CATCH MORE FISH THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
Boating & Kayaking • •
New
A beginner’s guide to props D ouble christening the yak and SUP
FIND THE
LOGO COMPETITION
Features Casting for cod B each fishing for whiting C hristmas gift ideas
• • •
Tried & Tested
Formosa 550 SRT with Suzuki 150hp • Stessl 480 Trophy with 60hp Honda •
December, 2019 Fishing Monthly G R O U P
issuu.com/fishingmonthly
fishingmonthly
Fishing Monthly Magazines
Registered by Australian Post Publication No: 100003848
www wp.fishingmonthly.com.au FishingMonthly
$6.95 (GST inc.)
• AVAILABLE NOW •
HVF Nanoplus blank construction Next Gen. X45 for extreme casting distance 3DX for added durability and lifting power Fuji DPS reel seat with locking nut Fuji MNSG and KWSG SiC Guides Tapered Foregrip - more comfortable and high grip Technique specific actions 6 Jigging and 9 Casting models in the range
www.daiwafishing.com.au
READY READY FOR FOR YOUR YOUR MOST MOST CONFIDENT CONFIDENT CAST CAST YET? YET?
JOIN THE CLUB
READY FOR YOUR MOST CONFIDENT CAST YET?
JOIN THE CLUB
9˝ 9˝
ECHOMAP™™ UHD 95SV WITH ULTRA HIGH-DEFINITION SCANNING SONAR ECHOMAP UHD 95SV WITH ULTRA HIGH-DEFINITION SCANNING SONAR
KEYED-ASSIST PRELOADED MAPPING WITH KEYED-ASSIST PRELOADED MAPPING TOUCHSCREEN NAVIONICS® DATA -WITH BLUECHART® G3
BUILT-IN ACTIVECAPTAIN®® APP READY ® BUILT-IN QUICKDRAW CONTOURS ACTIVECAPTAIN WITH BUILT IN APP WI-FIREADY
TOUCHSCREEN NAVIONICS® DATA - BLUECHART® G3 QUICKDRAW CONTOURS WITH BUILT IN WI-FI® © 2019 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. © 2019 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance.
BUILT-IN BUILT-IN PANOPTIX™ SUPPORT
PANOPTIX™ SUPPORT
ACTIVE TRANSOM
TRUE SELFDRAINING DECKS
$6.95
RRP (GST inc.)
December 2019, Vol. 25 No.5
Contents 18
28
From the Editor’s Desk...
68
Website: www.wp.fishingmonthly.com.au Managing Editor: Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au Editorial Manager: Jacqui Thomas Sub-Editors: Nicole Penfold Bob Thornton Lucette Eggleton Publishers: Steve Morgan Matthew Drinkall
Printing: APN – Print Production: Keith Hawley Karen Millward Distribution: Gordon & Gotch Pty Ltd Subscriptions: Kym Rowbotham Office Manager: Marie Dykstra
TO SUBSCRIBE SEE PAGE 61 FIND THE ZMAN LOGO COMPETITION PAGE 103 New South Wales Fishing Monthly magazine goes on sale the first week of each month (latest sale date 7th of the month).
Published by:
Qld Fishing Monthly Pty Ltd ABN 72-010-542-195 IN
G
FISH
IN
G
’
TU
RE
All material is © copyright, and cannot be reproduced in part or in full, by any means, without written permission of the Managing Editor. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.
FU
SUBSCRIPTION HOTLINE FREECALL 1800 228 244
Rhys Creed with a 122cm Murray cod caught casting an Ignite Cod Fury 220 early in the morning at Blowering Dam. A Tallis Cotterill image.
S
Annual Subscriptions: $65 for twelve issues (GST inc.) Make cheques payable to Queensland Fishing Monthly PO Box 3172 LOGANHOLME QLD 4129
OUR OUR COVER COVER
A
LI
Advertising: Ph: (07) 3387 0800 Fax: (07) 3387 0801 Copy and materials should be sent direct to: ads@fishingmonthly.com.au
Advertising Sales: Ph: (07) 3387 0800 Rob Gaden rgaden@fishingmonthly.com.au
Come and visit Fishing Monthly Group’s official Facebook page for all your monthly fishing information. Download QR Reader to access.
ION
Phone: (07) 3387 0800 Fax: (07) 3387 0801
SINCE 1994
96
AT
Business Office: Unit 1, 11 Knobel Court, Shailer Park, Qld, 4128
73
CI
NEW SOUTH WALES FISHING MONTHLY
We’ll all be away for those two weeks, so if you’re after a gift subscription for Christmas or a Carl Jocumsen jersey, get your orders in by 12 December. Kym and Marie in the front of house will be happy to get you hooked up with what you want. If you’ve left it too late, you can still buy gift subscriptions on iSubscribe right through the holidays. Just look at the most popular magazines on the Boating and Fishing section – you’ll find us at the top! From all of us at the Fishing Monthly offices, thank you for your business throughout the year and for keeping a small, independent local publisher that prints in Australia going. We still love doing it – even if it’s a heavier workload than before.
N
O
48
as a brick and just about as clever as one, my kids (10 and 11) love nothing more than a stick, line, #14 hook and bread sight-casting to toadfish. I reckon that it comes down to the visual aspect. I’m a dead set sight-fishing addict. It doesn’t matter if it’s a carp or a tuna, if I can see it eat, I throw at it. The kids are the same. If they can walk along and see the prey and then try to catch it, it triggers something primal in all of us. They’re definitely not a big or prestigious fish, but I see them learning lessons about how to stalk and present to a fish and be patient enough to catch it. So that’s what we may well do lots of in the two week break where we shut the office down over Christmas. Watching cricket and chasing the ultimate river toadfish bite.
CT
things include events, video content, websites and web stores. And by default we need to volunteer to help the industry in other ways. Currently I serve on the Australian Fishing Trade Association (AFTA) and Australian Recreational Fishing Federation (ARFF) boards. All voluntary. Sometimes it leaves little time for fishing and little time for family. With a hefty away-from-home calendar each year, it’s sometimes great to get the time to spend simple times with the kids on a riverbank. And with mulloway, threadfin salmon, bream, bull sharks and catfish in my local, do you know what the kids want to catch most? Toadfish… Those little brown toadies – the ones that swim around the shore looking to mop up whatever has dropped in. As hydronamic
TE
Every year, it seems as though we become more busy. Fishing Monthly is no exception. We all seem to be working harder for the same rewards. There’s thirteen employees at the Fishing Monthly head office who work hard to put out 48 monthly magazines each year – the Qld, NSW, Vic/Tas and WA Fishing Monthlies are the biggest state-based monthly magazines in their respective regions. But modern magazine publishing has its challenges. It’s not like it was 20 years ago when there was a stream of companies wanting to spend their marketing budgets with you. The modern publisher has had to become multi-skilled. Nowadays, we don’t just make magazines, we make magazines and other things. The other
RA
6
DECEMBER 2019
12
AUST
REGULAR FEATURES Back to Basics 26 Cooking 51 Dam Levels 70 Fun Page 60 Fly Fishing 75 Tide Times 89 Trade Directory 90 Tournament News 80 What’s New Boating 92 SPECIAL FEATURES Casting for cod 8 Beach fishing for whiting 48 Christmas gift ideas 62 PARTNER CONTENT Black Magic Masterclass 24 DPI Recreational Fishing News 59
9
PRO
BYRON COAST The Tweed 28 Ballina 30 Yamba 32 COFFS COAST Coffs Harbour 34 South West Rocks 36 MACQUARIE COAST The Hastings 38 Forster 39 Harrington-Taree 41 HUNTER COAST Hunter Coast 42 Port Stephens 44 Swansea 45 Erina 46 SYDNEY The Hawkesbury 12 Sydney North 13 Sydney Rock and Beach 14 Sydney 15 Botany Bay 18 Sydney South 20 Pittwater 22 ILLAWARRA COAST Illawarra 52 Nowra 53 BATEMANS COAST Narooma 54 Merimbula 55 Batemans Bay 56 EDEN COAST Bermagui 57 Mallacoota 58 Tathra 58 FRESHWATER Canberra 66 Batlow 68 Hunter Valley 69 Wagga Wagga 70 New England 71 Albury-Wodonga 72 Yarrawonga 72 Snowy Mountains 73 Robinvale 73 Lithgow-Oberon 74 BOATING AND KAYAK 91
FI
SH
ING TRADE
AS
S
Cod opening
Mastering the art of cod casting WAGGA WAGGA
Rhys Creed
Casting lures is becoming more and more popular, and in some locations it’s starting to overtake the once go-to method of trolling. Don’t get me wrong, trolling is a very successful technique that allows you to cover large amounts of water in the shortest timeframe. It also keeps your lure in the strike zone the entire time. However, in some situations casting is a more appropriate choice, and it’s also a more active technique that brings out more of the angler inside of us. It’s like an art form of constantly being
Mitch caught this chunky cod off the point behind him by sitting off the bank and casting directly in at the large rocks and snags that were submerged (Style 3). cod. Also, casting works! In this article I’m going to talk about the three main techniques or approaches I use
I’ll cover that rule in a minute. First, I want to explain the technique. To start with, you should position the boat out off the bank in your desired depth (which changes depending on the conditions, season, time of day and bank structure). For this example, let’s say we are working a steep rocky bank in 8m of water. Then, all you do is slowly move along the bank with your electric motor and cast
key lessons to help you on your future trips. Ensuring that you approach, analyse and use the correct technique is vital, and will result in more consistent success. STYLE 1: DIAGONAL CASTING TO BANK This first style is the most common and most popular, and for good reason: it’s simple, easy and it works. If you have cast for cod before, chances are you have probably used this technique. In saying that, there are some key rules to do it properly and many a time I’ve taken mates fishing and they have broken the number one rule!
when chasing impoundment cod. The process isn’t as straightforward as just casting, letting it sink and winding the lure back in. You can make it that simple, but the rewards won’t consistently follow. I’m also going to share a few other critical tips and
at a diagonal angle forward towards the bank (electric motors are vital; without one all these techniques are
which you’re travelling) you don’t have complete control over the lure. The reason for this is that the boat is
The author with a giant 122cm Murray cod that was caught working diagonally along a bank extremely slowly.
High quality sounders make a massive difference when it comes to this style of fishing. switched on to where we are casting, feeling the lure as it passes through the underwater battlefield, ensuring it’s in the strike zone and at the correct depth. Our awareness as an angler is heightened, and I believe that’s what drives us to cast lures – especially when it comes to chasing Murray
When you’re working along a bank, it’s important to cast diagonally forward.
This boat is positioned parallel to the bank just on the edge of the water clarity.
almost impossible to execute correctly). Most of the time you’ll want to land within a metre or two of the bank, especially if it’s a steeper bank. From there you work your lure back to the boat and continue the process. Now for the important rule. When using this technique, you must cast at a diagonal angle forward in the direction you are travelling. I’ll explain by telling you what happens when you don’t obey this rule. If you are to cast straight into the bank or back behind the boat (the opposite direction in
moving the opposite way and dragging your lure away from the structure, preventing it from sinking properly. You just cannot work the lure effectively nor naturally. If you cast your lure forward (and it only has to be slightly), you can allow it to sink without pressure and retrieve it with full control back to the boat. The next thing you might be wondering is how far forward you have to cast. This is where boat speed is critical. I prefer to work extremely slowly, because that way I have a long time
bassco boats
• Twin console • 5 metres • Front & rear casting decks • Huge storage lockers • Mercury 115 Pro XS
O ONLINE DE
bassco boats
RINCON
Built tough for serious anglers
Like the California point break it was named for, the Rincon has a classic West Coast straight bridge, wrapping style lines and edgy curved temples.
GREEN MIRROR: Enhanced vision and contrast for fishing inshore and on flats. • Copper Base • 10% light transmission
8
DECEMBER 2019
OPTIMAL USE:
ALSO AVAILABLE: • Sight fishing in full sun • High contrast
LOGO DESIGN
AT TEST VI BO
bassco boats
TO VIEW DE
CAN QR CO –S
• Centre console • Large front casting deck • Large centre rod locker
Contact Michael Boag
0417 545 593
• Centre console • Small front casting deck
Full pricing & specifications Bassco Boats
LOGO DESIGN
Cod opening to cast and retrieve, and I can work it right back to the boat properly and before the boat ‘overtakes’ my lure and starts dragging it. The slower you work (drive the boat along the bank) the less of an angle you have to cast (you can cast perpendicular in at the bank, with a slight angle). If you’re working quickly, you have to cast with more of an angle forward, but still at that diagonal angle. When do we use this style? You can use this style any time you like, and when working any type of structure. Rocky banks, standing timber, flat banks, gullies or creek beds – it will work on them all. It’s the most popular style, and is the one that I use most of the time. It’s the best way to cover lots of water and every depth, because you’re casting in shallow and working your lure out deep. It’s the go-to technique if you’re not sure what depth the fish are sitting in.
Working diagonally along a bank (Style 1) is the go-to technique. like Burrinjuck Dam. I just work nice and slow, and cast slightly diagonally forward. STYLE 2: PARALLEL CASTING The second casting style is underused and underrated when it comes to targeting
If you have a high quality downscan and sidescan sounder, you’ll get a much better view of what’s below you. When you first visit a new lake that you’ve never fished before or even a new section of the lake, it would be the technique I would use. I also use this technique about 95% of the time when working steep rocky banks in places
Murray cod. It is used a lot when chasing golden perch that school up and sit in specific depths, but most people don’t know that it can work just as well on cod. I’m guessing this technique doesn’t need much
explaining; you just hold your boat out from the bank and cast parallel or straight ahead. With this technique, the ‘working forwards’ rule still applies, although it’s almost impossible to get it wrong unless you start drifting backwards away from the lure. As you’re moving in the direction you’re casting, you’ll always maintain full control over your lure. When do we use this style? You won’t use this technique as much as the first one, but there are times when it works incredibly well. The main reason as to why you would cast parallel is when you know what depth the fish are sitting in, or you happen to know about a good ridge or line of structure that is sitting exactly in that depth along the bank. Usually, it’s the first reason. For example, you may have worked out that the hungry fish are sitting in 6m and you’re working a set of rocky points. Instead of wasting your time and casting in against the bank and only working the lure through that 6m mark occasionally, you may as well keep it there as long as possible by casting parallel.
