Guides written from time on the water
Long-form, practical guides covering the decisions that actually change your catch rate — tide selection, leader choice, retrieve pace and handling.
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Every guide sits inside a topic cluster with the species, locations and free tools that go with it, so you can work through a subject end to end.
How to catch Australia's most-targeted species — the retrieves, rigs and tackle that actually change your catch rate.
Species directory →- How to Catch Flathead on Lures: A Complete Australian Guide
- Mastering Estuary Bream on Light Tackle
- Targeting Trophy Barramundi in Northern Australia
- Snapper Fishing in Australia: Inshore Reefs to Deep Water
- How to catch Dusky Flathead
- How to catch Bream
- Sydney Harbour
- Moreton Bay
- Bite times calculator
- Fishing knots
Tide, moon, barometric pressure and season decide when fish feed. These pages tell you when to go before you decide where.
Bite times calculator →- How to Read Tides, Moon Phase and Barometric Pressure
- Barometric Pressure and Fishing: What Actually Matters
- Your First Estuary Session: A Beginner's Checklist
- Catch and Release Done Properly
- How to catch Mulloway (Jewfish)
- How to catch Tailor
- Hawkesbury River
- Port Phillip Bay
- Bite times & moon phase
- Catch log
City-by-city and system-by-system location knowledge: what holds fish, which tide switches it on and where to launch.
Fishing locations →- Best Fishing Spots in Sydney: Land-Based and Boat
- Best Fishing Spots in Brisbane and Moreton Bay
- Best Fishing Spots in Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay
- Beach Fishing in Australia: How to Read a Surf Gutter
- How to catch Bream
- How to catch Dusky Flathead
- Sydney Harbour
- Hawkesbury River
- Fish Finder map
- Charter directory
Line, leader, knots and lure selection — the tackle decisions that lose or land the fish you hook.
Gear & tackle →- Braid vs Mono: Which Fishing Line to Use in Australia
- The Five Fishing Knots Every Australian Angler Needs
- Soft Plastics for Beginners: The Complete Australian Guide
- Live Bait in Australia: Catching, Keeping and Rigging
- How to catch Bream
- How to catch Dusky Flathead
- Moreton Bay
- Exmouth Gulf
- Knot library
- All free tools
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See membership plansTargeting Trophy Barramundi in Northern Australia
Metre-plus barra are a product of timing, tide and water temperature far more than lure choice. Here is how the seasons stack up across the Top End.
Mastering Estuary Bream on Light Tackle
Bream reward refinement more than any other Australian sportfish. Leader diameter, retrieve pace and tide stage matter more than lure colour.
Night Fishing for Mulloway: A Complete Guide
Mulloway feed hardest after dark. Bridge lights, deep gutters and the hour either side of the tide change are where the fish of a lifetime is caught.
Kingfish on Topwater: Tackle, Technique and Timing
Few things in fishing match a kingfish demolishing a stickbait. Getting the strike is one problem; landing the fish is a different one entirely.
How to Read Tides, Moon Phase and Barometric Pressure
Three free variables predict fishing quality better than any lure in your box. Here is how to actually use them when planning a session.
Catch and Release Done Properly
Releasing a fish is not the same as releasing a fish that survives. Small changes in handling produce very large changes in survival rates.
Your First Estuary Session: A Beginner's Checklist
One rod, a handful of plastics and a rising tide is genuinely all you need. Here is exactly what to buy, where to stand and what to do.
How to Catch Flathead on Lures: A Complete Australian Guide
Dusky flathead are the most accessible lure target in Australia. Get the drift, the depth and the retrieve right and they are close to a sure thing.
Beach Fishing in Australia: How to Read a Surf Gutter
Ninety percent of beach fishing success is choosing the right patch of sand. Learn to read gutters, banks and rips before you make a single cast.
Snapper Fishing in Australia: Inshore Reefs to Deep Water
Snapper are the premier inshore reef species across southern Australia. Here is how to find them, present to them and land the big ones.
The Five Fishing Knots Every Australian Angler Needs
You do not need twenty knots. You need five, tied properly, and the discipline to re-tie before they fail.
Squid Jigging: How to Catch Southern Calamari Consistently
Squid are the best eating and the best bait in Australian waters. Weed beds, jig weight and a disciplined retrieve are the whole game.
