Fish Species Guide

How to avoid being short changed

nautilus short changed boat wreck

PREVIOUS columns in Bush ‘n Beach have detailed how as a boat owner, you may be held responsible for the costs of an environmental clean-up following a mishap involving your vessel. That’s yet another reason why insuring your vessel is so important, irrespective of how careful you think you are on the water. But did you know that unlike specialist …

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Ocean Craft Buccaneer review

ocean craft buccaneer

WHILE probably better known in the commercial dive and fishing segment, Ocean Craft, a Caloundra-based boat builder, is making a few waves in the recreational sector with the Buccaneer. Ocean Craft’s recently redesigned 7.6m Buccaneer   has been purpose-built for recreational anglers who want a vessel that can handle pretty much anything the wind and water can throw at it. I …

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Great Barrier Reef visitors urged to be Reef smart

great barrier reef smart

WITH thousands of people enjoying the Great Barrier Reef during the summer holidays, visitors are reminded to follow responsible Reef practices and be Reef smart when out on the water or visiting islands. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Reef Protection acting general manager Belinda Jago said enjoying different activities and experiences throughout the iconic World Heritage Area needed to …

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Big muddies worth a look around Bundaberg

big muddies bundaberg

BUNDABERG INSHORE The grey and school mackerel are in good numbers on all the inshore reefs off Bundaberg at the moment.  Fast-retrieving 50g Flasha spoons and Halco Twistys vertically off the bottom has been getting most of the bites.  If there’s a bit of run in the tide, setting pilchards out in the mid-water column will get you into some …

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Perfect weather results in epic Gold Coast catches

perfect weather gold coast

Hi Everyone, hope you’ve all had a great week, the Tweed and Gold Coast just keep on turning on perfect weather for getting outdoors and enjoying our awesome part of the world. The New Year’s crowds have slowed down a bit with lots of people heading back to work this week making fishing conditions a bit nicer on the water …

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Flathead stocking trial a first for NSW

dusky flathead stocking nsw

THE Port Stephens Fisheries Institute has now successfully reared juvenile dusky flathead and in early December, NSW Department of Primary Industries released 1200 flathead measuring about 15cm in the southern areas of Lake Macquarie in the greater Newcastle area. DPI has been working on breeding technology for duskies over the past year to hopefully enable large-scale dusky flathead stocking in …

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Tohatsu MFS3.5C makes boating easier

tohatsu mfs3.5c portable four-stroke

SIMPLIQ Technology is a key Tohatsu philosophy and the MFS3.5C four-stroke has a couple of features portable outboard users have been looking for. The first is the three-way storage and transport capability achieved through a unique engine oil breather system. The benefit is storage without oil leakage when positioned on a flat surface, such as in the boot of car …

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Guide to catching prawns and crabs on foot

prawns and crabs on foot moreton bay

IT is that time again – time to hunt prawns and mud crabs. Nothing new about that over summertime, but this is prawning and crabbing with a difference – from the shore in Brisbane’s Moreton Bay. For our NSW readers, you would be familiar with the favourite summer pastime of chasing greasyback, eastern king and tiger prawns in the estuaries. …

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Boat crushing sends loud, clear message to illegal fishers

boat crushing black market fishing

THE fishing boat at the centre of Queensland’s biggest black market fisheries bust has been reduced to recycling material after being seized and crushed by the State Government. Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the 4.3m aluminium vessel was crushed to show all fishers what can happen if they flout Queensland’s fisheries laws. “This boat crushing …

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Stradbroke Island escape sees off the stress

stradbroke island escape 4wding

WE recently came to the grim realisation we’d had a serious lack of adventure over the past few months. Consequently, we were eager to book a trip away. After considering our options, we made the choice to head across Moreton Bay for a beautiful Stradbroke Island escape. We were lucky to decide just in time to buy our four-wheel-drive beach permit …

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