Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
As Australians enjoy motoring around in warmer weather, Yellowfin Plate Boats – together with long-term ambassador and Australian fishing icon Michael Guest – is gearing the country up for another successful fishing season.
With around 3700 known species of fish – according to the Australian Government – locals are spoilt with what is argued to be some of the hottest fishing conditions in the world.
A year-round sport, fishing has become a popular leisure activity for countless Aussie – either solo or with friends.
As any story goes – the most important first step to setting any angler up for a ripper season is having a strong reliable vessel to ensure a safe and comfortable journey when heading offshore and back home.
Yellowfin Plate Boats have been designed for the best, by the best – crafted in its Gold Coast based factory by a carefully selected exclusive team of the industry’s top boat builders.
Founded from innovation, there is no other boat quite like a Yellowfin.
Designed by an expert research and development team invested in creating a product that stands out from the industry, with a second-to-none ride performance when underway and at rest, Yellowfin Plate Boats raise the bar when it comes to offshore fishing.
Perfected over decades of design and innovation and first founded in 1984, Yellowfin has established a reputation as one of the most trusted boats in the country – which is important when it comes to offshore boating.
A reputation decades deep, nurtured by consistent customer satisfaction and exceeding expectations, all comes down to the build.
Built from strength within, Yellowfin feature a wide beam, sharp entry point and full-length chine for best stability and ride in class, a reinforced sub-floor framework for maximum strength and a fully sealed no-return scupper system – all of which are designed using the highest quality of marine grade aluminium.
Trusted by Michael Guest – Yellowfin is an easy first choice.
Almost born into boating and all things adventure-driven, Michael’s passion has evolved into an addiction, resulting in the Reel Action TV series, which exploded into an Aussie must-see show.
Driven towards enlightening fishing techniques and being equipped with the right tools for the job, ‘Guesty’ is all about sharing his knowledge to see every fisho hooking lines as soon as the sun breaks.
Yellowfin Plate Boats marketing and communications manager Madeline Bishop said, “Michael Guest is an astounding fisherman, with a wealth of knowledge that perfectly complements the Yellowfin brand.”
“We are passionate about delivering a boat to every Australian that is strong, reliable and built to go the distance – which is reflected by Guesty in his investment in supporting every Australian into boating.
“Committed to supporting a cause through the Pirtek Fishing Challenge, with all funds directed towards supporting the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, we are proud of everything Michael Guest stands for and we look forward to the many adventures ahead.”
Summer
During summer, the east Australian current brings a warm influx of water, pushing all the way down the coast and finishing at St Helens in Tasmania. Species such as black, striped, and blue marlin call the East Australian Current home and their numbers greatly increase during the warmer months.
Marlin don’t have it all to themselves, with other species such as the spectacularly coloured mahi mahi – better known as dolphinfish – and wahoo making an appearance. This style of fishing sees big gold reels and fully rollered rods being dusted off, ready to do battle with high-speed pelagics.
Success in game fishing or sportfishing comes down to preparation – the time you spend in the shed before heading out can make a big difference on the water.
Preparing live bait traces, checking the drag on those big gold reels and sharpening the hooks in your favourite skirted lure will all add to a successful trip. Marlin are a great adversary, you need to think like one to catch one.
Trolling structure – such as undersea canyons, drop-offs and current lines – is a great place to start. Structure is where bait will congregate and of course, predatory fish won’t be too far away.
Tide changes are the key bite times, so focus your fishing in an area that looks promising in and around the tides.
Always let someone know where you’re heading, especially on those long runs to the continental shelf.
The game fishing season doesn’t last forever, so pick a weather window and get among it.
Autumn
Cooler temperatures generally bring a more stable weather pattern all around Australia. I often think I’d like to be able to fish everywhere during this season.
It’s that time of year when the water temperature can fluctuate – this creates opportunity with species such as spanish mackerel found holding in the warmer pockets.
Spanish can be found from Geraldton in Western Australia across the top then down the east coast to Port Stephens. They are one of those trophy fish that tick all the boxes – they’re fast, look great and are exceptionally good eating.
Several techniques that work for mackerel include diving hard-bodies, casting metals and topwater lures, trolling dead bait and slow-trolling live bait. Live bait – as with a lot of our favourite species – is great way to tempt a spanish.
They have the sharpest teeth in the business, so single strand wire is a must.
A simple 58lb wire rig with two 7/0 hooks set up to suit the size of the bait, then finished with a short length of wire to a black swivel is all you need. Spanish aren’t the only species that will be looking to hold in the warmer pockets.
Cobia and longtail tuna will be in and around the same areas, so keep an eye on your temperature gauge – you never know what you’ll find.
Winter
I’m a big fan of fishing the cooler months and winter brings snapper in close off the central and mid-north coast of NSW, along with southern Queensland.
While that’s happening, further north red emperor and large-mouth nannygai are a popular winter species. With the strong onshore wind of the warmer months gone and replaced by cool offshore breezes, it’s a great time to head offshore.
Even though red emperor and snapper are two entirely different species, the techniques used to catch them have their similarities. They both have a preference for squid, cuttlefish and flesh bait.
However, the tackle required to extract a big red emperor away from the reef and the sharks needs to be three or four times heavier. There’s nothing like the aggressive whack you get from a big red.
Snapper, on the other hand, can generally be caught using 20lb-30lb tackle. One of my favourite ways to target snapper is to float a fresh bait down a cube trail as the sun comes up on an early winter’s morning.
Snapper have been transformed over the past 20 years, from being thought of as strictly a table fish to a great sport fishing adversary, thanks to the popularity of soft plastic fishing combined with light-weight spin rods and reels.
Casting 7” jerk shads on 1⁄4oz jig heads across shallow inshore reef is a deadly technique. Look to work the reef edges where they meet the gravel and around bait schools.
Spring
Spring signals the first warm weather for a while along with a steady increase in water temperature. The two fish I think of when spring comes around are flathead and barramundi.
Big breeding trophy flathead are at their best in spring, they concentrate around estuary mouths along rock walls and back eddies.
Big soft plastics twitched and rolled slowly across the bottom imitating mullet are a great place to start.
Don’t forget any flathead over 58cm is going to be a female, so keep that in the back of your mind when deciding to take a couple home for a feed.
Barra move into the next gear as the water starts to warm up during spring. The shallow edges of impoundments where the sun increases the water temperature can really fire in spring.
Slow rolling unweighted soft plastics slightly above the weed beds works a treat. Barramundi are an iconic Australian sportfish, renowned for their spectacular jumps once hooked.
As far as tackle goes, 6-10kg baitcasting or spin outfits loaded with 20lb braid and a length of 50lb fluorocarbon leader is a great place to start.
Check in with the local tackle store and keep an eye on social media to see what lures the barra are taking a liking to.
Michael Guest
While the Centre Console and Southerner are two of Guesty’s top choices, Yellowfin offers a wide range of plate boats, designed for a diverse range of boaters and their needs.
Available as fully configured boat, motor and trailer packages, built directly from the Gold Coast factory, buying a plate boat has never been easier.
Stocked by a select range of Australia’s best dealers, located across the country, Yellowfin Plate Boats are always within close reach.
For more boating insights, fishing tips or to purchase your own Yellowfin, contact your local dealer at yellowfinplateboats.com.au