One thing to note with this technique is that it will take longer for the lure to sink, especially if you’re fishing deeper than 6-7m of water.
flatter banks chasing giant cod, especially in the heart of winter. On these large, flat banks, you can find yourself a long way from the edge but it doesn’t mean you aren’t in the prime location. We know that the fish sit in the 3-5m mark, so we try to hold the boat in 4-5m and cast straight ahead of the boat. Because we are fishing shallow it doesn’t take too long for the lures to sink, and then we slow roll them back to the boat with a few pauses here and there. This is a prime technique for targeting big winter cod at night and early in the morning. STYLE 3: DIRECT CASTING TOWARDS A FEATURE POINT (POINT OF INTEREST) The last of the three techniques is casting at some sort of feature or point of interest that needs more attention than just a quick drive by. We use this technique
before moving on to the next spot. It isn’t a technique that you set out to use, it’s more of a change from Style 1 when you find these key areas. Best of all, it’s the simplest technique. You just hold the boat stationary out from the structure, and make your casts. Because you aren’t moving there aren’t any rules about where you cast, because no matter what you do you will always have full control over your lure. When do we use this style? I use this technique when fishing large boulders, points or rocky ledges that stand out from all the surrounding structure. Those are the key spots that catch your eye, and you know they must hold cod. I use this technique a lot at Burrinjuck Dam when I’m working the super steep rocky banks. One thing to note when casting at those steep banks
This boat is positioned in close to this rocky bank, and the angler is using the parallel technique (Style 2). This means you will lose a bit of your cast and time. You need to be patient and allow your lure to get to the bottom. I like to use this technique in places like Blowering Dam when I’m fishing the
when I come across a really steep or gnarly rocky point or a large set of submerged logs that I have found on the sounder – anything that basically screams cod and needs the time and casts
is that the technique is a little different from normal. These fish will be sitting tight in against the ledge, and the best way to target them is to cast your lure in as close To page 10
Subscribe to our daily emails and get $20 OFF your first order over $150
Australia’s only Fishing Tackle Daily Deals website
It’s as easy as... Follow us on:
@sneakyfisho
FREE
SHIPPING DISCOUNT CODE
for all orders over $120 Use: FM15 and get an extra RODS & LINE
15 % off
DECEMBER 2019
9
BLACK MAGIC
MASTER CLASS
/
W I T H PA U L L E N N O N
Going after the big bites While I love all styles of fishing, I have to admit these days I’m a trophy hunter and really enjoy honing in on the larger models of a particular species.
to fish this way then it’s important that when that fish of a lifetime does come along you’re ready for it. Everything needs to be covered from your bait presentation to your tackle.
apply, I’m just going to concentrate on a few of the more popular species LARGE PELAGICS Probably the best way to catch XOS pelagics like kings, cobia and Spanish mackerel is to troll live baits bigger then your typical slimy mackerel or yellowtail. Slow trolling a live bonito up to 1.5kg is a gun way to get connected to the real jumbo class models of these three species. If you’re serious about it I would run these on at least 24kg tackle with a 100lb Black Magic fluorocarbon leader. The fluorocarbon Black Magic makes is the best out there, providing unparalleled abrasion resistance, making it perfect for this style of fishing.
Big reds, like this 11kg specimen, love large butterflied baits. It’s then a matter of bridle rigging the live bonito onto a Black Magic GZ 9/0 live bait hook and slow trolling around the shallow reefs holding baitfish. When doing this to target
big Spanish mackerel, make sure you run a 60cm length of at least 80lb single strand wire from the hook to a swivel on your 100lb leader. A stinger hook should also be used by attaching
Butterflied baits work great on big snapper and mulloway, and the Black Magic C Point hooks are the perfect match for them. Doing this usually comes at the cost of less fishing action and takes a pigheaded attitude too not get disheartened by sometimes many fishless trips. If you are going
This typically means running bigger baits on heavier outfits and upsizing everything from the typical gear associated with that particular species. While there are many trophy fish fish out there where the above principals
This is a perfect bait for a monster kingfish, cobia or Spanish mackerel.
A trophy Spanish mackerel that ate a whole live bonito on the troll. 24
DECEMBER 2019
another short length of single strand wire from the eye of the GZ hook to another smaller hook or treble that will go in near the rear of the bonito. SNAPPER When bait fishing for trophy reds I like to run at least 30lb braid to a 40lb fluorocarbon leader and again use much bigger baits then normally associated with snapper. The Black Magic fluorocarbon is going to be your best defence against a rampaging red dragging you over the ledge as its abrasion resistance is second to none Butterflied baits like large yellowtail or slimy mackerel are my favourite to use. To do this, simply fillet the fish from the tail up on both sides and remove the backbone, leaving the head with two fillets still attached. I simply run a single 8/0
Black Magic C Point hook on this, which is fed through the nose an out the gill plate of the fish. For smaller yellowtail, slimy mackerel or squid around the 20cm hood size, I prefer to rig them whole on a snelled rig. Again, it’s very hard to go past Black Magic C Point hooks for snapper fishing and two 7/0 hooks snelled together through a whole bait won’t often miss the mark MULLOWAY While live baits are without a doubt your best chance to find that dream mulloway, the above described baits for big snapper are also adequate big mulloway dead baits. If you are using live baits, big is best and things like tailor, luderick or mullet to 1kg are awesome big fish baits. When fishing out of a boat straight up and down, I prefer to use a single circle Black Magic KLT 8/0 circle hook and pin the bait gently behind the head. If I’m fishing from the beach or rock walls I like to snell rig my live baits with two large 10/0 C Point hooks, one protruding from just behind the head and the other just before the tail. Big mulloway are not as dirty fighters as snapper and kings, and for most situations 30lb braid with a 40lb Black Magic leader is fine, even on the biggest models. The exception to this is when fishing around structure like rock walls and bridges. Here mulloway can become a totally differently animal, so upping braid size to around 50lb and leader size to 60lb Black Magic fluorocarbon is a better option.
THERE’S A FINE LINE BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR FISH... PICK ONE YOU CAN TRUST.
• superior abrasion resistance • almost invisible in water • excellent bite detection • 15lb - 120lb
• excellent abrasion resistance • low visibility in clear water • great bite detection • 20lb - 400lb
• high abrasion resistance • low visibility in murky water • high shock absorption • 20lb - 150lb
Check out our extensive range of quality tackle at www.blackmagictackle.com or follow us on
• high abrasion resistance • low visibility in clear water • high shock absorption • 20lb - 200lb
@blackmagictackle.com
FUN PAGE AND COMPETITIONS FISHY CHRISTMAS FILMS
DTD - REAL FISH OITA
A CHRISTMAS CORAL THE SNAPPER CLAUSE LIVIES ACTUALLY
NUTCRABBER
PELAGIC EXPRESS
LET IT SOLE
HOME ABALONE
JACKS FROST
A CHRISTMAS DORY
RUDOLPHIN
THE GRUNTER
EELF
FRY HARD
WRASSE CHRISTMAS
WHITE FISHMAS
SILENT NANNYGAI
Name: Address:
P/Code:
The first correct entry at the end of each month will win the prize pack. SEND ENTRIES TO: NSW Find-a-word Competition, PO box 3172, Loganholme Qld 4129
NSW DECEMBER 2019
Phone (day):
GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy
The ‘Real Fish Oita’ is an incredible, award winning squid jig manufactured in Europe by leading Croatian company - DTD. Taking out the coveted ‘best new product’ in its class at the EFTTEX 2015 Expo in Warsaw, this wonderful range is now available in Australia through Dogtooth Distribution. The product imitates real fish species. This coupled with DTD’s use of only the highest grade materials available, ensures great balance and results in superior catching ability. With the unique ‘fish parasite’ feature, aimed at luring predators in for an ‘easy kill’, these truly unique jigs are set to explode into the Australian market. FEATURES - Double weight system with inner weight designed to produce sound while squid jig is in action. COLOURS - 7 different designs representing popular fish species. ADDITIONAL - Luminous body, fish parasite, great balance, sound effect, quality stainless steel hooks SIZES - 5 Sizes available www.dogtoothdistribution.com.au
SPOT THE
10 DIFFERENCES
FINS SCALES & TALES by A. Both
ORIGINAL
FIND-A-WORD
Congratulations to Craig Colley, who was last month’s winner of the Find-a-Word Competition! Monthly winners receive a Fishing Monthly prize pack. Prize delivery can take 8 weeks. – NSWFM
SUBSCRIBER PRIZE
The subscriber prize winner for October is B Caunt of Baulkham Hills, who won a Wilson Fishing prize pack valued at over $300. All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – NSWFM
MacQuarie, S Cook of Seven Hill, S Matthews of Edgeworth, C Keszei of Scullin, R Gill of Lake Munmorah, S Goddard of Gulmarrad, M Blanden of Lidcombe, M Baker of Gorokan, R Hansell of Punchbowl, S Roweth of Millthorpe, R Fineran of Geurie, S Ayre of Denman, A Todoroski of Epping, R Morrison of Forbes, S Banner of Buff Point, J Butcher of Basin View, A Bird of Singleton, K Hester of Beverly Hills,
W Cumming of Bass Hill, I Donaldson of Cessnock, T Polley of Tinonee, K Carter of Shepparton, M Blake of Walcha, J Thompson of Berry, D Collister of Hillvue, C Sheedy of Sanctuary Point, R Kresevic of Canley Vale, B Ginns of Ulladulla, W Forbes of Nambucca Heads, G Wade of Empire Bay, B Anschau of Skennars Head, D Conroy of Page, B Horn of Hawkes Nest. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – NSWFM
LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS
FIND THE DAIWA LOGO
60
DECEMBER 2019
GUESS THE FISH?
This month’s Guess the Fish Answer: Silver Perch
The answers to Find the Daiwa Logo for October were: 10, 14, 20, 24, 30, 38, 43, 59, 64, 69, 73, 74, 79, 86, 90, 99. – NSWFM The Find the Daiwa Logo prize winners for October were: P Brooks of West Hoxton, B Harkness of Coolum Beach, J Paul of Inverell, P Henderson of Denham Court, I Dando of Tuggerawong, J Vagg of Tuross Head, B Gorham of Toronto, G Baker of Port
Answer:
WIN
SUBSCRIBE AND NEW ALVEY SPINNING RANGE IN STORE DECEMBER 2019
LUCKY SUBSCRIBERS HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN AN
Prize
Valued @ over $300! PRIZE PACK CONTAINS:
• NEW ALVEY SR60 $199.00 – value • ADVENTURER 40GDZ $49.00 – value • ALVEY SHORT SLEEVE POLO SHIRT $69.99 – value
www.alvey.com.au
Find your local Alvey Authorised Retailer online at:
YOUR SUBSCRIPTION WILL START WITH THE NEXT PUBLISHED ISSUE
QLD FISHING MONTHLY VIC/TAS FISHING MONTHLY
12 issues $65 inc. gst
for
24 issues $115 inc. gst
or
Name:
BUYERS DETAILS
SUBSCRIPTION FOR
NSW FISHING MONTHLY WA FISHING MONTHLY
Address: Suburb:
P/Code:
Daytime Contact No: Email:
PAYMENT DETAILS Cheque
If you wish to purchase any other combination of magazines please phone FREE CALL 1800 228 244 for a special price.
Name: Address: Suburb: Daytime Contact No: Email:
As the buyer, do you wish to receive annual subscription renewal notifications?
Money order
Mastercard/Visa
P/Code:
Yes
No
Signature:
Credit Card No:
Credit Card Expiry Date:
Card Holder’s Name:
Daytime Contact No:
CCV:
IF THIS IS A GIFT - PLEASE COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING AND A GIFT CARD WILL BE MAILED TO THE LUCKY ANGLER OR THE GIFT BUYER! Mail voucher to:
Subscriber
Buyer or Email blank voucher to:
To: Happy Birthday!
From or Happy ____ Birthday!
SUBSCRIBER
ADVANTAGES Free Delivery Entry into the monthly draws Save $$$
Other (20 characters max)
Love From:
Happy Fishing!
Merry Christmas!
OUR GUARANTEE Every now and again, a copy may not arrive through the Australia Post System. If this happens to you, a quick call to us and we will post out another FREE OF CHARGE
Happy Fathers Day!
1800 228 244 or
07·3387 0800
Fax coupon to:
07·3387 0801
Email details to: subscribe@fishingmonthly.com.au
OR visit www.fishingmonthly.com.au and follow the links to isubscribe
Mail Coupon to:
FM Subscriptions PO Box 3172 Loganholme Q 4129
Online - ANYTIME
CHRISTMAS BLACK MAGIC 30LB LEADER
1
NEW SENSHI RELEASES
4
Pink leader has been popular for some time amongst serious anglers, as it is viewed as being less visible in certain water conditions. Although fluorocarbon options are common, Black Magic’s Pink Shock Leader is produced as a copolymer trace, which provides great value for money while still giving robust performance under stress. The recently released range has now expanded to include a 30lb line weight. This will be popular as it’s suited to a wide range of fishing applications. Whether you’re lure fishing, surfcasting, or general bait fishing, it’s sure to be a popular addition. This leader is ideal to use in murky water, deep water or when being viewed from below looking up at the line near the surface. It also retains the excellent abrasion resistance and knot strength seen in Black Magic Tough Trace and, like the name states, it gives excellent shock absorption as well. And of course, it’s a more affordable and more supple option than fluorocarbon. Keep an eye out for it at your favourite tackle store. www.blackmagictackle.com
Senshi has released a range of boxed hooks after demand from anglers for bigger quantities in its most popular models. Senshi hooks are produced using the finest quality raw materials, and are made to the highest standard. The range of hooks have chemically sharpened needle points, use high grade carbon steel and are all a black nickel finish. The boxed hooks are available in the following models: octopus/beak, long shank, baitholder and finesse, and are in the most popular six sizes in each model. One of Senshi’s latest releases is the G-Point hook – the next generation of high quality chemically-sharpened hooks. The G-Point Iseama Pro series hooks are extremely strong and offer no extra coating over the hook point itself, creating an extremely sharp hook point. The Senshi G-Point Iseama Pro hooks are a 2X Strong, straight eye with straight beak hook that are available in pre-packs of 10 hooks in sizes 2 through to 12. They are suitable for many fish species. To find out more about the Senshi hook range visit the Juro Oz Pro Tackle website. www.jurofishing.com
DAIWA LEXA HD
GIANT KILLING JIGGING RODS
2
Beauty and brawn blends with quality and performance in the new Lexa HD baitcaster. A sleek and stylish ergonomic profiled aluminium body sits comfortably in the hand, and combines with the Lexa’s advanced technologies and designs to create a mid priced heavy-duty reel that’s unmatched in style and strength. Featuring many of Daiwa’s best technologies and innovations including Magforce, UTD, Infinite Anti-Reverse, Power Handle, EVA knobs and CRBB bearings, the Lexa HD has left nothing on the table when it comes to strength, with a stainless steel gearing system ensuring ultimate power cranking power and precision. An amalgamation of strength, looks, and performance the Lexa HD is the heavy-duty baitcaster for those on a budget and those looking for power and strength in a reel. Whether it’s muscling kingies down south, barra in the north or samsonfish in the west, the Lexa HD is the reel that does it all, and has it all. www.daiwafishing.com.au
PRO LURE FISHTAIL UPDATE
3
Over the past 12 months, Australian company Pro Lure has been working on some modifications to the popular Fishtail soft bait. Looking to increase the versatility and make the Fishtail easier to rig, the designer has made several changes. A shallow split belly has been added to aid weedless rigging with worm hooks, and the dorsal fin has been removed, replaced with a shallow groove along the back. This makes it easier to rig straight and align jigheads, as well as having a protecting channel for weedless worm hook points to sit snugly. The final change is a slight narrowing up the front of the Fishtail, so that standard jigheads will sit cleaner. The addition of a white albino colour to the range and more rigging options will provide more possibilities. The Pro Lure Fishtail is available in three sizes, 80mm, 105mm, and 130mm. Trade enquiries can be directed to sales@ prolureaustralia.com.au. www.prolureaustralia.com.au 62
DECEMBER 2019
2
3
5
Never before has there been such a highend and comprehensive range as the 2019 release of the Giant Killing Jigging rods. These are the ultimate in Majorcraft jigging rods, with overhead and spin models for light, standard and slow jigging tasks. As the name suggests, the design principles are focused around large predatory trophy fish. There are 15 rods in the series with varying lengths from 6’2” up to 6’6”, and they all feature updated cosmetics. The Fuji SiC Slim ring material makes the rods even lighter than before. The rods come with PE ratings starting at 0.6 for the Light Jigging all the way up to the Jigging models with a PE of 4.0 at the upper end of the range. For more information on this and other rods in the range, visit the Major Craft Australia website or look them up on Facebook (facebook.com/ majorcraftaus). www.majorcraft.com.au
SAMSON LURES
1
4 5
6
Samson handmade lures are long casting and virtually indestructible made for Australian fishing. With five separate lure designs, all wired through and ranging from 15g to 150g, Samson lures cover everything from lighter tackle fishing right through to chasing big pelagics like tuna. The range includes various surface and subsurface lures, all with the capability of casting long distances and covering as much ground as possible. Samson fishing has successfully established its lures range on the UK market, where they have been very effective in catching sea bass. Of course, the lures are effective for a wide variety of Australian fish species – everything from tailor, Australian salmon and kingfish right through to Spanish mackerel and tuna. All Samson lures are wired through and are virtually indestructible, making them an ideal choice when up against the razor sharp teeth of mackerel or against hard fighting kingfish. The Samson lure range is available from tackle retailers and online. For more information visit samsonluresaustralia@gmail.com or visit the website. Price: SRP $13.99-$59.99 www.samsonluresaustralia.com
6
visit www.tacklejunkie.fish for the latest tackle news - AS IT HAPPENS!
