NSW Fishing Monthly May 2018 by Fishing Monthly

MAY THE FISH BE WITH YOU!

Features

Fishing rocks and beaches Kayaking for bass in winter

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MAY 2018, Vol. 23 No. 10

Contents BYRON COAST The Tweed 29 Ballina 30 Yamba 32 COFFS COAST Coffs Harbour 34 Coffs Game 35 Nambucca 36 South West Rocks 37 MACQUARIE COAST The Hastings 38 Forster 40 Harrington-Taree 41 HUNTER COAST Port Stephens 42 Hunter Coast 43 Erina 45 Swansea 44 SYDNEY The Hawkesbury 14 Sydney North 16 Pittwater 18 Sydney Harbour 20 Botany Bay 22 Sydney Rock and Beach 24 Sydney South 23 Western Sydney 25 ILLAWARRA COAST Illawarra 46 Nowra 47 BATEMANS COAST Batemans Bay 48 Narooma 50 Merimbula 55

From the Editor’s Desk... DODGING BULLETS ON MARINE PARKS It’s been a busy month behind the scenes of fishing. The big story was that recreational fishing dodged a pretty big bullet with the passage of the latest Marine Parks plan from the government. In the opinion of Australian Fishing Trade Association (AFTA), Australian Recreational Fishing Federation (ARFF) the Game Fishing Association (GFAA) and even the Seafood Industry Association (SIA), the government’s plans for federal marine parks were balanced. They provide a great compromise between keeping fishing and seafood industries alive, while preserving areas for conservation. Heck, the associations even got together to co-operatively launch a press release telling the

politicians that they thought this. You don’t often see recreational anglers and commercials working together like that. The opposition tried to get the legislation thrown out by moving a disallowance motion. Luckily the government and every single

way, there’d be great swaths of the ocean tied up, never to be sensibly enjoyed again. Like deadly asteroids passing close to the earth, sometimes bad outcomes are closer to becoming reality than you may think. For that, I thank the dedicated volunteers who

crossbencher voted against it, and the sensible plan is a step closer to reality. A lot of this happens behind closed doors, but at the end of the day, it really does affect how and where you can go fishing. If the Labour/Greens had their

work behind the scenes to make sure that our businesses and pastimes are protected. To the Col Tannahills (President of AFTA) and the Brett Clearys (President of ARFF) of the world, we thank you for your hard work behind the scenes to

make sure that I can keep going fishing. To the government, thank you for letting common sense prevail and for listening to the user groups who actually spend time on the water, rather than just battling for the wilderness from behind a keyboard. And to the anglers of Australia, thank you for doing what you do, for buying licences and for being a force to be reckoned with when serious issues arise. There’s not a sane polly alive who’s not scared of a cranky fishing sector against them at election time. Want to play a small part? Like the ‘Keep Australia Fishing’ page on Facebook, and when there’s a call to action, become a keyboard warrior yourself. It’s the only way we will win the war on our sport.

EDEN COAST Bermagui 52 Tathra 52 Eden 53 Mallacoota 53

Sub-Editors: Bob Thornton Nicole Penfold Cordelia Adams Publishers: Steve Morgan Matthew Drinkall

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Rocking around the beaches and headlands FORSTER

David Seaman dseamo@bigpond.com

There is little doubt that Australia is the lucky country. We benefit from a comparatively low population, yet have a diverse coastline stretching more than 25,700km. In NSW the seascape changes from high cliffs

temperature, which may also determine the particular food source the fish depend on for existence. Like any scenario, the middle ground is where you will find the greatest diversity of species, and this is where the greatest seasonal overlaps occur. The Mid Coast of NSW from Seal Rocks to Coffs Harbour is as vast as the species that live and visit the area. While offshore can

of the year for the beach and rock angler. The seasonal spawning run of mullet, bream and luderick is underway, and with it come the shadowing predators like sharks, pelagics and mulloway. LIVE BAITING Early autumn draws an incredible concentrated effort by anglers for pelagics. Longtail tuna, cobia, mackerel tuna and Spanish

When you see mullet cruising the beach through autumn and winter, close to shore, it’s time to get the mulloway gear out. and deep water in the south, to shallow fingers of rocks and broken reef around the Mid Coast. The common feature that extends around the entire coastline is the connection of headlands by golden strips of sand, interrupted only by coves, bays and entrances to estuaries. These coastal fringes also support a transition of angling species with seasonal overlaps, and species uniquely adapted to certain areas. The distribution range of species is often regulated by water

offer incredible fishing, it is the rock and beach fishing that attracts many anglers to the area at various times of the year. The autumn to winter transition is perhaps the most productive period BAITS Cooked prawns Live beach worms Cunjevoi Crabs Whole fish Fish fillets Yabbies Ganged pilchards Ganged garfish Ganged whole squid

mackerel all figure in the pursuits of the land-based game anglers that travel hundreds of kilometres to the local ledges. Shoals of garfish flood down the coast with the currents, followed by the HOOKS Mustad 542 1/0 and 2/0 Owner SSW 5111 for groper and pigs. Owner 1/0 SSW 5111 for bream, and 3 ganged 3/0 Mustad 4-202s for tailor and salmon.

cobia and longtails. From April to the end of May, it is not unusual to spin or live bait Spanish mackerel from the rocks. Each year the offshore spotty and Spanish mackerel fishery seems to get better and last a little longer, and this can be a bonanza for the dedicated rock anglers. The staple targets are certainly the cobia or longtail tuna, but with the pelagic fish come the sharks that ruin trophy fish and devastate anglers. Any headland that stretches to deeper water is worth a look and Charlottes Head (Seagull), Bennetts Head or Cape Hawke all come into play. Anglers who fish the rock and beach fringes generally do it to take a feed home. Whether it is fresh tailor from a gutter on the beach or a few rock blackfish from under a rocky wash, there is something for every taste. Except for tailor and mulloway, the majority of species are best targeted on a variety of bait, both bought and collected around the area you intend to fish. BEACH FISHING Beach fishing has a charm all its own, and having a stretch of beach to yourself is something special. The comfort of fishing in relative LURES Cordell Pencil Popper Gulp 7” Jerkshad on 1oz jighead 50 to 65g metal slugs safety from the soft sand, watching the sunrise and catching the early morning tailor bite is something many thrive on. The variety of species available changes with the sunrise, but can make a few hours on the beach very productive. Throwing metal lures to the back of a gutter or waves is

Tailor from the rocks or the beach are fun and good eating fresh. the easiest way to prospect for the tailor and salmon that haunt the autumn waters. Finding gutters to fish may take a bit of investigation, usually a day or so. If you have indulged yourself and have a drone, you can check a lot of potential gutters along the beach from the carpark. I find it generally sufficient to go straight up and just look along the beach from the high vantage point. Alternatively, if you don’t have sufficient time to do the leg work, or flight time, you can fish the transition from beach to rocks where there will be current and sufficient calm water to cast a lure or bait. This area attracts the bait, depending on the

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MAY 2018

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Targeted or by-catch, the blue groper has strict possession and size limits that you do need to be aware of.

direction of the swell, by creating an eddy. A pilchard or garfish rigged on a 3-4 hook ganged rig with a short trace to a sliding ball sinker may be old school fishing, but that’s because it works a treat and TIDES A rising tide is always the best option. Whether it is a predusk fish for mulloway on the beach or a midday pig fish, the rising tide provides a greater water depth and access for the fish to the intertidal zone. New and full moon periods will provide the greatest variation in depths, especially from the rocks. is a relaxed alternative to actively spinning the wash. As the sun and the tide rises on the beach, other species like bream, whiting, dart, flathead and trevally come into play. Beach worms are by far the best bait and can often be caught where you’re fishing. Alternative baits include yabbies, frozen worm and pipis that can be rigged on a bait keeper style hook, a short trace and a running ball sinker to keep the rig moving with the wave surge. Another popular rig is the paternoster with two droppers and a sinker at the bottom of the rig. The paternoster is certainly easier to cast and provides a second chance when the fish may be a bit picky, and each hook can have different baits. This rig

is great for fishing gutters where the outer breakers calm over deeper water before reaching the shore. While fish like tailor, mulloway and salmon are a chance during

transition zone of rock and beach. In the early morning and late afternoon, fish pass and hang around these areas waiting for the mullet and other bait to pass by. It’s also

Catching big bream on the beach or rocks is the norm through autumn and winter. They are often a by-catch while fishing for pigs. the daylight hours, it is best to concentrate your efforts on low light periods and at night to increase your chances of catching bigger fish. If you like to catch mulloway on plastics, the best tip is to fish the

no secret the mulloway like to eat kelpies (wrasse) and other rock species, so fishing close to the rocks isn’t a bad ploy for mulloway. ROCK SPECIES Perhaps the best eating fish you could expect from

the rocks is the eastern rock blackfish, often referred to as black drummer or pigs. It is related to the luderick and not a drummer at all, but what you call it changes nothing of the fish’s ability to fight hard and taste good. The true beauty of the rock blackfish is it is bound by tides and not the time of day, and during the middle of winter this is a bonus for anyone who doesn’t like the early morning cold. A rising tide over broken reef or a deep rock shelf is the only thing you need to make the most of their feeding habits. Exposed areas of rocks at low tide become a grazing paddock for pigs as the water rises sufficiently for them to access it. It is often possible ROCK SAFETY Wherever possible, fish with a friend and wear an automatic inflating PFD, or a PFD with head support. Manual devices are ok if you enter the water in a conscious state, but are useless if you strike your head when entering the water. The aeration of water around the wash areas can significantly reduce buoyancy, and even the strongest swimmers may be drowned in rough conditions.

Early morning is a glorious time of the day for spin sessions and give you a good chance at a salmon, tailor or tuna. to see the pigs’ tails waving above the water surface as they feed, head down over the rocks. Cunjevoi and abalone gut (ab gut was banned from use in 2007 by DPI) are the natural, non-herbivorous baits that anglers used to use. Over-harvesting of cunje can strip an area bare, and this is why I use Australian cooked or green prawns. The advantage is you don’t waste

time collecting bait, or risk your safety, and it preserves the natural growth on the rocks. Other advantages are the prawns are a relatively clean bait, the heads and shell contribute to the trickle of berley and they are readily available from major supermarkets for the planned or spur of the moment fish. Fish in the 1-2.5kg bracket are the best eating size for the pigs, with larger

specimens becoming tough when cooked. Rock fishing does present a vast range of options, and even if you are fishing for a particular species, you never know what is going to eat your bait. Groper are one species that will eat anything and will be attracted to the berley trail in no time. Size and bag limits for all species should be checked prior to To page 10

MAY 2018

BASS

Get out in the yak for bass during winter HUNTER VALLEY

Peter Phelps

Now, just when you thought it was time to pack the kayak away for the winter months, I urge you to reconsider and read on. When you think of typical kayak bass fishing your mind often wanders towards tiny creeks and rivers – the sound of cicadas

up in holes in heavy tidal current flow, which makes it very hard to fish from a kayak. Plus, the closed season comes into play on 1 May, so while you can target bass during this time, the bag limit is zero. General consensus amongst most river bass anglers is to leave these wild fish to do their thing over the closed season to maximise the numbers for the following generations.

apart from a few die-hard tournament anglers. In the winter time, impoundment bass fishing is when it’s at its best. You can almost get sick of catching them some days, as they feed up and put on massive amounts of weight. Most fish during winter will weigh up to 200-400g heavier than their summer weight. This extra bulk, combined with crystal clear water and

Packing a few essential things makes those winter trips more bearable.

Being able to stand up in a kayak gives you a higher elevation for spotting holes in the weed where the bass live. singing in the treetops, bass actively feeding on top and warm summer days. Most people chase the wild bass during this time, as they have pushed as far upstream as they can reach, into all these small tributaries.

