JUMP INTO JULY JERKBAITING
Features
Tried & Tested
Jerkbait bassin’ 101 • 4WDing options for Fraser Island • Essential fly tying equipment •
Mako lenses • VW Amarok diesel •
NEW FIND THE LOGO COMPETITION SEE INSIDE
Boating & Kayaking Float tubing the flats • Exploring Raby Bay by yak • Anchoring tactics • Stessco Sunseeker 620 • Horizon 515 Northerner •
July, 2018 Fishing Monthly G R O U P
Registered by Australian Post Publication No: 100003847
$6.95 (GST inc.)
issuu.com/fishingmonthly
fishingmonthly
Fishing Monthly Magazines
www fishingmonthly FishingMonthly
Reader Cover Picture
www.daiwafishing.com.au
FREE CONTROLS & GAUGES F350XCC/UCC
F300XCA/UCA
F250XCA/UCA
$38,566/ $39,470!
$31,482/ $32,385!
$29,043/ $29,946!
SHOW PRICE:
SHOW PRICE:
PPW:$131/$134! PPW:$108/$110!
SHOW PRICE:
PPW:$99/$102!
S! SAVE THOUSAND D
TE DRIVE-AWAYICFEITS: SALE PR
F200LB/XB
F175LA/XA F150LB/XB F130LA/XA F115LB/XB
SHOW PRICE: SHOW PRICE: SHOW PRICE: SHOW PRICE: SHOW PRICE:
$22,933/ $22,029/ $19,139/ $15,870/ $14,877/ $23,114! $22,210! $19,320! $16,051! $15,057!
PPW:$79/$79!
PPW:$76/$77!
PPW:$66/$67! PPW:$55/$56! PPW:$52/$53!
STOCK CLEARANCE! AGE DEALS: ONE-OFF PAC’REKGO NE, THEY’RE GONE! ONCE THEY
QUINTREX FRONTIER 550 SC
PPW: $180!
$52,990!
QUINTREX RENEGADE 570 CC
$44,990!
PPW: $153!
•YAMAHA F115HP •HYDRAULIC STEERING • YAMAHA F115HP •FOLDING BIMINI/SOCK EFI 4-STROKE EFI 4-STROKE •2X YAMAHA LAN •APEX HULL + 95L TANK! • 2X YAMAHA LAN MF GAUGES •LOTS MORE INC! MF GAUGES
COMPARISON
RATE 9.31%*
QUINTREX FREESTYLER 550
• 4X S/S ROD HOLDERS • MOTOR/SPLASH WELL • 6X SEAT POSITIONS • LOTS MORE INC!
$60,990!
PPW: $207!
• YAMAHA F130HP • BOW COVER & LOUNGE EFI 4-STROKE • APEX HULL & 95L TANK • 2X YAMAHA LAN • FUSION RADIO • LOTS MORE INC! MF GAUGES
QUINTREX STEALTH HORNET 470
PPW: $123!
$35,990!
• YAMAHA F70HP • ALUMINIUM TRAILER WITH CATCH & RELEASE EFI 4-STROKE • MAXI BRACKET • LOTS OF STORAGE & DECK SPACE + LOTS MORE! • STEAL HULL!
DISCLAIMER: !* REPAYMENT AMOUNT IS THE WEEKLY EQUIVALENT OF THE MONTHLY INSTALMENT AVAILABLE TO APPROVED PERSONAL APPLICANTS OF YAMAHA MOTOR FINANCE, LESS A DEPOSIT OF 10% AND 60 INSTALMENTS IN ARREARS AND AN APPLICATION FEE OF $395. A FINAL BALLOON PAYMENT OF 30% APPLIES TO RESPECTIVE BOAT PACKAGES. BASED ON AN ANNUAL PERCENTAGE RATE OF 8.75%. COMPARISON RATE IS BASED ON A 5 YEAR SECURED FIXED RATE CONSUMER LOAN OF $30,000. OFFER VALID UNTIL 12/07/2018. WARNING: THE COMPARISON RATE IS TRUE ONLY FOR THE EXAMPLE GIVEN AND MAY NOT INCLUDE ALL FEES AND CHARGES. DIFFERENT FEES OR OTHER LOAN AMOUNTS MIGHT RESULT IN A DIFFERENT COMPARISON RATE. CREDIT CRITERIA, FEES, CHARGES, TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY. YAMAHA MOTOR FINANCE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD. AUSTRALIAN CREDIT LICENCE 394553.
Repower CASH FOR LATE for Less! MODEL BOATS!
CALL OUR BUSINESS MANAGER BILL CATLING NOW FOR ALL FINANCE NEEDS: 0417 632 479
Insure with YMI for your peace of mind!
(HULL YEAR 2000 AND ONWARDS ONLY) BOAT VALUATIONS - CALL PAUL: 0422 391 822
CALL NOW
3888 1727
BRUCE HWY,(174 BURPENGARY EASTERN SERVICE RD) BRISBANEYAMAHA.com.au
Halco Tackle are the new (and proud) owners of MadEyes Lures - a classic Australian tackle brand and maker of some of the best soft plastic lures on the planet. So whether you’re an old-hand with soft plastics, or yet to discover their charms,
CLAF - HALCO 0020
when choosing the right tackle option in future, your decision is a little less hard. facebook.com/HalcoTackle
halcotackle.com @halcotackle
BOAT SHOWS 2018 Melbourne - June 28 to July 01 Sydney - August 02 to 06 Brisbane - August 24 to 26 Perth - September 21 to 24
LIFESTYLE hobie.com.au hobiefishing.com.au hobiepolarized.com.au HobieFishingAsiaPacific HobieCatAsiaPacific HobieSUPAsiaPacific HobiePolarizedAsiaPacific
$6.95
RRP (GST inc.)
July 2018, Vol. 30 No. 9
Contents NORTHERN NEW SOUTH WALES Yamba 20
What’s New Boating
Business Office: Unit 1, 11 Knobel Court, Shailer Park, Qld, 4128 Phone: (07) 3387 0800 Fax: (07) 3387 0801 Managing Editor: Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au Editorial Manager: Jacqui Thomas Sub-Editors: Bob Thornton Nicole Penfold Cordelia Adams Field Editors: Jason Ehrlich Wayne Kampe Publishers: Steve Morgan Matthew Drinkall
Come and visit Fishing Monthly Group’s official Facebook page for all your monthly fishing information. Download QR Reader to access.
Advertising Enquiries: Peter Jung ads@fishingmonthly.com.au Advertising Sales: Ph: (07) 3387 0800 Nicole Kelly nkelly@fishingmonthly.com.au Printing: APN – Print Production: Karen Millward Keith Hawley Website: www.fishingmonthly.com.au Distribution: Gordon & Gotch Pty Ltd Subscriptions: Kym Rowbotham Office Manager: Marie Dykstra
TO SUBSCRIBE SEE PAGE 47 FIND THE DAIWA LOGO COMPETITION PAGE 27 Queensland Fishing Monthly magazine goes on sale the first week of each month (latest sale date 7th of the month).
Published by:
Qld Fishing Monthly Pty Ltd ABN 72-010-542-195 IN
G
FISH
IN
G
’
RE
All material is © copyright, and cannot be reproduced in part or in full, by any means, without written permission of the Managing Editor. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.
TU
SUBSCRIPTION HOTLINE FREECALL 1800 228 244
This bright large-mouth nannygai was caught on bait off Townsville. An Andrew Saunders image.
FU
Annual Subscriptions: $65 for twelve issues (GST inc.) Make cheques payable to Queensland Fishing Monthly PO Box 3172 LOGANHOLME QLD 4129
OUR COVER
S
Advertising: Ph: (07) 3387 0800 Fax: (07) 3387 0801 Copy and materials should be sent direct to: ads@fishingmonthly.com.au
SINCE 1987
A
LI
JULY 2018
QUEENSLAND FISHING MONTHLY
97
RA
8
10 14
79
do it if you want to give it a crack. Best thing about the digital version? You get to read it about two hours after it gets submitted to the printers. And that’s about a week and a half before the printed version hits the newsstands. LURE SHOW A SELLOUT Even though the Lure Show was in Queensland last month, at the time of printing it was a sellout (from the exhibitor side), so this popular fishing tackle event was growing quickly. A real grass roots event with local manufacturers who put together their unique lures for cash sale on the weekend. There’s nothing like it anywhere else that I’ve seen. For me, the take home message is that there’s still a great market for locally produced products – lures, magazines – we know you love ‘em all!
AUST
SPECIAL FEATURES Jerkbait bassin’ 101 4WDing options for Fraser Island
95
63
56
93
REGULAR FEATURES Back to Basics 17 Camping and 4WD 70 Cooking 73 Dam Levels 64 Freshwater 64 Fun Page 92 Junior Northern 63 Junior Southern 35 Politics and fishing 45 Sheik of the Creek 71 Sunfish 72 Suntag 78 Tech Tricks 18 Tournament News 84 Track my fish 80 Trades and Services 90 What’s New Fishing 74
and give it a Like if you want to be notified when these things happen. Congratulations to the winners, who shared in $1750 worth of Atomic and Gamakatsu gear. The next version of the comp? Look for the Daiwa logo in these pages. DIGITAL PLATFORM AVAILABLE Although 99% of you consume your Fishing Monthly in the printed form, there is a digital version available for those who like a paperless environment. It’s on www.issuu.com and there’s detailed instructions in the magazine on how to
ION
BOATING AND KAYAK
great guys on the ground over there to get the work done and we will present our unique mix of reports and predictions to motivate the readers to get out there and into ‘em. Welcome to the family, Western Australia! PRIZE WINNERS DRAWN There was another amazing response to the Gamakatsu Find the Logo competition for the last 6 months. We’ve drawn the winners and they are published in here. Like always, we filmed the draw and published it on our Fishing Monthly Magazines Facebook page. Head over
AT
TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND Whitsundays 56 Ayr 57 Townsville 58 Hinchinbrook 59 Cairns 60 Cairns NFZ 61 Port Douglas 61 Lucinda 62 Cape York 63 Weipa 62
It’s been a busy time at the Fishing Monthly offices in the lead up to this magazine going to print and we are excited to be launching a new magazine in an environment when most publishers are a bit negative about their future. Western Australia Fishing Monthly will deliver its first issue in September this year and although that’s not particularly relevant to you, it does show that this format is popular and there’s a need for it in parts of Australia that don’t have it yet. You may not know that all Fishing Monthly titles come out of the head office in South East Queensland. From there, we assemble the teams of contributors who provide the up-todate information that lets you know what’s biting and where. West Australia will be the same. We have some
CI
Mackay 52
From the Editor’s Desk...
N
O
CENTRAL QUEENSLAND Hervey Bay 46 Rainbow Beach 48 Bundaberg 48 Lake Monduran 49 Gladstone 49 Rockhampton 50 Yeppoon 51 Stanage Bay 50
32
CT
Noosa 42
14
TE
SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND The Tweed 24 Southern Gold Coast 26 Jumpinpin 28 Gold Coast Canals 29 Gold Coast 30 Southern Bay 32 Brisbane 36 Brisbane Offshore 38 Northern Bay 40
11
PRO
Ballina 22
10
FI
SH
ING TRADE
AS
S
5 YEAR STRUCTURAL WARRANTY
2 YEAR STRUCTURAL WARRANTY
If purchased on a Stessco Factory Trailer
On any other brand of trailer
TRALI
E
N
ED
•
Sunseeker 620
MA
SCAN QR CODE TO VIEW BOAT TEST
D
US
AN
•A
PREMIUM BOATING AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE
AND OW
GOLD COAST SOUTH GOLD COAST BOATING CENTRE 64 Kortum Drive, Burleigh Heads 07 5576 7388
BRISBANE KAREE MARINE 1776 Ipswich Road, Rocklea 07 3875 1600
HOME HILL PETO MARINE 15 7th Avenue, Home Hill 07 4782 1182
IPSWICH IPSWICH MARINE CENTRE 45 Huxham Street, Raceview 07 3294 3944
WHITSUNDAYS WHITSUNDAY MARINE 4/11 Shute Harbour Road, Cannonvale 07 4948 3298
CAIRNS AUSSIE MARINE 5 Hannam St, Bungalow 07 4033 8800
For more information or to find your nearest Stessco dealer visit www.stessco.com.au
BASS
A guide to jerkbait bassin’ 101 FMG
Simon Goldsmith simon@fishingmonthly.com.au
Winter can be a challenging time for a freshwater angler with cold, clear water and inactivity of fish making for tough days on the water. For impoundment bass anglers it wasn’t that long ago that we saw the onset of winter as a time to put the bass tackle away and focus on other species. Experience and the evolution of techniques and
our understanding of bass as a stocked species in our lakes has seen our thinking change and our approach to catching bass become far more diverse. Now when the chill of winter sets in we’re armed and ready with a bunch of techniques, and there’s perhaps none more suited than jerkbaiting. THE SEASON Sure, you can catch bass on jerkbaits all year round, but there are certain attributes of winter and the technique itself that make it best suited to the colder months. Winter generally brings with it clearer
water in our lakes, and it’s the increased visibility that comes with it that plays into the hands of jerkbaiting. Using a jerkbait for most part is a visual technique, with the fish seeing the lure rather than feeling the lure. A darting, twitching, brightly coloured lure that’s moving then stopping, as it moves along the edge of a shallow weed edge can be seen from a long distance when the water is clear. Another reason a jerkbait works well in the situation is because of its level of finesse. A finesse approach is often
Tom Slater with the results of an early morning, low light session on Lake Glenbawn.
