Fishing

Iluka pelagics fire up

Iluka Bluff longtail

NOW, I’m not sure about you but I for one find it hard to believe that it’s April already, as it only seems a few weeks ago we were celebrating New Year’s Day. For myself, April 2021 has a special feel about it because it marks the beginning of my thirtieth year writing monthly columns for this great publication. Iluka …

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Tin Can Bay jack comp wrap-up

G’DAY crew, I hope you have all been keeping well over the past few weeks and keeping those rods bent! By all reports most of you have been out wetting a line or two and there have been plenty of stories told in the store lately. A pretty common one has been the number of squid people have been catching. …

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Transition time on the Gold Coast

HI everyone, we’re now into autumn and it’s a time of season transition. The marauding mangrove jack will still be on the prowl this month, while bigger flathead will return to the rivers to feed. This is the start of my favourite time for fishing the Gold Coast Broadwater and the Nerang River. Transition Gold Coast From April until September …

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Not all raw prawns can be used as bait

WHILE most know, the reason behind buying bait from a bait shop or service station and not from a supermarket is due to the risk of spreading disease. In late 2016 and early 2017, white spot syndrome virus, the causative agent for white spot disease, was confirmed on seven prawn farms in southeast Queensland, and then in waterways around the …

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Magic mackerel session off Byron

THE forecast was for a 15-20 knot southeasterly wind and a 2-3m swell. As you can imagine I didn’t set the alarm and, being a Sunday morning, I rolled out of bed at the leisurely hour of 7.30am. As I was munching my cereal, I looked at the webcam site on my phone and, to my surprise, the bar was …

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Rainbow Beach red emperor trip

CLUB member John Hooker has finally moved to Rainbow Beach to enjoy his retirement and has asked Commodore Rob out on a number of trips that have all been ill-fated to say the least. Motor issues and the weather were the main players in the non-events, but this time with a great weather window and everything serviced on the catamaran, …

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Trying for trout

BEING from the sunshine state means our main freshwater targets are warm-water native species, with bass, barramundi, sooty grunter and golden perch topping the list. A novel change can be had by heading south to flick a lure or fly for a few of the acclimatised salmonids from the northern hemisphere that can be found through much of Victoria and …

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Testing times on Swain Reefs

WELL, it’s been a while between articles but after a crazy 2020, which I’m sure many experienced, I’ll endeavor to try a little harder this year. I did manage an epic trip to Swain Reefs in my 7m boat and followed this up with a drive to the central Queensland coastline near Yeppoon, where we fished from the Shoalwater Bay …

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Wet season freshwater opportunities

THE rain finally arrived, and as soon as the water cleared up, I was making my way to the top of the river. The clear water of the upper stretches of our river systems offer unique fishing opportunities, and it is with much anticipation that I await this time of year. Wet season fresh The increased water level allows you …

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Chasing dogtooth tuna

WHILE long-range trips exploring remote areas are what I live for, to get a shot at our target species this sortie – the mighty dogtooth tuna – we would have to push further than ever before. These fearsome predatory fish have been on my bucket list for a long time, both on line and spear. Dogtooth tuna Their brutal fighting …

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