On the other hand, the impoundment bass do not have a closed season. Australian bass don’t breed in lakes because they need brackish water to spawn. All these fish are hand placed into the lakes as

The stealth of a kayak is hard to beat when fishing shallow. The author watched this bass come off the weed and eat the plastic grub. As we enter the cooler months now, chasing bass from a kayak isn’t a typically considered idea. The river fish will start to migrate downstream now in preparation for spawning. In these lower sections of the rivers they tend to school

fingerlings, so you can actively target them during winter without the fear of disturbing the breeding cycle. As someone who fishes the lakes all year round I find it quite baffling to see so few people fishing the lake during winter,

light line, makes for some exciting fishing. Now the daily movements of impoundment bass in NSW are totally dependent on available light, and the water temperature over the seasons will position them shallower or deeper in the water column. During the summer months bass fishing from a kayak can be great, but you will find it at its best during the low light periods. Around sunrise and sunset, the fish move more freely around the water column and come up shallow to feed. During daylight hours in summer, impoundment bass usually hold up in deep water as far down as 40-60ft. Targeting these fish from a kayak can be difficult compared to a boat. Without the aid of a sounder and the ability to hold directly over the top of fish it becomes quiet challenging to target them. However, during the winter months the water temperature drops dramatically; water

Tournaments have certainly helped pave the way for exploring the lakes in a kayak in winter. 26

MAY 2018

temperatures below 14°C are more common compared to 28°C+ over summer. The winter months start a transition for the bass. As the water cools, they will move shallower more freely and stay there for longer periods throughout the day. They will use the available cover as ambush points for any small baitfish that swim past. Weed beds, rock walls and timber are the main areas where you should be looking. As

these. Small plastics, stickbaits, jerkbaits and fly are all effective over winter. When starting out for the day I love to use a suspending jerkbait first thing. During low light, these are very quick at determining whether the fish are up high in the water column. An aggressive 2-3 rips to get the bait darting around followed by a three-second pause is an all-round good retrieve. As you bring the jerkbait

When it comes to colours I’m a big fan of chartreuses, whites and silvers in low light or overcast conditions. More natural translucent colours like greens and browns seem to produce in sunny, clear conditions. Lure lengths around 50-90mm are best suited to closely represent the small baitfish. Having a selection of different diving depths is advisable. Have a shallow water one with a small bib and diving depth

Making the effort to be on the water early is worthwhile, as the fishing is always at its best around the light changes. a kayak angler I know I certainly prefer to actively cast towards structure in cold water so clear you can see the bass come out and eat your lure, then fish deep water in summer. Over the winter months the fish will be spread out throughout the whole lake. They’re quite accessible from a kayak, so you won’t need to go far from where you launch. Unlike their wild relatives these fish don’t have the urge to travel downstream and school up. Their main food sources over winter are smelt and small baitfish. When they are keyed onto this bait, you should choose your lures accordingly. Small, slender baits work best for imitating

out into deeper water you may pause a little longer. This gives fish that are sitting slightly deeper on the structure some time to swim up and intercept your bait. A common mistake I see with people starting out is swimming the jerkbait with the reel. You really need to focus on moving the jerkbait with your rod. The jerking or ripping motion you put into the rod tip will spring the jerkbait into action, darting around and turning back on itself. This really gets the fish’s attention and creates those aggressive strikes that bass are known for as they hit them on the pause. The reel should only be used to wind up the slack or bring a fish in.

around 0.5m for fishing high in the water, over the top of weed or casting parallel to structure and the bank. A deeper diving lure (to 1.5m) is suited for fishing the deeper edges like rock walls. However, use some caution when selecting small deep diving suspending hardbodies. The deeper models that can reach 2.5m+ have a longer bib. While they can reach those depths, the long bib inhibits the darting side-to-side action that is required to get the bites; they tend to just surge slowly ahead as that long bib digs in. These deeper styles are mainly suited to a crankbait rather than a jerkbait. To maximise the amount of water you can cover and

BASS get the most depth out of the jerkbait, you need to be able to cast it some distance. I highly advise picking ones that have a casting transfer weight. This allows the weight to move towards the tail of the jerkbait on the cast and create an aerodynamic profile. Some with the fixed weight in the belly have a tendency to helicopter through the air dramatically and reduce your casting distance, the area you can cover and the maximum depth the jerkbait can reach.

Small 2-3” curl-tail grubs and paddle-tails are absolute slayers at this time of year. These are a perfect imitation of a baitfish and allow you to cover lots of water looking for active fish. Rig them on a light jighead like a 1/12oz and fish them up and over weed beds or rig them on a 1/4oz and fish them down deeper along steeper edges. When retrieving these plastics, keep a tight line as you slowly wind in and impart some small twitches with your rod tip. It gives

the plastic a natural little surge as it swims along. This imitates a baitfish in the water as they move along darting forward, looking to escape predators. These plastics, like the grub and paddle-tail, are your all-rounder for this time of year. They are so versatile with how you can use them, whether you work them super slow along the bottom or up high in the water column. I always have a rod rigged up with one of these on the kayak.

One of the author’s favourite wintertime lures is the Daiwa Double Clutch.

Ideal shallow water conditions, like fog, help prolong the bite long into the morning.

Another great bait to use over the cooler months is a soft plastic stickbait. Long and slender in design, these imitate a wounded baitfish perfectly. They have a similar action compared to a jerkbait but these sink and allow you to reach greater depths. They are best unweighted with 1/8oz jigheads. You should always choose the lightest jighead possible to fish, given the conditions such as wind and water depth. The reason for using such light heads is so you won’t send the stickbait plummeting to the bottom.

The light head allows the plastic to slowly sink down; this gives the fish plenty of time to react. Throughout your retrieve you should attempt to follow the contour of the structure, whether it’s weed or just the bottom. Little twitches up with your rod tip will make the stickbait dart around. As you let it fall on a semi slack line it will tumble and turn on descent, imitating a dying baitfish. Most plastic bites over the winter months usually happen as the lure falls back towards the bottom. The bites could be a little tap or a

full-on engulf and streaming drag from your reel. For those tentative bites you need to stay in contact with your lure as it falls. Winding up the slack and closely watching your line for the tell-tale tick is important, so you don’t miss any fish. Most bass will hold onto a plastic if you let them eat it. They have a soft mouth and really do not need an aggressive strike to hook them on a jighead. Once you feel the bite, simply continue your slow roll or wind up the slack line feeling for extra weight. This will be the bass To page 28

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MAY 2018

WHAT’S NEW FISHING DAIWA TD SOL III BAITCASTER

With a combination of TWS, Air Rotation, Digigear, Magforce Z, SV Spool, CRBB and UTD, the new TD Sol SV TW is one of Daiwa’s highest performing reels. TWS delivers unparalleled casting performance and line control, a reduction in line noise and friction, and improved reel stability and balance. SV concept with its lightweight spool, and high precision design improves spool rotation. SV spool braking power automatically adjusts depending on lure weight, and the friction-free levelwind allows for the smooth release of line, drastically reducing backlashing problems. The ideal setting of the spool braking system is not too tight and not too loose. The Digigear design combines with the Air Rotation system to create a reel that is silky smooth and effortless on the crank, and flawless and refined under load. At the core is precision designed and machined gearing, which makes for buttery cranking and unrivalled smoothness. Daiwa’s Magforce Z magnetic cast control system offers anglers of any skill-level a cast control system to maximize casting ease, distance and performance. www.daiwafishing.com.au

GAMAKATSU EWG MONSTER

threadfin salmon and other species as well as flathead down south over flats. www.frogleysoffshore.com.au

SHIMANO NEXAVE

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MAY 2018

HOBIE BARNACLE + 5

The Hobie Barnacle + is a durable floating speaker with Bluetooth connectivity, a built-in microphone for taking hands-free calls, and the capacity to hold 1000 songs, so you don’t have to use your phone. It mounts to any smooth surface using an industrial suction cup base, and is perfect for the kayak, SUP or tinny. This new speaker is designed to go where other speakers can’t; it’s 100% waterproof, and can be submerged to a depth of 6ft for up to an hour. It also floats! No matter how it is dropped in the water, the Barnacle will always surface with the speaker facing up, keeping your tunes afloat and jamming. As well as being waterproof, the Barnacle is sand and dust proof. Its all-terrain design is sealed tight, and is engineered to withstand the most demanding elements. No matter how dirty your speaker gets, you can freely wash it off in water and you’re good to go. It also has built-in 4GB memory, produces surprisingly bold sound, and has a battery life of up to five hours. www.hobie.com

Japan produce some of the most lifelike lures in the world and the Bassday Sugar Deep 90 Barra Tune is no exception, except this time it’s been tuned for Aussie conditions. This realistic 90mm jerkbait is available in seven fish-attracting colours, covering everything from clear to dirty water, making them ideal for inland dams as well as rivers, streams and estuaries. The Bassday Sugar Deep 90 Barra Tune has heavy-duty construction and extra strong trebles. It has a life-like appearance and can be cast accurately, quickly diving to a depth of 2.5m. This versatile lure can be used with a slow, steady retrieve producing a sharp wobble or a fast erratic stop-start retrieve which will have the lure darting about, imitating a dying baitfish. It also works well in heavily fished waters or on days where the fish are timid, as its neutral buoyancy lets you pause it near structure and it will suspend right in the strike zone. The Barra Tune will be perfect for barra,

Shimano’s Nexave spin reels represent great value for money for an entry level series, perfect for newcomers and kids who need the right start in fishing. There are five models in this new FE series, from 1000 through to C5000, with the 3000 HGFE and the 5000 HGFE being of compact body design. The cold forged aluminium spool with AR-C lip promotes longer casting without wind knots, and smooth transmission through the stripper guide, which is important when using fine diameter braid. Varispeed II assists in this regard, as it ensures that line lay on the spool is neat and even. An XT-7 body keeps weight down, while three shielded stainless SS bearings and one roller bearing makes winding the single piece aluminium handle effortless, whether retrieving or hooked up. Gear ratios range from 5.0:1 to 6.2:1, and drag power is from 3kg on the 1000 size, up to 8.5kg in the 3000, 4000, and 5000. And despite all these features, the price will come as a pleasant surprise. www.shimanofish.com.au

Gamakatsu have added two new sizes to the EWG Monster worm hook range. The new sizes offer more versatility, and build on the popular 7/0 EWG Monster. A 5/0 and 6/0 now complete the range of the strongest worm hook on the market. The EWG Monster was designed for only the largest plastics, and features extra heavy-duty wire, an inline hook point and an impressive black nickel finish. Coupled with Gamakatsu’s chemical sharpening procedure, the EWG Monster has impressive hook setting power, which is crucial when throwing big baits for large fish. The EWG Worm hook allows anglers to rig their lures in the traditional way with the hook point well exposed, or weedless. This offers incredible versatility, and the hooks can be used effectively in areas of heavy weed or timber, which are commonly encountered when chasing iconic species such as barramundi. EWG Monster worm hooks are also perfect in shallower water for offshore species such as snapper and kingfish with a slow sink offered by the unweighted hook. www.gamakatsu.com.au

PRODUCT GUIDE

Mustad has released a range of bucktail jigs designed for fishing freshwater through to the deepest saltwater ledges. Built on the 32824NP-BN 2X strong hook, the Mustad Big Eye Bucktail Jig features two line tie positions to give the angler options. The nose tie lets you cast and retrieve the jig, mimicking a swimming action. The top tie lets you employ a more traditional jigging retrieve. But don’t think there are only two uses for these jigs – clever anglers are already fitting them out for trolling dead baits for mackerel and more. Featuring oversized 3D eyes, the Big Eye Bucktail Jig has hand-tied deer hair and crystal flash to give the jigs a lifelike appearance in the water. There is also a keeper wire located near the lead head so you can add bait or a soft plastic trailer. An epoxy finish gives the head maximum durability. There are eight colours in the range, and sizes range from a 3/4oz jig with a 5/0 hook, all the way through to 8oz with a 9/0 hook. www.wilsonfishing.com

