Australian Lure Fishing

Episode 211: Melbourne Southern Bluefin Tuna With Andy Smith

04 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The resurgence of Southern Bluefin tuna numbers in the past decade has opened some amazing sport fishing opportunities on Melbournes doorstep. Setting...

Episode 210: Gippsland Estuary Perch With Ben Faro

01 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

South Eastern Victoria is something of a southern fishing Mecca. Lots of species in XOS sizes attract anglers from Melbourne and elsewhere in droves. ...

Episode 209: Lake Macquarie Jewfish With Mark Williams

29 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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....

Episode 208: Lake Eildon Murray Cod With Paul Worsteling

27 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 r...

Episode 207: St George's Basin Flathead With David Johnstone

24 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 coll...

Episode 206: Smell And Taste: How Fish Use Them With Greg Vinall

22 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Episode 205: Bowling Green Bay Barramundi With John Campbell

20 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 pro...

Episode 204: Townsville Permit With Peter Agapiou

17 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Permit are generally considered a fly fishing only species, and a particularly challenging one at that. But Townsville enthusiast Peter Agapiou has sp...

Episode 203: NSW Mid North Coast Flathead With Karl Attenborough

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 Atten...

Bonus: Recreational Fishing In Australia With Andy Moore

14 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

To Australians, recreational fishing holds a very special place. Despite declining participation in virtually all forms of outdoor activity in recent ...

Episode 202: Blowering Dam Yellowbelly With Wayne Dubois

13 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Blowering Dam in southern NSW holds some absolute stonker yellowbelly, but has been dubbed "Lake Disappointment" by anglers not acquainted with the fi...

Episode 201: Hervey Bay Cobia With Shaun Taylor

10 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Episode 200: Boondooma Dam Bass With Dylan Mott

08 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 Tourna...

Episode 199: Gippsland Lakes Flathead With Brett Geddes

06 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Episode 198: Gold Coast Mangrove Jacks with "Shaggy" Sehgers

03 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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, Go...

Episode 197: Port Stevens Flathead With Paul Lennon

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Port Stevens boasts a massive estuary system that's well within reach for many NSW central coast residents. Despite the proximity to large human popul...

Episode 196: Wollongong Frigate Mackerel With Vicki Winter-Lear

30 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Episode 195: Pioneer Valley Barramundi With Paul Dolan

25 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Episode 194: Exmouth Mangrove Jack With Ben Svenson

23 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 abundan...

Episode 193: Great Sandy Straits Squid With Phippsy

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Great Sandy Straits on Queensland's Fraser Coast is fishing paradise. The relatively sheltered waters and loaded with more species than you could ...

Episode 192: Mallacoota Bream With Richard Somerton

18 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Mallacoota is a destination with a reputation for holding healthy populations of quality yellowfin and black bream. That said, the popularity of the a...

Episode 191: Brisbane Blue Marlin With Matt Price

16 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 A...

Episode 190: Marlo Autumn Fishing With Mitch Chapman

13 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 loc...

Episode 189: Sydney Yellowtail Kingfish With Ben O'Brien

11 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Sydney Harbour and the headlands and rocky shorelines to the north are home to large numbers of yellowtail kingfish ranging from barely legal "rat' ki...

Episode 188: 5 Ways Fish Can Find Lures Without Ever Seeing Them

09 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 diffe...

Episode 187: Hopkins River Estuary Perch With Mark Gercovich

06 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 s...

Episode 186: Snowy Mountains Brown Trout With Josh Carpenter

04 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 r...

Episode 185: Lake Mulwala Murray Cod With Cristie Felton

02 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

2019 Australian Freshwater Masters Champion Cristie Felton took out the cod category at Lake Mulwala this year under very tough conditions.  In Episo...

Episode 184: Noosa River Mangrove Jack With Andy Phipps

28 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 quantitie...

Episode 183: Lake Monduran Barramundi With Rusty Townsend

26 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Episode 182: Jumpinpin Flathead With Nick Whyte

24 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Episode 181: NSW Mid-north Coast Bream With Kris Hickson

21 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Bream fishing on lures isn't always about sheltered estuaries, as gun breamer Kris Hickson explains in this episode. The NSW mid-north coastline offer...

Episode 180: Bedford Weir Saratoga With Matt Hildebrandt

19 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Saratoga are a wonderful surface feeding predator, making them a prime sport fishing target throughout their domain in northern Australia. In this epi...

