope that if regulations alter you will have all the fishing information on hand. We strongly advise all anglers to check the rules in your state before leaving home. For further information go to: www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus.

Hoodlums at Hopkins COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

Sizeable bream, many exceeding a 1kg, are still being caught in the Hopkins River. Dawn and dusk, and after dark seem to be the prime times to wet a line. During daylight hours many anglers are landing fish that are barely legal-size, with the bigger ones keeping mum. Popular spots at the shallow mud flats, such as next to Mahoneys Road, the fence that is just upstream of the Institute, and Rowans Flats.

Soft plastics cast towards the bank and worked back to the boat are proving successful. So too are surface lures, and we are talking depths as shallow as 50cm! Bream are burrowing into the mud looking for tasty morsels and sometimes can be seen ‘tailing’ or disturbing the water’s surface tension as they hunt for food. Bank anglers have been getting a few from in and around the Institute and from Rowans Lane. Hang back from the water’s edge so as not to spook any fish and cast out only 3-4m with baits, such as crab and brown shell.

Again, the best times are in low light hours. It seems in late March, early April we have had a run of King George whiting. This is not unusual and should last throughout the month. By May, most of the fish will move out to much deeper water for the winter awaiting the next season. Port Campbell Pier and Warrnambool breakwater has seen fish to 39cm landed on a variety of baits, including softened squid meat, pipi and mussel meat. Land-based spots, such as Newfields and Worm Bay, should be also

White water areas along the coastline can hold good fish that love to feed in wash, such as sweep. However, they are tricky to fish from a boat.

The Port Campbell jetty is a top spot for land-based anglers chasing a plethora of saltwater species, but you need to avoid the crowds. firing, especially on a rising tide. Kelp worm is also a top bait and can be found in the sand under clumps of washed up kelp at low tide but remember that digging implements, such as shovels, are banned. A pair of sturdy gloves is what’s needed to dig down. Adding berley into the mix can only improve the bite. The inshore reefs and bommies are currently holding good schools of sweep to over 2kg. The odd pinkie snapper along with rock cod, morwong and leatherjackets are also being taken. Best baits have been soft baits, with pipi and craytail the favourites. Hosiery elastic is needed here

to keep the bait on the hook. Most of these spots can only be accessed via boat. Keep a vigilant eye on the sea while keeping the motor running is the only safe way to fish these bommies. So, unfortunately the skipper must miss out on playing a fish. Plenty of schooling southern bluefin tuna are being taken along our coastline and not too far offshore either. These fish are smaller in size and weight compared to what’s been caught in the recent past, but still put up a great fight on medium gear and are the perfect size for the table. Diving flocks of seabirds working the surface

are the dead giveaway for a school of tuna mass feeding on sauries or mackerel. Surface lures worked in and around the school are picking up a few fish. There’s also plenty of yellowtail kingfish about and often they can be lurking nearby a school of feeding tuna. Plenty are being caught on minnow lures trolled and cast, but jigging seems to be the way to catch a few with knife jigs the go apparently. Again, as with the tuna the average size of the fish caught seems to have fallen with many ‘rats’ being caught as opposed to the larger hoodlums.

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ColaC • Ballarat • Camperdown • Hamilton • pensHurst • GeelonG • melBourne • warrnamBool MAY 2020

Winter wonderland – kayak flats fishing BRISBANE

Justin Willmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

With everything moving so quickly it’s hard to know where we will be at in terms of lockdowns and restrictions when you read this, however I can assure you that wherever we are at, fishing and kayak fishing is going to be a big part of my life and my day-to-day activities.

reels, tidy up your kayak and maybe do some fitout, such as rod holders, anchor running rig, mounting a sounder, or adding other mounts and accessories. If you do find yourself in lockdown don’t forget about your fishing buddies, friends and family. Stay in touch on social media, set up some chat groups, video chat and phone each other. Check in with and check up on others. If we’re not in lockdown then kayak fishing is one

that I may infect. If you are further from the water, then you have other aspects to consider, such as fuel stops, launch points and so forth. If the level of risk starts to increase as you break down the adventure you have in mind, you may be better tinkering in the shed, getting some casting practice around the yard, joining some yak forums and groups, watching some fishing videos and spending time with the people that you are already

