Fishing Articles

Return of spotted mackerel to Brunswick Heads

spotted mackerel brunswick heads

IT’S nice to see the return of spotted mackerel to Brunswick Heads after they’ve been absent for a few years. These crazy little fish are as frustrating as ever but when they decide to bite, they can really turn it on. A lot of people I know around Brunswick Heads don’t like spotted mackerel as much as the larger spanish …

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Tilapia fishing around Brisbane

tilapia fishing brisbane

EVER since I can remember going fishing as a youngster, tilapia were a regular catch from Oxley Creek and North Pine Dam. Unfortunately, tilapia have rapidly spread in the past decade and seem to have infested almost every waterway. I live near Oxley in the western suburbs and while riding bikes with the kids have observed the populations of tilapia …

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When the fishing gets tough

fishing gets tough

“That’s why it’s called fishing, not catching,” I said with a resigned face after a quiet day on the water and not landing any fish. Fishing gets tough! For fishos, few things are more frustrating than fishing your reliable spots and coming away without a bite. It’s disheartening working hard to fruitlessly fish the same tides and times that have …

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Freshwater flush essential for a thriving ecosystem

freshwater flush fishing

IF you’ve been on the east coast of Queensland in early 2020, it shouldn’t come as a shock when I say we’ve had a lot of rain, providing a solid freshwater flush. The southeast Queensland estuaries changed from the nice clear water we enjoyed for ages to a brown tannin colour as far as the eye can see. It’s not …

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Beach whiting tactics part two: technique and baits

beach whiting tactics fishing

IN all fishing styles it is often the small things we don’t realise we are doing wrong that cost us the most fish. This can all change when we learn from the good days on the water and think about why and how we got things right. Last month I covered what to do and not to do in relation …

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Fishing Peel Island and surrounds

fishing peel island moreton bay

PEEL Island is inhabited by a variety of sea life including dugongs, turtles and dolphins, jellyfish following the currents and, of course, plenty of fish and the odd shark. The island is a popular overnight and weekend anchorage for vessels, and Horseshoe Bay on the southern side is a great spot for sheltering from northerly wind, particularly during summer. If …

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Beach whiting tactics part one: location and tackle

fishing beach whiting

DESPITE the generic name of summer whiting, I find March, April and May can be some of the best months to chase summer whiting on the beach, particularly on the Sunshine Coast and further north. While catching whiting from the beach can be relatively simple at times, anglers using the right bait, tackle and techniques will be the ones who …

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The versatility of tried and tested fishing techniques

tried and tested fishing techniques

IT has been a wild couple months of weather. So much rain, so much humidity… it was a ‘real’ summer. I can’t remember the last summer with prolonged humidity – I have even considered buying an air-conditioner. I wish the fishing was just as hot! It has been patchy and at times tough. Particularly when dodging massive rain squalls that …

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Glenlyon Dam on the rise

glenlyon dam level rise

AS pen goes to paper, I look up and see the glint of water through the trees at the Glenlyon Dam kiosk. The level in Glenlyon is just on 14 percent capacity, and we’re hopeful of steady rainfall increasing this between now and May. Though for now, with a little care we can access as far as the cod run. …

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Bass fishing for the first time in years

bass fishing mary river

AFTER some thought, I had two opportunities to fish over a long weekend: early Saturday morning while on the way to see my family and again on Monday morning for a sneaky bay session. Because different family members live all the way along between Gympie and Tin Can Bay, I had plenty of options as to where I could wet …

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