Shades Fishing 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

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 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

The spring and summer game fish yellowfin tuna and albacore have started to show on the South Cast.

Simon Newcombe, Tony Zakowski and friends tried The Banks, north-east of Jervis Bay, testing out a new boat and had a superb trip trolling feather and other lures. They landed a heap of albacore and a small yellowfin tuna.

They said the fishing was the most exciting they had ever seen with double, treble and even four-way hookups. Colleagues fishing slightly south of them found albacore as well as 30 yellowfin.

Bagging out Bermagui

Bait fishers drifting offshore also found good fish. Almost every boat at Bermagui bagged out on good-sized sand flathead as well as morwong and snapper.

George Cygan had a good day off Durras in 19 degree water, landing a bag of big snapper. The next day he tried the same spot but the temperature had fallen to 15 degrees and all he could manage were two barracouta and a pike.

Hurly Burley

Warmer temperatures have brought the golden perch on the bite in the local lakes, especially Burley Griffin. There were numerous reports of fish on yabbies, scrub worms and three different types of lures bibless minnows, spinnerbaits and Burrinjuck Specials. Most of the fish weighed around 1.6 to 1.9kg but occasional larger specimens were reported.

Lake Ginninderra fished well with big redfin taking lures near the boat ramp on the western side.

Carp have also become active.

Jamie fished Burley Griffin, near Blundells Cottage, with bread for 26 big carp, all of which were filleted and salted for bait.

A bout of good trout

Fly anglers have found the crowds have gone and there are plenty of rainbows and a few browns in the Thredbo and Eucumbene rivers. Small wet patterns fished on intermediate-sink or sink-tip lines were effective.

A big family group of 18 fished Kalkite at Lake Jindabyne for a bag of fish including browns, rainbows, two brook trout and an Atlantic salmon. The fish were taken on bait and trolling with lead-core line.

Tip of the week

If you want to try for albacore and yellowfin this weekend, look for 18 to 19 degree water in depths anywhere from 70 fathoms out.

Try saltwater trolling flies, Gladiator feather lures and Bluewater Classic F18 lures in 160 and 200mm length.

Source : Canberra Times

Local fishermen and women have again this week reported some of the best fishing in times gone by, with golden perch, silver perch, European carp and the endangered trout cod feeding aggressively along many stretches of the Macquarie River.

Matt Campbell, Jason Walters, Tina Sykes and I enjoyed a ‘once in a blue moon’ lure casting session that saw 14 fish come to the net in just a little over two hours, and incredibly nine of the fish caught and released were trout cod.

Penalties for being caught in possession of a trout cod are severe and it is totally illegal to fish for the species, but they are becoming a more regular bi-catch for those fishing for golden perch and murray cod, when in season, along the Macquarie in and around Dubbo district.

Trout cod have officially been known to grow to 16kgs or 35.2 pounds and are a highly aggressive fish with plenty of potential to become a self-sustaining freshwater sport fishing species. Local legends even speak of the species reaching a massive 30kgs, or 66 pounds, in the Dubbo region.

It is fantastic to see the species thriving in certain areas in the Macquarie River, and if all anglers continue to respect the endangered status assigned to the species, it may not be long until we see trout cod population numbers soar to a level where they may be legally targeted by freshwater anglers.

If you happen to catch a fish you suspect of being a trout cod, but are not quite sure, one way of telling for certain is by looking at the jaw area.

A trout cod’s top jaw overhangs the bottom, whereas a murray cod has a larger bottom jaw which overshoots the top. Trout cod must be released without harm immediately after being caught.

Matt Campbell had a run-in with a 62cm trout cod late on Sunday afternoon on the outskirts of Dubbo whilst casting an AusSpin TwinSpin half ounce spinnerbait in electric purple, and did well to maneuver the ‘Trouty’ out of dense structure, across the weed bed and into the bank to be released.

The fish pulled line off the reel at will and was beautifully coloured. Well done to Matt on a great catch.

Burrendong Dam

Mark Rich of Wellington reported some amazing happenings in a bay off the Macquarie Arm of Burrendong Dam this week, as thousands of massive European Carp moved into the shallows to spawn.

Mark managed to scoop up around 180 of the carp with a landing net in the shallows, with the average weight estimated at 10 pounds.

Mark was left wishing he had twenty mates up in that bay with him that afternoon as thousands of carp may have been removed. Well done to Mark on getting rid of as many of the pests as he did, and thanks to the kids who busily dispatched all the carp as they were placed up on the bank.

News from DPI

A fisherman who failed to pay for a recreational fishing licence has ended up with a $600 fine - enough to have taken out licences for the next 24 years, Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald announced earlier this month.

The man was found fishing off Sow and Pigs Reef in Sydney Harbour when he was apprehended.

“The man was issued with a $200 penalty infringement notice, but elected to take the matter to court,” he said.

“The magistrate found the man, from Denistone, guilty in his absence, and when he failed to appear for sentencing, brought down the $600 fine.

“The maximum penalty for this offence is $2200.

“With the three-year licence fee at $75, the fine would have bought eight renewals.”

All recreational fishers in NSW are required to pay the fishing fee, unless exempt. Those who already have a fishing fee receipt are also reminded to check that the receipt is current and valid before going fishing. Visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au for more information.

Source : Dubbo Daily Liberal

AN artificial reef off Galgabba Point, Swansea, will be expanded under a plan Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald will announce today.

Three years ago, 180 reef balls were placed in Lake Macquarie to assess how artificial reefs worked.

With marine life flourishing on the reef, a further 420 reef balls are set to be added.

The six reefs, each separated by 350 metres, will end up with 100 reef balls each.