The cooler months sees an influx of fringefin trevally. What winter species turn up in your local? I launched to an absolute glass out and paddled to some flats that are exposed at low tide. I was fishing the last of the run in and first of the run out, with about 1-1.5m of water covering the flat. When fishing these flats, I look for bait activity and structure. Bait flicking or swimming quickly is a giveaway that there are

A simple setup ready for a kayak flats session. Fishing and kayak fishing are inexpensive activities that are good for our physical and mental health and will be an important part of our lives moving forward in what will be a damaged economy.

of the best ways to get some vitamin D, fresh air, a fresh feed of fish and some headspace. The key thing here is common sense and someone said to me, think like you have the virus and

After a few fringefin trevally it was nice to connect with a bream.

A dry bag is excellent for storing your soft plastics wallet and other fishing tackle. Lockdown doesn’t mean trapped at home, hopefully it means safe at home and you will have time to sort your fishing tackle, service

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act accordingly. For me, I am lucky enough to carry the kayak across the road, launch and have zero contact with anyone or anything

Under the current COVID-19 restrictions, you may fish for the purpose of eating your catch in most states except for Victoria, which has an outright ban on ALL recreational fishing. Social distancing must be obeyed. Please be aware that the regulations may change after this magazine has gone to print and we strongly advise all anglers to check the rules in your state before leaving home. MAY 2020

in contact with. Winter is almost upon us and this is one of my favourite times of the year for fishing. Prepare for the conditions and you can find the systems loaded with bait and in turn fish, the fish feeding aggressively, and we are also blessed with some amazing glassy days at this time of year. Here’s a quick wrap up on a recent adventure fishing the flats, along with ten quick tips for kayak fishing the flats in winter, a prime time to be exploring and fishing this shallow water, winter wonderland. I generally define the flats as areas that are out of water at low tide and covered by a rising tide, however it may be an area of shallow water, with a relatively flat bottom that is covered at all stages of the tide.

JUSTIN’S FLATS TACKLE BOX Okuma Cerros 7’ 2-4kg Spin Rod Okuma Epixor EPXT-20 Spinning Reel Platypus Platinum Braid – 6-10lb Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader – 10lb ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ – motor oil, midnight oil, baby bass, bad shad and pink glow TT Lures DemonZ Jigheads – 1/6oz 1/0 and 1/4oz 1/0 Pro-Cure Super Gel Scent – pilchard, mullet, inshore saltwater and saltwater yabby predators in the area, so get a cast in there. Structure on the other hand may seem less obvious as you may be fishing a football field size area of water. You need to pay attention to what the water is doing and utilise a pair of quality polarised sunglasses so that you can see through the surface glare and note what is below the surface. Water movement can create current lines, eddies and other indicators of structure and depth changes below the surface. These can be worth focussing on.

Your sunnies will help you locate less obvious structure below the surface such as rubble patches, channel edges, timber snags and depressions in the bottom. One of my favourite types of structure is weed beds, which are easily identifiable as the dark colour changes where the bottom moves from sand and mud to patches of eel grass. These weed beds hold bait, such as crabs, prawns and baitfish, which in turn attract predatory species. I position the kayak so that I am drifting at about

A short handled net comes in handy for landing and handling fish.

a 45-degree angle, fanning casts around the front and to the side of the kayak. I will cast ahead or across the drift and I generally fish a ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ as a search bait, rigged on a 1/4oz 1/0 TT Lures DemonZ jighead. Casting behind the drift means you are dragging the plastic, losing control of its action and it presents less natural. Regardless of whether the wind or tide is powering the drift, I always cast ahead of the drift or across the drift, but still ahead. This jighead may seem heavy for some in 1-1.5m of water, however it allows me to cast long, hop the lure a couple of times once it hits the water and then commence a slow roll, with the rod tip up a little. If the lure is hitting the weed, speed up a little or

fish it went ballistic, I saw the lure fly through the air, while the flathead was doing its best to leap from the net. A bit of wrestling and the fish was soon in the net and dispatched into the icebox that was strapped to the rear well of the kayak. Once the tide turned the bite shut down, which can often happen. At times the fish will want to eat on the outgoing tide, at other times it’s the incoming tide, so it often pays to fish a tide change. I haven’t looked into the science of it too much, however it probably has to do with variables such