Whiting on Surface Lures: Australia's Most Addictive Fishing
Sand whiting will chase a walking surface lure across a shallow flat and eat it in 30 cm of water. Once you have seen it you will not go back to bait.
Rock Fishing Safety in Australia: The Rules That Keep You Alive
Rock fishing is Australia's most dangerous recreational activity. The fatalities follow a predictable pattern, and so do the precautions that prevent them.
Murray Cod: How to Target Australia's Largest Freshwater Fish
Murray cod are structure-obsessed apex predators. Big lures, heavy gear, low light and accurate casting is the entire formula.
Soft Plastics for Beginners: The Complete Australian Guide
Jig head weight, retrieve pace and line contact decide whether a soft plastic catches fish. Here is the system that works across estuaries, bays and rivers.
Braid vs Mono: Which Fishing Line to Use in Australia
Braid, monofilament and fluorocarbon each win in specific situations. Here is exactly which to spool and what leader to run behind it.
Barometric Pressure and Fishing: What Actually Matters
Pressure does influence feeding, but the direction of change matters far more than the number. Here is how to read a forecast and pick your session.
Live Bait in Australia: Catching, Keeping and Rigging
A lively bait beats a perfect lure more often than anyone admits. How to gather yellowtail, mullet, prawns and squid, keep them frisky and rig them so they swim.
Best Fishing Spots in Sydney: Land-Based and Boat
Sydney Harbour, the Hawkesbury and the northern beaches hold kingfish, bream, flathead and mulloway within half an hour of the CBD. Here is where to start.
Best Fishing Spots in Brisbane and Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay snapper, Brisbane River threadfin and Bribie flats whiting — the south-east Queensland spots worth planning a session around.
Best Fishing Spots in Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay
Port Phillip snapper runs, Yarra bream, Werribee whiting and the Gippsland Lakes — where and when to fish around Melbourne.
Kayak Fishing in Australia: Setup, Safety and Tactics
A kayak gets you onto skinny water no boat can reach. How to rig one properly, stay safe on tidal systems and fish it effectively.
Land-Based Fishing in Australia: The Complete Guide
You do not need a boat to catch quality fish in Australia. Here is how to choose shore locations, read the tide and fish jetties, walls, beaches and rocks properly.
Jetty Fishing: How to Catch More From a Public Pier
Jetties are free, safe and fishable at night. Here is how to work pylons, lights and berley so you catch more than bait-size fish.
Breakwall Fishing: The Best Shore Structure in Australia
Rock walls sit on the edge of moving water, which is why they hold everything from bream to mulloway. Learn to read the wall, the eddy and the tide.
Land-Based Mulloway: A Shore Angler's System
A jewfish from the rocks or the sand is the ultimate land-based capture. Tide, moon, bait and patience matter far more than tackle.
Land-Based Estuary Fishing: Banks, Bridges and Drains
You can walk to more good estuary fishing than you can reach in a boat. Here is how to work banks, bridge pylons, drains and oyster leases on foot.
Beach Fishing: Rigs, Baits and Timing That Actually Work
Once you have found a gutter, the rig and bait decide the session. Here is the practical beach setup for whiting, tailor, salmon and mulloway.
Land-Based Squid: Jetties, Weed Edges and Night Lights
Southern calamari are the most reliable land-based target in southern Australia. Jig size, sink rate and the pause do all the work.
Australian Fishing Rigs Explained: Which Rig for Which Water
A plain-English decision guide to rig selection in Australia — depth, current and bottom type decide the rig, not the species on the packet.
Paternoster vs Running Sinker: When Each Rig Wins
The two most common bait rigs in Australia do opposite jobs. Using the wrong one is the most common reason a good spot produces nothing.
Braid to Leader: Which Knot to Use and When
FG, slim beauty, double uni or Albright — a practical comparison of the four braid-to-leader knots Australian anglers actually use.
Choosing Jig Head Weight and Hook Size for Soft Plastics
Weight controls sink rate, hook size controls action and hook-ups. Get both right and soft plastics out-fish bait in most Australian estuaries.
Surf Fishing Rig Setup for Australian Beaches
Read the gutter, rig for the conditions, and stop casting past the fish. A complete beach rig setup for salmon, tailor, whiting and mulloway.
