I've done a fair amount of land based saltwater fishing around Australia, mainly from the beach surfcasting and from piers. Along the way I've picked up most of the usual species but apart from the odd decent size bream, I've yet to hook into something of a good size. So my hope for today was to find some of the fabled 50+ cm flathead that Peter has been picking off in recent months. This was also only my second outing sea fishing on a boat as apart from a bit of handlining for Red Emperor on holiday at Brampton Island, I've never really had the opportunity before - fingers crossed my sea legs would be ok (luckily we weren't leaving the river for open water!) and we'd get amongst some fish.

It was a cold start! We arrived just as the sun was coming up and Peter wasted no time getting the boat in the water - it still impresses me that he can reverse park and get the boat off the trailer so quickly, I guess Aussies just have this skill in the blood?! It was a short scream down the river (that boat can move...) and I was really glad I brought so many layers - two long sleeve t-shirts (one of them thermal), a thick hoodie, a down jacket, snood, beanie, boardies and tracky-dacks. I felt slightly like a Michelin man but, with the exception of my nose, I was actually pretty toasty - who knew it could be so cold in the sunshine state?!

Peter had very kindly rigged me up with 3 rods for the day: a light soft plastic, a heavy soft plastic and a hard body with the idea being different spots would work better with the different set ups. As the sun clipped the top of the trees we pulled into our first spot, the corner of a channel of the main river and got to casting the lighter plastics around the edges. Amazingly, Peter got a hit on the first cast to open water! But sadly other than a couple of knocks, nothing showed itself along this section so it was time to move on.

You sure do get places quickly in a boat and in no time we were in the next spot, the opening of a larger back channel off the main river. The difference this time though was that we were in open water fishing to the bank and with the heavier plastics. Within a couple of casts it was very apparent that there were fish here and within minutes Peter was into the first fish of the day, a 50cm monster flathead who gave a good account of itself and was soon in the boat despite my amataur landing net skills. As is the case with Australian fishing, if it's a legal fish, it goes in the eski and unfortunately for this flathead, it was her unlucky day.

Something I wasn't expecting was the police turning up! We'd been facing the bank and I hadn't noticed their launch until it came along side and they hailed Peter for his name, licence and registration. A quick check of the credentials and life jackets and they were off. It seems the waterways in Australia are policed as well as the roads (which is no bad thing).

Then things got tough, not through lack of fish as there were definitely a lot around but more through lost tackle. I got my first chance at the action only to be bitten off. Then again. Then Peter got bitten off too. The suspicion was it was smaller tailor snapping at the lures and biting through the line! Not ideal. We stuck at it for a little while but we were racing through plastics and jig heads at a rapid rate of knots so it was time to move on.

So we headed down the back channel to fish the boat ramp and structure I'd seen in Peter's latest video.​ Sadly for me, despite casting to the exact spot my guide suggested I somehow managed to get snagged on the first cast! After creeping towards the boat ramp, we somehow got everything back but my biggest fear was my antics would have ruined the spot... But a couple of casts later Peter hooked into yet another decent flathead so all was not lost.

After a few more casts, I finally got in on the action hooking into the one and only bream of the trip. Not a big fish, but it was my first and put a big smile on my face.

We spent a good while creeping along the various jetties and structure before Peter mentioned that it might be worth a cast to open water and true to form, he was instantly into a fish, this time a tailor. I soon switched over, casting the heavier plastic out into the channel and using the 'hop, hop, wind' method​​​ and within a couple of casts I too was into a tailor - they were definitely around!

Then from nowhere I got my 'fish of the day'. I'd cast out and almost got the lure back to the boat when something absolutely smacked it and tore off. On light gear, this thing gave a hell of a good account of itself and it was a bit of a struggle to get it under control but after a bit of excitement a beautiful fish graced the landing net.

I had absolutely no idea what it was but luckily my guide was better informed and let me know it was a mulloway, and a decent on at that coming in at 63cm. Sadly for us (but luckily for the him/her!) this wasn't a legal fish the required size being +75cm so after some pics and a piece to video this one went back. I was stoked though, what a fish!

We continued down the back channel, hitting all the likely spots but the bream just weren't around which was really surprising. After an hour or so of exploring we upsticks again and headed down to the mouth of the channel to try the sand flats for flathead. The water here was really shallow, ranging from 3 to 5 feet which was ideal but try as we might, we couldn't buy a bite...

It wasn't until I cast right up into really shallow water towards the bank that we got our first hit. The lure had hit the water and I'd done my first 'hop' when a huge spray of water kicked up... Flathead on! This thing absolutely tore off, it was clear I was into something of a decent size and sure enough, a few runs and twists and turns later I had my first flathead in the boat.

This one came in at 56cm and I was blown away - what a monster! After a brief lesson in how to hold them (flathead have savage teeth and spikes that contain a anticoagulant meaning if you get spiked by one, you'll bleed for ages) we did some pics and a piece to camera. And again, it was this fishes lucky day as despite it being of legal size, I decided to slip it back. The catch and release angler lives on in me and I still like to see them swim away to fight another day.

