Spring has sprung on the Sunshine Coast, and we are finally starting to see the weather turn in our favor! Warmer, calmer days over the past week have resulted in some great land-based and offshore conditions. The last few days have seen some afternoon thunderstorms and downpours, and while this may have kept some of us indoors, the rain is …

With unseasonably warm water, fishers found tailor hard to come by. However, we still measured 140 fish and removed 27 pairs of tailor otoliths (fish ear bones). As a large number of boat-based fishers were heading offshore targeting reef fish, we also collected biological data and otoliths from pearl perch, snapper, and red emperor for our routine monitoring program for …

The number of women in recreational fishing has increased rapidly in the five years since the Andrew’s Labor Government established an award-winning network for female fishers, which has now been expanded to include recreational boating. Minister for Outdoor Recreation Sonya Kilkenny recently joined Member for Cranbourne Pauline Richards to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Women in Recreational Fishing Network, …

The Taiwanese Fisheries Research Institute recently announced it had completed an experiment to artificially inseminate narrow-barred spanish mackerel at sea, successfully reproducing fries. The institute said it would continue to develop technology geared toward raising the mackerel and making the fish a flagship product for Taiwan. The narrow-barred spanish mackerel is a migratory species and has long been a favourite …

Inshore fishing The inshore reefs have been producing plenty of action over the past week with spanish mackerel, grunter and snapper being the standout fish caught. With the few good days of weather earlier this week we got some great reports from those who managed to sneak out for a fish. The spanish have been hanging out on most of …

It’s been a quiet week for fishing on the Sunshine Coast! Conditions haven’t been great, with only a couple of good days with light breezes between the windier spells. While estuary fishing has been on the quieter side, offshore has been nothing short of spectacular, with snapper showing up everywhere. Unfortunately, the weather forecast for the next week looks pretty …

After what seems like weeks of wet and windy weather, this weekend is looking perfect to get out and wet a line! Spring-like conditions are expected over the weekend with warm sunny days and light winds. Conditions look pretty good up until next Thursday when the winds start to pick up. The Solunar Calendar indicates Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next …

Inshore fishing This weekend is looking mint for any inshore fishers with the swell and wind looking good for the small boats to head out and the weather starting to warm up we should see a lot of trout and sweetlip starting to really fire up and start smashing the baits and lures being offered. A lot of the inshore …

Mercury’s next step forward in electric propulsion, the Avator 7.5e electric outboard offers an alternative to traditional petrol-powered engines, delivering clean quiet power that’s as simple to use as it is fun to drive. Testing out the outboard recently at the Rapala Bass Australian Open, competitive angler Beau Everleigh showed that an electric engine can still compete with much larger …

The state’s peak seafood industry body has called on state government to halt its imminent drastic cuts to spanish mackerel catches for professional, charter and recreational fishers. This follows the release of a draft independent scientific report questioning the fisheries department figures behind the planned catch cuts and saying the figures should not be used for management decisions. Queensland Seafood …