Quality Aluminium Boats for Every Lifestyle
30 plus Years Experience with Boat Building, Fabrication & Repairs
the best form of attack when chasing reserved cool water fish, as they are perhaps a little gun-shy in clear water. In this scenario a subtly worked jerkbait can be the trigger to getting a shutdown bass sitting in a weedbed to pop its head out and eat a bait. Bass aren’t always shutdown during winter though and there are often times when you find them actively feeding – again, often in the clear water. A jerkbait becomes a go-to because the bass can see the lure from a distance. Ripping and pausing a jerkbait along a bank occupied by feeding bass early in the morning can be an effective, and an insanely fun way to catch bass on a cold winter’s morning. While the time of the year and water clarity are important factors, there are some other variables that signicantly influence a jerkbait bite. Just like they do with a topwater bite, overcast conditions can help keep bass keyed in on a jerkbait bite. One of the best ways to catch bass in the shallows, a jerkbait bite will often die as the sun rises and the light increases, driving fish to deeper water. The longer the light stays away, the longer the fish can stay on the edge and in the shallows, and the longer you can catch them on a jerkbait. The second element – wind – has the same effect in many ways. A windblown bank can provide protection from the light in the same way that overcast skies do, with the ruffled surface and increased turbidity in the water helping to hold fish shallow. I often find that if the wind blows for too long and the water gets too discoloured, the jerkbait bite
Another cold weather bass falls to a brightly coloured jerkbait. Lake St Clair in the Hunter Valley and Maroon Dam in South East Queensland are two prime examples. WHY YOU’RE HERE If you’re hitting a winter lake with a jerkbait tied on, where do you fish? Let’s run you through the places to start. Weed edges, whether they’re hard weed edges or an area punctuated by clumps of weed, are prime places for bass to hold and feed on. More often than not, the water is clear and as result it’s the ideal jerkbait water. Clearer
so a twitch-pause lure that you can keep in the spot is one of the best ways to go. Shallow edges are my favourite, especially clear flooded edges that have active feed fish on them. Early mornings and overcast rainy days are the peak time for these skinny water locations. While jerkbaits excel in the shallows they’re also a go-to in water up to 15ft deep. Mid-depth flats and flooded points are two locations that fit this deep water range perfectly. Larger baits and lures that can
Quality, Fully Welded Alloy Boats from 2.4m - 6m
www.aquamaster.com.au
Shallow edges, flooded trees, lilies, points and gullies make this the perfect jerkbait location.
Contact your Local Aquamaster dealer Australian Marine Centre 3491 Pacific Highway, Slacks Creek 3808 7333 www.amcboats.com.au 10
JULY 2018
can wane. If the fish are still there, try a technique that’s less visual-based, and more feel and sound-based, like a spinnerbait or lipless crankbait. The wind approach I find works best on those clearwatered, weed-edged lakes that have plenty of points and bays.
pockets in the weed, standing and laydown timber and, of course, shade further enhance the location and provide perfect ambush locations for fish. Some of these features, such as clear weed pockets, are so small that you can’t fish a fast moving bait through them,
worked deeper and harder are preferred over small subtle twitch baits. Pre the raising of the dam wall and the flooding of all the timber, Hinze Dam was very much a point and gully type bass fishery and it was the long, gentle slopping points that you gravitated
BASS towards when it came to jerkbaits. The bass would hold along these points; from the shallow start of the point to deep apex, they would regularly take up residence on it. The flooded timber in about 12-15ft of water was the happy hunting
across a point then waiting expectantly for a bass to hit it while it sits motionless down deep is hard to beat. Bass love timber and vegetation as we know and when it comes to fishing flooded green trees and bushes in clear water a jerkbait is
than not you’ll watch it get eaten as you twitch and pause it through and past flooded greenery. Generally it’s not the fish you see, but the sudden disappearance or unexpected movement of your lure as it gets t-boned by a bass. It’s addictive to watch.
Peter Phelps with a solid Lake St Clair bass that couldn’t resist a Daiwa Double Clutch. ground. Make long casts across and along it, work the lure hard then a pause would draw the fish up to hit the lure suspended 5-10ft down. It’s a fun, searching way to catch fish, and loaded with anticipation. Ripping a lure
hard to beat. Watching a bass eat your lure is generally considered the domain of surface lures but it shouldn’t be. In clear water, a bright or flashy coloured jerkbait stands out like a neon sign and more often
PRIME CONDITIONS If I could order a perfect day to go jerkbaiting, this is how it would roll: a cold, heavily overcast day in southeast Queensland with an air temperature of 17°C, and gin-clear water between
15-20°C. The water level has recently risen and has left flooded bottlebrushes on the edges, complemented by weed beds and water lilies in bays and on points and flats that feature clear pockets and channels scattered throughout. The hotspots to hit include: • The long unbroken weed and lily edges (use lures that cast a long way and parallel it along the edge) • Weed pockets (use
a twitch bait rather than a rip bait) • Standing timber tight to the edge (use a quick diving lure that will get down to where the fish are) • Flooded deep points (use a deep diving rip bait). GETTIN’ RIPPED Technique-wise the approach isn’t overly complex. The variables are how hard you rip it, how often to rip it, and how long you wait
between rips and twitches. My standard retrieve is a two-twitch-pause retrieve, and I’ll use the feedback from the fish to determine whether I’m giving them what they want or whether I need to change to get things right. The lure being used also plays a part when it comes to selecting the retrieve. Some lures can only handle a small twitch, while others require To page 12
MOTU
Named after the perfect spot to take a break in the crystal, clear waters of the salt flats, the Costa Motu sunglasses are great for catching a couple of cold ones in between casts.
GRAY:
OPTIMAL USE: • All-around activities • Natural contrast
A good everyday choice for activities on the water and land. • 12% light transmission
Team Wilson
(Ian Rogers & Matt Rogers)
Team Venom
Crankbait
RLFVCR4 6’3” PE 2-4 RLFVCR5 6’3” PE 3-5 RLFVCR6 6’3” PE 3-6
NEW
WEBSITE
For more information please visit
(Shane Banks & Stephen Booth)
Champion Team Champion Angler Big Bass Glenbawn
Champion Team Champion Angler
Team Venom
(Anthony Pavlou & Michael Haley)
Winners Dash 4 Cash
WWW.WILSONFISHING.COM JULY 2018
11
Bait loving the cooler conditions SOUTHERN BAY
Nick Whyte
The southern bay has been fishing really well over the last month. As the temperatures have cooled, the masses of bait have moved south. There has been good mulloway, snapper, whiting, flathead and a few late season spotties and longtail. With the cooler weather, the juvenile snapper have really come out to play. Working the reef edges with small soft plastics and deep-diving hardbodies has been getting great results. Look for places that jut out in the reefs, as these areas disrupt the tidal flow and cause eddies and ambush points. Finding the bait is another big factor to finding good numbers of fish. At this time of year, when you find the tailor schools feeding around the reef, the snapper will quite often be feeding under them and picking up the scraps. The sunken reefs at the northwestern side of Peel Island, the northern side of Mud Island, and Potts Point have all been the standout
spots. Harry Atkinson Artificial Reef has been producing less fish but of better quality. There’s been some good schools of mulloway around the southern bay and Brisbane River. Plenty of legal fish from 80cm to
areas holding bait have been giving the best results. In the Brisbane River, the port section is still holding some decent fish, but up river will start producing a lot more numbers. The winter whiting have been hard to miss,
Richie Lucker took this TT Switchblademunching cod off an isolated wreck. a metre have been reported in recent weeks. The Western Peel Artificial has been fishing well, along with some of the isolated wrecks. Once again, the
and Pelican Banks, Banana Banks and up the Rous Channel have all been on fire. Drifting until you start catching a few and then anchoring up on the school
Nick Hamilton-Smith with a nice southern bay mulloway that ate a 3” ZMan MinnowZ.
FLUSH YOUR ENGINE WITH
KILLS SALT CORROSION SALT REMOVING TREATMENT
Most value for money • Most concentrated (512-1) Compatible with most hose fittings WARNING 9 out of 10 engines fail due to salt corrosion. ACT NOW and flush your engine! FREEPHONE
1800 091 172
www.salt-away.com.au 32
JULY 2018
will see good numbers in the boat. Flathead are in great numbers up on the flats. Pannikin and Garden islands have been worth a fish, and the best method has been to troll small hardbodied lures around until you find an active fish, before working the area over with a small soft plastics. With cleaner water around at the moment, I prefer to run natural colours. There has been quite a few late season spotties and longtails down in the southern bay. They’re only in small schools, but there’s certainly enough to target. The longtails have been more on the eastern side towards Stradbroke and around Bird and Goat island. The mackerel have been more down the western side of Peel harassing the baitfish population. It’s worth having a small stickbait or slug rigged ready to go, as they are sporadic. Bream are starting to show up in massive numbers in their yearly spawning run. Jumpinpin is riddled with them and any area over 10ft of water with
Now that’s a solid feed of Russel Island flatties! good current flow will see fish moving through. The point at Short Island, the hole along the northern side of Curusoa and along Kalinga Bank, are all worth a look. The wharves and rock walls at the mouth of the Brisbane River and also the Amity rock wall will also have great numbers over the next month or
so. To target these guys on lures, try small crab imitations or soft plastics with according jigheads for the depth and current. If you have a great capture from the southern bay you would like to share, email them through to nick@techfishing.com.au. Until next month, tech it easy!
Geoff James was stoked with this cracking thready he caught during a recent Tech Fishing session.
MULTI-FUNCTION ENGINE FLUSH AND SPRAY GUN
Right Wing Stickbait Size: 120mm, Weight: 50 grams
From
2595
$
Each 6 colours available
The Fish Inc Right Wing is a super-realistic pilchard/sardine size sinking stickbait. Fitted with heavy duty Owner singles for a sure hook set and easier handling for catch and release fishing. This perfectly balanced lure ensures long casts and has an erractic action that attracts fish and triggers brutal strikes. Count it down to your desired depth and tweek that rod tip, or jig it erratically.
www.fishlures.com.au
630 VISION
448 AVENGER SPORTS
NEW MODELS
460 RANGER
490 RANGER SPORTS 550 VELOCITY SPORTS TD
117 Old Cleveland Road, Stones Corner
ph
07 3397 9766
www.stonescornermarine.com.au
REC FISHER CONVOY TO SAVE CURRENT POSSESSION LIMITS I don’t understand why there is any discussion at all about reducing the current possession limits of recreational fishers or adding multispecies or boat limits. In the ECIFF of 2009 recreational fishers received possession limits to manage our notional quota. Commercial fishers – in particular, gill-netters – have no limits placed on them and can take as much as they want as often as they want. Since the introduction of our possession limits the number of recreational fishers has decreased by 100,000 and no recreationally caught species has been identified as overfished by FRDC in their Stock Status Reports. In addition, I have recently had access to weigh-in data from some of the largest SEQ fishing clubs that shows 89% of recreational fishing days in SEQ result in catches of 0-5 fish, 7% result in catches of 6-10 fish and only 4% can get their possession limit in one fishing trip. Remember that club fishers fish for an average of 16 hours per trip to the family recreational fisher who would fish 4-6 hours. Club fishers also have their fishing trips chosen by seasoned club members who pick the right location, the best tide, the best moon phase and then share the best rigs, techniques and bait to use. What this means is that any further reductions on recreational possession limits would have a very negligible impact on current fish stocks. So why reduce them if it is of no benefit to the stocks? The only problem with inshore fish stocks is localized depletions caused by excessive gill netting not recreational fishers. Focus should be on maintaining our existing catch share. Once the harvest strategy is in place and only then, if a specific fish species needs reduced effort to get to the magic biomass number and that reduction is for example 10% then our possession limit on that species could be reduced by 10% as long as the TACC is also reduced by 10%, which means ITQ’s reduced by 10% at the same time.
