NSW Fishing Monthly June 2018

FISHING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND

Features

Boating & Kayaking • • •

Gearing up for a sword fight Last chance for New England trout •

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Tried & Tested

Doubling up with kayaks New engines from Mercury A Stacer revolution

Halco Madeyes • Clark 520 Legend SC Bar Crusher 575C & 615C •

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June 2018, Vol. 23 No. 11

Contents

It’s a little cool this morning as I write this Editorial. For anglers, the drop in temperature means lots of things. It gets the bream and tailor moving, the Murray cod start to get itchy and you put the warm water techniques in the cupboard for another season. But for the last few years, winter is becoming all about the Lure Show. The brainchild of freshwater fishing advocate Garry Fitzgerald, it’s grown to become a festival of Australian lure making and innovation. And it’s populated by the coolest group of Aussie-backyardshed innovators you’ll ever meet. From humble beginnings in the Fernvale community centre in the Brisbane Valley, it quickly outgrew that venue and was welcomed by the Ipswich Showgrounds.

The key to the show’s success is its accessibility. Stands are only 20% of the price of a booth at a big boat show, and entry is $10 with free parking. Kids are free. What that means is that those guys and girls who literally run a garage business can afford to come and sell their wares. And a family can come and join in the fun for $20 entry. I can’t even park a car for a day in Brisbane or Sydney for that.

EDEN COAST Bermagui 54 Tathra 54 Eden 55 Mallacoota 55

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REGULAR FEATURES Cooking 52 Dam Levels 70 Fun Page 74 Tides 86 Trade Directory 82 Tournament News 75 What’s New Fishing 56 What’s New Boating 88

www.lureshow.com.au AUSTRALIAN LURE EXPO

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SPECIAL FEATURES Time for a sword fight New England trout

Adults $10

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BOATING AND KAYAK

dirt cheap and there’s the odd early morning around the campfire with an ale or three. So why am I banging on about it? If you’re jaded by boat shows that are big on boats you can’t afford and low on tackle, we know that you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what these little Aussie battlers have on offer. Of course, Fishing Monthly will have a stand there and will be offering great gifts for those of you who choose to sign up or renew at the show. And I’ll be kicking around the show all day, either at the Fishing Monthly stand or at the Social Media hub. Make sure you come and say gidday – I love talking fishing with keen readers. See you there! The details are in the Lure Show article inside this magazine, or you can visit www.lureshow.com.au.

BUY & SELL LURES TACKLE BARGAINS FREE ONSITE PARKING

BATEMANS COAST Batemans Bay 50 Narooma 53 Merimbula 53

FRESHWATER Jindabyne 62 Wagga Wagga 63 Canberra 64 Lithgow-Oberon 65 New England 66 Hunter Valley 68 Batlow 69 Robinvale 70 Orange 71 Mildura 71

And then there’s the other half of the equation: nearly all of the lures are for sale. As a keen angler, I find it hard not to become excited when browsing the stalls and indulging in the creations that lure makers have spent the best part of a year devising, carving, painting and presenting. So be warned. The impulse buying can be hard to control! Plenty of exhibitors also camp at the Showgrounds. It’s

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ILLAWARRA COAST Illawarra 48 Nowra 49

From the Editor’s Desk...

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SYDNEY The Hawkesbury 12 Sydney North 14 Pittwater 16 Sydney Harbour 17 Botany Bay 18 Sydney South 20 Sydney Rock and Beach 22 Western Sydney 24

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HUNTER COAST Port Stephens 42 Hunter Coast 43 Erina 44 Swansea 45

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MACQUARIE COAST The Hastings 38 Forster 39 Harrington-Taree 41

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COFFS COAST Coffs Harbour 34 Nambucca 36 South West Rocks 37

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BYRON COAST The Tweed 28 Ballina 30 Yamba 32

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Fishing Diary Angler: Andrew Garner Location: FAD off Coffs Harbour Date: March 3rd 2018 Conditions: NE 8 kts, turn of tide Black Magic Tackle: KS 7/0 hook 60lb Tough Trace Note: “Black Magic gear never fails me, even when dealing with an acrobatic fighter like this fella”.

A HOOK FOR EVERY OCCASION:

KS Hooks • • • •

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Follow @blackmagictackle on Facebook and Instagram to see the latest catches and enter in our competitions.

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high carbon steel for extreme strength heavier wire guage caught everything from bait fish to marlin winner of numerous tournaments and national and international records Made in Japan

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SWORDFISH

It’s time for an epic swordfight PORT PHILLIP EAST

Lee Rayner info@fishingfever.com.au

A few years ago if someone said you could catch a swordfish in daylight hours, you would have thought they were on the crazy pills, but that was quickly changed when anglers overseas started to catch these giants of the ocean with a bit of regularity. It also gained momentum

Coyne and Richie Abela when we went to Mallacoota in search of a marlin bite. While we were there Richie said we needed to drop a bait for a sword. When the water we were fishing held no marlin, our plans changed and a bait was sent down. That trip changed our lives forever as the bait was eaten as soon as it hit the bottom by a swordfish that we later landed. Then to back it up we got two more the following day. This

now is the time to go and catch one. SAFETY FIRST While we have worldclass swordfish opportunities here, our only downside is that the good areas are all long hauls from land, 60-90km runs offshore are fairly standard.

LOCATIONS One thing that has become very apparent is that swordfish can, and do, cover a lot of ground in their endless hunt for food. Luckily for us, the coastline between Lakes Entrance and Mallacoota has kilometres of good areas to

This is what 197kg of sword looks like in the boat – take the time to get good pictures.

Tom Hall does battle with a 197kg sword off Lakes Entrance. very quickly as anglers also realised that there were good numbers of swords feeding all day long down in the depths. Fast forward a few years and anglers have started to make a few attempts at catching swords, and catch them they certainly did. The lid was blown off in our own Victorian waters back in 2016 when Matt Porter landed the first one in Victoria. Funny thing was that after getting that fish Matt realised that he had in fact had bites and hooked several other swords before he landed this one. A week later I was fortunate enough to be on board the boat with Julian

had our heads spinning, as we couldn’t believe it was possible to catch broadbill and multiples of them on a daily basis. Since that trip a lot of miles have been covered, things learned, techniques refined and tackle developed for catching these giants in our own Victorian waters. The other thing that has quickly become apparent is that not only are there numbers of fish in our waters but the size of some of the fish is gigantic. Even the averagesize fish in Tasmania would rival any other swordfish location in the world and best of all it’s on our doorstep. From what we have learned so far, it seems that right

This is a belly flap bait for a sword. Adding to this the ramps are not suitable in all conditions, so having a large enough boat and enough fuel capacity is paramount. Choosing calm weather patterns is also a must, and it also makes fishing for these fish much easier and more comfortable. Make sure all safety gear is well and truly up to scratch as the water police often run out to the shelf to check anglers for safety gear and licenses.

find swordfish. The key areas to search are along the outside edge of the continental shelf in anything from 300-600m of water, with kinks, canyons and any change in feature generally being prime areas. The other key factor to finding swordfish – just like any other gamefish is to find the bait – as these guys have big appetites and will always be in areas of high food concentrations, which down deep is called a ‘scatter’ or ‘feed’ layer. This is made up of micro-organisms and small baitfish and squid. This in turn

attracts bigger fish and squid, which then attract the swords. To find these key areas to fish you require a good sounder and a suitable deep water transducer. I run a Simrad EVO3 12” unit with a 1kw low chirp transducer. Not only does it read the bottom clearly at these depths, it also highlights the feed layer and where it’s thicker or more densely packed, which highlights key spots to fish. A good sounder setup will also help to clearly mark any fish in the area. TACKLING UP People often ask me what swords fight like and while they can have incredible bursts of speed and perform some spectacular jumps, for the most part it’s like being hooked up to a 4WD in low gear. For this reason, some serious tackle is required to

land them. When it comes to reel choices there are plenty to choose from. While any 50W game reel will do the job when filled with braid, due to their smaller size by the time the bait is down on the bottom there isn’t a lot of line left on the reel. Most anglers prefer to use reels like the Tiagra 80W, Makaira 80W or the Penn 70VSX, as these hold loads of braid and the bigger spool diameter also means you get great line retrieval. The other super popular reel nowadays is the Talica 50, which has a large spool diameter and high retrieve speed in a compact overhead. Reels are filled with anything from 50-130lb braid with 80lb being the most popular. Attach a topshot; 50-100m allows a good bit of stretch in the system.

RINCON

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

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JUNE 2018

OPTIMAL USE: • Sight fishing in full sun • High contrast

Near the end of the battle, Jules Coyne prepares to take the leader on a sword.

SWORDFISH Saying that, the great thing about this emerging fishery is that anglers are evolving and coming up with new ideas and theories, so the length of topshots is creating a lot of discussions. When it comes to the rod, I recommend a soft tipped

rod (to be able to see the bite) which folds away to a powerful butt section capable of comfortably fishing 12-16kg of drag. As for the guides, most anglers use rollers, but I love full fixed guides; they allow leader knots and wind-on leaders to

These are sounder shots of a Simrad showing the thick feed layer and also the marks of a swordfish holding just near it.

pass through the guides easily and, best of all, the rod can sit in the holder waiting for a bite or even loaded up on a fish with the line able to pull at any angle without any worry of braid slipping between the roller and frame. My sword rods are 80 Fathoms custom sword rods and I’ve caught a bunch of fish and, more importantly, spent a lot of hours fighting fish. I prefer a bent butt system on the rod as they are made for up and down fights on heavy drag. IT’S TERMINAL While you need to get a bit of stuff to chase swords, the upside is that it doesn’t require six rods and a million lures. What you will need, however, is a few lights to go on your rig. These are super important to your success – these lights will attract the swordfish to your bait in the darkness below. While there are loads of lights to choose from, Lindgren Pittman offer a bunch of colours; my favourite are the disco colours. These lights aren’t cheap but are fully water and pressure tested, so you know they are working properly 500m below you. Add to this a few small diamond lights, big rubber bands, wax thread, stitching needles and rigs. Most of our rigs are made up on 300lb leader, but some anglers use up to 600lb.

Good quality lights attract those swords to your lures and baits once they’re down deep. Hook choice is a personal one. You should have a few hook options. It’s important to match the suitable hook to the bait. The Black Magic Big Game 9/0 and 10/0 are great hooks for belly flaps, while the Mustad 7699D in 12/0 and 14/0 is perfect in a squid. A lot of anglers are now going towards circles as they allow for a good release and are a great way to fish for swords, as the hardest part is often hooking them. The most important part of using circles is to make sure the bait is well clear of the hook.

Move towards fish baits such as mackerel, small tuna or belly flap baits, that way it won’t foul up on the hook like a squid might. HARNESSES, GLOVES AND GAFFS If you don’t have a harness, definitely get one and make it a good one. Have it adjusted to the angler who is going to be on the rod before you hook up. As an added extra, you can also upgrade the gimbal belt from the standard to the XL size, as the bigger size spreads the load better on heavy drag,

making it more comfortable to fish over extended periods. Good tracing gloves are also important; with the heavier leader you can hold on when you get that sword in range. When you do, if you’re keeping it, make sure you have a few gaffs ready. Have at least one but preferably two fliers tied off. I also like a good fixed gaff that is small and ultra tough. GOING DOWN You’ve got the gear and the bait and you’re out over the shelf, now you need to To page 10

JUNE 2018

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LURE, FLY & OUTDOORS EXPO

2018 Australian Lure Expo – Don’t miss out! Whack the dates in the diary, on your phone or up on the wall in the shed – you’ll want to make sure you’re making the trip to be at Queensland’s Ipswich Showgrounds on 16 and 17 June for the 2018 Australian Lure, Fly and Outdoors Expo (or as it’s fondly known – The Lure Show!) It started seven years ago as a celebration of Australian lures and lure making, and has rapidly grown to an event which satisfies all anglers whether fresh or saltwater focused. Unlike every boat show you’ve ever been to that leaves you wondering ‘where’s the tackle?’, The

Lure Show will completely satisfy your need to add to your tackle collection. It’s two days of non-stop fishing focused action. With Australia’s biggest collection of lure makers under one roof, the expertise on offer is unparalleled. Carving, painting, lure swimming demonstrations and general lure making advice is as thick on the ground as the tackle bargains. Everyone is selling. The Lure Show turns the Ipswich Showgrounds into the biggest, most diverse tackle store around. You are guaranteed to find things that you didn’t know you can’t live without

You won’t want to miss the lure demonstrations at the casting tank. Here you will find the actual lure makers giving guidance on how their lures have been designed to swim and how to get the most out of them. The presenter’s hub is where you’ll be able to pick the brains of some of most knowledgeable anglers around including Jake Newmarch (Newmarch’s Fishin Mission), Liam Fitzpatrick (JML Pro Staffer) and Brendan Goulding (Fish and Whipz). You’re likely following them on Facebook, watching their YouTube videos or checking out their Instagram – now is your chance to meet them

face to face and talk all things fishing! Got some old wooden Australian lures lying in the garage that need a new home? Bring these to the show, as you won’t find a hungrier pack of collectors anywhere in this wide brown land! These guys are also keen to help you sort your own collection out and are more than happy to help with identifying any lures you’re not quite sure about. Love an artistic lure or new design? The Lure Show Award entries are always a crowd favourite and are a brilliant showcase of the craftsmanship, creative talent and skill of our local

lure makers. They seem to get better and better every year. When is the last time you paid $10 to get into a show? Combine this with free parking and you get in and out of The Lure Show for less than half the price of any boat show on the East Coast! Tickets are available online now. Group discounts available for fishing clubs, get in touch at www.lureshow. com.au. Don’t forget to ‘like’ The Lure Show on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ AustralianLureExpo and stay up to date with all the 2018 show news. – Australian Lure, Fly and Outdoors Expo

DETAILS When: Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 June, 2018 Where: Ipswich Showgrounds, Ipswich Time: 9:30am-3pm (Saturday), 9am3pm (Sunday) www.lureshow.com.au Tickets: Adults $10, Kids Under 16 enter free (when accompanied by an adult). Pre-purchase tickets online to avoid the lines.