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING SHIMANO STELLA FJ

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It’s been 26 years since the first Stellas hit the market, and the innovation continues with the new FJ series. One of the latest features is MicroModule II. Unique gear teeth surface design makes the FJs even smoother and quieter, and with Improved Hagane Gear they’re now twice as strong and durable as before. The Long Stroke AR-C spool increases casting distance, and the line clip has been improved so light leaders aren’t damaged during storage. There’s also a Tangle-Proof Rotor design. SilentDrive reduces handle play and eliminates the clicking noise and feeling from the worm shaft when winding. EI Surface Treatment protects the exterior, while the X Protect labyrinth system keeps water and dirt at bay in key areas. All these advancements are housed in a Hagane Body with 12 SA-RB bearings and one roller bearing, with X-Ship bearing supported pinion gear, plus a G-Free Body where the centre of gravity is closer to the rod. There are five models, with drag power from 3-11kg, and gear ratios from 5.1 to 6.4:1. www.shimanofish.com.au

BLACK MAGIC BMAX 8 COLOURS Black Magic has updated their range of bibbed BMax lures by adding five new colours. For those who haven’t tried one, the BMax 60 is designed as a subsurface lure ideal for numerous freshwater and estuarine species across Australia. This lure measures 60mm long, is an ideal weight for casting, and is perfect for both spinning and trolling. The short bib lets the lure dive down to 1.2-1.8m, and ensures a very enticing swimming action. The BMax 60 is rigged with two strong, sharp treble hooks – one on the belly and one on the tail. It’s available in a range of 10 colours designed to suit a range of species and conditions. These lures are well priced and are available now from Black Magic stockists. www.blackmagictackle.com

OKUMA HELIOS SX SPIN 12

The new Okuma Helios SX is all about high end performance and cutting edge features at an affordable price, and it’s now available to Aussie anglers in a 20, 30 and 40 size. Okuma’s new C-40X long strand carbon fibre technology is substantially stronger than standard graphite material, and is also 25% lighter and 100% anti-corrosive. Combine this with Okuma’s TCA: Torsion Control Armor, a double-arm design in the reel stem that reduces twist and torque, while keeping internal parts perfectly aligned, and you have a lightweight, rigid reel that sees power transferred effectively. Other features include 8HPB + 1RB corrosion-resistant SS bearings for silky smooth performance, ALG: Precision Alumilite alloy main gear and oscillating gears, heavy-duty, solid aluminium bail wire, RESII: Computer Balanced Rotor Equalizing System, CBD: Centrifugal Disc Bail for smoother and easier bail operation, and Progressive Drag, a 1-K woven carbon fibre drag knob that reduces weight and creates a more progressive drag setting. Price: SRP $189.90-$219.90 www.okuma.com.au

WILSON NEOPRENE 10 WADERS Winter isn’t far off, and Wilson Fishing has released new neoprene chest and hip waders for the colder months. Featuring a 4mm neoprene construction that is welded and glued to a sturdy boot, these waders will go the distance. The Hip Waders feature adjustable Velcro straps that hold these waders in place with the aid of a belt. Internally, all seams are covered for comfort, and the boot is lined to provide the ultimate in comfort for your feet. The Chest Waders feature an oversized chest pocket for storage of tackle and the same internal construction for maximum comfort. The Chest Waders are also attached via Velcro straps that allow ultimate adjustability. The Wilson Neoprene Wader range is available in boot sizes from 8 through to 15, and you can find more information on the Wilson Fishing website. You can also see the latest news and tips on Facebook (www. facebook.com/LWilsonAndCo), and great catch photos on Instagram (@wilson_fishing). www.wilsonfishing.com.au

BERKLEY GULP 6” SWIMMING MULLET 11 The Berkley Gulp 6” is the big daddy Swimming Mullet. The Berkley Gulp Swimming Mullet’s ‘fat’ profile and flickering curl-tail is a deadly fish magnet, and is now available in 6” size for those big occasions. The swimming action of the large curltail, combined with an enticing ‘body roll’ at a slow retrieve, makes the 6” Swimming Mullet a slow roll specialist. Add in fish attracting Gulp Scent, with its powerful scent release properties, for a perfect cod and barra hook up. Gulp releases 400 times more scent than plastic baits, expanding the strike zone so you catch more fish. Made from 100% natural ingredients, Gulp is environmentally and fish friendly. The 6” Swimming Mullet comes in chartreuse, glow and pearl white. Price: SRP $13.99 Berkley-fishing.com.au

NEW FROM STRIKE PRO

Strike Pro has released two new colours (A68 and A93-CP) in the popular Bob N Spoon range. The Bob N Spoon is a new take on an old classic spoon; it is plastic with chambers that allow for features like inbuilt rattles to be included, and have transparent finishes. The Bob N Spoon has an erratic swaying action and it can be reversed to change its action. It is 5.5cm long, weighs 7.3g and comes with quality trebles. It’s proven to be very effective on trout, bass and redfin. Strike Pro has also released eight new fish-catching colours in its 1/4oz and 3/4oz Spinnerbaits. Many hours of testing have gone into producing these colours for the Australian market. These spinnerbaits feature the highest quality USA skirts that are rounded silicone silk cut to produce the ultimate pulsating action. They also feature holographic colour matched blades, quality ball bearing swivels and R-bend arms. Strike Pro Spinnerbaits are super effective on Murray cod, yellowbelly, bass and redfin. www.jurofishing.com

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

WHAT’S NEW FISHING RHINO-RACK BATWING AWNING

TSUNAMI SOFT 13 VIBE SHADS

Rhino-Rack’s new Batwing Awning provides 270° of refuge, and comes with top quality brackets that have a high and low fitting position. Its integrated legs simply unclip from the storage position and drop into place, making it a oneperson job. The rare earth magnets, which click to hold the arms in place, allow for quick and easy storage, and there are thicker Velcro straps to keep the awning secure when packed in place. The lightweight, durable powder-coated aluminium poles have an easy grip handle to loosen and extend, up to 2.3m. If it’s windy, the moulded fittings on the end of each pole can accommodate two pegs through the base of the leg. And for extreme conditions, included with the Batwing are eight guy ropes with inbuilt hooks and 10 pegs that are easily stored in the new pocket. Made from heavy-duty rip-stop fabric, the awning is water and mould resistant, and rated to UPF 50+. It comes in a UV resistant PVC bag, and it’s compatible with existing additions like sidewalls, extensions, and tents. Price: SRP: $849 www.rhinorack.com.au

REDINGTON MINNOW COMBO

The 580 Minnow from Redington was designed and tuned to meet the needs of younger anglers. This 5wt rod is 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. Features of this four-piece rod include: easy casting medium action; supplied cotton rod sock, and alignment dots for easy rod setup. The combo includes a Minnow rod and Crosswater 4/5/6 reel pre-spooled with RIO Mainstream WF fly line, and a Cordura rod tube. This great looking rod is also backed by a 1-year warranty. For more information on the 580 Minnow, or any of the other rods and reels in the Redington range, visit the JM Gillies website. www.jmgillies.com.au

PLANO WEEKEND SERIES

For 2018, Plano’s successful Weekend Series includes three distinct, reimagined models that work as hard as you do. These models are called the Weekend Series Tackle Cases, Weekend Series Softsider Tackle Bags and Weekend Series Speed Bags. Each one is available in Plano’s popular 3600 and 3700 sizes to build – or integrate seamlessly into – any tackle management system. And they look better than ever in brand new, classy and clean tan or grey colour schemes. In addition to standout new aesthetics, these bags feature upgraded, no-fail zipper pulls and tactical-inspired MOLLE exterior webbing for easy attachment of fishing tools or accessories. Best of all, these handsome and durable standout performers are available at very reasonable prices that any working angler can afford. For more information on this and other Plano tackle storage solutions, visit the JM Gillies website. You can also get all the latest news and catch photos on the JM Gillies Facebook page at www.facebook. com/jm.gillies. www.jmgillies.com.au 58

MAY 2018

PRODUCT GUIDE

Tsunami Soft Vibe Shads are moulded from supple, yet tough plastic that maximises action and enhances durability. The wirethrough design and sharp Mustad hooks add further strength to the lure, tipping the odds of landing big fish in the angler’s favour. The precisely balanced internal weights produce an enticing shimmy action that drives predatory fish into a frenzy. The translucent bodies, foil flash, natural colour tones and 3D eyes will even fool timid fish. Soft Vibe Shads are available in two sizes (60mm, 14g and 90mm, 20g) and five colour combinations (chartreuse/pearl/orange, sand eel, clear/gold/pearl, red head and golden bunker). The 60mm shad is ideal for freshwater native fish such as Australian bass, golden perch and sooty grunter, while the 90mm model will entice bites from barramundi, mangrove jack, mulloway, threadfin salmon and more. You can skip these lures along the bottom, drop them down weed edges, or roll them across the shallows to get the predators’ attention. www.jarviswalker.com.au

DAIWA TD HYPER

Rocketing onto the scene is Daiwa’s latest weapon – TD Hyper. Combining Daiwa cutting-edge blank design with striking looks and excellent value, the TD Hyper series is built to perform and destined to turn heads. The foundation of the TD Hyper series is Daiwa’s HVF Nanoplus graphite technology, with HVF combining precise resin control with unidirectional graphite fibre to produce a blank that is outstandingly light, crisp and responsive, while X45 blank technology further enhances rod performance eliminating blank twist and distortion to further increase rod strength, function, and sensitivity. TD Hyper’s hardware is equally top shelf, with Fuji Alconite O Ring guides, Daiwa’s famous RR (reduced resistance) guide design system and Surround Hold reel seats, and custom alloy componentry enhancing rod performance and style. Additionally, its matt green colour offers a unique look and swagger rarely seen down under. If you’re looking for performance, style and value for money, check out the TD Hyper at your favourite tackle store. Price: SRP $129 www.daiwafishing.com.au

GALAXIA MINNOW NEW COLOURS

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The Strike Pro Galaxia Minnow was the first Strike Pro lure released in Australia, and over many years it has been extremely effective in both fresh and estuarine waters. The Galaxia Minnow has now been released in six hot new colours that are certainly going to be very effective on many species. This deep diving baitfish profile lure is 6cm long, weighs 7g and dives to approximately 9ft on the cast and retrieve and dives to 16ft on the troll. The latter technique in particular has been deadly on estuaries and has accounted for many species. It features a tight shimmy action and has a superb sonic rattle. The Galaxia Minnow is very effective on bream, bass, estuary perch, flathead, snapper, mangrove jack, trout and redfin, and these new colour are bound to rack up even more fish. www.jurofishing.com

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PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING

Phenix Rods – I saw, I purchased, a big thumbs up Phenix Rods are a US-based rod manufacturer which has had a couple of incarnations here in Australia. My interest in them was sparked by a conversation with Julian Frank, who is the new Australian importer of the brand through his Southbound Custom Tackle business. After a phone call with Julian, I had a good look through the US website for the rods, and I was immediately intrigued. One of the main headings on the page was ‘Trout’, with a dropdown box of a number of trout-specific rods. The Elixir series drew my attention – high modulus graphite rods based on traditional fast taper fly rods. I prefer fast taper rods for the majority of my fishing, but with my trout fishing in recent times I have had no choice but to use slower taper rods. This is mainly due to the lack of stretch in braided line, and a trout’s inclination to jump and spit lures. To avoid this you need to have a rod that absorbs the shock of these acrobatics, and to keep your leader intact. This focus on fast taper rods also had me looking at other options for the fishing I do here in Queensland. A big part of that is targeting flathead in the salt, and bass in our impoundments. The freshwater M1

The author’s first fish on the Elixir Trout rod was this quality brown trout caught in Lake Eildon.

