Hervey Bay located on the Fraser Coast, Queensland, Australia is well known internationally for its fishing. Many anglers are drawn towards the fishing opportunities which exist within the Great Sandy Strait, Platypus Bay & further north near the Break Sea Spit. All of which, require a boat to access. Perhaps less well known are the productive land based fishing opportunities located only a stone’s throw from many of the public parks & walking trails which litter the Hervey Bay foreshore.
Let’s Break it all down
In many regards fishing land based, is not so different than fishing from a boat. Sure, you are more restricted in terms of the water you can access. However, the basic principles of locating likely fish holding areas remain the same.
In fact, when many people are seeking to cast their bait or lure as far as they possibly can out into water. They often fail to see the fish, hiding & feeding right at their feet. I mean, why do most sports fishers have expensive electric motors riding on the bow of their boats? Apart from groovy features such as spot lock which negate the need for those torturous anchor retrieval sessions. They provide the capability to stealthily move into shallow water & often sight cast at fish in less than a few feet of water.
Urangan Pier
Without a doubt, Hervey Bay’s 100-year-old Urangan Pier, which stretches a good 868m & is one of the longest remaining piers in Australia attracts many land based anglers. There are a few deep channels which pass under the pier as you make your way to the very end. Which provides access to one of the deep-water channels feeding the Great Sandy Strait. If you visit the Anglers Den. A small family owned, tackle store located only a hundred metres or so from the pier. You can view their photo board which clearly shows the diverse range of magnificent fish caught from this pier.
Why The Pier
The Urangan Pier provides a perfect example of features to search for when considering any land based fishing location. Not only does the pier provide access for land based anglers to cast their baits or lures into deep water. It also provides structure for fish. In many ways, the pier attracts fish who are seeking to find structure to hide within & for others a location to ambush their prey.
The channels of water which pass under the pier act as the perfect choke point or ambush location for anglers to target fish as they move in & out with the tide. They also afford the same advantage to predatory fish. There is also a healthy population of small crabs & other crustaceans which live on the sand bars close to the pier. Many fish move onto these sand bars as the tide floods seeking a meal.
So, when we consider a couple of fishing basics; structure, choke points & food source the Urangan pier delivers on all counts. Identifying other suitable land based fishing locations are simply a matter of researching & scouting for locations which provide the same features.
Likely Locations
While the satellite image below shows a few general areas, which are worth a look. I am not going to provide specific gps coordinates for every location, why? Well, I hope, like myself that you find searching, scouting & discovering new locations to be an immensely satisfying aspect of fishing.
If you are a boat based fisher searching for free GPS Marks – click here.
Structure
Structure can take many forms. Rocks, especially coffee rock are an obvious place to look. Along with sunken debris & weed patches. These all offer both protection & stealth. My advice when fishing structure is not to simply cast you lure or bait into the centre of the structure. As that approach generally results in your hooks becoming snagged. The angler then trying in vain to yank them free & inevitably the lure or hook being lost.
Instead work the edges of structure. If using bait try to land your cast as close as possible to the structure to allow the scent of your bait to entice any predatory fish hiding in the structure to break cover. Likewise, if you are a lure fisho. Cast along the edges of structure. This may mean you need to reposition yourself, but try to get your lure swimming along the longest edge of the structure. Again in the hope that any predators hiding in the structure will burst from cover, attack your offering & then hope you are quick enough to prevent them from returning to their lair with your lure or bait.
Fish Must Eat
Food sources for fish can take many forms. The most common that anglers search for are yabby holes, generally in sand or shallow mud. When you do find a location, which holds yabbies or other crustaceans take care to search for any flathead or stingray lies. These often reveal many secrets about how predatory fish approach that location.
A flathead lie can tell you the direction that they are most likely facing while ambushing prey. Their route into & out of an area. It can also reveal the best type of tide to target that location with i.e. As the tide comes in or as it retreats. Oyster shells on rocks in large concentrations often attract species such as bream, so are always worth a cast. Small bait fish breaking on the surface is another good sign of predatory fish hunting prey. This generally occurs when the predators have their prey cornered in some manner. Most likely against structure or in a narrow choke point.
Wrap Up
Remember, just because you might be restricted to land based fishing, does not mean you cannot locate & land impressive fish. Sometimes the most productive places for great fishing are right under our noses. By getting back to basics they become more obvious.
Of course, tide times, water temp & many other factors do play a part but my recommendation is to just get out there. Identify a few likely locations which feature the basics of structure, choke points & a food source. Then visit these places at different times in the tide cycle to see what else you can identify. Every location has a code, our job as anglers, is to crack that code.