“Recreational fishing groups have been so impressed with the reefs in Lake Macquarie, they have been calling to expand the project and that’s what we plan to do,” Mr Macdonald said.

“Two years of scientific monitoring of the artificial reefs have shown they have created valuable fish habitat, with more than 40 species of fish found living on the reefs.”

Fish included yellowfin bream, snapper, whiting, flathead, yellowtail kingfish and amberjack.

The reefs are made of moulded concrete balls, which can be removed if necessary.

“Reef balls are made using a special mix of concrete that allows algae to grow quickly, creating ideal marine habitat for fish and invertebrates,” Mr Macdonald said.

The project, which needs Lake Macquarie City Council approval, will be paid for with money from recreational fishing licence fees.

The reef’s success has surprised some scientists.

Fisheries officers said the artificial reef was starting to mirror natural reefs.

The reef had become covered in many different types of algae, providing a plentiful food supply for fish.

Source : The Herald

THE third Carp, Camp and Comp was held at St Albans at the weekend with a record turnout of 78 enthusiastic fishers casting their lines for the feral fish in what organiser, Kate Hughes described as perfect fishing weather.

More than 185 tonnes of carp was extracted from the MacDonald Valley waterway as part of the Bring Back the Fish to St Albans restoration of native fish project.

While the competition’s original intention was to rid the waterway of carp regarded as of little use other than as fertiliser Victorian carp fisherman Keith Bell was on hand at the weekend demonstrating how to prepare, cook and enjoy eating the fish.

Mr Bell, who runs a successful carp exporting business in Sale, Victoria, believes carp have had undeservedly bad press.

“Overseas they are the biggest eating fish in the world. China eats 1.23 million tonnes; Poland eats 15,000 tonnes and Israel eats about 40,000 tonnes a year,” Mr Bell said.

“We have been spoiled because we have so many other nice fish here. Australians are generally not fish eaters.

“We don’t like fish with bones in them.

“We are happy to eat shark and flake and prawns.”

Correctly handled, carp can be a tasty bite and Mr Bell, who believes in turning the pest into a resource, defies anyone to dislike his recipes for cooking them.

“Cut it up into fingers and put it in a plastic bag with flour, salt and pepper to taste. Get a frying pan or hot plate with a bit of butter or oil.

“Don’t overcook it,” he warns.

“It only takes a second to cook one side and then another second on the other. Most Australians overcook fish and it makes a lot of difference to the texture and the taste.”

Source : Hills News

The much-needed downpour of rain over the long weekend failed to deter many keen Dubbo anglers who travelled across the central west to wet a line and take advantage of Monday’s public holiday.

Enduring 40 knot tent-trashing winds, lightning and whitecaps was all part and parcel of the October long weekend, and was seemingly well and truly worthwhile for many from all reports.

Burrendong Dam

Ben Mosely fished Burrendong Dam and found the goldens well and truly on the chew. Ben managed 16 fish for the trip, with the biggest measuring 51cm and weighing a hefty 7lbs. The fish was caught casting a Jackall Brothers TN 60 lipless crank bait with just 6lb braid and a 12lb leader used. For his report Ben picks up a selection of Jaz lures from Explore Outdoors.

Justin Hoy, Michael Cooper and Bill North had similar experiences trolling the walls near the spillway and casting timber in Oakey Creek, pulling in 15 fish with the biggest a 52cm Golden Perch.

Shane May and Curtis Barber fished the Cudgegong arm and also cast lures in the Macquarie arm. They bagged 8 ‘yellas’ and caught and released one 55cm cod that ate a Rapala hard bodied lure cast into the sticks.

Lake Glenbawn

Mick Coad, Neil Duncan and I fished Lake Glenbawn in some tough conditions.

Huge storms rolled across the dam periodically with gale force winds demolishing some unlucky campers’ tents, and blowing a boat from its moorings, forcing the owner to go looking on the other side of the dam the following morning. The many people at the lake were treated to a show by Mother Nature on Sunday night with spectacular lightning strikes blistering across the sky all night.

The final catch was a handful of Australian bass and five yellowbelly which were caught both casting and trolling.

Wyangala Dam

Staff at Wyangala Waters State Park were absolutely flabbergasted by the past week’s events, with silver perch literally jumping on the hook.

Anglers from all over NSW flocked to Wyangala to see the frenzy for themselves.

Fishermen and women have been bagging out on silvers in under an hour, with one angler in a few hours catching and releasing more than 30 fish that averaged 40cm.

Anglers fishing off the bank using worms as bait, and also boat-based anglers have all been doing extremely well at Wyangala, so it could be worth taking the drive for a bit of school holiday excitement for the kids.

Wyangala has had 45mm of much needed rain in the last few days.

Copeton Dam

Copeton has also had good rain in the past few days. The Yellowbelly are biting well.

Trolling lures, and bait fishing with shrimp, worms and yabbies is all producing fish. Some cod have also turned up, but Copeton Waters State Park staff were happy to report almost all anglers have been removing the hook with the fish still in the water, so as not to disturb the fish further at the time of year that is critical to the fisheries future.

Tamworth District

Dean from Tamworth Fishing Tackle reported the Tamworth district is fishing very well, with Keepit and Chaffey well and truly firing in terms of quantity and quality of fish size.

Big silver perch are being caught on lures at Chaffey by casting Jackalls to the edges. Keepit showed what lurks in its depths this week with three cod pushing the magic metre mark all being caught and released by fisherman trolling for Yellowbelly.

Restocking Initiative

Thanks very much to Blackwoods who donated a socket set to help raise funds for native fish fingerlings, and also to the Dubbo RSL Club who donated a $150 voucher that will also be raffled to generate funds to purchase Murray Cod and Golden Perch for the Macquarie River.

Source : Dubbo Daily Liberal