Another feisty trout from the Eildon area. The Elixir FX701 has become the author’s favorite trout rod. series tickled my fancy, with its carbon fibre nanotube technology based blanks. Nano technology has become a big part of rod ranges for many manufacturers in the last five years, mainly due to the additional strength it offers under load (to avoid rod breakage) and power when fighting a fish. However, I would not put any of the nano rods I have seen in the fast taper category; they’re medium fast at best. I was so interested in the Phenixes that I got my credit card out and ordered two rods, the Elixir FX701 and the M1 MX72ML. I have now had eight months to thoroughly test them, and share my findings. ELIXIR SERIES RODS I don’t get to trout fish as often as I would like, and when I do get to go I want a rod specific for the task, rather than compromising with other rods.

Unpacking my Elixir FX701 was exciting, and I was amazed at how incredibly light it was. It is definitely a fast taper, but I wondered whether it would cast my favourite trout lures. Interestingly enough, my first chance to test this wasn’t with my own purchase. A trip to Lake Eildon working for the magazines provided the opportunity to trout fish, but I hadn’t brought my new rod with me. Fortunately, Gary Constantine from Eildon Bait and Tackle stocks the rods, and he kindly lent me his own Elixir that just happened to be the FX701. I needn’t have worried whether it would cast my favourite lures; it cast them easily and a very long way. I knew the ultimate test though would be how it would deal with the area’s feisty trout. Luckily for me it didn’t take very long to find out. Several decent browns came on the first morning from the lake, and a few rainbows followed from the Goulburn

TESTED River. The rod did exactly what I had hoped it would. There was plenty of power to fight larger fish, with the finesse and shock absorption to not pull hooks when using braid. It’s the perfect trout rod for me. M1 SERIES RODS The MX72ML was always going to be the rod of the two that got the most use. I went for the 7’2” version because I wanted to be able to cast lighter weights further, but still have the ability to comfortably throw the 3/8oz and 1/2oz jigheads I regularly use. As soon as I had unpacked the rod, I matched it with a 2000 size reel and 6lb braid, and was on the water the next day. Like the Elixir series rods, the M1s feel as light as a feather. My M1 MX72ML has some serious kahunas for a medium light rated rod, with plenty of hook setting power and plenty of grunt to stop larger fish on what is a light rod. The flathead may not have played the game that first trip, but some decent snapper did and I was a very happy camper with my new purchase. Eight months down the track and I still enjoy using the M1. It has done battle with a couple of nice mulloway in that time, as well as quite a few flathead. The mulloway certainly tested it, and the M1 won. Is it the perfect rod for what I wanted, like the Elixir? Probably not. In hindsight I think I should have purchased the 7’

Although purchased to target flathead, the M1 MX72ML has proven it is a quality rod on plenty of other species like this snapper.

This solid mulloway was no match for the Phenix MX72ML. Although only a light rod,it has plenty of power to deal with quality fish.

version of the rod, because 3/8oz and 1/2oz jigheads test the limits of what can be cast comfortably. Not so much with your standard casts, but when you want that bit of extra distance, the extra length and taper feels like the rod is being overextended. Vigorous hopping these same heads and larger plastics also works the rod tip a bit too much. Would it break? Absolutely not, but the slightly shorter version is most probably the way to go for my needs. CONCLUSION If you are a fan of fast taper, well presented and made fishing rods with quality components, then Phenix rods are well worth looking at. I am glad I have dabbled, and given the opportunity I will look at other options in the future. To find out more about stockists in Australia, check them out on Facebook on either the Southbound Custom Tackle or Phenix Rods Australia pages. - Peter Jung

MAY 2018

Marchant marches to victory

STORM

Simon Marchant punched his ticket for the 2018 Rapala BASS Pro Grand Final and added his name to the growing list of BASS Pro event winners with the NSW tournament basser claiming victory in the opening qualifier event of the season, the Hobie Polarized BASS Pro (10-11 March). For the first of the two river rounds (out of six qualifying rounds) of the 2018 Rapala BASS Pro Series, Marchant like many anglers in the field chose to target estuary perch for the weekend rather than Australian bass. Fishing upriver from the tournament start line at Wisemans Ferry, Marchant fished the Dargle area focusing on bends in the river and pressure points where the current would create undercut banks or eroded shoreline that fish would hold and feed on. “We could see the fish sitting in deeper water and we were confident that the fish would move up onto the nearby drop-off, flat, weed line or structure to feed,” explained Marchant. Marchant’s number one spot featured weed tight to the

Simon Marchant with the rewards of his Hawkesbury BASS Pro victory. fish were located, and with only one fish in the well and time running out to get back for the weigh-in, we decided to stay and try to nut out what the fish were doing and where they were holding. Jason Martin and I chatted and we formulated an idea and plan on where they were and how to catch them. We tried the flat in 15” of water plan and it

Returning to the bend in the river and the location that delivered him three quality fish on day one, Marchant and his day two non-boater Rebbeca Fazio arrived there expecting a quiet reception from the fish. “The current was slow when we arrived and I expected the fish not to be active, but that was far from how it played out. Rebecca caught the first fish, and then three more came in quick succession and we had our limit,” explained Marchant. One more location beckoned for Marchant – the spot that delivered him his biggest fish on day one. On arriving there they found another boat fishing the location. Content with what they had in the well the pair headed back to the weigh-in. Hoping to simply cash a

cheque amongst a talented field, Marchant was ecstatic when his 4/4, 3.35kg limit was enough to elevate him onto the winners podium and secure the victory and 11th place finish for Rebecca. Post-victory Marchant was both humble and elated with his win. “It wasn’t that long ago that I was fishing my first event as a non-boater. To now be fishing as a boater and to win in a talented field like this one is the stuff of dreams,” explained Marchant. For his victory Marchant cashed the $2100 winner’s cheque, grabbed the lead in the BassCat BASS Pro Angler of the Year points race and pencilled his name on the start list for the Rapala BASS Pro Grand Final at Lake Somerset in September.

GARMIN BIG BASS Mark Lennox secured the Garmin Big Bass Prize with the former AOY and Grand Final champion capturing a 1.6kg EP at Singleton’s Hill on a muscadine coloured Slider Grub rigged on a 1/6oz Nitro Dam Deep jighead.

Simon Marchant with one his Hawkesbury-winning EPs.

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888. 76

MAY 2018

bank that then dropped off into 15ft of water onto a small flat, then dropped off again into the main channel of the river. The fish would move up onto and hold on this small flat ambushing food that the eddy and current brought to them. His go-to lure was an ayu coloured 2” Keitech Easy Shiner rigged on a custommade 1/8oz jighead. The presentation of the Keitech involved casting tight to the weed line then letting it sink back down to the flat and the waiting fish with a series a shakes. The EPs would intercept the plastic as it fluttered down; a subtle tick of the line was the tell-tale sign that a fish had taken the lure. While catching fish wasn’t overly difficult, locating and landing legal size fish proved more challenging, particularly during the first session. “In session one we hadn’t pinpointed where the bigger

paid off, so we kept catching fish for the rest of the session,” explained Marchant. Weighing in no fish for session one, Marchant made amends in session two weighing in 4/4, 3.03kg to be sitting in 4th place heading into day two and the 3rd and final session of the tournament.

WINNING TACKLE Rod: 7ft 6-10lb Kistler Magnesium 2 Reel: Daiwa Luvias Line: 8lb Sunline FC Sniper Leader: 8lb Sunline PE8 Lure: 2” Keitech Easy Shiner (ayu) rigged on a 1/8oz Jigpro jighead

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

Fish

Weight (kg) Payout

Simon Marchant 8/12 6.38 $2100 Ross Cannizzaro 8/12 6.37 $1300 + 1st Evinrude Bonus ($250) Alan McNamara 10/12 6.32 $900 Joey Urquhart 6/12 5.21 $500 + Duffrods Big Bag Steve Morgan 5/12 5.13 Wally Fahey 5/12 5.09 Brian Everingham 6/12 4.10 Tom Slater 5/12 3.49 Christian Wardini 6/12 3.44 Mark King 4/12 3.41 For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

Cannizzarro comes 2nd Last year’s Hawkesbury River BASS Pro winner and 2017 Bass Cat BASS Pro Angler of the Year champion Ross Cannizzaro put together another solid performance on the Hawkesbury River with the Abu Garcia tournament pro finishing 2nd in the Hobie Polarized presented event. Fishing the back eddies with his loved Berkley T-Tails, Cannizzaro targeted both bass and EPs for the tournament running spots on the river where he’d caught fish over many years of fishing the river. “It’s a hard time of the year to fish the Hawkesbury River due to the amount of boat traffic from the ski and wake boats that tend to congregate on the best

fishing stretches of the river. When it gets like this I find you need to be methodical with your fishing and focus on peppering the back eddies. This style of fishing is not my strong point – I prefer to target moving or active fish, however over time I have learnt to compete to the conditions,” explained Cannizzaro. Fishing his Berkley T-Tails rigged on a 1/8oz Nitro Dam Deep jighead Cannizzaro’s presentation involved casting the plastic into the eddy then twitching it like a prawn. “The EP’s suck the plastic in like a barramundi does so you have to be quick to respond when you feel that tick of an EP, and for that a sensitive rod is essential,” explained Cannizzaro.

DUFFRODS BIG BAG Bass gun Joey Urquhart secured the Duffrods Big Bag at the Hawkesbury with the Valley Hill Bass Pro securing the prize on day two for his 4/4, 3.79kg limit. Urquhart secured the quality bag within sight of the event start line in a hot ten-minute bite window when he caught a string of fish in a back eddy feeding on prawns.

The rod that fits the bill for Ross is an ABU Garcia Salty Stage Light rod, yet he still finds it powerful enough to pull larger fish out from structure. When targeting bass Cannizzaro tricked out his T-Tails rigging them on a beetle spin and fishing them on the coffee rock on the edges. The two-lure approach paid off for Cannizzaro with the multi-event winner weighing in fish each session. However, the majority he caught were undersize. “It wasn’t easy fishing and all I could do was keep casting and put more lures in the places where I thought the fish would be holding. It was then just a matter of hoping that the fish that bit would be big enough to make it into the livewell. I got the bites I needed each session to win – enough of them just weren’t big bites unfortunately,” concluded Cannizzaro. Cannizzaro’s second place cemented him a berth in September’s Rapala BASS Pro Grand Final and also started his AOY title defence in grand style.

BASS PR O

Ross Cannizzaro (right) secured another podium finish at the Hawkesbury and claimed 2nd to go with his win from last year.

Martin’s nonboater win Jason Martin added his second non-boater winner’s trophy to his trophy cabinet in as many years with the Taree basser adding the Hawkesbury River round win to his victory from the 2017 Cania BASS Pro last July. An angler with considerable experience

where we where and work out where they were and what they wanted to eat,” explained Martin. Early in the second session the pair cracked the pattern finding fish holding on a submerged flat out from the weed edge. With two fish in the well and the clock

2” Keitech Easy Shiner

Champion non-boater Jason Martin was ecstatic with his win.

