Fraser Coast

Wow, the thirty-fifth annual Rainbow Beach Family Fishing Classic and Expo in August was a great week. The competition saw some amazing fish weighed in, including a whopping 9.68kg blue parrotfish and an amberjack at 23.095kg. But let’s not forget, this is a family fishing competition, and we all know that ‘the family that fishes together, has lots of fun …

MARINERS are advised that Maritime Safety Queensland will be trialling the use of virtual navigation aids on the Wide Bay Bar. The virtual navaids will be activated in the week commencing August 22, 2022 and will be trialled over the following weeks to ascertain accuracy and reliability. Mariners are warned not to rely on the virtual navaids as a primary …

HELLO sunshine!  Thankfully, we’ve had more decent weather recently and less rain. But we still needed to contend with some difficulties. Flathead Luckily, the inshore fishing has been steady. Dusky flathead on the southern coast of Queensland have been fairly good, and around Hervey Bay was no exception. Out wider it’s business as usual with trevally, snapper and by-catch tuna. …

K’gari translates as “paradise” by the traditional owners of the land, the Butchulla people and is the world’s largest sand island. It is an area of remarkable natural beauty and a wonder of diverse landscapes and unique wildlife experiences that was listed as a World Heritage Area in 1992 to recognise its internationally significant natural features. Those include evolving dune, …

WHAT a wet and windy new year we’ve had in Hervey Bay. I hope everyone had a safe and joyous holiday period. I am lucky enough to be writing this article on time, as there is no work currently with the rain and wind. And for good measure, throw in the COVID-19 lockdowns that have been affecting travel plans to …

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, …

AT the time of writing, tuna have slowly made a start in the bay. Though the catches have been quite patchy and not in substantial numbers, there have been enough all the same. The majority are mack tuna and a few longtail have made their presence felt in mixed schools, with most fish being less than 90cm in length. tuna …

OVER the past few weeks, we’ve had plenty of tourists through Tin Can Bay. Many came for a day visit to feed a dolphin, others to dust off the caravan and stay a few days, and plenty for a fish and to explore the Great Sandy Straits. The hard stand in the marina has been pumping! Boats have been in …

ON August 16 we booked a charter with Rainbow Escape Charters, to leave Bullock Head boat ramp aboard an 8m Cougar Catamaran with twin 250hp engines. I had fished with two local charters for years and didn’t know of Rainbow Escape Charters, skippered by Dave. We opted for the extended charter, which was a 13-hour session and left the ramp …

G’DAY guys and gals, I hope everyone has been keeping well and getting out and wetting a line. With the relaxation in the COVID-19 restrictions early in July and the school holidays, we saw an explosion of boats on the local waterways. This also brought some much-needed tourists back to our region. Now let’s have a look at what has …