Australian Lure Fishing

The resurgence of Southern Bluefin tuna numbers in the past decade has opened some amazing sport fishing opportunities on Melbournes doorstep. Setting himself the challenge of nailing a 100kg+ tuna on a cast stickbait, Andy Smith has come close, learned a ton and not lost one ounce of his enthusiasm for the mission. In episode 211 I talk to Andy about how others can get involved in the hunt on SBT from 40 kg "schoolies" to the 100kg barrels on cast lures. Full show notes at: https://doclures.com/melbourne-bluefin-tuna-andy-smith/

South Eastern Victoria is something of a southern fishing Mecca. Lots of species in XOS sizes attract anglers from Melbourne and elsewhere in droves. One species that probably gets less attention than the rest is the humble estuary perch. In Episode 210 I talk to southern Fishing gun Ben Faro about his suggestions for targeting this cool but often frustrating little fish! Full show notes available at https://doclures.com/gippsland-estuary-perch-faro/

Prior to the banning of commercial netting in Lake Macquarie the capture of a jewfish by a recreational angler was worthy of a story in the newspaper. Thankfully these days there are plenty of jewfish in the system for anglers to enjoy. Local gun Mark Williams reckons It's not too difficult to catch a quality Lake Macquarie jewfish once you figure out their habits. And luckily for us, he's only to happy to share what he knows! Full show notes: https://doclures.com/macquarie-jewfish-mark-williams/ More episodes about jewfish fishing: https://doclures.com/species/jewfish-fishing/

With over a million Murray Cod (give or take a few) released over the decades, Lake Eildon has developed a reputation for putting trophy cod fishing right on the doorstep of Melburnians. So it's fitting that one of the most familiar faces in Australian Fishing, Melbourne lad Paul Worsteling takes us there and shares his tips for getting onto a few quality fish. https://doclures.com/eildon-murray-cod-paul-worsteling/

St George's Basin is one of three trophy flathead fisheries in NSW, and like the other two boasts a recreational angler driven tagging program in collaboration with the Fisheries Department. Local angler David Johnstone is a member of the tagging team and of the metre plus flathead club. In this episode he shares his tips for targeting trophy flathead in the basin. Full notes: https://doclures.com/st-georges-basin-flathead-david-johnstone/ Looking for other NSW South Coast fishing spots? https://doclures.com/nsw-south-coast/ Check out other ALF episodes about flathead fishing: https://doclures.com/flathead-fishing/

How does a fish's sense of smell differ from that of a human being? And what about taste? How do these two senses help a fish find or decide to take a lure? Episode 206 of the ALF podcast is about exploring some of the lesser-understood aspects of fish sensory systems - at least from a fishing perspective! Full notes at: https://doclures.com/smell-taste-fishing-lures-greg-vinall/

Bowling Green Bay is a large expanse of water that has 3 major river systems and some 20 smaller creeks and inlets emptying into it - all of which produce quality barramundi at various times of year. Today's ALF guest is John Campbell, a local who grew up fishing the Burdekin River system. John has been on a number of fishing TV shows, fished the ABT circuit and has helped hundreds of people catch Bowling Green Barramundi through his guided sportfishing business. Show notes: https://doclures.com/bowling-green-barramundi-john-campbell/

Permit are generally considered a fly fishing only species, and a particularly challenging one at that. But Townsville enthusiast Peter Agapiou has spent an enormous amount of time and energy figuring out how to target the species on spin gear and has enjoyed some pretty cool success! In this episode Peter shares his tips for permit fishing on lures and how to bag plenty of other species along the journey. Show notes: https://doclures.com/townsville-permit-peter-agapiou/

If you've ever been told that big flathead can't be caught in the winter months then today's ALF episode with Sand Flat Fishing Australia's Karl Attenborough is about to rock your socks! Karl consistently catches quality flathead in ankle to shin deep water, right through the winter months - and he does it on surface lures. Exciting stuff! Full show notes at https://doclures.com/nsw-mid-north-coast-flathead-attenborough/

To Australians, recreational fishing holds a very special place. Despite declining participation in virtually all forms of outdoor activity in recent years, fishing remains extremely popular And socially acceptable with a very large number of Australians. All of that said, we have some significant knowledge gaps. We know that fishing is important to the social fabric of our country. We know it's beneficial to the mental health and well-being of the individuals who fish. And we know it bolsters and sometimes is the key driver of regional economies and the distribution of wealth from metropolitan areas to the regions.