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

Fish

Weight (kg) Payout

Jason Martin 8/12 6.44 Prize Pack Paul Piper 6/12 5.84 Prize Pack Nicholas Fouche 5/12 4.94 Prize Pack Brett Hyde 6/12 4.66 Prize Pack Lochie Rutherford 5/12 4.55 Prize Pack Orton Marchant 4/12 4.40 Prize Pack Tony Khouri 7/12 4.25 Prize Pack Kevin Yang 6/12 4.04 Prize Pack Thomas Konen 4/12 3.84 Prize Pack Simon Johnson 5/12 3.77 Prize Pack For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

chasing riverine bass, Martin targeted estuary perch on day one fishing with Simon Marchant. “We started out fishing upriver of the Colo River fishing a rock bar that was in about 10-15ft of water. I caught the EPs hopping 2” Keitech Easy Shiners down the rock bar, and while I caught plenty of undersize fish after about an hour we called it quits and changed location,” explained Martin. A move to Skeleton Rock followed and with nothing to show for an hour there they moved again, this time heading upriver of the Colo Ferry. With only undersize fish and hard work to show for his efforts Martin’s fortune didn’t change until the second session. “We didn’t weigh-in in the first session, with little fish to deliver to the scales we decided to stay

showing 12.30pm, Martin and Marchant moved again, this time heading upriver of Dargle and fishing a similar staging flat to the spot they’d just left. “We used the same technique and at 1.15pm I

picked up a solid 40cm fish. We then fished it until 2pm then headed back downstream to fish the spot where we picked up our first legal,” explained Martin. It was here that the pair picked up the final fish for the bag – a bag that would go 3.03kg on the scales and had Martin sitting in 4th place at the end of day one. Fishing with Mark King on day two the pair headed upriver looking for active fish feeding on weed edges. The approach paid off with the pair catching multiple fish and filling out their limit by 10.30am. Content with the limit they had the pair fished hard until the end of the session then headed back to the weigh-in. Presenting a 4/4, 3.41kg limit to the weighmaster Martin secured a comfortable winning in the end, claiming victory with a 600g margin over 2nd place non-boater Paul Piper. The tackle Martin used to claim victory included a Daiwa TD Sol 702LXS rod, 2500 Daiwa Exceler LT reel, 8lb Daiwa J-Braid mainline, 10lb Sunline FC Sniper leader and an electric shad coloured 2” Keitech Easy Shiner rigged on 1/8oz Nitro Dam Deep jigheads.

Mark Lennox claimed the Garmin Big Bass Prize for his 1.6kg kicker fish. MAY 2018

Crompton goes wire-to-wire

STORM

The Franklins Australia BREAM Australian Open (5-7 March) delivered in spades with a big field, big weather and big limits, combining to make it an action-packed event with Daiwa and Hobie Fishing sponsored tournament pro Mark Crompton claiming victory in the prestigious event. Australia’s only boateronly bream event, 29 teams hit the start line on the opening day of competition at Drummoyne Sailing Club, with Sydney Harbour and the Hawkesbury River set to challenge their bodies, boats and mental toughness over three gruelling days of competition. For event winner Mark Crompton it was a wire-towire victory with the Southern Highlands breamer grabbing the lead on day one courtesy of a 4kg limit then not letting go as he powered to a comprehensive open win. Fishing with a renewed focus

day of competition, Crompton was the only angler to drop a 4kg limit on the scales. His effort provided him with the reward of leading the field out on day two. Hitting the launch site at Bayview Park at Pittwater on day two Crompton was greeted by near gale force winds – weather that made him reconsider his day two Hawkesbury River tactics. “I had planned on running a long way upriver and throwing Cranka Crabs into the nasty rock sections of the Hawkesbury, but when I saw the wind and the conditions when we got Bayview I thought let’s scrap that and go hit the flats instead.” And that’s exactly what Crompton did heading to the famous ‘car park flats’ at Palm Beach. With his Cranka Crabs replaced for Juro Firebaits Crompton would make long wind assisted casts across the flats then work the lure back to the boat with a

A calm and collected Crompton heads off on the final day of competition.

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

MAY 2018

and mindset, Crompton went into the event with two goals: chasing numbers of fish rather than more purposely seeking out big fish, and fishing the event expressly to win. “In the past I’ve fished with the goal of catching big fish; this time I tried something different and simply went about catching plenty of fish with the hope that the bigger fish would simply come along as I put fish in the boat,” Crompton said. Fishing Sydney Harbour on day one Crompton adopted a hard bait approach crankbaiting boat hulls, shallow flats and heavy structure. The key to the success was current flow, as Crompton explained. “The fish were very much keyed in on water movement, with the best fish holding where there was tidal flow. If you have flow you often have food and the bream knew that.” Crompton’s cranks of choice were two main choices a Cranka Shad and Zipbaits Khamsin, with a slow rolling retrieve his go-to for enticing the harbour bream to bite. Crompton’s approach was spot on with the Australian Open champion filling out his limit by 8am and catching 20 fish for the session. Weighing in a 4.02kg limit for the opening

slow roll interspersed with sharp twitches. “The fish were really on the chew and they would nail the Juro off the top as it was skipping through the choppy surface. I had only planned to fish here for half an hour, but then I caught a 38 and 36, so that was it. I stayed a fair bit longer and when I felt like I’d caught all I could from here I headed upriver and fished Cranka Crabs,” explained Crompton. The rapid-fire early action saw Crompton catch his limit by 8.30am and land 10 legal fish for the session. Weighing in another 4kg bag for the tournament Crompton not only retained but also extended his lead heading into the third and final day of competition. Crompton’s win was anything

The Franklins Australia BREAM Australian Open winner Mark Crompton with a brace of Open-winning bream. but a fait accompli with the Daiwa tournament pro fully aware of what can transpire in this event, on this waterway and in a field of anglers of this calibre. “The Open is the hardest tournament there is and you need to catch a quality bag each day. You need to be on your A game every day to win. If you’re not, these guys are going to smash you and when you’ve got Ross Canizzarro hot on your tail heading into the final day you know full well that you can’t rest easy and that you’re going to have to catch them, and catch the big ones, to win,” explained Crompton. Back on Sydney Harbour for day three Crompton fished similar locations to day one; the lure the fish wanted however was different. “I thought the fish were primed for a Cranka Crab assault but they didn’t quite want them today. Instead it was the motor

oil colour 2 1/2” ZMan GrubZ that did the damage,” explained Crompton. The standout retrieve to trigger the best response from the bream was a quick roll punctuated with a series of double jerks. The lure and technique saw Crompton catch his limit by 9am and land 30 fish for the session. Crompton was conscious of what his competitors could deliver to the scales to derail his fairy tale win and then he lost a key fish. Crompton explained, “I dropped a really big fish today; it came out, looked at me and started shaking its head, spat the hook at me, then swam off. It was a good 40 fork fish and I thought right there, that’s it – there goes the Aus Open.” Crompton’s suspicions proved unfounded and his 3.58kg final day limit was enough to deliver him a comfortable wire-to-wire Frankins Australian BREAM Australian Open win.

WINNING TACKLE Rod: Daiwa Zero 701LXS and Daiwa Zero 701ULXS Reel: Daiwa Exceler LT 2500 Line: 6lb Daiwa Evo 8, 3.5lb Sunline FC Game (crankbaiting) Leader: 4lb FC Rock Lure: Cranka Shad in blue gill, olive and cockle Cranka Crabs 65mm (Hawksbury) and 55mm, custom colour (Sydney Harbour), OSP Bent Minnow 76 (pink belly and orange back), Juro Firebait Longtail Minnow (colour 05), ZMan GrubZ (motor oil, bloodworm and gudgen colours), TT 1/16 and 1/20oz jigheads, Berkley Nitro 1/32oz jigheads.

RESULTS Place Angler 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Fish

Weight (kg)

Payout

Mark Crompton 15/15 11.76 $5000 Ross Cannizzaro 15/15 10.71 $3000 Kris Hickson 15/15 10.37 $2500 Peter Cook 15/15 10.15 $2000 Denis Metzdorf 15/15 9.98 $2000 Liam Carruthers 15/15 9.94 Steve Morgan 15/15 9.65 Daniel Bonaccorso 15/15 9.62 Michael Colotouros 15/15 9.55 Christian Wardini 15/15 9.46 For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

Cannizzaro comes close again One of the anglers to watch in any event on Sydney Harbour or the Hawkesbury River, Ross Cannizzaro once again brought the big bags to the scales in the Open to claim another podium finish. Cannizzaro fished west of the Harbour Bridge hitting hardcore unforgiving structure like old wharves and poles in the main channel. “I looked for water 10-15ft deep and when fishing water this deep with

current flow it’s very difficult to let your lure sink to the bottom, so in the morning when the tide was strong I targeted the suspended fish in these locations,” explained Cannizzaro. Later in the day as the sunlight increased and the shade took over the hard to reach crevices and holes, Cannizzaro fished lighter, downsizing to a 1/32oz jighead for his camo Gulp Crabbies and presented them tight to the poles and jetties.

“The fish are used to the waterway traffic and commotion on the harbour, so they’ll sit high and tight to the structure waiting for a feed,” explained Cannizzaro. Cannizzaro would spot hop for the first hour to fill his limit before slowing down and fishing deep and tight to the nastiest country he could find, hoping to find the bigger fish he needed to anchor a quality bag. “I’d fish a lighter outfit to begin with each day – a

Ross heads into battle on the opening day of competition.

Cranka Shad

Cranka Crab

Juro Firebait

6’8” ABU Garcia Stage 1 rod and Revo reel spooled with 4.4lb Fireline – before upgrading to a heavier outfit – a 7’3” ABU Garcia Veritas 3.0 rod and Revo MGX reel spooled with Fireline Ultra 8,” explained Cannizzaro. Cannizzaro’s approach paid dividends allowing him to weigh in a 5/5, 3.63kg limit on the harbour on day one and a 5/5, 3.22kg bag on day three on the harbour. Fishing the Hawkesbury River on day two, Cannizzaro followed a similar approach as he did in the harbour. He fished nasty country for the biggest fish he could find, and this time he opted for a crankbait to catch his fish. “I fished upriver between Spencer and Bar Point and targeted natural rocks walls with Berkley 3B cranks. The tide was important though and you needed flow for this approach to work to its best, so early in the session when the tide was low and the flow wasn’t there I fished docks and boats in Berowra to fill my limit,” explained Cannizzaro. Ross’ plan paid off with him catching his limit by 8.30am. With the tide starting to flow at 10am Cannizzaro hit the rockwalls with his crankbaits, with the

Ross Cannizzaro once again shone in the open, finishing second yet again. bite improving as the tide rose and the fish moved into the flooded rock country. “I didn’t get the big bites that I was hoping for but I caught plenty of 32cm fork fish,” explained Ross. Just as he did on the harbour Cannizzaro used a two outfit approach to catch his fish – a light and heavier outfit. His crankbait outfit comprised of an ABU Garcia Villain rod and ABU Garcia Revo MGX 3000 spooled with 6lb Berkley Ultra 8 mainline and 10lb Toray

fluorocarbon leader. Post-victory Cannizzaro was content with his result, but hopes to go one better in 2019. “To win an event, especially a marathon event like the Open you need everything to go right and very little to go wrong. Hopefully next year is the year for me when that finally happens and I can hold the Franklins BREAM Australian Open trophy aloft,” concluded Cannizzaro. – ABT

The 29 boats waiting patiently on Sydney Harbour for the Franklins Australia BREAM Australian Open to kick off.

Crompton delivered 4kg limits for two of the three days of competition to claim a wire-to-wire victory.

Quality fish were brought to the bump tubs and scales in the Open. MAY 2018

Shane Ling shines at St Helens Shane Ling has tapped into his years of experience on the always-challenging waterways of St Helens to take out his maiden ABT victory with 10/10 fish for 10.6kg. With challenging wind conditions greeting the anglers over the course of the tournament Ling knew it would take a well-planned approach for the tournament to take the win. “The fish at St Helens can be hard to tempt and very susceptible to pressure, but when you find them the fishing can be some of the best,” explained Ling. Starting at the back of the field on day one Ling knew that many of his first choice locations would already have anglers on them and he would need to rely on his knowledge bank to find some clean water.

Shane Ling dominated at St Helens to claim victory in the Mercury-presented event. session and found a good number of fish holding in Moulting Bay. Ling finished day one with 5.35kg, a small

“I was sight casting to the fish but I still needed to impart an erratic short twitch followed by a 5-10 second

STORM

Shane Ling was all cashed up with his St Helens victory.

