New South Wales Fishing Monthly October 2019 by Fishing Monthly

10 PAGES OF THE BEST PRODUCTS FROM AFTA 2019!

Features Running water trout tactics 2019 AFTA tackle award winners • How to be a citizen scientist •

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NEW FIND THE LOGO COMPETITION SEE INSIDE

Tried & Tested

Boating & Kayaking • • •

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Gearing up for SUP camping Yakking around Nambucca Heads The inside word on buying a used boat

Sea Jay 468 Navigator with Yamaha F70hp October, 2019 Fishing Monthly G R O U P

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October 2019, Vol. 25 No. 3

Contents

From the Editor’s Desk...

Business Office: Unit 1, 11 Knobel Court, Shailer Park, Qld, 4128 Phone: (07) 3387 0800 Fax: (07) 3387 0801 Website: www.wp.fishingmonthly.com.au Managing Editor: Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au Editorial Manager: Jacqui Thomas Sub-Editors: Nicole Penfold Bob Thornton Lucette Eggleton Publishers: Steve Morgan Matthew Drinkall

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OUR OUR COVER COVER Wayne Dubois caught this stunning brook trout on an Sso Mino sinking hardbody. A Ross Virt image. TO SUBSCRIBE SEE PAGE 39 FIND THE DAIWA LOGO COMPETITION PAGE 37 New South Wales Fishing Monthly magazine goes on sale the first week of each month (latest sale date 7th of the month).

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local tackle store to order product they had seen. Naturally, the most common answers to ‘the best thing about the show’ were the interactive displays: the barra filled Supertank, the lure swimming tank and the stands of the major brands. Nothing surprising there – we know that it’s fun to see a lure swim and a fish eat it, as well as have a go on a fishing simulator. So if you came, thank you for doing so. For those who missed it, whack it in the diary for next year. I’m pretty sure the tackle industry actually likes your company even if they were a little scared to go on that first date!

The response was overwhelmingly positive. For $10, you got to come and see the vast array of tackle on display from over 60 companies that service the Australian fishing retail industry. Fishing Monthly conducted some exit surveys, and we want to thank everyone who took a minute or two to answer some questions. Your responses will help mould what the public day will be in future. It was encouraging that 98% of visitors thought it was great value for money, even though retail selling wasn’t allowed, and a similar percentage of visitors were off to their

amongst its competitors. Some categories have only a handful of entries while others have plenty. There were over 40 hardbodied lures in the Hard Body category alone! We have published winners and runners up and these products are worth a look. We’re sure you’ll see them in your local tackle store in the coming months. PUBLIC DAY A GREAT SUCCESS It’s taken us a long time to get the public a day to access the AFTA Trade Show, but on the last Saturday of the show, you guys got to do just that – see all of the gear that tackle stores see before it comes out in the stores.

NEW GEAR FROM AFTA READY FOR SUMMER With the timing this year, the AFTA Trade Show was held just after we went to print with the September issues, which meant we weren’t able to bring you the latest and award winning products until this issue. The awards are voted on by retailers. Each store gets to cast a single vote in each division and these are tallied to find a winner. Some categories are closely fought while others have a winner by a country mile – it just depends on how innovative the product is and if it stands out

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REGULAR FEATURES Back to Basics 66 Dam Levels 74 Fun Page 97 Tides 77 Trade Directory 90 Tournament News 79 What’s New Fishing 49 What’s New Boating 94 Fly fishing 74 SPECIAL FEATURES Running water trout fishing 8 2019 AFTA tackle awards 48 PARTNER CONTENT Black Magic Masterclass 12 DPI Recreational Fishing News 31

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BYRON COAST The Tweed 28 Ballina 30 Yamba 32 COFFS COAST Coffs Harbour 34 South West Rocks 36 MACQUARIE COAST The Hastings 38 Forster 40 Harrington-Taree 41 HUNTER COAST Erina 42 Hunter Coast 42 Port Stephens 43 Swansea 44 SYDNEY Sydney 14 Sydney North 16 Botany Bay 18 Sydney South 20 Sydney Rock and Beach 22 Pittwater 24 The Hawkesbury 26 ILLAWARRA COAST Illawarra 59 Nowra 61 BATEMANS COAST Batemans Bay 60 Merimbula 62 Narooma 63 EDEN COAST Bermagui 64 Mallacoota 65 Tathra 65 FRESHWATER Lithgow-Oberon 67 Wagga Wagga 68 Robinvale 69 New England 69 Albury-Wodonga 70 Yarrawonga 70 Hunter Valley 71 Snowy Mountains 71 Canberra 72 Batlow 76

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X-Rap® Peto (“THE BEAST OF FINNLAND”) combines Rapala’s fish-catching X-Rap® construction with a beautiful colour matched soft tail to create a seamless hybrid bait. With its slow sink rate and perfectly horizontal fall, X-Rap® Peto is the ideal choice for large murray cod, barramundi, mulloway and flathead. This angler friendly lure is easy to use, simply cast lure out, let it sink to required depth, begin a constant slow wind and let the tail thump away to attract large predators with its wide action. Or try a jerk & pause allowing the bait to slowly swim into the depths. The soft tail is firmly secured to the body with a 6-point stainless plate. Spare tail included. Fitted with VMC® Coastal Black™ hooks. Model No. XRPT20 XRPT14

Running Depth 0.5-1m 0.5-1m

Length 20cm 14cm

Weight 83g 39g

Buoyancy Slow Sink Slow Sink

Trout

The best running water trout fishing in NSW BATLOW

Wayne Dubois waynedubois@westnet.com.au

The long trout closed season in NSW provides great protection for spawning trout, and without it our creeks and rivers would get decimated, because spawning trout are super aggressive and very easy to catch.

down just about anything that swims or drifts by. Add to this the fact that there has been little in the way of food during the coldest and harshest months of the year, and you have hungry trout, spawning urge trout and relaxed or unpressured trout to get stuck into! All this adds up to some of the best and easiest running water trout fishing you will experience all

big stretches of water is an almost guaranteed way to get you good numbers of fish, and the best way to cover lots of water quickly and seek out these active or easy to catch fish is by casting and retrieving lures. Quite often the first person to cast a lure near these fish will catch them, so it pays to cover as much water as possible during the first weeks of the trout season.

are popular with clued-in trout anglers, and I believe that every trout angler’s tackle box should contain some of these. As I mentioned earlier,

something that’s overlooked by many trout anglers, but it’s significant because these fluctuations in flow can get your spinner over-spinning one second and then stop

fish and spook fewer of them with this style of spinner. When you’re trying to match the depth of the water you’re fishing, the flow of the water, trying to match the

You don’t need many lures to be a successful trout angler. A small selection of sinking hardbodies and spinners will cover most of your needs, but it also pays to carry a couple of plastics and floating hardbodies just in case.

The down-and-across technique with sinking hardbodies like the SSO Mino is the go-to technique when targeting trout in full flowing rivers. There is great fishing to be had when the season reopens, and this is due to a number of factors. Depending on the weather, the rainbow trout in particular may be still in that spawn frame of mind, and that alone can make them quite easy to catch. On top of this the trout have had zero angling pressure for months, meaning they will have their guard down and will chase

season long. Now, taking all of these factors into consideration you can see that you’d have to be silly to not be out there getting amongst it as soon as the season opens. There are a few keys to success early in the season, and the most important one is covering as much water as possible to come across these fish. Doing the hard yards and covering

LURES There are many trout lures on the market these days but you really only need a few to be successful, not only at the beginning of the season but all season long. Sinking minnow style hardbodies are the pick of the lot, and are hard to beat due to their realistic nature and their versatility. Lures like the Insanity Tackle SSO Minos and Rapala CD ranges

these fish are looking for anything to eat and will chase down lures from one side of the river to the other. For that reason, any flashy lure is a great option this early in the season as this style of lure can gain the attention of trout from far and wide.

spinning shortly after as it hits a pocket of slack or slacker water. In this normal situation or retrieve when the spinner stops spinning in the slacker water it just looks like a chunk of metal. The trout will often spook because

most prevalent food source or trying to match the fish’s mood on any given day, the abovementioned lures are really all you need. Just bring a selection of natural and bright or contrasting colours and a selection of different sizes and weights, and you’re

Trout fishing certainly does take you to some stunning places.

RINCON

Like the California point break it was named for, the Rincon has a classic West Coast straight bridge, wrapping style lines and edgy curved temples.

GREEN MIRROR: Enhanced vision and contrast for fishing inshore and on flats. • Copper Base • 10% light transmission

OCTOBER 2019

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

When it comes to selecting a spinner, I strongly advise you to stick with the ones that have some sort of rear teaser like Worden’s Rooster Tails, JM Gillies Cocktails and Insanity Tackle Bling Spins to name a few. The reason for this is because of the unpredictable and often volatile nature of a river, which means you have fluctuating flows throughout any single retrieve. It’s

it looks so unnatural and different from what the fish was chasing. Not only will you not catch that fish on that retrieve, you may never catch it again that day or on that lure. Conversely, a rear teaser spinner in the same situation when it hits the slack water still looks appealing to the fish as the teaser flutters and dances in the current. This means you will catch more

all set for some successful trout luring in our creeks and rivers. You can also get great results on soft plastics in the 1-3” range rigged with the appropriate weight jigheads for the depth and flow of the system you are fishing. Soft plastics are particularly good after the season opening when the fish have all seen a thousand lures, and something super natural

Trout is what is needed to help fool the now wiser fish. The only other lure worth having in your arsenal is a small 2-6cm floating

water, there’s only a few you really need to know. This style of fishing is one of the most popular of all angling techniques around

way. You don’t want to go too fast, but obviously if you are going too slow your lure will not be working. If the water you are fishing

The better option in high flows is to use the downand-across technique. With this technique, cast your lure across and downstream

bank downstream of your position. If possible, try not to wind if you know your lure is working; the only time you need to wind is if

the river continue to work your lure. Once your lure has swung from the other side of the river to the bank

Spinners with rear teasers are far better than those without, and are a must-have for all running water trout anglers. minnow style hardbody. This style of lure is great for fishing shallow weedy creeks and rivers because it can be fished slower than the aforementioned lures, and allowed to float back up when it starts touching the weed or bottom. TECHNIQUES When it comes to retrieve techniques when targeting trout in flowing

the world, and especially here in the land of Oz, because it is so easy. The most common and most proven technique is simply to cast upstream and retrieve your lure just a little bit faster than the flow of the water. The idea is to get your lure just working but also to make it look like it’s coming down the river or creek in a fairly natural

is shallow enough, simply jump in and fish your way upstream, casting ahead of yourself as you go. If the water you are fishing is running high and fast you can still use the upstream technique, but this can be hard work for you casting and winding flat out to keep up with your lure. The fish also have a hard time chasing down the lure.