SCAN THE QR CODE!
CHRISTMAS SAMURAI ROD ACCESSORIES 7
8
Transporting fishing rods is often fraught with danger. Bundles of rods are hard to carry, often arranged more like a game of ‘pick up sticks’ than an easy-to-carry group of fish-catching devices. They splay all over the place and invariably get damaged. The Samurai Rod Belts are made of high quality neoprene and Velcro and are designed to make it easy to transport multiple rods without the hassle of trying to carry multiple individual outfits. They are slightly stretchy and come in two sizes, small and medium. Simply wrap one around your group of rods near the butt end and another up near the tip and voila – neat and tidy. While transporting rods, even in neatly arranged groups, you wouldn’t be the first angler who has smashed the tip of your favourite rod into something and ruined it. The Samurai rod tip protector is designed to protect your rod tip from damage during transportation. Made from the same material as wetsuits, the tip protector is easy to slip on and protects the sensitive part of your rod. To see more information on these and other Samurai accessories, visit the Samurai Australia website or check them out on Facebook (facebook.com/samurairods). www.samurairods.com.au
ZMAN 7” DIEZEL MINNOWZ
9
10
11 12
7
8
Requests from anglers chasing a big 10X Tough swimbait have seen the release of the ZMan 7” DieZel MinnowZ, a beast of a paddle tail plastic. Featuring the same realistic and proven profile and action as the 4” and 5” models, the 7” takes things up a notch in terms of bulk, water movement and big fish attracting qualities. Whether you’re chasing barramundi, Murray cod, mulloway or kingfish, searching the depths or slow trolling for bluewater bruisers, the 7” DieZel MinnowZ has you covered, teamed up with a brutally strong TT Lures HeadlockZ Extreme, SwimlockZ or ChinlockZ jighead. Other features include a belly slot for easy rigging and adding scent, along with a split top fin for simple and effective weedless rigging. The increased softness and flexibility of ZMan’s 10X Tough ElaZtech material dramatically improves hook set when weedless rigging when compared with standard soft plastics. If big fish are on your to-do list, check out these mega paddle tails at your local ZMan dealer. ZMan 7” DieZel MinnowZ are available in 12 colours, with three per pack. Price: SRP $17.95 www.z-man.com.au
DAIWA PHANTOM HYPER LT
9
Daiwa’s new light tackle workhorse has arrived with the introduction of the Phantom Hyper LT. This new reel blends design and leading edge technologies with excellent value to deliver anglers one of the most feature-packed mid-range spin reels for some time. Daiwa’s LT Concept provides strength and weightlessness, quality and performance, while a machine cut forged Tough Digigear delivers class-leading gear strength and smoothness. A metal alloy body enhances reel sensitivity and strength while Air Rotor provides balance and support for ultimate reel performance. A Long Cast ABS spool, Air Bail and ATD technologies combine for untouchable line control, while a machine cut handle keeps weight down. The Phantom Hyper LT is available now in four deep spool sizes, ranging from 3000D-6000D. www.daiwafishing.com.au
SHIMANO SQUIDGIES RODS
10
Specifically designed for the soft lure enthusiast, the new Squidgies rods are a cunning combination of performance and value. Featuring T45 blank construction and quality Fuji K guides, this series of rods are light and sensitive yet strong and reliable for anglers who demand a lot from their gear. All Shimano Squidgies series rods have been carefully designed to ensure their actions and lengths complement a range of lure weights and fishing techniques, catering for a wide range of applications and fish species. With eight performance spin and two sturdy baitcast models, these rods may find you in the remote wild gorges chasing cod and trout, to the hard-running rivers of the country’s tropical north. No matter your chosen style of fishing there’s a rod in the range to suit. Featuring comfortable full-length camo EVA grips and varying actions across the series, nine of the 10 models are two-piece construction, so you’ll always be able to pack a Squidgies rod on your next adventure. Look for them in your nearest tackle store now. Price: SRP $159.95 www.shimanofish.com.au
7/0 SNAPPER SNACK
11
Black Magic is expanding the range of their popular Snapper Snack rigs to include a NEW 7/0 version. These will be available at all good tackle stores soon. As with all Black Magic rigs, confidence in the components is not in question. In this case they are rigged on the premium PTFE coated 7/0 hooks and 80lb Tough Trace. The natural swimming action of the Snapper Snack skirts, coupled with the scent of your bait is hard to beat when it comes to catching snapper and other NZ fish species. Now with the bigger size you’ll be able to target an even wider range of fish from XOS snapper to hapuku, kingfish and more. Features include: twin lure rig incorporating high UV luminous skirts; cast, bottom bounce, or just drop and wait - versatile and simple; best fished with bait, but will still catch without; most hook-ups are in the corner of the mouth, and; available in six enticing colours. You can browse all the sizes and colours at the Black Magic Tackle website. www.blackmagictackle.com
BONE HERO DARTER
12
The Hero Darter is a soft, multi-function vibration lure that has a number of awesome features. There are three tow points on top of the Darter that provide three slightly different actions, and there is another tow point on the nose, which gives the lure a cast and retrieve option. This essentially gives anglers four lure fishing options in the one lure! However, the big thing with the Darter is that when the lure is in the jigging/vibration mode, a chin weight can be attached to the front nose eyelet that will allow this lure to be sent on deeper missions or fished in faster currents. The real beauty of this option is that the action of the lure is unaltered – in fact, while testing, the nose weight increased catches! The Hero Darter is a beautiful fishmunching 90mm long lure that is initially available in eight colours. www.wilsonfishing.com
Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au DECEMBER 2019
63
CHRISTMAS SAMAKI MAKO SHIRT
13
The mako shark is impulsive, aggressive, agile, and every shark-lover’s dream! The blue green details of Samaki’s new Mako Shirt are enhanced from the background through to the underbelly of the sharks. With not just one but two mako sharks attacking at speed, the yellowfin has no chance! The lightweight fabric of this shirt is perfect for all outdoor elements, protecting you from the harsh sun with Samaki’s UPF50+ resistant technology. The soft touch 100% polyester material is comfortable on the body, and has the added feature of being breathable, keeping you cool and dry. Samaki designs are brought to you by Australian anglers who love to design Australian species. The shirts are available in adult, youth and kids sizes from a size 2 through to a 5XL allowing the whole family to get in on the action and out onto the water. For more information and stockists visit the Samaki website, or like them on Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date. Price: SRP $59.95 (adults), SRP $49.95 (kids) www.samaki.com.au
SAMAKI SLICK
SHIMANO TREVALA S
16
Designed for shallow water jigging,Trevala rods feature lightweight C4S blanks and parabolic actions specially designed for slow fall and flutter jigs like the new Tiger Baku Baku. The fine diameter one-piece C4S blanks are extremely strong and lessen the respective rods’ overall weight, which allows the angler to focus on fighting the fish and not the tackle. Fuji Alconite guides and reel seats are complemented by shaped EVA grips that are specifically intended for jigging work. The slow tuned actions are very precise, and allow the angler to effectively work the jig with minimal effort. Shimano recommends matching these rods with the Shimano Tranx series of 300 and 400 sized baitcaster reels, for an outfit that is super balanced and ideal for getting the most action out of your jigs. Available in power ratings from XL to MH, there are five spin models in 6’ 3” and 6’ 6” sizes, and a 6’ 3” overhead model. They are available in-store now. Price: SRP: $229.95 www.shimanofish.com.au
OBSESSION 17 BASS SERIES 14 Australian-made Obsession Spinnerbaits
Samaki’s extensive range of sunglasses just got bigger. The Slick is here to stay, and alongside the current range are two awesome new colours: brown tort with an amber lenses and matt black with a copper lenses. Each model is designed for your target species and most loved fishing environments. The square-shaped Slick is so comfortable that you won’t want to take it off. Each one of the Samaki-designed frames gives you great coverage from the elements and provides you with the polarised lenses you need when you’re out on the water. Slick colour options are available in matt black/green revo, matt black/blue revo, matt black/grey, brown tort/amber and matt black/ copper, giving you multiple options to suit all anglers and fishing scenarios. For more information and stockists visit the Samaki website and like them on Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date. Price: SRP $49.95 www.samaki.com.au
have a strong following amongst Murray cod and golden perch anglers. Owner and designer Raymond Parry was keen to expand his horizons, and with the assistance of some keen bass anglers he has produced a range of spinnerbaits focused on Australian bass. This new series is called the ‘Bass Six Pack’, and Obsession Spinnerbaits is releasing six new colours (WB, BG, DONC, GM, GOAT and PBJ). They will be available in 1/4oz, 1/2oz and 5/8oz through your local Obsession Spinnerbait stockist. Head to the Obsession Spinnerbait website to view their complete product range, which includes single, twin, triple and quadbladed spinnerbaits, mumblers and buzz baits. Jigheads are also available from 1/8oz3.5oz, and there’s an extensive range of skirt colours, as well as soft plastic curl-tails in 4”, 5” and 8” sizes. The product range can be customised to your requirements or you can design your spinnerbait from scratch. www.obsessionspinnerbaits.com
NEW FROM STRIKE PRO
ATC VIRTUOUS
15
Two of Strike Pro’s latest lure releases are the Bass Beetle and the Hunch Walker. The Bass Beetle is an ultra-shallow running Beetle imitation. This lure is perfect when the Christmas beetles and cicadas are buzzing around. The Bass Beetle offers extreme realism in its shape, and this shallow running lure has an enticing body roll and dives to approx. 1ft. The Bass Beetle is 4cm long, weighs 5.7g and comes in six fish-catching colours. It’s sure to be a hit with anglers targeting bass, estuary perch, bream, trout and jungle perch. The new Hunch Walker is a wakebait version of Strike Pro’s popular Hunchback range of lures. The Hunch Walker works on the surface and sub-surface, just under the surface in the scum line. When it is retrieved across the surface it creates a commotion and paddles, looking just like a frog or cicada kicking across the top, with a head-down, tailup, wide swaying action. The Hunch Walker is 5.5cm long, weighs 6.5g and comes in six proven colours. It is irresistible to bass, estuary perch, Murray cod, sooty grunter and more. www.jurofishing.com 64
DECEMBER 2019
13
14
15 16
17
18
New to the ATC range of reels is the Virtuous – a range of reels with a host of features that combine to make them tough, dependable and affordable. An aluminium body and rotor ensure these reels are built to last, and the 9+1 stainless steel ball bearings give these reels a smooth feel that doesn’t wear the angler down. Add into this an ergonomic handle for the ultimate in comfort when fighting large fish, and the Virtuous is one of those reels that will stand the test of time. All of these comforts are backed up by a brilliant and exceptionally smooth dual drag system. This system is built to provide two drag surfaces on the top and underneath the spool, allowing for ultra-fine adjustments and exceptional smoothness. The dual drag system also means that when you need to wind up the drag, the ability is there to give you some real stopping power. Sizes range from the 2000 light line special all the way up to a 10,000 that swallows almost 500m of PE4 line and has a max drag of 20kg! www.wilsonfishing.com
18
visit www.tacklejunkie.fish for the latest tackle news - AS IT HAPPENS!
SCAN THE QR CODE!
