Pelagics

Here we are again, with the end of yet another year and Christmas holidays around the corner. In reflection, it certainly has been a different year to previous. At the time of writing, it is cold and raining, instead of being 30C and 80 percent humidity. This has certainly seen a change in defined angling seasons, most likely due to …

November is a great time to be an angler, with the start of the warmer weather. The wind tends to blow from the north, which gets the air temperature up and the barramundi anglers excited. Our pelagic fish start showing up, especially around Hervey Bay, K’gari and down towards us in southeast Queensland. For those fishing offshore, the fish aggregating …

My greatest disappointment from the swing to the Greens is that my hopes global warming would bring an end to frosty winters in southern Queensland are dashed… Tropical pelagics Yes, I’m being satirical. Well, if winter won’t leave southern Queensland, then I guess we cryophobes must. (Cryophobia is an abnormal and persistent fear of cold, including cold weather and cold …

THE snapper and pearl perch closed season for this year is now done and dusted and the overall feedback from most people is very supportive. There have been a few negative and veiled swipes at the closure conducted through the media, but they all link back to people who have a vested interest or who earn good money from being …

HERE’S a rundown of my two months fishing Moreton Bay, mainly targeting pelagics and whiting (I did very little reef fishing), with most of the departures from Whyte Island and Manly. The end of December was the beginning of our two months fishing Moreton Bay and the lead-up to the new year got off to a good start, with plenty …

SEPTEMBER is a great time of year to target western Cape York sailfish. As well, we get a few more decent weather windows, the temperature is warming and so is the fishing. The Hay, Mission and Embley rivers are also holding good numbers of barramundi and blue salmon. These fish are hanging around bait drains and adjacent dirty water lines, …

PICKING up where I left off last month on my week-long live-aboard Swain Reefs charter trip with Carlo Fishing Charters, we’d just wrapped up an incredible morning of fishing a glassed-out Great Barrier Reef. This unreal start to the fishing had us salivating, but not for lunch, rather to get back out in the dories and catch more epic fish! …

GOLDEN opportunities don’t come along too often, so when they do, you’re well advised to grab them with both hands. I was lucky enough to find myself in this situation recently when owner and operator of Carlo Fishing Charters Karl Kleimeyer invited me on a seven-day Swain Reefs fishing trip aboard the recently completed Carlo II mother ship. Karl has …

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 …

HOW crazy has the fishing been? The Gold Coast has had a golden month, with what seems like fish jumping on anything that hits the water, and it shows no sign of slowing as the weather remains stable. With the current bringing that warm nutrient-filled water down from the north, the fish have followed in their masses. On the local …