Sinking minnow-style hardbodies are the pick of the lot when it comes to targeting trout with lures. Every tackle box should be loaded with these. and then take up the slack in your line. You should feel your lure working from the current alone. Allow your lure to swing from one side of the river to back to the

your lure hits a slack pocket of water. If you feel the lure stop working just lift your rod or wind just enough to get your lure working again and then let the flow of

below you, wind it in and repeat – but this time cast slightly further across or slightly closer. Each time you do this your lure will To page 10

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AFTA FISHING TACKLE, MARINE AND OUTDOOR TRADE SHOW

BEST OF SHOW AWARDS

2019 AFTA Tackle Trade Show

AFTA FISHING TACKLE WRAP UP : 15TH - 17TH AUGUST 2019 The biggest event on the Australian tackle industry’s calendar is without a doubt the AFTA Tackle Trade Show. The biggest brand names in the tackle industry descend on the Gold Coast each year, mingling with innovative up-and-coming enterprises hoping to be the next big thing. It’s a time when new products are unveiled and new fishing trends begin, and for the first time this year the public got to experience it first-hand. Like all trade shows, the AFTA show has never been open to the general public, but AFTA decided it was time for a change. It was decided that the final day of the show should be a Public Day, so that any angler could see the latest and greatest gear from their favourite brands. No one in the trade was sure how popular this experiment would be, but the 2019 Public Day turned out to be a great success. Due to its popularity, it's likely that AFTA will run it again in 2020. If you missed the 2019 Public Day, there are a number of reasons to check it out next year.

• Unlike a boat show, the AFTA Show is purely for tackle and outdoor products, which means that brands can exhibit a much larger range of gear; • Exhibitors have pro staff and tackle designers on-hand to chat and answer your questions; • Because the event is used by many companies to unveil their new releases, it’s the perfect place to be if you love seeing the latest gear; • Well-known fishing personalities attend each year, so you might have the chance to meet your favourite presenter or tournament pro; • There are interactive attractions for both adults and children to enjoy, including fishing simulators, the Supertank and personalising your own lure; and • There’s a variety of free branded merchandise to bring home in your sample bag. The fact that the average visitor stuck around for 3-4 hours is testament to how much fun the day was! BEST NEW PRODUCTS For members of the tackle trade, one

of the most exciting things about the show is the Best of Show Awards. Each year the exhibitors enter their new releases in the Best Of Show, and the retailers and media then judge the products based on criteria such as innovation, quality and practicality. There are 20 categories, covering tackle, accessories and apparel, and the competition is fierce – especially in the rod, reel and lure categories. Tackle retailers are always hungry for

something different, so those product entries that are particularly ingenious or unique are often the ones that come out on top. You can see the evidence of this in some of the most popular entries this year, which included a spider, a lure tray full of spikes, a rod butt with interchangeable tips, a hard rod tube that conveniently folds out flat, a waterproof bag sealed with magnets, and an octopus that releases its own ink. Read on to see which products were voted the best of 2019!

WHAT IS AFTA? The Australian Fishing Trade Association does a lot of important work behind the scenes that most anglers don’t know about. As well as supporting its wholesale and retail members, it also lobbies governments to protect angler access. In today’s political climate, our fishing rights are increasingly under threat, and for this reason it’s vital to maintain pressure on governments to protect our right to fish. If you work in the tackle, boating or outdoor trade and would like to know more about AFTA, visit www.afta.net.au.

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FISHING/BOATING ACCESSORY WINNER

BEST OF SHOW AWARDS

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Humminbird Mega 360 Imaging

Yeti Rambler R12 Bottle

Humminbird MEGA 360 Imaging sweeps up to 125ft (38m) in every direction around your boat to deliver incredibly clear images of structure, bottom and fish, even while you’re sitting still, allowing you to make more accurate casts. This new release brings Humminbird’s unmatched coverage of 360 Imaging technology into the megahertz range for nextlevel detail. Like underwater radar, the MEGA 360 Imaging beam rotates, giving you a 360° view of the water that’s constantly updating, with your boat at the centre. Fish won’t ever see you coming, allowing you to cast and hook fish before they even know you’re there. MEGA 360 Imaging is compatible with Solix Series and Helix Series fishfinders equipped with MEGA Imaging+. In addition to superior detail and coverage, Humminbird provides built-in mapping, impressive screen resolution, intuitive control and more. For a full list of features, plus photos and videos, visit the BLA website. www.bla.com.au

On-the-go coffee enthusiasts, meet the ultimate drinking vessel for filling up and hitting the road. While this 12oz (354mL) bottle is conveniently light and fits in standard cup holders, it holds more than enough coffee to jump-start your day, whether you’re gearing up for an early morning trip or need an energy boost before a full day on the water. Even better, this Rambler is topped with a unique, 360°, 100% leakproof HotShot Cap that lives up to its name by letting you sip from any side while locking in piping-hot temperatures for hours on end. With just a half twist and a click, you can sip from any side and enjoy that perfect, piping-hot temp. And as an added bonus, you can put the Hot Shot Cap on any of Yeti’s Rambler Bottles, because it’s compatible with all of them (although not the Tumblers). The 1” thick lid keeps the heat in, and it’s also shatter resistant and dishwasher safe. Price: SRP $39.95 au.yeti.com

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Humminbird Mega 360 Imaging

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CLOTHING ACCESSORY WINNER

Yeti Rambler R12 Bottle

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CLOTHING ACCESSORY CATEGORY WINNER

Gorilla Grip Rhinoflex A5 Cut Gloves

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CLOTHING ACCESSORY RUNNER UP

Atomic Casting Gloves

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Gorilla Grip Rhinoflex A5 Cut Gloves

Atomic Casting Gloves

For many fishing applications, to light tasks and heavy-duty work, the Gorilla Grip patented gloves are the go-to for anglers and tinkerers alike. With maximum durability, dexterity and a trusted neverslip grip, Gorilla Grip guarantees superior grip every time. On the boat or at the cleaning table, Gorilla Grips A5 Cut gloves are a must for every tackle box, and landing big fish by hand or cutting through tough hides can be done with complete safety. This glove features a highly breathable, flexible design with an ANSI level 5 industrial cut protection rating featuring proprietary polymer technology on the palm that pulls moisture away from the surface and provides maximum grip in wet and oily conditions. The formfitting design, breathable nylon shell, fitted elastic cuff, patented non-slip technology and stain resistant finish make these gloves the ultimate clothing accessories for a range of fishing applications. www.jmgillies.com.au

So many of us like to work hard, and play hard, especially when it comes to fishing. It’s for this reason that anglers like to take care of their hands, especially since most of us aren’t battle-hardened warriors with leather hands! The Atomic Casting Gloves offer your hands protection at a reasonable price for thousands and thousands of casts, meaning you can fish hard and not have to pay the price for it! Atomic Casting Gloves are designed for anglers by anglers, and offer more than just protection from heavy tackle. The fingered gloves also offer great sun protection and make for safer fish handling when dealing with spiky and toothy predators. The gloves come in standard Australian sizing. Your hands are a valuable fishing tool, so why not give them the best protection you can? www.frogleysoffshore.com.au

BEST OF SHOW AWARDS

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BEST COMBO RUNNER UP

Daiwa Tatula 150/702MHB

Abu Garcia’s Salty Stage KR-X Jigging rod and Light Jigging Reel have slid in as runner up in the Best Combo category, and this truly is a match made in heaven for those who like this bare-knuckled form of fishy fun! The KR-X Jigging rods have been designed using the latest in jigging technology fresh from Japan and come packed with highquality components and special features, including a crisp 80% carbon + 20% glass construction, cork and EVA slit handle, butt joint, Fuji reel seat, Fuji K-Guide Alconite guides and X-Wrap blank design. They come in medium, medium light, and medium heavy (PE 2.0-3.0, PE 1.0-4.0 and PE 2.0-4.0) in 6’3”, 6’3” and 7’0” respectively. The Salty Stage Light Jigging reel is its perfect match, and features 7.3:1 gear ratio, Powerstack Drag System, Oversize Powerknob handle, 8 bearings system including two salt shielded bearings, Infini Brake system and Duraclutch. With a maximum drag of 14kg and a weight of 254g, this reel will sit beautifully on any of the three KR-X Jigging rods. www.purefishing.com.au

Taking out the Best Combo category at the 2019 AFTA show was Daiwa’s Tatula 702MHB rod and Tatula 150 reel combo. The iconic Tatula series of rods has been upgraded with new components, new actions and enhanced performance, making them Daiwa’s best Tatula rods ever. The 702MHB is one of 11 models (eight baitcast and three swimbait models), and features an SVF blank with 3DX carbon, Fuji’s brand-new LKW frame guides, Fuji PLS Palming Support reel seat and Spiral Palming grip. The Tatula 150 is a fantastic casting reel, and is tailor made for those looking for a midsized workhorse. It features an aluminium frame and gear side plate, Daiwa’s famous Digigear gear system, TWS, Magforce Z, UTD drag, 100mm Swept Handle and large paddle knobs. The 150 comes in 5.4:1, 6.3:1 and 7.3:1 gear ratios. These two combine to make a perfect casting set-up for fresh and saltwater predators that has the ultimate balance between price and performance. Price: from RRP $249.99 (rod) and RRP $289 (reel) www.daiwafishing.com.au

Abu Garcia Salty Stage Light Jigging Low Profile / KRX

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Daiwa Tatula 150/702MHB

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BEST FLY LINE WINNER

Abu Garcia Salty Stage Light Jigging Low Profile / KRX

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Snobee XS-Plus Thistledown 5-7

Rio DC Flats Line

Based in Plymouth in the far South West of England, the team at Snowbee are spoilt for choice with their fly fishing options, and understand the need for quality products. Snowbee’s XS-Plus Thistledown weight forward floating line is no exception, and the addition of the new 5-7wt model will be welcomed by the fly fishing community. Following the success of the 2-5wt model, the introduction of the 5-7wt was a no-brainer. The Thistledown is a unique flyline, and is the ultimate in fly fishing finesse, and perfect for small stream trout fishing. Sometimes however, the trout aren’t always small, which is where the new 5-7wt comes into play. The new and improved braided core means a finer and stronger core, and a more supple line over all, which also means less memory issues than before. The XS-Plus is 90ft long, and comes in olive and buckskin colours, which blend in beautifully to the countryside of a trout stream. www.ejtodd.com.au

Rio is known for producing a wide selection of flylines for anglers of all abilities in all conditions, and Rio’s Direct Core Flats Pro is one of their specialty flylines. Whether fishing flats for bones and permit, peppering the mangroves or jacks and barra, sinking flies for schooled bass of presenting small dries to finicky stream trout, it’s important to have the right flyline, and Rio always have you covered. The DC Flats Pro flyline is built with sophisticated tapers and the latest technology for the modern flats angler, and has easy annealing, and a low-memory core that lays perfectly straight on the water, which is perfect when trying to convince that trophy permit or bonefish to eat your fly! The DC Flats Pro comes in 7, 8, 9 and 10wt in floating, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12wt in intermediate, and 8, 9 and 10wt in sink tip. www.jmgillies.com.au

BEST FLY LINE RUNNER UP

Snobee XS-Plus Thistledown 5-7

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Rio DC Flats Line

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Sage Trout 4/5/6

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Alvey Saltwater Fly Reel

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Alvey Saltwater Fly Reel

The new Sage Trout 4/5/6 mixes classic aesthetics with modern performance. Drawing inspiration from the historic Sage 500 series reels, the Modern Classics collection introduces reels designed for the angler longing for a nod to the past. This reel has a romantic appeal to designs and colours that reflect a classic feel of old yet packed with performance features that will assure you’ll never lose that fish of a lifetime. While honouring their heritage with a fullframe design, narrow profile, and classic styling, the backbone of the Trout is Sage’s proven One Revolution, Sealed Carbon System (SCS) drag. The 4/5/6 is the heart of the series, which will balance perfectly with the majority of all-around trout rods. The Trout 4/5/6 also features a large and concave arbor for fast line pick-up and greater strength and capacity, easy conversion from left to right-hand retrieve, and a Neoprene and embroidered ballistic nylon reel case. If you want to fish with a classic Sage design but have all the benefits of their modern cutting edge technology, the Sage Trout is the perfect reel for you. www.jmgillies.com.au