NEWS FROM
ADVERTORIAL
HOBIE MIRAGEDRIVE 360 AND PRO ANGLER 2020 Truly the Ultimate Fishing Machine, the 2020 Pro Angler with the MirageDrive 360 and Kick-Up Fins delivers power in every direction for unprecedented manoeuvrability and control. Two decades ago, Hobie revolutionized kayak fishing with the invention of the original MirageDrive. The radical engineering was met with worldwide acclaim and leg-propulsion became the new standard for kayak fishing locomotion. Imitators eventually arrived on the scene, but Hobie remains the industry benchmark. Hobie knew improving on its revolutionary MirageDrive wouldn’t be easy, but they weren’t deterred. Six years in the making, for 2020, Hobie is proud to announce the greatest achievement to date in the form of an astonishing 360-degree rotating pedal drive—an all new paradigm in kayak fishing boat control, complete with a nearly 100-page
SPECIFICATIONS Pro Angler 12 Length 366cm Width 91cm Height 51cm Capacity 227kg Vantage seat capacity 159kg Fitted hull weight 49.7kg Fully rigged weight 60.1kg Pro Angler 14 Length 417cm Width 97cm Height 51cm Capacity 272kg Vantage seat capacity 159kg Fitted hull weight 56.5kg Fully rigged weight 67.4kg
patent registration. Put simply, the remarkable new Hobie MirageDrive 360 propulsion system is a 360-degree rotating pedal drive that allows anglers to easily manoeuvre their 2020 Mirage Pro Angler 360 12 and 14 fishing kayaks in every direction—backwards, forward, sideways, diagonally—or even effortlessly spin on its own axis. Upping the ante with all-new Kick-Up Fins, which automatically retract upon impact, the new MirageDrive 360 delivers precision boat control and closequarter manoeuvrability that’s unrivalled by any other human-powered watercraft. With the MirageDrive 360, anglers go where they want and fish how they want with total control and complete confidence. The MirageDrive 360 is designed for versatility on the water and to help anglers catch more fish. Infinitely more manoeuvrable, anglers will immediately discover they spend less time positioning their boat, and more time catching fish. Boat control is brought to an entirely new level, affording anglers the ability to surgically position themselves to make the best cast and presentation to the fish, as well as staying right on top of fish once found, shallow or deep or anywhere in between. The MirageDrive 360 allows access to tighter quarters and more fishing scenarios. Imagine being able to turn on a dime in every direction. It also allows you to follow shorelines or underwater structure in a way kayak anglers have never experienced. “The MirageDrive 360 completely changes how you engage with your boat and the environment,” says Philip Dow, Lead Design Engineer for Hobie. “For example, if you’re fishing along a shoreline or highly contoured underwater structure, you can follow those nuances exactly with boat placement. Similarly, with the Kick-Up Fins, shallow and structurefilled waters become far more manageable. Hobie’s MirageDrive 360 completely
redefines boat control.” “In the same way a trolling motor can hold an exact point, you can do that with the MirageDrive 360. You can hold an exact location and direction against wind or current, too. Previously, when you drifted out of position, you had to pedal in a circle to point the hull in the right direction between casts. Now, when you’re sitting idle,
additional angling equipment. “In every environment there’s the need for better control in order to position yourself to present your bait to the fish in the most natural way possible,” says Morgan Promnitz, Hobie’s Senior Fishing Brand Manager. “Whether you’re fishing offshore, inshore, or freshwater, the benefits are numerous. We’ve tested the
ENGINEERED TO SWING FINS A FULL 360 DEGREES
if you turn the drive and start to pedal you’re immediately turning. It’s extremely effective for place-holding in an exact location. You feel like a sniper. If you want to swing the bow past a rock, you can do it exactly and make your next cast without any unnecessary boat movement.” Designed to accept Hobie’s vast array of accessories, the Pro Angler 360 fishing kayaks can be easily outfitted with
boats in a multitude of fishing environments and our test team’s response has all been the same—the MirageDrive 360 gives anglers a huge advantage that results in more fish caught, period.” “The Kick-Up Fins add peace of mind to anglers exploring waters with submerged objects such as rocks or tree stumps because the fins will automatically retract upon impacting an object. This greatly reduces any chance or damaging the propulsion system and allows anglers to explore with confidence—no more damaged props or bent fins.” – Hobie Fishing Asia Pacific
and durable Thermoform construction, the Passport is a well-rounded kayak that truly offers something for everyone, from novice to experienced kayakers alike. It is the ideal kayak for casual recreation and family outings, but is ready for all kinds of adventures on the water. Designed to accept most of Hobie’s vast array of accessories, the Passport can be easily outfitted with additional equipment. Powered by Hobie’s first-of-its-kind Classic MirageDrive pedal system, the Passport makes kayaking smooth and efficient, cruising seamlessly through the water. The shorter hull length and wider body provide great stability, while the
intuitive steering system and stowable rudder enable easy manoeuvring. Standard equipment on the Passport includes a suspended mesh-back, aluminium-frame seat, two-piece aluminium paddle, two rod holders, accessory mounting tracks, Lowrance ready, Power-Pole Micro bracket indent and an accessory mount that accepts the kayak sail and new bimini. Kayakers will also enjoy moulded-in, cross-bungee cargo areas on the bow and stern, as well as Hobie’s ‘twist-n-seal’ hatch. You can create your ultimate setup from weekend fishing to a family day sailing on the open water. – Hobie Fishing Asia Pacific
HOBIE MIRAGE PASSPORT 12 Hobie is proud to announce the latest addition to its renowned line-up of pedal kayaks, powered by the brand’s signature MirageDrive – the original pedal propulsion system for kayaking. The Passport was built
with simplicity in mind, delivering efficiency, ease of use, versatility and comfort in a highly accessible package. The Passport has been designed to help break down those barriers of entry that may be keeping people off the water and make pedal kayaking more accessible and affordable. The goal of the Passport is to be able to bring the experience that Hobie’s MirageDrive technology has delivered for more than 20 years to a broader audience. With its excellent value, transportability, simple and sleek design
DECEMBER 2019
65
Tech Tricks
How to make your own rod and reel tube BRISBANE
Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com
Most anglers take great pride in their fishing tackle and want to look after it to ensure its longevity.
Regardless of the price of the tackle, getting it to and from your fishing destination safely is a necessity. The last thing you need after driving a distance to your destination is to take your rod out of the car and find that you have a dislodged guide
insert or, even worse, a broken blank. There are plenty of rod tubes available that will protect your rod, however most require that you take the reel off. Therefore, being able to transport a rod ready rigged will maximise your fishing time.
Many anglers enjoy various forms of land-based fishing using lures and baits targeted at an array of species. Sometimes anglers may try several locations during an outing, especially when casting egi for squid, popping for whiting, fishing
the shallows for flathead or probing lighted areas of the Brisbane River for threadfin. Unrigging your rod to store it securely in a tube between each location can be rather tiresome. Being able to store your rod ready rigged with a lure or terminal tackle still
attached will protect your rod and also eliminate the chance of a hook penetrating the car’s upholstery or another passenger. After trying several options, I have come up with a rod and reel storage tube that works a treat and is simple and cheap to make.
2
1
The tools required to complete this project are fairly basic: a drill and an assortment of drill bits from 4-13mm, a hacksaw, coarse sandpaper, file, marker pen, a screwdriver and a spanner to suit the M4 screws and nuts. If you don’t have a drill and drill bits, a sturdy pair of snips will do a sufficient, yet cruder, job. The tools are so simple that this project could even be attempted by younger anglers, with adult supervision.
Materials required are a length of PVC pipe (50mm in this case), two end caps and a relevant sized PVC connector. These can all be purchased at a hardware or plumbing supply shop. The PVC pipe can usually be purchased in a 1m length (only suitable for 2 piece rods of 1.95m or less in length) or a 3m length, which will allow you to make at least two tubes for rods to 2.4m. You will also need a bungee strap, button and two screws, which can be purchased at a chandlery outlet. I used M4 (5/32”) 316 stainless bolts with M4 Nyloc nuts, which were just long enough to get the nuts on after attaching the bungee loop and button to the pipe.
4
3
The size of PVC pipe will be dictated by the size of the lowest (stripper) guide on your rod. Obviously the tube must be wider than the guide so the rod can be slid in. For this rod I used 50mm PVC pipe, you may need to use the 65, 80 or 100mm. A 3m length of the 50mm PVC cost around $18 but I was able to make two tubes with this. End caps, connectors and other bits needed to completely make two tubes brought the cost to around $40 total, $20 per tube.
5
Place the connector beside the rod so that the lower edge of it is level with the reel foot (stem). Mark the position on your PVC pipe that coincides with the middle of this connector. This will be the second cut. 78
DECEMBER 2019
This rod is 7ft (2.12m) total length, or around 1.1m long when separated. I made my tube around 1.2m long so I could use it for other rods that may have different length butts to this one. Rod wraps can be used to hold the two sections of your rod securely together. Lay your rod beside the pipe and mark the overall length you want the tube to be. This will be the first cut.
6
Cut the pipe all the way through with your hacksaw at these two marks. Use sandpaper to smooth off and slightly taper the lip of the PVC where you cut the pipe.
Tech Tricks
7
Put the connector onto the shorter section of PVC (which will encase the rod butt) and mark on the pipe where the end of the connector will be. About 10mm below this line, drill a hole with your smallest drill bit. Widen the hole more using the next sized drill bit.
8
Take the connector off and use your largest drill bit (13mm in this case) to enlarge the hole further. This hole needs to be a fraction wider than the reel foot – you may need to use a file to widen it if you don’t have a large enough drill bit.
10 9
Use a hacksaw or cutters to cut a slot from the edge of the PVC pipe down to each side of the drill hole. Check to ensure it is large enough to accommodate the reel foot as shown. Use the file and sandpaper to smooth the edges of the slot.
11
Secure the bungy and button in place using your M4 screws and Nyloc nuts. Ensure the screws do not protrude from the nuts or they may scratch your rod as you are putting it in and out. If they are too long, then either use shorter ones or remove, cut to length and re-insert. Your rod can be inserted into the tube (even with a lure on) before the rear section is slid on with the reel stem positioned in the slot. As you slide the two ends of the tube over your rod, ensure there is a little slack in the line because it needs to come back against the reel stem.
Put the end caps on both pieces of pipe and the connector onto the longer section. Tap these firmly down into position. Use some PVC pipe glue to secure them if you wish. Position the bungy strap and button as shown so that the bungy will stretch slightly to secure over the button. Drill the two holes where these will be affixed with your 4mm bit. I prefer to put the clasp on the side of the tube at 90º to the reel foot slot so the small nuts inside will not rub the rod blank.
12
Once the two sections are slotted together and the bungy clipped over the button, you can add a quality reel bag to further protect your reel. This particular one will go around the rod tube and fasten. The neoprene flap also covers the bungy and button. You can paint the tube if you wish or attach a few stickers. Once at your destination, you only need to take the rod out of the tube, connect the two sections together and you are ready to fish. This tube is not only convenient but, more importantly, it will protect your ready-rigged rod from mishaps while in transit. DECEMBER 2019
79
Healy a safe pair of hands at Port Stephens The final qualifier of the 2019 Costa BREAM series saw the competitors heading to a new arena, Port Stephens. While only a short drive from other great bream venues such as Sydney Harbour, the Hawkesbury River and Lake Macquarie, only a few of the competitors had fished the area for bream previously. Lake Macquarie local Mark Healy managed to take top honour in the boater division, using his very limited experience bream fishing in Port Stephens to grind out a winning bag. “I’ve fished Port Stephens a couple of times, but not for many years – probably 7-8 years ago,” he said. “I do fish the area offshore of the port fairly regularly though.” During pre-fish, Mark’s plan was to cover a lot of water and search for active fish. Doing this, he managed to find catchable fish in three spots, with two areas in the Soldiers Point area and one down at the Tea Gardens. On day one Mark’s plan was simple: hit the three spots he found on pre-fish
MARK HEALY’S WINNING TACKLE Rod: Reel: Line: Lure
Mark Healy spent most of his time fishing one rock wall to grind out a much-deserved win at Port Stephens. and try to put together a decent bag of fish! The first spot he pulled up to was a timber jetty near the starting line in the Soldiers Point area, where he had been blown away three times on pre-fish. Mark had a brown
Cranka Crab in heavy tied on, and sure enough, after only a few casts he was hooked up to another decent bream. Deciding to fish slightly heavier than he did during pre-fish proved to be the right decision, and within minutes of leaving
BOATER RESULTS Place Name 1 Mark Healey 2 Vaughn Lewis 3 Tristan Taylor 4 Steve Morgan 5 Todd Riches 6 Andrew Stubbs 7 Scott Wilson 8 Brett Crowe 9 Charlie Saykao 10 Tim Vickers
Fish 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 8/10 9/10 10/10 7/10 8/10 6/10
Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888 80
DECEMBER 2019
Total Weight (kg) 7.32 7.10 6.17 5.50 5.40 5.39 5.34 4.88 4.81 4.04
the start, Mark had a 35cm bream in the livewell! Mark and his non-boater then fished their way around Soldiers Point, catching nothing but one small legal for his non-boater waiting for the tide to start running in. Finally the current started running in, and the pair went to the Tea Gardens. While Mark wasn’t overly confident by this point, he decided to methodically work over one particular rock wall called The Cut. With the tide rising, the seemed to be moving in from the bay and onto the wall to feed, and Mark could see the fish he wanted to catch. Mark had been fishing with a 6lb leader but decided to drop down to 4lb. His
Shimano Zodias 701UL 1000 Shimano Stella 4-6lb braid, 4-6lb fluorocarbon Jackall Chubby 38 Deep in brown suji shrimp, Cranka Crab Heavy in brown
choice of presentation on the rock wall was a Jackall Chubby 38 Deep in brown suji shrimp. With the strong current making fishing difficult, he still managed to catch six more legals to round out a decent bag of 3.69kg, putting him in a strong position ahead of day two. On the second day Mark knew there would still be good fish to be caught from his wall down at the Tea Gardens, some decided to leave the fruitful jetty from the day before, knowing that it had been hit hard by other anglers. Mark figured that as the tide was slightly later on day two, he might get in a good half hour of fishing with the run-out tide. He executed his plan perfectly, got in there and landed a kilo fish early, and about 2-3 casts later he hooked another one that looked bigger, however the hooks pulled. To keep the hooks in Mark was using size 14 Decoy trebles on his crankbaits, because they were only getting lip hooked and were biting very timidly. The tide slowed up for about two and a half hours as the tide changed and Mark and his non-boater fished around the area, landing no keeper bream. As the tide started pumping in, he arrived back at the wall. About halfway
along, he hooked a good fish, which he estimated to be about 1.3-1.4kg. “I got it away from wall and we were drifting back with the tide,” he said. “There was nothing around for him to get me on, and I had him just out of reach of the net and the treble on lure rolled off split ring; I was spewing!” Mark said it took him a good half an hour to regroup after this setback, however soon after he landed a another fish of about 30cm, which gave him confidence to keep fishing. For the remainder of the session he ground out 3 more fish and returned nervously to the weigh-in. As it turns out, he had nothing to worry about, as he had managed to weigh the heaviest overall bag of 7.32kg. This was Mark’s first ABT BREAM qualifier win, and he couldn’t have been more stoked!
Scan the QR code to see the Day 1 highlights.
BREAM Series presented by
Tough fishing no match for Lewis Sliding in behind Healy by just over 200g was Newcastle local Vaughn Lewis, who prior to the tournament, also only had limited exposure to the arena. Vaughn used these limited experiences to rule out some areas and narrow his focus to some areas he knew would hold hungry fish. In the pre-fish Vaughn identified the bottom of the Myall River, the Kuruah River and some islands in the middle of the bay would be his primary targets. Come comp day, Vaughn had some decisions to make. “I thought on comp day that lower Myall would be the car park of spots, so I wrote it off, and focussed on the Kuruah River and some of the islands,” he said. With the early low tide on day one, Vaughn focused on structure while waiting for tide to come in. He started at some oysters racks at the bottom of the Kuruah, fishing the poles rather than the trays. Cycling between a soft plastic and a crankbait, he managed two decent keepers. He then moved to some bridges in the river itself and
“I was fishing around an island, and there was a point with tide coming around and wind blowing onto it,” he said. “Using 3lb straight through fluorocarbon and a black Jackall Chubby 38 Shallow, I was able to fish right up on the rocks and that’s where I got him.” Vaughn didn’t manage any upgrades on day two, just a solid bag of bream and many undersize fish to keep the day interesting. Returning to the
weigh-in tent on day two saw his overall weight dip to 7.10kg, relegating him to second place.
DAIWA J BRAID BIG BREAM
Vaughn Lewis used his limited experience at this venue to find some productive areas in this tough arena. managed two more quality fish as he waited anxiously or the tide to come in. At around 10 o’clock the flow slowed and the prime time for an edge bite came on. “I spent the rest of the day fishing rocky edges, islands, and a few other rocky edges to pick up good fish,” he said. “I also managed two upgrades.”
Vaughn returned to the weigh-in on day one with a respectable bag of 3.62kg. Vaughn decided to start in North Arm Cove on day two, once again fishing oyster racks with similar presentations. The rack fishing was slower on day two, which made Vaughn and his boater all the more anxious for the tide to come in so they could fish the edges.
Once it did, the edges really fired, and with a bit of overcast weather and wind direction change, Vaughn and his non-boater were able to fish right up in the shallows. In doing this he managed to catch the biggest bream for the tournament, a stonking 1.16kg monster, which is huge for the Port Stephens area.
Vaughn Lewis managed to wrangle a 1.16kg beast from the shallows in North Arm Cove by throwing a black Jackall Chubby 38 Shallow.
