Fish Species Guide

HOW many of you have had the itch to chase one of those big silvery slabs you’ve seen all over social media and magazines lately? The appeal of feeling the line being pulled uncontrollably from your toughest gear as you hook-up. You’re locked up and giving it all you’ve got. With the adrenaline pumping, you know that at any second …

THE last third of the year produced memorable fishing around Thursday Island and the tip of Cape York. As the temperature climbs, the fishing fires up and there are more opportunities to push wider as the strong southeast trade wind begins to abate. As it’s been a while since I penned an article, here’s a quick summary of the fishing …

NOVEMBER is a great time to start planning for the next month as we head towards my favourite time of the year – the pelagic run. This year things are set to be quite different, with La Niña being the driver for a better than average pelagic season. Summer warm up For now though, expect to find a few big …

TARPON have to be one of the best species to target on lures. They are aggressive, hit lures hard and put up a great fight, but it’s the visual element to tarpon fishing that make them so exciting. Dragging small lures through deep pockets will entice silver flashes, as tarpon sitting on the bottom with their upwards-looking eyes scan for …

NOVEMBER is the last month of spring and a good time to target mixed species in our local estuaries on the Gold Coast. Flathead are still available before they commence spawning over the summer months, while sand whiting can be caught at night in the Nerang River and over yabby banks during the day. Both these fish will readily rise …

WITH November around the corner, we might be in for an early flood or good rainfall soon. I am sort of torn – I want the rain because it fills my tanks, and flushes out the creeks and rivers. The fishing in close off Noosa and Double Island is great. Shark Cat But if we get a flood in November, …

WHEN people think of Curtis Island these days, it’s often in association with the new coal seam gas plants that have been erected there. And while the trio of plants certainly dominate the view of the island from Gladstone Harbour, it is by no means typical of the rest of this large Curtis Coast feature. Yellowpatch Curtis Island Curtis Island …

AS I write this article, the so-called Queensland winter species of tailor, winter whiting and bream are still fishing well. These should still be available in October, though the schools will start to thin out. For winter whiting, I find the schools can move around a bit as the months change and the water gets warmer. Brisbane beach bay estuary …

WITH monster flathead on the minds of many Gold Coast and SEQ anglers, it’s an obvious choice to try a few new spots and techniques. It’s the best time of the year for chasing that monster or even a new personal best. So many new plastics, hard-bodies and vibes make their way to the shelves of tackle shops every year, …

AT the time of writing, tuna have slowly made a start in the bay. Though the catches have been quite patchy and not in substantial numbers, there have been enough all the same. The majority are mack tuna and a few longtail have made their presence felt in mixed schools, with most fish being less than 90cm in length. tuna …