Formula 15 SC

To wake at dawn in the Mallacoota campground and watch the rising sun cast sheets of silver and gold over the still waters of the inlet, broken only by the contrails of black swans and ducking pelicans, is really something special.

This is a beautiful place; and while, as an angler, you feel some urgency to get out there to catch an early-morning fish, you can't help but soak in the wonder of it over a leisurely breakfast.

But as the sun rises higher, thoughts switch to giant flathead, shiny black and mottled, with jaws big enough to swallow a woman's fist. No one really knows just how big they grow in this lovely environment, but 10-pounders are not uncommon.

So what's so special about the common old flathead? After all, every Jack and Jill has caught a flathead by the time they're three years old.

True. But let me tell you, giant flathead are very different. They're older and smarter, and they're also terrific fighters on light gear. I had one that leapt out of the water like a barra earlier this year, shaking its head wildly before plunging deep and running hard, resurfacing and then jumping again. Terrific stuff!

Mallacoota flathead launched the career of Flathead Fred, the pioneer of spin-fishing for big flathead at Mallacoota, Tamboon and other places along Victoria's rugged Wilderness (east) Coast, with soft plastic lures.

Flathead Fred had tremendous success on a modified Mr Twister. He used to reduce the size of the jig's lead head by half and fiddle about with the hook point. Before that, a live poddy mullet would often bring spectacular rewards, and still does.

Freddy taught a lot of people to fish his way, including myself. I had spent many years gamefishing, but I'd grown tired of it and was looking for a new adventure. Fishing with Freddy about 10 years ago gave me what I was after, and I still enjoy the challenge today.

There are two ways you can fish: either by wading in shallow water or from a boat, usually drifting across shallows. Yes, you'll catch these fish in deeper water, but most times you'll find them in just a few centimetres of water - even in bright sunlight.

In this article we're looking at boat-fishing for flathead from a Formula 15. We water tested this beaut little Victorian-built centre console exclusively in Trailer Boat when it was launched a year or so ago, but this particular side-console variation of that craft is purpose-built for bay and estuary work while still retaining the ability to fish calm offshore conditions.

DESIGN LINES
The Formula is a 'glass boat - unlike most of its bass-style competitors, which are tinnies. Its wide, flat chines give it exceptional stability despite a 20° deadrise, and its performance in rough water will leave many flat-bottomed "bass and bream" tinnies in its wake.

While it makes no statements about being anything other than a fishing platform, the Formula 15 is nonetheless beautifully and practically fitted out. It's obvious that the guys who designed and built this little craft are serious fishermen.

In fact, the boat we used for this photo shoot was customised for inshore work by Shaun Clancy of BLA - Australia's largest marine wholesaler. The company uses the boat for training, promotion and competition, mainly in bream and flathead tournaments.

The bass-style boat has a Minn Kota Riptide electric motor mounted on the bow, which had either a foot control or a small remote control to guide the boat into shallow inlets and over mud and sandbanks without fear of getting stuck.

As we were doing this we came across another older runabout anchored bow and stern to stay in the one spot. The freedom the Minn Kota allowed in comparison to this old-fashioned way of doing things was a revelation.

Although the Formula carries an anchor in a large bow well, it is rarely used. The securing cleat is inside this lidded well; not on the deck, where it may snag lines or feet.

The bow is very clean and low, without a bowrail, for ease of fishing from the forward, raised deck. And it's high: just below gunwale height and ideal for casting.

Of course spotting fish from this height is also a lot easier. It's wonderful to see a flathead puff up from a sandy lie and charge away. It's rare that you'll spot them until they move.

FISHY FITTINGS
The casting platform is quite large. It is also carpeted and features four lidded compartments. Three of them, which are very spacious, are for gear (and the second battery), while the fourth is a livewell large enough to hold and keep alive four 50cm flathead.

A Humminbird Matrix 37X sounder is also mounted on the bow gunwale, so you can see what's happening underwater as you guide the boat along under electric power without having to move. Pop-up stainless-steel cleats on the gunwales are designed not to snag lines.

The waist-high side console is mounted on the starboard side of the boat, roughly amidships, with the control lever on the left-hand side. It's easy enough to get used to, but it does tend to snag clothing a little as you move from stern to bow and back - likewise the knob on the stainless spoked steering wheel, which is otherwise brilliantly smooth.

The boat also tends to wander a little too much under 10kmh.

The console front features three tackle drawers in a lidded box in the back, while all instruments including a DC meter and the main sounder - a Humminbird Matrix 97 colour combo GPS and sounder - are directly in front of the skipper. A six-switch panel is left of the helm.

