Shades Fishing News

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!

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

Steve Cooper

MANY anglers keep a journal or diary of their fishing. A diary gives the angler a history of what happened, an opportunity to reflect, and hopefully a crystal ball into the future.

Most of us believe that history, at least when it comes to fish movements, will repeat.

If you are not right, then at least you can say you were guessing with some authority.

Moreover, when someone says the fishing isn’t as good as it was 20 years ago, you can turn to your diary and make an assessment based on the written word, rather than a badly chaffed memory.

Don’t be surprised if you find the fishing has improved.

When I began keeping a fishing diary, there was a tendency to write more than necessary. After a few years, the trips become shorter, at least in words. The flowery prose gave way to factual information.

To that end, the diarists among us keep notes and list the factors we think are important - things like tide, wind, barometer, bait used and, always, moon phase.

Saltwater anglers can become obsessed by the moon.

Some prefer the new moon for snapper, and the full moon for bream and gummy sharks.

In the freshwater, anglers appear more interested in barometer readings, especially in lakes but also on rivers where native species like Murray cod are being sought.

I believe fish react to outside influences, and that the same rules do not necessarily apply to all waters, or the same fish wherever they are caught.

Sometimes, though, you come across a recurring sequence that seems to indicate when and where certain species will come on the chew.

Time and tide are considerations for thinking salt-water anglers, and the overriding influence on tide is the moon.

Therefore, whether you think moon phases or tides, you are still thinking in lunar terms.

Even many freshwater anglers will fish only when the moon is down, or on the dark side.

Lunar cycles play an important role on the habits of fish; defining that role is difficult.

Next to the sea, the moon is the strongest primeval urge in us.

Science has proven that some living organisms respond to the moon’s phases.

The feeding cycle of oysters is influenced by lunar change, and fiddler crabs change colour according to the moon.

Theorising about fishing is easy, but as most anglers probably realise, fish are not always predictable. It’s what keeps us coming back.

Most anglers have reasons as to why fish bite better at certain times on certain baits.

But for all the theory, fish don’t always co-operate and coming up with a logical answer why fish don’t do what they are supposed to do is the hard part.

Anglers regarded as experts by their peers don’t always know the real reasons behind a hot bite, or lack of bites.

Experts are those anglers who have just experienced a hot bite and caught plenty.

The fact that any fish were caught could have been either a stroke of luck or pure genius.

The big question lies in discovering why and when fish can be expected to bite.

In the late 1960s, John Alden Knight’s Solunar Tables became available in Australia.

Knight believed there were major and minor periods of activity when fish were more likely to feed, and this was due to the moon: its phase and proximity to the Earth and the position of the sun at the same time.

It was a complicated theory but one I followed through with regularity for a few years by keeping a diary of my fishing with the relevant lunar notes.

There was some merit in Knight’s predictions.

Melbourne computer guru Tim Smith has come up with a similar theory and put out a small booklet called Tim Smith’s Solar & Lunar Fishing and Hunting Times 2009.

If you are into moon phases and fish predictions, and want to maintain a diary, then the Anglers Journal & Almanac, which contains Tim’s lunar predictions as well as other information including tide charts and journal entry pages, is worth a look.

Anglers Journal & Almanac is published by the Australian Fishing Network, RRP: $24.99.

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

Source : Weekly Times

The boys at Rapid Release have put out another DVD to follow up their first ‘Cod Almighty’, aptly named ‘Cod Almighty 2′, you can view the trailer and purchase here.

The gang take on some mighty Murray Cod in this their second foray in video of some of the biggest catches I have seen. With great tips and full of knowledge, both these DVD videos are a must have for any keen Murray Cod fisherman, chasing the legend.

It’s fast paced action coupled with insider education that brings you up to speed for the day you hook onto that monster your always chasing. Some of the biggest fish caught on film, don’t miss out.

A man caught with thousands of Bass yabbies - a prized species investigators suspect is being targeted in organised crime poaching - has received a prison sentence and been fined and forced to forfeit his expensive boat.

Bach Nguyen, 39, was arrested and charged after taking 3823 yabbies in a wetland area of Western Port Bay. He pleaded guilty in the Frankston Magistrates Court to six charges.

Nguyen and others were targeted during a Victorian Fisheries operation between 2006 and this year in a crackdown on environmental crime recognised by the Australian Crime Commission as a growth area for organised crime gangs.

Prosecutor Ben Carroll yesterday told a court that Fisheries officers who raided Nguyen’s Tecoma home in January found equipment and items to support the take, storage and distribution of large quantities of live Bass yabbies.

Mr Carroll said a search found numerous aquarium air pumps, air hoses and air stones, 20 litre plastic water containers, food containers, tubs and old bait pumps.

He told Frankston Magistrates Court that Nguyen claimed the reason he caught the yabbies in one day was because the “tide went out and his boat got stuck so he just kept taking them”.

Nguyen said sometimes friends paid him for petrol, food and accommodation in exchange for yabbies and admitted he could sell them but only to pay for petrol for his next fishing trip.