maximize commercial take at any cost, regardless of the return. Within the Sustainable Fisheries Strategy of the five discussion papers there are more than 20 instances suggesting reductions in take on recreational fishers, and absolutely no mention of reductions in take on commercial fishers. This seems to indicate a reallocation from the recreational sector to the commercial sector rather than any attempt to benefit fish stocks. A Harvest Strategy is a set of rules based on sector shares where trigger points affecting harvest are shared equally by sector share percentages. TACC (Total Allowable Commercial Catch) is managed by ITQ (Individual Transferable Quota), and Concerned recreational fishers outside the Premier’s electorate office in Richlands. That certainly seems a much fairer solution than expecting recreational fishers to have their catch share limited twice in ten years with no limit at all on the commercial sector. Sadly, it seems that there are still some in Fisheries Queensland that have their bias showing. As a result a group of very concerned recreational fishers got their boats ready on Friday 18 May and met at Blue Fins Fishing Club Inala to voice their significant worries about reductions to their existing catch possession limits and then proceeded to convoy onto the Premier’s electorate office in Richlands. Recreational fishers have been supporting the current Sustainable Fisheries Strategy. They, like many others including Fisheries Queensland, believe that the current fisheries management protocols are many years past being overhauled. The current system is strongly based on an antiquated perception that there are never too many harvesters on the water. We now have a commercial fishing industry that has far too many operators that are using their licences only during spawning aggregations to top up their other incomes because there are too many of them to all have profitable fishing businesses. What was expected was that a line would be
drawn in the sand and for each species the existing data would be used to calculate current catch share amongst all sectors: commercial, recreational, indigenous and conservation (theirs stay in the water). If a species was then identified as in trouble, everyone would take an equal hit based on their catch share. However, in the week prior to the convoy it had become apparent that within Fisheries Queensland there is a separate personal agenda being driven very forcefully to reallocate a considerable portion of the existing recreational catch to the commercial sector before the starting gate has even opened. Small meetings have been held across the state where total possession limits of three mud crabs or 15 fish of a species have been very heavily pushed by Fisheries Queensland staff. This contradicts the information put out by the department in the discussion papers. Grassroots recreational fishers were so concerned that they would be breaking proposed rules in order to put a decent feed of fish on the table for their families that they presented a letter to the Premier’s office outlining their concerns. Given that this information had only been available for little more than a week, the
www.sunfishqld.com.au 72
JULY 2018
notional recreational share is managed by possession limits. This management protocol has been discussed under many names for donkey’s years. In 1995 that process was commenced with our bag limits; TACC’s were to follow but never eventuated. Now there is considerable ratified discussion that these are to be significantly reduced and extended with overlaying multiple species limits and boat limits with still no mention of reducing existing commercial take on the same species. These changes are being proposed when no sustainability triggers have been identified. FRDC Stock Status Reports appear to be being ignored by some staffers in FQ.
turnout of more than 30 boats and at least 70 fishers on a weekday indicates just how distressed many of them were. I expect that this sentiment will only increase across the state in the weeks to come. Some 642,000 Queenslanders fish – that’s 15% of population. The only sector group larger is motorists, however we have no representation to our elected leaders. Frisbee throwing is a recognized sport and rec group therefore they have an advocate supporting them to their Minister and his department. Fisheries Queensland has no rec fishing position, therefore they operate with no recreational ground-truthing and on a 1950s mantra of
Focus should be on maintaining our existing catch share, rather than expecting recreational fishers to have their catch share limited twice in ten years with no limit at all on the commercial sector.
FQ MYTHS PERPETUATING THIS POSITION • Local netted product is sold locally – selling to local marketers is not placing local product in local retail outlets for local communities • Rec fisher impacts are increasing exponentially – our numbers have dropped by 100,000 in 13 years while our population has soared. • Club fishers are all bagging out in multiple species every weekend – 89% of recreational fishing days in SEQ result in catches from 0-5 fish,
7% result in catches from 6-10 fish and only 4% can get their possession limit in one fishing trip. Remember that club fishers fish for an average of 16 hours per trip to the family recreational fisher who would fish four to six hours. The numbers of clubs have gone from 210 to 103. • Ethnic communities take bucket loads of non-declared species – large family communities eating abundant fish that are not high value species
are no threat. • Reducing possession limits decreases black marketing – black marketers ignore existing possession limits and will continue to do so irrespective of the limits. The required outcome is a Ministerial statement that recreational possession limits, multispecies combined limits and boat limits will not change from what we have today until a Harvest Strategy trigger is initiated on all sectors. – Sunfish
Email: admin@sunfishqld.com.au
Cooking
How to turn your catch into inside-out sushi BRISBANE
Lynn Bain
Inside-out rolls look impressive and may seem complicated, however there is a simple trick to it that
only adds one extra step to the sushi rolling process – ‘the flip.’ Nori (seaweed) sheets, Japanese mayonnaise and sushi rice are available in most supermarkets in the Asian section. To make
your sushi rice, follow the directions on the packet, or refer to my ‘scattered sushi’ recipe from the last issue of Fishing Monthly. Before you start you will need a bowl of vinegar and water for you to dip your
fingers in as you work with the sushi rice on the nori sheet. The vinegar/water mixture will stop the rice from sticking to your fingers. You’ll also need a bamboo sushi mat, some cling wrap and a sharp knife.
Ingredients
1
3
6
Wrap the bamboo rolling mat with cling film and place a nori sheet on the cling wrap. You can tape the cling film to the bamboo rolling mat so that the cling wrap stays attached to the mat and doesn’t get stuck in the sushi roll.
Place a cling film covered bamboo mat on top of the sushi rice and a large cutting board on top of the bamboo mats. Then flip the board and the mats together. When you lift the board off and roll away the top mat, you are left with the rice face-down and the nori sheet on top ready for the sushi ingredients.
A completed roll – remember to stop before you roll the mat and cling film into the sushi. Make sure that the plastic wrap doesn’t get rolled in! Unroll the bamboo mat and remove any of the plastic wrap from the outside of the roll.
2
4
7
With your fingers, lightly press the sushi rice into the nori paper so that they bond slightly. Spread the prepared sushi rice evenly over the nori sheet – ideally the sushi rice should be a layer approximately 8mm thick and it should cover the sheet from edge to edge.
Squeeze a layer of mayonnaise across the nori sheet parallel to the edge of the bamboo mat. The filling should be closest to your hands when the sushi is rolled. Lay a strip of green shallot and a few slices of the salmon along the nori.
Slice the roll in half or smaller pieces with a wet knife blade then serve alongside bowls of soy sauce, wasabi (mixed with soy sauce to your preferred strength) and pickled ginger. A wet knife blade will cut cleanly through the roll with less friction. After cutting, you can roll the outside of the roll in toasted sesame seeds.
• Nori sheets • Prepared sushi rice • Thin slices of green shallots • Japanese mayonnaise • 250g salmon cut into thin strips • Wasabi paste • White sesame seeds • Black sesame seeds • Rice vinegar and water in a bowl • Soy sauce • Pickled ginger
5
8
Roll the mat upwards and away from you almost one complete turn, stopping to press and firm. Use your fingers and palms to keep it even and keep the ingredients in place.
Using a spoon, you can sprinkle finely chopped green shallots, sesame seeds and/or fish roe over the top of the sushi roll’s sticky rice before you cut it. JULY 2018
73
WHAT’S NEW FISHING STRIKE PRO GUPPIE
1
Accounting for numerous Tournament wins and huge fish as well as filling up collector’s cabinets, one of the things you notice first about the Guppie is the artwork. Up until now, these colours have only been available on hand painted wooden lures produced by Joe Peterson. Strike Pro/CWC in partnership with Peterson are bringing these unique colours to the market for the first time. The paint schemes incorporate using paint or glitter on the inside shell of the bait, in addition to painting the outside shell. It also prolongs the colour of the bait after many fish. Strike Pro has even replicated the 3D eyes that TrueGlide are famous for! The Guppies body profile allows the lure to produce an amazing body roll and it slides from side to side. The Guppie also features an innovative cork screw at the tail, allowing the angler to fish with either a curltail or paddletail soft plastic tail. www.jurofishing.com
VIGILANTE POWER DOWN JACKET
2
Vigilante have announced their latest innovation: the Power Down Jacket, for both men and women. Airy-light and yet completely warm, this jacket ensures minimal bulk and maximum heat retention for an ideal body climate. Vigilante has ensured the perfect active weight for any pursuit with the technically woven stitchless quilted down, which ensures a perfectly balanced warmth to weight-ratio. The absence of stitching holes prevents both wind and down leakage, so if you’re somewhere with especially icy winds, the Power Down Jacket will keep you warm. Raining too? This jacket boasts a Durable Water Repellency coating, to help keep you dry. It also has an active fit, designed to hug you in the all right places, and down fill spandex cuffs for heat insulation. The Power Down Jacket is tough thanks to the durable high denier fabric, preventing abrasion and tearing for longevity of use. When you’re back home, simply pack the Power Down Jacket into Vigilante’s smallest stuff sack yet. Price: SRP $169.99 www.escape2.com.au
NEW GULP MANTIS SHRIMP COLOURS
3
The Berkley Gulp Mantis Shrimp was created and designed to look like a shrimp. It has a slender body, feelers at the front, and tiny legs that wriggle in the current or when moved. Now, these great plastics have some new colours in the range! This lifelike Mantis Shrimp can be rigged and fished with any technique you choose. Fish them on the bottom with short sharp jerks to imitate a fleeing prawn, rig them weedless for fishing structure, or even unweighted over sand flats and weed-beds! Gulp! releases 400 times more scent than plastic baits, expanding the strike zone so you catch more fish. Made from 100% natural ingredients, Gulp! is environmentally and fish friendly. The Mantis Shrimp comes in six natural and high-vis colours, natural, new penny, pearl white, molting, pearl white chartreuse and glow, all of which hungry shrimp-eating predators will love! Price: RRP $13.99 www.berkley-fishing.com.au 74
JULY 2018
PRODUCT GUIDE
SHIMANO BACKBONE 4 ELITE RODS Shimano’s Backbone Elite rods have proven hugely popular with the offshore game fishing community, delivering a range of line class options at really good prices. The 2018 line-up has just been given a well-deserved tweak! There are eight rods in all; a 10kg stick with fixed guides and a roller tip, and three 15kg options in a selection of fixed guides, fixed guides with a roller tip, or fully rollered. The same choices are available in 24kg, and finally there’s a serious 37kg weapon with a roller tip. Of single-piece construction and 1.7m (5’ 7”) in length, the Backbone Elite blanks now utilise Shimano’s legendary TC3 material, which is the same threeply graphite weave the early Tiagra Game Series rods were built on. The cosmetic has also been upgraded to a traditional game fishing colour scheme of black, gold and silver, making these rods an even sweeter pairing with Shimano’s TLD and Tyrnos lever drag reels. www.shimanofish.com.au
MUSTAD JIG WALLETS
2
3
5
Jig fishing anglers will love the smaller Mustad Jig Wallet, a jig wallet designed to accommodate enough jigs for a day on the water. The Jig Wallet S contains storage pockets that are constructed from tough mesh to allow the jigs to breath and dry, yet remain safe in transport and use. There are 22 jig slots for smaller jigs up to 15cm and two large mesh areas to stare things like pre-tied rigs and leader.. The Mustad Jig Wallet S forms part of the Slow Jigging System that includes a range of assist hooks, stainless steel accessories and now 2 jig wallets. If you’re into fishing jigs and you’re having trouble storing them, then the Mustad XL Jig Wallet gives you the answer you’ve been looking for. MB021 Mustad Small Jig Wallet (22 jig slots) 330x180x20mm www.wilsonfishing.com
FIN-NOR PRIMAL
1
4
5
6
The new Fin-Nor Primal lever drag fishing reel sets a new standard for lightweight and heavy-duty overhead fishing reels. Designed specifically for tackling big saltwater fish on the latest braided lines, the Primal weighs less than 400g and offers a modern ultra-light alternative to traditional overhead designs. The Fin-Nor Primal will be a hit with anglers using modern jigging techniques and those seeking a powerful overhead reel that is comfortable to use all day long. The Fin-Nor Primal is available in two sizes. The Primal PR10 narrow spool has a line capacity of 415yd/30lb braid, while the Primal PR12 wide spool has a capacity of 440yd/50lb braid. Both sizes are available in a low gear ratio of 5.8:1 for cranking power or a high gear ratio of 7.3:1 for a quick haul. Inshore and offshore anglers will finally get their hands on a powerful braid-friendly overhead reel that is exceptionally light and easy to use and perfect for targeting trophy pelagic and reef fish. www.finnorfishing.com.au
6
visit www.tacklejunkie.fish for the latest tackle news - AS IT HAPPENS!
