Fishing

WINTER has flown by and we are already almost into spring, though our winter species here on the Gold Coast will still be in full swing. Here in Queensland we have just experienced our first year of the snapper and pearl perch closure, which was in effect until August 15, meaning you could not target or keep either of these …

WINTER has been dealing us a mixed hand in terms of weather, however for those who have made the effort to get out on the water, the results have been pretty positive. We have landed some good catches of bream and flathead, with the influx of bait and seasonal change also triggering a stack of by-catch, including flounder, stargazers, some …

AUGUST signals the end of the calm winter days and cold nights. It is an excellent month to chase a wide range of species in southeast Queensland. There will still be plenty of cold weather this month but we normally see northerly wind turn up towards the end of the month, which will begin to see the water temperature rise …

HOPEFULLY things are starting to get a little back to normal, or as everyone else likes to say ‘a new kind of normal’, after COVID-19.  Species that have been in supply include school mackerel which have been in reasonable numbers, and plenty of squire (pre-closure) as well as our usual flathead, with a few trevally mixed in. So, as well as …

WITH Spanish almost gone, winter is the time when several species are on everyones’ lips. For the beach fishos jewfish and tailor are prime targets. In rivers, an influx of golden trevally have made their presence known, and offshore snapper are coming on before their one month seasonal closure starts on July 15 for breeding. Offshore we are seeing better …

BREAM are great fish to catch and are ideally suited for kids, due to their accessibility. Most wharves, pontoons, rock walls and riverbanks hold a population of bream. Most years around this time pictures of Keira and myself appear in these pages with bream from the bottom end of the Brunswick River. It’s something we particularly love, and this year …

State government scientists will assess the population biology of black jewfish in a new Queensland study project to better understand stocks and manage the species. Minister for Agricultural Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the three-year priority project would provide crucial information to help protect the sustainability of black jewfish. “We need to know more about black jewfish on the …

WELL, with all the who-haa that’s been going on, here at Cape York we locals finally got a late OK from authorities to travel within the Cape’s ‘biosecurity region’. So, my wife Shelley and I decided to tackle the 8-hour lap from Cooktown to Weipa to visit our kids, and of course get out for a fish in that magical …

IT’S been a tough time for a lot of businesses, and the Barra Fishing Park at Bli Bli was one of those closed for a few months due to COVID-19. So, it was great that my son Josh and I were invited for a ‘pre-fish’ before the official re-opening on June 11. The Barra Fishing Park is a fantastic option …

WINTER is definitely here now. Very cold weather in May made temperatures drop quick. Sharks seem to be less active or not present, I can’t really be sure. Best of all, restrictions have been lifted to allow travel around Queensland. Hope this kicks a few more punters my way. Typical winter species have started to move and it’s exciting to …