Keith Stratford

Whitsundays sortie – Part 1

trip

At the end of 2023, Shaun, Benny and I started planning a trip. Our idea was to head north around the Whitsunday Islands for a couple of weeks. When organising a sortie north, going at the beginning of the year is always a little risky. Heavy rainfall and the threat of cyclones can put an end to any plans made …

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Brisbane River snapper guide

snapper

My favourite fish to target in December are snapper. The Brisbane River can turn on some excellent snapper fishing in this month and they’re a stack of fun to catch on lures. While I spend a bit of time targeting them on bait as well, I’ll concentrate on lures for now and take a look at bait fishing in a …

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Hot winter species action

species

July is a great month to chase a variety of species in the rivers and creeks around Brisbane. Flathead, bream and tailor are the most common species that will be about in large numbers. Other species that will turn up are trevally, grunter, jewfish, snapper, cod and threadfin salmon. All of these fish will eat a well-presented lure at the …

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Tailor, trevally and grunter action

trevally

Welcome to the last month of autumn!  This year has certainly flown by. I must be getting old – I remember my father saying that a lot when I was young. The hot weather started late in the season, but it hit hard and continued through to April. Finally, the cooler nights have helped to drop the water temperature slightly. …

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Flat out on flathead

fish

April is an excellent month to chase a feed of the fish and crustaceans available from around southeast Queensland. The air and water temperatures will begin to drop as the weather cools, and the days will get shorter. It’s been a dry start to the year, with very little rain falling throughout February and March. The lack of rain sees …

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Crustaceans are crushing it

school

The holiday season is finally over! February will see most people back to work and the kids going to school. The boat ramps will return to normal and, hopefully, the fish and crustaceans are ready to play. Prawns should well and truly be on the move this month. Most of the action is up the rivers and creeks at this …

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Noosa River jacks and jews

jack

December is upon us, which normally means lots of hot weather. So far this spring, the temperature has stayed relatively low. This has kept the water temperature down, which can keep certain species quiet. Mangrove jack are one fish that thrive in a higher water temperature. Thankfully the lower-than-normal water temperature hasn’t stopped them from causing havoc among anglers. All …

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Hinchinbrook annual trip

Hinchinbrook

Each year, I plan a trip to fish the Hinchinbrook Channel. My father lives in Townsville, so it’s an easy flight and then an hour and a half drive north. We always base ourselves at the southern end at Lucinda. Lucinda is a perfect place to stay and explore the area. There are plenty of creeks close to the ramp …

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Targeting fish around snags

snags

October is an excellent month to be on the water in southeast Queensland. Mangrove jack are getting very active and the flathead season continues around the Gold Coast and Tweed areas. Bull sharks will be very lively in the upper reaches of creeks, harassing herring and mullet schools. This month, flathead generally slow down in the local rivers on Brisbane’s …

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Flat out with flathead

Flathead

THE last month of winter is upon us. June and July provide excellent fishing around southeast Queensland and August should continue to produce just as well. Flathead Flathead have been the most common capture, with excellent numbers turning up in all of the rivers and creeks around Brisbane. The ocean-fed rivers on the Sunshine and Gold coasts will see big …

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