CURRENT EXHIBITOR LIST Stand No. Exhibitor 53 AC Lures 80 AFN Fishing & Outdoors 73 Allfly Outfitters 93 Balista Lures 84 Barrambah Lures 200a Bass Cat 57 Bass to Barra 86 Bassman Spinnerbaits 89 Beardy’s Lures 45 Bills Boxes 40 BRA Lures 140 Brisbane Yamaha 112 Bush’n’Beach Fishing Magazine 82 C-Map / Navico 50 C&S Horsey Lures 19 Caino Lures 12 Charlton’s Fishing 46

JUNE 2018

Stand No. Exhibitor 5 Chilton Tackle Co. 40 Cod Hound Lures 81 Cod King Lures 83 Crossfire Lures 6 D & S Lures 22 Dave’s Lures 13 Dynamite Lures 14 Farm Creek Lures 60 FFSAQ 37 FG Wizz 96 Fish King 36 Fishing Unlimited 58 GLO-X Powerless Illumination 64 Humminbird / Minn Kota Ipswich United Sportsfishing Club 44 4 Jollip Lures 1 Jungle Lures

Stand No. Exhibitor 18 Kneller Lures 77 Kuttafurra Lures 78 Lively Lures 17 Lobby Lures 16 Loolah Lures 30 Lure Collectors Precinct 21 Mac Lures 61 Mad Dog Lures 43 MB Custom Lures 39 Mencho’s Lures 42 Mick Molnar Marine Art 51 Morry Kneebone Lures 2 Muggo’s Lures 89 Ninja Bibs 89 Ninja Lures 200b Northside Marine 15 One Cast Lures

Stand No. Exhibitor 38 Predator Lures 70 Queensland Fishing Monthly 56 RodZilla Adventure Tackle 65 Sandfly Lures 52 SEQ Fly Fishers 75 Shads Lures 57 Smak Lures 69 Sommerset Fishing Tackle 41 Southern Cross Lures 8 Thug Lures 54 Tonic Eyewear 20 Tricky’s Lures 55 Variety Fly Fishing Competition 81 Waterstalker Lures 3 Whiptale Lures 76 Yak Hunters 39 Zoomy Lures

BUY & SELL LURES TACKLE BARGAINS FREE ONSITE PARKING TICKETS Adults $10 Kids U16 FREE

www.lureshow.com.au AUSTRALIAN LURE EXPO

Cooking

How to tenderise a bigger squid for the table BRISBANE

Lynn Bain

This month we’ll continue from last month’s squid/ calamari theme. When those bigger squid come aboard, you can use this neat tenderising trick. Many believe that the bigger a squid gets, the more likely the flesh will be tough when cooked.

To reduce the incidence of toughness, the squid flesh can be treated with a natural tenderiser. For example, the enzymes in either kiwi fruit or pawpaw (papaya) will tenderise the squid flesh. To achieve this tenderness, the fruit is mashed and mixed through the squid rings. The squid and kiwifruit mix is then stored for around two hours

in your fridge while the enzymes do their thing. Be mindful that the enzymes may overly soften the squid, so unless you desire mushy squid (you don’t) don’t marinate the squid in fruit for longer than four to six hours. Ingredients This recipe has only two ingredients – squid rings (and tentacles, optional) and an unpeeled kiwifruit.

CLEANING SQUID

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Scan the QR code to read up on how to clean and prepare a squid for the table.

The tentacles can either be used as bait or chopped into 8-10cm length pieces for this recipe.

Cut the hood into rings.

Bag the kiwifruit and squid mix and place the sealed mixture into the fridge for two hours while the kiwifruit’s enzymes do their thing.

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First catch your big squid and clean it.

4 Slice the ends off the kiwifruit and halve it.

You can rinse the kiwifruit flesh off the calamari with fresh water if you like, but it’s not neccessary. Oil a hot BBQ plate and cook the calamari rings on all sides.

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Mash the ripe kiwifruit with your fingers over the tentacles and rings. The kiwifruit doesn’t need to be peeled, and squishing the fruit through your fingers is the simplest way to mash the fruit. Toss the kiwifruit flesh through the calamari.

A stacked pyramid of large barbequed calamari rings – enjoy!

Expect some intense action around the region MERIMBULA

Stuart Hindson

The Merimbula region has experienced some cracking good weather of late, making it ideal for anglers fishing offshore. For those who have taken advantage of the perfect conditions, they have been rewarded handsomely with excellent fishing, especially for those after a feed from the reef species. Snapper is the word, with this fine table fish in solid numbers on most local reefs. The fish are averaging 2kg, with the odd better model upwards of 5kg. These bigger fish are a little wary and have

been around for a while, with the fishos catching them by fishing the freshest of bait with squid and cuttlefish definitely the standout baits to use. A few switched on lads are getting them micro jigging with lighter gel-spun lines, with jig sizes down to 30g on some occasions when the sea and current conditions allow. This may seem light tackle to some, but you will be pleasantly surprised at the size of fish that can be caught on 6lb braided line. Snapper isn’t the only reef fish being caught, as morwong, pigfish and a few kingfish to 8kg have also come from the same grounds, so a mixed bag can be expected. The only down

The Commens boys with a few salmon on soft plastics taken from Pambula Lake.

side to this fishing is the amount of green toads that have infested some reefs. If this happens to you, then a move is required or the tackle account will rise dramatically. Better reefs at the moment include Whitecliffs, Horseshoe, Turingal and old faithful Long Point straight out the front of Merimbula. If you’re after a feed of flatties, try 40-50m of water off Tura Head. These tasty morsels have been in deeper water, with a mixture of sand and tigers playing the game. Further offshore, the marlin have slowed up somewhat, but there’s still the odd bigger striped marlin patrolling the shelf line. A lot more crews are trolling later in the season as the bait balls have dried up, so doing the miles will still get you results. The bonus of trolling skirts is yellowfin tuna come into the equation, especially if trolling skirts around 8-12” size. There’s been some decent tuna to 51kg caught recently, and I expect quite a few more to make their presence felt over coming weeks. We should see a few more albacore, plus an influx of mako sharks as the water cools that little bit more as well.

In the estuaries it’s firing on all cylinders, with the top lake in Merimbula looking excellent. This tiny bit of water looks featureless, but it is loaded with fish at the minute. There’s plenty of flathead to be caught, with water depths of 4-7m being ideal along the ribbon weed edges on the southern part of the lake. Casting a range of mid-sized soft plastics and soft vibes will see plenty caught, with the best I’ve heard of recently going 86cm. Most are averaging 40-50cm, which are good eating fish, with the run-out tide producing better specimens. The time of day doesn’t seem to make a difference, but the tides certainly do. In these same areas trevally, bream and flounder have also been caught, especially when fishing vibes. If you’re after tailor, then you’re in luck, as the place is loaded with them. They are big too, with local gun Dave getting greenbacks to 2kg and loosing bigger ones, so some heavier leader or wire may be needed! On the beaches, it’s slowed up somewhat with the calm seas, especially for the pelagics like salmon and tailor, but there’s some nice

It won’t be long before these SBT turn up. This fish was estimated at 60kg and was released. bream and still a few whiting around. Look for beaches that have some sort of rocky formations, and both Middle Beach and the northern end of North Tura would be the pick. Both are fishing well for the above species. Try using beach worms or pipi as bait, with lighter running sinker rigs the preferred method in the calm conditions. Those anglers fishing the stones have had the best of it, with salmon to 3kg, big tailor and still the odd bonito all succumbing to metal shiners in the 40-60g range. Some days are better than others, but if you strike

the right day, they’re on and you’re in for some serious fun. A few locals are getting 15-20 fish per session, with the morning definitely being more productive. The bite windows may only be an hour or so, but fast and furious with almost a fish a cast. Make the most of it, because just as quick as it turns on, it turns off. The trick is to be there when it fires, which is easier said than done, but time on the stones should see you rewarded. The better ledges are Tura Head and Short Point, although I know the rocks off Tathra point have been okay as well.

Awaiting the seasonal visitors this June NAROOMA

Stuart Hindson

Winter fishing isn’t for everyone, with cool, brisk mornings the norm, but if you’re willing to brave the cold conditions some exceptional angling is still on offer. Outside sportfishers targeting the pelagic species like albacore, SBT and yellowfin tuna are feeling a tad excited, as some solid models have already turned up. The best yellowfin I’ve heard of lately went 74kg, which is not a jumbo but still certainly a solid fish. As we head further into winter, I’m expecting more yellowfin to turn up, plus a few decentsized mako sharks, as every June a few of these bigger bities turn up. For those after the SBT, traveling a longer distance will be the key to success. Fish that have been sighted, and a few smaller fish caught, have been 35-45 miles offshore, so if you venture that far out, make sure your boat is safe and your crew is experienced. It’s a long way to get home if something happens. There’s reports of a few long liners getting some bigger SBT further south of Eden, so it shouldn’t be too long before the bigger

barrels hit our doorstep. Better methods to use for both tuna species would be a cube or berley trail, although trolling bibbed minnows and skirted pushers will produce the goods as well. We quite often troll first, locate the fish then revert to a berley or cube trail. You do need to be organised, but if you get them up behind the boat you can hold them there for hours.

here all June and July. Let’s hope this season is the same. Those after the bread and butter species like snapper, morwong and flathead are doing well on most trips, but they have been a little sporadic and hard to find at times. When you locate them you will get an excellent feed, but they seem to be very concentrated at present, so finding them is the key for great results. The

extremely well fishing deeper with water depths of 55-60m being ideal. On the beaches the salmon have been going well with the calmer conditions, but that will pick up once we get a little more swell. Anglers using paternoster rigs with a bait and popper combinations have been doing the best, although casting smaller shiners seems to be working pretty good

Shark anglers should see a few of these blues over the cooler months. At Montague Island there’s still a few kings to be had, and live bait seems to be the best way to tempt one, although a lot will depend on the tide, current and water temperature as to whether they hang around or not. Last season these big hoodlum kings upwards of 20kg were

only problem at the moment is the amount of green toads and leatherjackets. If these pests thin out a bit more, expect some even better fishing. Better areas to try include the southwest corner at Montague, and the reefs north of Narooma around Potato Point. Some of the local crews have done

too, especially on smaller fish around the 1kg mark. There’s been greenback tailor mixed in with the salmon on the beaches, with a few models nudging 70cm, so they’re decent-sized fish. These toothy critters are menacing on mono leaders, so those who are landing them

are using short wire traces. I’d expect a few gummy sharks this month, with winter usually producing good fish on those moonlit nights. If you brave the cold, you may just be rewarded. Better beaches to try include Tilba, Narooma Main and Brou just north of Dalmeny. Off the stones, the pelagic species, like salmon and tailor ,have kept most anglers happy. Casting lightly-weighted pilchards on ganged hooks just past the wash zone has been very effective. The bonito have been slow this season, but when they come through in a school you can get several fish before they head on. In previous seasons, it was nothing to get a dozen fish in a session, but this year they’re just slower, which is unfortunate. Better spots to try include Mystery Bay to the south at High Rock or the golf course rocks in town. Those targeting the more preferred bread and butter species like drummer, blackfish and bream are doing fairly well, but it has been a little slower this season so far, but this will pick up. Anglers that are faring well are using the freshest of baits in conjunction with berley, just remember to use it sparsely or the pickers will drive you nuts. In the estuaries, things have slowed somewhat, but that’s to be expected when the water is

a chilly 15°C. The smaller systems like Corunna and Mummaga Lake are holding a few smaller flathead, but that’s about it. At Narooma, Wagonga Inlet has been steady without being red-hot, but if you put the time in you will get results. The pelagic species are what most anglers are after, with tailor still abundant in the main basin. Casting small chromed lures to working birds or trolling has seen good captures. This season the tailor are quite big, with fish averaging 40cm, and the odd thumper pushing 60-70cm. There has been a few bigger trevally under the tailor schools feeding on whitebait scraps, so try using soft plastics or whitebait for best results. Some reasonable snapper and flathead will be caught at times. Those anglers fishing the channel on the eastern side of the highway bridge should have good results on bream, trevally and blackfish. There’s a chance of a stray flatty as well, and you can expect the mullet to be in big numbers towards the 8 knot sign just past the charter boat wharfs. These little speedsters are great fun using a float and dough and smoke up pretty good in the smoker for a feed. JUNE 2018