Blowering Dam in southern NSW holds some absolute stonker yellowbelly, but has been dubbed "Lake Disappointment" by anglers not acquainted with the fishery. Today's ALF guest is Wayne Dubois, who reckons he's never had a fish less day in 30 years fishing the dam. In this episode he shares his tips and tricks for targeting yellas In Blowering, hopefully dispelling the reputation of the lake. Show notes at https://doclures.com/blowering-yellowbelly-wayne-dubois/

Cobia are one of those cryptic species that seem to turn up unexpectedly when you're offshore, inshore, even in the flats at times..... yet they never seem to be around if you go hunting for them! In Episode 202 gun angler Shaun Taylor shares a few tips for finding, tempting and landing this highly prized species. Show notes: https://doclures.com/hervey-bay-cobia-shaun-taylor/

Queensland's Boondooma Dam is a fairly large expanse of water, but with a few tricks it's pretty easy to find the fish, according to former ABT Tournament angler Dylan Mott. In this episode of ALF Dylan takes us through his strategies for finding the fish and coaxing them to bite, not to mention his tackle and lure preferences for this particular storage. Full show notes at https://doclures.com/boondooma-bass-dylan-mott/

The Gippsland Lakes area is famous for its bream fishing, but it's also the home of some monster flathead, as local fishing icon Brett Geddes explains in this episode. Brett shares some secrets for finding and tempting the flathead from his back yard, explains some interesting observations from rec angler fish tagging and even delves a little into his hand made lures. Full show notes at: https://doclures.com/gippsland-lakes-flathead-brett-geddes/

The Gold Coast is loaded with estuaries and rivers and all of them hold good numbers of quality, oversized mangrove jack. In this episode of ALF, Gold Coast jack specialist Shane "Shaggy" Seghers shares a few tips and tricks for targeting the red dogs in his back yard in the Southern Gold Coast. Full mangrove jack archive: https://doclures.com/mangrove-jack-fishing/ More info on Gold Coast Fishing spots: https://doclures.com/gold-coast-fishing/ Full show notes: https://doclures.com/gold-coast-mangrove-jack-shaggy-seghers/

Port Stevens boasts a massive estuary system that's well within reach for many NSW central coast residents. Despite the proximity to large human populations, the system fishes remarkably well and there is no shortage of great fishing opportunities. In this episode of the Australian Lure Fishing Podcast Port Stevens guide and fishing personality Paul Lennon shares his tips for targeting the local flathead population. Show notes at https://doclures.com/port-stevens-flathead-paul-lennon/

Each year schools of frigate mackerel pass through the Wollongong area and offer anglers a couple of brief months of light tackle, land-based fishing madness. Wollongong resident and high-profile angler Vicki Winter-Lear is among the anglers who love to take advantage of these annual runs. In this episode Vicki shares her tips for getting in on the fun! https://doclures.com/wollongong-frigate-mackerel-vicki-winter-lear/ Looking for other spots to fishi on the NSW South Coast? https://doclures.com/nsw-south-coast/

Central Queensland is a land of opportunity for anglers, but for Mackay region fishing guide and personality Paul Dolan, it's all about the barramundi. Paul takes us through fishing his favourite dams: Teemburra, Eungella and Kinchant in search of metre plus Barra from the surface. Show notes at https://doclures.com/pioneer-valley-barramundi-paul-dolan/

For most anglers, fishing the Exmouth area is all about the amazing reef fishing on offer, or perhaps the Bluewater pelagics that are found in abundance. A lesser known but nonetheless very exciting opportunity is the amazing mangrove jack fishery that sometimes offer cricket scores of this hard fighting tackle smasher. In this episode Ben Svenson shares some little known secrets about jack fishing the creeks and inlets of the central Western Australian coastline. Show notes at https://doclures.com/exmouth-mangrove-jack-ben-svenson/

The Great Sandy Straits on Queensland's Fraser Coast is fishing paradise. The relatively sheltered waters and loaded with more species than you could poke a stick at. In this Episode of the Australian Lure Fishing Podcast well known Queensland angler and celebrity chef Andy "Phippsy" Phipps helps us to find and catch Squid in his part of the world. Then he shares tips for preparing and cooking a calamari feast! Show notes: https://doclures.com/great-sandy-straits-squid-phippsy/

