THE FISHING around Surat has been fairly slow lately, with only a few reports of decent fish being taken. Young local Jake Grams recently caught an undersized yellowbelly and one much larger fish that he kept for the table, but other than that I’ve heard only a few reports about smaller fish and carp being taken. However, I’ve joined the Surat Fishing Club and hopefully I’ll start to increase my contact with local fishermen who may be happy to divulge some of their valuable knowledge and catch information.

At the time of writing there’s been over three inches of rain in the past couple of days and the Balonne River is flowing again. I’m told that this fresh, combined with the dropping temperatures, should cause the fishing to pick up. It will be very cold during June so maybe I’ll be lucky enough to get connected to one of those elusive Murray cod.

Last month I made an error regarding the Surat Secret Weight Fishing Competition dates – the competition will actually be held on the weekend of June 12-13, 2004. Nomination fees are $15 for seniors and $5 for Juniors.

Nomination puts you in the running to win the major prize which is a 3.6m aluminium punt supplied by Waterskiers Warehouse, with a Minn Kota Edura 30 transom mount electric motor supplied by BLA Quality Marine Equipment. Other prizes include a Humminbird Piranha Max 10 fishfinder, tackle boxes, rod and reel combos, shirts, caps and much more. There will also be a catch and release section with an overall prize. Entertainment will be provided on Saturday night by Steve James, ‘The Singin’ Ringer’ and there will be a bar and canteen operating from 12pm Saturday.

By all reports the fishing competition is a lot of fun and everyone can be assured of a great weekend. If you’ve never fished the freshwater before and live in southern Queensland, this is the perfect opportunity to combine the fishing with a weekend away. Surat really is a vibrant, friendly town and is only a little over three hours from Toowoomba. For further information phone Robyn on (07) 4626 5264.

1) The south-west waterways can be quite picturesque. This area is known as the Water Lilies and is located about 12km from Surat.