Fishing

I’VE always been a big fan of getting away to destinations that I don’t get to fish often. A lot of these trips are often planned with little notice and end up with two swags and an Esky full of cold drinks driving north on a Friday afternoon. Coral trout Hervey One of my friends had been talking about a …

HI everyone, in March we are well into chasing and catching summer species here on the Gold Coast. If we don’t get too much rain, mangrove jack and big sand whiting are the main targets in the rivers. If floods arrive, these same species will be found downstream not far from river mouths for several weeks. Broadwater brawlers So far …

MY old friend and lifetime fisho the late Ron ‘Demo’ Dempster loved Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám and gifted a copy of this wonderful book to me, which I have treasured since. Its message is very clear – we’re only on this earth for a short while, so we must make the most of every day! Dave Donald It certainly doesn’t …

BEFORE I get started, I wanted to let you know I’m not an expert at catching Gold Coast marlin, however I do want to relay what worked for a couple of friends and myself on a recent trip out from the Gold Coast. The plan was to head out through the Seaway, check out a few of the wave rider …

With the welcome arrival of mackerel along the North Coast, NSW DPI is reminding anglers not to use “breakaway” floats such as polystyrene foam and balloons as these products contribute to marine litter. It is recognised that the use of pieces of foam as floats is a particular issue during mackerel season on the North Coast. The resulting litter after …

STEFAN Slomka received a call from his friend Ian wanting to do an overnighter because predicted conditions in a few days’ time were looking prime. After checking maps and pondering weather forecasts it was decided to make it a Seventeen Seventy rematch after their successful trip around the same time last year. Ian’s son John joined them on the trip, …

From time to time, DPI’s Game Fish Tagging Program is lucky enough to receive details of recaptures that come from remote regions of the Pacific Ocean. Recently, a game fish recapture form was submitted by a researcher from the Japanese Fisheries Research Institute. The fisheries researcher had received a tag from a skipper of an international longline vessel who had …

WHAT a wet and windy new year we’ve had in Hervey Bay. I hope everyone had a safe and joyous holiday period. I am lucky enough to be writing this article on time, as there is no work currently with the rain and wind. And for good measure, throw in the COVID-19 lockdowns that have been affecting travel plans to …

Scientists at Bribie Island Research Centre have successfully spawned Grass Emperor broodfish—the first known account of spawning Grass Emperor in captivity. Grass Emperor have a strong capacity to spawn and are sought after for their firm and mildly sweet flesh. The team captured eight Grass Emperor broodfish in Moreton Bay late last year before transferring them to a culture environment …

WYARALONG Dam is a beautiful waterway situated only 13km from the heart of Beaudesert and is a fabulous place to catch Australian bass with the family. Why Wyaralong? Well, admittedly over the summer period – and particularly during school holidays where dams, rivers and creeks are mostly awash with the wakes of skiers, jet skiers, cruisers and a multitude of …