Fishing Australia

INLAND LAKES.

Googong is not just the site of where some 16,000 new houses have just been zoned: there is the nearby Googong Dam, one of the best freshwater fisheries in Australia.

There has been some good golden perch for anglers willing to troll in between 10 and 20 feet of water while keeping their diving lures always near the bottom and occasionally touching it. Any weed bed is worth a troll, but particularly along the slopes that are inclined somewhere around 45 degrees
Some absolutely huge cod have also been landed along the steeper rocky areas. Clacking Raps cast to the edge from a long way back and fished tight as soon as they touch the water has been the bomb technique, but you’ll need lots of patience and persistence to catch these big wary fish.
Amongst other rules the lake is daylight hours only and electric or man power only (ie; paddle, peddle) which keeps it in pristine condition. You can find more info at www.environment.act.gov.au or by using the search function on my site www.fishingaustralia.tv

DON’T FOREGT THE RULE BOOK.

When wetting a line at the coast one of the most important things to stash in your tackle box is the marine park zoning guide which shows you where you can and can’s fish.

There is also a new 2010 NSW Recreational Fishing guide for both fresh and saltwater anglers. Both are free, have information you will need to know, and also make for interesting reading for any keen fisho.

JEWFISH

It is the height of summer and some estuary fishing can be tough due to heat, boat traffic, and summer time angling pressure. But funnily enough the hardest estuary fish of all, the jewfish, have been a reliable catch, especially if you get the subtleties right.

For a start far too many anglers are using fish style plastics, when estuary jewfish much rather prefer prawn looking lure.  Jewfish can feed selectively on prawns at times, especially near the new moon when the prawns are running. A twitching nipper rigged backwards to represent a prawn is still my favourite softie, while the 5 and 7 inch slam jerk shad is also going well. A bit of scent, I use ultrabite gel, smeared on every 1o minutes, makes a huge difference in the long run; I feel lost without it.

The next step is that you have to get your lure right to the bottom so use a jig head big enough to do so, without going overboard of course. As much as 21 grams can be needed.  You then lift the lure with subtle kicks, and most importantly hold the slack out of the line on the drop so that your lure glides down to the mud like a prawn, rather than dropping vertically like a bomb.

From there you have to be on your toes: a jewfish bite, especially when there is a lot of line out to dampen the boof, sometimes feels more like a dull bump. Usually if there is no slack you automatically lift and presto-some weight, a few head shakes and line starts peeling off your reel! If you feel the first bite but miss it, more often than not another fish from the school will give you a second chance.

Half a dozen times this summer I have taken friends out on the front of my two man Kayak and it is surprising how many of those that are experienced fishos miss or don’t even register the bite when I can see in plain daylight the slack line getting pulled like a trout drawing a first timers fly line! If only they held the slack out of the line on the drop each and every cast…

It’s sometimes hard to coach people onto a jewfish on lure until they break their duck and see the light, so just like illustrated in my latest dvd I have had to put a bait on several times to get them a jew.

An hour either side of slack tide is best. Fish on the feed grounds nearest to where they hold up when the current is flowing harder. Everyone knows where jewfish live, the secret is to find where they dine out. This is true even in places where the current is slight like lakes and inlets. You can get some peace and quite at 5 am before boat traffic starts, and then again sometimes as dusk. Night fishing is also a great option.

There is more to know, but the above is much of the guts of it.  Reliable estuaries to try include the Shoalhaven River near the ferry crossing, the artificial reefs at St Gorges Basin, any deep corner or headland on the Clyde River, and the reefs and drop offs at Wagonga just to name a few.

The best catch I have heard of late was 9 jews between 4 and 8 kilos in the Shoalhaven River in one dawn session.
 

Rob Paxevanos