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MAY 2018

“During the Tas Classic series I found a few good low-tide spots where I thought there wouldn’t be any anglers targeting, so I headed there to start the tournament,” said Ling. His key starting location was an area known as ‘Horseshoe Flats.’ Within the expansive area Ling targeted the larger fish holding on the drop-off from the main flat. “The key was to find the deeper holes on the edge of the flat and work the lure slowly across the area, giving the fish plenty of time to look at the lure. I would twitch the lure moving it the least distance possible and follow with a five-second pause. My aim was to keep the lure in the strike zone and move it sideways,” said Ling. With his limit filled on the flats, Ling switched into pre-fish mode for day two, spot hopping around the area looking for a productive areas that wouldn’t be affected by the wind change that was due to come in overnight. During his searching Ling continued to upgrade throughout the

lead and confidence heading into day two. Haunted by the memory of failing in previous ABT events on day two Ling stayed with his plan and targeted the flats in Moulting Bay. With the fish holding shallower Ling adjusted his plan slightly and downsized to the shallower running Zip Bait Riggie 56, again in his favoured 650 colour (chrome with orange bottom).

pause to tempt the fish to bite,” Ling said. It didn’t take Ling long and he had filled his limit and the nerves began to settle. “Once I filled my limit the schools of fish became skittish and I decided to move around a few spots and see if I could get a couple of upgrades,” Ling said, “I moved through a range of flats and oyster racks, but really just spot hopped for the rest of the day.” With 5.25kg hitting the scale Shane Ling showed supreme consistency over the two days and won the event by over 1kg. “It feels great to get the first win and even better to see Tassie anglers take out the top three spots in the event. I also need to thank Mad Keen, Mark Wilson at Zip Baits and Benny from BK Custom Rods for all their support.”

DUFFRODS BIG BAG Shane Ling took the Duffrods big bag thanks to his day one bag of 5.35kg, which he caught on the dropoffs in Horseshoe Bay with a Zipbait Rigge 70F.

WINNING TACKLE Rod: BK Custom S Ling custom Reel: Shimano Nasci 1000 Line: 10lb Sunline Siglon PE8 Leader: 6lb Sunline Shooter FC Lure: Zip Baits Rigge 56f and 70f

TOP 10 BOATERS Place Angler

Fish

Weight (kg) Payout

Shane Ling

10/10 10.60

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Adam Crick 10/10 9.18 Josh Williams 10/10 8.63 Steve Morgan 10/10 8.59 Mario Vukic 10/10 8.57 Warren Carter 10/10 7.96 Charlie Saykao 10/10 7.83 Leigh McKenzie 10/10 7.83 Michael Alexander 10/10 7.81 Liam Carruthers 10/10 7.63 For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

$2,600, 1st Mercury Bonus ($250), Duffrods Big Bag $1900, 2nd Mercury Bonus ($150) $1250 $950, 3rd Mercury Bonus ($100) $630, Daiwa J-Braid Big Bream ($500)

Crick twitches into second place Launceston-based angler Adam Crick started his ABT Tasmanian Tour with an impressive 2nd place with 10/10 fish for 9.18kg. Playing to his strengths Crick headed to the flat near the mouth of the system in search of clear water and active fish. Starting in the area known as ‘Stockyard Flats,’ Crick targeted fish holding in the deeper holes off the main flat while waiting for the flat to become covered by the tide.

“I knew the start would be tough down near the mouth and I was just waiting for the water to push up on the flat,” Crick said. Once the flat filled Crick was able to cast his Ecogear MW62 in 309 colour across the flats and work it over the edges between the grass and sand with short erratic twitches mixed in with pauses of 2-5 seconds. “I really tried to give the lure the most action while moving it the least distance and also

targeted the edges of the weed and sand,” Crick said. For this presentation Crick opted for a ‘crank and twitch’ JML Alliance Perfection Series rod matched with a Daiwa Luvias 2504 reel spooled with 6lb Suline Siglon PE8 braid and 6lb Yamatoyo Chinu Harris FC. Once Crick had exhausted his first flat he then spot hopped towards the entrance targeting flats that held a combination of broken weed beds, rubble and sand before finishing the day in the oyster racks for one final upgrade. “I only got six fish on day one but they were all the right size fish,” explained Crick. With the wind changing direction Crick decided to change his starting location and targeted the town flat at the start of day two. “The flats

near the entrance tend to shut down under pressure so my plan was to fill my limit on the town flat which is home to better numbers of fish.” While he started with one fish early the flat failed to produce the result Crick wanted and he returned to his day one honey hole. The return to the front proved to be fruitful with Crick repeating his shallow twitch and pause presentation for another quality limit. With a great result at the tour opener Crick was heading into his preferred Derwent River event full of confidence. “It was a great way to kick off the two events. I really have to thank Tony from JML for all his support and the products that helped me get the result over the weekend,” said Crick.

BREAM SERIES

Adam Crick fished shallow jerkbaits to finish second behind Shane Ling.

Hodge holds on for St Helens win Adam Crick with his second place winnings.

DAIWA J-BRAID BIG BREAM Mario Vukic claimed the Daiwa J-Braid Big Bream at St Helens with the 2018 Mallacoota BREAM Qualifier winner securing the $500 prize for his 1.41kg kicker fish caught on a ZMan GrubZ rigged on a 1/12oz jighead.

Victorian black bream specialist Mike Hodge has converted his first 5kg single day bag into another tournament win with 9/10 for 8.39kg. Fishing with Mark Alexander on day one, Hodge started the morning fishing the town flats putting one fish in the well early while his boater went to work filling his limit. “Mark had a well thought-out plan for the day, so I started the day full

Zipbaits Rigge 70F (650)

Twitch and roll retrieve

Weedy bottom

Rocky bottom

of confidence and knew we would be on for a good day’s fishing,” said Hodge. The pair then moved to Alexander’s second location, which held a good amount of broken weed beds with a distinct line of thick weed 2m from the edge, which proved to be the key hunting ground for Hodge. Once in location Hodge would cast a Cranka shallow minnow in jolly tail over the thick weed line and work the lure with a

Zipbaits Rigge 56F (824)

slow draw and pause routine. “I would draw the lure down slowly and pause it for up to five seconds. For most of the fish you would feel them rattle the lure and it was just a process of leaning back on the fish and letting it load up,” explained Hodge. His go-to outfit for this presentation was a Penn pinpoint 6’10” 2-4kg rod matched with a Fin-Nor Affinity reel spooled with 6lb Berkley Nanofil and 4lb Sunline FC Rock leader. While Hodge had filled his limit there was still one small fish sitting in his limit, which he was keen to upgrade. “I had a productive time on the second area we hit but it wasn’t until we hit the town reaches of the system late in the day that I was able to upgrade my 26cm for a 34cm fish,” said Hodge. That final fish proved to be all the difference at the end of the day with Hodge cracking his first 5kg+ bag with 5.2kg. Day two saw Hodge paired with Daniel Homes. The pair headed down to the flats near the mouth of the system to target the dropoffs from the main weed flats. It was a fast start for

Hodge who managed to put four fish in the well early in the session. He again used his favoured Cranka Shallow Minnow in jolly tail, casting it on top of the weed bed before drawing it off and allowing the fish to cruise up and take the lure. “I had four fish in the well early but the bite really shut down and it was a long end to the session, but I really have to commend Daniel who tried his best to get me my five fish. He really went above and beyond trying to guide me onto that last fish,” said Hodge. When asked about the event Hodge went on to say, “I really enjoyed coming over to Tasmania. The fishing and the people really make the trip worth all the effort. To have both my boaters go above and beyond to help me catch fish shows how great the people are down here.” With the first of two Tasmania events run and won, attention now turns to Hobart’s Derwent River system. For the results and story of that tournament and any other event near you head to abt.org.au.

TOP 10 NON BOATERS Place Angler

Fish

10/10 8.39

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Mike Hodges

Weight (kg) Payout

Costa Prize Pack, 1st Hobie Bonus ($200) Roan Van-Berberg 10/10 8.29 Prize Pack, 2nd Hobie Bonus ($100) Brendan McNamara 9/10 7.03 Prize Pack, 3rd Hobie Bonus ($75) Stuart Walker 8/10 6.30 Prize Pack, Jesse Rotin 8/10 5.90 Prize Pack Jordan Armstrong 9/10 5.56 Prize Pack Shaun Egan 6/10 5.28 Prize Pack Bernard Kong 6/10 5.22 Prize Pack Peter Mazey 9/10 4.41 Prize Pack Neil Chegwidden 5/10 3.95 Prize Pack For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

Mike Hodges claimed top honours in the non-boater division. MAY 2018

Crick cracks the Derwent code

STORM

Adam Crick has proven that there are consistent tournament-winning fish in the big fish haunt of Ralphs Bay at the Costa Derwent River BREAM Qualifier with a 10/10 limit for 11.03kg taking his maiden ABT event with over 1kg on his nearest competitor. Coming off a strong showing at St Helens, Adam Crick was full of confidence heading into the Derwent River event and with the confidence in his key location he knew he was in with a shot. “I have spent a lot of time working out the low tide pattern on Ralphs Bay. It is high risk and high reward, but I felt I would fish to my strengths,” said Crick. On day one Crick headed down to hit his milk run of shallow broken reef flats dotted throughout Ralphs Bay. In each area Crick would cast an Ecogear MW 62 in 309 colour across the broken rubble before imparting a short erratic twitch mixed with pauses ranging between 2-10 seconds.

To target these shallow fish Crick would cast the same Ecogear MW 62 tight to the edge and twitch the lure with his rod held up high to work the lure out over the structure. With two key upgrades late in the session Crick ended the day with 5.9kg and headed out on day two with the lead. With a cold front pushing through overnight Crick was concerned Ralphs Bay would fail to fire and decided to stop at a rock point at Howrah to fill an early limit. “It can be hard to fill a limit at Ralphs Bay, so I used a productive smaller fish point at Howrah to fill a limit and calm the nerves,” explained Crick. With a calm mind he then headed to his day one honey hole. There wasn’t the same number of fish but Crick was able to find a couple of key upgrades to keep his bag weight climbing before returning to his milk run of spots in the Lindisfarne area. “It was a slow process of upgrading my bag throughout the session; it wasn’t until my

Adam Crick brought the big fish to the scales to claim victory on the Derwent. an angler to watch when ABT next returns to Tasmania. When asked about his win Crick replied, “It was a great feeling to win the event in the style of fishing

that I enjoy the most and I really have to thank Tony at JML for all his support. His lures have been the key to my success in the past two events.”

WINNING TACKLE Rod: JML Alliance Perfect Series Reel: Daiwa Luvias 2500 Line: 6lb Sunline Siglon PE8 Leader: 6lb Yamatoyo Chinu Harris FC Lure: Ecogear MW 62 (colour 309 and 328)

One of the fish that delivered Adam a 1kg average for his win.

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MAY 2018

“The key was to get the lure to move erratically without it moving too far forward; to do this I would hold my rod tip up with slack in the line and only just come into contact with the lure,” said Crick. His tackle of choice for this technique was a ‘crank and twitch’ JML Alliance Perfection Series rod matched with a Daiwa Luvias 2504 spooled with 6lb Suline Siglon PE8 braid and 6lb Yamatoyo Chinu Harris FC. Crick fished the Ralphs Bay area until 11am and then changed tact as the tide began to run in. Returning upriver to the Lindisfarne area he targeted fish moving into the shallow edges. “On the run-in tide the larger fish tend to push right up on to the edge to feed,” Crick explained.

final upgrade five minutes before the end of the session that I felt like I had won the event,” said Crick. Crick took out the event with an over-1kg winning margin and that combined with his second place at St Helens will show him to be

Bernard Kong secured the Daiwa J-Braid Big Bream prize at the Derwent.