After that commotion we were hopeful of some more fish but the action was still very slow. That is until Peter decided a lure change was in order. Switching to a hardbody and got a fish on the first cast to open water - unreal! This fish was clearly something serious and on light gear he had to take it very easy, but wind by wind he managed to get it back to the boat and a huge flathead slipping into the landing net. This thing went absolutely mental in the net and as they have a tendency to shake the hook once the line goes slack you need to get them into the boat pronto. As if to prove a point, this fish flapped around and managed to get itself down the side of one of the cabinets in the boat and we had a bit of a time getting it out. But we managed it in the end and after a few trophy shots with the lure (complete with straightened out hooks on one of the trebles) another flathead went into the eski with the others.

Time was marching on and we couldn't believe it when we checked our watches and discovered it was 2.30pm (we had it in our heads it was only around 12/1ish). As there were two more spots we wanted to try we upped sticks again and started to make our way back. The main river had gotten a lot more busy with boats in pretty much every likely looking spot but after a quick petrol top up (I'm not going to lie, when the engine spluttered and died I did get slightly concerned...) we hit the last areas to try our luck. But sadly there were no more fish and we decided to call it a day.

All in all it was a pretty stunning day on the water! The weather had been very kind and the crazy westerly winds we've been having recently stayed light which made casting a lot easier. I really enjoyed fishing from the boat and I'm indebted to Peter for taking me out - I felt like a propper Aussie fisherman!

And Peter had more than bagged up, managing to to get 5 decent flathead to take home for the table which was a bit of a result. Now that I've got my BBQ smoker set up at home, it's going to be very hard in future to put any flathead I catch back...

Todays session was a complete rerun of last week minus the gale force winds! I hit the water at the same time, around 8ish, investigated the same spots and caught one fish from the exact same spot as last week. I didn't get a knock or a tap anywhere else, it's almost as if all the fish apart from this one lonely bass have been removed from the reservoir...

As it was I was relying on the spot in question to come up with the goods, I'd say it's been the only reliable banker spot on the entire water since I started fishing at Enoggera. I'd had a couple of experimental casts and received what felt like a gentle hit on the retrieve. I stuck with it, finally changing lure colour and position and then got an absolute winner of a cast right on the edge of the lily pads...

And sure enough off it went! Not a big fish but a fish to save me from the dreaded blank. I'm not sure what's going on at the moment but Enoggera Reservoir is fishing hard... One fish does make a session I guess but it's not a lot to show for 3 or so hours worth of casting, especially when you know that there's a lot of fish in there.

Maybe its winter, maybe its the weather, maybe its the water clarity (we haven't had a huge amount of rain but the water level is up and there's a brown tinge to it...) but it might be a good time to put the bass fishing on hold for a couple of weeks and investigate some sea fishing... Watch this space!

And guess what? It was windy as all hell... Seriously, white tipped waves, the kayak being hurled around all over the place, casting virtually impossible and to top it all it was bloody freezing! Why oh why did I listen to the forecast?! Although I enjoyed my session Bream bashing at Nudgee yesterday the conditions would've been perfect for lure fishing on the res!

Although it was difficult I did manage one bass from a spot that rarely lets me down. I somehow managed a perfect cast, right on the edge of the lilies and as I muttered 'that cast deserves a fish' off it went. As normal no monster (there are some in Enoggera but they're few are far between) but as it was a blank saver, I wasn't complaining.

I spent 3 hours in total bobbing around before I called it - the wind was kinda ruining things for me so I headed home and wrote some blog posts! Not a bad way to start the weekend?!

With each session at Enoggera Reservoir getting better and better I was chomping at the bit to get out on the water again. But as it gets dark in Brisbane at around 5pm now its morning sessions only and this was to be a short one - I had max three hours... The weather was spot on, warm, very light winds and only a slight ripple on the water, it was looking good for a bite!

As always, the temptation was to head straight to the previous sessions 'hot spot​' but I had a quick cast around on my paddle out to get my casting eye in. And amazingly, I got my 1st knock on the 3rd cast to some margin lily pads just around the corner opposite the damn wall. And then on the next cast, it was fish on! My favourite kind of bite, the bass took the lure virtually at the kayak which always gets the heart racing.

I gave it 20 or so more casts but with no takers, it was on around the next corner. With such early success, I figured it would be worth having a cast at another likely looking spot and BANG, another cracking bite!

And that really set the theme of the next hour or so's fishing! Every time I hit a new spot, I got a bite - just the one, despite trying the same areas I couldn't get more than one fish but that was fine as the bass were clearly spread out along the margins and more than happy to hit a lure.

Every time the bites tailed off, I moved on letting the gentle breeze carry me slowly all along the right hand margin of the reservoir. I was even getting hits from spots I'd never consider casting to, definitely smaller fish nibbling the tail of the lure but to get this much activity and action was amazing.

And then as quickly as the action started, it completely stopped... It was almost like all the fish disappeared from the area and despite working the margin again, I couldn't get a knock...

