Fishing Tips

DUSKY flathead can be found along the east of coast of Australia from Cairns in north Queensland to the Gippsland lakes in eastern Victoria. In Queensland, dusky flathead is a key target species, with the recreational fishing sector estimated to take 150 tonnes annually (McGilvray et. al 2014). That is approximately three times the reported commercial harvest. Fisheries Queensland collects length, sex …

They can be frustrating at the best of times but any carp caught and taken out of our waterways is one (or more) native fish better off. Targeting carp on fly is not the easiest of tasks. I use 5 and 7-weight fly rods, using line weights to match the rods, as well as 8-10lb leader. As far as flies …

Luckily though, a change in wind direction to the south had virtually overnight pushed the warmer, blue water back in. How, you might ask? In very simple terms, persistent northeasterlies move large amounts of warmer surface water towards the beach. This water then gets pushed or sucked back out to the left (in the southern hemisphere) and out to sea. …

Keeping the outfit light, I couple the rod to a low-profile Daiwa Zillion baitcaster reel spooled with 30lb Schneider braid. The braid ties neatly to 40lb Schneider Crystal Clear fluorocarbon, which is extremely abrasion resistant. You will not be afraid to put some hurt on a jack with this outfit. A good skipper will always improve your chances of landing …

Lately I’ve been catching my best-quality fish suspended in deep water. They have been sitting in the thermocline at 4.5-6m. I target these fish using a variety of baits, initially starting with a soft bait of a 1/2oz-rigged soft plastic. I cast this out and count to seven to let the lure sink into the strike zone. Once the plastic …

Bramble Bay, out the front of Clontarf Beach, is my go-to area in Moreton Bay. South of Brisbane, a good place to start is Jacobs Well, as are the power lines, Rocky Point, the Saltworks, Redland Bay and the Logan River. CR: When you’re out chasing prawns, how do you find them? DA: Like when you’re fishing, having a good …

While the fish vary in colour, there’s no mistaking their pointed head – complete with concave forehead – large jaw and, in these parts, a good-sized barramundi can weigh between 10kg and 20kg and reach lengths of around a metre. With a cool million bucks up for grabs in Tourism Northern Territory’s Million Dollar Fish promotion, locals are understandably a …

It can be a case of feast or famine out there some days. The wharves are mostly carbon copies and don’t have any bottom structure to attract fish to the area. The best way to find fish is to sound around until you see bait schools or predatory fish on the sounder. This can be time consuming but there is …

At this first spot we caught about 10 fish. No big ones but it was good to see the fish were biting. After this, we headed up the dam to the start of the trees. This is where the fun really began. We found two locations where the fish were thick. I had recently bought a Humminbird Helix 12 sounder with Mega Imaging. This unit …

It is important to remember when entering the water that you are entering the fish’s world. You are the unexpected guest, not them. A lot of people fear what can be found in our Queensland waters and it is only normal in the beginning, especially being a fisher and knowing that about 20 percent of fish caught in the shallows …