He pleaded guilty to six charges that included three of taking fish for sale without authority and using commercial equipment to take more than the catch limit.

Magistrate Ross Betts said jail was warranted for such serious offences and that others had to be deterred. Nguyen was sentenced to six months’ jail, suspended for two years, fined $2000 and had his boat and equipment taken.

Source : The Age

Anglers have found a few golden perch and redfin on the move despite the inclement weather.

Small catches of golden perch were reported on lure from Yerrabi Pondage, Lake Ginninderra, Lake Burley Griffin and the Molonglo River. Best lures were bibless minnows, small deep divers and spinnerbaits.

A few fat pre-spawning redfin were reported on bait and lure in Burley Griffin.

Best locations were around the Acton ferry terminal and the rowing regatta assembly area on Lady Denman Drive. One angler, who fishes several times a week, said his best catch was six fish in an hour using soft plastics.

A few golden perch were caught in Burrinjuck Reservoir on bait. Best locations were in deep water against a rocky shoreline in the lower reaches of the Murrumbidgee Arm. Live yabbies and shrimps were the top baits.

Blowing in the wind

Gale force winds made fishing almost impossible in the mountain lakes for several days this week but after the big blow settled a few fish were taken on the troll and on bait in Jindabyne and Eucumbene.

The favoured location in Jindabyne was Creel Bay where some large browns were caught on flatfish behind Cowbells and Ford fenders. A shore-based angler caught three Atlantic salmon in a session.

There were some smallish rainbows caught on bardi grubs near Old Adaminaby but fishing generally was slow in Lake Eucumbene. The water level has risen markedly in recent weeks and although it is covering new ground it hasn’t yet reached the grass growth on the banks. Fish should start feeding along the shoreline when the water level reaches the grass.

Flying high casting call

The first of the free pre-season fly casting classes staged by the Canberra Anglers Association on the lawns in front of Old Parliament House last Sunday attracted a surprising number of casters, despite the awful weather.

The second of the classes will be held on Sunday from 10am until 12 noon.

Persistence pays off

Ten consecutive weekends of bad-weather at the coast have disillusioned many anglers but the more persistent found good fish in the estuaries.

One group working small hard-bodied lures caught good bream, estuary perch and bass and the occasional tailor in surprisingly warm 17 degree water. Another group did well with similar lures on bream and two flathead. Both groups fished well upstream and concentrated on the entrances to the smaller creeks branching off the main river arms.

Tip of the week

Take advantage of the free fly casting classes and get ready for the trout season opening on October 4.

Bryan Pratt is a Canberra-based ecologist

Source : Canberra Times

THERE is an awful swirl in the pit of Tony Wood’s stomach, as violent as the grey sea below him, when the Westpac Rescue Helicopter winches a body out of the water.

The angle of the neck delivers the verdict; the head is snapped back grotesquely and the eyes are glazed.

“It can be prevented so easily,” said Mr Wood, the helicopter’s chief crewman.

He and the Westpac service are on a mission to get more people to wear life jackets, following the deaths of eight fishermen off Sydney in the past 12 months.

“There is nothing more disheartening, discouraging … when instead of a live, smiling body coming up that wire, all we have is dead eyes … all

for the sake of a life preserver,” he said.

“We have had … eight bodies pulled from the water, all of which I am sure, if [they] had been wearing life jackets, or flotation devices, [they] would be here today with their families.”

About 80 per cent of rock fishing fatalities in the state were within 30 kilometres of Sydney - a stretch of coastline that delivers great fishing and great peril in equal measure. Yet a life jacket costs just $80, the equivalent of three days’ bait.

Rock fishing is listed by the NSW Government as the most dangerous sport in the country. But unlike other extreme sports, such as boxing, there is no licence requirement to wear specific clothing.

When the National Marine Safety Committee launched a discussion paper in 2006 on the mandatory use of life jackets while fishing, it received a barrage of letters against the idea.

The Recreational Fishing Alliance of NSW’s submission acknowledged that although they did save lives, “there will be locations and times when it is not practical to have a life jacket on”.

The president of the South Sydney Amateur Fishing Association, Stan Konstantaras, agrees. Instead of enforcing mandatory life jackets, the association has been running educational programs - 90 per cent of them aimed at people of non-English speaking backgrounds - to raise standards.

“Enforcement is never going to work,” he said. “What would you do? Is someone going to go around to the rocks and fine these guys to enforce it?

“From an occupational health and safety point of view, it would be very difficult to get workers to have to go down to the rocks and patrol, and we barely have enough Fisheries officers as it is.”

He said the educational programs were already paying dividends: “Last month I saw five Koreans on the northern beaches, they all had life jackets on - that would be unthinkable a few years ago,” he said.

But that has done little to assuage Mr Wood’s fears that the Westpac Helicopter is being used as a retrieval service for dead fisherman, rather than a rescue service for those clinging to life.

“It’s soul-destroying … for the guys who actually go down and out and pick you up out of the water,” he said.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

By Monique Ebrington

THOUSANDS of Casey children and families will benefit from a $12,000 state grant for the introduction of recreational fishing days in Casey Fields Lake.

