Knowledge Library

SPECIES GUIDES WRITTEN BY ANGLERS WHO ACTUALLY FISH.

Long-form, research-grade playbooks on the fish we chase most. Biology, seasonal timing, tackle, tactics and the specific gear that puts fish in the boat — no filler.

Data What we can and cannot see

WHAT A FISHING MAP MEANS BY “STRUCTURE”

Every one of the 87 natural features in our structure list — seamounts, banks, canyons — carries no depth. Of the 287 deployed ones, 258 do. A depth is a signature of human deployment, which makes an Australian structure map closer to a map of fisheries policy than of the bottom — and leaves two capital cities with nothing inside 100 km.

Natural features with a depth0 of 87
AU points that are deployed88.2%
Median spot → structure38.7 km
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Tides & Ramps New South Wales

NSW — ONE TIDE FOR A THOUSAND KILOMETRES

High tide at Eden and high tide at Byron are 31 minutes apart across 1,008 km — the flattest tide of any Australian coast, by six times. The minutes that do differ are bought inside the estuaries, and they cost height. Which matters here more than anywhere, because 76% of NSW tidal ramps are estuary ramps.

Phase spread31 min / 1,008 km
Phase vs. sizer = −0.59
Estuary ramps285 of 373
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Tides & Ramps Northern Territory

NORTHERN TERRITORY — THE RAMPS THAT NAME THEIR OWN TIDE

Fifteen NT ramps state the tide height they need, and they are the only ramps in the country that do. What "above 2.5 metres" actually buys you in hours at Darwin, why the neap opens the gate and the spring closes it, and the four Gulf ramps our own data cannot answer for.

Ramps naming a height15 of 2,133
Darwin spring range5.605 m
Range vs accessr = −0.95
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Tides & Ramps Queensland

QUEENSLAND — ONE COAST, FOUR DIFFERENT TIDES

Cairns and Brisbane get the same spring tide and Cairns gets less than half the neap — and north of the Whitsundays the neap tide stops coming twice a day. Read out of the constants behind our own tide pages, with what each regime does to a ramp plan from the Gold Coast to the Gulf.

Spring range1.294 → 4.558 m
Moreton Bay lag68 min
Ramps tide-gated18.8% → 44.7%
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Bay & Pier Victoria

MELBOURNE — PORT PHILLIP, THE BAY BEHIND THE HEADS

High tide at Melbourne arrives 3 h 11 min after the Heads at half the size, because the entrance filters the ocean tide before it gets in. What that does to a fishing plan, why the bay is a wind fishery rather than a tide one, and the reefs our own seabed model cannot see.

Tide lag3 h 11 min
Spring range0.575 m
Bay ruggedness0.19 m median
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Gulf & Jetty South Australia

ADELAIDE — GULF ST VINCENT, THE DODGE TIDE AND THE JETTIES

Twice a month the tide in Gulf St Vincent stops — and the reason is legible in four harmonic constants at Adelaide's own tide station. What a dodge tide does to a fishing plan, why South Australia is a jetty coast, and which ramps the tide can strand you at.

Neap range0.006 m
Jetties18 of 30 spots
Ramps275 in SA
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Estuary & Inshore Tasmania

HOBART — THE DERWENT, STORM BAY AND THE LEE OF BRUNY

Three separate bodies of water inside half an hour of the city, and the wind decides which one you get. Eleven ramps compared, the seasonal shape of the year, and how far a long-period Southern Ocean swell really reaches into a corner that looks sheltered.

WatersRiver + bay + channel
Ramps11 compared
Shelter14,522 points
Read the guide
Billfish Western Australia

EXMOUTH & NINGALOO BLACK MARLIN — A Light-Tackle Playbook

North West Cape holds two separate marlin fisheries a twenty-minute drive apart, and the sea breeze decides which one you can fish. The ramps, the season, light-tackle rigging, and what our ocean model honestly covers in WA.