Episode 179: Understanding Differences In Southern Estuaries - Greg Vinall

17 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 con...

Episode 178: Is Recreational Fishing Really Dying In Australia?

14 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

Episode 177: Geraldton Brassy Trevally With Leigh Murdoch

12 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Episode 176: Blue Rock Lake Bass With Ben Faro

10 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 a...

Episode 176: Blue Rock Lake Bass With Ben Faro

10 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 a...

Episode 175: Melbourne Bluefin Tuna With Lee Rayner

07 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In recent years the run of summertime Southern Bluefin tuna available to Melbourne anglers has become more consistent, with fish being taken trolling,...

Episode 174: Connors River Sooty Grunter With Andrew Trigg

05 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Connors River in central Queensland is a top notch destination for those in search of the awesome sooty grunter. These hard fighting, lure smashin...

Episode 173: Anson's Bay Bream With Michael Haley

03 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Situated in North East Tasmania, Anson's Bay offers bream fishing enthusiasts a trophy fish destination in serene, idyllic surroundings.  Local guide...

Episode 172: Lake Gregory Bass With Jordan Stoddart

31 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Episode 171: Bromby Islands Coral Trout With Hamish "Simmo" Simpson

29 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Bromby Islands in Australia's north are among the most unspoilt, untouched wilderness fishing destinations you'll find anywhere. Im Episode 171, "...

Episode 170: Kangaroo Valley Bass With Ben O'Brien

27 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 b...

Episode 169: Nhulunbuy Turrum With Jessie Baker

24 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Turrum are a hard fighting member of the trevally family and are plentiful in the clear, shallow waters off Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory. Nhulunbuy l...

Episode 168: Murrumbidgee Murray Cod With Victoria Cameron

22 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Murrumbidgee River system is a stronghold of our iconic freshwater sport fish and a convenient fishing destination for Canberra based anglers. The...

Episode 167: Proper Fish Handling with Dr Ben Diggles

20 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Ben Diggles is not just a passionate recreational fisher, but a fisheries scientist with expertise on fish handling, fish health and the survival r...

Episode 166: Geraldton Tailor Fishing With Ben Svenson

17 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Episode 165: Darwin Barramundi With Charlotte Klose

15 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As a fishing destination, Darwin has plenty to offer, but it's the spectacular barramundi fishing options available around Darwin that create the most...

Episodes 164: Exmouth Sailfish With Steve Riley

13 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Episode 163: Gladstone Tripletail With Dan Powell

10 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tripletail are a little known but highly prized sport fish from northern waters. Despite being relatively abundant, not many anglers are aware of how ...

Episode 162: Airlie Beach Red Emperor With Tony Bygrave

08 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Red emperor are squarely in the bait fishers domain and have always been a bit challenging for lure fisho's. That said, a small number of hardcore ent...

Episode 161: Blowering Dam Murray Cod With Daniel Nogare

06 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Blowering Dam holds plenty of trophy cod above the magic one metre mark, but also has the reputation of being one of the more difficult storages in wh...

Episiode 160: Fitzroy River Threadfin Salmon With John Boon

03 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Threadfin salmon are a prime sport fishing species throughout northern Australia but are often challenging to find - not to mention get to the hook. ...

Episode 159: What Triggers Fish To Feed?

01 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I respond to a question from an ALF listener by doing a quick brain dump on the environmental and ecological triggers that simulate fi...

Episode 158: Yeppoon Coral Trout With Chris Henry

30 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Coral trout fishing is a popular pursuit around the north Australian coastline. These colourful thugs of the reef are tough, scrappy fighters that req...

Episode 157: Brisbane Waters Bream Fishing With Leon Gaston

27 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Brisbane Waters is a lovely clean water system that harbours tons of quality estuary species and has countless opportunities for anglers.  In this ep...

Episode 156: Xmas Through The Eyes Of A Crusty Fisherman With Doc Lures

25 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It's Xmas Day 2019, so a big Merry Xmas to all ALF fans, and thanks for your support and many emails and messages in 2019. I thought it might be fitti...

Episode 156: Xmas Through The Eyes Of A Crusty Fisherman With Doc Lures

25 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It's Xmas Day 2019, so a big Merry Xmas to all ALF fans, and thanks for your support and many emails and messages in 2019. I thought it might be fitti...

