Size Limits, Sound Fish Management

  A long-time friend was rifling through his dad’s tackle the other day when he stumbled on a leaflet entitled Minimum Legal Sizes of Fishes produced by State Fisheries in 1957.
  Wow! I wasn’t even a twinkle in my parents’ eye let alone a minnow back then.
  The ready reckoner, complete with a ruler running down one side, made fascinating reading, not least being the fine print written by the then Under Secretary of State Fisheries, C.J. Butterworth.
  “If any person is found with undersized fish in his possession he is liable to a penalty of 2 pounds.” I am supposing that was a steep fine 50 years ago.
  But the blurb also reminded anglers that all tiddlers should be returned to the water unharmed and that the size limits were set to allow fish to spawn in our rivers and estuaries, which are our nurseries. That’s still good advice today.
  Now to those size limits. Time has proven they are effective fish management tools. The minimum legal size for bream remains the same today as it was more than 50 years ago, that is, 25cm or 10in.
  Now bream aren’t in short supply, neither are snapper, luderick, morwong and trevally, all of which have had their limits extended only slightly to 30cm in recent times.
  The legal size for sea mullet has actually been reduced by 2.5cm to 30cm, as is the case with tarwhine.
  Of course, many fish didn’t have size limits back then and bag limits were introduced in the last decade.
  But after more than half a century, our favourite recreational fish are in fine fettle, proving that marine parks that preclude anglers from wetting a line aren’t needed for future fish management.
  Size and bag limits are more equitable controls. Abide by them this holiday fishing season. For more detailed information about the state of NSW Fisheries, see the latest stock review at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au.

Coming the Raw Prawn

  Time to come the raw prawn and chase those things that go bump in the night. Arm yourself with an underwater lamp, don a wetsuit and a pair of hard-soled booties, and wield a scoop net or a registered drag net in the coastal lakes for prawns.
  Catches vary from just enough crustaceans for a fishing session to bucket-loads of king prawns to feed the family for a week. And, take it from me, there’s nothing quite like fresh-cooked prawns.
  Around the dark or new moon is the peak time for prawning. Time your sortie with the runout tide so the prawns are running. It’s then that they rise off the bottom and swim along the surface towards your light and into your waiting net.
  Sydney’s recognised prawning grounds include Narrabeen Lake, The Basin, Patonga, Rose Bay flats and the Georges River. But venture further afield for bigger and better hauls during holidays. Tuggerah Lakes, Lake Macquarie, Lake Illawarra and Burrill Lake are prawning Meccas around Christmas each year.
  Besides prawns, you might scoop garfish and mullet, the odd angry octopus, squid and blue swimmer crabs. Avoid the jelly blubbers and, moreover, those spiky little fortescue fish whose spines pack a nasty punch.
  One interesting development in recent years is day prawning, especially in the upper Tuggerah Lakes. Those with dragnets haul them across the bottom and stir the prawns from their daytime hides into their nets. Hauls of 10kg aren’t unusual.
  And following an all-too-rare wet winter, there’s a prawn and baitfish explosion. That will lead to a banner fishing season. Tuck in.  

Sparring Partners

  Which fish pulls the hardest? It’s a vexing question debated by anglers from the Top End to Tassie over many a lemonade. For what it’s worth, here’s my take on the great (sports) fishing debate.
  Some of our small fry punch well above their weight and, kilo for kilo, it’s hard to go past members of the trevally family. The giant trevally from tropical waters has the greatest purchase. They smack lures and pull hard albeit predicably.
  In temperate latitudes, the aptly named kingfish reigns.
  The kings of Sydney Harbour are the toughest fighting fish you can ever hope to catch, rivalled only by the occasional whaler shark that takes up residence in summer, and the herbivorous surgeonfish that are difficult to hook.
  Of course, marlin are spectacular fighters, but usually they don’t last the distance. Yellowfin tuna are as stubborn as fish come, slugging it out down deep for ages before finally succumbing to constant (back) pressure. Again, their fight is foreseen and predictable.
  But of all the fish that swim in the sea, it’s the dogtooth tuna of the Great Barrier Reef that rule the ring. The fish teams explosive speed and brute strength with unstoppable power. Catch them if you can.