There is no windscreen and no weather protection for instruments, which is an option that could be considered.

Three heavy-duty battery switches (one for each battery and a cross-over) are on the left side of the console. The batteries are maintained by a BEP battery management system, which automatically monitors and charges both batteries.

Beneath the helm is an open storage area for odds and ends; and below that are recesses for the EPIRB and fire extinguisher. In case of an emergency, they couldn't be in a better spot. 

FITS THE BILL
Adjacent to the console, you step down into the boat from the raised forward platform; and again, everything is carpeted.

There is a short sidepocket on the starboard side, but the port coaming is a custom-built rod rack for five rods - the tips of which are protected by feeding them through a side opening in the forward deck.

The main battery is on the port side beneath the transom bulkhead, leaving plenty of room for tackleboxes and other awkward gear.

The Formula 15 features twin pedestal seats as well as a leaning post or casting seat, which can be quickly slotted into a fitting in the bow. The second seat has a stainless grabrail adjacent.

The boat is fitted with four stainless rodholders in the gunwales, two of which can double as baitboard holders. There is a small storage bin in the port transom and pop-up cleats for mooring.

This boat was designed for slow work in very shallow areas, and it works very well indeed. However, the Formula's versatility was brought to the fore on our way home one evening when it was forced to negotiate 20kt winds across both the bottom and top lakes in the estuary.

The Formula ran flat and smooth, with just a touch of windblown spray coming aboard occasionally from the windward side. It was terrific to be in an open centre console on a rough day and not get drowned.

VALUE PACKED
The Formula has a 90lt underfloor alloy fuel tank, which lasted us for three days of fishing. The Mercury 75 is mounted on a standard transom and swings up in a compact engine well, the back of which is a Teflon door that swings down with the engine in the "up" position. This maximises useable interior space.

The whole package comes on a Mackay single-axle braked trailer fitted with centre and side-balance rollers with Teflon guide bars, which should make for easy one-person operation.

While the test boat was highly customised to justify its all-up price of $30,000, the basic boat is very competitive at under $25,000.

To my mind, the Formula 15 gives a far more comfortable and dry ride than a comparable tinny and is very stable at rest. Being heavier (hull weight 450kg), it sits in the water better, and its 20° deadrise gives it the ability to handle some pretty severe chop.

It positively flies down and across sea (WOT at 5800rpm gave us a top speed of 72kmh on the GPS) and handles a headsea with delightful smoothness and dryness for such a small, open craft. I found the cruising comfort zone at 3800rpm and 48kmh to be very respectable indeed.

The boat is rated to 90hp, but I found the 75hp Mercury ample for this style of fishing. It was obviously more economical than a 90 would be, too.

On the road, the boat weighs about 1100kg which, while certainly being heavier than a tinny, is still an easy tow for most family cars.

Formula Power Boats Australia has built an enviable reputation for build quality, finish and performance with its 21-footer, and this heavily customised 15-footer certainly reinforces that reputation.

HIGHS

LOWS

Diamond in the rough
Mallacoota is located on the east coast about halfway between Melbourne and Sydney, and is a haven for the trailerboat fisherman. Bernard Clancy draws a mud map for the fishing tourist.

Mallacoota is a multi-optional fishing location, although a boat is highly advantageous.

The best fishing in this area - and the time of the most stable weather - is late summer and autumn. Lots of fish are also caught over the summer holidays, but then there are lots of anglers, thousands of holiday makers, and peace is at a premium.

Much of the lakes' system is shallow, so if you're in a boat, get a map, ask questions, soak up as much local knowledge as you can and take care.

As far as what gear to use is concerned, think light - no more than 3kg inside and 6kg offshore. You may lose a fish or two, but you'll have a lot more fun. 

THE BEACHES
Good-sized salmon and tailor are available along the beaches, especially at Big Beach, Tip, Betka and Quarry Beaches.

Bastion Point in calm weather is great for rock fishing - especially the small cove between the ocean boat ramp and the point, where there are often schools of good King George and sand whiting.

OFFSHORE
To get offshore, use the ocean ramp at Bastion Point or, if the entrance is navigable, go through there. Don't use either route before seeking local advice, because both can be dangerous to life, limb and boat.

Traditionally there has always been great sandy flathead fishing between Gabo Island (15km to the east but only 500m offshore) and Tullaberga Island - a much smaller island closer to Mallacoota. You should also get gummies, and closer to Gabo you'll find kingfish.