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING DAIWA RYOGA 1520

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Dark in looks and big on style and swagger, the Daiwa Ryoga 1520 baitcaster sets a new standard in baitcaster power, performance and precision. An ultrastrong alloy frame and side plates are the foundation of the Ryoga, and provide an immoveable foundation for this stunning reel, regardless of what’s thrown at it. Integrating many of Daiwa’s most famous technologies, the Ryoga once again takes baitcaster design to the next level with Magseal, ATD, Hyper Mesh Gear System, Speed Shaft, Magforce Z and Zero Adjuster combining to deliver a level of refinement and power rarely seen in heavy-duty baitcasters. A G1 Duraluminium spool, swept handle, and clicking star drag further enhance performance and features, and combine with the new High Grip I Shape knobs to provide superior cranking power, balance and control. Flawless in design, stunning in looks and style, and unparalleled in performance and power, the new Ryoga 1520 is the pinnacle of heavy-duty baitcaster design and the ultimate big bait reel. www.daiwafishing.com.au

BLADE N TAILS ULTRALIGHT ELITE

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The Live Fibre Blade N Tails Ultralight Elite redefines what Australian built quality is in a market full of imports. The Ultralight Elite uses K-Frame silicone guides to deliver smooth casting and high performance, whether that’s casting small bladed lures or jigging soft plastics in the trees or over the flats. The guides are strategically placed to increase casting distance and minimise friction or sharp angles. The rear end has been upgraded as well, with high performance EVA merged seamlessly into a comfort grip reel seat that fits perfectly in the palm of your hand. The rear grip has been split to provide the perfect balance while in use. Rated at 4-8lb, the 7ft one-piece Ultralight Elite is ideal for fishing small blades for bream, flathead, golden perch and bass, as well as fishing lightly-weighted plastics for a host of estuary and freshwater species. www.wilsonfishing.com

ATOMIC TIMS PRAWN COLOUR

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Prawns are a staple for feeding fish in all depths of water, and it makes sense that the Atomic Semi Hardz range adds a colour already present in the iconic Atomic Hardz range. Tims Prawn, a shrimp pattern, quickly became a go-to for anglers all over the country when it was introduced in the Hardz line-up, and now that popular natural colour is available in the full range of Atomic Semi Hardz Vibs in sizes 40, 50, 60, 75 and 110 as well as the Minnows in 40, 55 and 65mm models. Semi Hardz can be fished from the surface down to any water depth, making them usable in a wide range of conditions and for a huge range of species. Our ambassadors have already landed whiting and flathead as well as offshore favourites like snapper and pearl perch, and even coral trout. Semi Hardz are also very effective on mulloway. Tough rubber construction with wire running through the lure allows them to stand up to even the toughest adversary. Price: RRP $13.95 www.atomiclures.com.au 56

JUNE 2018

ZMAN BEANIEZ

PRODUCT GUIDE

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With the weather cooling it’s perfect timing for the arrival of ZMan’s BeanieZ. Constructed from quick-drying 100% acrylic, these comfortable beanies feature four topseam knit construction and embodied ZMan ‘Z’, in a one size fits most cool weather headwear option. These beanies are a quality Richardson Sports product. Richardson Sports is a company who has served the team sports market both in the US and internationally since 1970, and its products are known for their quality and reliability. Today Richardson is recognised as a leader in the sports product industry, delivering performance-inspired headwear to millions of athletes around the world. It makes sense then that they should make headwear for the largest recreational sport in the world: fishing. The new ZMan beanies come in two shades, charcoal and grey, and are available now. Price: SRP $19.95 www.z-man.com.au

BLACK MAGIC FLIPPER JIGS

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Black Magic has added the exciting slow pitch Flipper jig to their range. Their original design stands out with a dramatic spoon-like scoop on one side of the jig. They fall with a wide and sweeping side-to-side flutter and retrieve with a large darting action, giving them a strong visual presence which will be attractive to a wide range of species. Flipper Jigs come in four striking colour options with lumo spots or stripes. There are two strong hooks attached with Kevlar thread, and the available weights are 60g, 80g, 100g, 150g and 200g. Flipper Jigs are available now from Black Magic dealers nationwide. For more information, photos and videos, visit the Black Magic website or check them out on Facebook (www.facebook. com/blackmagictackle), or Instagram (@ blackmagictackle). www.blackmagictackle.com

MUSTAD XL JIG WALLET

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Jig fishing anglers will love the Mustad XL Jig Wallet, a jig wallet designed to accommodate all of your jig fishing needs. The XL Jig Wallet contains storage pockets that are constructed from tough mesh to allow the jigs to breathe and dry, yet remain safe in transport and use. There are five extra large jig slots that will take jigs up to 30cm, 18 jig slots that will take jigs up to 20cm and 12 jig slots for smaller jigs up to 15cm. That’s a total of 35 jigs that can be carried in one handy wallet that is easy to store and transport. The XL Jig Wallet also features a large mesh pocket on the outside to store accessories such as assist hooks, leader and more. If you’re into fishing jigs and you’ve been having trouble storing them, then the Mustad XL Jig Wallet will give you the answer you’ve been looking for. www.wilsonfishing.com

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PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING EUREKA JELLY VIBES

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Eureka Jelly Vibe lures are made from a durable soft material and feature a balanced internal weight system, for superior vibration and action on the drop and lift. Eureka Jelly Vibes also feature a multistrand wired through construction, a holographic head for added attraction and quality black nickel chemicallysharpened treble hooks. They are superb on mulloway, barramundi, mangrove jacks, flathead, bass, bream, redfin and more. The Eureka Jelly Vibes are available in two sizes, a 67mm model that weighs 7g and a 95mm version that weighs 20g, and both lures are available in four brilliant colours. www.jurofishing.com

SHIMANO TIAGRA ULTRA RODS

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All serious gamefishers know that their gear needs to be up to the challenge of prolonged fights with exceptionally large fish. This is why the new Shimano Tiagra Ultra series are proving so popular, especially with increasing numbers of bluewater anglers using braid. Factory built, but with that custom rod style, the componentry on the Tiagra Ultra series is first class: braid friendly Alps RX guides, Winn foregrips for comfort and grip, and either detachable Pacific Bay Channel Lock straight carbon or curved butts depending on the model. The blanks all this wizardry sits on though is where the action begins: Biofibre High Pressure Carbon 300 blanks across five line classes from 10-15 to 24-37kg, with sweet, smooth parabolic actions. This is just what you need when fishing braided line for marlin, tuna, swordfish and sharks. Match one of these beauties up with a Talica overhead and enjoy all the advantages braided line brings to game fishing. www.shimanofish.com.au

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ABU GARCIA REVO ALX

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Based on high quality components and a lightweight design, the Abu Revo ALX incorporates new technology including the Salt Shield Concept bearing and AMGearing systems within the compact Revo design. SSC (Salt Shield Concept) bearing employs newly developed ball bearings coated with a water-repelling shield, which greatly reduces rotation noise caused by salt adhesion, improving operation and durability. SSC is applied to key HPCR (High performance corrosion-resistant) bearings to provide an increase in durability, smoothness, and corrosion resistance. The AMGearing System combines a precision-machined aluminium gear with Abu’s COG (Computer Optimized Gear) gear design, for the ultimate in smoothness and durability. The C6 carbon body and rotor provides significant weight reduction without sacrificing strength and durability. Revo ALX is equipped with the Rocket Line Management System, which is a combination of bail angle, spool lip design and slow oscillation that gives anglers the ability to cast further and manage line more effectively. There are six models, ranging from 2000 to 5000, for everything from bream on hardbodies to snapper on plastics. sizes. All models feature 7+1 bearings with super

smooth carbon drag systems, with drag force from 3-10kg. Price: SRP $299 www.abugarcia-fishing.com.au

REDINGTON MINNOW

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The new Redington Minnow rod was designed and tuned to meet the needs of younger anglers and flyfishing novices. It’s built with enough power to throw a wide variety of flies, but the shorter 8’ length offers less swing weight to make it easier for casters of smaller stature to make effective stops at the end of their casting stroke. This 2-piece, 8’0” 5/6wt graphite rod has a medium action, attractive trim details and cosmetics, and alignment dots. The packaging design is kid and parent friendly with additional tips, techniques and games for kids to get started flyfishing. The Minnow rod is matched to a Crosswater 4/5/6 reel, which as lightweight construction that lessens the overall weight of package. It has a large arbor design for easier and quicker retrieve, and a durable design with an easy to change spool. It also has a strong disc drag system for great fish stopping power. The reel is pre-spooled with backing, RIO Mainstream WF fly line, and knotless leader. This combo comes complete with a Cordura rod tube and is backed by a 1-year warranty. www.jmgillies.com.au

LIVETARGET BAITBALL 11 SPINNER RIG

The LiveTarget BaitBall Spinner Rig is one of the latest LiveTarget lures to be released by Australian distributor EJ Todd. With three different wire-frame sizes, the LiveTarget BaitBall Spinner Rig is a versatile lure which can be fished at any depth. The three teaser bodies and willow blade create a vibration and flash which call in nearby predatory fish. When bass or cod see the BaitBall, they will strike the primary target body, which is strategically placed away from the teaser fish in the BaitBall. The LiveTarget BaitBall Spinner Rig is available now in six colours to match various water conditions. There are three sizes – small (11g), medium (14g) and large (21g). For more information head to the EJ Todd website, or for news, photos and videos check them out on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ EJ.Todd.Australia) or Instagram (@ej_todd). www.ejtodd.com.au

REESE TARP CLIPS

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Quick and easy, the Reese Tarp Clips are designed to create a handy anchor point anywhere along the edge of a tarp. There is nothing worse than trying to secure a tarp when the eyelet is broken. The Reese Tarp Clips eliminate this issue. The handy tarp clips provide a vise-like grip on the material to supply additional attachment points. Quick and easy to tighten and release, the Reese Tarp Clips are ideal for tarps, canopies, awnings, tents, covers and much more. Made with high impact resistant material the tarp clips are heavy duty and crack resistant. Sold in a handy 4-pack, the Reese Tarp Clips come in a handy reusable container. They are available for purchase from Repco stores nation-wide. Reese has been producing a quality range of vehicle accessories since 1952. Full of features, the quality designs are safe and reliable for everyday use. Price: SRP $9.99 reeseproducts.com.au

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au JUNE 2018

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING TESTED

PRODUCT GUIDE

Halco Madeye soft plastics tick all the boxes

The author’s biggest bream in quite some time was caught on the Madeye Flutter Shrimp in coffee’d shrimp colour. Australian lure company Halco began manufacturing lures in Western Australia back in 1950. Their range of products includes iconic lures like the RMG Scorpion, Halco Laser Pro, Twisty and many more. There would have to be a Halco lure in most keen anglers’ tackle boxes. After many years of being at the forefront of hardbody lure design, Halco have branched out into the soft plastic side of things with their purchase of Madeye soft plastics. As you would expect, the company has expanded and developed this budding range with the same vigour and quality that defines their hardbody lure ranges. They have six styles in the Madeye range, and I grabbed four of them to test out for the magazines. MADEYE SOFT PLASTICS 101 The range of Madeye Plastics covers the full spectrum of soft plastics fishing from finesse styles for bream and whiting through to deep water jigging with larger offerings. The six styles of plastics are the Paddle Prawn, Flick Stick, Octoskirt, Flutter Shrimp, Whippy Worm and Mad Craw.

These days most anglers expect their soft plastics to have substantial longevity, and Halco has achieved this with their Rubber Stretch Technology (RST). The copolymer material that the plastics are made from has up to five times the durability of a regular soft plastic, and it is also incredibly buoyant. The advantage to the angler with this is that pickers are less likely to destroy your plastic before your target species has a chance to have a crack at it, and if pickers do attack the plastic they are less likely to render it unusable. The buoyancy also adds to the natural look of the lure; it sinks in a realistic manner, and at rest it sits upright and has a natural movement to attract predators. Mad Craw The Mad Craw is a lifelike yabby imitation that is 2” long. The attention to detail in this plastic is second to none, right down to the fold in the tail of the yabby. The Mad Craw comes in four colours, of which I grabbed three – the Jelly Prawn, Salt and Pepper, and Marron. My first intention was to use these lures to target bream. These fish love what

The Madeye Paddle Prawn has a sensational action and the flathead loved them.

