FISH & BOAT, February 2019- P25 Fishing From previous page Murray’s hand- They’d been fishing for a while when Paul spotted a some king pair of substantial bow waves heading upstream. salmon took a Realising that this was something big Paul baited up dead herring on his heavy rig with one of the little baitfish and made an ancient rusty a great “under pressure” cast, presenting the bait just hook. 520 in front of the cruising fish. There was a boil as one of the fish took the bait, and then all hell broke loose….. As I said; this was Paul’s “heavy” outfit, a fast taper 8 foot Kmart rod paired with a Shimano “Hyperloop” 6000 size threadline spooled with 10kg mono. He fishes the Palm Cove jetty regularly, his wire trace and 6/0 hook were more suitable for macker- el than creek fish, but in hindsight, it was the right choice on this occasion. The fish was taking line fast, soon it would be round the next bend in the creek, the line would touch the bank, and it would all be over.“Tighten up the drag!” suggested Don. But Paul BLUEWATER knew that would be a mistake. If anything, you back off the drag if a fish is taking lots of line, effective drag WITH increases as spool diameter goes down. And amazing- ly, just at that point, the fish decided to turn around and head back upstream. Once again it came peril- 63(&,,),&$7,216 ously close to “turning the corner”, but once again it P changed direction at the last moment. The fight seesawed back and forth for a while, but P the fish’s runs were getting shorter now. It was tiring. .* A desperate scramble down the steep bank and a PP fast tail grab and Paul had caught his first ever giant PP trevally, at over 11kg and almost a metre long it was the biggest GT I’d heard of from the Barron / Tho- Swimming a fish from the bank in crocodile water matis system. To hook and land it from the bank in aisn’t such a good idea. Anyone out there made a par- small creek on sporting 2-1 tackle is; well, Arsey. ticularly Arsey capture? Do you know someone who ;/ The fish was in poor condition by the time it was has? If you’ve got a good picture or three NQ Fish and landed, and Paul and Don decided to share it. boat might be interested in the story! 2019 Boondooma Dam Yellowbelly Family Fishing Competition Boondooma Dam Yellowbelly Fishing Com- petition spokesman Terry Allwood says that with the lake fishing extremely well the 2019 event should set new records in both the long stand- ing gilled and gutted section, as well as in the catch and release component. Cash and other prizes will be presented at the end of each of the three sessions as well as overall competition winners at the conclusion of the event. Profits from the event are used to supplement fish- With an improved Platetrix ing permit funds from the Queensland Government and to date approximately 4.5 million fingerlings hull design and massive fuel have been stocked into Lake Boondooma. capacity, the 520 Bluewater The catch and release category targeting Austral- ian Bass, Yellowbelly, Silver Perch, Jew and Spangled provides a softer, more Perch is open to all anglers who nominate. This cat- comfortable ride to get you egory will now be a catch photogapad release to improve fish sustainability. to where the fish are. SCAN THE QR The annual competition will be held on 9 and 10 CODE FOR MORE February 2019. Entry costs for the February event INFORMATION! will be $20 for adults and $5 for juniors aged 16 years and under. Random lucky draw prizes will again be a huge draw card to the many entrants that nominate at the event with one lucky person walking away with CALL YOUR LOCAL DEALER TODAY a brand new Boat motor trailer Package, which you don’t even need to fish to win. The ongoing support of our many generous spon- Rising Sun Townsville Holt Marine sors will ensure that a wide range of prizes and lucky 35 Bowen Road, Mundingburra draws are available for all competitors. Lucky draws Phone: (07) 4759 3218 25 Queens Rd, Everton Hills are held at the end of each fishing session and at the marine@risingsuntownsville.com.au Brisbane, Queensland Friday night briefing. All presentations and lucky draws are conducted at the event headquarters at the stock- Phone: (07) 3353 1928 ing association clubhouse. Tropical Trailer Boats info@holtmarine.com.au Food and drinks stalls will be provided by local community groups over the weekend and the great camping 32 Gordon Street, Bowen facilities provided by the South Burnett Regional Council will be available for campers staying at the lake. Phone: (07) 4786 3899 Gold Coast Boating Centre The cost of camping fees and details of accommodation options at the lake can be found at website www. southburnett.qld.gov.au or by ringing the Lake Boondooma Kiosk on (07) 4168 9694. tropicaltrailerboats@bigpond.com.au 64 Kortum Drive Additional information on the local area and past fishing competitions can be found on the Proston Online Whitsunday Outboard Centre Burleigh Heads Gold Coast website, www.prostononline.info Phone: (07) 5576 7388 Please join us at Lake Boondooma for a family weekend of fishing and camping. For additional information 1 William Murray Drive Fax: (07) 5576 2278 please contact Terry Allwood on mobile 0400 860122. Cannovale Don’t zone out on the Reef this summer Phone: (07) 4946 7286 sales@goldcoastboatingcentre.com.au Fax: (07) 4946 7848 Precision Marine NT Know your zones and protect your patch when you’re out on the water this summer — that’s the message woc@whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in the busy holiday period. 30 Deviney Road, Pinelands With several recreational fishers convicted in recent months for fishing in no-take green zones, the BlueFin Sports Darwin, Northern Territory Authority’s field management assistant director Ben Kettle said it was a timely reminder for people to check 57-59 Musgrave Street Phone: (08) 8931 1140 which zones they’ll be in before heading out on the water. “It might be holidays for most, but this is a busy timeRockhampton Nth precisionmarine@outlook.com of the year for our compliance unit with aerial and vessel patrols running day and night over the Christmas Phone: (07) 4922 2211 holidays, targeting illegal fishing activities Reef-wide,” Mr Kettle said. “Don’t be complacent about where you are and what you’re doing— if you’re caught poaching in a no-take green zone, you’ll receive a $2100 fine.” TheFax: 07 4922 4624 Authority has renewed calls for marine park users to protect their patch this holiday season by reporting any sales@bluefinsports.com.au suspected illegal fishing via an online incident form or 24-hour hotline. “Any information is invaluable and all reported incidents are taken seriously,” Mr Kettle said. “The local knowledge of marine park users is important in helping us to make sure we’re effective in our surveillance operations and protecting the Reef from illegal activities. If you see someone doing the wrong thing, say something. Our 24-hour hotline enables round the clock reporting and all reports are followed up.” If you’re planning a Reef trip these holidays, make sure you head to the Authority’s website for your marine parks zoning maps. Mr Kettle said abiding by zoning rules was l u not only critical for protecting the Reef’s biodiversity, but also helping keep marine park users out of trouble.