SOUTHEAST Queensland paddlers are putting their personal safety at risk by entering restricted areas on Seqwater’s recreational lakes. Seqwater field ranger Rhiannon Reardon said too many kayakers, canoeists and paddle boarders were being caught in buoyed-off areas at lakes that were off-limits for people’s safety. “While our lakes offer a great range of on-water activities for the community to enjoy, …

BOONDOOMA Dam Yellowbelly Fishing Competition spokesman Terry Allwood said the lake fished extremely well for the 2018 event, with 278 fish going through the catch and release section and another 252 in the gilled and gutted section. The biggest yellowbelly of the event weighed in at 2.215kg. The competition set new records for the third year in a row with …

AFTER running another successful Family Fishing Classic in 2017, VMR Bundaberg has announced dates for the 2018 Classic. The event will run over three days from June 29 to July 1 from an area adjacent to the VMR Base at Burnett Heads, near Bundaberg. The 2017 Classic attracted 1479 registrations, with hundreds more at the lucky draws and raffles on …

BUSH ‘n Beach has brought Nautilus Marine Insurance on board to expand the fine print and provide readers with clear, easy-to-understand and helpful tips on protecting their boating assets. Your duty of disclosure Truth is your best ally when it comes to insuring your boat. Its importance is wrapped up in a short but vitally important phrase, “duty of disclosure”. …

EVERY Australian summer is a scorcher, but the harsh Aussie sun won’t be able to stop keen adventurers from hitting the road and exploring the great outdoors. Not all awnings can shield you from UV radiation, and that’s why Rhino-Rack is proud its sun-safe awning range is endorsed by Cancer Council and offers maximum UV protection. Innovation and Rhino-Rack are …

REFORMS to modernise Queensland’s fisheries laws, including stronger compliance powers and penalties for serious offences such as seafood black marketing, have been proposed by the State Government. Minister for Agricultural Industry Development Mark Furner recently released a discussion paper on amendments to the Fisheries Act 1994 for public feedback. “The government is committed to protecting Queensland’s valuable fisheries resources and …

GRAB a hook, make it sharp, pitch a tent, catch a carp!  That’s what hundreds of environmentally conscious anglers will be doing at Lake Keepit this Easter long weekend, with the annual Carp We Don’t Keepit fishing competition set to take place. As a fishing competition with a sustainable twist, the weekend will improve Keepit Dam for native fish through …

QUEENSLAND is a step closer to having a world-leading fisheries management system with the release of proposed reform options for several key fisheries. Fisheries Minister Mark Furner said a range of options have been put forward in discussion papers for managing the trawl, crab and east coast inshore fisheries. “A priority of the Queensland Government’s Sustainable Fisheries Strategy is to develop …

NEW research has revealed the tiny minority of fishers poaching on the Great Barrier Reef think the illegal practice is justified because they believe ‘everyone else is doing it’. Researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University asked nearly 700 recreational fishers at boat ramps in Townsville about their perceptions of poaching (fishing …

THE 120mm Tango Shad was tested in the steamy jungles of Papua New Guinea where black bass like to highlight any weaknesses in the system. During prototype testing, the very first 120 Tango accounted for 18 PNG black bass before succumbing to the sticks, and that was without counting the barra caught as by-catch. Trolling to 6m deep, the 120mm …