Johnson grinds it out for non-boater honours Craig Johnson is from the South Coast of NSW, however this was his first time fishing the Port Stephens area for bream, because as he puts it, “there’s just too much good water down there.” It seems that applying some of the tricks and techniques he has learned fishing further south helped him take out top honours in the non-boater division! While Craig did pre-fish with boater Tim Vickers, the pair didn’t do a whole lot of fishing. Rather, they fished very little and just looked for good-looking water to store in the memory bank. For the first day Craig found himself fishing with Jason Mayberry, and the plan was to head downstream of the starting line and fish some shallow weed beds,
edges, flats and points. Like most competitors, the pair was waiting for the tide to
come in and bring the bream on the bite. Craig only weighed one
fish on the first day, which he caught at around 10:30am throwing a Gulp Crabby on a
1/20oz jighead in Salamander Bay. Craig said he just had to cycle through baits to find something that would work. Despite fishing some amazing looking country around Garden Island and the oyster leases, Craig didn’t catch any other weighable fish on day two. The second day would prove more fruitful, however, as some favourable conditions brought the fish on the bite. Fishing with Charlie Saykao, the pair decided to head to where Craig and Jason had finished their previous day at Garden Island. With the wind now swung around to the west and southwest and some overcast weather overhead, the fish seemed to be biting better. Craig had his first fish in the boat before
8:00am. Seeing that the fish were now biting in the area, Craig and Charlie stayed in this vicinity all day. Heading to the Correebah Island area, the pair found lots of random bits of reef and oysters and noticed lots of fish cruising around. Once the tide came in they started hauling in fish one after another, and hooked lots of fish but only stuck three. Fishing these flats, Craig was cycling between various topwaters, including a Jackson Pygmy Popper and a Sugoi Splash. Returning to the weigh-in Craig was nervous but found that the rest of the field had struggled, and was pleased to see the scales dip to 2.76kg.
Non-boater Craig Johnson took out top honours in his division with only 5 fish over two days, proving just how tough the fishing was!
NON-BOATER RESULTS
Scan the QR code to see the Day 2 highlights.
Place Name 1 Craig Johnson 2 Nick Penprase 3 Daniel McNeice 4 Bernard Kong 5 Gordon Pullin 6 Darren Murphy 7 Shaun Egan 8 Justin Reeves 9 Richard Wootten 10 Rebecca Fazio
Fish 5/10 3/10 2/10 2/10 2/10 2/10 2/10 1/10 1/10 1/10
Total Weight (kg) 2.76 1.63 1.10 0.99 0.97 0.89 0.80 0.76 0.58 0.56
Everyone could agree that there were worse places to start a morning! DECEMBER 2019
81
Ford redeems his recent Grand Final loss The Rapala BASS Australian Open has cemented its place in the Australian BASS calendar with another huge turnout of boaters in ABT’s only boateronly BASS Pro event. Using a special permit to retain five live bass for weigh-in, competitors fought for $30,000 in prize money on a hot spring Lake Glenbawn bass bite. Weighing in the biggest bag of the event on day two (5/5, 5.48kg, total 10/10 10.17kg), Ford jumped from 13th place to the top spot and earned
himself $10,000 cash to cap off a stellar year for the Narrabri boater. Trying hard to knock him off was Queensland boater Braden Schuch (10/10, 9.95kg), who fell short with his day two bag but still pocketed $5,000 for his efforts. Rounding out the top five was Tom Slater (10/10, 9.86kg for $3,000) Mark Ferguson (10/10, 9.86kg for $2,500) and Liam Carruthers (10/10, 9.75kg for $2,000). As predicted, the skirted jig bite was in full swing for the event – a pattern for which this premier bass lake is
quickly becoming famous. Most of the top-ten threw jigs for a majority of the time and each of the top 12 pocketed at least $1,000 prize money. Aberdeen Fishing and Outdoors’ Nick Price picked the winning weights before the event started. “You’re going to need 5kg a day to be up there this weekend,” he said at the event briefing, which was held at his store and full of bass angler treasure. And he was right on the money, with Ford the only angler to break the 10kg mark. But 9.24kg also got you a paycheque!
Graham Ford with his kicker 1.37kg bass that got him to first place.
Ford eyed off ignored water for final day bag Graham had been keeping his eye on a stretch of water that hadn’t seen much in the way of angler pressure over the previous two days. Finally, he decided to fish it mid way through the second day and it immediately paid off. “I caught that big bass (1.37kg) off it first up,” he said, and then several other
big fish that helped him towards victory. I didn’t see many anglers fishing it and my gut just told me to give
it a go. It was windblown on the (incredibly windy) Saturday and with the calming conditions, it was quite
fishable,” he said. Ford used the jig rig that had helped him nearly win the Grand Final just days earlier
– a black JigPro skirted jig with no hook guard fished on a Baker Custom Rods extra heavy jig rod. On it he strapped a 10:1 Abu Garcia baitcast reel with a braid and leader set-up rather than straight through fluorocarbon. Ford’s rod is typified by the fact that it hardly bends, even when a good bass is hooked. “I like to get them out of the structure and get the hook in solid,” he said when asked about the stick that most would say is more suited to barra than bass. The $10,000 Open
cheque capped off a remarkable win for the NSW basser, who actually lives hours away from his nearest bass fishery. He took out the 2019 Sufix BASS Pro Tour Angler of the Year with a string of top 10 finishes, finished second in the BASS Pro Grand Final by 40g and then came from 13th place to win the Rapala BASS Australian Open. That’s quite a year and it proves that hard work and talent can overcome obstacles, like distance, when it comes to fishing as a sport.
GRAHAM FORD’S WINNING TACKLE
Scan the QR code to see day one highlights
Rod: Reel: Line: Lure: The scales never lie – Fordy weighing in his winning bag.
Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888 82
DECEMBER 2019
Baker Custom Rods extra heavy jig rod 10:1 Abu Garcia baitcast reel Straight through fluorocarbon JigPro skirted jig in black (no hook guard)
Queensland basser ascends to second South Queensland basser, Braden Schuch, fell a little short on day two after logging a 5kg+ bag, but seemed quite happy with his $5,000 consolation prize. “Each morning I’d crankbait an early limit off the dam wall and then go searching for upgrades with skirted jigs as the session
Scan the QR code to see day two highlights
wore on,” he said. Using a deep diving OSP crankbait on exclusively Daiwa baitcast tackle, he’d pound the rock wall with the bait until the fish bit. After bagging a limit on the wall, he’d then move up the lake looking for bigger fish. On day two in particular, Schuch searched for trees that were deeper than most other anglers were fishing, from 15-25ft, to target his upgrade fish. To do this he used a ProS Factory skirted jig. “I think I cottoned on to the fact that the fish were biting a little deeper too late on the second day,” Braden said, “But crawling the jig around the structure in that deeper water is an awesome way to fish and the last couple of hours were sensational.
You can’t be too upset placing second when you take home a $5,000 cheque for your efforts.
BASS Pro Series presented by
Scan the QR code to see the Open Pre-Show
Slater sneaks into third Sydney’s Tom Slater was the instigator of the five-bag concept and helped ABT get the permit from Fisheries to get this tournament happening. And Tom
a great second-day bag and secure his cheque. Fishing 1/2oz ProS Equip Hybrid jigs on a Daiwa TD Commander 712MFB Basilisk rod, Slater described the last
It’s the only chance we get to fish an event like this on the Australian tournament calendar and to have $30,000 in the prize pool definitely turns heads.” The Rapala Australian
Braden Schuch with one of the many bass he took over the tournament.
Third place getter, Tom Slater, was instrumental in helping ABT get a special permit for a five bag bass bag. benefitted from the good Karma, taking $3,000 for third place. One of the leaders in getting jig fishing adopted as mainstream in Australia, Tom used his signature technique to bring home
couple of hours of his Sunday session as some of the most fun jig fishing he’s ever had, tournament or not. “It’s great to see so many anglers enjoying the five fish tournament limit and the boater-only format.
Open also signalled the end of the ABT BASS Calendar for 2019 – a huge year for anglers, sponsors and organisers alike. Dates for 2020 have been released on the www. abt.org.au website.
BOATER RESULTS Place Name 1 Graham Ford 2 Braden Schuch 3 Tom Slater 4 Mark Ferguson 5 Liam Carruthers 6 Glenn Hayter 7 Dane Pryce 8 Kristoffer Hickson 9 Jake Schwerin 10 Ben Hay
Total Fish Total Weight (kg) 10/10 10.17 10/10 9.95 10/10 9.86 10/10 9.86 10/10 9.75 10/10 9.71 10/10 9.61 10/10 9.54 10/10 9.52 10/10 9.34
A nail-biting finish! The front-runners waiting to find out who takes home the $10,000 cheque. DECEMBER 2019
83
Pryce pulls $15,000 for win Lake Macquarie’s Dane Pryce topped the field in the fishiest ABT BASS Pro Grand Final in history on the Hunter Valley’s Lake St Clair. With the entire field of 60 anglers weighing a five fish limit on every day of competition, it
yield better quality fish. But on the official practice day, I found that Carrow had the better fish, so that’s where I fished for the event,” Dane said. The decision proved critical, as it was quality, not quantity of fish that took Dane to a 40g win over the
timber at the base of trees to get his bites. He fished it on a Millerods SwitchFreak UL rod that was matched to a Daiwa Tatula baitcast reel, Daiwa Evo8 braid and 10lb Sunline leader. “I pre-ordered one of those rods when it came out and when it arrived, I
DANE PRYCE WINNING TACKLE
fish during the event,” Dane said and given the terrain he was fishing, that’s an incredibly good conversion rate. You can see some of his highlights and some of the difficult fish extractions on the embedded videos on the ABT website - go to the results page and look up the BASS Pro Grand Final. Dane’s pathway to Grand Final success is a typical one for ABT. “I first started tournament fishing in the Hobie BREAM events but Shae Ferguson got me onto the BASS events and after the first one of these, I was hooked,” Dane continued. This year Dane fished
Rod: Reel: Line: Lure:
Millerods SwitchFreak UL Daiwa Tatula baitcast Daiwa Evo8 braid and 10lb Sunline leader Black and brown Vex jig fitted with a Berkley creature bait trailer
his first season as a boater and his goal was just to make the Grand Final on his local lake. He did that and, combined with a lot of practice, it fasttracked him to BASSing’s ultimate prize. What’s Dane got planned for the biggest cash payout in ABT history? “I’m going to buy a faster boat,” he concluded. Nice one, Dane. Spoken like a true bass boater who has got the bug!
Scan the QR code to see Grand Final Pre-Show.
Dane Pryce took out top spot and a $15,000 cheque. was always going to take something special to get your hands on the $15,000 winner’s cheque. And that’s exactly what Pryce did. Here’s how he did it. “I did a lot of practice leading up to this event in both the Fal Brook and Carrow Brook arms of the lake and, to be honest, the Fal Brook arm seemed to
2019 BASS Pro Angler of the Year, Graham Ford. Ford led the event after day one but fell painfully short at the final day’s weigh-in. Pryce targeted timber most of the time, but did pull a couple of key fish off steep rock walls over the two days. He used a black and brown Vex jig fitted with a Berkley creature bait trailer and crawled it through the
immediately ordered two more. They’re perfect for jigs, chatterbaits and a lot of the techniques that I like to use on my home lakes,” he said. Winning tournaments is all about having your execution match your good decisions and Dane was blessed with a near-perfect record in that department. “I lost only one key
Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888 84
DECEMBER 2019
It was a close call for first and second place boaters, with only 40g dividing the two scores.
Graham ‘Forty’ Ford misses by 40 grams Narrabri’s Graham Ford acquired a new nickname at the Grand Final – ‘Forty’ (rather than Fordy). Crystallising the weight that he missed out on winning $15,000. After leading the first day of competition and weighing one of the only 5kg+ five fish bags, Graham’s first day was destined to be great after the current BASS Pro Angler of the Year drew the non-boater Angler of the Year, Paul Mazzaroli. And the dream pairing didn’t disappoint, with the top reaches of the Fal Brook arm yielding a string of kilo-class bass for the pair. Weighing fish on a combination of jigs and
jerkbaits, Ford’s confidence rig consisted of a 3/8oz JigPro black gig (with no weedguard) that he fished on a super-stiff custom rod by Peter Fogarty (Baker Custom Rods). On it, he has an Abu Garcia 10:1 baitcast reel that he used to take up the slack line before driving the hook home. Gracious in defeat, Ford acknowledged that he’s had a cracker of a year - culminating in his win at the Rapala BASS Australian Open in the following days. Reports from that event are in this issue. We look forward to seeing ‘Forty’ on the BASS circuit next year.
What a team! The 2019 Angler of the Year boater, Graham Ford, randomly drew the 2019 Angler of the Year non-boater, Paul Mazzaroli, on day one.
Martin makes top spot as non-boater Taree basser Jason Martin has won ABT BASS events before, but has never taken home the sport’s ultimate prize from the back of the boat, until now.
weight bag. Later in the day, he reverted to a 3/8oz jig and had some tips for those looking to try the technique. “It’s like Cranka Crab fishing, you throw it out and drag it really slowly. Just
BASS Pro Series presented by
Scan the QR code to see day one highlights
Freams 2500 reel, 8lb Daiwa J-Braid and Sunline 10lb FC Sniper leader. Martin’s also a fan of the shared weight format. “I love working as a team with by boater each day and Scan the QR code to see day two highlights
Lake St Clair was the perfect venue for the 2019 BASS Pro Grand Final. want to become a boater, so maybe I’ll sit out a year, save for a boat and be back as a boater. But I’ll still do my
local rounds.” Martin also experienced a super topwater session with Kris Hickson on the second
day, with bass all around the boat sipping at insects and topwater cicadas doing the damage. Anytime you’re winning tournaments and using topwater baits is a day to remember!
First-time winner as a non-boater, Jason Martin scored big at the back of the boat. Fishing with eventual winner Dane Pryce on day one and fellow Taree angler, Kris Hickson on day two, Jason fished to his strengths and used a chartreuse/silver Jackall Squirrel jerkbait to contribute to the shared-
wait for the tick in the line and then you can set the hook,” Martin explained. Catching 50 fish over the weekend (between him and his boaters), Martin’s favourite outfit was a Daiwa Gen Black rod paired with a
it’s a great way to introduce new people to the sport. You get to fish with some of the best anglers in Australia,” Martin concluded. When asked whether we was going to defend his title in 2020, Jason said, “I really
BOATER RESULTS Place Name 1 Dane Pryce 2 Graham Ford 3 Luke Draper 4 Steve Chang 5 Robert Tilley 6 Jake Schwerin 7 Kyle Lewis 8 Mike Nelson 9 Keeghan Painter 10 Mick Johnson
Total Fish Total Weight (kg) 10/10 9.84 10/10 9.80 10/10 9.71 10/10 9.18 10/10 9.15 10/10 8.91 10/10 8.67 10/10 8.64 10/10 8.43 10/10 8.41
Jason Martin was teamed up with BASS Pro circuit regular Kris Hickson.
NON-BOATER RESULTS Place Name 1 Jason Martin 2 Mitchell Petty 3 Malcolm Draper 4 Tom Deer 5 John Francis 6 Mark Caneris 7 Ryan Bates 8 Darren Greenstreet 9 Ian Wratten 10 Anthony Melchior
Total Fish Total Weight (kg) 10/10 9.50 10/10 9.23 10/10 9.02 10/10 8.91 10/10 8.86 10/10 8.85 10/10 8.76 10/10 8.71 10/10 8.65 10/10 8.60 DECEMBER 2019
85
Bostock blitzes field at Grand Final The Casino Outdoor and Disposal BASS Electric series drew to a close on the Richmond River at the 2019 BASS Electric Grand Final. On the banks of the Richmond, 29 anglers
were eager to see what the river was going to produce and more importantly, who would be crowned the champion on Sunday afternoon. It was BCF manager
Peter Bostock caught a huge amount of fish on both days, and amongst all those fish were the right ones to take out the win!