SCAN THE QR CODE!
PRODUCT GUIDE
WHAT’S NEW FISHING LIVETARGET HOLLOW 7 BODY MULLET Lures are becoming increasingly lifelike, and they don’t come much more lifelike than this! The LIVETARGET Hollow Body Mullet features one of the most a realistic profiles and life-like colour patterns available anywhere. Its versatile swimming action makes it exceptionally easy to use. The angler can ‘walk-the-dog’ with ease, or simply skip it across the surface to generate a tantalizing bubble trail for any following predators. The hollow body snag-proof design enables it to be fished through mangrove cover, skipped under branches and fished through the weed. It can be put into places where other presentations just can’t be put! It is equipped with an extra-strong forged hook for powerful penetration and durability. An anglers can also add a treble hook to the belly pin to enhance hook-ups in open water. These great lures are available in three sizes, 95mm and 3/8oz, 115mm and 1/2oz and 135mm and 5/8oz, as well as a range of colours. www.ejtodd.com.au
7
8
OKUMA AZORES BLUE
8
The new upgraded Okuma Azores Blue spinning reel offers anglers a true heavyduty saltwater reel and big fish stopper that won’t break the bank. Designed specifically for saltwater fishing, with proven power features and a patented interior design, the Azores Blue is much more durable, strong and smoother than other reels in its class. Features include 6HPB + 1RB corrosion resistant stainless steel bearings, more than 10 times more resistant to saltwater than standard stainless steel bearings, dual anti-reverse system for maximum security, CRC: Corrosion-resistant coating process and HDGII: Corrosion-resistant, high density gearing. Dual Force Drag, a system designed for maximum high-end drag pressure, efficiency and overall smoothness, providing maximum drag pressures well above many equivalent size reels, including those in a much higher price brackets. All of these features and more combine to create a true affordable, saltwater reel that is capable of handling trophy sized saltwater fish. www.okuma.com.au
9
10
11
12
DAIWA J-BRAID GRAND
9
Daiwa’s J-Braid goes to another level with the release of the premium braid in the line-up, the new J-Braid Grand. A premium 8-strand PE, J-Braid Grand is made from an advanced new raw material (IZANAS) and is J-Braid’s strongest, most abrasion-resistant line ever. Four times more abrasion resistant than other lines, J-Braid Grand has a short pitch fibre construction that significantly reduces line damage and failure to dramatically increase line abrasion resistance and line strength consistency. Like all true premium Japanese 8-strand PE lines, J-Braid Grand maintains a true round profile for optimum line performance through the guides and on and off the reel. Made in Japan and available in sizes ranging from 6lb (0.6PE) to 150lb (PE16) and in multi and island blue colours, J-Braid Grand is the smoothest and best performing J-Braid they have ever made. www.daiwafishing.com.au
RAPALA X-RAP PETO
10
The X-Rap Peto combines Rapala’s fish-catching X-Rap construction with a beautifully colour-matched soft tail to create a seamless hybrid bait, suitable for all manor of big angry predators in Australia. With its slow sink rate and perfectly horizontal fall, the X-Rap Peto is the ideal lure choice for targeting big Murray cod and barramundi. The tail kicks with a wide action on a simple cast and retrieve technique, but you could also try a ‘jerk and pause’ retrieve, allowing the bait to slowly swim into the depths. The soft tail is firmly secured to the body with a 6-point stainless plate, but there is a spare tail included. Fitted with VMC Coastal Black hooks, an ABS Body with soft PVC Tail, these amazing baits will last you many big fish encounters. Available in eight fish catching colours, the X-Peto is 20cm long and weighs in at 83g. www.rapala.com.au
SFT TAKUMI
11
SWL Distributions is proud to bring Super Fishing Tackle to Australia. SFT is an exciting range of lures and fishing tackle where quality and toughness go hand in hand. SFT lures are built to withstand the toughest offshore species, with a range suited for the offshore anglers chasing GTs, Tuna, kingfish, billfish and more. They also do a finesse range for those targeting bass, bream, flathead, mulloway and may more, with a great range of hardboardies and plastics. One of the most diverse lures in the range is the sinking Takumi, which comes in range of sizes and weights. The SFT Takumi range comes fully wired through and with super sharp Owner Cultiva trebles straight out the pack. They have a tight wobble high speed and a more natural look when retrieved slowly and a free rolling fall on the pause that looks amazing. Whether it be trolling or casting, the SFT Takumi range is a genuine fish producer! www.swldistributions.com.au
SAMURAI PREMIUM 12 SERIES BLANKS The raw materials for Samurai rod blanks are sourced from only high quality graphite suppliers, with each batch tested to ensure it meets our standards. Each individual blank is cut, rolled and baked to a precise Samurai recipe to ensure that every blank they produce is of the best quality with an action that suits its intended purpose. Samurai’s focus is solely on creating the ultimate fishing rod blanks unequalled in technology and design and they have released a new Premium Series of task specific blanks covering travel, land-based and light jigging. Samurai is continually evolving and introducing new blanks and expanding the range available, and the last six months have seen the largest expansion yet. Samurai now has over 70 blanks available in Australia and can now even find blanks suited to a very specific type of fishing. Make sure you check out the new Premium Series, there’s bound to be a blank for you! www.samurairods.com.au
Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au JULY 2018
75
WHAT’S NEW FISHING LIMITED EDITION SAURY
NEW 60G 13 LAZER
JM Gillies is celebrating its 90th Anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion they have been releasing special limited edition versions of some of their most popular lures. The latest lure to get the special 90th Anniversary treatment is the Saury. Limited edition, hand carved Saury lures are now available from participating stores for a limited time. Each lure has been personally signed and numbered by legendary indigenous lure expert Lance Butler. Lance spends thousands of hours on the water every year, fine tuning and developing some of the most innovative and spcialised lures in the world. His range has some of the best colours and designs available, and all lures are constructed from the highest quality materials and fittings. In addition, they are all are vigorously tested to ensure they perform perfectly, fish after fish. www.jmgillies.com.au
OTTERBOX DEFENDER SERIES
14
When you’re about to head out on your next big fishing adventure, a damaged smartphone is something you don’t want to worry about. However, with OtterBox Defender Series, you can fish with the confidence of knowing your phone is protected from a barrage of wear and tear. The rugged Defender Series is built tough, ensuring your smartphone is well protected against scrapes, drops and dings. Built to last, it blocks out dust, dirt and grime and comes with OtterBox Certified Drop+ Protection, meaning it has been put through more than 238 hours of testing across 24 different tests. Each case features an attachable, practical holster that clips to most belts and straps, meaning your phone can be with you on every adventure. It even doubles as a kickstand in case you need help capturing that all-important photo or video of your antics. Price: from SRP $74.95 www.ottocasestore.com.au
HOBIE LIVEWELL V2
76
JULY 2018
16
The new Lazer 60g is a must-have lure in every serious angler’s tackle box. This new size Lazer was designed for beach and rock fishers who like to cast long in search of the likes of tailor and Australian salmon. Lazer Lures have been proudly making lures in Australia since 1978. All Lazers are fitted with quality stainless steel ring and VMC hooks. The colour range is extensive, with 19 proven colours, and there are multiple models for a host of applications. Collectively these lures have accounted for a wide variety of species, including bass, barracuda, bonito, flathead, jewfish, kingfish, mackerel, pike, perch, queenfish, salmon, tailor, trevally, tuna, wahoo and more. Visit the website for further information or look them up on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lazerlures. www.lazerlures.com
DAIWA LEXA WN
13
14
15
17
Strong, unyielding and designed for battle, the legendary Lexa baitcaster has received an overhaul for 2018, with new ultra-comfortable, ultra-stylish Winn grips elevating the Lexa WN to a new level of comfort, power and performance. Featuring the rock solid construction that has made the Lexa name famous, the new WN version features many of Daiwa’s best designs and technologies including UTD (10kg) Infinite Anti Reverse, Dual Stopper, and Magforce cast control braking system. Comfort and control is ensured with the Lexa’s new eye-catching, ergonomically designed Winn Grips. They provide a tacky, sure grip to maintain maximum contact between angler and reel, regardless of temperature or moisture levels. A 6.3:1 retrieve ratio, seven ball bearings, and a well balanced 298g body weight further enhance the reel’s in-hand performance and combine with the Lexa’s solid construction to make it one of the most refined, yet rugged, large baitcasters available. www.daiwafishing.com.au
NEW BOOKS FROM 15 AFN
The newly redesigned Hobie Livewell V2 sports a fresh colour scheme, modern lines and more built-in features than ever before. This livewell is plug-and-play with most Hobie kayaks, and includes all the same built-in functionality of the Livewell XL. There are several upgrades over the original livewell, including a sealed marine switch for on/off control. Also included is a high output pump that circulates aerated water to keep bait alive, and the battery and charger are included as well. Another feature is the adjustable downspout for water level control and drainage, and it holds up to 30L of water. Other standard features include removable tank partitions to provide a rounded surface for keeping live bait healthy and out of hard-to-reach places; three vertical rod holders with pre-marked locations for adding more; and heavy-duty straps to secure the Livewell V2 to the cargo area. Price: SRP $539 www.hobie.com.au
PRODUCT GUIDE
18
To maximize fishing success, every angler needs to record their catches and the conditions on the day, to put together all the pieces of the fishing puzzle. When a journal also contains useful technical information, it’s even more valuable. The latest Anglers Journal & Almanac has solar and lunar peak fish activity and feeding times, the tides for each state with local variations, basic knots and rigs, selected fish weight from length conversion tables, basic boating regulations, and lure colour selection charts based on depth and the prevailing conditions. It also has plenty of pages to record catches and trip details. Another new book is the Complete Book of Fishing Knots, by The Fishing Show hosts Bill Classon and Nigel Webster. It covers all the knots anglers need, from the basic knots through to some of the more advanced. Whether you’re a novice or a more seasoned angler, there’s something in it for you. Superbly illustrated by Trevor Hawkins, the knots are easy to follow and master. As they say, if your knot holds you’ll catch the fish! Price: SRP $12.99 (Almanac), $16.99 (Knots) www.afn.com.au
16
17 18
visit www.tacklejunkie.fish for the latest tackle news - AS IT HAPPENS!
SCAN THE QR CODE!
PRODUCT GUIDE
WHAT’S NEW FISHING
Mako prescription sunglasses: I can see clearly now As we grow towards middle age certain changes become apparent in our everyday lives. Groaning when we bend down, being irritable about new technology and the lack of ability to see things clearly when close to us becomes part of everyday life. History has not been kind to baby booming anglers; as our sight diminishes the fishing industry moves towards finer braided lines and clearer fluorocarbon leaders to increase our frustration. For me, the continual swapping from sunglasses to reading glasses has proven to be a real pain in the backside. Mako sunglasses recently came to my rescue, with the delivery of a new pair of Mako multifocal prescription sunglasses. Mako have faithfully reproduced their stunning glass G2H5 polarised rose lens in my corrective prescription, and then fitted the lenses to the Mako frame of my choice. Being a multifocal lens, I can look through the top section of the lens
The lens has a hydrophobic coating, so when you’re bringing a thrashing fish aboard you won’t have to wipe splashes off your lens. glass prescription multifocal lens readily available in Australia. In addition to this, the green mirror is internal to ensure maximum durability of the lens surface. Mako use the latest digital freeform lens-grinding technology in their manufacturing processes, and the prescription accuracy and ease of use of these lenses is second to none. Wrap sunglass curves can distort prescription lenses of lesser technical specifications, but not so with these Mako lenses as they offer super-clear vision at all focal lengths. The smudge-free hydrophobic coating is a winner too, as any water
to see distant objects clearly while the lower zone gives sharp vision to closer reading and knot tying focal lengths. In fact, most prescriptions – whether multifocal, long sighted or short sighted – can be produced in Mako frame and lens combinations to suit every wearer and outdoor activity. My chosen lens colour, the rose G2H5, was selected for its high contrast capabilities which allow me to see subtle differences in below water structure and individual fish at greater depth. There is no doubt that my stream craft when trout fishing is greatly improved wearing
the Mako lenses, as the layout of the river becomes obvious. My lure then spends more time in the strike zone, spelling trouble for the resident brown and rainbow trout. It’s the same story on Port Phillip Bay, where the location of weed beds and sand patches mean the difference between a good and bad day on the calamari and whiting. The G2H5 lenses are ground in Italy using a high density glass which produces a super thin lens to reduce the weight of the sunglasses. We anglers love the scratch-resistant properties of glass lenses, and the Mako G2H5 is the only
TESTED
that splashes on the lens simply beads up and drains off. That means no more wiping with dirty hands or shirts, actually making more smudges on the lenses than you started with! Please pay attention to the fit of the frame during your selection process, and try to leave a small amount of airflow around your face. Glass lenses have many great advantages, however they do tend to fog a little more than acrylic lenses and the airflow will eliminate this problem. If you want to order a pair of prescription Makos, remember that some frames are less suitable than others. Wrap prescription lens design requires careful design calculations to keep the lens thickness low, and prescription accuracy over the entire lens surface. It requires significantly more expertise than standard reading glasses! Enquire about the ability of your chosen retailer to deliver these designs before committing your purchase, and always reserve the right to seek further advice. We all deserve the best vision solution available. From trout in a stream to tuna on the shelf, I have found my Mako multifocal sunglasses an irreplaceable part of my fishing day. David is a qualified Optical Dispenser & Mechanic with over 35 years industry experience currently managing Karingal Optical, a large Optometry Practice in Frankston. A keen angler and diver, he spends large amounts of time on and around the water in between consulting to his customers with their prescription and sunglass requirements. - David Glennie
The author’s streamcraft has been improved thanks to the Mako lenses.