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Flounder are a welcome by-catch. This one took a Paddle Prawn in the raw prawn colour.

many people would call a creature bait, and the Mad Craw fits into this category. During my testing, the bream definitely took a liking to the Mad Craw. The various legs and claws provide plenty of movement, and most of the bream caught grabbed them as the lure was dropping. I guess they had to, because if their prey did reach the bottom there was every chance a flathead would grab it before the bream had a second chance. No complaints here, but you will note in the images that the flathead didn’t mess about. On a side note, it is really surprising just how buoyant these plastics are. I would normally use a 1/24oz jighead in the areas we fished, and had to up it to a 1/16oz or 1/12oz jighead depending on the current. Also, I found that a small drop of super glue on the grub keeper helps reduce the plastic slipping down the hook. As well as chasing bream, I can also see me using these lures chasing trout in the lakes and the rivers. What trout can resist a yabby if it’s on offer? Flutter Shrimp The next plastic I tested was the Flutter Shrimp. This small prawn imitation is pretty much the opposite of the Mad Craw in that it has a simple design – a traditional prawn profile with a small curly tail. It is available in five colours and is 2.5” long. I grabbed the Jelly Prawn and Coffee’d Shrimp colours. When the plastics arrived I was most excited to see the Flutter Shrimp, because small curly tail plastics have been the undoing of many species of fish, especially the bream I wanted to target with it. I was a little surprised by the smaller profile the Flutter Shrimp had (I had pictured something a little less finesse), but was stoked with the colours I had chosen. They were spot on. Like the Mad Claw I used slightly heavier jigheads and targeted bream around man-made structure and across the flats. I was met with instant success, and was immediately wondering why I hadn’t gone to this lure first. While hopping it across an open area with structure nearby, I scored the biggest bream I have caught in some time. It went nearly 40cm to the tip, which is a solid fish for the area. Both colours were effective and, unlike the Mad Craw, super glue wasn’t a necessity when rigging them. The plastic still slips, but mainly due to a fish grabbing it, rather than it moving by itself. Paddle Prawn When it comes to the Paddle Prawn,

The unexpected bonus when fishing the Mad Craw was how much the flathead loved them. There is a marron-colored Mad Craw in there.

PRODUCT GUIDE there is a lot going on. It is available in four sizes (3, 4, 5 and 7”) and has up to seven colours, depending on the size. The profile of the plastic is a prawn-style head with legs and feelers attached to a body that tapers back to a paddle tail. The wrist of the tail is thin, maximising the action. I chose to use the 4” version, and picked the Ivy Flash, Jelly Prawn and Raw Prawn colours to test.

WHAT’S NEW FISHING TESTED

Flick Stick The Flick Stick is the most traditional of the profiles in the Madeye range. It has a largish body that tapers to a long tail. Available in three sizes (3, 5 and 8”), it is a baitfish imitation and comes in up to seven colours depending on the size of the lure. The model I tested was the 5” version. The beauty of a plastic with this profile,

Double hook-ups are always welcome. Nicholas Willett showing off a couple of nice fish caught during the fishing challenge.

to make excuses, but given slightly better wind conditions, I am pretty confident the challenge would have been achieved. The results are a great testament to how well the Madeye plastics work. My final word Testing the Halco Madeye Soft Plastics has been great fun. Overall, each had the correct attributes to be successful and this was proven during the fishing challenge. Traditionally plastics made of tougher material tend to be a problematic to rig, but I didn’t find this to be the case with the Madeyes. A dab of glue on the Mad Craw was my only thing out of the ordinary, and the longevity of the plastics themselves was great, with only the paddle tail of the Paddle Prawn going a couple of times. I would love to see a few more natural

Some solid bream came to the author’s Madeye party! The Paddle Prawn was the surprise packet of the plastics tested. You cannot understand how much movement this plastic has until you rig it and get it into the water. The tail has a very strong movement, as you would expect, but it is the body roll that is awesome. The vibration this plastic produces can be felt

is that with its streamlined design is it gets into the strike zone faster and stays there better during a retrieve. The trade-off for this is that the angler needs to impart the action to the lure. This is the case with the Flick Stick, however with the suppleness of the tail there is some movement, which can’t hurt the effectiveness of the lure. A

The jelly prawn coloured Mad Craw was the downfall of this bream. testing the Madeyes. The challenge was this: five hours on our favourite waterway to catch a fish on each Madeye plastic and each colour tested, making it 10 overall. We picked favourable tides and had a crack. In total, three species and 19 fish were caught in the five hours, and we managed to get fish on all bar two of the plastics. Not

colours in the range, as my preference with most of my fishing is to use natural colours, but I am sure that will be in Halco’s plans, as I believe the Madeye plastics are well and truly here to stay. To find your nearest stockist and more about the Halco Madeye soft plastics, go to www.halcotackle.com. They are well worth trying. - Peter Jung

The author generally prefers natural colours when fishing for flathead. However when fish like this take your jelly prawn coloured Paddle Prawn, you can’t help but smile. with every movement of the fishing rod and wind of the reel. During testing the target species was flathead, and it was no surprise that they took a liking to the Paddle Prawn. Fished on a 3/8oz jighead, you can use a hop or slow lift retrieve. It was extremely effective during the slow movement periods of the tide, when the action of the lure really came to the fore. When there was a lot of flow, the buoyancy and action of the lure means it grabs too much water, moving the plastic more than you would like. A simple adjustment to your retrieve helps keep it in the zone and catching fish. All three colours were effective, but I need to make special mention about the Raw Prawn colour. It looks fairly plain in the packet, but the clear UV belly provides added appeal, and if the fishing is tough I believe that UV makes a difference.

jerk shad shape is a proven fish catcher, and the team at Halco have done a good job with the Flick Stick. I used the raw prawn and ivy flash colours during testing, and both proved to be big fish catchers. The majority of the better quality flathead fell to them. The Fishing Challenge It’s always fun to get to test lures for the magazines, but it’s not always easy to find new ways in which to do it. Most of us tend to have favourite species or types of fishing we prefer. Certainly in my case, chasing flathead and our other estuarybased species is what I love. My friends and I tend to have reasonable success, and have a lot of fun doing it. Given the fact that we know how to consistently catch fish in our local waterways, I decided to set a high bar for myself and friend Nicholas Willett while

The Flick Stick is the most traditional of the Madeye plastics tested. It proved to be the big fish catcher, with plenty of flathead over 50cm hitting the deck for the author.

JUNE 2018

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Round 3 of the Hobie Kayak Bream Series 10 results Atomic Round 3 of the Hobie Kayak Bream Series 10 was contested over the April 7-8 weekend in unseasonably warm conditions in Sydney. Anglers who made use of the pre-fish day on Friday reported that there was a lot of fish activity in a variety of locations on the Georges River system, all well within reach of the event site at Donnelly Park. The record field of 70 entries was the biggest for a Sydney round since the Series’ beginnings in 2009. Anglers came from all over Australia and for many it was their first time fishing the Sydney arena. On day one 157 fish were brought back to the event site, weighing a total of 83.83kg. On day two 135 fish were caught weighing a total of 71.75kg, WINNING TACKLE Rod: Duffrods 6’10” 1-3kg Totally Immersed Custom Rod Reel: Shimano Sustain 1000 Line: OH Dragon 6lb Leader: FC Rock 3lb Lure: Pro Lure Matt Black S36

Chris Purnell travelled almost to Kurnell to fish on his own; his two-day total of 5.05kg was enough to win 1st place and $2070 in prize money. producing a two-day total of 292 fish for a total weight 155.58kg. Surprisingly, the average weight of 530g was approximately 20% larger than the average fish caught in all rounds across Australia over the last 10 seasons. A large proportion of competitors had planned to fish the flats at the front of the system. They had to take on the long 8km+ pedal from the start location to reach their spot in Woolaware Bay, but

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most felt the haul would be well worth the time. Some headed directly there, while others stopped along the way making use of the early morning to try to bag out, or at least get some fish in their well hitting the bridge pylons, boats and channel drop-offs along the way. Once they finally hit the flats there was still a lack of wind and for some anglers the fish weren’t reacting to presentations, so they headed for heavier structure and cover. Up among the old boat hull wrecks, abandoned oyster paddocks, oyster racks and mangroves, anglers cast into places no boat could get anywhere near and there were plenty of good-size fish to be found. New to the environment, some anglers struggled with technique and lures, while others found the right combination and were topping up their bags with 500g+ fish. With the main body of anglers up in Woolaware Bay, others were in small, scattered groups in the deeper channels, regularly pulling in fish that would see many of them bag out and upgrade up to around 1.5kg at the close of each session.

Other solitary anglers were regularly on the move, hitting the variety of built-up and natural structure that hugs the shoreline in the endless number of small bays and jutting headlands sitting in the Georges River.

angler came within 1km of him over the two days of competition. “We don’t have a lot of structure down the south coast where I come from, so I thought if I want to fish the way I like to fish then I’m going to have to do the miles.” At the close of the day one session, after cranking all day on the flats at Towra, except for a few casts at Towra Point, Purnell had only caught three bream. However, his bag was big enough to see him sitting in 2nd place with 2.25kg, 180g behind Kane Terry on 2.43kg. In the morning on day two with no early fish in the well, Purnell was getting edgy, feeling his place near the top of the leaderboard was slipping away. He relaxed a little after catching his first fish just before 9am, with two hours of the day gone. By 11am he had a full bag. He only caught four fish on the day, upgrading

Adam Costa took out 2nd place for the event. PURNELL PACKS A MIGHTY PUNCH One angler did more legwork than most and headed to the flat weed beds in 1-1.2m beyond the shores of Towra Point. Chris Purnell from Sanctuary Point travelled almost to Kurnell to fish on his own; no other

around 11:30am, but his excellent three-fish bag of 2.80kg took him to a two-day total of 5.05kg, enough to win 1st place and $2070 in prize money. COSTA CLAIMS SECOND Adam Costa from Sydney was competing on the verges

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of his home waterway Port Hacking, but was sitting well back in the field after the day one session in 18th place on 1.74kg. He had been among the crowd that hit Woolaware Bay and was mainly targeting fish around the boat hulls. On day two he pulled two excellent fish, one at 820g and another spot on 1kg. His third fish was just over the average for the tournament at 560g, giving him a 2.39kg bag for the day and 4.13kg for the tournament. Costa took home $1080 for his effort over the weekend. HICKSON HAULS IN THIRD Kris Hickson has been putting in a big effort this season in the Hobie Kayak Series and has built an impressive score in Angler of the Year with just three rounds completed. After he started day two in 17th position, and particularly as he was on an

Kris Hickson has been putting in a big effort this season and ended up with a two-day total of 4.08kg and 3rd place.

arena he had never fished before, Hickson was stoked to get a 3rd place. Hickson ended up with 1.80kg on day one and 2.28kg on day two for 4.08kg and a handy $700 prize purse. ATOMIC BIG BREAM Kevin Varty from Nowra caught the Atomic Big Bream of the weekend. His fish, weighing in at 1.18kg, was dragged aboard his Hobie up in Woolware Bay making the long haul each day worth the trip. MORTGAGE CORP MONTER MOVER The Mortgage Corp Monster Mover over the two days was Craig Wallace, who moved up from the bottom of the field with zero fish on day one to bring home a solid 1.75kg bag on day two and finish in 49th position. SPONSORS Round 3 of the Hobie Kayak Bream Series 10 was sponsored by Daiwa, PowerPole, Atomic, Gerber, RhinoRack, Lowrance, Hobie Polarized, Lurefans, Strike Pro, Mortgage Corp, Pro Lure, Cranka Lures, TT Lures, and JML Anglers Alliance. – Hobie

Swanson swoops in for win The Casino Outdoors BASS Electric Series bounced back with a vengeance after a fishless opening round of the series with 66 anglers and plenty of limits featuring at Clarrie Hall Dam for the second event of the series. One of the more popular stops of the BASS Electric Series, it was Casino local and BASS Electric regular Nathan Swanson who claimed top honours at Clarrie weighing in a 2/2, 2.185kg limit to secure the win. With no pre-fish under his belt Swanson started his tournament in the upper reaches using a three-lure approach, throwing an OSP Bent Minnow, Jackall TN50 and a beetle spin rigged jighead soft plastic.

STUART STRIKES GOLD FOR SECOND Stuart France continued his good form on the BASS Electric tour with the former BASS Electric Convention champion securing a podium finish at Clarrie Hall. Fishing behind the island in the middle reaches of the lake, France starting off throwing a ZMan CrusteaZ topwater for little reward. France pulled the pin and moved down the lake to a location where he’d caught fish while pre-fishing the week before. “I caught my first fish at around 8.30am on a plastic in the back of shaded bay in 18ft of water and it took the plastic tight to the weed edge,” explained France. Nathan Swanson with his brace of Clarrie Hall winning bass.

BIG BASS

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Nathan Swanson secured the Big Bass prize at Clarrie Hall with the event champion value adding his event winnings for his 1.155kg fish caught early in the session on an OSP Dunk.

fresh fish. It was during this move and search that he found his third fish – an upgrade – once again caught on a soft plastic. This fish would prove to be his last fish for the session and was the fish that moved him into second place. The tackle France used included a Barrabass IP841

and XSB822 rods, Daiwa Luvias 1003 and Caldia 2500 reels, 10lb Sunline Siglon PEX8 mainline, 8lb Sunline V Hard fluoro leader, camo coloured Berkley Gulp Worm rigged on a 1/6th jighead, and an ayu coloured OSP Power Drunk crankbait.

