Red emperor

Winter trip to Swains

THE snapper and pearl perch closed season for this year is now done and dusted and the overall feedback from most people is very supportive. There have been a few negative and veiled swipes at the closure conducted through the media, but they all link back to people who have a vested interest or who earn good money from being …

Read More »

Sensational September on the Capricorn Coast

IT’S time to get the razor out and shave off the winter hibernation because the worst is now behind us.  I probably shouldn’t degrade the colder months this way, as there were amazing captures and weather over the past three months. I’m definitely more of a warmer water fan though. You’re not arguing over who has to get wet to …

Read More »

Boat camping around Cape York

boat camping

IT has been a great start to the year and we have scored cracking weather between wet season squalls and thunderstorms. Boating during the wet can be a gamble, let alone boat camping, because you simply can’t trust weather forecasts and it can turn nasty extremely quickly. The wet certainly came late, with heavy rain and thunderstorms on Thursday Island from mid-February. That …

Read More »

Tin Can Bay fishing refreshed

tin can bay fishing refreshed

G’DAY crew! I hope you have managed to stay dry and out of the downpours we’ve had. But how good is this rain!? Good for the sea and great for the land. On the topic of rain, Tin Can Bay copped a proper washdown at the beginning of February, with several locals recording over 350mm in a two-day period and …

Read More »

Rain and small weather windows prove tough but rewarding

small weather windows river to reef fishing charters

SUMMER is quickly coming to a close, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it. With consistent rain and lighter wind around central Queensland, fishos have been waiting for the small weather windows between the rain to get out and fish the blue water. These weather windows have become increasingly uncommon in recent years, so it has been a welcome change. …

Read More »

Southeast Queensland offshore options

southeast queensland offshore fishing

MY lovely editor Dan Tomlinson sent me a message asking me to pen a small wrap-up on the southeast Queensland offshore fishing situation, which I must say has been going off in many instances. Offshore from South Passage Bar and Double Island Point have both fished really well for a variety of bottom and pelagic species. I have mainly been …

Read More »

Exploratory sojourn to Swain Reefs

swain reefs gt

A FISHING trip to Swain Reefs had been on my bucket list for many years and was continually reinforced each time I read a BNB scribe’s epic trip report. As mentioned in last month’s editorial, I got the call up to accompany a select crew put together by Wilson Fishing including Troy (Dicko) Dixon, Clint Fannin, a number of tackle …

Read More »

Battling the current to boat big red fish

battling current double island point

BETWEEN bad weather and doing a new electronics refit to my boat, it had been a while between offshore fishing trips. With the new Furuno DFF3D, autopilot and another Furuno TZtouch2 multifunction display installed by Quality Marine Electronics I was keen to try it all out. With a reasonable weather forecast predicted, we soon found our way out the Wide …

Read More »

A fishing trip to remember off 1770

1770 fishing trip

1770 is a place I call paradise. It’s a place where no matter who you are, what you enjoy doing, how good a fisher you are, you will love it. I’m sure anyone who has experienced a 1770 fishing trip will agree. A few weeks ago we asked some mates from all around Australia and even New Zealand to come …

Read More »

Fishing freedom off Fraser Island

fishing off fraser red emperor

AFTER a few trips off the Gold Coast with only a few snapper caught, the weather gods looked down on us with very good days. We were watching for a decent weather window to head north out of Wide Bay Bar and hit the red emperor grounds off Fraser Island. As the weekend approached, we saw a run of light …

Read More »