Reef fish

Recently we have had a couple of small weather windows to head offshore from Bundaberg to chase a few reef species. By putting in the research, time and effort you can be rewarded with some great fish off Bundaberg. Generally, red emperor and a mix of other tasty reefies are the target species, so I’ll usually head out 35NM from …

The dream of going on a fishing holiday and catching coral trout and other reef species is something most fishos have on their bucket list. And it’s probably easier and cheaper than you think. For years now, we have been doing the trip up north to Port Douglas to chase these awesome fish. Though over the past couple of years …

AFTER our Swains sortie, George and I decided to head to Turkey Beach for an overnight fishing trip because we hadn’t fished that region since October last year. Weather, circumstances and other commitments kept getting in the way and unlike many other fishers, we chose not to fish the area during the COVID-19 lockdown good weather, when social distancing and …

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 …

IT’S time to get the razor out and shave off the winter hibernation because the worst is now behind us.  I probably shouldn’t degrade the colder months this way, as there were amazing captures and weather over the past three months. I’m definitely more of a warmer water fan though. You’re not arguing over who has to get wet to …

SUMMER is quickly coming to a close, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it. With consistent rain and lighter wind around central Queensland, fishos have been waiting for the small weather windows between the rain to get out and fish the blue water. These weather windows have become increasingly uncommon in recent years, so it has been a welcome change. …

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 …

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 …

1770 is a place I call paradise. It’s a place where no matter who you are, what you enjoy doing, how good a fisher you are, you will love it. I’m sure anyone who has experienced a 1770 fishing trip will agree. A few weeks ago we asked some mates from all around Australia and even New Zealand to come …