Alvey Saltwater Fly Reels are renowned for their performance, catching small marlin, swordfish, tuna and more with their smooth, powerful drag. Uniquely, these reels don’t require the hours of maintenance most other fly reels do. A rinse in saltwater while fishing will keep you going, and when you get home you just give it a rinse out in a bucket of fresh water, put a couple of drops of oil on the moving parts, and you’re ready for the next trip. The reel features a strong metal foot, stainless steel line guides, and metal pins in the clutch housing that protect the metal clutch washers from overheating and damaging the spool. The fixed handle plate makes handling a big fish a lot safer, allowing the spool to turn backwards under clutch pressure. Alvey Managing Director Bruce Alvey says their customers have had great success with this reel, and the new version is even stronger and lighter, with the use of carbon and titanium to ensure this reel keeps on catching large fish. It will be released in the coming months, so keep an eye out for it at your favourite tackle store. www.alvey.com.au

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Sage Trout 4/5/6

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TryCD AllFly

BEST FLY ROD RUNNER UP

Sage Trout LL Series

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Sage Trout LL Series

TryCD AllFly

With a delicate touch and medium action, the Trout LL family has been designed with the trout angler and dry flies in mind. Through blank taper optimisation and specialised length offerings, the Trout LL is perfected for wade fishing, closer casts, small flies, and light tippets. A relatively supple tip maximizes light tippet protection and gives way to a smooth, easy-loading mid-section that increases feel and feedback throughout the casting stroke. When the hatch is on, the Trout LL is an angler’s best friend. Drawing inspiration from historic Sage rods of the past, the Trout LL is a nod toward tradition with a classic appearance and a smooth casting taper, yet adds modern performance features in accuracy and loop control through the backbone of Konnetic HD blank material. The Trout LL series is available in a combination of classic dry fly line weights and lengths 7’9” though 9’0” while beautiful wood inserts and premium componentry add an elegant touch to these high performance rods. www.jmgillies.com.au

A complete Allfly set lets you fish most freshwater fly fishing conditions with one package. When waterway conditions change, anglers need to change rods, which is frustrating to do with a conventional rod tube. The Allfly makes the process much easier. The first step is to start with the universal Allfly base, and then you attach the 3-piece TryCD rod that suits your fishing needs – either the 5/6 or the 7/8. There’s also the option to include the 1ft Extender, to extend the rod from 9ft to 10ft. Allfly rods are made using the best Japanese high-modulus materials. Each blank is handmade with precise amounts of laser-cut 40T carbon and constructed in a unique helix formation. The blanks are light, crisp and very strong. The rods come in a unique case that folds out horizontally, and it has soft holders to push the pieces onto, so they don’t touch each other. This case makes it much quicker and easier to access your rods, as you don’t have to slowly feed the sections into a tube. www.trycd.com / www.facebook.com/ Trycd

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WINNER Black Magic Equalizer Twin Pin Pro

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Chasebaits Ultimate Squid 300mm

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Bluewater Speed Skirt

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BEST GAME FISHING LURE RUNNER UP

The Bluewater series was developed for the hard-core saltwater and game anglers. Every model in the Bluewater series has been rigorously tested and engineered to ensure that they are up to the task of doing battle with some of the oceans largest predators. The new Bluewater Speed Skirt fits into that way of thinking perfectly! The Bluewater Speed Skirts are a highspeed trolling skirt, and as such they are capable of being trolled at speeds of up to 18 knots. With their tolerance to such high speeds, they are absolutely perfect for species such as wahoo, tuna and other high speed pelagics that don’t mind a fast chase! The Speed Skirts come in four great colours, including purple black, lumo green, lumo, an pink. At 240mm and 115g they are a perfect snack size for many offshore predators, and the realistic pattern on the head and skirt itself will fool any hungry offshore predator into striking! www.jmgillies.com.au

Bluewater Speed Skirt

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Following on from the runaway success of the Ultimate Squid, Chasebaits has released a 300mm version. The upsized model has the same ultrarealistic, rolling wing action as the smaller 150mm and 200mm versions, and boasts an incredibly durable TPE construction (10X strong). It can be slow trolled or jigged to great effect on large reef fish, kingfish, tuna and more. Chasebaits recommends matching the 300mm Ultimate Squid with the Ultimate Squid

Rig, whose weight range now covers everything from 3/4oz right through to 9oz. The Ultimate Squid Rig is custom made to suit the Squid perfectly, balancing it so that the wings give off that true squid action. These custom jigheads have offset twin assist hooks and a flash blade (which can be swapped out for a treble or extra assist hook). The heavier models have 9/0 hooks, and the attachment snap is rated to 82kg. Other features include custom 3D squid eyes, custom scent, contracting tentacles and extended candles that flutter with any movement. Price: SRP $19.95 www.chasebaits.com.au

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Mustad 6.5” Pliers

BEST GAME FISHING ACCESSORY RUNNER UP

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The Mustad Titanium Plier is Mustad’s newest plier that fits into the elite level Black Line of tools. Built with rugged performance for the toughest conditions, these pliers exude excellence at every turn, especially when chasing trophy fish. With high-quality titanium, an ergonomic design and carbon inserts that support the heavy-duty construction, the pliers allow you to get a strong grip on anything you encounter, and will be a handy addition. On the side of the pliers there is a scissor-style clipper to cut lines without the need to change tools, giving anglers a more complete plier that will serve them for years both on and off the water. Each set of 6.5” Titanium Pliers comes with a premium moulded leather sheath with a lanyard attached, so you will always have your pliers safe and secure when on the water. www.wilsonfishing.com

Black Magic Equalizer Twin Pin Pro

Mustad 6.5” Pliers

PRO

RUNNER UP

The best just got better, with Black Magic’s new Equalizer Twin Pin Pro. Whether you’re using a bent butt or straight butt rod, it gives you maximum leverage and no restrictions. As the name suggests, the patent pending Twin Pin Pro has two pins, one in the traditional recessed position, and a new pin in the front of the rod bucket. This gives you maximum leverage whether you’re using a straight butt or a bent butt rod, without the need for an adaptor. Simply choose the best pin for your style of rod, and you are fishing without restrictions. To make it even easier to battle that dream fish, you can match the Twin Pin Pro with ever-popular Equalizer harness. The lightweight harness/webbing can be worn all day, then you simply slip on the gimbal in seconds when the fish strikes. It allows you to apply greater pressure on the fish without increasing strain on your back, arms and legs, and it’s also lighter and less bulky than other harnesses, without sacrificing strength. www.blackmagictackle.com

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Venom Ocean Gladiator

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Venom Ocean Gladiator

Daiwa Spartan S74-4/5

The team at Venom Rods has designed a series of rods to take on the biggest predators in the ocean – the Ocean Gladiator series. Within the range are four rods: a 15kg slick butt stroker, 24kg slick butt stroker, 37kg slick butt stroker and a 60kg bent butt stand up rod for when things are getting serious! All rods in the range feature ALPS Zirconium guides that are constructed from SS316 anti-rust stainless in a one-stamp finish to increase strength and reduce weight. The rods also make use of the ALPS CAH reel seat, a reel seat that is built from marine grade aluminium and presents with a locking centre hood and a newly designed hexagon locking nut for the ultimate in reel security. Of course, the Venom Ocean Gladiator series is built on the high modulus Venom blank, a blank that provides incredible lightness and unparalleled strength. This ensures that while fighting a fish, the angler is not unnecessarily fatigued from fighting the weight of the outfit and can concentrate on using the strength in the Venom blank to dictate terms to the most stubborn of fish. www.wilsonfishing.com

The Spartan rod series brings X45 Cobrashield technology to offshore saltwater rods for the first time, delivering a range of technique specific actions that outcast, outperform ad outclass all others. X45 Cobrashield is 25% more efficient than standard X45 technology, significantly reducing blank twist and distortion. With increased torsional stiffness, Spartan is able to resist blank twist during casting and jigging. The Spartan series also features HVF Nanoplus graphite blanks, 3DX carbon to increase lifting power and V-Joint to increase joint strength. Equipped with Fuji stainless steel SiC guides and reel seats, this battler is offshore ready! There’s 13 rods in the range (10 spin, 3 overhead), and it was the S74-4/6 model that was runner up for Best Game Fishing Rod at the 2019 AFTA show. This model is perfect for many lure casting and jigging scenarios offshore, from GT popping, stickbaiting on reef flats, and even jigging. This model is 224cm long, has a heavy action, breaks down at the butt, and will cast weights from 50-100g! www.daiwafishing.com.au

Daiwa Spartan S74-4/5

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Chasebaits Smuggler

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Barambah Lures Bony Shad

The Smuggler is a water blooping, rattling walker with a very life-like swimming bird action. This new lure has a long tail to simulate tail feathers, a matching head feather, and colours to imitate the most common birds that big fish feed on. As The Smuggler walks, its wings splash and make a very noticeable blooping noise while the wide body action attracts the attention of nearby fish. Designer Grainger Mayfield said the lure took a long time to perfect. “A good walker must have perfect balance and sit well in the water,” he explained, “and the challenge was to combine those qualities with a lifelike bird shape. The Smuggler definitely isn’t your typical rattling walker; we’ve designed it to provide maximum attraction, including a blooping noise that predators can’t resist.” The Smuggler is available now in 65mm and 90mm sizes, and has ultra-strong BKK hooks and an extremely robust body. It comes in six colours, including budgie, black cockatoo and sparrow. To see it in action search for ‘Chasebaits Smuggler’ on YouTube. Price: SRP $26.95 www.chasebaits.com.au

RUNNER UP Barambah Lures Bony Shad

The swimbait craze is still well and truly alive in Australia, and Barambah Lures have continues to push the envelope for innovation and originality! The Barambah Lures Bony Shad is no exception, and is the perfect bait to imitate a bony bream or other herring found in many fresh and saltwater bodies around Australia. The Bony Shad is irresistible on the sink, the lift and the slow wind, making it incredibly versatile, and not just a bait for specific conditions. The Barambah Lures’ original Interchangeable Weight System allows the angler to change up the weight (35 or 48g) and therefore the sink rate of this incredibly life-like swimbait, making it easy to adapt to different situations. At a length of 120mm, or 4.7”, this is the perfect snack size for a hungry Murray cod, barramundi, mulloway, or other big predator that enjoys a decent meal, and it has the hardware to handle it! The six eye-catching lures make it easy to match the baitfish in a variety of areas all over the country. This is an Aussie swimbait for Aussie fish! www.barambahlures.com

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To meet the demands of anglers and the hard-fighting species they target, the pull strength of the new Ocea 8 is up to 25% greater than the previous Ocea EX8 for the same diameter. A premium quality braided line manufactured in Japan, the new Ocea 8 has been designed to match Shimano’s flagship Stella SW and Ocea Jigger series. This line uses Shimano’s exclusive Izansas X-Filament Fibres and ‘Tough Cross’ braiding technology, so it is more manageable in the water and on a reel, and also has increased abrasion resistance. Shimano Exclusive Heat Sink Coating also means any heat build-up from guide friction and drag pressure is evenly distributed to maintain line performance. Ocea 8 is multi-coloured, and available in eight breaking strains from PE 1.5 (30lb) through to PE 10 (139lb), in 300m spools from 30-41lb, 400m spools from 58-137lb) and 500m in 139lb. Price RRP from $139 www.shimanofish.com.au