Stuart France returned to the winners podium, securing the runner-up position at the second event of the series.

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888.

Moving through a weedchoked section that narrowed as the lake merged into the river Swanson swapped lure and began working an OSP Dunk in about 13ft of water. “The water was a milky colour up there. I threw the crank tight to the weed edge and worked it with a pausejerk retrieve, allowing the lure to suspend and sit still for 5-10 seconds,” explained Swanson. The approach paid dividends with Swanson putting his first fish in the well at 7.30am when it slammed his paused crankbait. Swanson fished his way further up the creek until he reached the bridge then he turned around and fished his way back down the lake. “I caught nothing until I got back to the spot where I caught my first fish and at about 10.30am another fish ate my crankbait,” explained Swanson. Swanson’s second bite and fish was it for the session, and he got no other bites. Swanson’s quality certainly made up for his lack of quantity with his limit securing him a 120g winning margin over 2nd place.

He second fish came at 9am, this time it was on a hardbody, an OSP Power Dunk fished at suspended fish holding on a main lake point. While France could find suspended fish getting them to bite proved very difficult. “They seemed to be between seasons – not in summer mode, yet not quite in winter mode – when they schooled up on a point,” explained France. France decided to move up the lake to get away from the crowds and hopefully find

Anglers waited patiently in the rain for the 7am start.

WINNING TACKLE Rod: 3-8lb, 6’7” NS Blackhole Reel: Daiwa Certate 2004 Line: 6lb Sunline Super PE Leader: 8lb Black Magic FC leader Lure: OSP Bent Minnow, Jackall TN50 and a beetle spin rigged jighead soft plastic, OSP Dunk

TOP 10 BOATERS Place Angler 1st Nathan Swanson

Fish 2/2

Weight (kg) 2.185

Big Bass (kg) 1.155

2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th

2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2

2.065 2.005 1.940 1.835 1.825 1.790 1.755 1.655 1.625

1.075 1.045

Stuart France Luke Clark Jesper Noisen Chris Osley Deegan Graham Scott Byrant Steve Kanowski Shaun Falkenhagen Darren Painter

1.080

Prize $440,Trophy, $150 Big Bass $320, Trophy $240 $200 $180 $140 $120 $100 $100 $80

For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au JUNE 2018

77

Howarth homes in on the Goldy

STORM

The 2018 Costa BREAM Series has returned to the spiritual home of tournament bream fishing – the Gold Coast – for the Ecogear BREAM Qualifier and has seen the coming of age of bream young gun James Howarth with his first tournament victory with 10/10 fish for 5.5kg. On day one Howarth took the long journey to Raby Bay canals. “I really wasn’t confident in the canals of the Gold Coast, so I took the hour-long journey up to the less-pressured waters of Raby Bay and targeted fish around the pontoons and boat hulls with a mix of Ecogear SX40 and Cranka Crabs,” said Howarth. Once in location Howarth would use a two-pronged approach to extract the most fish from each location. On the boat hulls and expansive pontoons he would target fish with an Ecogear SX40 in bluegill making long parallel casts to the structure before starting an aggressive retrieve along the structure with the intent of keeping the lure away from the smaller

The champion James Howarth and his spoils of victory. fluttered to the bottom or as it just came in contact with the bottom. While his day one limit of 2.46kg kept him in touch of the leader, he knew he would need to find bigger fish on

area. With the water being a dirtier Howarth changed his key crankbait to a Zipbait Khamsin Tiny DR in a chrome finish to grab the attention of the fish in the area.

pontoons with cleaner water and wind pushing on them. From there it’s just about triggering the big bites and an erratic aggressive retrieve gets them to bite,” said Howarth.

DUFFRODS BIG BAG The Duffrods Big Bag went to tournament winner James Howarth with his tournamentwinning 3.04kg day two bag. The key bait for his big bag was a Zipbait Khamsin Tiny DR.

Howarth’s plan of attack was a carbon copy of his day one approach – using his aggressive and erratic retrieve on his crankbait and mixing it up with the slower presentation of the Bream Prawn and Cranka Crab on the poles and vertical structure. With his limit in the boat by 8.30, he was able to focus the rest of his session on upgrading his bag. “The key for me on the Gold Coast is to find the

This change in location paid dividends and saw Howarth take the Duffrods big bag with a 3.04kg limit. “I really had a great weekend catching up with all the other anglers. I need to thank everyone who helped me out: Lowrance Electronics, Northside Marine, my work and Minn Repairs and Servicing who came out on Friday night to fix my wiring issues,” said Howard.

WINNING TACKLE James Howarth proudly holds two of his Gold Coast winning bream.

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888. 78

JUNE 2018

bream that plague the canals and tempting one of the bigger fish. His tackle of choice for this presentation was a Nordic Stage matched with a Daiwa Ingis spooled with 8lb Daiwa J Braid and 6lb Yamatoyo FC leader. Once Howarth felt he had extracted all that he could from his crankbait presentation, his attention would then turn to the poles and anchor structures. For these areas Howarth used a combination of lightly weighted Ecogearaqua Bream Prawns and Cranka Crabs. His aim with these lures was to cast his lure tight to the structure before allowing it to slowly float down the side of the structure with most of his fish intercepting the lure as it

day two if he was going to step it up and take the victory. With this in mind Howarth opted to stay closer to the start/ finish area and targeted similar structure in the Jumpinpin

Rod: Nordic Stage Reel: Daiwa Ignis Line: 8lb Daiwa J-Braid Leader: 6lb Yamatoyo fluorocarbon Lure: Ecogear SX40 in bluegill colour, Zipbait Khamsin Tiny DR, Ecogearaqua Bream Prawns and Cranka Crabs

TOP 10 BOATERS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Angler James Howarth Wally Fahey Denis Metzdorf Steve Morgan John Siggs Chris Britton Todd Riches Aaron Sharpe Michael Thompson Kristoffer Hickson

Total Fish 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 9/10 9/10

Total Weight (kg) 5.50 5.13 5.01 4.89 4.74 4.68 4.57 4.38 4.24 4.01

For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

Fahey finds them upriver Wally Fahey has continued his strong form in his maiden season as a boater on the Costa BREAM Series taking out second place with 10/10 fish for 5.13kg. In contrast to Howarth, Fahey headed upriver to the area around the casino to start his session fishing pontoons

and bridges in a milk run of spots throughout the area. When targeting the pontoons Fay used a combination of Ecogearaqua Bream Prawns in salt and pepper colour and Gulp Crabbies in camo rigged on 1/40oz TT Hidden Weight jigheads. To cast his plastic tight into the cover Fahey used a

DAIWA J-BRAID BIG BREAM Walley Fahey secured the Daiwa J-Braid Big Bream Prize at the Ecogear-presented event with the SA local value adding his event winning for his 1kg+ kicker fish caught on day one.

Daiwa Sol UL701 matched with a Sol 2000 spooled with 6lb Evo8 Tournament Braid and 4lb Sunline FC Rock. While the pontoons allowed Fahey to fill his limit early, he knew there would be larger fish holding tight to the bridge pylons. When targeting the fast flowing waters of the bridge pylons Fahey opted for the ever popular Cranka Crab heavy in olive colour, Fay would cast his crab tight to the structure before allowing it to drift down into the eddies. For this presentation Fahey used a Daiwa Zero

BREAM SERIES

701ULXS matched with a Sol 2000 spooled with 6lb Evo8 Tournament Braid and 4lb Sunline FC Rock. While he was able to get the bites around the bridges it proved to be a hard challenge extracting the better fish. While on day one Fahey was able to extract those better fish, on day two he was unable to seal the deal and missed that one key upgrade to clinch the win, but with his experience as a boater growing, it won’t take long for Fahey to put it all together and take his maiden ABT victory.

Ecogear SX40LC

Walley Fahey lead on day one of the event but was overtaken on the final day to finish second.

Pontoon

Quick retrieve with regular twitches and jerks of lure.

Thompson tames the Bay Popular angler Mick Thompson has taken victory in the Non-Boater division Ecogear Bream Qualifier with 3.67kg and in the process reached his goal of making the 2018 BREAM Grand Final. Thompson was paired with Aaron Sharp and Steve Eldred, which played to his bay fishing strengths, “I love fishing the shallow stuff, so I had the perfect draw for the tournament,” said Thompson. On both days Thompson fished shallow broken weed and rubble areas in 3-6ft of water. In

these areas he would make long wind-assisted casts throwing his Atomic Crank 38 Deep in ghost gill brown as far as possible before dragging and bouncing his lure through the weed and broken, reefy bottom. With lots of fish only biting the lure tentatively, his key adjustment was to hold off striking on the fish and slowly winding fish onto the lure. While the big bream that the bay is known for didn’t show their heads, his slight adjustment meant Thompson had a consistent tournament catching over 20 fish each day and managed to fill his limit by 9:30 each day.

To land all his fish Thompson used a 13 Fishing Omen Black 7ft 1-3kg rod matched with a Daiwa Certate 2506 spooled with 8lb J Braid and 6lb Sunline Bream Special FC. When asked after the event, Thompson explained that his aim was to qualify for the 2018 Grand Final, “All I wanted to do was to come here and qualify for the Grand Final; to finish first is unbelievable,” explained Thompson. On stage he was also very quick to thank the people that have helped him get into tournament fishing, “Everything I know about bream fishing has come

from Grayson Fong – we fish together a lot trying to perfect a lot of different techniques. I also have to thank both Aaron and Steve for all the little things I picked up off them over the weekend,” said Thompson. With the Ecogear round of the Costa BREAM Series run and won attention now turns to the West Coast Qualifier and Hawkesbury River Qualifier. For information on this or any other ABT event near you head to abt.org.au.

Mick Thompson was a popular victor, claiming the non-boater title at the Ecogear-presented event.

TOP 10 NON BOATERS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Angler Michael Thompson Paul Langley Grayson Fong Mark Saric Tyson Hayes Khoi Pham Louie Wardini Colin Wilson Rodney O’Sullivan Cristian Bermudez

Total Fish 10/10 8/10 8/10 8/10 7/10 7/10 7/10 6/10 7/10 6/10

Total Weight (kg) 3.67 3.34 3.10 3.09 2.93 2.81 2.64 2.55 2.53 2.42

For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

The boys cashed in for Hobie Bonus bucks. JUNE 2018

79

2018 2018 2018 Local Time

SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) – NEW SOUTH WALES SYDNEY(FORT (FORT DENISON) NEW SOUTH WALES SYDNEY DENISON) – –NEW WALES LAT 33° 52’ LONG 151°SOUTH 13’ JANUARY MAY Time JANUARY Time m

LAT 33° LONG 151° LAT 33° 52’52’ of LONG 151° 13’13’ Times and Heights High and Low Waters Times and Heights of High and Low Waters Times and Heights of High and Low Waters MARCH FEBRUARY JUNE JULY Time MARCH FEBRUARY m Time m Time m Time m