BIG BASS Day one’s Big Bass winner was Charles West, who landed a cracker on a Whiplash Noise Addict buzzbait. The Big Bass on day two was Mark Palazzi, which was the biggest bass for the entire tournament, on a beetle spin.
Peter Bostock who rose to the top, compiling a 4/4 limit for 3.85kg. For his efforts he took home a Motorguide X3 electric motor and a 24v Green Energy lithium battery package. During pre-fish, Bostock made the decision to make the one hour 40 minute trip downriver to the Swan Bay area where the larger concentrations of bass were holding. This proved to be a great decision. Upon arrival on the first day Bostock already had one small fish in the well. He made a quick stop on the way and picked up a keeper on a jig, although this fish got upgraded in a matter of casts at Swan Bay. The fish continued to bite for the entire session, with Bostock landing around 60 legal bass for the day. His technique was simply hoping blades on a small drop off and, with the bass hunting prawns, this technique proved very successful. He switched between an Ecogear ZX40 and a Savage Gear blade, but the key was making long casts across the current and brining the blade up the drop off through the schools of prawns. Returning to the weigh-in on day one, Bostock was sitting in second place, and not too far off the lead. With the amount of fish he was catching it was going to make for an exciting day two. With more favourable tides at the start of day two, the trip down to Swan Bay was a little quicker, although the bass didn’t bite until around 8am. When they did however, is was a quick flurry and the well was full in no time at all. Bostock
also managed to make some key upgrades toward the end of the session. Bostock switched up his technique on day two to a more finesse approach with a soft plastic rigged on a 1/4oz jighead, which he would simply drag along the bottom.
His choice of tackle was a 2-5kg Lox Yoshi spin rod matched with a Daiwa Certate 2500 spooled with 6lb braid and 12lb leader. Pete would like to thank all the naming sponsors as well as everyone that assisted him through the year.
Urquhart finishes strong
Event organiser Joey Urquhart slide into second behind Bostock, and also managed to take out the Angler of the Year trophy. Relegated to second place was BASS Electric event organiser and Richmond River local Joey Urquhart. Urquhart compiled his 4/4 limit for 3.56kg and also took home a Green Energy 24v lithium battery. Urquhart also made the huge run downriver to Swan Bay and fished about 15ft away from Bostock for the entire weekend. His technique was the same as Bostock’s, where he hoped blades up a drop off targeting the concentrations of prawns. Day one saw him fill his
limit before the other anglers arrived and he continued to upgrade through the day and landed around 60 bass for the session. Starting day two in third place he was ready to move up the leader board. Upon arrival at Swan Bay he filled his limit very quickly and continued to make small upgrades all session. Urquhart threw a 6g Issei GC Zari Metal when there was less flow in the tide, and a 9g when the tide picked up. His choice of tackle was a Raison Jaburo 65L matched
with a Daiwa Tierra LT 2500 spooled with 8lb Sufix Aqua and Sufix Super 21 10lb leader. Urquhart also took out the Angler of the Year trophy for his outstanding year, consisting of a first place, two second places, a third, fouth and a 12th. Joey would like to thank all of his sponsors that supported him through the year. That brings this year’s series to a close, but keep posted for the 2020 BASS Electric calendar!
RESULTS
Scan the QR code to see highlights from the Grand Final.
Place Name 1 Pete Bostock 2 Joseph Urquhart 3 Tom Reynolds 4 Mark Palazzi 5 Nathan Swanson 6 Matt Williams 7 Glenn Swanson 8 Felippe Gapski 9 Stephen McLean 10 Liam Dutton
Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888 88
DECEMBER 2019
Total Fish Total Weight (kg) 4/4 3.85 4/4 3.56 4/4 3.36 4/4 3.19 4/4 3.07 4/4 2.81 4/4 2.65 4/4 2.63 4/4 2.49 4/4 2.38
The banks of the Richmond River were awash with anglers ready to fish its snaggy waters.
2019 2019 Local Time
SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) – NEW SOUTH WALES SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) – LONG NEW SOUTH WALES LAT 33° 51’ S 151° 14’ E
LAT 33° 51’ S LONG 151° 14’ E Times and Heights of High and Low Waters Times and Heights of High and Low Waters MARCH FEBRUARY JANUARY SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER Time m Time m Time Time m Time m Time m
Time
1 1 0329 0936 TU
SU 1531 2150
2 2
0414 1025 WE MO 1627 2241
3 3 0500 1115 TH
TU 1725 2333
4 4
0545 1207 FR WE 1827
m 0541 0.08 1208 1.64 1759 0.22 2358 1.91 0633 0.14 1310 1.66 1857 0.26 1.77 0044 0.23 0720 1.65 1400 0.34 1947 1.59 0127 0.34 0803 1.63 1445 0.42 2032
Time m 0441 1.47 1.57 0.35 0.67 0.58 0318 1100 1.49 1.28 1.33 0926 WE 1652 0.42 0.53 MO 1523 2300 TU 0.50 2135 1.57 0536 1.57 1.63 0.38 0.58 0.52 0348 1208 1.51 1.30 1.30 1000 TH 1800 0.45 0.50 TU 1601 2355 WE 2210 1.50 0630 1.69 0.51 0.42 0.45 1.69 0419 1309 1.52 1.34 0.47 1036 FR 1902 WE 1644 0.48 TH 1.30 2248 1.41 0048 0.46 0.52 0.47 1.82 1.73 0452 0722 1.52 0.33 0.42 1115 SA 1403 0.52 1.39 TH 1730 1959 FR 1.31 2330 1.32 0141 0.40 0.52 0.53 1.93 1.76 0530 0814 1.50 0.22 0.39 1159 SU 1455 0.56 1.45 FR 1823 2052 SA 1.32
1 1 0341 0959 FR
16 16 17 17
6 6
0130 0725 SU FR 1403 2051
7 7 0243 0826 MO
SA 1509 2206
8 8
0400 0932 TU SU 1615 2311
9 9
0506 1036 WE MO 1714
1.58 2114 0.50 0245 1.26 0920 0.56 1600 1.54 2152 0.55 0323 1.16 0957 0.63 1635 1.52 2230 0.55 0400 1.13 1031 0.66 1710 1.52 2306 0.52 0437 1.17 1107 0.64 1745 1.55 2344
1615 2222
2 2
18 18
0424 1045 SA 1711 2315
3 3 0508 1134 SU
19 19
0207 1.41 20 5 5 0844 0.46 20 1523
0029 0632 SA TH 1302 1935
Time
1324 2025
1529 2233
1638 2333
0541 1111 FR 1739
10 10
11 11 0042 0639 FR
11 11 0139 0745 MO
WE 1217 1844
12 12 0117 0715 SA TH 1258 1920
13 13 0149 0749 SU FR 1335 1955
14 14 0219 0821 MO SA 1410 2028
15 15 0249 0853 TU SU 1446 2100
0.60 1.59 0024 0.43 0559 1.29 1220 0.55 1900 1.62 0107 0.39 0645 1.34 1300 0.50 1940 1.65 0156 0.36 0736 1.39 1345 0.46 2024 1.66 0247 0.34 0836 1.43 1439 0.43 2113 1.65 0344 0.34 0945 1.47 1542 0.42 2205 1.62
26 26 1.31
0210 1.51
0103 0710 SU 1258 1913
1339 1950
0.17 0.54 0211 27 0812 12 0.66 0045 12 0818 27 1.52 1.51 1.53 0650 SU 1416 TU FR 1241 0.50 1901 1.32 0.70 0130 1.44 0738 MO SA 1334 0.53 1952 1.34 0.73 0215 1.37 0824 TU SU 1427 0.54 2042 1.39 0.72 0258 1.31 0911 WE MO 1520 0.55 2131
0.30 2041 1.90 0308 0.11 0921 1.63 1518 0.21 2134 1.91 0410 0.09 1037 1.71 1628 0.17 2230 1.86 0511 0.13 1152 1.77 1740 0.17 2327 1.76 0608 1256 TH 1843
28 28 29 29
30 30 31
1.62 2131 0.47 0306 1.19 0936 0.65 1610 1.54 2205 0.53 0343 1.13 1010 0.72 1642 1.48 2239 0.55 0419 1.13 1044 0.73 1713 1.45 2314 0.53 0457 1.18 1118 0.70 1745 1.47 2349
18 18 SA 1230 1.35 1909 0.51 1.74 0111 0.37 0647 WE SU 1321 1.38 2012 0.50 1.74 0215 0.37 0749 TH MO 1424 1.39 2124 0.50 1.71 0330 0.38 0903 FR TU 1535 1.40 2233 0.51 1.67 0445 0.41 1022 SA WE 1648 1.41 2334 0.54 1.60 0547 0.44 1131 SU TH 1752
20 20
21 21 22 22
23 23
SA 1416 0.45 2026 1.50 0.61 0241 1.36 0850 WE SU 1453 0.53 2100 1.51 0.63 0310 1.25 0922 TH MO 1530 0.59 2135 1.54 0.61 0339 1.21 0954 FR TU 1607 0.61 2211 1.58 0.57 1.21
13 13
14 14
15 15
0.65 1.50 0029 0.45 0619 1.33 1230 0.58 1854 1.53 0111 0.41 0707 1.41 1313 0.51 1932 1.56 0159 0.38 0802 1.47 1402 0.46 2018 1.57 0253 0.36 0909 1.53 1505 0.42 2115 1.56 0355 0.36 1028 1.58 1621 0.39 2220 1.53 0500 0.38 1144 1.62 1741 0.38 2328 1.49
1.41 0.58 0027 1.52 0640 MO FR 1233 0.48 1848 1.42 0.63 0115 1.43 0728 TU SA 1330 0.53 1942 1.43 0.66 0200 1.34 0815 WE SU 1425 0.57 2032 1.45 0.67 0243 1.27 0900 TH MO 1517 0.60 2123 1.49 0.64 0326 1.23 0946 TU 1610 0.60 2214 1.57 0.56 0408 1.25 1032 WE 1702 0.57 2304
25 25 26 26
27 27 28 28 29 30
31 0450 1117
m 0537 0.52 1230 1.76 1827 0.37 2358
m Time m 0432 1.60 1.51 0.53 0.52 0.60 0454 1124 1.77 1.27 1.19 1125 SA 1730 0.37 0.63 SA 1805 2310 SU 0.69
0049 0618 SA 1251 1946
3 3 0146 0709 SU 1342 2046
0.33 2.01 0249 0.13 0809 MO 1.61 1.57 MO 1440 2128 0.48 2145 0315 0.28 1.22 2.04 0356 0941 0.63 0.10 0919 1614 TU 1.58 1.62 TU 1545 2216 0.51 2242 0408 0.26 1.18 2.01 0457 1030 0.67 0.13 1030 1659 WE 1.55 1.65 WE 1649 2305 0.49 2331 0501 0.28 1.19 1.91 0547 1120 0.68 0.20 1134 1744 TH 1.56 1.65 TH 1745 2354 0.44 0556 0.33 1.26 1.76 0015 1210 0.63 0.31 0630 1828 FR 1.61 FR 1228 1832 0.36 0043 1.63 1.37 0.42 0052 0652 0.54 1.58 0709 1300 SA 1.69 0.43 SA 1314 1912 1915 0134 1.59 0.27 0.51 0126 0753 1.50 1.41 0744 1353 SU 0.42 0.54 SU 1355 1958 1954 1.75 0229 1.55 0.21 0.59 0158 0900 1.63 1.27 0817 1452 MO 0.31 0.64 MO 1434 2048 1.77 2031 0329 1.51 0.18 0.64 0230 1013 1.74 1.18 0851 1603 TU 0.23 0.70 TU 1513 2149 1.75 2110 0434 1.50 0.19 0.64 0301 1127 1.83 1.16 0926 1720 WE 0.18 0.72 WE 1552 2256 1.68 2149
6 6 7 7
1.66 0.46 0051 1.19 0720 0.71 1400 1.56 1958 0.52 0135 1.16 0800 0.76 1435 1.47 2033 0.56 0215 1.17 0837 0.78 1507 1.42 2106 0.56 0250 1.22 0912 0.76 1538 1.41 2138 0.53 0326 1.30 0945 0.71 1608 1.42 2210
SU 1212 1859 0.65 1.60 0103 0.49 0634 MO MO 1304 1.32 1959 0.59 1.64 0207 0.44 0737 TU TU 1405 1.38 2103 0.54 1.68 0316 0.41 0849 WE WE 1513 1.43 2206 0.50 1.70 0424 0.39 1005 TH TH 1623 1.47 2303 0.47 1.70 0523 0.38 1116 FR FR 1729 1.50 2355 0.46 1.67 0616 0.39 1222 SA SA 1828 1.53
18 18 19 19
20 20 21 21
22 22
0401 0.49 23 8 8 1019 1.38 23 1638
9 9
10 10 11 11
12 12
13 13
0.24 1.87 0.18 1.58 0.32 1.87 0.22 1.47
0.42 1.83 TH 1755 0.29 2356 1.36
14 14 0336 1002 TH TH 1633 2232
15 15 0413 1042 FR FR 1717 2317
0.64 2243 1.45 0439 0.46 1054 1.47 1708 0.56 2317 1.46 0518 0.43 1130 1.55 1740 0.49 2354 1.47 0601 0.41 1208 1.62 1814 0.43 1.47 0034 0.41 0648 1.69 1251 0.39 1852 1.45 0120 0.42 0744 1.74 1343 0.35 1939 1.42 0215 0.45 0850 1.78 1447 0.34 2038 1.38 0319 0.48 1008 1.79 1609 0.35 2154 1.34
0.47 1.63 0044 0.41 0705 SU SU 1322 1.55 1923 0.49 1.57 0129 0.45 0753 MO MO 1417 1.56 2016 0.52 1.49 0213 0.50 0839 TU TU 1510 2108 1.56 0.56 0255 1.40 0925 WE WE 1600 0.56 2158 1.55 0.60 0338 1.31 1009 TH TH 1648 0.62 2247 1.54 0.62 0420 1.24 1053 FR FR 1736 0.67 2335 1.55 0.60 0503 1.22 1136 SA SA 1824 0.68
24 24 25 25
26 26 27 27 28 28
29 29
30 30
31 SU
Time
1 1 0024 0547 MO
16 16
0542 0633 1.55 1.29 1.26 0.54 0008 17 2 1230 1320 2 1916 0.58 0.62 17 1.26 0541 SU 1836
17 17
0536 0.50 9 24 9 1153 1.26 24 1818 0023 0630 SA 1209 1830
0516 0.48 10 25 10 1143 1.22 25 1821 0001 0558 TH TU 1131 1802
1849
5 5
8 8
24 24
1 1 0533 1203 FR
16 16
5 5 0111 0646 TU
7 7 0437 1001 TH
23 23
Time
4 4
0010 0554 MO 1227 1915
6 6 0322 0849 WE
22 22