Local fishing guru Paul Worsteling is also urging budding anglers to make the most of some free fishing information.

The funding comes after a Brumby Government commitment to improve fishing opportunities in the City of Casey and is taken from recreational fishing licence revenue.

The local Futurefish Foundation will receive the funding to continue running projects such as family fishing days at Casey Fields Lake.

Last year over 1000 people attended a day in which all participating children received a fishing rod, reel, line, lure, bait and bucket to keep.

Directors of Futurefish, David Kramer and Mr Worsteling created the family fishing day after watching the progress of Casey Fields Lake.

“We’re locals and we saw a new lake that didn’t have any fish in it and we thought how about we get some fish in there and get the kids involved,” said Mr Kramer.

The City of Casey, in conjunction with Futurefish, released over 800 edible sized fish and a few ‘monsters’ into the lake last year, with 500 more to be released in early October. “You don’t have to travel far or go to a pier or own a boat to fish because there’s a great little lake full of fish right here in Cranbourne,” said Mr Kramer.

With the distinctive fluorescent pink and blue rods given out at the family day, Futurefish has seen hundreds of children returned to the lake to fish in their own time.

“We wanted to get kids off computers and get them out of the house and out fishing.

There’s a beautiful lake in Cranbourne that I reckon not a lot of people know about,” Mr Kramer said.

Anyone wanting a set of the Let’s Go Fishing cards can call 136 186 or send an email to go.fishing@dpi.vic.gov.au

Source: Star News Group

Dubbo Tidy Towns is inviting all community members to a river clean-up on September 21 and is seeking volunteers to help clean-up between the town’s two weirs both in boats and on foot.

Volunteers are asked to meet at 9am at the boat ramp beside Lyons Park in West Dubbo, with everyone invited to a barbecue lunch when the clean-up finishes at midday.

For details and early registration please phone Mal Monson on 0429 391 639.

o o o

The DPI has reported that the prayers of the 1.1 million NSW residents who are recreational fishers have been answered, with the State Government announcing that they will introduce plastic fishing licences.

The days of dropping your $30 a year paper license in the drink, along with your line, are almost over.

“Fishers told us that they wanted a more durable system so we have responded to that with the new card, which we envisage will be very popular,” primary industries minister Ian McDonald, said.

Plastic licences will now be issued for one and three-year licences which are purchased online, over the phone, or at touch agent who utilises a Touch Eftpos terminal.

Unfortunately there is no capacity to offer a plastic licence for fishing licences purchased manually from agents and fisheries offices.

The DPI will continue to maintain the paper licence system for agents and fisheries offices who do not have the Touch Eftpos facilities. For more information go to www.dpi.nsw.gov.au

Darling River:

Matt Woodbridge dropped Dubbo Catches a report from a recent trip 60kms out the back of Bourke to the Darling River.

Fishing with six mates, the boys managed to catch about 20 yellowbelly, with the biggest being a fighting fit 7lb brute that ate a bunch of worms floated down the side of a log.

Matt reported that Stimulate Fish Attracting Gel applied to the baits worked well, and seemed to catch more fish than the unscented baits.

For his great report and photos Matt picks up a selection of Jaz Lures including a variety of spinner baits, lipless crank baits and hard bodies lures.

Eucumbene and Jindabyne:

Excellent reports have come in from Jindabyne over the last week. The trolling has been very good, and spinning from the shore or boat with plastics and minnows has been deadly on the fish as well.

Local high-country angler Andy Butt and his son Matt from Sydney had an interesting day at the lake on the weekend.

They spent the day spinning with various lures and had plenty of follows from some good browns, but struggled to get a bite.

As it turned out Andy hooked and landed a very impressive 65cm, 2.6kg brown, with the fish taking a Vibrax Minnow Spin lure. Andy was a little unsure for a while whether the new rod he purchased was a dud, obviously now it is considered to be a very lucky rod.

Thanks to the team at The Alpine Angler for their report.

Botany Bay on the coast:

Tailor are about in small groups and Scotty Lyons from South Sydney fishing charters has scored well along the third runway of late, spinning with small metal slices, with most fish up about 1kg and proving to fight well on light tackle.

Trevally are the prime species all through the cooler months and spots like Trevally Alley, The Drums and the Third Runway are all spots that will produce.

Trevally are a schooling fish and move about from spot-to-spot so anglers will need to find them. Fishing in deep water near structures and fishing light is the key. Burley is needed to bring them on the bite, with nippers, prawns and pilchards as bait working well.

Kingies are on the bite of late, so a day out targeting them could produce good results for visiting anglers.

Jigging and live baiting are both scoring well and this should continue right up to the start of December.

Small slimy mackerel are working well as live bait and 200 gram Spanyid jigs in white, pink and gold are also scoring the odd hook-up.

Thanks to Scotty Lyons of South Sydney fishing charters for his report.

Source: Dubbo Daily Liberal

I’m back again after a trip to Europe, and then up north to Queensland.

News and updates should continue again!

Thanks for your patience.

Shade