Fishing Tips

IT’S been a while since we had one of these little chats, Fred. The first time was almost 30 years ago when we discussed beach driving techniques in the Tide Guide. Last time was last year when we looked at some of the peculiarities of tides. This time I thought we might check out how the moon affects fishing. But …

FISHING is a sport where we are forever learning and over the past few decades I have learnt from magazines, television, the internet and other anglers, developing my knowledge and skills based around different species, techniques, environments, weather and water conditions, lure selection, knots and more. As we learn more and discover more pieces to the puzzle, we begin to …

SNAPPER is one of those iconic species that’s on everyone’s wish list and the winter months through to late spring present the best time to be catching snapper on the offshore reefs of southeast Queensland. Tips for catching snapper offshore – Tagging studies conducted over time indicate snapper populations in Moreton Bay tend to mostly stay in the bay and …

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 …