David Lockwood’s Guide to Fishing – December

  Summer holidays, Christmas cheer, the Sydney to Hobart and a case of beer. Okay, I’m no poet, but this is the month to be merry, to celebrate the arrival of summer, the season for outdoor pursuits, and our well-deserved sabbatical.
  Fish aren’t in short supply in December, though the start of the month can be blustery. Sally forth early to get the best of the day. Dawn starts and dusk sorties will produce the best rewards.  But the big challenge this month is from our angling cohorts.
  Every man and his tinnie, beach rod and Alvey reel will be wetting a line during December. The key to securing a catch is to think outside you comfort zone. That doesn’t mean taking risks, as no fish is worth that, but fishing early, away from the crowds, using live bait, and light tackle.
  As mentioned overleaf, this is bound to be an especially fishy season following excellent winter rains and resulting bumper prawn and baitfish numbers. At the time of writing, Hawkesbury trawlers and recreational scoop netters were catching more prawns than they could handle.
  Similarly, those of us who regularly patrol the waterways have noticed huge schools of whitebait, while further offshore there have been more striped tuna splashing about than the last five years. And big schools of slimy mackerel are an added attractor for fish like mahi mahi and marlin.
  Central Coast charter skipper, Scott Thorrington has been scoring kingfish to 8kg on live baits on the 70 metre reefs for the last few months. As the water warms up to 24C on those reefs, the big kings will swim inshore to the headlands, bays and harbours. And many more rat kings will make themselves known.
  Proving the value of those baitfish, Thorrington caught a small tuna in 120 metres last month, bridled it, sent it astern and was hooked up to a striped marlin in minutes. The fish eventually won its freedom and was estimated at 60kg.
  Officially or traditionally, Boxing Day is the start of the marlin season off Sydney. But with global warming, you can reel that back to early to mid-December. I’m banking on a banner marlin season, with plenty of fish from the 70-120 metre reefs. Troll small pusher-style lures.
  Though they haven’t reared their heads yet, the mahi mahi will be holding around the fish-aggregating devices or FADs.
  Pitch a live bait around them for a quick result at first light. FAD locations at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/recreational/ saltwater-fishing/fads/map  All the coastal estuaries are firing for flathead, which isn’t surprising given the prawns. Whiting will be biting this month, too, and already I’m hearing great reports about the blue swimmer crabs. Between those species, you can create a fisherman’s basket for the Christmas table.
  Hawkesbury guide Greg Joyes considers late November a turning point for the river’s big jewfish. I will add the same thing applies to Sydney Harbour, with albeit school-sized jewfish a great chance in December as well.  Should there be some rain, then fish the lagoon mouths where they spill out to sea. Beach fishers will find jewfish, whiting and tailor. The latter are common as Christmas trees in David Jones this month.
  Kingfish have been cruising about Port Jackson, though they are hiding around Luna Park and the Opera House, where Water Police are keeping anglers at bay in the transit zone and the busy ferry channels. Try Middle Harbour with live and cut squid baits instead. The kings and jewfish are there.
  Trolling minnow lures is a sure-fire way to procure a feed of bonito, tailor, the odd keeper kingfish and Aussie salmon.
  You need to have the lures swimming at first light. Troll just outside the suds. Bleed and keep the catch on ice for a barbie later in the day.
  The challenge for offshore fishers will be the current. In December, the full force of the East Australian Current can be experienced just a stone’s throw from shore. With the water running at up to three knots, it’s difficult to hold bottom. Flathead drifts in close are a last resort. Trolling is a better option.  Speaking of currents, after a year of great upheaval you owe it to yourself to go fishing. Fishmongers sell flathead fillets for $40 a kilo these days. You can save a packet, keep active, enjoy the great outdoors and catch a meal fit for King Neptune. Angling hasn’t enjoyed such relevance for several generations.
  Have a safe and merry Christmas, a great holiday fishing season, and enjoy the fruits of what is shaping up to be a bumper fishing season. Tight lines. _
  Contact this column at lockwood@intercoast.com.au

Fishing Key —

AS Australian salmon
Schooling fish that mills about on the surface, patrols the harbour, headlands and beaches. Partial to a well-presented saltwater fly, soft-plastic lure, or small casting slice. Takes both live baits and pilchards with gusto. Quite palatable when hot smoked.

B Bream
Berleying with chopped pilchard and floating lightly weighted pilchard fillets back into the berley using light tackle and fine line. Suitable method from both boat and shore. Hook size No 1 to 2/0. Or try using the latest softplastic lures jigged around the harbour wharves, jetties and rock walls on ultra-light flick sticks and 4kg braided line with a 4kg monofilament trace.

F Flathead
Drift with whitebait or frog-mouthed pilchards hooked through the eyes and bounced along the sandy bottom. Glue reflective tape to the sinker for added flash and appeal. Early morning before busy boat traffic is best. Or use rubber-tailed jigs flicked around the foreshore.

 J Jewfish
The prize of the estuaries, jewfish gather in the deep holes in our harbours and bays from November through to the end of summer. The fish is most active right on dusk, especially when that coincides with the last hour of a run-in tide. Use large cut baits of mullet, slimy mackerel or tuna, or fresh squid strips, set on the bottom. Berleying with cut fish pieces can help attract the fish to your bait. Ranging from 3-8kg, though specimens to 20kg aren’t unheard of, the general run of jewfish is easily subdued with 10kg tackle and a 4/0 hook.

 K Kingfish
Fish the deep, tidal shores or around the harbour channel markers with live or strips or heads from fresh-caught squid. Stagger the depth at which you fish the baits until the school is located. Berley helps keep the fish around your boat.

L Leatherjackets
Found around kelp beds and foraging off wharf pylons, retaining walls and other submerged structures. Easy to catch with a long-shanked hook topped with peeled prawn or try using the flesh from mussels gathered at the fishing grounds.

 S Snapper
Fish the inshore reefs in 30-50 metre of water with 6kg- 10kg tackle. Anchor up and berley with chopped pilchards and chicken pellets. Drift a half pilchard bait on a 4/0 chemically-sharpened hook back down the berley, with a pea-sized running sinker or just enough lead for the bait to waft down to the bottom. Dawn and dusk is best.

T Tailor
An aggressive schooling fish, named for its ability to slash baitfish to ribbons, the tailor is a snap to catch. Troll or cast and retrieve lures around the schools of fish hunting around headlands and estuaries in winter. Or cast a pilchard from the shore or boat during the flood tide and at night around Sow and Pigs or The Spit.

Tun Striped tuna, Mackerel Tuna and Bonito
School of small tuna can be found zipping across the surface at first light. Cast small metal slugs and retrieve fast, try saltwater flies, or troll minnow lures for the bonito, which are great eaten fresh on the barbie.