FisheriesGulf + drop-off
Ramps4 compared
TackleLight / release
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Engineering July 2026

FROM 30 SECONDS TO 2 — How We Fixed the Cold Boot

A 4.6MB catches query was running on every anonymous page load, blocking the map from rendering. How we traced it, fixed it, and cut cold time-to-map from 22–32 seconds to ~2 seconds.

Before27s median
After~2s
Root cause4.6MB query
Read the post
Clubs June 2026

HOW TO RUN A CLUB COMPETITION — Without the Spreadsheet

A practical guide for Australian fishing clubs: how to set up competitions, pick a scoring format, stop pre-staged entries, and run a live leaderboard without a spreadsheet volunteer.

Scoring formats5 compared
Verification traps3 named
Read8 min
Read the guide
Records IGFA

IGFA WORLD RECORDS — Australia's Top Game Fish

The heaviest black marlin, yellowfin tuna, GT, wahoo and cobia ever caught — the IGFA all-tackle world records, and how your catch measures up.

Species11 game fish
Biggest1,560 lb
SourceIGFA
See the records
Offshore · Why New

HONEST HEATMAPS

Some offshore maps are always lit up — even over poor water — because they normalise "relative to view." Ours is absolute: dim means dim, bright means genuinely prime. Why we chose the honest map over the always-bright one.

TopicHSI scale
Read~5 min
TypeWhy we built it
Read the explainer
Bluefin · UK New

FINDING BLUEFIN IN UK WATERS

Bluefin are back in the Celtic Sea and Western Approaches. How daily SST fronts and a habitat (HSI) map turn a vast offshore search into a short list of high-odds marks — and where Fishare's free UK bluefin map fits.

RegionCeltic Sea
Read~8 min
SeasonJul–Nov
Read the guide
Offshore · Maps New

HOW TO READ SST & HSI MAPS

What sea-surface temperature maps, the SST-gradient layer and habitat (HSI) heatmaps actually show — and how to read them. Why the edge beats the average, how thermal fronts stack bait, and the pre-trip workflow that turns an empty ocean into a few high-odds zones.

Stack3 layers
Read~10 min
RegionsGlobal
Read the guide
App review New

IS FISHBRAIN PREMIUM WORTH $9.99/MONTH?

Fishbrain has 15M users and $65M raised. Their Premium tier is $9.99/month. Honest breakdown of what you actually get — and the one specific place where the value does not hold up.

Published31 May 2026
Read~8 min
RegionAU & US
Read the review
Species · winter New

HAIRTAIL SYDNEY — PITTWATER NIGHT FISHERY

Sydney's cult winter night fishery. June through August in Pittwater and Cowan Creek deep holes, why wire trace is non-negotiable, the strip-squid + glow-stick paternoster rig that defines the fishery, anchoring on the depth contour edges off Mackerel Beach and Cottage Point, and the Korean galchi-gui preparation that justifies the cold session.

Locations4
Read~15 min
RegionsAU NSW
Read the guide
Species · trophy

MULLOWAY SYDNEY — THE YEAR, THE SPOTS, THE NIGHT

Argyrosomus japonicus through a Sydney year. The seasonal calendar (winter cold-water big-jew window, autumn estuary peak, summer school fish), six productive land-based and harbour locations, the slack-tide + new-moon + falling-barometer combinatoric, live yakka and live squid bait rules, and the night-fishing safety bits the Reddit photos skip.

Locations6
Read~16 min
RegionsAU NSW
Read the guide
Species · estuary

WHITING SYDNEY — SAND VS SCHOOL, ALL SEASONS

Sand whiting and school whiting through a Sydney year. The seasonal calendar (Nov–Mar ocean beach peak, Apr–Aug estuary channels), five proven locations from Pittwater to Bundeena, the running-sinker + long-shank rig, nipper-versus-prawn bait order, and the lure work that has turned whiting into a real lure fishery.

