THIS time of year is certainly popular for getting out on the water. The weather is hot and the water is the place to be. Whether you’re a fisherman, into your skiing, kayaking or camping, Lake Boondooma and Bjelke-Petersen Dam are two places that will be busy until it starts to cool down again. The fishing over summer is usually …

SINCE the lifting of restrictions, the standout dam has been Lake Boondooma. I have the luxury of guiding on most dams in southeast Queensland, and Lake Boondooma has been turning up good numbers of Australian bass and consistent catches of yellowbelly. We are into early summer and water temperature is above 20C, so we have seen a thermocline develop in …

SINCE the start of winter the fishing has changed considerably in the South Burnett region. With a bit of patience and some searching you can find cracking catches of native fish. No matter what type of angler you are, you’ve always got great options when targeting fish in Boondooma and Bjelke-Petersen dams. Boondooma Over the past few months the fish …

IT’S been an interesting month of fishing in the two impoundments of the South Burnett. With the cooler water starting to set in, there’s been a lack of consistent fishing as the season changes. The fishing has improved over the past few days and captures of good fish in both Bjelke-Petersen and Boondooma dams are being reported. The water temps …

THE water levels in our two dams are slowly dropping and this has been happening for some time. It’s hard to ignore but it’s a simple fact of life when you’re going through one of the worst droughts in quite some time. Boondooma Dam currently sits at 35 percent and Bjelke-Peterson Dam at 8 percent. Despite the low levels enough …

SPRING is finally here and it’s the time of year I always look forward to. The water temps are gradually increasing and the native fish in our stocked impoundments really spring to life and start gorging themselves. This means a great time to be on the water, particularly in the warmer afternoons.Hungry. Boondooma Dam In last month’s article I mentioned …

Cast the jerkbait up to the weed edge and crank it down a couple of winds, pause it and then begin a series of twitches as you wind. Remember that when fishing close to the weed you will contact it regularly, so just give the rod tip a quick flick to get the jerkbait free. Be patient with this technique …

Lately I’ve been catching my best-quality fish suspended in deep water. They have been sitting in the thermocline at 4.5-6m. I target these fish using a variety of baits, initially starting with a soft bait of a 1/2oz-rigged soft plastic. I cast this out and count to seven to let the lure sink into the strike zone. Once the plastic …

Once you have a combo similar to this, head up the arms and cast as close to the spindly trees as you can, letting the lure sink for three to five seconds before starting a slow roll. Make sure your drag is done up tight so the bass can’t ditch you in the timber without a hard fight. Once you …

It went into the net quite easily and I was rewarded with a beautiful fish of 68cm. I had been keen to get a toga for quite some time, so this was a memorable catch. Later in the day when the sun is up I’d be moving out to the main basin and sounding for concentrations of fish in the 4-6m …