FINS Fighter PRT Braid RA

When going after big game fish, there’s no replacement for quality, and having quality braid will put you in a much better position to land that fish of a lifetime. Daiwa’s new Saltiga 12 Braid UVF (Ultra Volume Fibre) brings quality to the table and covers just about every casting and jigging situation you can think of, coming in poundages from 13-130lb. Made from UVF and Evo silicone, Saltiga 12 is the ultimate high-density braid, exhibiting supreme abrasion residence and superior strength. A reduced diameter provides an ultra-

smooth surface for less friction/resistance on the guides and spool rim, allowing for longer, smoother casting, less noise, minimal water penetration and incredible sensitivity. Saltiga 12 is the ultimate heavy duty jigging and casting line for big game fish. It’s colour-coded in 10, 5 and 1m increments to allow you full line control, and come in 200m spools from 13-31lb, 300m spools from 36-130lb, ad 44m spools from 100-118lb. Price: RRP from $99 www.daiwafishing.com.au

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Daiwa Saltiga 12 EX UVF PE+Si,

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FINS Fighter PRT Braid differs from the original PRT in that they have improved the resin system that is applied, as well as the method to apply it. This results in a rounder, more abrasion resistant product that has a better strength to weight ratio than the original PRT. Fighter PRT is also somewhat firmer than its predecessor, without being stiff, and this allows for better performance in regards to casting distance and reduces the chances of rod tip wrapping. Features include 100% Spectre Fibre, high strength durability and is a 4-carrier braid. This line is ideal for all tough, predatory fish. Fighter PRT Braid comes in poundages from 10-60lb, in spools of 150yrds (1060lb), 300yrds (20-60lb), 600yrds (20-60lb), 1200yrds (20-60lbs) and 4000yrds (20-60lb). www.jmgillies.com.au

FINS Fighter PRT Braid

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Shimano Ocea 8 PE Braid

Daiwa Saltiga 12 BEX UVF PE+Si

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Barambah Lure Fastening System

JOHN DUNPHY AWARD FOR INNOVATION RUNNER UP

Mustad InkVader

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Matt Fraser from Barambah Lures is well known for his timber lures, but he recently made the crossover to production ABS hardbody Lures, all featuring the new Lure Fastening System. “I couldn’t keep up with demand in timber lures,” he explained. “So I went to production lures that are more affordable and can incorporate a heap of innovative features.” Using a built-in stainless steel threaded nut and screw, the Lure Fastening System allows bibs, weights and claws to be easily attached or changed, to quickly adjust a lure’s action, buoyancy or appearance. Topwater lures can be changed from a paddler to a wakebait. The divers can be changed from shallow to deep, and the soft claws of the Hectic Yabbie can be swapped out if damaged, or to change claw colours. The swimbaits have a hidden weight chamber, so you can adjust buoyancy, giving them a depth range from 2-30ft plus! All this is done using a phillips head screwdriver, which comes supplied in the pack. There are nine hardbait models in a range of proven colours. Price: from $34.95 www.barambahlures.com

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Barambah Lure Fastening System

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The 2019 AFTA show was once again oozing with originality and innovation, but Mustad have really taken it to the next level with the amazing new InkVader! The Mustad InkVader is a revolutionary TPE octopus soft bait that is built to look and move like a live octopus. The InkVader even squirts non-toxic and soluble scented ink from tablets that can be added to the head cavity! Whether you’re bouncing the lure off the bottom, slow trolling or slow pitch jigging this lure, the InkVader is the closest thing you’ll ever get to the real thing. The deception is real! The InkVader comes pre-rigged with wickedly sharp Mustad Assist hooks that are forged for extra strength and feature a needlesharp point for ease of penetration. Available in three sizes and 10 weight configurations from 60g through to 340g, the InkVader comes to the market in nine brilliantly natural colours that represent real octopus from around the world! www.wilsonfishing.com

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Mustad InkVader

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Skypoint Link-Micro Camera

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Skypoint Link-Micro Camera

Yeti Tundra Haul

The Link-Micro from Spypoint is the easiest-to-use, most affordable, and smallest cellular trail camera available on the market. It’s the answer for everyone who said cellular trail camera technology was too expensive and too complicated. The Link-Micro is a photo-mode only camera, with multi-shot mode capabilities. Given its small size, there is no menu screen for setup, all camera settings are managed in the Spypoint app, where you can also view images. A simple, three-step process activates the Link-Micro using the free app. The app also allows the user to change settings, monitor camera status, and view images from virtually anywhere in the world. The Spypoint Link-Micro uses the 4G network, has a trigger speed of 0.5s, and has a flash range of 80ft. It’s powered by eight AA batteries (not included) and is compatible with the 12V battery kit and the range extending antenna. It’s also backed by Spypoint’s ‘Know you’re covered’ 2-year warranty. For a full list of specifications visit www.spypoint.com. www.jmgillies.com.au

In response to customer demand, Yeti has released a new cooler on wheels, the Tundra Haul, which Yeti says is the toughest cooler on two wheels. The NeverFlat Wheels feature a solid, single-piece tyre construction that is impact- and puncture-resistant. The StrongArm Handle is a durable welded aluminium arm with comfortable grips. The curved design tracks left or right for heel-friendly towing. With rotomoulded construction, this cooler is armoured to the core and virtually indestructible. It has Permafrost Insulation, consisting of pressure-injected commercial-grade polyurethane foam in the walls and lid, so your ice lasts longer. Other features include heavy-duty rubber T-Rex lid latches, robust NeverFail hinge system, and recessed LipGrip handles moulded into the side of the cooler. It measures around 28.5 x 18.5 x 19.5” (72 x 47 x 50cm) and is available in three colours – white, tan and blue. Price: SRP $599.95 au.yeti.com

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Yeti Tundra Haul

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Daiwa 19 Certate LT 5000 ARK

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Daiwa 19 Certate LT 5000 ARK

Shimano Stradic FL 2500 HG

The release of the 19 Certate LT combines Daiwa’s most advanced technologies an designs and elevates those traits to a whole new level, with their Light & Tough (LT) concept, reducing reel size while at the same time increasing strength and power. Made in Japan, the foundation of the 19 Certate LT is its aluminium MQ Monocoque body, which eliminates the need for a side plate and allows for a more rigid body and larger gears, for improved winding power and torque. The new super-sized, ultra-strong machine-cut forged Tough Digigear is 2mm larger in diameter than its closest competitor and rotation efficiency is up to 15%, creating an effortless feel when retrieving. Additional feature like a super-rigid stainless steel main shaft, Log Cast Abs spool, Magseal, ATD drag, One-piece Air Bail, new Drag Knob, Perfect Line Stopper, machined Aluminium Air Handle, and Air Rotor make the 19 Certate LT Daiwa’s most advanced Certate ever. Price: RRP from $629 www.daiwafishing.com.au

The new Stradic FL will carry forward most of the Shimano technologies that have made the Stradic series so strong, durable and uncompromising. The Micromodule Gear II ensures that the gears can align and perform with minimal resistance, and SilentDrive technology educes the smallest of clearance gaps and tolerances within the gearing system. The Hagane Gear has been upgraded for added strength and smoothness. On top of all this, X-Protect has also been added to the Stradic FL. The internal labyrinth-type structure gives the reel a superior level of water-resistant performance without impeding the rotation or lightness of the reel. The new Long Stroke Spool has been incorporated to improve casting distance, giving you the ability to cover more water when fishing. The 1000, 2500 and 4000 models have felt washer drags whilst the C3000 and C5000 models have upgraded cross carbon drags. With 6+1 ARC ball bearings, the new Stradic is sure to impress anyone who picks it up. Price: SRP $339.95-$389.95 www.shimanofish.com.au

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Shimano Terez Spin 69MH

TD Commander is a name forged from the beginning of the ‘Team Daiwa’ movement in Japan. The new TD Commander rod series debuts brand new Daiwa X45 Cobrashield technology, bringing this series to the forefront of Australian angling and rod design. X45 Cobrashield takes everything to the next level, and is 25% more efficient than standard X45 technology, significantly reducing blank twist and distortion. Featuring HVF Nanoplus blanks, TD Commander rods feel like nothing in the hand. 3DX further stiffens up the base of the rods near the handle, eliminating unwanted flex. Daiwa’s newest and most advanced Air Sensor reel seats are made from a lightweight carbon infused resin, and represent the pinnacle of reel seat design.Daiwa’s innovative AGS and Fuji TiSic guide train is unique and unparalleled in performance. Titanium framed Fuji SiC guides on the lower section of the rod with AGS guides above, control the line out through the tip, and deliver unmatched sensitivity. Price: RRP from $499 www.daiwfishing.com.au

The legend continues, the new Terez series of rods built on Spiral-X and Hi-Power X blanks are the ultimate saltwater enforcer. This is the most advanced Terez Shimano has built to date. The Terez series of rods has built up tough as nails reputation amongst Aussie anglers. For 2019, the Terez series has been upgraded by the engineers at Shimano and now features the exclusive Spiral-X and Hi-Power X blank technology. Extremely lightweight and powerful, the 23-model line-up features models based on the original Terez series, with additional models based on the actions of the TCurve and Deep Jig models. Shaped EVA grips and custom Shimano reel seats have been incorporated and the blanks are fitted with Fuji BKW Alconite framed guides to ensure durability and performance in saltwater conditions. If you’re serious about offshore fishing, be sure to check out this range of awardwinning and proven saltwater rods from Shimano. Price: RRP from $319.95 www.shimanofish.com.au

Daiwa TD Commander 742 LXS

Shimano Terez Spin 69MH

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Daiwa TD Commander 742 LXS

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Zerek Weedless Fish Trap

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The Phantom Spider looks as good as it fishes. Just like the rest of the Lunkerhunt range, it is incredibly lifelike and a proven performer. It features a hollow body weedless design and walking legs that stride, glide, and twitch as the spider is worked across the water surface. The Phantom Spider features a self-righting ballast in its sternum to ensure a consistent natural action that aligns with the realism of the design. It comes in six colours, which are modelled on real spider patterns, and is sure to draw some curiosity from opportunistic predators. At a length of 2 inches (main torso) and a weigh of 1/4oz, this bait can be comfortably cast on light tackle and is a great snack for bass, bream, trout, sooties and jungle perch. Make sure you grab one and see what all the hype is about! www.ejtodd.com.au

Lunkerhunt Phantom Spider

The Zerek Weedless Fish Trap is a brilliant adaptation to the already amazingly successful Fish Trap! This lure features all the same swimming characteristics as the Fish Trap, but has been uniquely designed to give a weedless presentation. The features include a replaceable single worm hook that is positioned point down to provide exceptional hooking in the bottom jaw, a built-in hook trap to keep the worm hook in place while fishing, the innovative and Zerek-owned crush slits that expose the hook point when fish strike and a construction from the tough TPE material that gives strength and movement to the lure! This means you can fish this lure in exactly the same places and in exactly the same way as you fish your existing Fish Traps, but you can now explore the most snag-ridden places for the most wary and cautious fish that are usually the largest! It means the days of worrying where the snags are in case you lose your lure are finished, and it means that the Fish Trap is still many steps ahead of the competition. 13 colours will be initially available and the