JULY 2018
77
Morgan moves in at Mandurah
STORM
Queenslander and Fishing Monthly Magazines publisher Steve Morgan travelled west to the Mandurah BREAM event with winning the furthest thing from his mind. As it happened, a reduced arena and a shutdown of the bite meant that he rode the weight of a solitary 1.2kg black bream on day two of the event to victory. Mandurah is a unique black bream fishery. With a massive estuary called Peel Inlet looking amazing (but barren of black bream), the fishing usually happens in the local Mandurah canals, which have fewer but bigger fish, or the Murray/Serpentine rivers, which hale many more smaller bream. On day one of the event, calm weather meant that the entire arena was open to fish, and local gun, Jayden
Steve Morgan secured his 11th ABT BREAM win and his second in Western Australia with the close-fought Mandurah victory. a 1.20kg Mandurah canal fatty to the scales and moving from 4th to 1st in
a finish more fitting of a Bradbury than a Morgan. “When I realised how
Canberra’s Stuart Walker landed this stunning 1.38kg Murray River bream on the first day to take the $500 Daiwa J-Braid Big Bream from the back of the boat. Webb, bagged a solid 5-fish limit for 2.88kg up the Murray River to have daylight between him and the rest of the field. With a strong wind warning on the Sunday, the tournament was completed in a reducedboundary arena, which left the door open in the trying conditions. Getting only one bite all day, Morgan landed the fish that mattered, presenting
Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888. 84
JULY 2018
Scan the QR code to see the winners’ interview.
WINNING TACKLE Rod: Daiwa Mebaru 7’8” MX 78MML (released August 18) Reel: Daiwa Exist 2500LT Line: Yamatoyo Spinning Fluoro (4lb) Lure: Z-Man 2.5” Slim SwimZ in motor oil Jighead: JA’s Jigs 1/32oz round head with #4 Owner hook.
tough the fishing was in the strong winds on the Sunday, I thought that a big bite would make a real difference, but I didn’t think that I was going to be the one who got it,” Morgan said after the presentation. He caught all of his weigh-in fish on one outfit. It was a Daiwa 7’9” Mebaru rod paired with a new Daiwa Exist LT 2500 reel. Spooled with 4lb Yamatoyo Spinning Fluoro, Morgan used this rig to cast, pitch and skip a motor oil coloured ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ in and around docks and pontoons. It was rigged on a JA Jigs Round Head 1/32oz head with a #4 Owner hook, made by Albany’s Jim Allen. “I actually rigged the little swimbait on that hook because I was out of anything bigger,” Morgan explained, “but when I did it, it looked awesome in the water with the body rolling from side to side. And as an added bonus, it skip-cast amazingly. “Since, I’ve found that plenty of black bream guys use small hooks like that because it helps with the hookups on blacks.” Morgan fished the lower Murray on day one for a 4/5, 1.85kg bag before adding the 1.2kg brute on day two.
TOP 10 BOATERS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Angler Fish Weight Payout Steve Morgan, QLD 5/10 3.05kg $2,000 + $200 Pro option Jayden Webb, WA 5/10 2.88kg $1,100 Cam Whittam, Vic 4/10 2.58kg $800 Shane Owens, WA 5/10 2.19kg $725 + $250 1st Mercury Greg Cooper, WA 5/10 2.09kg $150 2nd Mercury Mark Crompton, NSW 3/10 1.90kg Paul Burton, WA 3/10 1.86kg $100 3rd Mercury Paul Siemaszko, WA 4/10 1.85kg Warren Carter, Vic 3/10 1.44kg Matthew Jeffery, WA 2/10 1.28kg For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au
Webb Narrowly Misses Maiden Win Native West Australian Jayden Webb is a perennial contender on the Mandurah arena and wasn’t rattled when the event was relocated to Mandurah from Perth because of bridgeworks cutting the arena in half. Webb grew up fishing the Murray River, holidaying on Yunderup Island since birth, so he had a solid plan on day one of the event that
he executed to perfection. “I fished man-made structure early and deep, snaggy banks later on in the day,” Webb said, “I’d have a couple of casts to the structure with an OSP Dunk first, and after that, I’d throw in an Ecogearaqua Bream Prawn rigged weightless on a Gamakatsu worm hook.” The pattern proved productive for Webb, who
DUFFRODS BIG BAG Mike Hodges’ day one bag secured the Duffrods Big Bag prize for his first day’s efforts. His five biggest of his dozen legal bream for the day went 2.95kg.
DAIWA J-BRAID BIG BREAM ACT’s Stuart Walker boxed a cracking 1.38kg bream from the Murray River to take home $500 and a Daiwa J-Braid pack. It was fooled by a ZMan motor oil coloured grub fished along a laydown snag.
landed around a dozen legal bream on the first day and justified the 100 minute drive from the start line through the various slow-zones. “I landed basically everything that I hooked on the Saturday, and you can’t ask for any more than that,” he said. Webb used identical outfits for both techniques: Shimano gear consisting of Zodias rods, Twinpower 1000 reels, Mission Complete 14lb braided line and Ocea 6lb leaders. It was a heartbreaking day on the Sunday to land a bream only a few millimetres short of legal length, and a single Sunday fish of any legal size would have secured him the win. “It’s great to get the national circuit over here to WA and fish against the eastern anglers,” he concluded.
BREAM SERIES
Perth’s Jayden Webb landed a dozen bream on the Saturday to head into day two with the lead. His fish came in the Murray River on a mixture of OSP Dunks and Ecogearaqua Bream Prawns.
2.5” Slim SwimZ in motor oil
Victorian Michael Hodges collected his second non-Boater trophy of 2018 on the back of a cracking first-day bag of 5/5 for 2.95kg. Inset: Michael’s choice of tackle.
Magic Mike’s Non-Boater Win Eastern non-boaters filled the podium in the Non-Boater division, with Victorian Mike Hodges taking the trophy. It was Hodges’ second victory for the season after reigning supreme at St Helens, Tasmania, earlier in the year, proving that he’s a gun angler from the back of any boat in any state. Fishing with Jayden
Webb on the Saturday, the best five of his nine legal bream landed on the first day weighed in at a tournament-best 2.95kg, gaining him the Duffrods Big Bag and what turned out to be an insurmountable lead for the event, even though, like Webb, he failed to weigh a bream on the second day. Improvising in a baitfish-rich environment, Hodges distilled his
presentation down to a Squidgy Flickbait rigged on a Gamakatsu Wide Gape #4 hook, which was weighted with a 0.4 BB Split Shot (which weighs about 1/40oz). Hodges’ preferred outfit was 7ft 1-3kg Nitro Vapour rod, matched to a Fin-Nor Affinity 2.0, which he loaded with 6lb Berkley Nanofil, with a 3m FC Rock 5lb leader. “The key to the
presentation was to keep the bait just moving along the bottom. Then you’d feel the fish nipping at it and eventually one would eat it properly,” Mike said. “I’ve been carrying these baits around for years but they were exactly what the fish wanted this weekend,” he concluded.
Round 4 AUGUST
25–26
Fuglies eyewear 12 x 2 To download the free app. NOT IN SYSTEM
Go to ifishcomps in the app store or
TOP 9 NON BOATERS Place Angler 1 Michael Hodges, Vic 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Fish 5/10
Weight 2.95kg
Payout $200 Hobie +Costa + Prize Pack + $300 Pro option Stuart Walker, ACT 3/10 2.78kg $100 Hobie + $500 + Prize Pack James Morgan, ACT 3/10 1.36kg $75 Hobie + Prize Pack Graeme Kovacevic, WA 2/10 1.22kg Prize Pack Michael Sammut, WA 2/10 0.83kg Prize Pack Brendan McNamara, Vic 1/10 0.63kg Prize Pack Andy Mitchell, WA 1/10 0.62kg Prize Pack Chris Hill, WA 1/10 0.56kg Prize Pack Don Johnson, WA 1/10 0.32kg Prize Pack For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au
Location:
LOCK 9 MILDURA (2-Day Event)
Scan the QR code to see day one highlights.
2018 CENTRAL VIC PRO SERIES DATES Round 2. Dec 8&9
Mulwala (DC on the Lake)
This Series is for Teams of two only, check out the Central Vic Pro Series group on facebok for more details www.facebook.com/groups/CVLCPS/
Check out our Facebook pages:
• Central VIC Pro Series • Central VIC Lure Casters Super Series Scan the QR code to see day two highlights.
For more information contact David Nelson 0418 378 944 roundy@cvlcss.com • www.cvlcss.com JULY 2018
85
Danes Tops Glenbawn at the top
STORM
Blue Mountains resident, 40 year old Troy Danes lives four hours from Glenbawn, but fished it like a seasoned local on his way to a dominant win at the biggest ABT BASS event held in recent years. Taking $3750 home for his efforts, it was a two-pronged approach that gained Danes the trophy and he plied his trade in the upper reaches of the lake on both tournament days. “I fished the colour change right up the top of the dam where the water went from clear to algae coloured,” Danes said. “On the first day it was where the colour change started and on the Sunday it was right up the top of the lake.” Danes’ key baits included an Ecooda 65mm jerkbait and a Keitech 2” Easy Shiner plastic bait rigged on a 1/6 or 1/8oz TT jighead that he’d painted with his daughter’s nail polish to match the colour.
Troy diligently worked the very top of the lake and took home $3,500 as well as the $250 Evinrude Bonus. he rigged the plastics on 8lb leader. “The strike zone was definitely where the flat would drop into the old creekbed and we could fish
GARMIN BIG BASS Non-boater Dylan Byron took home the $500 Garmin Big Bass after presenting a 1.28kg specimen to the weighmaster. It ate a muscadine coloured Slider Crappie Grub on a 1/6oz TT jighead hopped in around 12ft of water at ‘the Boot.’ There was some quality air-rooting when it hit the net.
Leading the event on the Saturday meant Troy copped a lot of media attention on the Sunday from Peter Phelps.
Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888. 86
JULY 2018
“On the Saturday, the jerkbait yielded quality fish while the plastic delivered numbers,” Troy continued, “ and it was amazing how long you could let the jerkbait sit before they ate it. It could sit stationary for 10 seconds before getting hammered.” The Sunday, however, was when the teamwork came into play. “I’d rip and fish the jerkbait fast – probably too fast – but when I ripped the hard lure hard, it’d stir up the bass and Collin, my non-boater, would clean them up on the plastic. It really was Who Shares Wins,” Danes said. Troy used very similar outfits to fish the different baits – 1-4kg Duffrods Broken Bones with Shimano Stradic Ci4 reels that were spooled with 6lb Sunline PE-4. With the jerkbaits, he fished a 10lb V-Hard leader, whereas
the trees on this breakline. I’d wind the Ecooda down to this point and then twitch it and let it sit,” Troy concluded. As well as the winner’s cheque, Danes also added the $250 cash Evinrude Bonus to his payday for being the highest placed angler running an Evinrude.
Dylan Byron earned the Garmin Big Bass from the back of the boat.
DUFFRODS BIG BAG Greg Beattie started and finished the qualifier with a bang. Indeed, his final session 4.37kg was the Duffrods Big Bag of the event. We don’t know what happened in the Session 2 donut, but it definitely cost him a shot at the win.
