Shades Fishing News

The Primary Industries Department says it should know in the next 24 hours what caused of the death of hundreds of bony bream at Lake Bonney in the Riverland.

The fish were found washed up on the shore on Tuesday.

The Department’s Vic Neverauskas says samples of water and fish collected from the lake are being tested.

He says there have also been unverified reports of dead murray cod.

Mr Neverauskas says that in winter, a kill of bony bream happens after a cold weather snap, but this time that is unlikely to be the case.

“The fact that this is happening in warmer weather would suggest that temperature is not the issue with this one and we’ll certainly try to look at if we can find any cause-effect with the current situation,” he said.

“It’s a wait and see for the first couple of days, the critical thing is to get those water samples into the laboratory and have a look for whether or not there’s anything in the water that might be causing the problem.”

Source : ABC News

The redfin, or English perch, was introduced to Australia from Europe about 1860 and has since become widespread throughout much of New South Wales and Victoria, and inhabits our local impoundment Lake Burrendong and the Macquarie River.

Redfin are popular with some anglers because of their eating qualities. They are also voracious predators of other fish and invertebrates, and can destroy recreational fisheries in enclosed waters by building up large numbers of stunted fish, eliminating other species and devastating native fish populations by carrying the EHN virus.

This disease is unique to Australia and can cause mass mortality in juvenile redfin during the summer months.

A number of native species, including silver perch, Murray cod, mountain galaxias and particularly Macquarie perch, are highly susceptible to the disease, and EHN virus may be one factor responsible for the decline in various native species in the past couple of decades.

For these reasons, redfin are considered a serious pest in NSW. It can be recognised by its pattern of six or more tapering bands on the sides of the body and red pelvic, anal and caudal fins.

It has a humped back behind the head, and a large mouth. It grows up to 60cm in length and 10.4kg in weight, but is more common at 30-45cm.

Redfin is usually found in still, slow flowing freshwaters as it feeds on crustaceans, worms, molluscs, insect larvae and smaller fish.

Anglers at Lake Burrendong have been using a variety of methods to catch redfin of late, including bobbing, surface popping, and both trolling and casting lures.

The NSW DPI has the following suggestions on how anglers can help:

o Large redfin are good sport and eating fish and there are no bag or size limits on them. Please keep all redfin you catch and don’t release them into our waterways or dams.

o Don’t transfer redfin between waterways or introduce them into farm dams. New populations of redfin can quickly build up to large numbers, leading to stunted fish and can quickly replace other recreational species.

o Don’t use live redfin (or any other live finfish) as bait in freshwater - it’s illegal and carries a high risk of infesting new areas with redfin.

o Obtain a permit to stock fish - and buy fingerlings from a registered hatchery to prevent contamination with unwanted species.

o Prevent unwanted hitchhikers - check, clean and dry boats and gear between waterways. Ensuring your boat and trailer are free of weed before re-launching can help avoid the possibility of spreading redfin eggs and juveniles.

o Assist efforts to restore our rivers by taking part in a RiverCare or LandCare project or by conserving and restoring riparian vegetation on your own land.

o Take part in native fish restocking programs with your local angling group.

For more information go to www.dpi.nsw.gov.au.

Splitrock fishing

There are some very dense weed beds at Splitty at the moment, and anglers stripping lipless crank baits and minnows on the edges are scoring some big yellowbelly.

Keepit

Trolling methods still continue to yield good catches of yellowbelly for many anglers. Rotating through a variety of lure colours, including both fluros and natural patterns has made it easier to find what the flavour of the day is for resident natives.

Burrendong

With the Federal Hotel’s Wellington Fishing Club fishing competition just around the corner, some big catches of redfin were reported this week. Some anglers bagged between 20 and 30 fish averaging around 30cm in length. Locating schools and bobbing worms and yabbies has been a very successful method.

Macquarie River

Shrimp activity has increased incredibly in the last few weeks, with our local river’s food chain well and truly in working order. Weed bed edges are proving to be a great spot to cast for some fighting fit golden perch, and the odd silver perch.

Glenbawn

Australian bass in Lake Glenbawn have fired up over the past week, with some 45cm plus fish proving hard to stop for many visiting the dam. Kokoda Wee Wop’s, Chubby’s, and Alex Ritmo Tango hard bodies are all taking fish on the points and edges.

Source: Dubbo Daily Liberal

Steve Cooper

THE biggest event on the anglers’ calendar this summer is the opening of Murray cod season in Victoria and NSW on Monday, December 1.