Zerek Weedless Fish Trap

weedless Fish Trap will be available only in the 95mm version for the time being. Brilliance rarely strikes more than once, but here it is! www.wilsonfishing.com

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Costa Del Mar Rinconcito

The award-winning Spotters Zane is built for performance and style. This is one model that can take you from fishing to fashion in no time at all. The lightweight frame coupled with Spotters’ signature Crown glass lens options combine to create the ultimate pair of sunglasses for both males and females. The Zane is currently available in the following lenses: Photochromic Halide, Photochromic Carbon Grey, Ice (blue mirror), Nexus (green mirror) and CR-39 Grey. Photochromic Carbon Grey is a new option in Spotters’ photochromic range, which includes four lenses that automatically go lighter or darker in response to a combination of UV, general light and temperature. To browse the Spotters range or find your nearest stockist, head to www. spotters.com.au. You can also look them up on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ SpottersSunglasses), follow them on Instagram (@spotterssunglasses) or check them out on YouTube (SpottersTV). www.spotters.com.au

Almost 30 years ago, a group of anglers in Florida had a goal: to design a pair of sunglasses to help them better See What’s Out There. Costa Del Mar have come a long way since those days, but the fact is, their passion hasn’t changed at all. They’re still in Florida, and still happiest when the sun is up and they’re fishing out on the water, just like Australian – and they’re still obsessed with making the best lenses on the planet. Now Costa would like to introduce the little brother to Costa’s Rincon frame, Rinconcito blends West Coast style lines and edgy curved temples. This medium style, named for the iconic Southern California right point break, features bio-resin construction, polarized 100% UV Protection Lenses, integral spring hinges, and Hydrolite nose and temple pads. As anglers, we devote our lives to chasing the most remote places that bring us to life. That’s why Costa developed the best sunglasses in the world to help us reach these soughtafter locales. Because Costas are more than sunglasses, they’re the badge of the explorer. www.rapala.com.au

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Wilson Tackle Backpack

BEST TACKLE MANAGEMENT RUNNER UP

Plano Edge Stowaway 500

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Plano Edge Stowaway 500

Wilson Tackle Backpack

Plano have once again stolen the show for tackle management, with their new Edge Master series, and specifically the Crankbait SM taking out top honours. This amazing new concept will change the way people think about lure storage. The Edge Master series has all the same features as the Professional series, along with tackle specific designs. The Edge Master Terminal has unique liftout trays for weights, hooks and small parts. The Crankbait SM and XL have silicone fingers hat protect lures, hooks and finishes. This is the concept that stole the Show at AFTA 2019, and helped them to take out the Best Tackle Management category at the show. These are available in both shallow and deep models. The Jig and Spinnerbait models feature adjustable, removable dividers and side moulded handles. For ultimate protection and longevity for your expensive lures, there’s nothing better than the Edge Master series from Plano! www.jmgillies.com.au

Designed specifically for fishing, the Wilson Digital Camo Backpack offers a host of features to anglers that will make their day fishing just that little bit easier. At the heart of the new system is the side access to the internal cargo area. The side access allows anglers to easily keep the backpack over one shoulder while accessing the internal cargo area. This is great as there is no longer any need to completely remove the backpack while you’re on the water fishing. Other features that excite in this backpack include three tackle trays inside the main cargo area. There are two standard large trays and one large tray that has no dividers for bigger lures such as swimbaits and surface lures. Combined these boxes allow a mountain of tackle to be taken with you. An external sunglass holder and a retractable tool lanyard are also included to make life as simple as it can be on the water. There are also four external zippered pockets for accessories such as leader, fishing gloves and more, as well as two Velcro secured tool holders and a massive front flap with even more storage for things such as plastics, spare hooks and more. The Wilson Digital Camo Backpack really is a complete tackle kit and while it can easily be used while hiking and fishing, this backpack will also serve as a complete kit for your boat or when you’re jumping on someone else’s boat. www.wilsonfishing.com

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WINNER Halco Single Strand Wire Traces

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energy leakage. It’s fully adaptable to all marine batteries, and installation is easy and Yeti SideKick Dry can be completed in less than 15 minutes. ANBI also provides a theft deterrent waterproof gear case by virtually immobilising the vehicle when The SideKick Dry is designed to keep activated. This can result in significant your most important items accessible, savings on insurance premiums. secure, and 100% dry. This waterproof The ANBI Switch is designed and gear case is the worry-free way to carry manufactured in Australia, is anti-corrosive, your keys, wallet and phone safe. and exceeds international standards for salt Some waterproof cases can be fiddly to and sea spray. open and close, but not the SideKick Dry. Its Price: SRP $39.99 Hydroshield Closure uses powerful magnets www.afn.com.au to create a 100% waterproof shield, and it opens and closes quickly and easily. Its tough-as-nails DryHide Shell uses similar materials and construction as high RUNNER UP TIED performance whitewater rafts. It’s completely Scotty Kayak Fishing waterproof and resistant to puncture and UV Starter Pack rays, ensuring Mother Nature won’t touch your valuables, and the RF-welded seams Scotty is recognised as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of rod holder repel any sign of wetness. The SideKick Dry Gear Case Measures mounts. With innovative designs and 18.1cm x 29.8cm x 8.3cm, and is available many versatile mounting options, you’ll in three colours. It’s designed to be secured be able to find the exact combination to any model Yeti Hopper Two, Hopper Flip, you’re looking for. Hopper BackFlip, Camino Carryall or Panga Scotty also caters to beginners. The Kayak Fishing Starter Pack includes a 282 Backpack using the HitchPoint Grid. Baitcaster Spinning Rod Holder with Gear Price: SRP $69.94 Head and Track-Holds a baitcaster reel au.yeti.com securely in the cushioned cradle. RUNNER UP TIED 438 Gear Head Track Adapter-slide the Gear Head into any of our 440 series ANBI Battery Switch track, just twist the gear head clockwise to Even when your ignition key is off, there securely lock. are still components that draw current 440-4 4” Low Profile Track-top load and continue to drain your battery. That’s design allows for quick and easy setup. why it’s common to find it flat when you 311 Drink Holder-fits cans, coffee mugs to go to start a boat or ride-on mower and insulated sleeves mean you can enjoy a after it has been sitting for an extended refreshment while out in the kayak. period. This is both inconvenient and 136 Paddle Clip-holds your paddle, net, costly, as a completely flat dead battery gaff and boat hook. 455 Baitboard and can often become damaged if left Accessory Tray-Exterior tray walls lets you cut bait and prep lures. Also included are uncharged for too long. The ANBI Battery Switch is a simple, your Stainless steel fasteners. high quality, robust solution to solve this If you’re thinking of getting into kayak problem. The Switch eliminates drainage of fishing, make sure you check out the Scotty stored power by isolating the battery from Kayak Fishing Starter pack! power-hungry components, and general www.jmgillies.com.au

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Halco Single Strand Wire Traces

Many anglers consider the eye of the baitfish to be a strike trigger to predators, and the eyes on TT Lures’ Big EyeZ make for a big trigger! These premium hand-painted jigheads were created in response to customer requests, and feature a realistic sculptured fish head profile and bulging 3D eyes, as well as the proven ‘head lock’ grub keeper system to make rigging easy, and lock your soft plastic in place. These jigheads are built on brutally strong Mustad black nickel chemically-sharpened hooks for solid hook sets and holding power. These new jigheads are available in a variety of colours, including versions with glow eyes, to complement your favourite soft plastics and match the hatch. Big EyeZ jigheads are available in the following models: 1/4oz 3/0, 3/8oz 3/0, 3/8oz 5/0, 1/2oz 5/0, 3/4oz 7/0, 1oz 7/0. www.tackletactics.com.au

TTs Big EyeZ Jigheads

Halco’s new Single Strand Wire Traces are based around American Fishing Wires premium American-made stainless steel, pre-straightened wire. These new traces come in two lengths and three different breaking strains, giving you plenty of options for a quick, easy trace that you can count on at short notice. There are short 25cm traces for all your shore and boat-based casting needs and longer 50cm traces that should get the trolling crew in the water quickly and with a minimum of fuss, should the toothy brigade turn up. Available in breaking strains of 58lb, 86lb and 105lb, these packs of five individual traces also feature a premium rolling swivel at one end, and Halco’s popular cross lock snaps at the other. They are all beautifully finished with tight and precise haywire twist connections. For more information check out the new Single Strand Wire video on Halco’s YouTube channel. www.halcotackle.com

Scotty Kayak Fishing Starter Pack

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The spring fishing action is on the up and up ILLAWARRA

Greg Clarke clarkey1@westnet.com.au

October is transition time when those cold incessant westerlies slowly turn to northeasters, and only light ones at that. You get a lot of good days on the water, and as a bonus the fishing is on the up and up. The reefs with a bit of good structure or drop-offs are good places to start, with a bit of variety starting to show as well.

down to the Banks, which will hold masses of kings to 20kg+ over the next couple of months. Why the kings don’t gather like this anymore over our local reefs but still do at the Banks is anyone’s guess. Many more great sharp reefs and drops may be the reason, and good current helps too. Mixed with the snapper and kings are some solid trevally that don’t mind chewing on knife jigs and plastics, and a few samsonfish will be in the mix as well. That fish you’ve

good shake. The smaller fish are good on the plate but the bigger ones should only be taken on if you have solid shark experience. They don’t call them blue dynamite for nothing. In closer the same method will score a few reds as well, with smaller fish hanging about the shallower reefs and bommies, particularly in the evenings. A lot of tailor are being picked up just on dark, along with a few smaller kingfish. Most of the kingies are under legal size, and they can be a nuisance as they still

A standard spring king with Port Kembla in the background. Good reefs in the Illawarra are hard to come by these days, as the anchors and huge chains from the massive coal and iron ore ships that lay off the coast destroy the bottom every time there is a wind change of direction. They drag over the bottom, obliterating everything in their path, and over the decades they have pretty much levelled the ocean floor off the coast. Fortunately, places like Bandit and Wollongong reef still have some drops and edges, and so still attract fish, but almost all the other smaller reefs I used to fish are much less pronounced and in some places flattened. Kings will start to gather this month around any pronounced structure, so working an area with your sounder and dropping jigs and live baits down to the fish will be a good option. Patches of bait are worth dropping to as well, with big plastics an option as there will be some decent snapper over the reefs this month as well. Even areas that seem barren are worth a working over if you can find a tight patch of bait in mid water or close to the bottom. You may not mark any snapper but there is an odds-on chance that they will not be far away. They are usually good fish too in the 2-5kg range, and in this deeper water of 30-60m you will need a fair size jighead to get down to where they live. The kings are usually all of legal length or better at this time of year, with fish to 8kg fairly common. The bigger fish will be heading

hooked that’s fighting like a ripping big snapper may turn out to only be an average samson, as they go pretty hard and punch well above their weight. If you find an area with some bait and a few fish, try putting the anchor down and laying out a bit of a berley trail. There is usually less current around at this time of the year, and your lightly weighted baits will get right down to the fish. Small makos often cruise into the berley trails

fight hard and waste time only to be released. Further offshore there should still be a few yellowfin tuna about after a fabulous winter run of big fish up to 80kg. October has always been a good month for fin. It’s a shame they are only a random occurrence at the whim of the currents these days, and they are so far out, generally beyond the reach of most small boats. Some small boat anglers still take it on though, and I saw one guy in a 4.8m tinnie had gone