This was not a bream or a flathead, by the head shakes and speed of the runs and soon enough I saw a trevally surface out from the kayak. Of course, it saw me also, so that meant another three or four solid surges before I had it in the net, unhooked and released. It was only around 45cm, however these guys always put up a great fight on light gear. That was enough for me and I called it after what had been an excellent flats session, landing half a dozen bream, a couple of flathead including one for dinner, and a few trevally.

Everything you’ll need on board. prepared for the stinky slime they leave everywhere. By this point in time I was thinking I was due for a good bream, so I moved further

the flat, I cast along the drop off, allowed the plastic to sink and then commenced a hop, slow roll and pause retrieve. The Slim SwimZ

Up close on that deadly little baitfish imitation.

A solid handful of bream on the goto ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ.

Flathead are another flats favourite and this one was invited home for dinner.

along the flat to fish a deeper edge, loaded with weed and dugong! I had dugong popping up all around me

10 TIPS FOR FISHING THE FLATS 1. The tide is your friend – use it to cover water as you drift. 2. Throw long casts ahead of and across the drift. 3. Target the tide change and either side of the high tide. 4. Keep your ears and eyes open for bait being harassed. 5. Smaller lure presentations will attract a wider variety of species. 6. If there is no activity on the flat, move further along or change flats. 7. Add scent to your lure to attract fish and trigger strikes. 8. Structure is key, so keep an eye out for depth changes, weed, rock, etc. 9. Mix up your retrieves until you find what is working – speed, depth, action. 10. Don’t forget the net! That will be the day that you hook that monster flathead. lift the rod tip slightly. Fish are up on the flat to feed, so they don’t mind a little speed in the retrieve, and this allows you to cover water until you find active fish. If I receive a bite, I continue the retrieve at the same speed and the fish will generally hit multiple times until they find the hook. If you prefer to fish lighter and slower, you may wish to drop your jighead weight down to a 1/8oz or 1/6oz. I will occasionally slow the retrieve, when I find an area

of active fish, however I then generally switch to the Ned Rig, casting a ZMan 2.5” TRD CrawZ or 2.75” TRD BugZ rigged on a 1/10oz TT Lures NedlockZ jighead. On this occasion the little paddle-tail did the job though, with a fringefin trevally the first aboard, followed by another, then a small flathead, a small bream and another fringefin. These are just one of the species that turn up on the flats in winter and they are great fun on light gear, just be

and as cool as these guys are to watch, I didn’t want to ride one. Making casts to bait disturbances I was soon rewarded with a nice bream, followed by another and then a couple more. I was fishing a little deeper and so had slowed the retrieve a little, allowing the plastic to swim closer to the bottom before pausing, adding a couple of hops and continuing. Most hits came as I commenced the retrieve again following the pause. Drifting off the edge of

was again nailed by a fish and this one felt pretty solid. After a few good runs I saw colour on a decent flathead and immediately started telling it to stay on, stay on, as it was going to be dinner. As I slid the net under the

as tide heights, bait in the system, water quality and clarity, moon phases and the million other variables that we deal with as anglers. I guess the main take out is to allow yourself at least an hour of fishing either side of a tide change. It sometimes pays to move along the flat or change to another flat if it’s not happening, and that’s what I did. I moved to a windblown weed flat that had about a metre of water over it and was rewarded second cast with a solid hook set and blistering run.

This type of fishing can be simple, fun and productive, often producing a mixed bag of species, including a few surprises. Next time you have a few hours up your sleeve, get out on the flats and have a crack. If circumstances mean that we are unable to fish, then it’s time to ready the gear, fit out the kayak and investigate what flats are available in your local area, because fishing is at the heart of Australia and we will be back on the water soon. Fish on! See you on the water.

Trevally are awesome fun on light gear, especially when hooked on shallow flats. MAY 2020

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