Fishing Tips

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 …

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 …

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 …

IT has been a while since we posted an article, this having been such a tumultuous year after the pandemic broke out. Stanage Bay closed the doors completely to both our Stanage Bay Marine and Accommodation guests. Thanksfully, we are back open. Bevan and Maree also closed the Crab Pot Bar during that time, so Stanage was very quiet for …

SUMMER is just around the corner, so we should start seeing super hot surface action at the back of Somerset Dam, with regular catches of saratoga and bass. We have been spending a fair amount of time in the timber regions of the dam throwing punch rigs and skirted jigs – these have been exciting catches as the strikes are …

Applying a more targeted approach with select techniques on the right part of the tide, with a particular species in mind, has definitely caught more fish lately. I haven’t had that much time on the water this month, but even so I have managed to pick up quite a few nice southern bay fish on lures. There were a couple …

After years of reading the reports of fellow Bush N’ Beach Fishing writer Brian Dare, we decided on a trip to Glenlyon Dam. This was a big gamble for me as I’m a tidal saltwater guide and have only tried fishing for the iconic inland species of yellowbelly and mighty Murray cod a few times – in rivers, not a …

IF you’re like me, it’s a sad time when the saltwater barramundi season comes to a close. But on the upside, they get a well-deserved break, which lets them go about creating more little barra for this fantastic area, which is a benefit of the Capricorn coast closed season. What we are in desperate need of is a flood – …

RECENT trips offshore have seen more days of slight current, which has resulted in good snapper being caught on the 29, 33 and 35-fathom reef lines. While I haven’t had snapper success beyond this depth lately, the quality of pearl perch in depths anywhere from around 75-105m has more than made up for this. COVID fishing Float lining for better …

IN the spring, a young man’s fancy turns lightly to thoughts of surface fishing… I may not have quoted Lord Alfred Tennyson’s poem word for word exactly. In the realm of sportfishing anglers, almost inevitably they will find a few scenarios to which they are drawn repeatedly. Surface strikes For several it’s a preferred species, for others it may be …