Species

IN the previous edition of BNB I penned an article on preparations for our annual week-long fishing pilgrimage to chase Cape York barra in the upper reaches of one of my favourite top end river systems. This year’s trip was titled the ‘Cape York 2019- Beer and Barra Classic’. A lot of planning goes into these extended trips, as we …

Barramundi fishing will be off-limits throughout Queensland’s east coast from 1 November 2019 to 31 January 2020. Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol District Manager Glenn Shiels said fishers should be aware that the timing of the closed season had changed to make it consistent with other Queensland fisheries closures. “Most fisheries closures now operate from midnight to midnight and cover …

I HAVE been saltwater fly fishing a bloody long time! The legendary Ron Pearson, regarded as the father of saltwater fly in this country, took me under his wing when I visited him in the Kimberley during a round Australia trip in 1973. He helped me to catch my first couple of fish on the long wand, then passed me …

NOTHING beats the feeling of finishing the working week with big plans of heading out on the water over the weekend. There’s generally only one type of person who will leap out of bed at a ridiculous hour of the morning while most sane people are sleeping, and that’s fishers. So with around an hour and a half of driving …

THIS month has been a bit of a mixed bag, with some days quite productive and others simply hard work. The better fishing has occurred on the lead-up to the full and new moons in the shallows. One thing I have noticed is even with the right tides, the fish have been rather finicky. All the little things such as …

FISHING along the Clarence Coast of northern NSW during July saw anglers reap the rewards of braving the cold chilly nights, with good catches of jewfish, tailor and bream taken from the river, beaches and headlands. Inside the Clarence River, bream are spread far and wide, with Grafton angler Toby Scullen landing nice fish to 980g in Carrs Creek using …

A FISHING trip to Swain Reefs had been on my bucket list for many years and was continually reinforced each time I read a BNB scribe’s epic trip report. As mentioned in last month’s editorial, I got the call up to accompany a select crew put together by Wilson Fishing including Troy (Dicko) Dixon, Clint Fannin, a number of tackle …

Over the past weekend I headed up north to chase some Australian bass in Lake Gregory, Bundaberg. This is a small dam that’s quite easy to get your head around if you already know a thing or two about bass. Most fish were sitting deep and eating 10g spoons and small blades. It was a hot session both days, with …

I’VE had one hell of a month fishing Lake Borumba with multiple clients. At this time of year we experience some of the best fishing you can experience at the lake. The bass move into the deep water to school, just as they would in saltwater estuaries. But because they can’t get to salt water, all they do is school …

THIS month will see winter coming to end. Towards the end of the month the weather generally starts to warm and we might even receive a couple of afternoon northerly breezes. In years past I’ve had good success on mangrove jack in late-August. Most anglers believe it’s too early for mangrove jack to be getting active, but if you’re willing …