It’s that time again when the whales head back south, with little ones in tow. Keep an eye out for them. at this time of year, and the schools of gemfish are still hanging about. The inshore bottom bouncers are starting to get amongst the flathead over most of the sand patches now that the water has warmed a little and there are a few baitfish about. A feed is pretty much guaranteed each trip, but the barracouta have been a bit of a problem, snipping off a bit of gear. Over the reefs and gravel there are patches of small snapper and mowies with the usual pigfish, trevally and samsonfish thrown in just to keep you guessing. The best is yet to come over the coming months and it will improve every week from here on in. Just remember too that the whales will be heading back south for the summer and they will have calves with them so keep an eye out as you don’t want to hit one. On the beaches a few early whiting have started to show up but don’t go rushing

There are some yellowfin about in different sizes. There are small ones like this, and ones that will eat this for breakfast. Literally. in October, with a range of sizes from little babies of only a few kilos to the average fish of 20-30kg – and there’s always the chance that a big mamma will show up as well. Makos are beautiful to watch in the water as they come right to the boat, and more often than not give the berley pot a

65km offshore and scored a solid tuna. Good luck to him, but if the weather turns you are in a world of pain and all alone. Is it really worth it? There are some solid albacore about if the fin don’t play, and there is always the option of deep dropping over the canyons. There is much less current

out just yet and expect a bucket full. They are very patchy and few in number, but if you enjoy a challenge then this is for you, and beach worms are a musthave bait. Salmon and tailor are still the go-to species and are showing up on most beaches – just look for a good gutter on the top of the

tide in the late afternoon or early morning. A few bream are mixing it with them, so if the guts keep getting eaten out of your pillies try a smaller bait on a single hook. That should sort them out. The odd flathead has even popped up in catches, and they will only get more numerous as the weeks go by. A few school mulloway and the odd larger fish are about but their movements have been pretty random, with no clue as to where they will show up next. Usually you can track a school as they move along the beaches, but not lately. You have to just pick a good gutter, put in the time and hope. The estuaries are in wake-up mode as the shallows start to warm and the small fish and prawns shake off the winter blues only to be eaten by larger predators. Flathead are

starting to show, and if we get a bit of a run of prawns on the next dark they should really get going, along with a few better whiting and bream. Live prawns are worth chasing as they get nailed by everything that swims in the lake, but if you are not that keen then prawnstyle plastics will get a good reception too. The drop-off and over at Tallawarra and even Berkeley are worth a look, and like everything else they will get better as we head into summer. Live prawns fished unweighted in the snags of the feeder streams will find some big bream. You have a choice to make here – use line heavier than 3kg and get hardly any bites, or use light 2kg line and get the bites before being busted off in the snags. You win some and you lose some; it’s a trade-off and a whole lot of fun!

• Family friendly park • Private Boat Ramp & Jetty • Close to Clubs and Pubs • Accommodation to suit any budget • Kiosk for the fisherman & family

Phone: (02) 4441 2112 enquiries@rivieracaravanpark.com.au 158 River Rd, Sussex Inlet www.rivieracaravanpark.com.au

Great Lifestyle is FOR SALE! Opportunity! This park Enquire within. OCTOBER 2019

Taylor terrorises bream at brand new arena As a company, Shimano is known for its green credentials. There are many versions of its Green Procurement Policy, which means that all of their raw ingredients and suppliers of raw ingredients aren’t using substances that are dangerous – for staff, customers or the environment. Its company mission is “to promote health and happiness through the enjoyment of nature and the world around us.” It was a no-brainer then for Shimano, through their brand Squidgies, to sign up to be the naming sponsor of the first ever ABT BREAM event to be run on the ABT Tournament Series app. As such, 28 of Australia’s keenest bream anglers tackled a new ABT bream arena to not only fight it out for thousands of dollars worth of cash and prizes, but also to contribute towards the community monitoring of the area’s bream populations. Every bream caught was recorded – whether they were yellowfin or pikey – by taking a photo on the official ABT ruler and weights were

TRISTAN TAYLOR’S WINNING TACKLE Rod: Reel: Line: Lure:

Triston Taylor complied a great winning bag of mostly pikey bream and as it turns out, he likes these dark, brutish battlers… really likes them! calculated with length-weight curves for each species. The photos were then used by the Gladstone Healthy Harbours Partnership to help monitor the disease status of the specimens caught. With an aim of 300 bream for the event, anglers took advantage of the excellent fishing in the arena to tally nearly 500 fish through the app. Over 350 of these were on the tournament days, with the others caught on the practice day.

The result? Happy anglers, happy scientists and an arena that promises to be one of ABT’s best in coming years. Brisbane breamer Tristan Taylor is having quite a year on tour. After a couple of third place finishes at the start of the season on the Victorian leg, Taylor committed to ‘having a go’ at the Angler of the Year (AOY) title and hasn’t looked back. His win at Gladstone was his second in two starts and he would have never dreamed

that his two Victorian third placings would end up being the worst of his five events that count towards his final point score. Mathematically, Charlie Saykao could have won AOY with an unlikely combination of finishes, but Taylor slammed the door on his first national AOY title with only 7/8 qualifying rounds completed. Both of his bags were dominated by dark, pikey bream, which he tempted

BOATER RESULTS Place Name 1 Tristan Taylor 2 Peter Cashman 3 Steve Morgan 4 Denis Metzdorf 5 Charlie Saykao 6 Wally Fahey 7 Alan Lister 8 Michael Thompson 9 Stephen Wilson 10 Craig Templar

Total Fish Total Weight (kg) Prize 10 5.76 $1500 + $500 (Big Bream) 10 5.1 $750 10 4.67 $500 + $500 Mercury Bonus 10 4.54 $300 Mercury Bonus 10 4.01 $200 Mercury Bonus 10 3.36 Shimano Outfit (Smallest Fish) 8 2.7 8 2.61 Shimano Outfit (Pre-fish Champion) 7 2.59 10 2.42

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888 80

OCTOBER 2019

Samurai Reaction 201 2500 Megabass reel 6lb Unitika braid with 6lb leader Ecogearaqua Bream Prawn in white rigged weightless, 2.5” ZMan GrubZ in motor oil rigged on Atomic Seekerz jighead

using two different patterns. His main deal involved casting a 2.5” motor-oil coloured ZMan GrubZ, rigged on an Atomic Seekerz jighead, into the current-licked rock banks in clear water in Gladstone Harbour proper. With hook-ups happening within close proximity of the snaggy shore, fights were brutal, short and not all of them ended in Taylor’s favour. Rotating between a milk run of suitable spots, Taylor easily completed his virtual bag, logging a limit in less than two hours. It was a couple of kicker fish that distanced him from the rest of the field on the first day though. Fishing a ferry dock in the northern harbour, one of the few pieces of artificial structure allowed in the complex arena, Taylor mined a couple of great bream, including the Daiwa J-Braid Big Bream of 1.1kg, by casting an unweighted Ecogearaqua at the floating structure.

And he did it with an audience. The highlights video (scan QR Code hereby) shows the excitement of fishing with excited onlookers. An Atomic sponsored angler, Taylor coupled his favourite Samurai Reaction rod with a 2500 size Megabass reel spooled with Unitika braid and 6lb leader to win more of the fights than he lost. Leaving day one with a 500g lead on the rest of the field, he was confident that he could replicate the numbers, if not the size of his day one bag. With a strengthening nor’westerly wind on day two, many anglers struggled in open areas of the arena. Taylor wasn’t immune to the tightening of weights. His 2kg class bag was a little over half his first day haul, yet it was ample to take the win, $2,000 in prize money and have his name etched in the record books as the first breamer to win an app-only bream qualifier.

Scan the QR code to see the Tristan Taylor interview.

Scan the QR code to see the Stuart Walker interview.

BREAM Series presented by

Cashman cheques in at Gladstone Peter Cashman was another B r i sba ne breamer who cashed in at Gladstone. Cashman wasn’t deterred by the thought of a challenge, and spent time on Google Earth and re-watched AFC Series 10 to gain an insight to the new arena. Following a pre-fish day laden with by-catch and some promising action on the bream in the Calliope River, Cashman decided to head straight back there. Throughout the tournament, Cashman mostly used a rotation of ZMan plastics rigged on light jigheads to fish the structure in the Calliope River, and chose to fish these on his GLoomis DSR820 and Daiwa 2000 Sol set-ups spooled with 10lb Sunline Castaway braid and 6lb FC Rock leader. With a steady procession of by-catch

The second place boater Peter Cashman sifted through a lot of by-catch to put together a quality bag in Gladstone’s huge arena. and a mixture of yellowfin and pikey bream gracing his deck, Cashman was able to slowly put together respectable bags on both days, but struggled as Taylor did on day two with

the windy conditions. Cashman’s by-catch included Moses perch, estuary cod, javelin fish and trevally. It seems catching a fish wasn’t the challenge: it was just

catching the target species that proved difficult. An issue with Cashman’s day one non-boater Andrew Williams’ app saw him entering all fish caught that day, which he believes gave him good karma for day two! The big new arena meant he could focus his attention on several areas at different tidal stages, and he stuck religiously to the game plan he put together on pre-fish. With his rotation of ZMan soft plastics, he found myself mostly using heavier than usual jigheads to stay in touch with the lure in the strong winds, which plagued anglers for the whole tournament but got worse on day two. Cashman noted that he lost a lot of jigheads due to the rocky terrain he spent most of his time fishing, and a fair few bust-offs left him wondering what could have

Walker walks it in yet again Stuart Walker is to bream fishing tournaments what the All Blacks are to world rugby: virtually unbeatable, bullying and speaks with a New Zealand accent. Jokes aside, the diminutive and incessantly polite Walker is arguably the most dominant angler ABT has seen in any species at any time. His Gladstone win from the back of the boat sealed his 5th consecutive non-boater AOY title, a feat that’ll be ridiculously difficult to surpass in the foreseeable future. Like Taylor, he made it mathematically impossible for the rest of the field with an event to spare. Armed with his trademark tackle, his command of a ZMan GrubZ on a TT jighead is bordering legendary and there’s more than a quiet fist-pump when a boater draws him in the sharedweight Grand Final each year. Walker spent the two

tournament days fishing opposite sides of the mouth of the Calliope River. On day one he amassed 2.31kg, enough to slot him into third place. On the Sunday though, he switched gears and added another half-kilo to that tally, registering 2.80kg for his top five fish and sealing a splendid victory by just under 2kg. Walker has showed off

his winning combo in many interviews. The Daiwa Silverwolf 2-4kg rod and matching reel, loaded with 6lb 8-strand Daiwa braid and leader is a constant companion in a winner’s interview (scan the QR Code to watch his). Walker’s main advice for non-boaters who want to attain his consistency? Persistence.

“You never know when that bite window will be. I caught all of my weight in half an hour when the fish were on [in the] morning and you don’t do that when your line is in or you’re mucking around re-rigging,” he offered. It’s sage advice from the best there is on the rear deck. Additionally, Walker

been. With this in mind, he took solace in the probability that many of these may have been the angry tropical by-catch species that also plagued other anglers for the tournament. Cashman added three important fish to the bag on other techniques, which include crankbaiting with a Jackall Chubby, finesse fishing with a Gulp Shrimp and working over the top of snags with an O.S.P. Bent Minnow.

