Page 9 - Bush 'n Beach Fishing mag

Queensland the state of confusion
* from P8
to brief the next person
into the country this year, and we’re still im- porting a shite load of snapper from New Zea- land because domes- tic stocks on the east coast can’t cope with demand.
pearl perch, as well as a few kingfish hanging around rocky areas that had bigger fish aggre- gations.
on changes the industry is calling for.
Some good news that benefits boaties would be a welcome change from the bloke who likes media opportunities.
At the time of writ- ing, tourists from over- seas and interstate still can’t come here, but the plane loads of New Zealand fish have been coming into Sydney during the COVID cri- sis and trucked up to Brisbane to meet local demand, and a glance at the progressive com- mercial quota catch for snapper and pearl perch indicates the quota won’t be threatened in the first year.
When these fish are on, they respond well to fresh baits and arti- ficials floated down to the depth they are lo- cated at, if you can get the right mix of slow current and light wind.
This could be as sim- ple as relocating several of the now poorly posi- tioned navigation buoys at the eastern end of the Rous Channel.
This will get you bet- ter-quality fish, and when you use live bait kingies will go nuts if in the area, but snapper don’t always respond as well to livies.
This area has been poorly buoyed for some time now, with boats frequently grounding here due to redun- dant buoy placements because of sandbank shifts.
Consider a visit to your local tackle store and help them out by spending a few dollars loading up with flutter type jigs because these beasties will account for excellent snapper and pearlies.
The author picked up this double hook-up of snap- per by keeping a paternoster rig off the bottom.
Not much rocket sci- ence is required to get this done.
Admittedly, the year didn’t start until No- vember, but COVID-19 can’t be blamed for that, though I imagine there would be some serious lobbying going on to exempt several marine operators from the closure this year so they can make money.
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Positive progress by our leaders on issues of interest to the rec- reational boating com- munity can only lead to a restoration of con- fidence in our current state of confusion.
In this modern era where we appreciate the privilege of catch- ing fish, it can be a challenging yet person- ally satisfying means of bringing home excel- lent food as reward for your efforts.
On another note, re- garding the snapper closure about to com- mence in Queensland – how things have changed since the an- nouncement last year to introduce strong meas- ures to rebuild stock.
It will be interesting to see whether govern- ment holds its nerve and sticks with the new arrangements that were put in place to rebuild the fishery, which is in serious decline, or caves in to the demands of operators who care only about their bank balance.
When conditions are not so pleasant it is still possible to score good-quality snapper, with a paternoster rig held off the bottom at the depth the fish are sitting at on your sounder.
Many people were up in arms stating the clo- sure was unwarranted.
Yes, levels of emotion were high and, in most cases, selfish.
Having said my piece about that, snapper have made a strong appear- ance already this winter, with a few very good early season catches.
Have a look at the photo of a double hook- up of snapper I was lucky to score recently by doing just that.
One bloke reckoned tourists from overseas would be deprived of opportunities and be- cause of the closure there wouldn’t be enough fish to feed tourists in his local community and so on.
The wider reefs seem to benefit first, so a re- cent day offshore work- ing the deeper grounds saw a good mix of snapper and some large
With a bag limit of four fish, I enjoy the challenge of seeking out better fish and en- gage in careful release techniques to assist with the survival of any released fish.
Well, the tourists aren’t even allowed
Bush ’n Beach Fishing, July 2020 – Page 9
www.bnb shing.com.au