TOP 10 BOATERS Place Angler

Fish

Weight (kg) Payout

Adam Crick

10/10 11.03

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Josh Williams 10/10 9.88 Warren Carter 10/10 9.83 Charlie Saykao 10/10 9.77 Alan Lister 10/10 9.62 Andrew Krushka 10/10 9.54 Mark Crompton 10/10 9.38 Mario Vukic 10/10 9.37 Steve Steer 10/10 9.27 Cameron Whittam 10/10 9.20 For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

$2,250, 1st Mercury Bonus ($250), Duffrods Big Bag $1600, 2nd Mercury Bonus ($150) $1100, 2nd Mercury Bonus ($150) $800, 3rd Mercury Bonus ($100) $500

Josh fires for second In only his second event as a boater Josh Williams showed his skill when it comes to black bream fishing with an impressive 10/10 fish for 9.88kg. Williams started fishing near the start/finish areas of Bellerive in an attempt to fill his limit early as the tide dropped. The key area for Williams during this section of the tide was the deeper edges of the quickly draining flats. He would cast

a Daiwa Presso Minnow in sushi prawn up onto the shallow flat holding his rod tip up flicking and twitching the lure out over the drop-off before moving his rod tip down and ripping the lure down into the depths. With his limit filled early Williams then moved up to the middle reaches of the river working similar rocky drop-offs waiting for the tide to start moving in. Once the tide had

Josh added $1600 to his bank balance with his 2nd place win.

DUFFRODS BIG BAG Adam Crick took the Duffrods big bag with his day one limit of 5.91kg, which was the perfect start to his Derwent River event. The key to his day one bag was his Ecogear MW62 in 309 colour.

shifted Williams moved up into the shallows behind the entertainment centre in search of fish moving up into the shallows. He then cast a Daiwa Presso Minnow in creeping iwashi tight to the edge before ripping it down into the structure and allowing it to slowly float up out of the structure. “The fish would hit the lure as it came clear,” said Williams. His tackle of choice was a Nordic Stage Sharpshooter 1-3kg rod matched with a Shimano Twinpower 1000 reel spooled with 6lb Platypus P8 brain and 4lb Platypus Stealth FC. Day two proved to be a slower start for Williams who started the day at the golf course stretch of the Derwent, which proved to be successful for his non-boating partner, but it wasn’t until the tide started pushing in that Williams started to fire. With a stronger wind pushing on day two and a distinct dirty water line forming in the back of the entertainment centre bay, his day one location fired. The added wind allowed Williams to make longer wind-assisted casts and cover more water with each cast, “I slowed my presentation down on day two and used a 7m leader to get more bites,” said Williams. This change proved fruitful with his day two bag hitting the scales at 4.78kg.

BREAM SERIES

Josh Williams brought his good form from St Helens to the Derwent to claim second in the boater division. “I really enjoyed stepping up as a boater for both rounds and encourage any other

Tassie anglers to get out and give it a go,” said Williams, “I also need to thank Platypus

Lines for all their support and products that helped me over the weekend.”

Egan mixes it up for win Shaun Egan has taken another ABT Non-Boating victory with 10/10 fish for 8.44kg, showing he has consistency across any bream waters around Australia. Fishing with Tony Robinson on day one Egan fished the middle reaches of the Derwent along a range of rock walls and drop-offs. While his boaters targeted the hard edge Egan opted to target fish sitting wider with a slow rolled OSP Dunk in ghost colour. “I thought there would

Dunk and managed to fill his limit quickly, taking the pressure off and allowing him to mix up his presentation to find bigger fish. While the pair moved around before the tide change Egan was able to pick up key upgrades on the rock walls and gravel patches near Mona before the tide began to turn. Once the tide started pushing in the Egan changed

2000 Daiwa Sol reel spooled with 6lb Daiwa J-Braid and 5lb FC Rock. When asked about his win Egan was quick to point out the key to his result was to think outside the box and not just replicate what his boater was having success doing. “I always try to look past what my boater is doing and try to target fish they are missing,” said Egan. He was

Ecogear MW62F (328 and 309) Twitch and pause retrieve

Shaun Egan was a happy man with his non-boater title win.

Weedy bottom

Rocky bottom

TOP 10 NON BOATERS Place Angler

Fish

10/10 8.44

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Shaun Egan

Weight (kg) Payout

Costa Prize Pack, 1st Hobie Bonus ($200) Jesse Rotin 10/10 8.14 Prize Pack Roan Van-Berberg 10/10 8.04 Prize Pack, 2nd Hobie Bonus ($100) Jordan Armstrong 10/10 7.75 Prize Pack, 3rd Hobie Bonus ($75) Suzanne Siranovic 10/10 7.52 Prize Pack Paul Siemasko 10/10 7.26 Prize Pack Stuart Walker 10/10 7.07 Prize Pack Wally Fahey 10/10 6.95 Prize Pack Neil Chegwidden 10/10 6.82 Prize Pack Brendan Ayers 10/10 6.77 Prize Pack For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

be fish sitting wider that my boater wouldn’t be targeting, so I decided to cast the lure wide of the drop-off and slow roll the lure back, mixing it up with a slight pause,” said Egan. His go-to tackle for this presentation was a Shimano T-Curve Flight 7’2” 4-6lb rod matched with a 2000 Daiwa Sol reel spooled with 3lb FC Rock. Day two saw Egan paired with Josh Williams. He again started the day fishing wide of his boater with an OSP

his lure to an Ecogear MW62 in 309 colour and cast his lure tight to the edges of the entertainment centre bay. Much like his boater, Egan worked his lure across the shallow flat with his rod tip up in the air imparting short, sharp twitches mixed in with pauses ranging from 2-10 seconds allowing the fish to hunt the lure down. To extract the fish from the shallows Egan used a Shimano T-Curve 7’2” 4-6lb rod matched with a

also quick to thank his travel partners Danielle and Mark Crompton, “It makes it a lot easier traveling when you have a good group to travel with and I can’t thank them enough for their support,” said Egan. With the Tasmanian Leg of the Costa Bream Series run and won, attention now turns to the next event on the Gold Coast, to get involved with this or any other ABT event head to abt.org.au.

DAIWA J-BRAID BIG BREAM Bernard Kong cashed in on the Derwent with the ABT tournament veteran claiming the Daiwa J-Braid Big Bream Prize for his 1.53kg fish caught on day two on a Daiwa Double Clutch. MAY 2018

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FISHING EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME! • 6am to 2pm $150pp • 3 boats – holds up to 30+ people • All fishing gear and bait is supplied • No fishing licence req. • Pickup from Yamba Marina or Iluka ferry wharf

Phone Dave today: www.fishingyamba.com.au 0428 231 962 EASY PARKING

• Reef, Deep Sea and Sport Fishing • Swains, Samurez, Cap Bunker Group • Dories available • LUXURY 20m Cat. New V8 Scanias. Large comfortable and stable. • Air conditioned and fast (cruise up to 16 knots) • Professional crew (over 22 years experience) • Cater for groups up to 12 people from 3 to 10 days • BYO or fully licenced bar • Desalinate unit • Trips designed to suit your requirements

SATELLITE TV INSTALLED

OPEN 7 DAYS

Phone: 0427 125 727 I Fax: (07) 4972 1759 michael@mikat.com.au

www.mikat.com.au MARINA BOAT & TACKLE, YAMBA MARINA

YAMBA’S LARGEST TACKLE STORE • Chandlery • Boat Sales • Ice & Gas • Bait & Tackle • Trailers Sales & Parts • Charter Bookings Ph: 6646 1994 or 0428 231 962 Email: dave@gaden.com.au Now Agents For

FISHING GUIDES PORT STEPHENS Fish Port Stephens Estuary Charters 0434 370 687

ILLAWARRA COAST Bay & Basin Sportsfishing 0413 610 832

EDEN COAST Captain Kev’s Wilderness Fishing Tours (02) 4474 3345 or 0424 625 160

This section in NSW Fishing Monthly consolidates the trades and services in your area that are relevant to your fishing and boating. Whether you’re a local looking for more options or a travelling angler fishing around the state, this guide will direct you to reputable businesses in the area you’re searching. 84

MAY 2018

Boats & Guided Fishing Tours Directory KAYAK DEALERS

ba Prawn Blade s” “Yam

The Life Aquatic - Mona Vale – (02) 9979 1590 Australian Bass Angler - Penrith – (02) 4721 0455

BAIT & TACKLE

CLARENCE

Maclean Outdoors - MacLean – (02) 6645 1120

YAMBA BAIT & TACKLE “Yamba’s Leading Tackle Shop”

Wetspot Watersports -Fyshwick – (02) 6239 1323

“IN THE MAIN STREET” Shop 3, 8 Yamba St, Yamba

Hunts Marine - Yallah – (02) 4284 0444 Bunyips Great Outdoors - Lismore – (02) 6622 1137

Graham Barclay Marine – Forster – (02) 6554 5866 Hunter Water Sports - Belmont – (02) 4947 7899

N O W AVA IL A B L E ALL YOUR FISHING MONTHLY GEAR From

T-Shirts

02 6646 1514 • OPEN 7 DAYS

22 85

Totally Immersed Watersports - Nowra (02) 4421 5936 Hunts Marine - Batemans Bay – (02) 4472 2612 Compleat Angler – Merimbula – (02) 6495 3985

MARINE MECHANICS

“The Home of Leavey Lures” • Stocking all Major Brands • Experienced Local Knowledge • Tournament Bream Gear in Stock • Snorkelling gear in stock

SYDNEY Penrith Marine (02) 4731 6250 Moby Marine (02) 9153 6506 or www.mobymarine.com.au Cohoe Marine Products (Sydney) (02) 9519 3575 Blakes Marine (02) 4577 6699 Watersports Marine (02) 9676 1400 Marina Bayside (02) 9524 0044 Shannons Outboards (02) 9482 2638 Hi Tech Marine (02) 4256 6135 TR Marine World (02) 4577 3522

CANBERRA/ACT H2O Marine (02) 6280 0555 Aussie Boat Sales ACT & NSW 0433 531 226

TWEED/BYRON COAST Tweed Coast Marine (07) 5524 8877 Ballina Marineland (02) 6686 2669

COFFS COAST North Coast Boating Centre (02) 6655 7700 Jetty Boating (02) 6651 4002 www.jettyboating.com.au

MACQUARIE COAST Graham Barclay Marine (02) 6554 5866 Manning River Marine Taree (02) 6552 2333

MODIFICATIONS & REPAIRS // BOAT & TRAILER Bonanza Trailers 0408 299 129 www.bonanzatrailers.com.au Salt Away 1800 091 172 www.salt-away.com.au

SYDNEY The Boat Pimpers (Sydney) (02) 9792 7799

Drop in to see Mick & Kelly Phone Cases

Marina Boat and Tackle (02) 6646 1994 Yamba Bait & Tackle (02) 6646 1514 Wooli Bait & Tackle (02) 6649 7100

From

COFFS COAST

29 45

Mugs

Compleat Angler Kempsey (02) 6562 5307 MOTackle (02) 6652 4611 or www.motackle.com.au Rocks Marine Bait & Tackle South West Rocks (02) 6566 6726 Outdoor Adventure South West Rocks (02) 6566 5555

From

1 7 27

MACQUARIE COAST Ned Kelly Bait n Tackle Port Macquarie (02) 6583 8318 Graham Barclay Marine (02) 6554 5866 Manning River Marine Taree (02) 6552 2333

HUNTER COAST Port Stephens Tackle World (02) 4984 2144

SYDNEY Gabes Boating & Fishing Centre Narellan (02) 4647 8755 Australian Bass Angler www.abafishing.com.au

FRESHWATER Aberdeen Fishing & Outdoors (02) 6543 7111 Dubbo Marine and Watersports (02) 6882 2853 Loomzys Fish and Fix (Forbes) (02) 6851 1425

Carry Bags $

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www.fishin.com.au 0425 230 964 Blue Bottle Fishing 0409 333 380 or www.bluebottlefishing.com MOTackle (02) 6652 4611 or www.motackle.com.au Adrenalin Flies www.adrenalinflies.com.au Anglers Warehouse www.anglerswarehouse.com.au

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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

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14 1414

29 2929

30 3030

15 1515

30 3030

15 1515

30 3030

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. 88

MAY 2018 APRIL 2018

boats & kayaks

In the skipper’s seat Inside story...