Time m 0603 1.69 0.61 0.41 0.43 1.62 0410 1250 1.65 1.32 0.51 1029 SA 1848 WE 1646 0.39 FR 1.24 2249 1.43 0030 0.50 0.59 0.45 1.81 1.66 0442 0702 1.66 0.31 0.46 1105 SU 1346 0.41 1.41 TH 1729 1945 SA 1.28 2330 1.36 0128 0.41 0.56 0.50 1.93 1.70 0518 0757 1.64 0.20 0.41 1145 MO 1438 0.44 1.50 FR 1815 2038 SU 1.32
0222 0230 0.53 1.29 1.30 1.73 0016 19 4 0901 0849 4 1537 0.55 19 0.57 0.39 0559 TU 1527
0.52 0233 0.36 1.24 2.02 1.77 0021 0905 0.59 0.14 0.37 0615 MO 1545 1.49 1.49 SA 1249 2145 SU 1.32 1927 0.59 0.53 0326 0.32 1.17 2.07 1.77 0124 0956 0.64 0.10 0.37 0711 TU 1635 1.49 1.52 MO SU 1351 2236 1.32 2043 0.57 0.54 0419 0.32 1.15 2.05 1.75 0241 1047 0.65 0.12 0.38 0822 WE 1724 1.53 1.53 TU MO 1501 2328 1.32 2159 0.50 0.56 0514 0.34 1.19 1.98 1.72 0400 1138 0.61 0.17 0.41 0938 TH 1813 WE TU 1612 1.61 1.31 2302 0.39 0.59 0020 1.53 1.28 0.39 1.67 0506 0610 0.52 1.85 0.44 1046 FR 1229 1.72 0.26 WE 1715 1901 TH 2356 0.27 1.31 0114 1.52 1.40 0.47 0.62 0600 0708 0.41 1.68 1.60 1145 SA 1321 1.83 0.36 FR TH 1810 1950 0.47
21 21
1810
m 0020 0.20 0700 1.78 1346 0.21 1935 1.61 0108 0.31 0745 1.76 1428 0.29 2018 1.45 0151 0.43 0824 1.70 1503 0.38 2056
Local Time APRIL DECEMBER Time Time m
1218 1911
1.70 0.41 0114 1.37 0634 TU 1.74 MO 1302 0.40 2000 0017 0.54 1.26 1.81 0206 0644 0.63 0.30 0727 1325 WE 1.69 1.48 TU 1350 1930 0.42 2050 0116 0.43 1.24 1.90 0302 0739 0.67 0.22 0828 1415 TH 1.64 1.59 WE 1445 2020 0.42 2142 0212 0.34 1.27 1.95 0400 0831 0.67 0.17 0936 1501 FR 1.61 1.68 TH 1547 2108 0.40 2231 0304 0.27 1.35 1.95 0456 0922 0.63 0.17 1045 1545 SA 1.60 1.75 FR 1649 2154 0.36 2318 0357 0.25 1.46 1.88 0544 1012 0.56 0.22 1149 1629 SU 1.61 1.78 SA 1745 2240 0.32 0448 0.27 1.58 1.77 0000 1100 0.46 0.30 0628 1710 MO 1.61 1.78 SU 1244 2326 1836 0542 0.33 0.29 1.63 0039 1149 1.71 0.41 0706 1751 TU 0.36 MO 1331 1.60 1921 0011 1.74 0.29 0.42 0115 0635 1.81 1.47 0745 1239 WE 0.29 0.53 TU 1415 1831 2005 1.56 0058 1.68 0.32 0.51 0152 0732 1.88 1.33 0821 1330 TH 0.24 0.64 WE 1456 1914 1.50 2047 0147 1.60 0.36 0.59 0230 0834 1.91 1.23 0900 1428 FR 0.23 0.74 TH 1537 2003 1.44 2131 0244 1.53 0.43 0.64 0310 0941 1.91 1.17 0942 1536 SA 0.25 0.80 FR 1620 2105 1.37 2217 0348 1.49 0.50 0.65 0353 1048 1.86 1.18 1025 1652 SU 0.31 0.81 SA 1706 2219 1.31 2306 0456 1.48 0.57 0.63 0440 1149 1.79 1.23 1111 1758 MO 0.38 0.78 SU 1755 2329 2358 0556 1.51 1240 0.58 1847 1.30
2 2
3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6
7 7
m 0026 1.26 0645 0.64 1321 1.69 1928 0.45 0113 1.22 0728 0.70 1357 1.59 2003 0.51 0153 1.20 0806 0.75 1430 1.50 2036 0.55 0230 1.21 0842 0.78 1500 1.43 2107 0.56 0307 1.25 0916 0.79 1530 1.38 2140 0.55 0344 1.32 0952 0.76 1600 1.35 2213 0.53 0323 1.40 0930 0.70 1531 1.35 2148
m Time m 0524 1.78 0.72 0.53 0.33 1.55 0530 1159 1.85 1.58 0.53 1200 TU 1812 MO 1846 0.31 1.38
16 16
0.65 0005 0.47 1.33 1.83 1.59 0052 0619 0.57 0.28 0.48 0626 WE 1246 1.78 1.70 TU 1252 1900 1.45 1941 0.34 0.58 0100 0.38 1.34 1.84 1.63 0151 0712 0.60 0.27 0.45 0727 TH 1331 1.70 1.79 WE 1348 1945 1.52 2038 0.36 0.53 0154 0.32 1.37 1.80 1.64 0254 0802 0.62 0.29 0.43 0834 FR 1414 1.61 1.86 TH 1450 2030 1.58 2134 0.38 0245 0.30 0.48 1.43 1.72 1.64 0357 0851 0.62 0.35 0.42 0948 SA 1455 1.53 1.88 FR 1558 2114 1.64 2230 0.39 0.46 0335 0.32 1.52 1.62 1.62 0457 0940 0.58 0.44 0.43 1102 SU 1534 1.48 1.87 SA 1705 2157 1.68 2323 0.40 0426 0.37 0.45 1.62 1.50 1.58 0552 1029 0.51 0.53 0.46 1214 MO 1614 1.44 1.82 SU 1810 2240 1.71
17 17
18 18 19 19 20 20
21 21
22 22
0404 0.45 0516 0.51 1.52 0014 0.41 23 8 1009 1116 8 1605 1.49 23 1.72 0.50 0645 TU 1653
9 9
10 10
11 11
12 12 13 13 14 14 15 15
0.62 2226 1.36 0448 0.49 1052 1.58 1642 0.54 2307 1.37 0538 0.47 1141 1.67 1724 0.46 2355 1.37 0635 0.46 1237 1.75 1815 0.39 1.38 0050 0.46 0742 1.82 1345 0.33 1920 1.38 0158 0.46 0856 1.87 1503 0.29 2039 1.37 0312 0.48 1005 1.89 1618 0.28 2158 1.36 0422 0.50 1105 1.89 1719 0.28 2305 1.34
MO 1317 1.72 1910 0.48 1.45 0101 0.56 0735 WE TU 1414 1.71 2005 0.51 1.37 0148 0.62 0822 TH WE 1503 1.68 2056 0.54 1.30 0232 0.69 0907 FR TH 1550 2144 1.65 0.56 0315 1.26 0950 SA FR 1633 0.73 2229 1.63 0.54 0358 1.27 1031 SU SA 1714 0.73 2311 1.66 0.48 0439 1.35 1111 MO SU 1754 0.68 2353 1.72 0.41 0520 1.46 1149 TU MO 1833 0.58
24 24 25 25 26 26 27 27 28 28 29 29
30 30
0.44 1.39 0.63 0.42 1.75 2323 1.41 0609 0.52 0.42 1.30 1206 1.80 0.72 1734 0.35 1.39 0008 1.66 0.43 0.59 0704 1.86 1.24 1300 0.30 0.80 1822 1.37 0058 1.58 0.46 0.64 0802 1.89 1.21 1401 0.28 0.85 1921 1.36 0157 1.51 0.48 0.66 0901 1.88 1.23 1510 0.29 0.87 2033 1.34 0303 1.48 0.52 0.64 0958 1.84 1.28 1613 0.33 0.84 2146 1.31 0406 1.49 0.56 0.61 1048 1.78 1.35 1705 0.38 0.78 2249 1.29 0500 1.51 0.60 0.57 1131 1.71 1.44 1747 0.43 0.71 2342
31 0035 0602
1.27 0.65 TU 1227 1.62 1913 0.48
Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2018, Bureau of Meteorology Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2018, Bureau of Meteorology Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect New Moon First Quarter Last Quarter Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon New Moon First Quarter Last Quarter Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon Tide predictions for Sydney (Fort Denison) have been formatted by the National Tidal Centre, Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Copyright reserved. All material is supplied in good faith and is believed to be correct. It is supplied on the condition that no warranty is given in relation thereto, that no responsibility or liability for errors or omissions is, or will be, accepted and that the recipient will hold MHL and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Australia free from all such responsibility or liability and from all loss or damage incurred as a consequence of any error or omission. Predictions should not be used for navigational purposes. Use of these tide predictions will be deemed to include acceptance of the above conditions. DECEMBER 2019
89
Trades & Services Directory ba Prawn Blade s” “Yam
SYDNEY
FISHING GUIDES
CLARENCE
Penrith Marine (02) 4731 6250
PORT STEPHENS
Cohoe Marine Products (Sydney) (02) 9519 3575
Fish Port Stephens Estuary Charters 0434 370 687
Blakes Marine (02) 4577 6699
MACQUARIE COAST Castaway Estuary Charters 0427 239 650
“IN THE MAIN STREET”
Watersports Marine (02) 9676 1400
EDEN COAST
02 6646 1514
Marina Bayside (02) 9524 0044
Captain Kev’s Wilderness Fishing Tours (02) 4474 3345 or 0424 625 160
CHARTER BOATS
REEL TIME FISHING CHARTERS
• Stocking all Major Brands • Experienced Local Knowledge • Tournament Bream Gear in Stock • Snorkelling gear in stock
Tweed Coast Marine (07) 5524 8877 Ballina Marineland (02) 6686 2669
Drop in to see Mick & Kelly
Manning River Marine Taree (02) 6552 2333 • 6am to 2pm $150pp • 3 boats – holds up to 30+ people • All fishing gear and bait is supplied • No fishing licence req. • Pickup from Yamba Marina or Iluka ferry wharf
COFFS COAST Compleat Angler Kempsey (02) 6562 5307 MOTackle & Outdoors (02) 6652 4611 or www.motackle.com.au Rocks Marine Bait & Tackle South West Rocks (02) 6566 6726
KAYAK DEALERS
Phone Dave today: www.fishingyamba.com.au 0428 231 962 OPEN 7 DAYS
MARINA BOAT & TACKLE, YAMBA MARINA
YAMBA’S LARGEST TACKLE STORE • Chandlery • Boat Sales • Ice & Gas • Bait & Tackle • Trailers Sales & Parts • Charter Bookings Ph: 6646 1994 or 0428 231 962 Email: dave@gaden.com.au Now Agents For
CLARENCE COAST
MINN REPAIRS & SERVICING • • • •
All electric motor brands Australia wide freight Quick turn around Authorised Minn Kota/Watersnake repairer
Minn Repairs & Servicing Call Troy 0412 605 080 – W: minnrepairs.com
The Life Aquatic - Mona Vale – (02) 9979 1590 Australian Bass Angler - Penrith – (02) 4721 0455 Hunts Marine - Yallah – (02) 4284 0444 Bunyips Great Outdoors - Lismore – (02) 6622 1137 Maclean Outdoors - MacLean – (02) 6645 1120 Wetspot Watersports -Fyshwick – (02) 6239 1323 Graham Barclay Marine – Forster – (02) 6554 5866 Hunter Water Sports - Belmont – (02) 4947 7899 Totally Immersed Watersports - Nowra (02) 4421 5936 Hunts Marine - Batemans Bay – (02) 4472 2612 Compleat Angler – Merimbula – (02) 6495 3985
ONLINE TACKLE PRODUCTS
A GREAT BIT OF KIT JUST GOT BETTER
minnrepairsservicing E: minnrepairs@gmail.com
The ultimate FG knot tool for braid/ leader joins large and MODIFIED small DESIGN
Reel Time Fishing Charters Yamba 0428 231 962 Yamba Fishing & Charters 0401 564 052
COFFS COAST Freshest Fishing Tours 0421 405 221
MIKAT CRUISES
HOLIDAY RENTAL
allows braid tension adjustment
MACLEAY VALLEY COAST
CRESCENT HEAD HOLIDAY RENTALS
CHECK IT OUT ONLINE ORDERS
THE FISHING EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME! • Reef, Deep Sea and Sport Fishing • Swains, Samurez, Cap Bunker Group • Dories available • LUXURY 20m Cat. New V8 Scanias. Large comfortable and stable. • Air conditioned and fast (cruise up to 16 knots) • Professional crew (over 22 years experience) • Cater for groups up to 12 people from 3 to 10 days • BYO or fully licenced bar • Desalinate unit • Trips designed to suit your requirements
SATELLITE TV INSTALLED
www.mikat.com.au MARINE MECHANICS COFFS COAST Coffs Harbour Marine (02) 6652 4722 North Coast Boating Centre (02) 6655 7700 Jetty Boating (02) 6651 4002 Thwaites Marine (02) 6651 7810
OPEN 7 DAYS
TWEED/BYRON COAST
Graham Barclay Marine (02) 6554 5866
Phone: 0427 125 727 I Fax: (07) 4972 1759 michael@mikat.com.au
•
“The Home of Leavey Lures”
MACQUARIE COAST
EASY PARKING
Shop 3, 8 Yamba St, Yamba
Shannons Outboards (02) 9482 2638 TR Marine World (02) 4577 3522
Dave Gaden’s Yamba • Deep Sea
YAMBA BAIT & TACKLE “Yamba’s Leading Tackle Shop”
For all your accommodation needs, house, units & townhouses for every budget. Contact the friendly team at Crescent Head Real Estate for your free holiday brochure.
www.crescentheadholidayrentals.com.au
Email: holiday@crescentheadrealestate.com.au
www.fgwizz.com.au
www.fishin.com.au TOURNAMENT TACKLE STORE
ZX BLADES
6 MAIN ST, CRESCENT HEAD NSW 2440
Phone: 02 6566 0500
ZMAN GRUBZ
ILLAWARRA COAST
CRANKA CRABS
Riviera Caravan Park, St George’s Basin (02) 4441 2112
BAIT & TACKLE FRESHWATER Aberdeen Fishing & Outdoors (02) 6543 7111 Loomzys Fish and Fix (Forbes) (02) 6851 1425
BENT MINNOWS
JACKALL CHUBBY
FREE EXPRESS SHIPPING
MACQUARIE COAST Ned Kelly Bait n Tackle Port Macquarie (02) 6583 8318 Manning River Marine Taree (02) 6552 2333
HUNTER COAST Port Stephens Tackle World (02) 4984 2144
0425 230 964 – info@fishin.com.au SHOP 18, 29 KIORA RD MIRANDA NSW 2228
Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call (07) 3387 0800 or email ads@fishingmonthly.com.au 90
DECEMBER 2019
boats & kayaks
OVER
$260,000 IN PRIZES TO BE WON!
In the skipper’s seat
WIN THE DREAM WIT H CLU B MAR
INE
BUY, RENEW OR SUBSCRIBE NOW P
1300 00 CLUB (2582)
CLUBMARINE.COM. AU
*Terms and conditions apply
Inside story...
