Species

All the areas I fished last year with Luke were well and truly out of the water this time and our better fish came from casting the points, while trolling accounted for several smaller fish. This is an exceptionally large lake and if you only have a smaller vessel or don’t feel comfortable travelling too far afield, barramundi can be …

Lewan and I were trying to skull drag our mackerel to the boat on many days and this often worked on the smaller fish but boy did we lose some. We pulled hooks, broke hooks, broke wire traces and broke the line in an effort to get the mackerel past the sharks. As annoying as it is not being able …

DUSKY flathead can be found along the east of coast of Australia from Cairns in north Queensland to the Gippsland lakes in eastern Victoria. In Queensland, dusky flathead is a key target species, with the recreational fishing sector estimated to take 150 tonnes annually (McGilvray et. al 2014). That is approximately three times the reported commercial harvest. Fisheries Queensland collects length, sex …

Brisbane River The Brisbane River has been on fire this year, with large numbers of threadfin salmon and jewies caught regularly. Threadfin have been schooling at the mouth of the river at different times. Being on the water regularly will help you work out a pattern, but it has been pretty hit and miss at times. It can get boring …

They can be frustrating at the best of times but any carp caught and taken out of our waterways is one (or more) native fish better off. Targeting carp on fly is not the easiest of tasks. I use 5 and 7-weight fly rods, using line weights to match the rods, as well as 8-10lb leader. As far as flies …

Luckily though, a change in wind direction to the south had virtually overnight pushed the warmer, blue water back in. How, you might ask? In very simple terms, persistent northeasterlies move large amounts of warmer surface water towards the beach. This water then gets pushed or sucked back out to the left (in the southern hemisphere) and out to sea. …

Keeping the outfit light, I couple the rod to a low-profile Daiwa Zillion baitcaster reel spooled with 30lb Schneider braid. The braid ties neatly to 40lb Schneider Crystal Clear fluorocarbon, which is extremely abrasion resistant. You will not be afraid to put some hurt on a jack with this outfit. A good skipper will always improve your chances of landing …

Lately I’ve been catching my best-quality fish suspended in deep water. They have been sitting in the thermocline at 4.5-6m. I target these fish using a variety of baits, initially starting with a soft bait of a 1/2oz-rigged soft plastic. I cast this out and count to seven to let the lure sink into the strike zone. Once the plastic …