Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2018 i Fishing World

Native fish into Rocklands For the first time, Fisheries has stocked more than 215,000 Murray cod and 215,000 golden perch fingerlings into Rocklands Reservoir to complement its mixed fishery of redfin, trout and carp. The fingerlings will take several years to reach catchable size and when they do, Rocklands is expected to provide an ideal home. The hope is that Rocklands will one day rival Lake Eildon’s native fishery! Record bass stocking A new stocking record has been set for Australian bass with the release of more than 474,000 fingerlings into 19 rivers and lakes throughout Gippsland. This eclipses the previous record of 162,000, set in 2016. Amongst the record-breaking list of waters were: • Blue Rock Lake 30,000 • Lake Glenmaggie 35,000 • Macalister River 43,500 • Mitchell River…

THE Victorian Fisheries Authority’s Freshwater Fisheries Management Plan is now out for public comment and will end on March 22. The plan promotes a state-wide approach to building better freshwater fisheries and celebrates record fish stockings, partnerships for improving fish habitat and an actively engaged recreational fishing community. It brings all fish, water and land management elements together for 14 of our most popular recreational fish species such as trout, redfin, Murray cod, golden perch and bass. To view the plan and make a submission by 22 March 2018, go to vfa.vic.gov.au…

THIS month’s column was inspired by a plethora of recent conversations I’ve had with keen fishos who are regulars on my home waterway of Lake Macquarie on the NSW Central Coast. Most of these guys are participants in the recently established NSW DPI Fisheries Trophy Flathead Fishery tagging program that has really been a tremendous success over its initial couple of months. However, of recent times the main topic of conversation hasn’t been the consistent run of big dusky flathead over 70cm being tagged & released, but instead issues with boat traffic and particularly the lack of courtesy shown to recreational anglers while they’re drifting on the lake targeting dusky flathead. Lake Macquarie is the largest coastal lake in Australia and the amount of boat traffic on the waterway during…

I TAKE the content of this back page column very seriously and I do take the opportunity to clearly express my views on certain subjects. For example, I have made it plain that I really do not appreciate the shortsighted, ignorant and lazy anglers who leave their rubbish in or near our waterways! But, it’s not just anglers who are to blame. This was driven home last week when two young ladies blatantly tossed their fast food wrappers onto the bitumen beside the boat ramp that I was on. They were horrified when I walked up to their car with rubbish in hand and asked them “what are you thinking”? They were quick to point out that it wasn’t their rubbish. A fact that I pondered on as I carried…

Wilson Marine and Leisure Liquid Lanolin THE Wilson Marine and Leisure Liquid Lanolin protects marine hardware, cabling, outboard engines and fishing gear from the harmful effects of corrosion. Lanolin is an environmentally friendly, non-conductive, salt and acid resistant product that protects, rejuvenates and lubricates many different materials. The lanolin lubricates and protects moving parts on tools, reels, zippers and chains, while being robust enough to resist high pressure cleaning. Lanolin can also be used to penetrate and free up rusted equipment, effectively working as an anti-seize agent in the field. Application is via a directional nozzle that allows the lanolin to be placed exactly where it is needed, including tight and hard to reach places ordinary spray nozzles cannot reach. The Wilson Marine and Leisure Liquid Lanolin cleans, lubricates, rejuvenates…

Most serious fishos rely heavily on their boats. After all, most top anglers would be lost without one. Each person has their own idea of what constitutes a perfect fishing boat, it’s personal, and the goal posts are always moving. So does the perfect fishing boat exist? My own boating priorities shifted when I had kids and landed this job. I wanted a boat without compromise and something which, much like this magazine, could cover most bases in different fishing styles. I also needed a boat which could safely carry my small family. I found it in Bar Crusher's 535XS, a mid-size plate centre console. Of course it's not perfect, but for now it's pretty close. At the time of writing (mid-February), I attended the Miami Boat Show in the…

THE CEO of the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) Dr James Findlay has described reports that foreign fishing vessels were about to arrive en masse to Australia’s distant offshore waters as “ridiculous claims” and “unsubstantiated scaremongering” by “some environmentalists who conjured a conspiracy theory”. The AFMA press release noted that foreign vessels allowed to fish in Australia are subject to the same or tougher rules as Australian-owned vessels and that this includes not being able to fish in declared, non-take marine protected areas or green zones. Dr Findlay said that there wasn’t “a skerrick of evidence” to support a claim that proposed changes to marine protected areas are designed to allow foreign vessels to operate outside Australian laws.…

