WHEN Paul Hollingdale moved to Macleay Island four years ago, he had to relearn familiar waters from a very different perspective.
This time fishing the southern end of Moreton Bay rather than the northern grounds he once knew well.
A former volunteer with Marine Rescue at Sandgate, Mr Hollingdale said the transition required a practical reset.
“Thank goodness for GPS,” he said.
For Mr Hollingdale, 65, the move was not his first experience of a literal sea change.
He grew up fishing the English Channel alongside his father, where conditions and catch were vastly different from Queensland waters.
“You can’t compare,” he said.
“The Channel and the Bay are too different.
“We would anchor in water 450 metres deep and catch prized cod fresh from the Arctic.
“Whiting was a bycatch and we’d keep the whiting if we hadn’t caught cod.”
After moving to New Zealand at age 13 and later to Australia at age 21, he said fishing had remained a constant throughout his life.
His relocation to Macleay Island was driven by affordability and a desire to “get out of the rat race”.
“I love the ocean and there is a sense of community here,” he said.
“It’s a part of the lifestyle.
“I’m in the band, the choir and the boat club and I am joining the Macleay Island Art Complex.
“Here, I know my neighbours. I mean I really know my neighbours. You see so many familiar faces at community events.”
Now fishing from a five-metre runabout, Mr Hollingdale said success on the water depended on patience, timing and local knowledge as much as luck.
“Fishing is an unknown entity,” he said.
“Fish move. This is a game of luck and a game of chance.”
He said tides and moon phases often guided his trips more than clock time.
“Three quarters of an hour before or after a full moon is always better, especially on an incoming tide,” he said.
Favoured spots include reefs off northern Macleay Island near the Tingira Boat Club, with snapper and flathead commonly targeted in the main channel.
“I prefer to drift for fish rather than anchor,” he said.
“Fishing is about being in the right place at the right time.
“If you don’t get a catch that day, there is awesome coffee at Coochiemudlo Island.”
Despite the lifestyle focus, Mr Hollingdale remains firm on safety.
“You have to be careful when you travel in a boat,” he said.
“At night, keep navigation lights on and keep away from ferry channels. Carry flares and lights and wear safety jackets that comply with current standards.”
Mr Hollingdale said he supports efforts to streamline marine rescue services, saying proposed amalgamations could reduce costs and simplify coordination for volunteers and boaters alike.