Mallacoota is a destination with a reputation for holding healthy populations of quality yellowfin and black bream. That said, the popularity of the area with tournament organisers and holiday makers has seen the bream become increasingly wily. In Episode 192 we head off with tournament champ and 'Coota regular Richard Somerton and get some great tips for year-round sight fishing for bream on lures. Full show notes: https://doclures.com/mallacoota-bream-richard-somerton/

Blue Marlin are a year-round target for Brisbane game fishers, but the winter months are the most popular for targeting the species. in this episode Australian Fishing legend Matt Price shares a few tips for targeting them. Matt is the only person in the world to have completed all six of the IGFA Royal Slams, including the Billfish Royal Slam. Full show notes at https://doclures.com/brisbane-blue-marlin-matt-price/

The township of Marlo in the East Gippsland area was devastated by massive bushfires during the summer of 2019-20. Now rebuilding their lives, the local community is calling on anglers to start returning to the area. In this episode I chat with Melbourne fishing personality Mitch Chapman About the awesome fishing to be had in the area During the autumn months and the local businesses who could really benefit from the return of visiting anglers. Show notes: https://doclures.com/marlo-autumn-fishing-mitch-chapman/

Sydney Harbour and the headlands and rocky shorelines to the north are home to large numbers of yellowtail kingfish ranging from barely legal "rat' kings to metre plus models that claim plenty of tackle each year. Ben O'Brien is a Sydney-based sponsored angler who has fished this area for twenty years and over the past five years has really honed his kingfish fishing skills. In this episode he shares his tips for those wanting to get among the hoodlums. Full show notes: https://doclures.com/sydney-kingfish-ben-obrien/

Human beings are such visual animals. For most of us, sight is out primary sense, with the other senses playing second fiddle. Other animals are different, of course. Dogs, pigs deer and numerous others have extremely good sense of smell and/or hearing. That's pretty much accepted and we don't really question that their primary sense isn't vision. But for reasons that escape me, anglers often assume that vision is the primary sense for fish. So I often get questions like "Really? Lures work at night too?" Or, "what's the best colour lure for dirty water?" The truth is that fish can be visual predators sometimes. But many species would starve if they relied heavily on eyesight. Dirty water, low light, turbulence, algae and make things hard to see in the fishes world for lengthy periods. So fish use eyesight when they have that luxury, but they can do very nicely without it too. In this episode I explore how and why other sense make it easy for fish to find your lures even when they can't see them.

Estuary perch are a terrific sport fish that is very accessible to anyone fishing the many estuary systems of south west Victoria. Whilst it's not a super large species, the perch is a tough fighter and an aggressive lure taker, not to mention a spectacular topwater option on calm, balmy days. In this episode Warrnambool fishing personality Mark Gercovich treats us with some tips and secrets for targeting estuary perch in his home waters around the Hopkins River system. Full show notes at: https://doclures.com/hopkins-river-estuary-perch-mark-gercovich/

Autumn in the Snowy mountains is the time for the annual brown trout spawning run from lakes Eucumbene and Jindabyne into the Eucumbene and Threadbo river systems. Sydney based angler Josh Carpenter is one of those who makes the run to this corner of Australia to target the large, well conditioned trout that are on offer in good numbers. Full show notes: https://doclures.com/snowy-trout-josh-carpenter/

2019 Australian Freshwater Masters Champion Cristie Felton took out the cod category at Lake Mulwala this year under very tough conditions. In Episode 185 Cristie shares her tips for targeting cod in Mulwala and explains the lures and techniques she used to win the coveted Freshwater Masters title. Full show notes at https://doclures.com/mulwala-murray-cod-cristie-felton/

There are few estuary species that stir the imagination more than mangrove jack- and the Noosa River system is famous for being home to good quantities of quality fish. In this episode long time Noosa fishing guide Andy "Phippsy" Phipps takes us to his home waters in search to brawl with the toughest estuary fish of them all. But as Phippsy explains, the "Red Dog" can play by different rules in the Noosa system. Full show notes: https://doclures.com/noosa-mangrove-jack-phippsy/

Lake Monduran is extremely well stocked with barramundi and the quality of fish in recent years has leaped ahead as the dam recovers from massive fish losses during the 2011 flood. These days the barra are prolific and metre fish are beginning to make a serious return. Despite the abundance of quality fish in the system, the system can be frustrating to fish, earning it the nickname "Lake Misery". Monduran guide Rusty Townsend begs to differ though. He's spent many years figuring this system out and reckons the disappointing days can be kept to a minimum if you know how to fish it. Full Show notes at: https://doclures.com/lake-monduran-barramundi-rusty-townsend/