BREAM SERIES

With full bags both days, Cashman was able to amass a solid 10/10 fish limit of 5.10kg, and slid nicely into second place.

DAIWA J BRAID BIG BREAM

Taylor added $500 and a swag of Daiwa J-Braid to his kit with a 36.5cm, 1.1kg pikey. It ate a weightless rigged white Ecogearaqua, which was sight cast to the brute. Originally thinking it was a blubberlip, he quickly upped the ante when he realised it was a monster pikey! See the day one highlights video for the full capture. won a Squidgies rod and Shimano Nasci reel/ Kairiki braid combo by also amassing the smallest limit of bream for the weekend, which could be

Scan the QR code to see the Day 1 highlights.

calculated through his use of the app! His 5/5 for 0.56kg (derived from the app curves) bookended a commanding weekend of breamin’.

Scan the QR code to see the Day 2 highlights.

Stuart Walker (left) seems to be absolutely unstoppable, even at a venue where he has no previous tournament experience! Him and his boating counterpart Tristan Taylor (right) have had a stellar tournament season.

NON-BOATER RESULTS Place Name

Total Fish Total Weight (kg) Prize

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

10 9 7 10 5 7 10 9 7 9

Stuart Walker Jordan Armstrong Brendan Mcnamara Travis Ryan Andrew Williams Richard Wootten Sam Peck Tani Konsul Justin Reeves Glen Sturrock

5.11 3.32 3.01 2.84 2.74 2.62 2.57 2.21 2.12 1.86

$200 Hobie Bonus + Shimano Outfit (Smallest Bag) $100 Hobie Bonus $75 Hobie Bonus

It wasn’t all pikey bream at the Gladstone event, with some quality yellowfin also logged into the app. OCTOBER 2019

Copper captures win at Cania Matt Johnson has proved once again that he is a SEQ Impoundment specialist, taking yet another win in the Sufix ABT BASS Pro series. Matt is a resident Ipswich Police Officer, but fishes Cania Dam often despite it being over five hours drive away. He says it’s one of his favourite dams to fish. In the pre-fish, Johnson had some spots in mind that he had fished in a tournament only two weeks before. He set out to look at some weed edges he had caught fish from, and upon catching a good fish straight up, he decided to leave those areas for comp day. He went in search of some back up spots on the flats just inside the timber, where he also found fish, just not the size he felt would win comp. On day one, Johnson and his non-boater went straight to that weed edge. He picked up where he left off two weeks earlier, catching his five fish really quickly fishing a 67mm Jackall Squirrel jerkbait by ripping and pausing the lure along the weed face.

WINNING TACKLE Rod Reels Lure Line

Matt Johnson (right) is very much at home fishing in the weedy and timbered waters of Cania Dam. It was on the pause that he would get bit. He was only happy with one of them, which left him wondering if his jerkbait pattern from two weeks ago may have changed. He then set off to a flat just inside the trees and sat in 20-25ft, where he found a nice patch of fish. He manly used an Imakatsu IK 800, which is

a super deep crankbait, and by making a big cast, he could rip the lure down on the first couple of turns, then just slow roll it back through the suspended fish. This technique can be deadly in SEQ dams at this time of year, and proved to be this day, with Johnson upgrading eight times. He made it to the scales

with five bass for 6.39kg. On day two the weather had changed and was a lot colder, and Matt said that was that reason he didn’t go back to the flat that produced on the previous day. Matt is a jerkbait addict and knew the bigger fish would be sitting back in the weed. With that in mind, he set out in search

Lew’s Super Duty Custom Cast Rod 7’11 Medium, Barrabass 7’ custom spin Lew’s BB1 Pro Spool bait cast, Lew’s Custom spin 2000 Jackall Squirrel 61, 67 and 79mm, Imakatsu IK-800 R2 Sunline Siglon 10lb and 12lb, 12lb Sunline V-Hard Leader

of shallow weedy banks that he had not seen other boats on. He and his non-boater Dylan Byron dropped a fish each early, and they both knew how costly that was, as on this day they knew they wouldn’t get many opportunities. From here, Matt just put his head down and worked his butt off, rotating his three key baits, being the 61, 67 and 79mm Jackall Squirrels. He fished them by working them down the weed edges in no more than 8ft of water. Matt only got five more bites, but by making them stick he filled his limit of five fish, finishing with

Scan the QR code to see Matt Johnson Interview. 6.54kg and total weight of 12.93kg. This proved enough to take the win at the 2019 Sufix BASS Pro Bass Cat Boats round at Cania Dam.

BOATER RESULTS Place Name 1 Matt Johnson 2 Matthew Langford 3 Graham Ford 4 David Nelson 5 Jonathan Bale 6 Adrian Melchior 7 Greg Mitchell 8 Jake Schwerin 9 Keeghan Painter 10 Brett Hyde

Total Fish Total Weight (kg) Prize Money 10/10 12.93 $2,500 10/10 11.86 $1,500 10/10 11.42 $1,250 + $250 Evinrude Bonus 10/10 10.88 $1000 10/10 10.61 $800 10/10 10.60 $650 10/10 10.00 $600 10/10 9.99 10/10 9.96 9/10 9.46

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888 82

OCTOBER 2019

Cania is a great fishery that offers big bass like this that respond to a variety of techniques, as these two winners proved!

Bass Pro Series presented by

Langford guides himself to runner up Matt Langford lives in the South Burnett region, which isn’t far from Cania, and he also is a fishing charter operator and occasionally takes clients onto this wonderful lake, so you could say he knows this body of water pretty well! On day one Langford went up the back of the dam where he knew of some shags were nesting, targeting the area below with a topwater lure on one rod and jerkbait on another. He went to work on what he knew would be a short window of fish feeding under the nests. He picked up a good fish on a popper, followed by another on a Daiwa Double Clutch, and with that second fish the bite was done. He headed to some weed edges that are part of his milk run, fishing a Nories Laydown Minnow

(deep) and a Jackall Squirrel 61mm jerkbait, casting his lure tight to the weed and even ripping it free, and this was triggering bites. Doing this he landed a further six fish, and dropping a big one in the process. All up he ended up having a great first day, weighing five bass for 6.93kg and was sitting in first place overnight. On the second day Matty gave his good mate Mick Johnson his shag trees and went straight to fishing the weed edges the same way he had on day one. Day two, however, was totally different, and while his non-boater Luke Gilbert caught a nice fish early, no other fish came from this area, Matty had not even had a bite! His hope was starting to fade by the minute, and it wasn’t until about 10am that he headed out to the flats in

Matty Langford used his experience guiding on the lake to secure second place. You could say he knows the dam pretty well! search of schooled fish. He found a decent school, and so had a few other boats,

but most simply couldn’t get them to eat. His mate Barry

Reynolds was non-boating next to him, and gave him a pack of assist hooks that

hat some tinsel and fur on them, and told Matty to put them on a spoon. Matty did so, and began casting the new tricked up spoon, sinking it to the bottom and slowly hopping it before stating a slow retrieve. Almost immediately, he pulled up tight to a fish! Before too long, he and his non-boater were upgrading. Unfortunately they weren’t the size he needed to keep first place, with a weight of 4.93kg and total of 11.86kg, which had him finishing second by just over a kilo.

‘Pylon’ stands firm to take non-boater win Dylan ‘Pylon’ Byron hails from the Sunshine Coast and loves his bass fishing, and is also the 2018 ABT Non-Boater Angler of the Year, so he is a handy non-boater to have aboard in the shared weight system. The first day saw Byron paired with Dayne Price, and their first area was The Quay. They chose to fish in anywhere from 20-40ft with spoons. The pair would make long casts and let the spoons sink to the bottom, varying retrieves between hopping, burning or slow winding back to the boat. Catching a limit there after a while, the bite slowed and they moved over to a spot near the dam wall where they found suspended fish in around 30ft of water. With the fish holding anywhere from 20-15ft, once again casting spoons through them they found these were much better-sized fish and upgraded their whole limit of five bass, coming to the scales with a solid day one

He spent the rest of the day, as he said, watching a guy in the zone showing him a jerkbait masterclass, but was a gun with the net. They

came back with five fish for 6.54kg, giving him a total weight of 12.01kg and his first win of the 2019 Suffix BASS Pro series.

GARMIN BIG BASS Steve Kanowski took out the $500 Garmin big Bass with a 1.81kg Cania monster caught on a ZipBaits Trick Shad 70 SP 509 blue gill.

Non-boating powerhouse Dylan Byron managed a great win in his respective division, contributing to his boaters’ efforts throughout the tournament. bag of 5.47kg For day two Dylan was heading out with Matt Johnson and they went

straight to some shallow weed edges fishing jerkbaits, twitching and pausing them down the weed face. While

Dylan did hook a good fish early, unfortunately it buried him in the weeds and he lost it.

NON-BOATER RESULTS Place Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Dylan Byron James Hickson Geoff Newby David Simmons Matthew Gilbert Bill Rose Troy Lowe Trent Blake Jacob Luck John Francis

Total Fish Total Weight (kg) Prize 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10

12.01 11.84 11.71 11.14 10.71 10.34 9.77 9.72 9.59 9.33

Bassman Prize Pack + Sufix Bonus Fishtec Prize Pack Tackle Tactics Prize Pack Sufix Prize Pack Daiwa Prize Pack Sunline Prize Pack Keitech Prize Pack Lucky Craft Prize Pack Ecogear Prize Pack Shimano Prize Pack

Scan the QR code to see highlights from Cania. OCTOBER 2019

Venom decides to stay and play at BARRA Open From inception to presentation, the Venom Rods BARRA Australian Open, which was held on a rebounding Lake Awoonga in September, is sure to be the genesis of the next generation in BARRA events for ABT. Barra are caught, measured on the official measuring mat and the scoreboard calculates a weight based on Queensland DPI lengthweight curves generated over samples of thousands of impoundment fish. Featuring full live scoreboard coverage, an uncluttered mid-week format and a near 200% payback percentage, the 14 teams competing all knew they were a part of something special. VICTORY FOR VENOM Troy Dixon and Adam Meredith of Team Venom were able to secure victory for this first ever ABT BARRA Open, and they were part of the process from the start. It took Venom Rods, a brand of the Brisbane-based tackle manufacturer and importer Wilson Fishing, about five minutes to secure the naming rights to this event after it was tabled as a way to incorporate the rebounding southern barra dam fisheries. The idea was conceived while driving back from the 2018 Zerek BARRA Tour – an event also underwritten by Wilson Fishing. “Kord says that we want it, don’t talk to anyone else,”

