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After the Floods: A Local’s Outlook
  |  First Published: September 2011



I’ve been fishing the Brisbane River for close to 30 years and have seen first hand the transformation of the ‘mouth region’ from a stinky, rat ridden unwelcoming place to the unbelievable fishery it is today. Very few river systems around Australia have the consistent depth range matched with huge fish populations being caught regularly from its vast waters by anglers like our Brisbane River does.

But it is clear now that after the devastating flood the river experienced earlier in the year that our great river system river is again back to its usual fine form with plenty of bream, crabs, tailor, flathead, snapper, mulloway and threadies on offer for the anglers putting in the effort around the mouth of the river. And the freshwater reaches of the river are fishing a lot more consistently after the massive influx of bass and golden perch that came through the flood gates during the floods.

From what I’ve actually witnessed this year, the river has improved out of sight and is now fishing even better than previous years. It really is a place to visit for serious anglers wanting some serious action on big fish.

With the floods came some nice additions for anglers too, like heaps of baitfish, the relocation of structure, the creation of new structures, the reopening of drains that have been unfishable due to silting for many years, the removal of the silty bottom in many places and a healthy population of crabs and big fish have once again called the mouth region of the river home again.

Fishing the river for most of the year (except for the flood) has really been first class with double figure mulloway catches becoming the norm for many of the dedicated river anglers putting in the effort and choosing the best tides. The Brisbane River is much the same as any river system in Australia and is definitely influenced by the tidal flow and moon phases and definitely fishes best with the larger tides towards the new moon and full moon phases. And I use this principal when chasing bream or mulloway or ever crabbing; the bigger the tidal flow the better the fishing.

The relocation of structure has been a blessing in many locations creating new reefs and fish holding areas, but has been a real pain for many of us that were used to making a cast in a particular area knowing that your lure was not going to snag. Now the bottom has changed we snag our lures and the learning process starts all over. It has meant more dollars for lures but heaps more fish holding areas to target. For me it’s been a blessing in disguise as I’ve once again had to look for the new fish holding areas along deep ledges as the structure has definitely changed in many spots. The bottom structure around the mouth has undergone some drastic changes with the removal of the silty bottom and the depositing of new structures which can only improve the ecosystem. With time the soft sponges and aquatic life will start growing on the deposited objects from the floods and create even more areas to target big fish.

My usual fishing haunts like Claras Rock, the main shipping docks and jetties, Pinkenba boat ramp area, the sunken wall and the rock retaining wall at the mouth are all producing lots of quality fish for anglers fishing many different methods. Whether you’re using bait or lure, the fish are eagerly eating the offering making the fishing a pleasure and well worth every cast.

Schools of bait have also been prevalent throughout the year making the river’s ecosystem more diverse and spreading the schools of large predatory fish around the river. This has been a problem in the past few years before the floods with many of the larger threadies and mulloway being found regularly in only a few spots and they were getting slightly overfished. The big fish were becoming accustomed to the sound and vibration of particular lures too and catch rates were falling. But that’s fishing and the anglers trying different techniques and new lures are still having enormous success on the big critters.

The river has become a real testing ground for new lures and techniques. Many of the deep vibration techniques and deep water finesse plastic techniques that anglers use throughout Australia were brought about by anglers chasing big fish in fast flowing deep water along steep ledges in the Brisbane River. It’s only recently that lure techniques that have been developed in the Brissie River are now being used by the bream, barra and mulloway anglers around Australia. Well done to the local crew!

Can the Brissie get better?

I often get asked this question from lots of Brisbane locals and interstaters alike. I believe that time will be the determining factor; but the outlook appears very, very promising if the events over recent months are anything to go by.

As the Port of Brisbane continues its expansion into Moreton Bay and the depth and structure being added around the mouth region continues to grow; the fishing will improve with bigger and better quantities of large fish to be had for all anglers.

It really is worth planning a trip to the river in the next few months as the fishing is awesome and you could catch a fish of a lifetime.

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