Jumpinpin Bar is famous for big runs of bream, is a jewfish hotspot and offers tons of fishing styles for numerous species. But today's episode is all about targeting the big "old girl' flathead that take up residence in the deeper waters at the Pin. Nick Whyte is a gun flathead fisho and a wizard with marine electronics. In this episode he explains how he puts all of this together to go after quality flathead at Jumpinpin. Show notes: https://doclures.com/jumpinpin-flathead-nick-whyte/

Bream fishing on lures isn't always about sheltered estuaries, as gun breamer Kris Hickson explains in this episode. The NSW mid-north coastline offers a plethora of opportunities to take quality fish from the rocks and headlands. Shallow water, wash, heavy structure and quality fish characterise this style of fishing and make for an exciting opportunity! show notes at https://doclures.com/nsw-min-north-coast-bream-kris-hickson/

Saratoga are a wonderful surface feeding predator, making them a prime sport fishing target throughout their domain in northern Australia. In this episode Emerald-based sponsored angler Matt Hildebrandt takes us to the wilds of the Mackenzie, Connors and Dawson River systems to sight fish for this challenging species. Full show notes at https://doclures.com/bedford-weir-saratoga-matt-hildebrandt/

This episode is for those fishos who don't mind getting slightly more technical in the search for fish. Even though many of our southern estuaries contain many of the similar key species, there are distinct differences in the way they are affected by tide and freshwater inflow that make them fish quite differently. In this episode I spend a little time exploring some of those in preparation for tomorrow's live Q&A session with Greg Reid from Bay And Basin Sport Fishing. Full show notes: https://doclures.com/understand-southern-estuaries/

Lately there seems to be some noise on social media about interest in recreational fishing waning. I don't reckon anything could be further from the truth. in fact, I believe fishing is increasing in popularity and has an important role in Australia's society in terms of fish and waterway conservation, public health (physical and mental) and in powering local economies.

Like all trevallies, brassies are tough, hard fighting thugs. Tempting them to take a lure in shallow, crystal clear water can be a bit of a challenge, but once you crack the code the gloves will quickly come off. Geraldton angler Leigh Murdoch has been fishing these waters hard for many years - and targeting brassy Trevally in shallow water has become something of an art form for him. In this episode Leigh explains his techniques and lure selections for brassies in his back yard. Show notes: https://doclures.com/geraldton-brassy-trevally-leigh-murdoch/

There are not many places in Victoria where Bass are a viable target for lure fishers, but Blue Rock Lake, East of Melbourne holds some quality fish and offers some awesome angling opportunities. Todays Guest, Ben Faro is a freshwater fishing enthusiast and tournament kayak angler who has won three bass tournaments on this lake in recent times. Ben shares some tips that will help all Bass fishers to improve their strike rate on impoundment fish no matter what storage they fish. Full show notes at: https://doclures.com/blue-rock-lake-bass-ben-faro/

There are not many places in Victoria where Bass are a viable target for lure fishers, but Blue Rock Lake, East of Melbourne holds some quality fish and offers some awesome angling opportunities. Todays Guest, Ben Faro is a freshwater fishing enthusiast and tournament kayak angler who has won three bass tournaments on this lake in recent times. Ben shares some tips that will help all Bass fishers to improve their strike rate on impoundment fish no matter what storage they fish. Full show notes at: https://doclures.com/blue-rock-lake-bass-ben-faro/

In recent years the run of summertime Southern Bluefin tuna available to Melbourne anglers has become more consistent, with fish being taken trolling, casting and jigging within a kilometre or two of the coast in 20-30m of water. Melbourne fishing personality and Bluewater enthusiast Lee Rayner is no stranger to the mighty SBT. In this episode he enlightens us with his knowledge on how to find, hook and land a trophy bluefin. More on fishing Port Phillip Bay: https://doclures.com/fishing-port-phillip-bay/ More on fishing Westernport and Phillip Island: https://doclures.com/phillip-island-westernport-bay/ Show notes at https://doclures.com/melbourne-bluefin-tuna-lee-rayner/

