The best of the Christmas season to you! We're well into the mad rush, and will be for the next couple of weeks, but we'll keep bringing you the fishing news and a few specials.

***

"You should always buy frozen fish and seafood. Fresh fish may have been defrosted, or it might be 12 days since it was caught at sea. Why is that better than fish frozen on a factory ship? Freezing is God's way of preserving food." ... Malcolm Walker, who founded the Iceland Foods chain.

Personally I think I'd rather catch it myself.

***

WA Fisheries Minister Norman Moore has announced the appointment of two independent experts to assess the scientific advice and proposed options to manage recreational fishing of highly vulnerable finfish species (read jewfish).

Mr Moore said the management reviewer was Peter Neville, who has broad experience in fisheries management. Mr Neville was a former Deputy Director General of the Queensland Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries and currently chair of the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation.

“The research review will be undertaken out by Michael O’Neill, a well respected specialist in stock assessment, mathematical modelling, survey techniques, fish ageing and taxonomy,” he said.

Mr O’Neill is a principal fisheries scientist at Queensland’s Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries.

The Minister said the independent experts would begin immediately and he expected to be presented with their reports by April.

***

Our holiday season opening hours are now on the site here. They don't vary nuch from normal, except that we are closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. They're the only two days of the year that we do close.

***

This week's Bluewater Tackle World newsletter special is a half-price tackle bag from Pflueger. The President bag sold for about $100, but we bought all the remaining stock in Australia for Christmas and got a ripper deal, so they're going out at $49.99, including six utility boxes for the small stuff. That's until New Year's Day, both instore and online. See them and all the other specials here.

***

As part of a wide-ranging review of fisheries in Queensland, that state's recreational anglers will soon have three more dams in which to fish. The announcement reads:

(Qld Fisheries Minister) Mr Mulherin said the recreational sector would benefit from three new dams to be added to the Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme.

"As part of the scheme, these dams will be stocked with native fish to enhance the recreational fishing experience. As with other dams on the scheme, anglers will need to purchase a permit to fish in these water bodies.

"The dams are Fairbairn Dam near Emerald, Theresa Creek Dam near Clermont, and North Pine Dam on Brisbane's north side."

***

Here’s this weekend's Sunday Times fishing news, with a bit of extra stuff...

PERTH METROPOLITAN

Rottnest waters are abuzz with big fish activity. Southern bluefin tuna are ravenous on the north side of the island, and Blue Juice charters have been locating plenty of mid-size samson fish in 40m of water there. Shikari Charters found bigger samsons in deeper water, and while not in really large numbers, some of the fish were truly massive – over 50kg. Craig Warne’s Saltwater Charters has also been encountering many big samsons out from Hillarys.Jewfish catches were made in 60-90m of water well offshore, and a few bonito were also nabbed from out wide. Experienced fishers working north of Two Rocks boated some outstanding jewfish, big king george and a couple of the largest breaksea cod they’ve seen for quite awhile. Cray catches have ranged from extraordinary to reasonable but patchy, Two Rocks and Mindarie amateurs suggesting its worth the effort but not consistent, Hillarys lobster chasers having some great days and also quiet ones. Sorrento plumber Kevin Murphy has been learning more about his new boat while pulling pots near Hillarys with a fair haul of the tasty creatures. Several cray chasers reported more than 20 legal-size crays in four pots on successive days, with of course most of that number being released for later. Northern beaches yielded herring, Mullaloo and Pinnaroo Point notable, so too Cottesloe but very early in the morning there. Mindarie was among better tailor hot spots. Tailor were on the bite right from North Mole to Warnbro. Cockburn Sound was fishing well for sand whiting. Swan River flathead fishing is improving with more warm weather, Nedlands and East Fremantle good spots to try for those, tailor active around Rocky Bay and Chidley Point. Better bream fishing was found in the area from Redcliffe Bridge to Garvey Park. MANDURAH Neil Grant and his mate Graeme Birch fished Bouvard Reef where they caught a 1.5m hammerhead shark, a heap of king george whiting and a couple of fine breaksea cod. Numbers of king george made for good fishing in shallower water offshore from the Dawesville Cut. The Cut itself has worked well for tailor, some good size fish among them. Herring and the odd skippy are about at times with small salmon always a possibility at the Cut and in the Estuary system nearer Mandurah. A few mulloway have hit the sands at San Remo. Gulp Shrimp soft plastics proved attractive to black bream in the Murray River while offshore fish also like Gulp lures, a 7” Jerk Shad causing the downfall of a pink snapper and a small jewfish for Allan Strahan. Crabbing is improving as the weather warms. JURIEN Seasports has had a few good charters in recent times, with jewfish to 15kg, pink snapper at 7-8kg and plenty of 3-4kg baldchin groper among good bags, samson fish and amberjack adding to the action for those on board. Smaller craft have found inside fishing for jewfish excellent, many making their limit. Shore fishers have had a terrific time with a solid tailor run at the likes of Hastings Street, Island Point and Town Jetty, small mackerel and some decent size sharks visiting the latter spot at times. The Marina is fishing exceptionally well for skippy around 35-38cm and bull herring there keeps activity going. Sandy Cape is a hot spot for skippy and herring. Cray catches for locals have been rewarding. KALBARRI Spanish mackerel turned up to the surprise of many, bigger fish too for this time of year. Kalbarri usually has 5-6kg mackerel round about now, but spaniards nearer 10kg are currently featuring. Dean Robins and Glen Gould caught five over the weekend with other boating parties also doing well. Deep diving lures proved the undoing of many of the macks. As for most of the coastline, tailor are the major feature for Kalbarri anglers, although mulloway have also been encountered, Wittecarra Creek and Red Bluff among tailor hotspots, a couple of mulloway to eight kilos there too. Blue Hole and Chinamans have hotted up, poppers and baitcast garfish bringing strikes.

EXMOUTH

The most recent Exmouth-only newsletter is on the site here, with one of the local mangrove jacks pictured.

***

Bluewater Tackle World News comes from Bluewater, 21 Scarborough Beach Road, Scarborough, Western Australia - phone 08 9245 1313 - http://www.bluewater.net.au/

***

Please feel free to forward the web address for this newsletter on to friends who might appreciate it.

You can receive this news as an email the moment it's available (usually well before it appears on the website) by registering on the ‘create an account’page. You don't have to buy anything, we just want you to get the info when it's most current.