Fishing Tips

“HEY Ma, the rains are ‘ere”. March is the time of year to get out of your comfort zone, get messy, muddy and dirty and join the mud crab madness. Maybe that’s what Christina Aguilera was talking about when she named that big hit many years ago. Maybe she was really wanting everyone to get dirty and get out to do …

IT was a late wet season on western Cape York. Due to the delay in rainfall, the waterways started to flood mid-February, with a hint at barra time on the western Cape. Hopefully the rain we are getting continues, giving our waterways a good flush and the local barramundi population the fresh they need to spawn. With the barramundi season …

LIKE most regions, we have had some rain, though not enough at the time of writing. However, a flow of water down the Mole River and into the Dumaresq River will contribute to making things green again around Glenlyon. For those who don’t quite know their geography, the Dumaresq is a stretch of water between the NSW and Queensland borders. …

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 …

“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 …

HI everyone, I am thrilled to become a regular contributor to Bush ‘n Beach, a magazine I have been reading for a long time. I have been working in partnership with Brad Smith doing Gold Coast Broadwater and estuary charters for over five years. Smithy has been guiding for more than 25 years in the Tweed River and on the …

G’DAY everyone, in this month’s article I would like to discuss some options for October and there are plenty, as this month can be very exciting for us anglers. The reason this month can be a lot of fun is it’s the start of our summer period and our more common winter fish, the likes of flathead and bream, will …

G’DAY everyone, in this month’s article I thought I’d mix it up and not discuss how to target a specific fish but how to choose the right lure to catch more fish. Selecting the right lures these days is very overwhelming, with a huge variety of models and colours available in tackle shops. And to make it more confusing, they …

G’DAY everyone, in last month’s article we discussed locations for finding flathead and this month we will discuss options for targeting flathead with lures. Deepwater jigging or ‘tea bagging’ soft plastics and vibes is a very effective way to target flathead in both deep holes and channels 5m and deeper. In last month’s article I shared a screenshot from my …

FISHING around the shallow reefs of Moreton Bay will probably see two types of sweetlip turn up. The grass sweetlip (minimum size 30cm, max possession of 10) and spangled emperor (minimum 45cm, max possession five) are some of the tastiest fish getting around. They are also some of the best fighting fish you’ll encounter for the size. Grassies inhabit the …