Podcast Description: Hi Tide Fishing Show – December 20th

Hook into the ultimate Christmas fishing guide!

Join the Hi Tide crew—Grant, Alan, and Kieran—for a massive festive edition of Australia’s favorite fishing show. As we head into the heat of the Christmas break, we’ve got everything you need to make your time on the water safe, successful, and stress-free.

On this week's show:

• The Christmas Fishing Forecast: We break down what’s biting from the Northern Beaches to the South Coast. Get the latest on the Snapper run, the Marlin moving into the 36-fathom line, and where to find the best Flathead and Whiting for your Christmas table.
• Safety First: With the boat ramps about to get "chock-a-block," we talk to the experts about staying cool under pressure. From the "Plan B" weather strategy to life jacket safety and how to actually get back into your boat if you fall overboard, this segment is a must-listen for every skipper.
• Tech Tip – The Art of Anchoring: Alan Blake from Blake’s Marine joins us to discuss why your anchor setup is your most important insurance policy. Learn about chain lengths, choosing the right anchor for the ground, and how to use "Anchor Alarms" so you can sleep like a log while overnighting.
• Local Legends: We check in with Paul Burt (who catches a fish live on air!), Matt from Salamander Bait and Tackle, and Ross O’Brien from the South Coast for their local "hot spots" and holiday advice.
• Christmas Treats: Paul Burt shares a legendary recipe for syrupy Christmas cherries that definitely isn't "lean burn technology."

Whether you're chasing Meter-plus Cod in the Murrumbidgee or Trolling for Dolphin Fish offshore, Hi Tide is your passenger seat companion this Saturday morning.

Cast a line with us and make it a cracker of a Christmas!

This Hi Tide Fishing Show, brought to you by Blake's Marine, is packed with fishing reports, Christmas gift ideas for anglers, and essential safety tips!

The show opens with hosts Grant and the team welcoming listeners and noting the week's weather—a little rain and some hot weather. They're all thinking about fishing this weekend, except for Lisa, who's putting together an easy plum pudding to go with her Sue and Dev's Seafood.

Fishing Reports and Forecasts

• Sunshine Coast: Kieran Reekie reports the forecast is 28 degrees with light showers. Offshore fishing is okay, with all species available, including Marlin. The Maroochie River, particularly the creeks, is the place for mangrove jack and flathead.
• South Coast: Greg Reed from Pro-Lure Australia mentions the South Coast is dry and could use a little rain to help with the prawn run. The Basin is a standout, with plenty of good mulloway being caught and released by many anglers. The shallows have heated up to about 24 degrees. Fishing is good now, but Greg warns that the fish will become noise-shy once the holiday influx of boats and people begins.
• Ross O'Brien (Captain Roscoe) on the South Coast: Mentions a catch of snapper, herch, bonito, trawler tuna, and Mahi Mahi. Flathead fishing is good up the river under the train line and Minnamurra. There's also good snapper near the Kiama blowhole. The segment notes the bag limit for Mahi Mahi: a limit of 10, a minimum size of 60cm, and only one fish over 110cm.

Christmas Gift and Gear Talk

• In-Depth Christmas Gifts: Steve Baller, visiting Suffolk Sports in Lismore, discusses great, personalized Christmas gifts for fishermen of all ages. He recommends avoiding big chain store gift vouchers. Popular items include lures matched to where the person fishes, multi-tools, braid scissors, fillet knives, and the handy ceramic line cutters that can be glued to a bait board.
• Kids' Starter Gear: For younger anglers, kits with everything needed are available. Steve advises on a light rod and upgrading the reel on combos to avoid "dodgy" reels with springy line.
• Empire Fishing and Boating: Tyler joins the show to talk about his store in Woy Woy and fishing spots like Edelong Beach (for tailor on gang hooks and pillards) and the Woy Woy area (for flathead on soft plastics).

Boat and Safety Talk

• Tech Tip of the Week (Life Jackets): Alan Blake focuses on the importance of life jackets. Tips include reading instructions, adjusting them to fit properly, adding a name, and using a crutch strap to prevent the jacket from riding up in the water. He also suggests a Man Overboard (MOB) device for offshore fishing and a saltwater-activated light. Special attention is given to children's life jackets: they must be the correct size, brightly coloured, and foam-type (like Type 1) are recommended over inflatables for small kids to support the chest and head.
• Blake's Marine Holiday Hours: Blake's Marine is open over the Christmas break but closed on public holidays and Sundays.

This show is an essential listen for getting ready for the Christmas break, whether you're shopping for a loved one or planning your own fishing trip!

This week on Hi Tide, proudly brought to you by Blake’s Marine, the Fishing Fellas kick off the show with a warm welcome, a hot-weather warning and a stack of coastal and offshore fishing chat as we roll towards summer. With a proper blast of heat on the way, the crew talk about planning your day around the forecast, staying sun-safe and making smart decisions before you launch the boat or hit the beach.

We cross to Kieran for the latest marine weather outlook and safety reminder, including extreme heat, staying covered up, carrying plenty of water and that simple mantra: if in doubt, don’t go out. From there it’s straight into an up-to-date NSW fishing report, starting with Narrowbean Bait & Tackle on Pittwater and the northern beaches, with tailor, salmon, bream, flathead, whiting, kingfish and jewfish on offer, plus beach gutters and rock spots that are producing fish. We then head north to Fishing Tackle Australia in Coffs Harbour for news of marlin, dolphinfish, yellowfin, snapper, pearl perch and kingfish out around the islands, headlands and wider marks.

Politics and access are front and centre as the team catch up with Mark Banasiak from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party to wrap up the year in fishing politics. Mark explains what’s happening with proposed fishing bans and restrictions in parts of Western Australia, how one spearfisher’s actions have triggered calls to lock up big pieces of coastline, and why it’s so important to have someone “batting for rec fishers” when decisions are being made. They talk about enforcement, media coverage, the risk of punishing everyone for the actions of a few and what anglers can do to stay informed.

The show also looks ahead to storytelling and offshore adventure with Lawrie McEnally and Peter Sayre. Lawrie is back with more tales from the coast, while Peter checks in from Gladstone, sitting on the bridge of a serious live-aboard boat loaded with high-end electronics. He talks about life aboard, the incredible sonar and sounder setup with big transducers and side-scan, and the run of striped marlin and yellowfin tuna that have been hanging around since late autumn. There’s chat about sounder horsepower, reading the bottom, upgrading your own electronics and how much difference good gear and a switched-on skipper like Scotty East can make.

To round things out, the Fishing Fellas dive into some good old-fashioned boat-ramp and on-water etiquette. They cover drinking and decision-making on boats, why you don’t want to be alcohol-affected if something goes wrong, and how simple manners at the ramp – patience, preparation and thinking ahead – can stop a perfect day from turning into chaos when the wind change sends everyone back to the trailer at once.

If you’re chasing a NSW fishing report from Pittwater, the northern beaches and Coffs Harbour, plus straight-talking coverage of Western Australian fishing bans, Gladstone marlin and yellowfin, marine electronics and ramp etiquette, this episode of Hi Tide is packed with guests, politics, stories and practical tips to help you plan your next trip.