Make sure the only things caught these holidays are fish

by Senior Constable Mick Emery, Rainbow Beach Police Beat

During May this year I had the pleasure of touring around Cape York for four weeks, visiting some remote stretches of coastline and camping beside crystal clear creeks on the Old Telegraph Track.

In addition to the beautiful scenery, part of the appeal was also being able to flick a lure into waters renowned for their fishing. However, the whole trip made us all the more appreciative of our beaches here at home, where you can swim without the constant threat of crocs.

What’s more, as good as the fishing is up at the Cape, my best day’s fishing came on my last day of holidays – right here in Rainbow Beach! My partner, Mike Brantz, and I were fortunate enough to celebrate a friend’s birthday fishing with one of the local professionals – and it really opened my eyes as to how good the fishing is here.

With the benefit of local knowledge, and a swag of secret GPS spots, we had non-stop action all day fighting with big amberjack and tuna, and bringing home months’ worth of quality reef fish for the table.

For those of you visiting for the Rainbow Beach Family Fishing Classic, can I offer two lots of advice? Firstly: get on board one of the local fishing charters – you’ll have a great day, learn heaps and take home enough fish to justify the price to your other half.

Secondly: while you are here, look after your fishing gear! Unfortunately, if you leave your rods and reels un-secured, there are opportunists who will take advantage of your oversight. Make sure that all of your camping (including heavy items like generators) and all fishing gear is secured. In other words, don’t let them get their hands on your tackle!

In the event that you find property that may be owned by someone else, handing it in to police is the most appropriate action. In many cases, such property items are already recorded by us as ‘lost’ or ‘stolen’ – and we can often reunite the property with its rightful owner.

Alternatively, if the property cannot be returned, it can be claimed by the finder after a period of 60 days. The old adage of ‘finders-keepers’ is not a legal defence.

Finally, with the increase of traffic on our roads during the holidays, it is a timely reminder of our responsibilities as drivers – give your driving the attention that it deserves.

‘Catch and release’ is not a philosophy that we apply to drink drivers…