In terms of publicity and public involvement, the Murray cod opening has developed into a more anticipated event than the trout opening.

Cod stocks in Victoria’s northern rivers and lakes have gone from boiled sweets to chocolates.

The fishery is testament to the determination of Fisheries biologists in Victoria and NSW to renew Murray cod.

In many waters, the species has been brought back from the brink of extinction to a dominance it held when white settlers arrived.

Almost three months after cod season closed, most native fish anglers are starting to think about where they will be heading.

Some anglers will take the first week of December off work to chase cod because early season fishing can be excellent.

If you are planning a cod trip, now is a good time to find where the cod are, and which rivers and impoundments hold enough water, so you can decide where to go.

Long-term stocking in Lake Eildon in Victoria has seen hundreds of thousands of Murray cod released and anglers trolling large bibbed minnows down deep in the Delatite Arm can do well. Cod in excess of 25kg have been caught in this water.

Victoria’s Kerang Lakes have been stocked with cod. Lakes Boga, Charm and Kangaroo, and Middle Lake don’t hold monsters, but they do have legal size cod.

Victorian rivers to try include the lower Goulburn, Broken River (Benalla to Shepparton) and the Loddon River, above and below Bridgewater.

The Campaspe River from Elmore to Echuca has cod but is a small boat or bank fishing option.

Along the Murray River, there are many opportunities.

The Mitta Arm at Lake Hume (classed as Victorian water) and Lake Mulwala at Yarrawonga (classed as NSW water) produce good results.

Lake Mulwala is generally regarded as the most productive cod fishery in Australia in terms of numbers of cod caught.

Gunbower Creek, near Cohuna, produces cod as does another anabranch, the Little Murray River near Swan Hill.

The Murray River upstream of Swan Hill to Pental Island is a consistent stretch of water.

Alternatively, the Wakool River at Kyalite or the Edward River upstream of Kyalite fish well for cod early in the season.

Other places along the Murray worth trying are Boundary Bend and further downstream from Euston Weir to Wemen.

The Murrumbidgee River at Balranald, Maude and Hay has earned a reputation for producing good numbers of Murray cod early in the season.

Tackling up for cod isn’t difficult. Most bait fishers prefer 6-8kg threadline outfits.

To rig up, use a running sinker to a No. 2-4 straight hook or a 6/0 Suicide pattern. A leader of a minimum 15kg breaking strain should be used in case you hook into a big cod, which will wear through lighter leader material.

Best cod baits include bardi grubs, shrimp, yabbies and scrubworms. Cheese baits also do well.

Lure trollers tend to use baitcaster outfits, with a large difference between the rod rating and the line used.

The popular rod is rated for about 6kg but the reel will be spooled with 15kg breaking strain braid to stand the wear and tear of timber.

When using an outfit configured this way, set your drag on the reel to suit the rod, not the line - otherwise you may end up the owner of a two-piece rod.

The same outfit can be used for casting lures into snags.

When you attach your lure, use a loop knot as clips or snaps have a nasty habit of opening up at inopportune times - like when you are hooked up.

As a rule of thumb, the most productive early season lures are in bright or fluoro colours.

Successful cod lures include Stumpjumpers, Mongs, Halco Poltergeists and Scorpions, AC Invaders and Oargee, and spinnerbaits and mumblers like those produced by Bassman.

* Steve Cooper can be heard on the Casting Off program on Radio Sport927 between 4.30am and 6.30am on Saturdays.

Source : Weekly Times Now

Jeremy Beasley, photographer from Canberra, the man behind the great fishing site Murray Monsters has released his personal photography site, jeremybeasley.com.au and what an example of this fellas work it is!

Jeremy will be putting up some of his fishing photos as some stage speaking to the man himself, and I can’t wait, the effort that he has put into getting some of Australias premiere fishing related sites off the ground earns him a special mention here, well worth looking out for if you need photography work done!

BATHURST yesterday struck a devastating blow against invasive feral fish species when 400 recreational anglers hauled more than 80 carp and redfin from the Macquarie River.

Groups including as many as eight family members fished for just over six hours, landing redfin as small as two grams to whopping carp that tipped the scales at 6.75 kilograms.

NSW Fisheries’ Education officer Brett Smith was amazed that the initiative of the Bathurst RSL Fishing Club, staging only its second annual BCF Carp Blitz, has rid the Macquarie River of so many “rabbits of the river” in only a few hours.

Mr Smith congratulated the members of the fishing club for being among the first in NSW to cotton onto the Fishers for Fish Habitat project that aims to improve the native fish habitat on waterways across the state.