The sun was full in the sky by now and maybe that was the cause of the fish leaving the area as the margins were now in dappled sunshine? Thinking this might be the case and that they'd headed for deeper water I decided to hit the pads at the far end of the reservoir where I'd had so much luck on previous sessions. But it wasn't to be, I tried the exact same tactic of letting the wind drift me through the pads casting as I went but despite clipping the edge of the lilies I couldn't raise a bite.

So it ended up being a weird but hugely enjoyable session! To get seven fish in an hour (one jumped the kayak before I could get a snap!) was amazing and it was just so strange how the fishing turned off as quickly as it turned on. If I'd been fishing for silvers in the UK, I'd say it was due to a predator such as a pike or perch moving into the area but I can't think of anything swimming in the reservoir (other than bigger bass!) who may have scared them all away...

Lets see what the next session brings!

Today almost didn't happen as earlier in the week I'd found a big puddle of coolant under the car... The garage reported it was a busted water pump and amazingly managed to fix it and get it back to me by Thursday meaning Friday fishing was back on!

I've yet to get a bite anywhere near the launching stage or in the main drag towards the damn so I set to the long paddle to the far end of the reservoir deciding to start at the 'rope swing' section (so called as there's a rope swing high in a tree about half way along the bank - simple!). It gives your shoulders a good early morning work out and preps them for casting which is no bad thing. The weather was bang on, warmish with a slight chilly breeze, sunny with clouds so not too bright and as I arrived at the first likely looking spot I was full of anticipation...

So it was a real surprise when on the 5th cast towards a snaggy bush the rod absolutely busted off! I couldn't believe it, a bite this early on in the session and a really savage one at that?! This was a pretty serious fish, it desperately tried to get into the lily pads but I managed to steer it into open water, then it took a deep dive under the kayak, stripping line and turning me in a full circle (I'm always amazed by how much influence on a kayak a fish on the end on a line has). I was completely unprepared for the bite and the size of fish and sadly this meant I made a complete fumble of the whole process and as I scrabbled to get the landing net from behind me the hook pulled... Arrrrg. Gutted. So annoying! Silently swearing under my breath I got myself sorted out but I'm not going to lie, losing such a good fish so early on in the session on a water that's not known for doing lots of bites and big fish put a big dent in my day.

One thing that I've been really concentrating on is being stealthy on the water (it makes a BIG difference) and with all the commotion, I figured that the spot was now probably ruined. At which point a blue helicopter appeared overhead, shot across to the far side and then appeared to make a dummy landing on the bank - what the hell?!?! It was so loud and slightly surreal, I wasn't 100% sure I wasn't imagining it...

So with my antics and the helicopters noise I was pretty amazed when I got another chance. I'd moved 15 or so metres down the bank, had a bump on a retrieve and on the next cast a really solid bite - fish on! And this time, I was fully prepared, drag spot on, landing net close to hand and after a short tussle the fish was in the net and not a bad one either.

Big sigh of relief, and lost fish almost forgotten I explored the area for another 20 minutes or so but with no more takers and the wind picking up and constantly pushing me into the edge I needed a change of scene.

On my previous session I'd had lots of luck around the rafts of lily pads at the furthest reach of the reservoir so I decided to head that direction and see if there were any fish around. As before, I positioned myself upwind and a fair distance away from the pads and let the breeze and current drift me into and amongst the pads, casting around as I went in an effort to locate the fish.

I actually ended up in virtually the same spot as before, casting to a raft of pads out in open water when I got my first bite, another good size bass. After getting that fish in the net, I rafted up on the pads opposite and set to casting tight to the edge to see if there were any more takers. I got bump after bump, there were clearly more fish around and it didn't take long until I got another chance. But sadly, after a short fight this one came off...

One thing I'm trying to get into the habit of doing is regularly checking my hooks and leader knot during the session and after each fish. As it happened, the main hook point was 'dinked' over and failed the thumbnail test... Five minutes with the split ring pliers and a new hook fitted I got to casting again and bang, another fish on - what is it with this particular set of pads, it appears to be a fish hang out?!

I'm desperately tyring not to out stay my welcome in a swim, its so hard when you've had a couple of bites not to turn the water to a foam with relentless casting for hours on end so after not receiving any more knocks on my next 10 'good' casts (i.e. clipping the pad edges) I decided to move on and explore the other rafts.

The bass were definitely awake and happy to hit as two more spots produced fish and multiple knocks. It was amazing, the reservoir was fishing like a completely different water, I couldn't quite believe the amount of action and activity. I don't know if it's due to it being cooler, or that there seems to be less cover along the edges (the pads have really reduced in size) but the open water spots around the rafts seem to be where the fish are hanging out and I was more than happy to take full advantage!

By this time the sun was high in the sky and a quick check of the phone reviled it was 1.30! Where had the time gone?! It was hard to call it a day but duty called as I needed to pick my son up from school, so I gave the pads a fond farewell and started the long paddle back to the landing stage with a big smile on my face. What a fantastic session, I'm loving kayak fishing and can't wait to be back!