Live Bait Rigging: Keeping Baits Alive and Swimming Right
Catching, keeping and pinning live bait properly is the difference between a lively swimmer and a dead pilchard on a hook.
Reading Depth Contours: How to Find Fish on a Chart
Contour lines, humps, holes and drop-offs tell you where fish will be before you leave home. How to read a bathymetric chart like a sounder.
Terminal Tackle Checklist: What Actually Belongs in Your Box
A lean, honest terminal tackle list for Australian estuary, beach and offshore fishing — plus what you can safely leave at home.
How to Read an Estuary and Find Fish Without Local Knowledge
Drop into an unfamiliar estuary and you can still work out where the fish will be within an hour. It comes down to edges, depth changes and where the tide pushes food.
Six Soft Plastic Retrieves That Actually Catch Australian Fish
Most anglers use one retrieve for every species and wonder why the plastic gets ignored. These six cover flathead, bream, snapper, jewfish and bass.
Tides Explained for Anglers: Spring, Neap and the Bite Window
Why a 1.9 m tide fishes nothing like a 1.1 m tide, how to pick your window from a tide chart, and which species prefer which run.
Night Fishing in Australia: Setup, Safety and the Species That Switch On
Mulloway, jewfish, bream, tailor and mangrove jack all feed harder after dark. Here is how to fish at night without losing gear, fish or skin.
Bait Rigging: How to Present Prawn, Pilchard, Squid and Live Bait Properly
A badly rigged bait spins, washes out and gets picked clean. These riggings keep baits natural, hooked well and on the hook.
Kayak Fishing in Australia: Setup, Safety and Where to Launch
A fishing kayak opens up water no boat and no bank angler can reach. It also puts you low, slow and exposed — here is how to do it properly.
How to Fillet, Bleed and Store Your Catch So It Tastes Right
Most fish that taste ordinary were handled badly, not caught badly. Bleeding, chilling and filleting properly makes more difference than the species.
Beach Fishing: How to Find a Gutter and Fish It
Surf beaches look uniform and are not. Learning to spot the gutter, the bank and the rip turns a blank beach into a reliable session.
Freshwater Lure Fishing: Cod, Bass, Yellowbelly and Trout Basics
Australia's four main freshwater lure targets want different things. Here is the tackle, the lure classes and the water each of them lives in.
Do You Need a Fishing Licence in Australia? State-by-State Guide
Recreational fishing licence rules differ in every state. Here is who needs one, roughly what it costs, and where the free exemptions apply.
Best Bait for Australian Fish — What to Use for Every Species
Prawn, pilchard, squid, worm or yabby? A practical bait chart for the species Australians actually target, plus how to rig each one.
Size and Bag Limits in Australia — How to Stay Legal
How legal lengths are measured, what a possession limit really means, and the rules that catch anglers out most often.
Crabbing in Australia — Mud Crab and Blue Swimmer Guide
Where to set pots, what bait works, how to tell a legal buck from a jenny and the tide and season timing that fills a pot.
How to Catch Prawns in Australia — Scoop, Drag and Cast Net
Prawn runs happen on predictable tides and moons. Here is when to go, what gear you need and how to read the water at night.
Fishing With Kids in Australia — Jetties, Gear and Easy Wins
A plan for a first fishing trip that actually catches fish: the right spot, the simplest rig and a session short enough to stay fun.
Best Lures for Australian Estuaries — What to Throw and When
Five lure types cover every estuary situation in Australia. Here is what each one does, when it shines and the sizes that matter.
Fishing After Rain and Floods — Where the Fish Go
Dirty water is not dead water. Rain reshuffles an estuary and, if you know where to look, it stacks fish into predictable places.
Fishing Reel Maintenance — Make Your Gear Last in Salt Water
Ten minutes after every saltwater session doubles the life of a reel. Here is exactly what to do — and the one thing that destroys reels.
Boat Fishing Setup in Australia — Safety Gear, Sounder and Drift
What you legally must carry, how to actually use your sounder, and how to set a drift that puts baits in front of fish instead of past them.
Winter Fishing in Australia — What Bites When It Gets Cold
Cold water slows fish down, not off. Here is what to target from June to August in each region and how to change your presentation.
Summer Fishing in Australia — Peak Season Targets and Timing
Warm water switches on surface fishing, prawn runs, mangrove jack and pelagics. Here is where to be from December to February.