In 1998, Formosa Marine Pty Ltd became a registered business in aluminium pressed boats. Since then, Formosa Marine has earnt a reputation through word of mouth as some of Australia’s best-designed range of aluminium boats.
Made for...
Formosa Marine brands are designed with versatility and practicality in mind. Each boat has the same engineering specifications, so you can be assured that Formosa Marine’s famous strength qualities, spacious layout and freeboard is in each hull regardless of the size or model.
This month...
Steve Morgan climbs aboard Formosa’s 550 SRT with Suzuki 150hp 4-stroke out from Coffs Harbour. Check it out on page 100!
93 Glenbawn glory
Dayne Taylor visits what is arguably the premier bass impoundment in NSW, and explores its beautiful waters from his kayak.
94 A double christening Christening a new craft is rewarding, but doing two in one weekend is even better, as Justin Willmer found out!
96 Get on top of props Wayne Kampe provides a layman’s look at propellers to help you better understand this important piece of equipment.
98 Stessl 480 Trophy CC Gary Brown gives this fishingready rig, powered by a 60hp Honda 4-stroke, a good run in his local waters.
DECEMBER 2019
91
Stessl 480 Trophy CC with 60hp Honda 4-stroke
SYDNEY SOUTH
Gary Brown gbrown1@iprimus.com.au
The Stessl 480 Trophy Centre Console powered by a 60hp Honda is a great rig for anglers looking for a down to earth workhorse to take the family on trips, or simply for getting out on the water. Whether you are an offshore angler who likes to target snapper and kingfish with bait or lures or you prefer to troll up and down the coast for kingfish, tuna, salmon and tailor, this is the rig for you. Maybe you have a family and you would prefer to keep to the enclosed waterways and either drift or bait fish for bream, whiting, snapper, trevally and many other estuary fish species. This outfit will easily do the job, and it has the added benefit of 700mm internal freeboard. With its 4mm bottom and sides, the Stessl 480 Trophy Centre Console powered by the 60hp Honda outboard would give you plenty of hours of fun either fishing, cruising or even pulling a tube or skier behind. STANDARD FEATURES The 480 Trophy is
Main: Running the boat with the 60hp Honda on the rear, the 480 Trophy cruised comfortably at 22 knots. The high windscreen provided plenty of protection from the breeze. Above: Even though the 60hp Honda outboard was able to get the boat out of the water with a fair amount of ease, it’s worth considering putting an 80 or 90hp outboard on. manufactured from 4mm 5083 high tensile keel sheets, 4mm 5052 side sheets, 4mm bulkheads and frames fully welded to hull (not floating). Its standard features include a Fastback transom with twin boarding platforms, fully-welded gunwales and side decks, extruded side decks, enclosed rear transom with twin hatches, large aluminium anchor well, 32mm bow and rear rails, heavy-duty bow sprit with double rollers and rope keepers, fully carpeted floor, Australian Standards
SPECIFICATIONS Beam..........................................................2.4m Depth .........................................................1.6m Weight (boat only) ................................... 520kg Bottom .......................................................4mm Sides ..........................................................4mm People ..............................................................5 Max hp ...........................................................90 Shaft...............................................................XL Length on trailer .......................................6.8m Height on trailer ......................................2.79m 98
DECEMBER 2019
approved underfloor foam floatation, three cast alloy bollards, large 800mm centre console with shelf and folding top, two transducer brackets, four rod holders, large side pockets, heavy-duty dive boarding ladder, NFB steering, sports spoke steering wheel, helm seat box with flip backrest, 150L underfloor fuel tank with sender, marine level tinned wiring loom, five gang switch panel with 12V outlet, LED nav lights and anchor light, bilge pump, and white paint as standard graphics. OPTIONAL EXTRAS There are plenty of ways to customise your 480 Trophy. If you want a berley bucket, you could get Enterprise Marine to install one into the port side of the boat. Additionally, instead of having a fullwidth rear fold-down padded bench seat at the stern, you could get a three-
quarter one and have them install an access door to the rear transom.
A not her opt i on would be to install a selfdeploying electric motor. To do this, you would need Enterprise Marine to get the bow rail modified and a mounting plate wielded onto the bow. ON THE WATER Being a plate boat, the Trophy is extremely solid in the water. It’s 2.4m wide, which is substantial for a boat that’s only 4.8m long, and this contributes to superior stability both at rest and underway. With the added benefit of foam filling, the ride is surprisingly quiet as well. The bow pushes the water spray down for a drier ride. HORSEPOWER The Honda EFI 60hp 4-stroke outboard (power trim and tilt, electric start, mounting kit, fuel line and primer bulb) comes standard with this package.
However, given the boat’s capacity to take five adults, I would strongly think about upgrading from a 60hp to the maximum 90hp motor that is allowed. Sure, the 90hp would weigh more, but that extra power would allow it to come onto the plane with much more ease, and it will also keep your fuel cost down. You can find out more about the different models on the Honda website at marine. honda.com. As tested on the day, the Stessl 480 Trophy Centre Console with a 60hp Honda has an asking price of $37,990 from Enterprise Marine at 8/77-79 Basset Street West, Mona Vale. For more information, call Enterprise Marine owner Chris Tocchini on (02) 9999 5558 or email him at chris@ enterprisemarine.com.au.
What more do you need than a Stessl 480 Trophy Centre Console, a few rods in the rod holders and you at the helm? This outfit will stand out in the crowd.
The helm seat has enough room for two adults to sit side by side while still being protected by the high and wide windscreen.
Left: There is plenty of walk around space on either side of the console. Right: When reversing this rig down the ramp, stop short of the water, lower the motor, kick it over and then put the motor into reverse. It’s as easy as that to get it off the trailer.
The braked Seatrail Trailer comes with a fitted walkway on the trailer, which can make it easier for you to launch and retrieve your boat, or you can drive it onto the trailer.
The centre console’s fold-down top gives you easy access to the wiring and cables. There’s heaps of storage space underneath the console.
At the rear there’s a cleaning table complete with five rod holders, a live well, a couple of drink holders and a chopping board. On the starboard side is the access ladder, which you could attach a tie-down strap so that it has no chance of deploying while underway.
While travelling at top speed with the motor trimmed, the Stessl 480 Trophy Centre Console sat fairly high in the water. This enabled the shape of the hull to keep the spray down.
You don’t have to get your feet wet when undoing the chain.
The rear Fastback transom with twin boarding platforms and heavy-duty dive boarding ladder makes it easy to get into the boat. The non-slip pads on the transom are a must.
The helm seat with its flip backrest has a 150L kill tank/storage box underneath. The full-width bench seat will allow your extra passengers to get a comfortable ride when travelling.
At the bow there is a pair of hatches that conceal a huge amount of underfloor storage.
With its no fuss sleek lines and solid 4mm construction, the Stessl 480 Trophy Centre Console sits very square and flat on the water when at rest, making it a very stable craft. DECEMBER 2019
99
Formosa 550 SRT with Suzuki 150hp 4-stroke - SC
TENT -
RE ONLINE MO
T DECEMBER 2019
order boats with the features that local anglers want.” The 550 is the smallest Centre Cab that Formosa make. With models
The Suzuki 150hp 4-stroke partnered perfectly with the Formosa 550 SRT.
Main: The jury is out on whether this type of shot is appealing to a boat customer or not. Rupe said that landing was “much softer than expected” after searching out some stand-up swell at the mouth of the harbour. Above: Stability at rest is where this Formosa shines, with a 2.45m beam and the Quad4 water ballast system fitted.
Suzuki’s 150hp Lean Burn engine pushed the Formosa 550 SRT up and over the swell at a good, comfortable running pace. 100
DE FOR EX
After hundreds of boat tests, we finally made it to Coffs Harbour to get some hulls wet. Hosted by Dayne Taylor and the team at North Coast Boating Centre (NCBC), it’s definitely a part of the world that offers lots – not just for fishing but also a compact array of conditions to test the abilities of hull and motor combinations. NCBC is a Formosa and Suzuki dealer and both come from South East Queensland – the hulls are manufactured there and Suzuki’s local head office is also located there. Although the quality of the main Coffs Harbour boat ramp is a bone of contention amongst locals, on the test
CO
s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au
R
Steve Morgan
Q
RA
CON
AN THE
day it coped fine with the launch and retrieval of a black and grey 5.5m Formosa Centre Cab, loaded with features and turning
FMG
heads with a new Suzuki 150 bolted to the back. “The locals here love the Formosas and we sell plenty of them here,” said NCBC’s Dayne Taylor. “We always make sure that we
extending up to 7.4m in length and the simplification of the Formosa range (these SRT hulls were released on the 2019 boat show circuit), navigating their line up has become a lot easier.
If you’ve ever been offshore from Coffs, you’ll know this wall. A calm wind with some leftover swell presented ideal testing conditions.
There’s a surprising amount of room in the centre cab, as much as in some 7m models that I’ve tested in the past; however, the flipside of that is the front deck space is compromised in this model. If front deck space is important to you, check out the longer models in the line up.
versus ride. With a near 2.5m width and the fourtube Quad4 water ballast system in play, the hull was rock solid in the water. Even with 19 degrees of transom deadrise, the hull
Otherwise, the boat is well finished and definitely turns heads at the ramp. Its practical features, such as the removable underfloor kill tank, an entirely practical transom and transom door
SPECIFICATIONS Length................. 5.7m Beam................. 2.45m Bottom ................ 4mm Sides ................... 4mm Fuel ..................... 150L Dry hull weight . 840kg Max hp .................. 150 Transom deadrise .19° Capacity ..... 6 persons
Our first test in Coffs Harbour, but with mornings like this it won’t be our last. The dual axle Dunbier trailer provides easy towing and access when at the rigging area of the ramp.
North Coast Boating Centre’s dual-cab ute is the perfect tow and launch vehicle. Exiting the ramp, there’s a fair expanse of semi-sheltered water that we could use to do some speed runs in. Although the specs show economy of 2km/L, I’m sure that with more granular metering this would actually register in the low 2s. It’s no slouch
either, with a flat-water test yielding 74km/h. Unfortunately, conditions didn’t allow us to run at wide open throttle on the test day – that was a quoted reading from the team when they were prop testing in the local river. Creeping out of the harbour, the calm day belied the decent ocean swell that rolled through. Indeed, it was fun to do a few jump shots off the colourful south wall. Sneaking up along the coast, we took the opportunity to do some running and fishing shots in the slop. You can check these out on the Fishing Monthly YouTube channel or by scanning the QR code on this page. The other compromise in this boat is stability
When they look this good it’s easy to see why NCBC have moved so many Formosa boats this year!
This is why you invest in the Quad4 option. Stability at rest makes it easy to catch a few! tended to ride over rather than through the swell. Add a deeper vee in the hull and you would lose stability in favour of a smoother entry to waves. It’s the perennial boating dilemma.
As the swell continued to build, this Formosa 550 SRT really showed off how balanced and stable it was. PERFORMANCE RPM Speed (km/h) Economy (km/L) Idle ..........................5 ...............................5 1000 .........................7 ............................3.3 2000....................... 12 ............................2.5 3000....................... 28 ............................2.0 3500 ....................... 30 ............................2.0 4000....................... 46 ............................2.0 5000....................... 59 ............................1.4 5900 ....................... 74 ............................n/a
Building seas were no problem for the newly released SRT hull.
There’s room up front and back for fishing so you’re not on top of each other and can cover more ground.
coupled with a folding bench seat that redefines simplicity shows that this rig has been designed by anglers – or at the very least, by builders who listen to their customers. Want to find out more or go for a test drive? Call Dayne and the NCBC team on (02) 6655 7700 or look them up on www.northcoast boatingcentre.com or North Coast Boating Centre on Facebook. Price wise, this rig is right in the ballpark for those looking to move into a plate boat and not have to sell the house to do it. As tested, this rig comes in at under $60,000 and if you want to drop to a 140hp outboard, you can shed another five or six grand again.
Even when Josh and Rupe did get the hull out of the water the landings were smooth as the beam really carried the weight. DECEMBER 2019
101
Above: We’ve seen plenty of kill tanks under the floor of boats, but this one is removable. Below: There’s more room than you think in the centre cab, with plenty of space to get out of the elements when things get hot and nasty.
Egress is easy on the trailer with the fold-down aluminium steps.
Above: Side pockets are short but feature room for your toes underneath them and a high gunwale to keep you in while out in the ocean. Below: The trade-off of a large centre cab is less casting deck up front. There’s plenty of room to circumnavigate the cab, but two anglers casting lures up here is a crowd.
Main: The fold-down rear bench seat is a neat and practical solution – with no fold-down legs required. Inset: The transom door folds inwards and forms a step to give access to the Active Transom.
Top Left: The helm is simple and although the throttle box initially felt a little cramped, it offered plenty of places to support the throttle hand while varying revs in lumpier water. Bottom Left: Next to the anchor box there’s an electric motor mount. Either a self or standard manualdeploy would work, as you can easily access the mounting area. Right: Although basic, there’s plenty of storage room in the seat pedestals and simple foot bars. 102
DECEMBER 2019
The new Suzuki 150 is an EFI double overhead cam, 2.8L inline 4-stroke that throws this centre cab up and out of the water.
The hard top offers shade for driver and passenger and accommodates a handful of rods up and out of the way. It folds down for garage storage.
Left: There’s ample room to shuffle around the centre cab and the deck remains the same level all the way around. Right: The short windscreen is in the ideal place – you can look through it while seated and over it while standing.
FIND THE THERE ARE 15 LOGOS HIDDEN THROUGHOUT THE PAGES OF FISHING MONTHLY. FILL IN THE ENTRY FORM BELOW WITH THE PAGE NUMBER OF EACH LOGO LOCATION AND GO INTO THE DRAW TO WIN!
LOGO COMPETITION HAVE YOU TRIED ZMAN’S MIDNIGHT OIL COLOUR? COMBINE A DYNAMITE UV REACTIVE POP WITH FINE GLITTER FOR A REALISTIC SCALE FLASH AND YOU HAVE A SOFT PLASTIC PRESENTATION THAT FISH CAN’T RESIST!
THE FIRST 40 CORRECT ENTRIES DRAWN AT THE END OF DECEMBER ‘MIDNIGHT OIL’ COLOUR SOFT PLASTICS. WIN A PACK OF ALL ENTRIES WILL THEN GO INTO THE MAJOR PRIZE DRAW TO WIN ONE OF THREE PRIZE PACKS TO BE DRAWN ON 30th APRIL, 2020
MAJOR PRIZES 1ST: $1000
MAJOR PRIZE WINNERS GET TO CHOOSE FROM THE HUGE TACKLE TACTICS RANGE OF BRANDS AND PRODUCTS:
RRP OF TACKLE TACTICS PRODUCTS
PAGE NO: 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
2ND: $500 3RD: $200 RRP OF TACKLE TACTICS PRODUCTS
8
9
10
11
RRP OF TACKLE TACTICS PRODUCTS
12
13
14
15
NAME ............................................................................................................
MAIL ENTRIES TO: NSWFM Find the ZMAN Logo Competition, PO BOX 3172, Loganholme QLD 4129 Entries must be received by 31ST DECEMBER 2019 Original entries only. No photocopies.
SUBURB .................................................................P/CODE ........................... PHONE .......................................................................................................... EMAIL ............................................................................................................
NSWFM DECEMBER 2019
ADDRESS .......................................................................................................