Good rainfall at Glenlyon Dam

With Easter over and great fishing at the dam, the rivers will also pick up.

So, over the next two and a half months, it should be fabulous fishing throughout the region.

Those who work lures will do well with surface lures, spinnerbaits and hard-body tackle.

And for the bait-fishing anglers, it’s time to put pen to paper and write your letter to Mr Thomas Hart, Fisheries Manager Freshwater, GPO Box 46, Brisbane Queensland 4001.

You are asked to express your thoughts on… banning Opera House-style traps.

Currently, Opera House-style traps (funnel traps including round traps), shrimp traps (concertina traps), dilly (hoop) nets, pyramid traps and canister traps can be used in Queensland freshwater systems.

Now think about the tourists who head up north to catch red claw crayfish on storages that hold large amounts of these good eating species.

I want you to look at 40mm circumference Opera House-style traps.

This sized hole will still catch red claw crayfish and shrimp.

You have to make comment on this subject or miss out.

You’re sitting down reading this and thinking ‘they won’t do that’.

Sit on your hands and do nothing and you’ll miss out.

Go to daf.qld.gov.au and look for recreational fishing gear changes banning Opera House-style traps – daf.engagementhub.com.au/recreational-fishing

Read all the way through, then draw a 40mm circle… this you will find is large enough to let red claw in and not turtles, platypus or water rats.

 

In fact, 50mm is still safe for these to not get caught in these traps.

Think about both sizes and write your letter with your thoughts to the above address or online.

This is an important subject if you’re an angler who fishes with bait or enjoys eating red claw.

Do something about it or we’ll suffer from the apathetic angler approach!

No science, just fisho advice and experience from many fishing trips and recreational angling.

Do something about it.

At the dam over the Easter weekend, we ran two raffles.

Some boxes of cheer were the three prizes.

These were won by Sean Vidler (first prize), Tanika Murray (second prize) and Mick Smith (third prize).

We also had a large selection of timber lures carved by some very special lure makers.

This collection was arranged by Mick Smith, many thanks to these lure makers.

The lure board was won by Josh Wenzer from Casino and second prize went to David Wheeler, also from Casino.

In total, $2070 was raised for fish restocking. dam

Many thanks to all for spending $2 over the Easter break.

At last, the old grid has been removed at the turn off at Tenterfield – keep in mind to give way to the right.

 

At a later date, we will no doubt see the turning point laid with extra bitumen, thanks to the Southern Downs Regional Council for the updated work.

At a previous zoo meeting, the question was raised about the subjects that need to be put forward for comments during the freshwater fishing workshop.

Again, this is your chance to put forward suggestions regarding your thoughts for improvement of your freshwater fishing experience on waterways and storages in Queensland.

There are many things that need to be reviewed and changed with this, including the struggle of encouraging younger recreational anglers to join local fishing clubs.

You’re thinking only old seniors run these shows or ‘I practice catch and release, it doesn’t apply to me’.

Well, at some stage, the new guard will need to step up to the plate.

With ‘oldies’ falling off the perch each year, we need to maintain our fishing requirements at all times.

Note – the only time an angler tells the truth is when he calls his friend a liar!

Stocked Impoundment Permit System 2000 to 2024

It has been 18 months since the freshwater fisheries workshop in Mackay.

After dinner, Gary Fitzgerald was given the chance of presenting an overview of the permit system as we know it.

It is now 25 years since the permit system was introduced and put into place.

Back then, the permit cost was $15 each for those over 18 years of age for a 10-year period, so about 80,000 anglers would have paid in total $12 million for 2000 to 2010.

From 2011 to 2020, at a cost of $25 for 80,000 anglers equates to a further $20 million.

 

So for 20 years, that totals $32 million collected.

From 2021 to 2025, at a cost of $36.50 per year for the permit and about 120,000 anglers, the return would be $22 million.

The total from 2000 to 2025 equates to $56 million raised over those 25 years.

Not a bad return at a cost of $0.10 per day to fish in freshwater in Queensland.

Question – how much has been raised in total from the permit we now pay for?

That total should be on record, as it is a trust fund format.

What needs to happen is that the consumer price index rise is taken off the cost of the permit.

The funds are going into a public trust fund and should not incur that extra cost annually, as it is a fixed cost for 10 years we need put in place.

At the moment, we are paying $60.42 for a yearly permit, $43.46 for a concession permit and $12.72 for a weekly permit.

All to receive a CPI increase at the end of July 2024.

Bring in $36.50 for an annual permit and $10 for a weekly, then 10 years from now, increase the annual permit to $45.

Note that if it came about that an all-waters permit was introduced, $36.5 million would be raised from the 1 million recreational fishing community in Queensland.

Elections? dam

Politicians may want to consider the voting power of those fishos.

Also, $365 million over 10 years at $0.10 per day is not a tax, it’s a requirement!