Time m m Time m m Time Time 0213 0.53 0141 0.34 0812 1.96 0846 1.72 0242 0.32 0309 0.42 0213 0.53 0141 0.34 1451 0.19 1525 0.39 0844 1.60 0909 1.52 0812 1.96 0846 1.72 TU MO 2116 1.33 2049 1.48 TU 1436 0.41 1459 0.51 1451 0.19 1525 0.39 WE MOTU 21011.33 1.99 21241.48 1.80 2116 2049 0233 0.32 0250 0.51 0904 2.04 0922 1.75 0333 0.29 0351 0.45 0233 0.32 0250 0.51 1544 0.12 WE 1559 0.37 0936 1.55 0950 1.45 0904 2.04 0922 1.75 TU 2144 1.50WETH 2152 1.35 1522 0.45 1532 0.57 1544 0.12 1559 0.37 WE TU 21491.35 2.00 21591.50 1.77 2144 2152 0326 0.32 0327 0.50 0956 2.07 0958 1.76 0427 0.29 0432 0.49 0326 0.32 0327 0.50 1636 0.09 1633 0.35 1031 1.38 1031 1.50 0956 2.07 0958 1.76 WE TH 2238 1.50 THFR 2229 1.36 1606 0.63 1613 0.51 1636 0.09 1633 0.35 WETH 22351.50 1.73 22401.36 1.98 2238 2229 0419 0.34 0404 0.50 1047 2.05 1033 1.75 0524 0.32 0515 0.53 0419 0.34 0404 0.50 1728 0.12 1708 0.36 1130 1.44 1113 1.33 1047 2.05 1033 1.75 TH FR 2331 1.48 FRSA 2305 1.36 1706 0.58 1642 0.69 1728 0.12 1708 0.36 THFR 23341.36 1.91 23131.48 1.67 2331 2305 0514 0.38 0444 0.51 1139 1.97 1109 1.72 0625 0.37 0600 0.58 0514 0.38 0444 0.51 1818 0.18 1743 0.37 1231 1.40 1158 1.28 1139 1.97 1109 1.72 FR SA 2345 1.37 1806 0.65 17230.18 0.75 SASU 1818 1743 0.37 FRSA 2355 1.61 2345 1.37 0025 1.46 0524 0.53 0609 0.45 1146 1.68 0033 1.83 0650 0.62 0025 1.46 0524 0.53 1230 1.84 SU 1819 0.39 0729 0.41 1249 1.25 0609 0.45 1146 1.68 SA 1909 0.27SU 13380.39 1.39 1813 0.81 1230 1.84 1819 MO SASU 1914 0.70 1909 0.27 0120 1.44 0026 1.38 0706 0.52 0608 0.56 0044 1.55 0138 1.74 0120 1.44 0026 1.38 1321 1.69 MO 1226 1.61 0832 0.44 0745 0.65 0706 0.52 0608 0.56 SU 1858 0.42 2000 0.36MOTU 1446 1.41 1349 1.24 1321 1.69 1226 1.61 MO SU 20270.42 0.71 19140.36 0.85 1858 2000 0215 1.42 0111 1.39 0806 0.60 0658 0.60 0246 1.67 0143 1.50 0215 1.42 0111 1.39 1415 1.53 1310 1.53 0930 0.46 0845 0.65 0806 0.60 0658 0.60 MO TU 2049 0.45 TU 1941 0.45 1550 1.46 1455 1.26 1415 1.53 1310 1.53 WE MOTU 21400.45 0.70 20250.45 0.85 2049 1941 0201 1.41 0313 1.42 0352 1.62 0248 1.48 0754 0.63 0913 0.66 0201 1.41 0313 1.42 1400 1.45 1513 1.39 WE 1024 0.47 0941 0.62 0754 0.63 0913 0.66 TU 1646 1.54 1557 1.32 2029 0.48 2140 0.52WETH 1400 1.45 1513 1.39 WE TU 22480.48 0.65 21350.52 0.82 2029 2140 0411 1.43 0257 1.44 0452 1.59 0352 1.49 1023 0.68 0900 0.64 0411 1.43 0257 1.44 1615 1.29 1501 1.37 1113 0.47 1030 0.58 1023 0.68 0900 0.64 WE TH 1737 1.63 1648 1.40 2124 0.50 2230 0.56 THFR 1615 1.29 1501 1.37 WETH 23490.50 0.59 22380.56 0.76 2124 2230 0508 1.47 0358 1.51 0545 1.55 0446 1.53 1133 0.67 1016 0.61 0508 1.47 0358 1.51 1156 0.48 1114 0.53 1720 1.23 1615 1.32 1133 0.67 1016 0.61 TH FR 1822 1.70 1732 1.50 2320 0.58 FRSA 2225 0.50 1720 1.23 1615 1.32 THFR 23310.58 0.67 2320 2225 0.50 0600 1.52 0501 1.60 0535 1.56 0042 0.54 1237 0.62 1133 0.53 0600 1.52 0501 1.60 1153 0.47 0635 1.52 1820 1.22 1731 1.32 1237 0.62 1133 0.53 FR SA 18131.22 1.62 SASU 1236 0.49 2329 0.47 1820 1731 1.32 FRSA 19040.47 1.76 2329 0009 0.58 0603 1.71 0019 0.57 0129 0.49 0647 1.57 1244 0.42 0009 0.58 0603 1.71 0621 1.60 0720 1.49 1329 0.56 SU 1841 1.35 0647 1.57 1244 0.42 SA 1232 0.43 13131.35 0.51 1913 1.24SU 1329 0.56 1841 MO SASU 18531.24 1.73 1943 1.80 1913 0053 0.56 0029 0.43 0106 0.47 0211 0.47 0730 1.63 0702 1.83 0053 0.56 0029 0.43 0706 1.62 0803 1.45 1411 0.49 MO 1345 0.29 0730 1.63 0702 1.83 SU 1311 0.40 1348 0.54 1958 1.27MOTU 1943 1.41 1411 0.49 1345 0.29 MO SU 19331.27 1.84 20191.41 1.82 1958 1943 0134 0.55 0127 0.38 0153 0.38 0251 0.46 0810 1.68 0758 1.94 0134 0.55 0127 0.38 0754 1.62 0845 1.42 1449 0.44 1440 0.19 0810 1.68 0758 1.94 MO TU 1352 0.39 1423 0.58 2038 1.30 TU 2038 1.47 1449 0.44 1440 0.19 WE MOTU 20161.30 1.93 20551.47 1.82 2038 2038 0221 0.33 0330 0.47 0851 2.01 0221 0.33 0925 1.38 1530 0.12 0851 2.01 WE 1458 0.61 2130 1.52 1530 0.12 WETH 21301.52 1.80 2130

Time m m Time m m Time Time 0311 0.46 0315 0.30 0943 2.04 0936 1.75 0416 0.22 0409 0.48 0311 0.46 0315 0.30 1618 0.11 FR 1605 0.34 1020 1.49 1005 1.35 0943 2.04 0936 1.75 TH 2203 1.44 2220 1.54FRSA 1559 0.47 1533 0.65 1618 0.11 1605 0.34 THFR 22281.44 2.04 22051.54 1.77 2203 2220 0348 0.44 0407 0.30 1032 2.00 1012 1.75 0513 0.25 0448 0.51 0348 0.44 0407 0.30 1705 0.14 SA 1638 0.33 1118 1.47 1046 1.33 1032 2.00 1012 1.75 FR 2310 1.55SASU 2239 1.47 1655 0.53 1612 0.69 1705 0.14 1638 0.33 FRSA 23211.47 1.96 22431.55 1.72 2310 2239 0427 0.44 0459 0.33 1047 1.72 1120 1.91 0610 0.30 0530 0.54 0427 0.44 0459 0.33 1712 0.34 1750 0.21 SU 1130 1.30 1217 1.45 1047 1.72 1120 1.91 SA 2316 1.50 2358 1.54SUMO 1654 0.73 1755 0.59 1712 0.34 1750 0.21 SASU 23231.54 1.67 2316 1.50 2358 0508 0.45 0550 0.39 1126 1.67 1207 1.77 0018 1.85 0615 0.57 0508 0.45 0550 0.39 1746 0.36 1833 0.30 MO 0707 0.36 1217 1.29 1126 1.67 1207 1.77 SU 2357 1.51 1318 1.44 17410.30 0.78MOTU 1746 0.36 1833 MO SU 19001.51 0.64 2357 0553 0.48 0045 1.51 1206 1.60 0643 0.48 0007 1.61 0117 1.72 0553 0.48 0045 1.51 1824 0.40 1254 1.61 TU 0703 0.60 0803 0.42 1206 1.60 0643 0.48 MO 1916 0.41TUWE 1310 1.28 14200.40 1.46 1824 1254 1.61 MOTU 18350.41 0.81 2009 0.68 1916 0040 1.52 0134 1.48 0642 0.51 0738 0.57 0058 1.55 0220 1.60 0040 1.52 0134 1.48 1250 1.51 1341 1.45 WE 0755 0.60 0858 0.47 0642 0.51 0738 0.57 TU 1905 0.45 1959 0.50WETH 1407 1.31 1520 1.50 1250 1.51 1341 1.45 WE TU 19380.50 0.83 21210.45 0.69 1905 1959 0128 1.53 0226 1.45 0838 0.64 0738 0.55 0324 1.50 0155 1.50 0128 1.53 0226 1.45 1431 1.31 TH 1342 1.41 0845 0.59 0948 0.50 0838 0.64 0738 0.55 WE 2045 0.58THFR 1952 0.51 1505 1.36 1617 1.56 1431 1.31 1342 1.41 WETH 20460.58 0.82 22310.51 0.67 2045 1952 0320 1.43 0223 1.53 0945 0.69 0845 0.58 0426 1.43 0257 1.48 0320 1.43 0223 1.53 1531 1.21 FR 1445 1.32 1036 0.53 0935 0.56 0945 0.69 0845 0.58 TH 2136 0.64FRSA 2050 0.56 1709 1.62 1559 1.44 1531 1.21 1445 1.32 THFR 23340.56 0.62 21540.64 0.76 2136 2050 0419 1.44 0327 1.55 0522 1.39 0357 1.48 1057 0.69 1002 0.57 0419 1.44 0327 1.55 1643 1.16 SA 1602 1.26 1120 0.54 1021 0.52 1057 0.69 1002 0.57 FR 1756 1.68 1647 1.55 2235 0.67SASU 2200 0.58 1643 1.16 1602 1.26 FRSA 22560.67 0.68 2235 2200 0.58 0519 1.46 0437 1.61 0453 1.49 0029 0.57 1205 0.65 1122 0.51 0519 1.46 0437 1.61 1752 1.17 SU 1724 1.28 1106 0.48 0613 1.36 1205 0.65 1122 0.51 SA 1734 1.67 1201 0.55 2334 0.66SUMO 2312 0.56 1752 1.17 1724 1.28 SASU 23520.66 0.57 18390.56 1.73 2334 2312 0615 1.51 0546 1.70 0547 1.51 0114 0.52 1300 0.59 1232 0.41 0615 1.51 0546 1.70 1150 0.44 0700 1.35 1851 1.21 MO 1835 1.34 1300 0.59 1232 0.41 SU 18191.21 1.80MOTU 12411.34 0.56 1851 1835 MO SU 1918 1.76 0028 0.63 0018 0.49 0155 0.48 0045 0.45 0702 1.57 0648 1.80 0028 0.63 0018 0.49 0742 1.35 0640 1.53 1346 0.52 TU 1331 0.30 0702 1.57 0648 1.80 MO 1318 0.57 1236 0.42 1938 1.26TUWE 1933 1.43 1346 0.52 1331 0.30 MOTU 19551.43 1.79 19061.26 1.92 1938 1933 0114 0.59 0118 0.42 0137 0.35 0232 0.46 0745 1.63 0745 1.89 0114 0.59 0118 0.42 0733 1.54 0822 1.35 1425 0.45 WE 1424 0.22 0745 1.63 0745 1.89 TU 1323 0.40 1355 0.58 2018 1.32WETH 2026 1.51 1425 0.45 1424 0.22 WE TU 19541.32 2.01 20301.51 1.80 2018 2026 0155 0.54 0229 0.27 0308 0.44 0824 1.68 0155 0.54 0828 1.54 0901 1.35 1500 0.40 0824 1.68 WE 1413 0.41 2054 1.36 FR 1431 0.59 1500 0.40 WETH 20441.36 2.07 2105 1.79 2054 0233 0.50 0322 0.22 0345 0.44 0900 1.72 0233 0.50 0924 1.52 0940 1.34 1533 0.36 0900 1.72 TH 1504 0.43 2129 1.40 SA 1509 0.61 1533 0.36 THFR 21341.40 2.08 2141 1.77 2129

