Fishing Articles

Kayaking for Gold Coast mangrove jack

Your gear will cop a lot and I’ve had endless trouble with my Daiwa Tatula baitcast reel. My usual kayak partner in crime, Brad, has also had the same issues. When chasing jacks, 20-25lb braid will be sufficient, coupled with a 1.5m, 40lb leader. While on leaders, there has been a lot of talk lately about the FG knot and …

Read More »

Fishing the transition period on the Gold Coast

Over the next month or so, as the transition period continues, you really have to hedge your bets as to what to target and maybe even change plans once you are out on the water because you can connect to anything from a snapper to a marlin, all on the same spot. The highlight over the past month was feeding …

Read More »

Gearing up to catch mangrove jack

My favourite snags are the ones out in the middle of the river that have washed down in previous floods and become wedged on the bottom. These snags rarely get fished and often hold good schools of jacks, including some really great fish over 50cm. I like to vertically jig these snags. Most of them are in deep water of …

Read More »

Big Somerset bass on the bite

The fish are starting to school up in greater numbers and feeding time brings massive catch rates of big fish. These feeding windows vary from day to day and can last from a couple of minutes to all day. You won’t catch fish if there aren’t any fish near you, so a sounder is a must when searching for these …

Read More »

Chasing barramundi in the Great Sandy Strait

We find it is best to chase barramundi in the Great Sandy Strait during September and October and again shortly after the closed season (November 1 to February 1). With the warmer water temperature the barra become far more active and aggressive. Water temps around 25C are often best for chasing barra. Anything lower and they tend to be quite …

Read More »

Wilson Fishing Wreck Reefs expedition

The 20,000-litre fuel tank provides plenty of fuel capacity for the long haul out to Wreck Reefs and back..  As for your freshwater needs, she holds 13,500 litres of fresh water for showers, cooking and hosing off gear and the deck. Upstairs on the bridge, she’s equipped with all the latest electronic equipment such as a 64 nautical mile Furuno …

Read More »

Flathead fishing planning for the Gold Coast Flathead Classic

Plenty of school size fish up to 70cm are still in the area but the big girls don’t seem to hang there as much as they once did. It is definitely still worth a throw though and you will come across far fewer boats as well. The water depth ranges from 6m in close to about 12m out wide at …

Read More »

How to jig for impoundment bass

It can be a lot of fun trying to get the bass away from the structure after starting so close to it. It’s a different style of fishing because you watch the sounder more than you cast. Once you have found the school, it’s a matter of selecting the right gear to tempt the bass into feeding. The impoundment bass …

Read More »

How to improve your flathead catch rate (tips for Flathead Classic)

I found the in-line singles didn’t pick up the weed as easily as trebles, however it was a little more difficult to shake the weed loose when it was picked up. The front size 1 hook never found its mark in any of the fish, so next trip I will be removing the front hook altogether. On the rear I …

Read More »