Locations5
Read~13 min
RegionsAU NSW
Read the guide
Method · kayak New

KAYAK SYDNEY — FIVE ESTUARIES, WHAT TO TARGET

Sydney Harbour upper reaches, Port Hacking, Pittwater + Broken Bay, Georges River, Hawkesbury + Cowan Creek. Free launch points, target species per system, the two species the kayak unlocks (tail-up bream on shallow flats; jewfish at night in shallow water), and the safety bits most guides skip.

Systems5
Read~12 min
RegionsAU NSW
Read the guide
Species · estuary

FLATHEAD SYDNEY — ESTUARIES, LURES, TIDES

The dusky-flathead estuary system from Botany Bay to Pittwater. Eight productive systems, the two-hour rising-tide window that consistently produces, lure colours by water clarity, and the verbatim NSW DPIRD 36–70 cm slot limit. The complete Sydney flathead playbook.

Systems8
Read~14 min
RegionsAU NSW
Read the guide
Regulatory New

Australian Fishing Regulations 2026 — BAG LIMITS ALL STATES

Bag limits, minimum legal sizes and slot rules for 105 species across all 8 Australian states and territories — NSW, QLD, VIC, WA, SA, TAS, NT and ACT — in one searchable Atlas. Verified against each fisheries agency, June 2026.

Species105
States8
RegionsAU
Open the Atlas
Regulatory

NSW BAG LIMITS 2025 — QUICK REFERENCE

Every NSW DPIRD saltwater bag and size limit on one scannable page. 26 species across estuary, reef, surf, pelagic, and crustacean categories. Slot limits flagged, closed seasons called out, verbatim 2024-25 rule set sourced from the DPIRD PDF. Print-friendly.

Species26
Scan~8 min
RegionsAU NSW
Read the reference
Technique · squid New

SQUID SYDNEY HARBOUR — JIGS, TECHNIQUE

The complete egi jigging guide for Sydney Harbour and Northern Beaches. Calamari vs arrow squid identification, jig size by depth, the rise-and-fall retrieve, the under-bridge-light bite window nobody fishes hard enough, and seven productive spots. Plus how to clean a squid in under a minute.

Spots7
Read~12 min
RegionsAU NSW
Read the guide
Location Flagship

SYDNEY HARBOUR — THE COMPLETE GUIDE

Every fishable corner of Port Jackson, verified against the NSW DPIRD 2024-25 guide. 30+ named spots, the dioxin line that splits the harbour at the Bridge, the four reserves where the squid jigs stay in the bag, and the platforms where the lifejacket law actually applies.

Coverage30+ spots
Read~19 min
RegionsAU NSW
Read the guide
Seasonal · winter New

SYDNEY WINTER SPECIES — MAY–SEP PLAYBOOK

What's actually biting in Sydney from May through September, where to find it, what to throw. Tailor and salmon on dawn metals, drummer on cunje, luderick on the wash, john dory in Middle Harbour, winter mulloway off Clontarf, snapper on the inshore reefs. Eight species with verbatim NSW DPI bag and size numbers.

Species8
Read~15 min
RegionsAU NSW
Read the guide
Access · ramps New

SYDNEY BOAT RAMPS — THE ACCESS GUIDE

Every public ramp and shore-launch point in Sydney. 25 ramps from Roseville Bridge to Cronulla, by region. Lanes, tide window, parking, cost, target species reachable, and the gotchas — NPWS gates, council pay-and-display, dioxin zones west of the Bridge.

Coverage25 ramps
Read~15 min
RegionsAU NSW
Read the guide
Seasonal · summer New

SYDNEY SUMMER PELAGICS — OCT–APR PLAYBOOK

The other half of the season. Yellowtail kingfish in the buoy fields, mahi mahi on the FADs, marlin and yellowfin off Browns Mountain, summer mulloway on the new moon, southern calamari around the harbour — with the closures overlap (no squid jigs in North Harbour AR) called out where it bites.