TOP 10 BOATERS Place Angler 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Fish
Weight (kg) Payout
Troy Danes 12/12 11.96 $3,500 + $250 Evinrude Bonus Tom Slater 12/12 11.43 $2,000 Kristoffer Hickson 12/12 10.63 $1150 Mitchell Cone 12/12 10.57 $900 Glenn Hayter 12/12 10.28 $800 Scott Hutchison 12/12 10.19 $700 Grant Clements 11/12 12.01 $600 Greg Beattie 8/12 8.01 $600 Grant Manusu 10/12 7.76 $600 Paul Aldous 9/12 7.74 For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au
Slater swims skirted jigs for second New NSW resident and ex-Queenslander Tom Slater obviously feels quite at home at Lake Glenbawn with his second-placed performance continuing a string of high placings at the Hunter Valley venue. Each morning Slater started in ‘the Narrows’ – a section of the lake about halfway to the 8knot zone. Targeting shallow rocky points with scattered weed and small shrubs, Slater used a Daiwa Double Clutch 75SP in a new colour called lemon sight special, which will be released as part of a new range of Double Clutch lures in August this year.
“The first morning myself and my non-boating partner Alan Clarke put two nice fish in the boat using the Double Clutches. We then looked to fill out our limit using small soft plastics before heading to weigh-in around the middle of the time zone.” “The afternoon sessions were where I was really confident,” explained Slater. “I keyed into a really good skirted jig bite fishing as shallow as 30cm out to about 10ft. The fish were up shallow, holding on standing and fallen timber and I targeted them with a Pro’s Factory 3/8oz Motion
Ecooda Jerkbait 65mm Pearl Shrimp
Jig with a 3” craw trailer.” His rod of choice was a prototype Daiwa rod, which he is designing as part of a new range, which will be released later this year. “My jig rod I’m working on is 7’2” in length, rated 10-17lb and medium power – it’s the perfect Australian jig rod for fishing these lakes and rivers using a skirted jig.” Slater paired his prototype rod with a Daiwa Steez A baitcast reel in 8.1:1 ratio, which he notes is essential for fishing a skirted jig. His line of choice was the new Daiwa J-Braid Grand in 20lb and a Daiwa J-Thread FC fluorocarbon leader in 12lb.
BASS PR O
Tom Slater’s infatuation with skirted jigs paid off with a solid second place in the Hunter Valley lake.
Keitech Easy Shiner 2” Lime Chartreuse
The highest placed Evinrude owner at each ABT BASS Pro event gets a $250 bonus.
Khouri SwimZ to maiden ABT non-boater win Topping the non-boater division, Sydney’s Tony Khouri was a popular winner. Sharing a boat with Troy Danes and Mitchell Cone, Tony’s primary weapon was a cut-down ZMan Slim SwimZ plastic in motor oil colour that he’d trim to about 1.5” long. Tony’s just as adept at using this bait on the Costa BREAM Tour as he is using it on the Rapala BASS Circuit. Rigging it on a Dam Deep 1/8oz jighead, Tony fished it across upper
lake breaklines on the first day, catching fish where the water dropped into the old creek bed. On the second day, fishing mid-lake with Mitchell Cone, he would slow roll it deeper in the water column. Khouri fished the baits on a couple of Daiwa Battler Water Zombies – one with an Exist 2500 and the other fitted with a Shimano Stella 2500. Both were spooled with Sunline Castaway 10lb and terminated with Toray and Sunline Invisible fluorocarbon leaders between 4lb and 6lb.
“It was great to fish as a team in this BASS format,” Khouri recounted after the event, “The afternoon session ended with a bang and we were frantically upgrading bass after bass in the last few minutes.” A participant in ABT’s BREAM and BASS events, it was only a matter of time until Tony topped the non-boaters and added the trophy to his pool room. “The ABT format is a great way to accelerate your learning curve and I encourage anyone who is interested to sign up.”
Tony Khouri was stoked with his breakthrough ABT win.
TOP 10 NON BOATERS Place Angler 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Fish
Weight (kg) Payout
Tony Khouri 12/12 11.68 Bassman Prize Pack Collin Robinson 12/12 10.85 Hobie Polarized Prize Pack Matthew Flynn 12/12 9.89 Hobie Polarized Prize Pack Dylan Byron 10/12 9.72 Samaki Zing Rod Bill Rose 11/12 9.65 Tonic Sunnies Orton Marchant 10/12 8.67 Prize Pack Alan Clarke 9/12 8.03 Prize Pack Scott Chard 9/12 7.76 Prize Pack Tim Steenhuis 8/12 7.68 Prize Pack Tani Konsul 8/10 7.24 Prize Pack For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au
The Boater and Non-Boater Champions fished together on the Saturday. JULY 2018
87
Allwood’s first ABT Qualifier win
STORM
Queenslander Terry Allwood wasn’t that confident fishing jerkbaits for Australian bass coming into the Hunter Valley swing of the Rapala BASS Pro Tour, but by the end of the Deps Qualifier at Lake St Clair, he’d accumulated a pile more experience and a $3,000 winner’s cheque to help him add to his collection of suspending hardbodies. Weighing a 12/12, 10.88kg limit over the three sessions, Allwood rode the early morning jerkbait bite followed by a later-inthe-day plastic pattern to a 300g victory over fellow Queenslander, Matt Johnson. It was his first and only ABT Qualifier win after a recent Grand Final victory at Bjelke-Petersen Dam. The Atomic sponsored angler used a slew of his supporter’s gear to catch his bass, including Samurai 181 (3-6lb) rods coupled with Daiwa Certate 2004 and Luvias 2004 reels
Being a clear water impoundment, St Clair’s bass are a magnificent golden colour.
In ABT BASS’s unique shared weight format, boaters and non-boaters combine to compile a limit of four bass per session. Terry Allwood and Matt Flynn combined perfectly to weigh big bags and take their respective trophies.
Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888. 88
JULY 2018
spooled with Unitika Light Jigging DLX 10lb braid and Unitika 6lb Nightgame FC Rock leaders. His go-to plastic was an Atomic Plazo 2.5” Paddle Tail (avocado glitter colour and cut down to about 2”) with a 1/6oz Seekerz jighead (#1 hook) while the jerkbait preference was a clear 61mm Jackall Squirrel with an orange back and yellow head. The outfits remained the same regardless of whether he was throwing the plastic or hardbody. “I fished the Falbrook arm and had an amazing practice,” Allwood admitted, “there were fish everywhere and they were basically receptive to everything. At around 10am the bite slowed down a little and I made my way into the main basin fishing any shade pockets I could find and the fish kept coming.”
And that’s how the tournament-winning plan was formed. Allwood noted that the jerkbait fish tended to be bigger, while the plastic eating fish were smaller and more plentiful. “I suppose that if I was to identify if I was doing
anything different, it’d be that I tried to fish the jerkbait gently and quietly. Rather than trying to rip the lure hard, I’d rather swim it down and gently twitch and pause it. That was getting better results for me,” he said. “Also with the plastics, I tried to sink them into pockets in the weeds. You’d feel a little tick in the line, you’d strike and they’d be on,” Terry continued. And there’s no arguing with the results. “Anglers are always happy when they are catching fish and the lake didn’t disappoint during the event, with a bite as good as any we’d seen in recent times resulting in lots of limits to the weighmaster,” he concluded.
WINNING TACKLE Rod: Samurai 181 3-6lb Reel: Daiwa Certate 2004 Line: Unitika Light Jigging DLX 10lb Leader: Unitika Nightgame FC Rock 6lb Jerkbait: Jackall Squirrel 61 Plastic: Atomic Plazo 2.5” Paddle Tail (avocado glitter) with 1/6oz Seekerz #1 jighead
TOP 10 BOATERS Place Angler 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Fish
Weight (kg) Payout
Terry Allwood 12/12 10.88kg $3,000 Matt Johnson 12/12 10.58kg $1,500 Graham Ford 12/12 10.40kg $1,000 Kristoffer Hickson 12/12 10.37kg $900 Matthew Langford 12/12 10.10kg $800 Simon Marchant 12/12 9.89kg $700 Brian Everingham 12/12 9.60kg $600 Mark Lennox 12/12 9.35kg Troy Danes 12/12 9.31kg $250 Evinrude Bonus Glenn Hayter 12/12 9.27kg For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au
Johnson makes it a Queensland double Camping with Terry Allwood, it seems as though the Queensland camp pooled knowledge to defeat the local anglers on their home turf. “I fished one of the arms and Terry fished the other,” Matt Johnson said, “and our techniques were very similar.”
Johnson used a 61mm Jackall Squirrel in albino chartreuse and lime squash colours to catch his quality fish at the expense of number of bites. “My co-anglers were happy to throw plastics and that suited me just fine,” Johnson said, “they could keep the bag ticking over
GARMIN BIG BASS Again, the Garmin Big Bass came from the back of the boat, with non-boater Caine Goward winning $500 for landing a magnificent 1.44kg St Clair bass on a Keitech Easy Shiner.
DUFFRODS BIG BAG Kris Hickson saved the best until last on St Clair, weighing the Duffrods Big Bag with Matthew Flynn on the last session. Their 4.20kg limit was one of only two bags that topped the 4kg mark all weekend.
while I chased kicker fish. It was only when it calmed right off on the Sunday that I threw a plastic too.” Johnson’s kit consisted of a BarraBass P704 made on a North Fork blank, a 25 sized Quantum reel, 10lb Siglon PE-8 braid and 10lb Siglon V-Hard leader. When he fished a plastic, it was a Keitech 3” Swing Impact in Baby Ayu colour on a 1/6oz TT jighead. Unlike others, Johnson only used short pauses with his jerkbait. “For me, the bass would hit the suspending lure on the first second of the pause, so I tended to work my bait a little faster then everyone else,” Matt said, proving that if you fish with confidence, the bass will respond.
BASS PR O
Matt Johnson followed up a forgettable Glenbawn performance with a nearperfect campaign on Lake St Clair - mainly using jerkbaits in the clear water.
Atomic Plazo 2.5” Paddle Tail in avocado glitter
Sink and slow wind
Non-boater Caine Goward won $500 for landing a magnificent 1.44kg St Clair bass on a Keitech Easy Shiner.
Flynn Follows up BASS Electric Convention win Proving that his 2017 BASS Electric Convention win wasn’t a fluke, Lismore’s Matt Flynn added a non-boater trophy to the cabinet. Confident in the jerkbait bite, he
added fish to the will with a Jackall Squirrel in Suji colour and on a Keitech soft plastic. “I’d use small, fast rips and long pauses to get the reaction,” Flynn said, “and I mean long pauses. It was
common for a bass to eat the bait after it was suspending for over five seconds.” Learning to bass fish in lakes, Flynn’s learning curve was steep on St Clair. He wasn’t really confident throwing a plastic, but
caught plenty of fish on a 2” Keitech Easy Shiner. Flynn’s gear consisted of a Shimano Rarenium 2500 reel, NS Hurricane 4-10lb rod, 10lb Sunline
braid and 8lb Sunline FC Rock leader. “I drew Terry Allwood and Kris Hickson, so when you’re fishing with guys like that and throwing back
800g fish for upgrades you are going to have a good time,” he said. It seems as though the trophy and prizes were just a bonus.
TOP 10 NON BOATERS Place Angler 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Fish
Weight (kg) Payout
Matthew Flynn 12/12 11.78kg Bassman prize Pack Caine Goward 12/12 10.73kg Hobie Polarizes sunnies + $500 Lochie Rutherford 12/12 10.40kg Hobie Polarizes sunnies Dylan Byron 11/12 10.11kg Tonic sunnies Scott McIntyre 12/12 9.56kg Samurai Reaction rod Paul Mazaroli 12/12 9.55kg Prize pack David Hedges 12/12 9.46kg Prize pack Cole Hutchinson 12/12 9.30kg Prize pack Brendan Pieschel 12/12 9.16kg Prize pack Joe Smith 12/12 8.91kg Prize pack For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au
Non-Boater Matt Flynn drew Kris Kickson on one of the days and enjoyed a fantastic jerkbait bite. JULY 2018
89
Trades, Services, Charter BAIT & TACKLE
Lazer Lures Catch Fish
New Lazer 60g with premium VMC hooks, a must-have lure in every serious tailor fisherman’s tackle box.