The Connors River in central Queensland is a top notch destination for those in search of the awesome sooty grunter. These hard fighting, lure smashing freshwater thugs are plentiful and aggressive, as today's guest Andrew "Triggy" Trigg explains. Triggy has been targeting sooties in the Connors system for a decade or so and has plenty of great tips for getting hold of a trophy specimen. full show notes at: https://doclures.com/connors-river-sooty-grunter-andrew-trigg/

Situated in North East Tasmania, Anson's Bay offers bream fishing enthusiasts a trophy fish destination in serene, idyllic surroundings. Local guide and sponsored angler Michael Jaley has been fishing Anson's Bay for his entire life and in this episode he serves up some tips for those keen to experience trophy bream in a southern wilderness. Full show notes at: https://doclures.com/ansons-bay-bream-michael-haley/

Lake Gregory is a small irrigation storage near Bundaberg in Central Queensland. Despite being called home by some trophy bass, this system is a well kept local secret and enjoys minimal fishing pressure. Jordan Stoddart is a Bundaberg local who has fished this system for many years and has the resident bass population well figured out. In this episode he shares his top tips for bassin' Lake Gregory. Full show notes: https://doclures.com/lake-gregory-bass-jordan-stoddart/

The Bromby Islands in Australia's north are among the most unspoilt, untouched wilderness fishing destinations you'll find anywhere. Im Episode 171, "Fishing The Wild" presenter Hamish "Simmo" Simpson takes us to this remarkable corner of Australia in search of that pretty reef thug, the coral trout. Full show notes at https://doclures.com/bromby-islands-coral-trout-simmo/

Australian bass are a key sport fishing target in the Kangaroo Valley area and despite recent bushfires and droughts there are still quality fish to be found. Ben O'Brien is a Sydney based sport fisher and fishing writer who regularly visits Kangaroo Valley in search of bass, and in this episode shares his tips for others looking to do the same. Full show notes at https://doclures.com/kangaroo-valley-bass-ben-obrien/

Turrum are a hard fighting member of the trevally family and are plentiful in the clear, shallow waters off Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory. Nhulunbuy local and keen angler Jessie Baker targets Turrum from both boat and shore and has had plenty of success on surface and subsurface lures. In Episode 170 of the Australian Lure Fishing Podcast Jessie shares her tips for getting in on the turrum action. Show notes: https://doclures.com/nhulunbuy-turrum-jessie-baker/

The Murrumbidgee River system is a stronghold of our iconic freshwater sport fish and a convenient fishing destination for Canberra based anglers. The current drought conditions have made the fishing a little more challenging of late, but there are still quality fish to be found for those who put in the effort. In episode 168 Canberra based cod enthusiast Victoria Cameron takes us fishing in her back yard and shares some tips that have have been giving her spectacular success on big green river fish. Full show notes: https://doclures.com/murrumbidgee-murray-cod-victoria-cameron/

Dr Ben Diggles is not just a passionate recreational fisher, but a fisheries scientist with expertise on fish handling, fish health and the survival rates of fish released by recreational fishers. in Episode 167 I talk to Ben about the poor fish handling practices that are often seen on social media and what they mean for the survival rates of fish returned to the water. Ben gives some practical tips for ensuring that your released fish survive and continue to sustain both fish stocks and the sport of recreational fishing. https://doclures.com/proper-fish-handling-ben-diggles/

The central West Australian coast is well known for its runs of tailor, but the reef systems of Geraldton offer an extra special opportunity for shore based lure fishers. In Episode 166 Geraldton angler Ben Svenson explains light tackle lure fishing mega tailor, Western Australia style. Full show notes: https://doclures.com/geraldton-tailor-ben-svenson/

As a fishing destination, Darwin has plenty to offer, but it's the spectacular barramundi fishing options available around Darwin that create the most buzz among anglers. In Episode 165 Darwin angler Charlotte Klose shares her tips for targeting the chrome bandits in the waters within a short drive of Darwin. From tackle and techniques to understanding the tides, this episode is bound to help those keen to tag a Darwin Barra.

Sailfish are the fastest fish in the ocean and a wonderful sporting species. They're easily accessible to small boat anglers out of Exmouth in Western Australia. In Episode 164 I talk to gun angler Steve Riley and get some tips for targeting sailfish in his back yard. From finding fish to tackle and techniques, Steve gives a great rundown on what we can do to get connected with these awesome fish. https://doclures.com/Exmouth-sailfish-steve-riley/