Episode 155: Hinchinbrook Mangrove Jacks With Jimmy Falkenberg

23 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Mangrove jacks are considered to be one of the tougher northern estuarine species, being structure loving and hard fighting. So todays guest surprises...

Episode 154: Sydney Squidding With Ben O'Brien

20 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Squid fishing is very popular along Australia's east coast during the summer months especially. Sydney sponsored angler, marine biologist and fishing ...

Episode 153: Macleay River Wild Bass With Dave Seaman

18 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Often when we talk about 60cm Australian bass we're referring to the large, fat impoundment fish. But Aussie bass specialist and renowned fishing jour...

Experience St Georges Basin Jewfish Fishing: David Johnstone

16 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jewfish are one of the more challenging lure fishing targets and St Georges basin historically hasn't exactly been a hotspot for them. That all change...

Episode 151: Lake Macquarie Flathead With Mark Williams

13 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Lake Macquarie is one of the three trophy flathead fisheries in NSW and despite receiving massive fishing pressure remains a top flathead fishing dest...

Episode 150: Dirk Harthog Spanish Mackerel With The Dixon Brothers

11 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Dixon brothers have made a habit of catching from the stones some amazing species that many anglers struggle to catch from a boat. In this episode...

Episode 149: Port Lincoln Australian Salmon With Tumby Tom Tierney

09 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Australian Salmon are one of the premier lure fishing targets along our southern coastline. Aggressive feeders and tough fighters, this species has pl...

Episode 148: Lake Mulwala Murray Cod With Thomas Pinter

06 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Large Murray Cod are synonymous with fishing at Lake Mulwala - and many fish are taken fishing the shallow, snag dotted banks. Vic cod guru Thomas Pin...

Episode 147: Herbert River Jungle Perch With Matt Carpenter

04 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jungle perch fishing is one of those sublime experiences that I'd recommend to any angler. Remote, crystal clear streams, dense tropical rainforest an...

Episode 146: The Facts About UV Paint On Fishing Lures

02 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

UV paints, tapes and accessories. Plenty of anglers swear by them, but do they really make a difference? Or is it all just a gimmicky way for manufact...

Emu Park Hot Fingermark Fishing Action: Liam Pascoe

29 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Fingermark Bream are a prime northern coastal and estuary sport fishing species. Emu Park sponsored angler and fingermark enthusiast Liam Pascoe share...

Episode 144: North Pine Dam Bass With Chris Anderson

27 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Since opening up for anglers a couple of years ago, North Pine Dam has proven to be bass paradise, with plenty of 50 plus centimetre fork length fish ...

Episode 143: Brisbane Giant Trevally With Ben Jones

25 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Giant Trevally (GT) are one of those species that conjure up a ton of hardcore angling images. Big, tough, aggressive and powerful, these fish don't m...

Episode 142: Shoalhaven Estuary Perch With Anthony Kalsow

22 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Estuary perch are one of the prime sport fishing species of the southern estuary systems. For many they are elusive, despite being present in very goo...

Episode 141: Albany Blue Groper Fishing With Gido Mettam

20 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Gideon "Gido" Mettam is an Albany shore based angler and Youtuber who used his passion for rock climbing create an extreme form of fishing that involv...

Episode140: Moreton Bay Gold Spot Cod With Peter Kaye

17 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Estuary (or Gold Spot) Cod is a common species in northern Australian estuaries, bays and reef systems. It's an aggressive, hard fighting species ...

Episode 139: Gippsland Trout Fishing With Jesse Rotin

14 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Just a couple of hours drive east of Melbourne you'll find the trout  rivers and streams of the west Gippsland area. These shallow, clear streams hol...

How to catch a mangrove jack with Gold Coast guru John Costello

13 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Gold Coast waterways are home to some extraordinarily large mangrove jacks, but they definitely don't come easy! Gold Coast resident and social media ...

Amazing Mid North Coast Jewfish Fishing: Karl Attenborough

11 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The jewfish is considered one of Australia's more challenging lure fishing species, but NSW Youtuber Karl Attenborough reckons it's just a matter of w...

Episode 136: New England Murray Cod With Rob Paxevanos

08 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The New England Area in NSW is awash with Murray Cod fishing options, from surface fishing the many rivers and streams to targeting the monsters in so...

