Species

Hop onto the headlands!

ANYONE who has caught a jewfish will almost certainly have encountered worms inside the fish. Be it live wriggling reddish nematodes – or roundworms – in the gut cavity or the smaller white spaghetti flatworm trypanorhyncha, both are believed to use jewfish as a host before moving on to another species. Headlands hop While the sight of either of these …

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South Burnett summer patterns

THIS time of year is certainly popular for getting out on the water. The weather is hot and the water is the place to be. Whether you’re a fisherman, into your skiing, kayaking or camping, Lake Boondooma and Bjelke-Petersen Dam are two places that will be busy until it starts to cool down again. The fishing over summer is usually …

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Soft plastics tricks for bream

I AM happy to target any species that will eat my lures, and bream on light spin gear can be both fun and challenging. When a big bream eats your soft plastic and switches on the afterburners, it’s cool to watch the line cut through the water and feel your inner ninja switch on as you employ some crazy rod …

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Warmer water for mangrove jack

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 …

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Whiting make summer exciting

WELL, it’s the last month of 2020 and to say it’s been a challenging year for many people would be a massive understatement. One thing that thankfully doesn’t change is fishing in its most basic form. There is nothing better than getting away by yourself or with friends and family to wet a line. That’s how I escape it all …

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Consistency in South Burnett dams

SINCE the lifting of restrictions, the standout dam has been Lake Boondooma. I have the luxury of guiding on most dams in southeast Queensland, and Lake Boondooma has been turning up good numbers of Australian bass and consistent catches of yellowbelly. We are into early summer and water temperature is above 20C, so we have seen a thermocline develop in …

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Impoundment barramundi hints

EVERY year when December rolls around many barramundi anglers simply pack their gear away for three months and wait with bated breath for the season to re-open in February. What’s interesting is that a good portion of these dedicated barra nuts choose not to tap into the many freshwater impoundments littered up and down the coast that hold fantastic numbers …

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Jump into summer jewfish

HOW many of you have had the itch to chase one of those big silvery slabs you’ve seen all over social media and magazines lately? The appeal of feeling the line being pulled uncontrollably from your toughest gear as you hook-up. You’re locked up and giving it all you’ve got. With the adrenaline pumping, you know that at any second …

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Gold Coast monster flathead

WITH monster flathead on the minds of many Gold Coast and SEQ anglers, it’s an obvious choice to try a few new spots and techniques. It’s the best time of the year for chasing that monster or even a new personal best. So many new plastics, hard-bodies and vibes make their way to the shelves of tackle shops every year, …

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Bass and saratoga shine at Somerset

SUMMER is just around the corner, so we should start seeing super hot surface action at the back of Somerset Dam, with regular catches of saratoga and bass. We have been spending a fair amount of time in the timber regions of the dam throwing punch rigs and skirted jigs – these have been exciting catches as the strikes are …

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