Species8
Read~17 min
RegionsAU NSW
Read the guide
Forecast literacy New

SYDNEY TIDES & SWELL — HOW TO READ A FORECAST

How to translate a BOM Coastal Waters forecast into a fishable morning. Fort Denison tide harmonics, MHL Sydney Waverider buoy, which forecast services to trust for swell vs which to trust for wind, the southerly-buster pattern, and a worked example for a Saturday at North Head.

Stack5 sources
Read~14 min
RegionsAU NSW
Read the guide
Safety New

SYDNEY ROCK FISHING SAFETY — THE COMPLETE GUIDE

The Rock Fishing Safety Act 2016 in plain English. Which Sydney platforms come under which LGA, the AS 4758 Level 50S lifejacket the law mandates, the $100 fines, the 2026 Chan inquest that brought Kiama into the declared list, and the conditions that put rock fishers in the news.

Coverage18 platforms
Read~15 min
RegionsAU NSW
Read the guide
Regulations New

SYDNEY AQUATIC RESERVES — THE COMPLETE GUIDE

All 11 NSW aquatic reserves around greater Sydney, plain-English. Where you can't fish (Cabbage Tree Bay, Shiprock, Bushrangers), where line is OK but squid jigs aren't (North Harbour, Long Reef), the partial-zone reserves (Bronte-Coogee, Cape Banks), and what each protects.

Coverage11 reserves
Read~14 min
RegionsAU NSW
Read the guide
Estuary New

THE BREAM NSW PLAYBOOK

How to catch yellowfin bream consistently in NSW estuaries, beaches and rocks. Soft plastics, hard bodies, baits, snag work and flats stalking — written for the angler who wants the fish, not the romance.

SpeciesAcanthopagrus australis
Read~12 min
RegionsAU NSW
Read the guide
Estuary & Beach New

THE MULLOWAY NSW PLAYBOOK

The honest playbook for catching mulloway (jewfish) in NSW. Lunar timing, where they hold, beach + estuary + wash tactics, gear by location, the high-percentage approaches.

SpeciesArgyrosomus japonicus
Read~12 min
RegionsAU NSW
Read the guide
Pelagic New

THE YELLOWFIN TUNA NSW PLAYBOOK

A focused, no-fluff guide to chasing yellowfin off the NSW east coast — when they show, where to find them, what to throw and how to read the day. Built for the run from Sydney south to Bermagui.

SpeciesThunnus albacares
Read~10 min
RegionsAU NSW
Read the guide
Pelagic Flagship

SYDNEY KINGFISH FISHING GUIDE

Four chapters — biology & Japanese mastery, colour intelligence, the full lure armoury, and everything you need on the water. Built for anglers chasing hoodlums from Sydney Harbour south to Tasmania.

SpeciesSeriola lalandi
Read~25 min
RegionsAU, NZ
Read the guide
Reef & Bay New

THE COMPLETE AUSTRALIAN SNAPPER GUIDE

Biology, seasonal movements, soft-plastic technique, paternoster rigs, best baits, timing around tide and light — the full playbook for reds from Port Phillip to Spencer Gulf to the Hawkesbury.

SpeciesChrysophrys auratus
Read~18 min
RegionsAU, NZ
Read the guide
Location Guide New

THE COMPLETE FLORIDA KEYS SALTWATER FISHING GUIDE

Tarpon, mahi-mahi, sailfish, snook, redfish, grouper — species-by-species tactics, seasonal timing, tide windows, and how to read SST fronts before you leave the dock.

TypeLocation guide
Read~14 min
RegionsUS · Florida Keys
Read the guide
Inshore · Gulf & Atlantic New

THE COMPLETE SPOTTED SEATROUT GUIDE

Biology, seasonal windows, tidal triggers, and the lure and bait combinations that consistently produce speckled trout from the Florida Panhandle to Virginia — including night-fishing at lighted docks and cold-front tactics.

SpeciesCynoscion nebulosus
Read~16 min
RegionsUS · Gulf Coast & Atlantic
Read the guide
Coming soon

DUSKY FLATHEAD

Estuary tactics, soft-plastic presentation, seasonal ambush points and the science behind that vicious up-strike.

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