Episode 135: Lake Tinaroo Barramundi With Dylan Brier-Mills

06 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Tinaroo Falls Dam (aka Lake Tinaroo) is a renowned big barra fishery but also has the reputation of being quite difficult to fish. In this episode loc...

Episode 134: Lake Awoonga Barramundi With Roderick Walmsley

04 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Lake Awoonga is back! The floods of 2010-11 that severely depleted the numbers of large barramundi in this system are a distant memory and the fishery...

Whiting Lures And Techniques For South East Queensland: Brad Smith

01 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The rivers and creeks of northern NSW and south-eastern Queensland teem with opportunities for topwater flats fishing. Whiting are the primary target,...

Episode 132: Fairbairn Dam Barramundi With Matt Hildebrandt

30 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Until now, Fairbairn Dam may have been one of Australia's best kept barra fishing secrets. Nestled away near Emerald in Central Queensland, this lake ...

Episode 131: Sydney Snapper Fishing With Steve Winser

28 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Despite the pressure of being of being on the doorstep of Australia's largest population centre, the central NSW coastline offers some extraordinary s...

Episode 130: Coffs Harbour Snapper With Michael Guest

25 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Mid North Coast of NSW might not have the reputation for giant snapper held by South Australia and Western Australia, but there is no shortage of ...

Episode 129: Sydney Harbour Pelagics With Craig McGill

23 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Late spring and summer are the prime times to target the pelagic species that can be found in Sydney Harbour. These include resident fish like kingfis...

Episode 128: Brisbane River Threadfin Salmon With Nick Whyte

21 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The threadfin salmon fishing in the Brisbane River is superb during the summer months, when fish aggregate in the deeper water near the river mouth. ...

Episode 127: Hervey Bay Black Marlin With Scott Mitchell

18 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Hervey Bay in central Queensland is special place for lots of reasons, not the least of which is the ability to sight fish pelagic species in shallow,...

Episode 126: PNG Black Bass With The Wells Bros

16 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ok, so they're not an Aussie species, but when I talk top anglers I find that Papuan black bass are our favourite "bucket list" species. The wells bro...

Episode 125: North West Tasmania Trout Fishing With Jamie Harris

14 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Tasmania is well-know for it's amazing trout fishing, but perhaps less known is the spectacular sea-run trout fishery. In Episode 125 we talk to Burni...

Episode 124: Melbourne Snapper Fishing With Jarrod Day

11 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Despite their close proximity, Westernport and Port Phillip Bays are distinctly different in their characteristics, yet both offer excellent, if seaso...

Episode 123: Swan River Bream With Paul Burton

09 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Perth's Swan River has the reputation of being a pretty good bream fishery - but it's a big system with lots of structure and numerous fishing options...

Episode 122: Baffle Creek Mangrove Jack With Jason Medcalf

07 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Spring is the time when the mangrove jack start becoming more active and aggressive - and Baffle Creek is a great place to target them. Jason Medcalf ...

Episode 121: Murray River Yellowbelly With Stephen Booth

04 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Most yellowbelly anglers target the species in the impundments of southern Australia, but freshwater fishing guru Stephen Booth reckons the flowing wa...

Secrets Of Lake Cathie Whiting On Lures: Karl Attenborough

02 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The NSW Mid North Coast has plenty of exciting sport fishing opportunities, and topwater whiting on the and flats is one that's available to just abou...

Episode 119: Hard Body Lure Hacks With Greg Vinall

30 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The majority of anglers simply pull a shiny new lure out of its packaging, tie it on the line and start fishing. What's wrong with that? Well, the maj...

Episode 118: Gold Coast Flathead With Rob Payne

27 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Gold Coast Flathead Classic is a major fishing tournament that takes place in early October each year.  In this episode, Gold Coast fishing jour...

Untold Secrets Of Brisbane River Jewfish Fishing: Peter Herbst

25 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Brisbane River supports plenty of quality jewfish for those who know how to find and target them. Local angler, fishing journalist and tackle rat ...

Episode 116: NSW Mid North Coast Flathead With Crossy

23 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The topwater flathead fishing craze is definitely in full flight, and one of the pioneers of this aspect of the sport is Simon Crossy" Cross. Crossy r...

Episode 115: Yeppoon Headlands Fishing With John Haenke

20 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The headland systems and inshore islands of the central Queensland coast yield a plethora of awesome sport species, from pelagic speedsters to reef th...