Fishing with Tony Lincoln | Exploring the Peninsula

WITH holidays coming, and already here for some, I wanted to use the column this week to encourage you all to get out and about and explore the wonderful area we've got right on our doorstep.

Something I noticed not long after I purchased the shop here was that I'd never realised just how many people came to the Moreton Bay region and particularly the peninsula, for day trips, weekends and holidays. This made me recognise how much I took for granted living in such a beautiful area and also that I'd never truly appreciated how fortunate my mates and I were to grow up here.

Having always had a love of the outdoors and the water, I've got countless memories of things I've seen and experienced that I'd never have had if I'd been sitting at home looking at a screen.

Dolphins jumping and turning somersaults, dugong, turtles, stingrays, a myriad of birdlife, fish and sharks are some of the sights we've all got access to from land and that those not fortunate enough to reside in our region, will pay handsomely to see.

Head down to the sandflats for a walk through the water or out amongst one of the many rocky outcrops around the peninsula and take the time to really look at what's right underneath your feet. Taking kids to these locations can keep them entertained for hours as they invariably see much more than we adults do. Trapped fish waiting for the tide to free them, crabs, octopus, worms, slugs, jellyfish etc all swimming around in usually crystal clear rock pools are all interesting to the little ones.

So, these holidays, slow down, take your time and get out there and appreciate what we've got right here. You could do a lot worse than sparking an interest and a love and appreciation of the outdoors that could last your kids for life. It's right here under our noses.

Slow down, relax, and enjoy your holidays.

Thanks for reading again, and remember;

Talk to old people, they know stuff you don't.

Talk to young people, they know stuff you don't.

FISHING REPORT

• Bait is increasing after the rain, with our summer pelagics starting to appear underneath them.
• Summer whiting are still patchy but the results are there for those willing to put in the time and cover the ground with quite a few fish in the mid to high thirties and several around the 40cm mark.
• Flathead around the Peninsula.
• Squire and snapper on the inshores, off the rocky points and the occasional fish off the jetties.
• School mackerel becoming more consistent on the inshore reefs, jetties and also further afield in the bay for the boaties.
• Mangrove Jack are firing with a couple of nice fish well into the forties.
• Plenty of mud and sand crabs on the move in Bramble Bay, Deception Bay and in the rivers and creeks.