The fishing club collected gold coin donations to be matched dollar for dollar to buy quality native murray cod, yellowbelly and silver perch to stock local waterways.

“This has been an amazing day for Bathurst because of the large number of fish of breeding potential that were removed from the river,” Mr Smith said.

“When you calculate that just one of the carp that have achieved between two and six kilograms has a capacity to on breed, producing as many as 50,000 more carp, this is a huge environmental impact for the good of the river, water quality and native fish habitat.

David Roberts, 34, caught one of the last fish before the 2pm weigh-in, hooking a massive 6.75 kilogram carp from a spot he occupied with friends just up from the Denison Bridge.

Source : Western Advocate

The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) is currently undertaking research involving freshwater fish movements in many waterways throughout NSW, including the Macquarie River.

Anglers are urged to check all fish that they catch for a tag or microchip to assist with research that is vital to our fisheries’ future.

NSW anglers who catch a tagged fish in their region are asked to freecall 1800 185 027 to report the date of the catch, tag number, place of catch, length and species of fish.

Anglers will be posted the details of the original tagging location and rewarded with a 75-millimetre ‘Oar-Gee’ plow lure, which is a Murray Cod specialist.

Species to be tagged include native fish such as Murray cod, silver perch, golden perch, Australian bass, catfish, mullet and bony bream, and introduced fish such as European carp, goldfish and red-fin.

The participation of anglers has greatly contributed to the success of a study on the migration patterns of fish along the Murray-Darling River system, and it is hoped that anglers will keep up the good work.

NSW DPI researchers have found that the study of tagged fish and the reporting of anglers along the Murray-Darling River system has proved to be very valuable.

Studies from fish tagging is providing vital information on the movement patterns of native fish, which will help manage their populations.

It will also provide important biological information on introduced species, which can be used to develop better methods for their control.

Freshwater fish ecologists with the NSW DPI, together with their counterparts from the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment and the South Australian Research and Development Institute, have tagged fish along many of the major rivers within the Murray-Darling Basin with microchip tags similar to those used to tag pets.

Automated tracking stations which record the movement of fish through fish-ways are being progressively installed along the Murray River, and unlike previous tagging studies that relied on recapturing the fish, the tracking stations automatically record the location of the fish as they swim through the fish-way.

Fish have also been externally tagged with yellow tags that can be easily recognised by anglers.

Contact details to report the re-capture of tagged fish are printed on each tag.

During peak fishing periods, scientists have been receiving more than 100 tag returns in a week.

Receiving so many responses can slow down the processing of tag replies, but anglers can rest assured that all reported captures will receive a response.

Since the tagging of fish began in 2001 more than 10,000 fish have been tagged and released into the main channel of the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers.

A further 500 fish have been tagged in the Shoalhaven catchment.

This large scale tagging of fish will be ongoing in numerous rivers within NSW for a number of years.

Anglers who clean their catch may also find a microchip in the shoulder of these species.

Each microchip contains a unique number and fish can be identified if anglers are able to return the tag.

Initial results showed that some fish have moved more than 500 kilometres along the Murray River in as little as three months and as far as 1700 kilometres over two years.

Source: Dubbo Daily Liberal

The new 2009 Go Fishing in Victoria calendar is available now free of charge as part of the Brumby Government’s commitment to fishing in Victoria.

Minister Responsible for Fisheries Joe Helper said the theme of the 2009 Go Fishing in Victoria calendar is fish friendly farming.

“Each month has its own colour illustration depicting how farmers and the community can help fish and their habitats by protecting the environment in and around waterways while fishing in adjacent rivers and lakes,” Mr Helper said.

“Activities carried out by the community ranges from calling Fisheries Victoria’s 13 FISH (13 3474) reporting service if they suspect illegal fishing to fencing off stock and using fertilisers responsibly.

“The calendar also lists important fishing dates in 2009 such as closed seasons for species such as trout, Murray cod and blackfish, and important farming dates such key agricultural field days.”

The illustrated calendar also highlights fun events for new and experienced recreational fishers, including details of Family Fishing Festivals at each of the five Premier Lakes next year.

The 2009 Family Fishing Festivals will be held at Eildon Pondage (April 18), Lake Hyland, Churchill (May 2), Kennington Reservoir, Bendigo (August 9), Lillydale Lake (September 19) and Jubilee Lake, Daylesford (October 18).

Mr Helper said access at the Premier Lakes is being developed by the Brumby Government to make fishing more appealing to people of all ages and abilities.