Team Venom’s Troy Dixon and Adam Meredith look to be struggling under the weight of that winner’s trophy, or maybe they’re just excited to have won $5000 for going barra fishing – that’s one spicy meatball! said Wilson’s marketing manager Stephen Booth, just minutes after the initial phone call. The decision ended up more beneficial than initially envisaged. “We were hoping for 20 boats in the inaugural BARRA Open,” said ABT Director Steve Morgan, “but with the level of coverage this event offered, 10-100 boats would have the same result – a fascinating event to watch from the sidelines.” Another phenomenon in ABT events is the intervention of karma. We see it time and time again where a naming sponsor or their sponsored angler goes on and wins their pet event. It happens multiple times

every year, and the BARRA Open was no exception. Team Venom took an early lead after the first day and never relinquished it, as conditions remained challenging for all competitors over the three days. The team didn’t register a full five-fish limit for any of the three days, yet they were consistent and landed enough big barra bites to get the job done by a 10kg margin. Traditionally, barramundi like stable weather, and the week leading up to the event had constant warm days, firing up the barra. The open featured strong, fluctuating winds, a cold snap and a

barra bite that was feastor-famine for most of the competitors. This really brought the cream to the

explained. “There were laydowns everywhere and there were places where we literally couldn’t get the boat into if we had to chase a fish.” The gully they fished on the western side of the main basin had large amounts of standing and fallen timber. Team Venom used a variety of lures to tempt their barra, but refined them to a lightlyweighted and weedless paddle-tailed soft plastic presentation to achieve maximum fishability in their chosen area. Adam Meredith preferred a baitcast presentation, favouring a Daiwa Zillion HD baitcaster loaded with 30lb Sufix 832 braided line and a 50lb Wilsons FC leader on a Venom 2-4kg, 6’3” baitcast rod. On this, he cast a Keitech Fat Swing Impact (4.8” in gold flash minnow) and a Castaic Jerky J (5” in ayu).

while proudly displaying the perennial trophy at his workplace, Brisbane’s Tackle Warehouse. “We tried the rig with and without the blade, and blade-on definitely got us more bites.” Dicko, however, preferred a threadline outfit, using a Venom VS8 rod (7’ long) and 4000 ATC spinning reel loaded with 30lb Zerek HiBraid and 40lb Wilson FC leader. A couple of colours of the SureCatch 11cm HollowFish worked best for him, with both the chartreuse and pearl/ white rigged on the same weedless Owner J Flashy Swimmer set-up. “We landed two barra for every one we lost, so the ratio could have been much worse in the area we were fishing,” Dicko said. “We’d get to the spot and tie up to one tree at the front, one tree at the back and do our best to get the fish

The anglers met at the Tackle World in Gladstone for the briefing before the first session.

Brett Turner and Brett Bliesner of team Bretts World managed to land barra on all three days of the tournament and just snuck into third place.

top, and while some teams opted to run and gun their milk run of potential spots, others chose to stay and play in one area that they thought held fish. This was Troy and Adam’s plan for all three days of competition. “We found a couple of places where we caught fish in practice, but the one we chose for the tournament was dead set nasty,” Dicko

“I really think that the 5/0 Owner Flashy Swimmer worm hook with the 1/4oz weight helped us hook the fish,” Adam said,

out when they stitched us up. We didn’t want to keep going in there and spooking the fish, because I think that hurt our pattern.”

VENOM BARRA AUSTRALIAN OPEN RESULTS Place Team 1 VENOM 2 SUNCOAST MARINE ELECTRICAL 3 BRETTS WORLD 4 DOBYNS/SUNLINE 5 HAPPY ROCK SOFTIES 6 JOINT EFFORT 7 EXTREME SECRET SPOT 8 GET-A-GRIP 9 LOWRANCE LIKELY LADS 10 SILVER ROLL HOLE 84

OCTOBER 2019

Total Fish 11/15 9/15 4/15 8/15 4/15 3/15 5/15 4/15 1/15 2/15

Total Weight (kg) 37.57 27.35 21.68 21.36 16.7 16.07 14.6 11.33 6.14 6.08

Adam Meredith holds up one of the barra Team Venom managed to get out of the gnarly country on display in the background.

Woods’ second day cost a title shot The runners-up at the event were Rob and Tommy Woods from Suncoast Marine Electrical. Rob and Tommy employed the opposite strategy from Team Venom – running and gunning half a dozen spots in rotation during each session to amass their fish. Tapping into the aforementioned sponsorkarma, the pair had a pair of 7’ Venom spin rods on board that they paired with 5000 size ATC reels to help

deliver their jerkbaits to the strike zone. The preferred bait was a 79mm Jackall Squirrel Hank Tune in a variety of natural colours. They ran them on 30lb Sufix braid and 40lb Wilson FC leaders. “We went through at least half a tank of fuel per session running our spots, and we hit them at different times and conditions to try to pin down the best pattern,” Rob said. Indeed, when they hit the right place at the right

time it was a bonanza. They logged nine fish on the first day and a sole fish on the second. That second day eventually took them out of contention for the win, but they were still happy with $1,000 cash and a pair of Venom baitcast rods for their second place showing. MORE TO COME The Venom BARRA Australian Open promises to be a rising star in the east coast barra tournament calendar. There was an amazing amount of interest in the format, and the event reached tens of thousands of people via the website and through social media. Expect to see it on ABT’s calendar again in 2020 – the dates will be released at the end of 2019!

Father and son duo, Rob and Tommy Wood of team Suncoast Marine Electrical, are no strangers to barra fishing and managed good bags on day one and three to secure second place.

Tommy Wood demonstrates that Awoonga is well and truly on the way to once again becoming the premier impoundment barra fishery in Queensland – small fish will one day be big fish, and they grow fast in dams!

Troy Dixon simply loves barra, big or small, especially when they help him and his teammate win $5000 and a big heavy trophy! OCTOBER 2019

Trades & Services Directory ba Prawn Blade s” “Yam

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Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call (07) 3387 0800 or email ads@fishingmonthly.com.au 90

OCTOBER 2019

boats & kayaks

In the skipperâ€™s seat

Inside story...

Sea Jay Aluminium Boats has been family owned and operated for over 25 years, and the name has become renowned for strength, quality workmanship and customization with the angler in mind. Whether youâ€™re fishing in fresh or salt, inshore or offshore, Sea Jay will provide you with a model to suit your boating and fishing needs.

Made for...

Sea Jay specialises in boats for sports anglers, offering a stable fishing platform and plenty of storage.

This month...

Editor Steve Morgan takes the Sea Jay 468 Navigator with Yamaha F70hp for a spin in Moreton Bay. Check it out on page 98!

92 Preparing for an SUP camping trip Justin Willmer details the preparations and considerations that go into a SUP-based camping adventure!

95 Nosing around Nambucca Heads

Dayne Taylor checks out the kayak fishing opportunities in this beautiful little coastal town.

96 Inside information on pre-loved rigs Wayne Kampe takes you through what to look for on the inside of a used boat before you decide to buy it.

OCTOBER 2019

Sea Jay 468 Navigator with Yamaha F70hp 4-stroke - SC

TENT -

RE ONLINE MO

T OCTOBER 2019

DE FOR EX

The price, however, is what will raise the eyebrows of plenty of anglers looking to get into the bluewater. As tested, this painted Navigator and the 70 Yammy came in at $28,990. Packages start from around $26,000.

PERFORMANCE

Main: The Sea Jay 4.68 Navigator is a simple and versatile centre console that’s powered by one of Yamaha’s most popular 4-strokes – the reliable and economical F70. Above: A glamour day on Moreton Bay was great for photo taking but not that hot for testing the rough water ability of this rig. narrow centre console, there is a mountain of useable space in this boat. Whether this is used to hold crab pots, camping gear or a couple of your fishing mates (or all

SPECIFICATIONS Length......................................................4.68m Bottom.sheet ............................................3mm Side.sheet..................................................3mm Beam........................................................2.24m Depth ....................................................... 1.14m Floor.ribs ....................................................... 11 Capacity ............................................ 5 persons Weight.(hull)............................................. 352kg Max.HP ..........................................................75 Similarly, the Navigator Centre Console that we got to take for a ride is just that – a great platform for those of you who like a mix of river and bay fishing, as well as being able to duck offshore on good days. With a single level floor throughout the boat and a

s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

Queensland boat builder Sea Jay’s heartland is the Queensland coast, and they have built their reputation on simple, no-fuss boats that won’t let you down. Their dealer network has been handpicked to suit the product, and they all understand the value of simple, good looking boats that you can use as a platform to set up exactly as you need to for your fishing style. Recently, we tested a Sea Jay Ranger that was fitted out to suit the modern fisherman’s lurecasting fascination. It was loaded with all of the electronics and accessories that was needed to turn a great hull into a great fishing rig.

K-Series 13” pitch propeller, the Yamaha F70 revved out to 6,400rpm where it hit 58km/h and travelled 2.5km/L of unleaded burned. Drop that down to 4,300rpm and the efficiency peaked markedly. 37km/h at a rate of 3.1km/L

Steve Morgan

CON

AN THE

FMG

three) is up to you. For me, the three things you need in a centre console are somewhere to hang on, easy access around the console and as little as possible to get in the way when you’re casting at the fish, no matter where you are in the boat. The Navigator ticks all

three of these boxes, with the narrow console with plenty of grab rails and a small console footprint with nothing above a standing driver’s head height. With no front casting deck, it’s likely buyers would look at other boats in the Sea Jay range to satisfy their need to throw artificials. In that light, the anchor well and well access become important. In the Navigator, you can lean right against the bulkhead wall to exercise your anchoring muscles. The negative of the low floor, however, is a lack of underfloor storage space. There’s a bit of dry storage under the seat base, but apart from that you’ll need to pack your gear in its own, independent dry storage if it can’t take a salty bath. Not that this is a wet boat, it’s just an open boat, and you will find situations where spray from a quartering sea will blow across the bow.

As a matter of fact, we tested this boat the same day as we did the Ranger, and it was the more comfortable of the two when it came to punching back into a reasonable northwester after a calm morning. Spinning a Yamaha

RPM.......... Speed.(km/h)........ Economy.(km/L) 700 ............................... 3 ............................. n/a 1000 ............................. 5 ............................. 3.6 2000............................10 ............................. 3.0 3000............................14 ............................. 2.1 4000........................... 31 ............................. 2.6 4300 ........................... 37 ............................. 3.7 5000........................... 43 ............................. 3.1 6000........................... 55 ............................. 2.4 6400 ........................... 58 ............................. 2.5 is pretty bloody good in anyone’s language. With no underfloor fuel, a standard 25L remote tank would get you around 75km of range. Drop one of these each side and there’s plenty of gas for a full day on the water.

Jump onto the Sea Jay boats website to find out more information or to locate your nearest dealer to view their impressive range of boats and do your own onwater tests. www. seajayboats.com.au.

Two up, this is a great rig for expanding your range past what your basic tinny would do, and the price of the package makes that goal more achievable.

Top: The Navigator isn’t particularly steep in the transom deadrise, meaning you’re more likely to have to ease it over the waves rather than punch through them to get the best ride. Below: There’s room for small sounders and gauges flush mounted in-dash, however bigger electronics are best kept on a bracket on the top of the dash.

Top: The traditional anchor well up front is made from rotomoulded plastic with some basic storage underneath. Below: There’s definitely room for more than a pair of Crocs thongs up here. What a fashion statement!

There’s a whole lot of space to fish in this boat, with the pathway around the console unencumbered. I can imagine battles with northern bluefin lapping this rig.

There’s nothing groundbreaking about the console design, though there are plenty of places to grab on. Being narrow, it offers the driver some protection, but the passengers are all on their own.

There’s storage under the simple seat and lots of room in the rear cockpit to load gear or fish from.

Top: A large splash well for the motor runs to the full transom height, and you won’t bang your Yammy cowling on it, even trimmed up all the way. Left and Right: There’s storage under the simple seat and lots of room in the rear cockpit and side pockets to load gear or fish from.

Painted navy/grey, this is pretty much the dream boat for a lower-budget angler wanting to get out further than their basic tinny will allow. OCTOBER 2019