BOAT MODIFICATIONS & REPAIRS
CUSTOM ALLOY FABRICATION • Boat repairs & fitouts • Bait tanks • Transom rebuilds • Fuel tanks • Consoles OVER 20 YEARS FABRICATING AND WELDING ALUMINIUM
MINN REPAIRS & SERVICING CUSTOM TRANSOMS 20-75hp $750 75-150hp $890 150-225hp $980 Freight can be arranged Australia wide
PROFISH BOATS – Phone Peter 0417 782 114
www.lazerlures.com
Email: peter@profishboats.com www.profishboats.com
GOLD COAST
BEST LURE RANGE ON THE Fishing GOLD COAST TOP BRANDS • TOP SERVICE • GREAT PRICES
INSIDE SPORTY’S WAREHOUSE
MAIL ORDERS
WELCOME
Strathaird Rd 07 5526 2786 32BUNDALL 4217 QLD
FIBREGLASS Repairs
Brisbane South and Gold Coas t
• Modifications • Detailing • Repairs JOE BONNICI
0410 480 203
Salt-Away www.salt-away.com.au
SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND
SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND
BCF www.bcf.com.au Davo’s Tackleworld Noosaville (07) 5449 8099 Davo’s Tackleworld Marcoola (07) 5448 8244 Lazer Lures – www.lazerlures.com.au Tackle Warehouse Brisbane (07) 3398 6500
Bluewater Windscreens Brisbane (07) 3382 7883
+ 50km of sheltered waterways on the Gold Coast’s Broadwater + No Licence required CALL FOR A + Boats from $995 DEAL + 2-12 berth
Oceanic Boat Trailers (07) 5597 0577 Sea-Link Special Trailers (07) 3881 3568 Spitfire Trailers (07) 0400 866 323 Tinnie Tosser (07) 5498 7339
MARINE ELECTRONICS
MARINE ELECTRONICS
Small Craft Electrics (mobile) 0408 063 064
• Sounders • GPS • Electric Motors • Marine Radios and accessories • Stereos • Televisions • Radar Units • Autopilots Unit 4/1440 New Cleveland Road Capalaba www.trymax.com.au PHONE: 07 3245 3633
GOLD COAST
NEW
TINNIE HIRE AVAILABLE
Lake Monduran House Boat www.lakemonduranhouseboathire.com.au Rainbow Beach Houseboats (07) 5486 3146
BOAT HIRE // TRAILER
Brisbane Boat Painting 0433 356 620
MARINE TRAILERS
ONSITE AND MOBILE INSTALLATIONS
MARINE MECHANICS
FRASER COAST
BRISBANE
Wondall Rd Marine (07) 3396 5633
CMC Marine Sales 0409 910 808
T&S Marine (07) 5546 2599
BOAT PAINTING
WYNUMM MANLY-BAYSIDE
SALES • REPAIRS • INSTALLATIONS
Marine Windows and Doors Brisbane (07) 3284 5088
Great family and fishing boats!
Boab Boat Hire - 1300 002 622
MARINE MECHANICS // MOBILE
Boat Collar (07) 5441 3636
Iconic Boats Brisbane 0475 311 447
GOLD COAST
GOLD COAST
Minn Repairs & Servicing Call Troy 0412 605 080 – W: minnrepairs.com minnrepairsservicing E: minnrepairs@gmail.com
ASM Mobile Welding Brisbane 0409 624 402
BOAT HIRE // HOUSE
+ 07 5502 6200 + www.coomerahouseboats.com.au
• All electric motor brands • Australia wide freight • Quick turn around • Authorised Minn Kota/Watersnake repairer
Whitewater Marine (07) 5532 4402
SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND Brisbane Yamaha (07) 3888 1727 Caloundra Marine (07) 5491 1944 Capalaba Boat Centre 04011 728 379 Coorparoo Marine (07) 3397 4141 Cunningham Marine Centre (07) 3284 8805 Holt Marine (07) 3353 1928 Northside Marine (07) 3265 8029 Stones Corner Marine (07) 3397 9766
NORTH QUEENSLAND Reef Marine Mackay (07) 4957 3521
MARINE OUTBOARD WRECKERS TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND North Queensland Outboard Wreckers Townsville 1800 812 748
FISH TAXIDERMY Fish Taxidermist www.fishtaxidermy.net.au or 0428 544 841
FISHING GUIDES SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND Suncoast Barra Fishing Park www.suncoastbarrafishing.com
CENTRAL QUEENSLAND Lake Monduran Barra Charters 0407 434 446
TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND Hooked On Hinchinbrook www.hookedonhinchinbrook.com
This section in QLD Fishing Monthly consolidates the trades and services in your area that are relevant to your fishing and boating. Whether you’re a local looking for more options or a travelling angler fishing around the state, this guide will direct you to reputable businesses in the area you’re searching. 90
JULY 2018
Boats & Guided Fishing Tours Directory MARINE TRIMMERS SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND Affordable Boat Covers Gold Coast 0419 424 587 Brisbane Yamaha (07) 3888 1727 Rays Canvas & Marine Caboolture (07) 5499 4911 Rowland Street Boat Trimmers Springwood (07) 3208 9511
HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND
NORTHERN NSW
N O W AVA IL A B L E
Evans Head Deep Sea Fishing Charters 0428 828 835 Reel Time Fishing Charters Yamba 0428 231 962 Wooli Fishing Charter (02) 6649 7100
Dave Gaden’s Yamba • Deep Sea
REEL TIME
ALL YOUR FISHING MONTHLY GEAR From
T-Shirts
$
FISHING CHARTERS
22 85
The Islander Retreat, South Stradbroke Island 0420 967 557
HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION FRASER ISLAND Apurla Island Retreat 0437 739 121 Cathedrals on Fraser (07) 4127 9177 Eurong Beach Resort 1800 111 808 Fraser Island Beach Houses 1800 626 230 Waddy Lodge on Fraser 0414 516 364 Yidney Rocks (07) 4127 9167
CENTRAL QUEENSLAND
• 6am to 2pm $150pp • 3 boats – holds up to 30+ people • All fishing gear and bait is supplied • No fishing licence req. • Pickup from Yamba Marina or Iluka ferry wharf
Phone Dave today: www.fishingyamba.com.au 0428 231 962 OPEN 7 DAYS
EASY PARKING
Phone Cases From
$
29 45
Mugs
Baffle Creek Holiday House 0419 624 833
From
COOKTOWN
$
River of Gold Motel 4069 5222
MACKAY BEL AIR MOTEL, MACKAY - PLENTY OF ROOM FOR BOATS AND TRAILERS.............PH: 07 4957 3658 FRESHWATER Lake Boondooma Caravan Park (07) 4168 9694 Lake Cressbrook Regional Council 131 872 Yallakool Caravan Park on Bjelke-Petersen Dam (07) 4168 4746 Yallakool Park and Kiosk on Bjelke-Petersen Dam (07) 4168 4746
CHARTER BOATS GOLD COAST BK’s Gold Coast Fishing Charters 0414 293 034 Coastal Sports Fishing Charters Gold Coast 0412 691 929 Discovery Fishing Charters Gold Coast 0427 026 519 Fish The Deep Charters 0416 224 412 Gold Coast Fishing Charters 0411 605 090 Gone Fishing Charters Gold Coast (07) 5529 7833 Hooker 1 Charters Gold Coast (07) 5528 6469 My Charter Boat Tweed Heads 0407 347 446 Paradise Fishing Charters 0403 531 428 RU4 Reel Tweed Heads 0449 903 366 Sea Probe Fishing Charters 0400 312 330 True Blue Fishing Gold Coast (07) 5510 9622
BRISBANE Big Cat Charters and Tom Cat Charters 0433 430 248 Brisbane Fishing Charters 0427 026 510 Bucket List Fishing Charters 0428 368 316 Frenzy Charters Brisbane (07) 3209 4576 John Gooding Outlaw Charters 0418 738 750 Moreton Island Fishing Charters 0413 128 056
SUNSHINE COAST Fish n Crab Charters Mooloolaba 0412 155 814 Fishing Offshore Noosa 0418 889 956 Hervey Bay Fishing Charters (07) 4125 3958 Incredible Charters 1300 655 818 Keely Rose Deep Sea Fishing Charters 0407 146 151 Noosa Fishing Charters (07) 5665 8170 Odyssey Charters Deep Sea Fishing (07) 5478 1109 Offshore Reef and Game Fishing 0413 485 402 Rainbow Beach Fishing Charters 0439 775 070 Smithy’s Fishing Charters Sunshine Coast 0407 574 868 Sunshine Coast Fishing Charters (07) 5500 0671 Top Catch Charters Sunshine Coast 0429 013 012
1 7 27
MARINA BOAT & TACKLE, YAMBA MARINA
YAMBA’S LARGEST TACKLE STORE • Chandlery • Boat Sales • Ice & Gas • Bait & Tackle • Trailers Sales & Parts • Charter Bookings Ph: 6646 1994 or 0428 231 962 Email: dave@gaden.com.au Now Agents For
Clocks $
HERVEY BAY
42 7 0
Carry Bags
Fully Guided Lure & Fly Fishing •
BORN AND BRED LOCAL GUIDE
• 5.5m Custom sportsfishing Vessel • 4.4m Estuary Sportsfishing Vessel • Quality Fishing Gear Supplied
From
$
20 3 3 Throw Pillows
From
$
25 4 2
and lots more... www.herveybaysportfishing.com.au
Andrew Chorley
0407 627 852
CENTRAL QUEENSLAND Ultimate Sportfishing Charters 0450 753 726 MV Capricorn Star 0408 755 201
MANY DESIGNS TO CHOOSE FROM ON A WIDE VARIETY OF PRODUCTS ALL MADE TO ORDER
Mikat Cruises Fishing Charters 0427 125 727 Bundaberg Fishing Charters 0429 017 217 Sport Fish 1770 (07) 4974 9686 Coral Coast Game Fishing 0447 347 437 Norval Reef Charters 1800 771 234 Iluka Fishing Charters Gladstone 0414 940 911 Kanimbla Charters Gladstone1800 677 202
TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND Action Charters Mackay 0417 452 346 Cairns Charter Boat 0427 533 081 Cairns Fishing Charters 0427 400 027 Cairns Reef Charter Services 1800 119 044 Eclipse FNQ Weipa Charters 0488 058 668 Fairdinkum Fishing Charters Townsville (07) 4751 5324 Fish’s Fly & Sportsfishing Weipa (07) 4069 9957 Fishing Charters Townsville 0403 386 722 JC’s Fishing Charters 0438 753 382
fishingmonthly.redbubble.com
Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call (07) 3387 0834 or email nkelly@fishingmonthly.com.au JULY 2018
91
FUN PAGE AND COMPETITIONS FISH THAT ARE USED FOR SUSHI
ALBACORE BLUEFIN TUNA ESCOLAR FATTY TUNA FRESHWATER EEL HALIBUT JELLYFISH MACKEREL MONKFISH
HORSE MACKEREL RED SNAPPER STRIPED JACK SQUID SARDINE URCHIN TAMAGO YELLOWFIN TUNA YELLOWTAIL
Valley Hill Rocketeer Slicer
Name: Address:
P/Code:
The first correct entry at the end of each month will win the prize pack. SEND ENTRIES TO: QLD Find-a-word Competition, PO box 3172, Loganholme Qld 4129
QLD JULY 2018
Phone (day):
FINS SCALES & TALES by A. Both
The Rocketeer Slicer from Japanese tackle giant Valley Hill is a real feat of Japanese design and engineering. The Rocketeer Slicer has a unique metal plate at the nose of the jig, which lets you secure line in two places, and ensures a superior swimming action even through debris. In addition, its tail system lets you cast more effectively into the wind. The Rocketeer Slicer is available in two sizes (3.0 and 3.5) and 13 different colour combinations. It has proven to be highly effective on Australian squid. www.dogtoothdistribution.com.au
SPOT THE
10 DIFFERENCES
GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy
ORIGINAL
FIND-A-WORD
Hill, G Herring of Gympie, A Hewlett of Mothar MAJOR FIND THE PRIZE Mountain, J Lestor of Beachmere, A Scott Congratulations to the following readers, of Proserpine, J Conte of Tullera, M Bunn of who won the Gamakatsu Major Prize draws: Frenchville, P Fill of Turkey Beach, G Anderson 1st J Paul of Inverell, who won a $1000 of of Emu Park, J Reed of Mooloolah Valley, C Frogleys Offshore products; 2nd F Heiniger Couper of Chinchilla, D Wolski of Pine Mountain, of Woombye, who won a $500 of Frogleys J Routledge of Bundaberg, B Newton of Trinity Offshore products; 3rd D Skewes of Bli Bli, Beach, J Dennien of River Ranch, S Dawson of won a $200 of Frogleys Offshore products. SUBSCRIBER PRIZE The subscriber prize winner for May is M Gympie, T Graeff of The Gap. Prize delivery can take 8 weeks. – QFM Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – QFM Yourell of Salisbury, who won a Halco giveaway valued at $300. All subscribers are entered in the monthly LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – QFM Congratulations to Jeffrey Rogers from Tambo, who was last month’s winner of the Find-aWord Competition! Monthly winners receive a sponsor prize. Prize delivery can take 8 weeks. – QFM
FIND THE DAIWA LOGO
92
JULY 2018
GUESS THE FISH?