m Time m m Time m m Time Time 0214 0.51 0213 0.34 0837 1.94 0832 1.69 0452 0.18 0422 0.45 0214 0.51 0213 0.34 1511 0.17 FR 1459 0.37 1059 1.51 1019 1.33 0837 1.94 0832 1.69 TH 2100 1.50 2114 1.58FRMO 1642 0.43 1547 0.63 1511 0.17 1459 0.37 THSU 2304 1.93 22171.58 1.74 2100 1.50 2114 0304 0.30 0251 0.45 0926 1.94 0909 1.72 0544 0.24 0500 0.47 0304 0.30 0251 0.45 1555 0.17 SA 1531 0.34 1153 1.50 1100 1.32 0926 1.94 0909 1.72 FR 2200 1.62SATU 2135 1.57 1739 0.49 1629 0.66 1555 0.17 1531 0.34 FRMO 2357 1.79 22551.62 1.69 2200 2135 1.57 0354 0.29 0330 0.41 1014 1.89 0946 1.72 0635 0.33 0540 0.50 0354 0.29 0330 0.41 1636 0.21 SU 1604 0.33 1144 1.32 1248 1.49 1014 1.89 0946 1.72 SA 2244 1.64SUWE 2211 1.62 1714 0.69 1841 0.57 1636 0.21 1604 0.33 SATU 23351.64 1.62 2244 2211 1.62 0443 0.32 0411 0.39 1059 1.79 1026 1.70 0051 1.62 0621 0.52 0443 0.32 0411 0.39 1716 0.29 MO 1638 0.34 0726 0.42 1230 1.33 1059 1.79 1026 1.70 SU 2327 1.63MOTH 2249 1.66 1345 1.48 1803 0.73 1716 0.29 1638 0.34 SUWE 1946 0.63 2327 1.63 2249 1.66 0531 0.38 0455 0.39 1143 1.66 1107 1.64 0020 1.55 0149 1.47 0531 0.38 0455 0.39 1754 0.38 TU 1715 0.37 0706 0.53 0815 0.49 1143 1.66 1107 1.64 MO 2330 1.69 13210.38 1.35 TUFR 1445 1.50 1754 1715 0.37 MOTH 1900 0.75 2058 0.67 2330 1.69 0009 1.60 0542 0.41 0619 0.46 1151 1.57 0111 1.48 0252 1.34 0009 1.60 0542 0.41 1225 1.52 WE 1754 0.43 0753 0.54 0906 0.55 0619 0.46 1151 1.57 TU 1830 0.48WESA 1415 1.39 1543 1.52 1225 1.52 1754 0.43 TUFR 20040.48 0.76 2210 0.66 1830 0052 1.56 0015 1.69 0709 0.55 0634 0.44 0209 1.43 0357 1.27 0052 1.56 0015 1.69 1308 1.38 TH 1240 1.47 0842 0.53 0957 0.58 0709 0.55 0634 0.44 WE 1837 0.50 1907 0.57THSU 1511 1.47 1638 1.56 1308 1.38 1240 1.47 WESA 21150.57 0.72 2316 0.63 1837 0.50 1907 0136 1.51 0103 1.67 0803 0.62 0732 0.49 0313 1.39 0500 1.24 0136 1.51 0103 1.67 1356 1.27 FR 1335 1.37 0933 0.51 1046 0.59 0803 0.62 0732 0.49 TH 1948 0.66FRMO 1928 0.58 1605 1.56 1729 1.61 1356 1.27 1335 1.37 THSU 22250.66 0.64 1948 1928 0.58 0200 1.64 0226 1.46 0419 1.39 0011 0.57 0841 0.52 0904 0.67 0200 1.64 0226 1.46 1443 1.29 1453 1.18 SA 1025 0.49 0554 1.24 0841 0.52 0904 0.67 FR 1700 1.68 1132 0.58 2030 0.64 2040 0.72SATU 1443 1.29 1453 1.18 FRMO 23300.72 0.53 1814 1.65 2030 0.64 2040 0324 1.43 0306 1.62 0522 1.41 0056 0.51 1014 0.69 0958 0.52 0324 1.43 0306 1.62 1604 1.15 SU 1602 1117 0.45 0641 1.27 1014 0.69 0958 0.52 SA 1752 1.81 1216 0.57 2146 0.67 2146 0.75SUWE 1604 1.15 1602 1.27 SATU 1854 1.69 2146 0.67 2146 0.75 0430 1.43 0420 1.64 0028 0.40 0134 0.46 1123 0.66 1112 0.48 0430 1.43 0420 1.64 0622 1.44 0723 1.29 1721 1.17 MO 1722 1.31 1123 0.66 1112 0.48 SU 1210 0.41 1256 0.55 2257 0.75MOTH 2303 0.63 1721 1.17 1722 1.31 SUWE 18440.75 1.93 1931 1.73 2257 2303 0.63 0533 1.47 0531 1.69 0123 0.28 0210 0.42 1222 0.61 1217 0.41 0533 1.47 0531 1.69 0719 1.47 0801 1.32 1824 1.22 TU 1827 1.40 1222 0.61 1217 0.41 MO 13021.22 0.38 TUFR 1334 0.53 1824 1827 1.40 MOTH 1936 2.03 2008 1.75 0000 0.70 0011 0.55 0216 0.19 0245 0.39 0628 1.52 0634 1.76 0000 0.70 0011 0.55 0815 1.49 0838 1.34 1311 0.54 WE 1313 0.34 0628 1.52 0634 1.76 TU 1357 0.36 1412 0.52 1912 1.29WESA 1921 1.50 1311 0.54 1313 0.34 TUFR 20291.29 2.09 2043 1.76 1912 1921 1.50 0051 0.64 0111 0.47 0309 0.14 0318 0.38 0715 1.59 0729 1.81 0051 0.64 0111 0.47 0910 1.51 0915 1.35 1351 0.48 TH 1400 0.29 0715 1.59 0729 1.81 WE 1450 0.36 1449 0.52 1951 1.37THSU 2009 1.59 1351 0.48 1400 0.29 WESA 21201.37 2.09 2117 1.75 1951 2009 1.59 0134 0.57 0204 0.39 0400 0.14 0352 0.38 0755 1.65 0819 1.83 0134 0.57 0204 0.39 1004 1.51 0951 1.36 1426 0.42 FR 1445 0.27 0755 1.65 0819 1.83 TH 1545 0.38 1528 0.53 2027 1.44FRMO 2053 1.66 1426 0.42 1445 0.27 THSU 22121.44 2.04 2153 1.72 2027 2053 1.66 0254 0.35 0427 0.39 0906 1.80 0254 0.35 1030 1.37 1525 0.28 0906 1.80 SA 1607 0.55 2135 1.71 1525 0.28 SATU 2229 1.67 2135 1.71

1 11

16 1616

2 22

17 1717

3 33

18 1818

4 44

19 1919

5 55

20 2020

6 66

21 2121

7 77

22 2222

8 88

23 2323

9 99

24 2424

25 2525

10 1010

11 1111

26 2626

27 2727

12 1212

13 13 13

28 2828

14 14 14 15 15 15

1 11

16 1616

2 22

17 1717

3 33

18 1818

4 44

19 1919

5 55

20 2020

6 66

21 2121

7 77

22 2222

8 88

23 2323

9 99

24 2424

10 10 10

1 11

16 1616

2 22

17 1717

3 33

18 1818

4 44

19 1919

5 55

20 2020

6 66

21 2121

7 77

22 2222

8 88

23 2323

9 99

24 2424

25 2525

10 1010

11 11 11

26 2626

12 12 12

Local Time Local Time APRIL AUGUST Time TimeAPRIL m

m Timem m Timem m Time Time 0212 0.40 0241 0.34 0819 1.68 0851 1.74 0555 0.34 0502 0.41 0212 0.40 0241 0.34 1428 0.36 1502 0.33 1213 1.53 1109 1.38 MO 0819 1.68 0851 1.74 SU 2043 1.79 2115 1.73 1818 0.50 1650 0.58MO TH 1428 0.36 1502 0.33 SUWE 2307 1.60 2043 1.79 2115 1.73 0327 0.36 0256 0.36 0934 1.65 0903 1.65 0023 1.48 0540 0.44 0327 0.36 0256 0.36 1538 0.40 1505 0.38 0640 0.44 1152 1.39 TU 0934 1.65 0903 1.65 MO 2155 1.73 2124 1.84 1305 1.50 1737 0.61TU FR 1538 0.40 1505 0.38 MO TH 1920 2348 1.52 2155 1.73 2124 1.840.58 0412 0.41 0344 0.34 1016 1.54 0950 1.60 0619 0.46 0116 1.33 0412 0.41 0344 0.34 1613 0.48 1545 0.42 0727 0.53 1239 1.40 WE 1016 1.54 0950 1.60 TU 2233 1.70 2208 1.86 1400 1.47 1830 0.65WE SA 1613 0.48 1545 0.42 TU FR 2030 2233 1.70 2208 1.860.63 0456 0.47 0434 0.35 1058 1.44 1041 1.53 0036 1.43 0218 1.21 0456 0.47 0434 0.35 1645 0.56 1630 0.48 0704 0.49 TH 0818 0.60 1058 1.44 1041 1.53 WE 2311 1.65 2255 1.85 1330 1.43TH SU 1500 1.47 1645 0.56 1630 0.48 WE SA 1933 0.66 2143 2311 1.65 2255 1.850.64 0542 0.54 0530 0.39 1135 1.44 1140 1.34 0328 1.15 0133 1.35 0542 0.54 0530 0.39 1718 0.56 1720 0.65 0915 0.63 0755 0.51 FR 1135 1.44 1140 1.34 TH 2346 1.80 2350 1.59 1600 1.48 1429 1.48FRMO 1718 0.56 1720 0.65 THSU 2250 2046 0.64 2346 1.800.61 2350 1.59 0631 0.60 0630 0.43 1226 1.26 1235 1.37 0436 1.15 0243 1.29 0631 0.60 0630 0.43 1800 0.72 1815 0.64 1014 0.64 0852 0.52 SA 1226 1.26 1235 1.37 FR 1657 1530 1.56SA TU 1800 0.72 1815 0.641.51 FRMO 2345 0.55 2203 0.57 0035 1.53 0045 1.75 0726 0.65 0739 0.47 0534 1.18 0357 1.28 0035 1.53 0045 1.75 1320 1.21 1345 1.32 1108 0.61 0954 0.50 SU 0726 0.65 0739 0.47 SA 1851 0.78 1921 0.70 1746 1.56 1632 1.67SUWE 1320 1.21 1345 1.32 SA TU 2314 0.46 1851 0.78 1921 0.70 0130 1.48 0152 1.70 0829 0.67 0850 0.48 0030 0.49 0508 1.31 0130 1.48 0152 1.70 1428 1.18 1501 1.33 1056 0.46 MO 0621 1.23 0829 0.67 0850 0.48 SU 1958 0.82 2038 0.71 1731 1.79MO TH 1156 0.57 1428 1.18 1501 1.33 SUWE 1830 1958 0.82 2038 0.711.61 0235 1.45 0305 1.67 0109 0.43 0015 0.33 0934 0.66 0956 0.46 0235 1.45 0305 1.67 1542 1.21 1612 1.39 0701 1.29 0611 1.37 TU 0934 0.66 0956 0.46 MO 1238 0.52 1154 0.40TU FR 2114 0.82 2154 0.68 1542 1.21 1612 1.39 MO TH 1828 1.91 1908 2114 0.82 2154 0.681.66 0345 1.46 0415 1.68 0144 0.38 0110 0.21 1034 0.62 1055 0.43 0345 1.46 0415 1.68 1645 1.27 1711 1.48 0738 1.33 0707 1.44 WE 1034 0.62 1055 0.43 TU 1317 0.48 1250 0.34WE SA 2222 0.78 2301 0.61 1645 1.27 1711 1.48 TU FR 1944 1921 2.00 2222 0.78 2301 0.611.69 0445 1.50 0515 1.70 0200 0.13 0215 0.34 1124 0.57 1145 0.40 0445 1.50 0515 1.70 0800 1.49 TH 0813 1.37 1735 1.35 1801 1.58 1124 0.57 1145 0.40 WE 1345 0.29TH SU 1354 2319 0.70 1735 1.35 1801 1.580.45 WE SA 2013 2.04 2019 1.71 2319 0.70 0534 1.56 0001 0.53 0250 0.09 0248 0.32 1205 0.51 0609 1.70 0534 1.56 0001 0.53 0852 1.54 FR 0847 1.41 1815 1.44 1230 0.38 1205 0.51 0609 1.70 TH 1438 0.27FRMO 1431 0.43 1847 1.67 1815 1.44 1230 0.38 THSU 2104 2.03 2053 1847 1.671.70 0006 0.62 0054 0.47 0338 0.10 0319 0.32 0617 1.61 0658 1.68 0006 0.62 0054 0.47 0943 1.56 SA 0922 1.43 1243 0.45 1312 0.39 0617 1.61 0658 1.68 FR 1531 0.28SA TU 1509 0.43 1852 1.53 1930 1.74 1243 0.45 1312 0.39 FRMO 2154 1.95 2129 1852 1.53 1930 1.741.67 0048 0.54 0142 0.43 0425 0.15 0352 0.33 0658 1.65 0744 1.64 0048 0.54 0142 0.43 1032 1.57 SU 0958 1.46 1317 0.40 1349 0.41 0658 1.65 0744 1.64 SA 1626 0.33SUWE 1549 0.44 1928 1.62 2009 1.78 1317 0.40 1349 0.41 SA TU 2243 1.82 2204 1928 1.62 2009 1.781.62 0130 0.46 0227 0.41 0510 0.23 0426 0.35 0738 1.68 0827 1.58 0130 0.46 0227 0.41 1122 1.55 MO 1036 1.48 1351 0.37 1425 0.46 0738 1.68 0827 1.58 SU 1720 0.41MO TH 1632 0.46 2004 1.71 2047 1.80 1351 0.37 1425 0.46 SUWE 2332 1.66 2244 2004 1.71 2047 1.801.54

1 11

16 1616

2 22

17 1717

3 33

18 1818

4 44

19 1919

5 55

20 2020

6 66

21 2121

7 77

22 2222

8 88

23 2323

9 99

24 2424

25 2525

10 1010

25 2525

11 1111

26 2626

11 1111

26 2626

27 2727

12 1212

27 2727

12 1212

27 2727

13 1313

28 2828

13 1313

28 2828

13 1313

28 2828

29 2929

14 1414

29

14 1414

29 2929

14 1414

29 2929

30 3030

15 1515

30

15 1515

30 3030

15 1515

30 3030

31 3131

31 3131

31 0500 1117

0.39 1.49 FR 1719 0.50 2326 1.45

 Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2016, Bureau of Meteorology Copyright Commonwealth Australia 2016, Bureau Meteorology  Copyright Commonwealth of of Australia 2016, Bureau of of Meteorology Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Datum of are Predictions is Lowesttime Astronomical Tideor daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect Times in local standard (UTC +10:00) Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect New Moon First Quarter Last Quarter Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon New Moon First Quarter Last Quarter 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. 86

JUNE 2018

boats & kayaks

In the skipper’s seat 89 Yerrabi Pond Inside story...

