Species

ONCE again I turn my focus to actual events on the water around Hervey Bay. It was the middle of winter and it was a regular day to begin with. Sure enough, they were quick to put one in my hands. I motored away and put us over a small school of large fish and the reaction was instantaneous. My client’s jig rod …

The campgrounds were impeccable, proof that all who visit this place respect its beauty and leave it the way they find it. At this point I should probably point out that you don’t exactly need to rough it over there. I didn’t know this at the time, but the island is well equipped with running water, toilets and a great shower facility. I …

Some people think you need to travel many kilometres offshore to catch big snapper, but that is not always the case. My PB 88cm snapper was caught in Moreton Bay in just 3.5m of water. Fishing the bay is a lot harder than fishing the offshore reefs. Fishing the correct tides, moon phases, with fresh baits and the right technique …

they have been avoidable and the more preferred reef species have hung about. It is simply a matter of identifying a school of leatherjacket on your sounder and moving somewhere else. As I sit here and write, they seem to be leaving anyway, so that’s good news all round. Solid squire and jewfish are being caught on Windarra Banks. Teraglin …

Fishing Communication On another note, communication on the water can be vital whenever any form of breakdown or unexpected emergency occurs. VHF repeater channel 21 provides the best radio range for anyone fishing offshore in our backyard off Brisbane thanks to Redcliffe Coast Guard. While that VHF repeater on Moreton Island was off the air for maintenance recently, several people mentioned …

it impedes the lure’s action. The braid helps to get your lure down deeper and bumps on the line from weed or a fish are better transferred to the rod without the stretch of mono. Medium to fast-action rods of about 7’ are perfect for this technique. Once I find the fish and hook up, I like to then cut …

Matched to Dane’s rod was a Daiwa Certate 2000 spooled with 10lb Unitika Light Jigging braid rigged with 12’-14’ of 6lb Sunline FC Rock leader. Third place went to an angler who is coming into form at the right time of year, and he has the record to make any angler wary. Matthew Mott not only came out and took …

 If the lure got to the bottom before the boat drifted over the top of it, we’d give it a few bounces before bringing it up to go again. We found that the feeding fish were nowhere near the bottom and all plastics were hit on the drop from the cast. Most of our big fish were caught on plastics, with …

Simply tie up to a tree, drop your bait to the bottom and slowly move it up and down. It won’t be long before you get a bite. Trollers have also done quite well on the yellowbelly in the timber of the Boyne and Stuart arms while towing smaller deep-diving hard-bodies. Make sure you take a tackle retriever with you because you’re …