This month’s Guess the Fish Answer: Sweetlip
The answers to Find the Daiwa Logo for May were: 10, 18, 21, 22, 28, 30, 33, 34, 47, 49, 65, 67, 74, 105, 109. – QFM The Find the Daiwa Logo prize winners for May were: S Davies of Emerald, G McGrath of Avoca, J Dawson of Cordalba, G Mason of Kalkie, G Sprott of Glenlee , S Robertson of Lowmead, M Chadwick of Burrum Heads, R Davis of Sarina, N Euston of Tully, A Jamieson of Sarina, M Harrison of Rothwell, T Grice of Caboolture, J Goody of Mt Berryman, W Gore of New Beith, I Wogandt of Riverheads, R Schefe of Point Vernon, N Watters of Veteran, D Gibson of Bongaree, R Maher of Woombye, P Cauchi of Kepnock, D Dunk of Proserpine, C Layt of New Aukland, H Stanley of Maryborough, S Theofanes of Home
Answer:
boats & kayaks
In the skipper’s seat
94 Raby Bay by kayak Inside story...
Stessco is an Australian owned and operated family business. With a love of fishing and boating, Stessco has built a wide-ranging network of dealerships, with the goal of providing customers with dependable, value-for-money aluminium boats. Stessco prides itself on the wide variety of options available which can be added to the already wide range of different vessels.
Made for...
Anglers who are after a reliable tinny that can be customised to suit their individual requirements and fishing style.
This month...
Steve Morgan takes the mighty Stessco Sunseeker 620 with Yamaha 150hp 4-stroke for a spin. You can check it out on page 100.
Troy Brown breaks down this wonderful multi-species kayak fishery not far from Brisbane’s CBD.
96 Float tube basics
Justin Willmer, in his mission to explore all different ways to get on the water, climbs into a float tube for the first time.
98 Anchor up!
Wayne Kampe provides a few tips to make anchoring up a more easy and manageable task.
102 Horizon 515 Northerner
Wayne Kampe takes a ride in this marvellous rig powered by a Yamaha 115hp on the Gold Coast.
Stessco Sunseeker 620 with Yamaha F150hp - SC
TENT -
RE ONLINE MO
T
PERFORMANCE RPM......Speed.(km/h)...... Economy.(km/L) 1000 .......................7.2 ........................... 2.3 2000.................... 12.0 ........................... 1.6 3000.................... 26.4 ........................... 1.8 3500 .................... 36.6 ........................... 1.9 4000.................... 44.2 ........................... 1.8 5000.....................57.8 ........................... 1.5 6000.................... 71.5 ........................... 1.1 100
JULY 2018
Main: Stessco’s Sunseeker 620 features a new, fibreglass hard top that provides plenty of shade or cover from the rain, as on the test day on the Noosa River. Above: With a beam of 2.48m, the Sunseeker provides a massive platform for virtually any on-water activity. all day. Your choice. Stessco Standard structural warranty on their premium boats is 2 years, if it is purchased on a Stessco trailer or Stessco trailer by Dunbier, then their structural warranty is increased to 5 years/60 months. “We’re very happy with the way we build our packages, so five years of warranty isn’t a worry for us,” said Stessco’s Adrian Beil. Indeed, if you shop around, you’ll find very few rigs with that after-sales coverage. Combine that with Yamaha’s four-year warranty and there’s plenty of troublefree boating ahead for the owners of this package. We were pretty impressed
DE FOR EX
Stessco’s 2018 Media Event on the Noosa River was held in between rainsqualls. As it happened, those were ideal conditions in which to test out a cabin boat. After all, that’s exactly what cabin boats offer – a space out of the weather, be it sun or rain, and a massive platform to fish with several of your mates. And I’ll be upfront here – one of the most attractive parts of this Stessco/Yamaha package is the price. These Sunseeker packages start from the mid $50K. As tested, this unit priced up at around $65,000. You get a lot of boat for your bucks. Stesscos are made in Brisbane and have only recently outsourced their trailer supply out of their factory. The 620 is a new release and the biggest model in the Sunseeker range (the others are 490, 520, 550 and 580). The hull is aluminium
with the massive cockpit area in this boat, the high cabin and the dimensions of the fibreglass hard top. The new windscreen design of the modern Sunseekers is also on point. The hard top does need a little extra support and the guys in the factory are already on it. If you want to see this rig in action, check out the video review of this boat by scanning the QR code hereby or by searching for it on the Fishing Monthly Magazines YouTube channel. Subscribe while you’re there for notifications about all of our video boat and tackle tests. For more information, get into Whitsunday Yamaha
CO
s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au
bottom and sides with a fibreglass cabin bolted on top to go with the fibreglass hard top. It gives the hull a smooth look up top but the resilience and light weight of a tinnie down below. The test boat was headed to Whitsunday Marine for a northern customer, so it was ordered with the new fibreglass hard top option to keep the tropical sun out, but this iteration of the Sunseeker hull will be suitable for all Australian environments from Port Phillip Bay through to the Great Barrier Reef. Powered by Yamaha’s bulletproof F150 4-stroke outboard, the Sunseeker delivered remarkably good fuel economy. At best cruising speed (3500rpm) it yielded just under 2km/L burned. With a 145L fuel tank, this gives a theoretical range of over 250km – plenty for any day trips you’ll do. Drop the hammers and you’ll get over 70km/h, but at the expense of economy. It’ll cost you nearly twice as much at the pump to keep this rig at wide-open throttle
R
Steve Morgan
Q
RA
CON
AN THE
FMG
Marine at 4/11 Shute Harbour Road, Cannonvale, and have a chat to staff. You can also contact them on (07) 4948 3298 and check them out online at www. whitsundaymarine.com.au. SPECIFICATIONS Length.overall .. 6.55m Beam................. 2.48m Depth ................ 1.48m Hull.weight ....... 750kg Weight.(on trailer). 1550kg Bottom ................ 4mm Sides ................... 4mm Maximum.hp ........ 175 Fuel.capacity ...... 145L Capacity .. Six persons
The test day on the Noosa River was both raining and hot – standard Queensland weather in autumn.
Left: Under the hard top, the layout is pretty simple with lots of cockpit room to fish you and several of your mates. Right: With a fold-down boarding ladder that gets you on the duckboard, it’s easy to get in when the boat is parked stern-on to the shore. The transom door also helps.
A pair of comfortable seats are mounted on bases that have some clever storage underneath. The helm is simple and made of moulded fibreglass.
Now there’s some cockpit space to work with.
This underfloor kill tank will hold plenty of fish on ice until you can get back to fillet them.
A freshwater deck wash is a real luxury and rare in a boat in this price range.
Yamaha’s F150 is an ideal match for this rig and delivers nearly 2km/L at optimum cruising speeds. Theoretical range is over 250km on the standard 145L tank.
It doesn’t need to be tackle stored in here. Anything that doesn’t like salt spray will be happier in here than in the side pockets.
Pop up through here from the cabin to stow and deploy the anchor. Unlike Victorians, Queenslanders haven’t really discovered anchor winches… yet.
If you’re a side-pocket lover, the Stessco isn’t for you. There are a couple of small spaces to store your frequently used gear.
There’s no denying that the bait station is sturdy. This one holds a couple of rods as well.
Preparing to disembark, the hull draws very little water at rest and allows you to get up close and personal with the shore. JULY 2018
101
Horizon 515 Northerner with Yamaha F115hp
- SC
TENT -
RE ONLINE MO
Q
R
RA
CON
AN THE
CO
DE FOR EX
T
BRISBANE
Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au
If there’s a better place in South East Queensland to review a boat than the Southport Broadwater, I’m yet to find it. The launching is easy thanks to several sheltered ramps, the scenery is quite picture perfect, and there are a variety of conditions ranging from the near calm of the Broadwater to the open ocean just through the Seaway entrance to test a craft’s mettle. AN ENTIRELY NEW BOAT I’m grateful for Scott James of Horizon Boats for arranging my time with his new 515 Northerner and he pointed out that this year there’s an entirely new craft in the Northerner range with 4mm bottom sheets, 3mm
Main: A great place for a boat review; a great looking boat, and check out that classy wrap! Above: The 515 Northerner’s excellent hull design ensures there’s minimal lean in a hard turn to port. family fun days as well as serious ‘set the alarm for 4am’ angling pursuits. The new Horizon 515 Northerner combined virtually everything that makes alloy mid-sized craft
PERFORMANCE Rpm........ Speed.(km/h).......... Economy.(L/h) 1000 ......................... 7.4 ............................ 2.4 1500 .......................10.6 ............................ 3.5 2000....................... 11.8 ............................ 5.6 3000.......................36.2 ............................ 9.1 4000.......................41.3 ............................. 7.0 5000.......................53.3 ............................ 8.6 WOT .......................62.5 .......................... 40.1 side sheets, a new transom and a massive front storage area, just to name some of the additional features. The entire Northerner range – craft from 4.155.40m – all focus on fishability and a large degree of user-friendliness that carries over to laidback 102
JULY 2018
so popular. It’s strongly built and offers a compact, easily towable size involving versatility in both storage and mobility while the economical side console layout always provides as much work room as possible for a given size of craft. Two anglers fishing up front and
another two aft would be entirely feasible in quiet conditions. The rail and windscreen equipped console was a lesson in practicality as it offered mid-shelf storage, foot room within the base plus a large area up top to set up even a very large sounder as well as multi-function gauges for the Yamaha 115 on the stylish new Horizon Fast Back Transom, which is 700mm high – same as the sides. Offshore runs on good days – why not? Bolster-style console seating is a bonus for the skipper and mate, but another additional two seating positions provide options with balance and fishing space. Up front an elevated deck sat watch over a massive hatch, concealing a 110L ice box, with adjoining side storage compartments also handy. Not to be
overlooked, of course, was the big under-floor storage aft, which doubled as a catch well. All the floor areas were carpeted, naturally, and an electric motor pad
and cockpit side pockets completed the picture. Decent freeboard is a big feature of the Northerner and it’s certainly a feature that adds to overall versatility. Confidence in sea conditions is a great asset in any craft and the easy, soft ride of the 515 Northerner – whether in the calm of the Broadwater or out towards the end of the Seaway walls – was a bonus. SMOOTH YAMAHA 115 In my view the 115hp Yamaha 4-stroke on the transom certainly contributed a lot to that particular boating experience. Whisper-quiet at idle, the 1.8L engine easily shot the rig onto the plane at 15.6km/h (2700rpm) and ran her up to almost 62.5km/h at full throttle. Top speed doesn’t tell the whole story; at one point we had five folk (maximum) aboard her yet the 515 cruised smoothly at
4800rpm/47.3km/h. In a nutshell, the 515 Northerner is a very competent fishing package and combines plenty of work area, excellent storage, comfortable seating and great sea keeping and handling. Best of all was an overall feeling of comfort while underway or walking around the hull to note its steady attitude in the water. SPECIFICATIONS Hull.length...........5.15m Beam ...................2.40m Depth ...................1.23m Bottom ..................4mm Sides......................3mm Weight.hull ..........480kg Min.hp ...................90hp Max.hp ................ 115hp Hole.Shot 4.80 seconds Number.of.people..Five
The Northerner’s freeboard certainly shines through in this image, as does the fact there’s room for additional anglers to work as well.
The Northerner’s name is well recognized but the 515’s eye catching design represents an entirely new boat.
Under the Northerner’s 40cm high front casting platform there’s a generous hatch which conceals a 110L ice box.
A full height transom allows the 515 Northerner’s lucky owner to enjoy a huge range of fishing activities, all enhanced by a wide work area.
A dedicated fishing craft needs a live well and the Northerner’s is a beauty at 75L capacity .
A boat with off shore capability deserves a large anchor well so just check out the size of the 115 Northerner’s!
A carpeted cockpit aft offers plenty of room for a couple of anglers to work in comfort.
The Northerner’s under floor storage is complemented by the big catch well in the cockpit area.
At 1.8L capacity the 115 Yamaha certainly made easy work of powering the solid Northerner’s hull.
This image gives a complete look at the easy, uncomplicated work area of the Northerner. Note the close spaced side ribs for extra rigidity, the additional seat spigots to provide flexibility in seating.
Bolster seating of this quality is a rare feature in a mid sized sports boat and certainly represents a bonus to skipper and mate.
Seeing is believing; there’s a 110L ice box set under the northerner’s front deck area. JULY 2018
103
Nobody knows your engine like we do
PROTECT YOUR BOATING LIFESTYLE WITH MERCURY AUTHORISED SERVICE Keeping your Mercury running 100% has never been easier with a Mercury Authorised Service Centre… you can expect • Courteous, expert service • Fully trained technicians using only genuine Mercury replacement parts and lubricants. • The added peace of mind that all genuine replacement parts come with a full one year warranty. Simply put, no-one else has the knowledge and diagnostic equipment to ensure the best possible service. So why would you trust anyone else...
www.mercurymarine.com.au