Something of an Aussie icon, Clark Aluminium Boats has earned this enviable status by serving generations of commercial and recreational boaters. In the boating world, Clark Aluminium Boats is a name synonymous with strength, durability and safety. Combine these features with class leading levels of performance, a quality finish and modern fit-outs and it’s easy to see why for nearly four decades, Clark have been the first choice of many boaters.

Made for...

Clark Aluminium Boats will provide you with many years of safe, trouble-free boating enjoyment!

This month...

V&TFM’s Peter Jung has a run with the Clark 520 Legend SC powered by a 115hp Suzuki 4-stroke.

Again this month, Toby Grundy checks out another great urban lake in Canberra for yak fishers.

90 New from Mercury Steve Morgan recently caught up with Mercury to see what’s new in the Mercury world.

92 Stacer’s revolution Wayne Kampe has a look at some new and innovative designs from Stacer.

94 Doubling up!

Justin Willmer looks at the joys of joining two kayaks together for a different kayaking experience.

98 Bar Crusher head to head – which is best?

The boys from FM put the Bar Crusher 575C and 615C head to head to see which is best for you.

JUNE 2018

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Clark 520 Legend SC with 115 Suzuki 4-stroke - SC

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SPECIFICATIONS Overall Length... 5.38m Beam.................. 1.35m Depth................. 1.06m Hull weight........ 560kg Min hp.................. 70hp Max hp................115hp Bottom and sides.3mm Max people............. Six FIRST IMPRESSION The 520 Legend really gives the feeling of being bigger than it is. The cockpit area is wide and open, with high gunwales and grab rails. The skipper’s seat and console are roomy, with the console providing a reasonable amount of space for gauges and switches as well as room to mount a good-sized sounder. The forward casting deck is 96

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The Clarke 520 Legend was launched at the 2017 Melbourne Boat Show and has proven to be a very popular addition to their range. We have wanted to test one for a while, but sales have been so strong that it has taken us up until now to find one available to review. The range of Clark Boats available on this year’s boat show circuit will have the 520 Legend the headline act. This is the largest of the Clark boats we have tested for the magazines, as the majority of boats tested in the past have been focused on fishing in our estuaries, lakes and rivers. The 520 Legend offers a greater range of opportunities for fishing and recreational boating.

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3.6km/L of fuel burned – that’s nearly 400km out of the boat’s 110L fuel tank and plenty for any day’s fishing! At the end of the test, Mark Frost volunteered to have a ski behind the boat (the outside temperature was nice, but the water temperature had

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package is likely to be doing a fair bit of travelling – the dual axle trailer provides better highway towing. It was also set up to be launched and retrieved by one person if necessary, and on the day we drove the boat on and off the trailer with ease.

PERFORMANCE

Main: The Clark 520 Legend SC was a pleasure to drive. It really shows what a well-matched hull and outboard can offer. Above: Aimed first and foremost at the sportfishing market, Mark Frost shows here how stable a platform the boat is for casting lures. also a good size and has a huge amount of storage beneath it. If there were a single word to describe it, that word would be ‘uncluttered.’ This space and a solid hull design are the base of what proved to be a very nice boat to test. VERSATILITY EQUALS OPTIONS The Legend is definitely targeted at the sportfishing market. The large forward casting deck, option to put an electric motor on the bow and excellent stability at rest all make it a great platform to cast lures from. Add to that a livewell and plenty of storage for your gear, and you have a boat where 2-3 anglers can comfortably terrorise all the fish in a location like Lake Mulwala, where we did this test. From a fishing perspective, the additional option with the higher gunwales and width of the hull mean fishing bays and even open waters is possible in the right weather. The bait board, rod holders, cockpit space and live bait tank at the stern of the boat make soaking a bait or swimming a livey feasible.

From a family perspective, fishing is not the only option. The bait board is removable and can be replaced with a ski pole, so you can spend a few hours fishing and then tow the kids around on a tube or water ski, depending on their age. To swap the board and pole is simple and takes less than a couple of minutes. Towing an adult is also no issue, depending on the motor you match with the hull. RIDE AND PERFORMANCE The test boat had a Suzuki 115hp 4-stroke outboard on the back of it, which is the maximum horsepower for the 520. Simon from Boats and More explained to me that they had sold a number of packages with a 90hp and they had performed well, but running the maximum horsepower opens up the full range of options of the hull. He also mentioned that you could upgrade the 3mm bottom sheet to 4mm plate and increase the rating to 150hp. Driving this boat is an absolute pleasure. The transition from at rest to on the plane and full power

was smooth and effortless. Minimal trim was required to get to the sweet spot for maximum output and steering. Sharp cornering and turning at speed were done easily. It really shows what a wellmatched hull and outboard offer. The maximum speed achieved during testing was 66km/h, with the most economical cruising range at 3500 revs. At this rpm the package achieved 37km/h at

RPM......Speed (km/h)............Economy (km/L) Idle (850)...................3.................................. 3.4 1000..........................7.................................. 4.5 2000........................ 11.................................. 2.6 3000........................ 16.................................. 1.7 4000........................ 42.................................. 2.8 5000........................ 54.................................. 2.0 WOT (6000)............. 66.................................. 1.7 a little chill to it). Within five minutes we went from fishing to skiing, and again the motor and hull did this easily. LAUNCH AND RETRIEVE Boats and More had the 520 Legend set up on a dual axle Alloy Series Dunbier trailer. A dual axle trailer is not a necessity for this hull, however – keeping in mind that a person buying this

The versatility of the 520 means you can fish in the morning and ski in the afternoon.

Always tell your dealer what your needs will be when it comes to towing, launching and retrieving. They will know the best option, like in this case; a slightly upgraded trailer provides hassle-free travel and makes it easy to get your boat on and off the water. CHECK IT OUT YOURSELF It’s hard not to be impressed by the Clark 520 Legend SC. It’s a combination of multiple use options: it’s family-friendly, fishing-friendly, ski-friendly, tows well and is a fabulous boat to drive with good economy. If I was going to ask anything, I would like to see some fishing rod storage, as most anglers tend to have multiple rods. Some storage out of the way would make the Legend even better than it already is. As tested, the 520 came in at $52,490. The starting price is $36,990 with a smaller outboard. You can find and contact your local dealer by visiting www.clarkboats.com. au. Ask them for a test drive – you will enjoy the experience.

The Clark package was on a Dunbier Alloy Series trailer. This trailer upgrade offers great towing and an easy launch and retrieve.

The transition of power of the 115hp Suzuki was smooth and effortless.

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The forward casting deck has a huge amount of storage, as well as a large livewell.

There are two side pockets to store all those things you need to get your hands on quickly.

A great feature of the Clark 520 Legend is that the bait board can be removed if not in use, or replaced with a ski pole for a bit of family fun. The nose of the 520 has a self-draining anchor well and a plate to install an electric motor.

The cockpit of the 520 has plenty of space and multiple seating positions.

There is a live bait tank in the transom if live bait fishing is something you enjoy.

The console is large enough to hold all your switches and gauges, and to mount a reasonably sized sounder. JUNE 2018

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Bar Crusher 575C vs 615C, which is best for you? *Manipulated image

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615C

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and want a cheaper (by around $10K) rig that’s a little easier to launch, store and handle by yourself, then the 575 may be the rig for you. If you like to travel more to fish and do it with a couple of mates and want a bigger tank that translates to more range, then the 615 will offer all of these benefits, and it’s

DIFFERENCE TABLE Main: Definitely not the natural environment for a pair of tough-as-nails Bar Crushers, but even a thoroughbred needs a little bit of quiet paddock time, right? Above: All Bar Crusher hulls feature their unique water ballast system that fills while the craft is at rest and empties quickly as the boat takes off, giving the best of both worlds – stability and performance with minimal beam. through its water ballast system. Both of these boats feature Bar Crusher’s Gen 2 hull design with incorporated water ballast system. Overall, the Bar Crusher hulls are a little narrower than most hulls for their length, which explains their sea legs. At rest, the water ballast fills up and sinks the

chines deeper in the water, giving the hull greater stability. When you take off, the water virtually instantly runs out the back of the cavity, vented through the anchor well. It’s a neat system that’s stood the test of time. “The length beam equation in a bit of a dark

Feature Length: Beam: Material: Trailer: BMT weight: Internal gunwale height: Height on trailer: Horsepower: Price: Top Speed: Best economy: Theoretical range: Price: that are options on most other brands. “These boats come with a bait board, boarding ladder, through transom door, bilge pump, twin batteries, live bait tank, hard top roof,

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The 615 is 10cm wider than the 575 and offers an extra 5cm of internal gunwale height. Doesn’t sound like much but it makes a difference, especially offshore. 98

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We recently had the opportunity to test a couple of Bar Crushers out on Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne; the 5.75m and 6.15m Cabin versions that are incredibly popular rigs in the Bar Crusher range. Instead of presenting a couple of very similar boat tests, we thought it’d be a great opportunity to look at the similarities and differences in these two rigs to help you make the decision about which one is the best for your fishing and boating needs. And although there’s only a legal snapper-anda-half difference in length between these boats, it equates to a lot more than you’d think by the time the boats are on a trailer and ready to fish. BAR CRUSHER 101 Bar Crusher is a Melbourne-made boat that’s famous for its build quality, finish and stability at rest

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clears and a rocket launcher,” said Matt, “You only need to choose your electronics like sounder, radio and maybe an anchor winch to complete the package.” WHAT DO WE RECKON? After looking at the differences between these two rigs, there’s a couple of conclusions that

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art that I think we’ve got pretty much right for both these hulls,” said Bar Crusher’s Sales Manager, Matt Urzia, who is much more comfortable 10ft above the water off the back of a wave than he is in front of a camera. Matt also outlines the standard feature list in these boats, which includes many

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575C 5.75m 2.15m 4mm bottom/3mm sides Single axle for local trips 1360kg 730mm 2.15m 115hp from mid-$50K 62km/h@6,000rpm 2.6km/L@4,400rpm 280km from mid-$50K we’ve come to. Firstly, these rigs’ standard inclusions are, indeed, very generous and the fact that they’re matched with locally made Easytow trailers means that Bar Crusher will ensure that the cradle is suitable for the hull. Urzia also says that if you want a single axle or twin axle on either rig, that’s legal and achievable. So, you’d opt for a twin axle if you’re doing a lot of highway miles; or, a single if you need manoeuvrability or use your boat locally most of the time. We’re particularly impressed with the cleverness of the fold-down hard top and windscreen that allows you to fit these boats in most garages. If you usually fish with one to two anglers, locally,

615C 6.15m 2.25m 4mm bottom/4mm sides twin axle for longer trips 1500kg 780mm 2.20m 140hp (max. 150hp) from mid-$60K 60km/h@6,000rpm 2.7km/L@3800rpm 370km from mid-$60K price tag justifies the extra abilities. It’s a simple conclusion and definitely stands up to the ‘boat ramp test’, which is the nautical version of the ‘pub test’. Whichever you choose, you’ll enjoy the features and never break these Aussiebuilt tanks of boats. Make sure that you watch the video review of this comparison on the Fishing Monthly Magazines YouTube channel - you can do it on your smartphone by scanning the QR code hereby. For more information, visit www.barcrusher.com. au or talk to the guys at the Melbourne Boat Show. They’ll have everything you need at both of these places to help decide which is the best Bar Crusher for you in their range.

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You’d think that the 140hp was faster than the 115hp? Wrong. The 575 was a little bit faster than the 615 at WOT, even if slightly less economical.

Although both models can be fitted on single or twin-axle Easytow trailers, there’s a good case for twin axle for long trips and a single axle for local journeys. Single axles can also be manoeuvred around easily in a tight garage.

Interestingly the 140hp Suzuki delivered marginally better fuel economy than the 115hp on the 575.

Erected, the folding hard roof/top offers rod storage and shade. The 575 folds down to 2.15m while the 615 is 2.20m high when folded down.

Both the windscreen and folding hard roof/top folds down on both models and there’s ample space to flush mount electronics of your choice.

Both models feature an enclosed cabin with bunks for overnight comfort. The 615’s wider beam gives it a little more space.

Bait boards are options on most boats on the market. On the Bar Crushers in this size range, they are standard.

Plumbed livewells and transom doors are also Bar Crusher Standard. Take this into account when comparing boats of different brands. JUNE 2018

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A NEW ERA in FourStroke

The All New Mercury V-8 & V-6 175-300hp FourStroke Range The new era of revolutionary Mercury FourStrokes deliver unprecedented performance, reliability and efficiency, never before imagined in an outboard. Mercury’s advanced design and engineering delivers best in class performance, with superior torque and faster acceleration in a smooth, compact, quiet and fuel-efficient package. With features previously not seen in an outboard including Advanced Range Optimisation (ARO), Transient Spark Technology, Adaptive Speed Control and Idle-Charge battery-management. The all new range of Mercury V-8 4.6L and V-6 3.4L 175-300hp are the only choice when considering high horsepower outboards. All round excellence. A performer in every situation.

mercurymarine.com.au