“These lakes offer great fishing as well as facilities such as toilets, barbecues, picnic tables and playground equipment to help make the fishing experience more enjoyable for the whole family,” Mr Helper said.

“The Family Fishing Festivals teach children skills that will enable them to fish more successfully on future trips to premier lakes and other Victorian waters.”

The calendars and Family Fishing events are part of the Brumby Government’s $3.2 million Go Fishing in Victoria initiative which aims to increase participation in fishing by improving facilities and promoting angling as a fun and healthy outdoor activity for the entire family.

To obtain a free copy of the calendar visit your nearest DPI office, send an email to go.fishing@dpi.vic.gov.au which includes your postal address, or call the DPI Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

For more information about the Go Fishing in Victoria initiative visit www.dpi.vic.gov.au/gofishing

(Ed. Note : The 2009 Calendar is not available for download from the DPI site, you must email or ring the customer service centre )

Source : Candy Broad MLC

Scientists say increasing numbers of Murray cod are dying in the lower reaches of the river.

A scientist at the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), Dr Qifeng Ye, has been monitoring Murray cod numbers since 2005.

Dr Ye says the increase in cod deaths this spring has been noticeable.

She says the drought and low water levels could be to blame.

“The number of Murray cod is pretty low that we collected, so we still need to think about an improved mechanism of efficient and cost-effective way of assessing the Murray cod abundancy in the lower Murray,” she said.

Source : ABC News

IT comes as no surprise that the State Government’s unveiling of its Moreton Bay rezoning plan appears to have pleased very few with a stake in what happens in the waters stretching from our Gold Coast north to Caloundra.

The ‘tough love’ approach introduced by Canberra to protect and preserve the Great Barrier Reef in 2004 generated strong emotions.

On the one hand, the zonings were hailed by conservationists in Australia and in the international community as one of the great political and scientific achievements of the past few decades, with the likes of international environmentalists Jean-Michel Cousteau and David Attenborough happily expressing their delight.

On the other hand, the zones meant fishing was banned in areas that many north Queenslanders had considered they had a birthright to fish, generating intense anger and a series of very fiery public meetings.

The State Government’s bid to protect this region’s inshore fishing stocks, with its rezoning plan due to take effect from March 1 next year, bans fishing from 16 per cent of Moreton Bay waters stretching down to the Seaway.

The Bligh Government’s intention is noble enough: to ensure ‘our grandchildren will still be able to throw in a line’ in the bay — and presumably catch something worth eating.

But typically, environmentalists believe a considerably larger part of the bay should be no-go zones while the fishing industry argues the proposed measures are over the top and is warning of shortages of local supplies and an increase therefore in imported seafood.

It is important the rest of us keep in mind what has brought southeast Queensland to this point. Few can deny that while the majority try to do the right thing, there have been cowboys raping our fish stocks over the decades, leading to a situation now where stern measures are required.

It is sad that it will mean even more bureaucracy, with bay rangers with the power to levy on-the-spot fines enforcing the new bans.

It will be not only charter operators and commercial fishermen who could be hit hard in tough economic times. As one experienced fisherman told he Bulletin yesterday, there could be collateral damage extending to bait and tackle shops and others who service the fishing and tourism industries, such as clothing manufacturers and — as the Gold Coast has witnessed already — boat manufacturers.

Cool heads are suggesting it would be more effective to introduce bag limits on species that are unrestricted at the moment.

What is evident though is that common sense should have prevailed much sooner. Instead, professional and recreational anglers are about to be hit with measures that are probably too harsh — and too late.

Source : goldcoast.com.au

The Queensland Department of Primary Industries (DPI) says snapper stocks have been dangerously over-fished from Bundaberg, in the south-east, to northern New South Wales, and seasonal closures must be introduced.

It says 760 tonnes of snapper was caught last year and the resource can only sustain 440 tonnes.

Dr Brigid Kerrigan says public meetings were held in the past two weeks with commercial and recreational fishers about ways of preserving snapper stocks.

She says recreational fishers caught more than 500 tonnes of snapper last year and they are unhappy about the possible introduction of long-term seasonal closures.

“Total closures over a year of upwards of four months for a period of 10 years to rebuild that stock,” she said.

Dr Kerrigan says decreasing bag limits or increasing size limits will not help rebuild or preserve snapper stocks and seasonal closures are the only option.

“We have very few tools that we can use to effectively reduce fishing pressure on snapper,” she said.

She says if seasonal closures are introduced snapper fishing will be banned for four months each year and the impact will be significant.

Source : ABC News