Sportsman Boats builds the fastest growing line of family-friendly centre console boats in-class. They are built with the latest designs, procedures and materials to give you and your family unparalleled performance with a dry, safe and comfortable ride.

Made for...

Designed to be budget-friendly, the Island Series offers the essentials for any boating family that likes to fish. These are perfect boats to earn your captain’s hat!

This month...

Steve Morgan will be checking out the classy 19 Island Reef, powered by a Yamaha 115hp.

91 Time for Tuggers! Toby Grundy takes you back to where it all started for him, in a little suburban lake on Canberra’s southside.

92 Kampey’s new rig one year on

Wayne Kampe was happy with his new 4.5m Galeforce one year ago when he bought it, but has it stood the test of time?

94 KISS kayaking

Justin Willmer highlights the importance of being able to ‘keep it simple stupid’, and how this applies to kayak fishing.

98 Sea Jay 460 Velocity Sports Editor Steve Morgan has a run in this rig with Gary Fitzgerald from Sea Jay Boats.

Sportsman 19 Island Reef with 115hp Yamaha - SC

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for fishing offshore in less than perfect weather. The console is easy to walk around and has all-round grab-rails for your mates. The helm is offset to the port side and there’s a flush mounted 7” Simrad as standard. All other switches are available and

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

Admit it – you’ve all dreamed about it – heading off into the sunrise in a slick, fibreglass American fishing boat. The boat’s landing softly into the small swell, your rod racks are loaded with premium gear and there’s a dozen live baits happily swimming around in the livewell, blissfully unaware of their impending fate. Then you wake up and the alarm is telling you it’s time to go to work instead of the ramp. Brisbane’s Northside Marine is doing its very best to help you achieve this dream. Stalwart salesman Bill Hull recently talked to FM about how the Sportsman dealership came to be. “Like everyone, I had the dream of selling this kind of boat, but it wasn’t

PERFORMANCE

Main: There’s no denying that the Sportsman hulls look good on the water – clean lines and an upswept bow make the 19 Island Reef a rig that’ll turn heads on the water and at the ramp. Above: With the hammers down on the 115hp Yamaha, it’s definitely hold onto your hats time. boats on order – plenty of which were pre-sold to keen anglers in the Brisbane area. The Island Reef 19 is a great all-round boat to cross over between inshore and offshore waters. Taking it out

SPECIFICATIONS Length........................................................5.8m Beam..........................................................2.3m Capacity ......................................... Six persons Fuel ............................................................ 113L Max hp ......................................................... 115 until recently that things fell into place,” Bill said. Sportsman is a brand that is only six years old in the USA, but is growing in leaps and bounds. It was a perfect match for Northside, who are meticulous in their preparation of boats to deliver to their customers. At the time of the test, there were 16 Sportsman 96

MAY 2018

complete with straps to lock it in. A couple of non-skid SeaDek pads are at the helm as well – good looking and practical. There’s a livewell in the starboard transom corner and the entire deck is self-draining. I imagine this would be an easy boat

on a nasty test day in Moreton Bay, it demonstrated an ability to drive soft and dry at the right combination of speed and trim. It’s simple and effective as a fishing platform and is guaranteed to turn heads both at the ramp and on the water. Let’s look at a few of the features. Packages from Northside for this model

start at $60k, which include a Yamaha 115, Twin Axle trailer and a 7” Simrad. We didn’t have the metering available to do the economy figures, but there is data available for a Yamaha 90hp, which will display very similar economy figures. Delivering 2.6km/L at 4000rpm, the 90 would give a theoretical range of over 250km – ample for nearly every weekend trip you’ll ever do. With the rough conditions, we didn’t get a top speed reading on the 115, however it was spinning an identical alloy 19” propeller, so you can add a couple of km/h for the extra few revs. From the upswept bow back, there’s a raised casting deck with dry, under-deck storage for anchors and other bulky items. It’s a one-person deal, so it’d be

a great spot to throw casts at pelagic or reef edges while the other angler is at the helm. The rest of the floor is low and eminently suitable

RPM Speed (km/h) Economy (km/L) 1000 ............................. 6 ..............................4 2000........................... 10 ...........................2.5 3000........................... 17 ...........................1.6 4000........................... 39 ...........................2.5 5000........................... 52 ...........................2.3 6000........................... 67 ...........................1.8 *Supplied figures are for 90hp Yamaha with 19” alloy prop. easy to reach. There’s also dry storage underneath the console for your valuables. The helm seating is flexible, with a removable backrest and space for a cooler underneath –

The variable deadrise and upswept bow mean that you have the best chance of a dry ride with the correct trim and attitude.

to keep clean, with not too many corners to get the blood and guts stuck in. The battery sits in an under-deck compartment. Of course, you can go crazy on the options list on this boat and add anything from factory T-Tops to cushion packages for the bow, but just as it is, there’s so much scope for fun fishing all over Australia that your head will be swimming with options. For more information, contact the guys at Northside Marine at www. northsidemarine.com. au or you can check out the Australian Sportsman website at www. sportsmanboats.com.au. Make sure you also watch the video test of this boat to see it in action – there’s a QR code to scan hereby or you can search for it on the Fishing Monthly YouTube channel.

Under the front casting deck there are a couple of dry hatches – one for the anchor and the other for your bulky gear.

The Yamaha F115 fitted on Northside Marine’s Sportsmans are factory fitted but are still backed by Yamaha Australia for a full local warranty.

That 16° of transom deadrise takes the sting out of landing on windy days.

The stainless steel bar that wraps around the console is handy for the driver and passengers alike. There’s extra storage under the front seat.

The seat back is removable and you can fit a cooler under the seat framing. Vertical rod storage is provided on each side of the console.

A 7” Simrad comes standard with the boat and is covered by a full, local warranty.

Top Left: You can sit a couple more people comfortably on each side of the outboard and the space underneath is also available. The battery is under the floor hatch. Top Right: The rear starboard seat hides a built-in livewell with horizontal divider. Above: Supplied on a hydraulic braked, twin axle I-beam trailer, the Sportsman rig is safe and 100% Australian compliant. MAY 2018

Sea Jay 460 Velocity Sports with Mercury 75hp

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SPECIFICATIONS Overall.Length......................................... 4.74m Bottom ............................................4mm (5083) Sides ..........................................................3mm Beam..........................................................2.3m Depth .......................................................1.24m Floor.Ribs ...................................................... 11 Capacity ....................................... Five persons Hull.weight .............................................. 495kg Max.HP ..........................................................75 Rec.HP ...........................................................60 Max.motor ............................................... 175kg

Cruising at 4500rpm, the 75 Mercury delivered 2.4km/L at 46km/h. 98

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What do you get when you cross one of the proven Sea Jay Samurai hulls with a console of a 5.9m boat? You get this – the new Sea Jay 460 Velocity Sports. In Say Jay speak ‘sports’ means ‘side-console,’ so this is basically a Vision hull with a side-console. Based on the popular Samurai hull, the shell features a 4mm 5083-grade bottom sheet and 3mm side sheets. Samurais also have reverse chines, a heavy duty capped keel and a visually pleasing upswept bow that turns heads at the ramp and on the water. The 4.6m hull is also very beamy. In fact, the beam of 2.3m is exactly half the length of the hull, making it very stable in the water. Combine this with high gunwales and raised casting decks and there is a ridiculous amount of under-

As such, the boat more bounced than chopped the waves and we know that it’ll ride a lot more smoothly with some real-world weight holding it down. Powered by the maximum 75hp Mercury 2.1L 4-stroke, the Velocity jumped onto the plane and displayed best economy figures at 4500rpm, where it delivered 2.4km/L of fuel burned. That’s right in the zone of what you can expect from a rig this size. Drop the hammers and the speed went up a little and the economy drops markedly. We achieved 48km/h and

s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

deck storage up the front. You can see in the images here (and in the Video Boat Test on the Fishing Monthly YouTube channel), that the biggest compartment easily swallows Rob Gaden Jr. There’s room up there as well for a couple of trolling motor batteries and of course there’s a fabricated mount for your choice of long shaft electric motor. With that 100kg or so of weight up there, the boat will feel a lot less flighty than it did on the test day. We rode this rig basically empty with a couple of 80kg humans on board as ballast.

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Main: Sea Jay’s 460 Velocity Sports brings the features of the larger Velocity models into a smaller package. This one was powered by Mercury’s rock solid 2.1L 75hp 4-stroke. Above: With a beam of 2.3m and a length of 4.6m, this hull is half as wide as it is long. The end result is that it’s pretty stable. 48km/h at WOT. It was a bit rough to open the throttle fully on the test day. At full speed expect around 2km/L. The Sea Jay arrived at the ramp on a single-axle Sea Jay trailer, manufactured by local giant, Dunbier, to Sea Jay’s specifications. Like all Sea Jay trailers, they add a year to the boat’s warranty if they’re ordered on one. And, like all Sea Jay trailers, there’s a dearth of places for salt water to pool while at rest. They like C-Section or alloy I-beams which are easily washed down after use. Basics aside, the 460 Velocity Sports is a blank canvas that you can personalise to your own needs. Factory options like upgraded steering or a factory-installed wrap will help this boat reflect your fishing personality. Then, of course, you’ll

want to add electronics. The big-boy console can hold bracket mounted units up to 16” as well as all of the switches you’ll need to control the on-board accessories. The console also comes with a rail the full way over the windscreen, giving passengers and the captain something to hold onto in less than ideal conditions. Easily towable by the family car, the little sibling in the Velocity Sports family has

all of the big boat features at a small boat price – the test rig weighed in the low to mid $30,000 and you could drop the price even more with a 60hp motor. If you want more information, make sure you check out your local Sea Jay dealer or visit them on www. seajayboats.com.au. Like them on Facebook at Sea Jay Boats and you’ll be kept up-todate on all of the latest Sea Jay releases.

PERFORMANCE RPM........................Speed........................km/L 700 ................................. 3 .......................... 2.3 1000 ............................... 5 .......................... 2.1 2000 ............................... 9 .......................... 1.7 3000 ............................. 13 .......................... 1.2 4000 ............................. 38 .......................... 2.2 4500 ............................. 46 .......................... 2.4 5000 ............................. 48 .......................... 2.1

The rear of the cockpit is clean and clear with high gunwales and offers plenty of room to fish all around the back of the boat.

The console in the 460 Vision is the same as in the 590, so it looks big. The advantage is that you can fit the same electronics in the smallest Velocity Sports as you can in the largest one.

Above: We loved the all-round grab rail on the console and the multiple seat base points. Inset: The front deck is beamy and high enough to offer great vision (pun intended about the sister Sea Jay hull).

Did someone say that there’s plenty of capacity under the decks? This space holds at least one Rupe. And maybe also a swimsuit model, although we didn’t get to test the theory.

Supplied on a Dunbier-built Sea Jay trailer, this rig – and all rigs bought with a Sea Jay trailer – gets an extra year of warranty.

The 2.1L 75hp is the smallest horsepower in that configuration, so you know it’ll be underworked and over-performing.

The test boat was basically empty, so the boat more bounced over the waves than worked to chop them like the Samurai hull does. This will be fixed by addition of all of your fishing and day-trip essentials.

Yep – that’s a wide ass. It makes this rig really stable.

That’s the beast-mode console. Plenty of dry storage underneath and room for a 16” sounder on a bracket up top. MAY 2018

A New Era in FourStroke The all new 175hp â€“ 225hp Mercury FourStroke V6 Outboard Range Taking performance, efficiency and reliability to a level you have only dreamed about. See your nearest Mercury Dealer or go online to experience everything Mercuryâ€™s revolutionary fourstroke technology has to offer.

mercurymarine.com.au