Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
The only way I could start this article was with a cracking smile from one of our great clients ‘Dan the destroyer’, with a couple of local Moreton Bay snapper captured before the closure! bait
I sometimes think Dan and Jack spend more time fishing the local area than they do at work.
But they certainly know how to find the fish, as we have seen in previous articles.
Whether pearl perch, snapper, cod or threadfin salmon, the preferred bait are local octopus, squid and IQF pillies.
In saying that, not every trip ends up in an Esky full of fish, they too have off days.
After August 15, we should be seeing more local snapper being caught in Moreton Bay, if the weather continues to play the game, and great catches for land-based fishos around Redcliffe, Margate and Woody Point too.
More people are trying out new bait, with cuttlefish and octopus the newest in this range.
Often seen as a messy bait – with cuttlefish being able to produce black ink at the same rate as an active oil rig – my advice is to work with them when they’re frozen or partly thawed.
I normally put a small slice at the top of the cuttlefish, pop out the hard plate and then put it on a snelled rig and send it down.
At other times, I’ll remove the head, put it on a single hook about 7/0 size, with a small sinker and float it down.
I save the body and cut it into bigger strips, which slow down the pickers and rubbish fish until the larger species can have a go.
But there are a whole host of bait that will be readily smashed by snapper that you can either gather yourself or buy from your local tackle shop.
Yellowtail pike is always a popular go-to bait, either whole, cut in half and even strip-baited, and floated down under a pea sinker is a very effective technique.
If you can’t find yellowtail pike in a shop, you can always catch your own at a local pier or jetty.
A few people use the traditional Sabiki rig, but the more seasoned pike fishos use a little red or yellow wool tied onto a long shank #4 hook.
Remember, they can be slimy, so having a rag or a pair of rubber-coated tongs will help a lot.
You never know what Moreton Bay is going to produce when you get out there.
Ryno landed a beautiful juvenile red emperor – at this size they look amazing with their vibrant colours.
Well done, Ryno – a great photo.
You’ll have to land it again when it is legal size!
On the same trip with Ryno, Joel came to the party with some nice nannygai, found on a small patch of rubble when drifting.
It goes to show that the smallest show on the sounder can produce some quality fish, not always legal, but every fish brings a smile and tells a tale.
Well done, another great Moreton Bay trip.
Recently, we had a new virtual 360-degree tour done of the Tackle Land shop – and the Shed too – by Peter from Hello PRO Photo.
It was amazing and a little scary to watch a drone scooting around the place, however the results are incredible – thank you Pete!
Have a look at tackleland.com.au
While up from Sydney, Pete took a quick break and headed to the Pine River with our friend Andy Chan to experience how good the fishing can be in our neck of the woods.
They weren’t out for long before Pete landed a cracker bream.
Not only was it the first fish in the boat for the day, it was also the first ever fish Pete had caught.
A cracking effort and, judging by the smile, Pete had a great day on the water!
Well done – a great fish, an awesome adventure and perfect video footage as well.
I always enjoy seeing a photo of a professional fisho – so welcome back to another champion… Finn!
We have seen Finn in a few other articles, but this time he had an even better reason to smile – while out with dad Tony and brother Will, Finn did everything himself – baiting up,
casting, hooking and landing a stonker bream!
It’s so good to see how quickly our young fishos develop and gain confidence when they truly love what they’re doing, and when they are being guided by people who not only mentor
but are as passionate about fishing as those they encourage.
Take some time out with the young ones and introduce them to this incredible sport, it’s not only about catching a fish and having a photo taken, but much more.
They learn many new skills, including how to communicate and problem solve too.
So, if you only dabble or you don’t have fishing experience, get out there with the young ones and learn together, it’s never too late.
Well done, Finn – it’s wonderful to see what you’ve achieved and I look forward to hearing about your next adventure.
If you’re going to stay out at night, remember to check your night-time running gear to ensure it actually works and that you can be seen!
You don’t want to ruin a great night picking up a fine due to unsafe lighting.
Stay safe out there and maintain the passion.