The island reefs are prolific with all manner of wrasses, huge leatherjackets, red morwong, snapper, cod and the odd surprise or two.

For pelagic fishermen, salmon and tailor will take silver wobblers close to the beaches and further offshore. During the summer season, there's also a number of tunas - especially the common stripey. The New Zealand Star Banks, to the west, are famous for yellowfin tuna, barracouta and, unfortunately, seals.

Marlin have also been caught occasionally in these waters, particularly along a fault line east of Gabo Island in about 50 fathoms.

Before you go offshore, however, make sure you check in with the Mallacoota Coast Guard. Weather is this area can be unpredictable and turn nasty - or even just plain windy - quite quickly.

THE RIVERS
The Betka River, which is down the coast a couple of klicks, is renowned for its bream, estuary perch and bass, although it's been a number of years now since big bags or large fish were taken from this river.

It is navigable in a tinnie or canoe (but very shallow), and if you want to travel any distance upstream you may have to get out and push yourself over sandbars in the lower reaches. Up higher it narrows and deepens beautifully with lots of lovely snags, which all species love.

Nearer the mouth, which is usually open to the sea but is not much more than a trickle unless there has been plenty of rain in the mountains, you will always see bream fishermen trying their luck.

Further down the coast (15km) on a dirt track is Shipwreck Creek, which is the first of a number of rivers, streams and beaches that are tough to get to - but which produce magnificent bream.

The major rivers that feed the Mallacoota Inlet, the Genoa and Wallagaraugh both produce excellent fish - particularly bream. Gipsy Point, which is a small settlement near the confluence of the two rivers, has long been famous for its bream fishing. Big dusky flathead can also be taken on a sandbank opposite Gipsy and in other shallow, muddy backwaters in the area.

The Wallagaraugh is navigable but shallow up past the Bullring - which is famous for good bream - to the falls, which produces flathead on banks nearby.

The Genoa winds around the back of Gipsy Point and is a little deeper; but again, beware of sandbanks and proceed with caution.

Although a boat is handy for these waters, you can catch fish off the bank - even the landing at Gipsy - although boat traffic will interrupt your fishing there. 

THE ENTRANCE
When the entrance is open, as it was at time of writing, it is a prime spot for yellowfin bream from the top of the tide on the run-out before it gets too fierce.

Use light gear and a live nipper under a float, and walk the bait along the bank with the tide.

Poddy mullet can be prolific in this area and are excellent live bait, especially for large flathead.

Just inside the entrance, adjacent to the camp park, is a delta that is very shallow, with a number of islands and sandbars. It used to be a great area to pump sandworms and nippers, but overfishing has taken its toll. It's a great area to net prawns at night, and to spin for large flathead in the morning and evening.

Across in Harrison's Channel you might find some excellent King George whiting, but they move around a fair bit. Captain Stephenson's Point has always been a popular spot for luderick fishing with weed under a float, and the camp park stone walls are also popular with bank anglers for bream, tailor and flathead - as is the main wharf, where kids have a ball catching large yakkas, mullet and leatherjackets.

BOTTOM LAKE
Moving around the channel into the Bottom Lake past Rabbit Island, you'll find a popular spot for flathead and bream between the red channel markers and the first green marker right around the major white channel light in the lake, called John Bull. Directly ahead, the Goodwin Sands is ideal country for stalking large flathead, while to the right is one of my favorite spots - Howe Bight.

Across the back of Goodwin Sands is another large piece of water that features well-known picnic spots such as Cemetery Bight and Allan Head, which have often produced good fish.

I've only ever caught one fish in Baker's Bight; but it was a 12lb 5oz flathead, so give it a try! There is a lovely deep channel on the left bank, but the rest is fairly shallow.

THE NARROWS
The Narrows is a mini river that joins the Top and Bottom lakes and is very popular with people who like deep water. It can be fished from boat or bank, and some huge mulloway have been taken from the deep holes here, especially at night.

TOP LAKE
As you move through the Narrows to the Top Lake, you'll find Palmer's Bank - a very large, shallow mudbank that's a top flathead spinning spot. Double Creek to the left is navigable for some distance, and good bream fishing can be had right to its end. This can also be accessed by walking track from the road into Mallacoota.

From the Top Lake you move into the wide, peaceful Genoa River, and there are plenty of spots to try here - especially around Cape Horn, where both mudbanks and very deep holes have produced some excellent fish over the years.

Next stop is Gipsy Point, and it's a pity the pub's no longer there - I feel like a drink!

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