Fishing

WELCOME to 2021 and a happy new year to all Bush ‘n Beach readers. Last year was a pretty wild ride, but thankfully the fishing side of things wasn’t affected as much as other activities. Summer started with a bang and a nasty heat wave ripped across the eastern side of Australia and pushed the temperature gauge over 40C in …

G’DAY everyone, I hope you all had a great Christmas, with Santa putting a bit of fishing gear under the tree for you. This month, I’d like to give you a few tips on one of my favourite techniques – fishing with surface lures. For those anglers who have never tried surface fishing but have witnessed the thrill and rush …

THE Baffle Creek Family Fishing Festival was held in September this year. I’ve never entered a family fishing competition before, though with my son’s sixth birthday looming it was a perfect time to have a go. Last year my partner Ash and I spent a few days on Baffle Creek staying at Rocky Point Retreat. While we didn’t have a …

OCCASIONALLY it’s necessary to make a bit of noise to get a job done, and that is exactly what happened with the recent upgrade of the navigation buoys in the Rous Channel. After a concerted effort with multi-agency support, the upgrade finally took place and the outcome has been considerably better than many people anticipated. The biggest problem with the …

G’DAY everyone, in this month’s article I’d like to give you and your family a few holiday fishing tips. To start, you need only basic fishing equipment – which might be gift-wrapped under the Christmas tree – and include a simple 2-4kg spin outfit with light 6-8lb braid on it. When it comes to lures, a few small plastics, matching …

THIS is the time of year when I start to get excited, not for the weather but for the fishing it brings to the coast. The two biggest targets for anglers now are tuna and mackerel, as they start to filter across our bays. They bring with them stories of being bitten off and the line-burning runs we all dream …

WITH the warmer weather many anglers turn their attention to mangrove jack. In fact, for many it becomes a seasonal obsession. Much is written about mangrove jack during warmer months, so I thought I would cover a few other favourite fish that can be caught in the systems I frequent, while also covering the areas that attract these species and …

THE older you get, the greater the realisation that there is more to fishing than merely catching fish. In fact, helping others embrace and enjoy the experience is definitely number one in terms of personal satisfaction. Mentoring rewards If there’s one thing my 30 years as a professional guide has taught me, it’s that unless you’re able to enjoy the …

I HOPE you have all been keeping well and smacking a few for a feed lately. So, what’s happened in the bay this past month? Well, thumper whiting have been caught, with consistent catches of cracking fish up to 38cm. Christmas feed Customers fishing the mangrove lines at creek mouths on incoming tides have been doing well, but the first …

THIS month I found myself sitting around whinging about the weather. The spring northerly wind has given me plenty of time to get my article written and in on time! We’ve had plenty of storms, so I hope many areas are getting decent rain. Ironically, I spend most of my year hating rain because my house turns into a swamp, …