THE continued popularity of the soft vibe over recent years has been nothing short of sensational. It reminds me of how well received and adopted soft plastics were 15 years ago. With this surge in popularity comes unique product design and innovation with tackle manufacturers all vying for a slice of the increasing pie. The latest offering to hit the shelves is from powerhouse manufacturer, Berkley, and is called the Shimma Shad. It comes in three sizes: 70mm, 100mm, and the huge 130mm version. It’s available in a range of colours well suited to a host of different species and different Aussie environments. I’ve had a few months now to test out the vibes and see how well they perform in battle. The unique paddle tail design separates it from…

I HAVE quite a few people who are new to rod building ask me about building game rods. There's often a misconception that these are difficult rods to build in comparison to a spin or casting rod. Firstly, all the basics are the same, however there are a whole new set of options that can be used when building your new game rod. In this month’s column I'll outline some of these options and some reasons why they should or should not be used when building your new rod. Let’s start at the bottom and work our way to the tip. So, the first decision is what the type of reel are you going to fit to this rod? In most cases it will be one of the many game…

OKAY, so we’ve got the boat, rods, reels and line, leaders sorted for some serious sportfishing, but there are a few other bits and pieces that we need to land and look after that fish before it’s released or kept for a feed. It’s always the pinnacle of any capture seeing that fish of a lifetime emerge and show some colour down deep. This is when you need to decide if it’s to be netted and released or gaffed and kept for food. That decision is yours alone and I’m certainly not here to tell you all fish should be safely released or eaten. That depends on the species, the size and if you really do need to keep it for food. I hate to see any fish killed and…

FISHING rods are the tools of our trade, and while most do the job, occasionally you find a gem that really ticks all the performance boxes required. Over the past three months I’ve had the opportunity to field test the Samaki Zing Xtreme SZX-701SM spin rod and it couldn’t have arrived at a more ideal time with my involvement in the recently established Lake Macquarie Trophy Flathead tagging program. The Samaki Zing Xtreme SZX-701SM is really a dream rod for chasing dusky flathead and plenty of other species on soft plastics, soft vibes and hard bodies. It’s designed to cast lure weights from 3/16 to 5/8 ounces which is perfectly suited to the lures I’m targeting dusky flathead, jewfish, snapper and bream with in my local estuary. The rod is…

FISHING, for most of us, is a lifelong passion. If you started fishing at an early age your experiences as a child often moulds your future fishing career. My fishing apprenticeship started when I was only a few years old. My maternal grandfather sowed the seeds in my young mind that this was something I really wanted to do. He was an amazing man who lived in Glenn Innes in the New England area, fought in both world wars, and retired to Valentine on the shores of Lake Macquarie. It's interesting how memories work, but one of the strange things about the human mind is our ability to remember our favourite smells. I remember the smell of wet hessian sacks full of fish being poured onto the lawn by my…

Q Are there any other rigs that can be used for bottom fishing besides a paternoster? Ben e-mail. A The paternoster rig is the most common and widely used rig for bottom fishing offshore. There are a few variations to this with flasher hook style rigs and using a Jig for a sinker for extra attractiveness. A rig which I prefer much more is swivel placed on the mainline with another tied to the end of it. Use around 1 to 1.5 metres of leader and tie it to the other end of the swivel and place hook on the other end. Then you can use some short mono slightly lighter than your mainline and make a 10 cm length with two loops on each end. This is then looped…

ONE of the worst experiences an angler can face is that sudden, gut wrenching moment when your line parts and everything goes slack. Many people break off a fish then pass it off as an unexplained event however there is almost always some form of justification for the one that got away. Looking closely at the line and paying attention to the circumstances that led to the breakage are useful methods to better understand why your line parted and the fish won its freedom. It also pays to avoid high risk situations which increase the chances of breaking a fish off, read on to better understand how to shift the odds in your favour. THE POST MORTEM If the inevitable does happen and you find that your main line or…

WITH the increased reliability of modern day trailer boats our confidence levels are at an all-time high when it comes to venturing long distances offshore. A good example of this is with the emergence of the broadbill swordfish fishery in northern Victoria. Boats heading to sea in search of these gladiators are travelling extraordinary distances to reach the fertile grounds. This distance combined with the added risk of being in smaller craft all adds to the need to ensure you have a robust system in place for the safety of your boat and its crew. Near miss After a near miss of my own a couple of years back I can speak from experience when it comes to being prepared, or unprepared as was my case. One thing I learnt…