WHEN Redland Bay’s Josh Vaughan clocks off from his fly-in-fly-out job, he heads straight for the water – where the fish are biting and the worries melt away.
“You are out in the middle of nowhere,” the 30-year-old said.
“There’s no phone coverage, no social media and no one is hassling you. Being out on the bay gets your brain off work.”
For Josh, fishing isn’t just a hobby – it’s therapy.
His vessel of choice is a seven-metre Riptide boat, and his favourite fishing ground lies off the northern tip of Cape Moreton, where he regularly reels in Spanish mackerel, pearl perch, amberjack and snapper.
His most memorable catch came in November 2024 when he landed a massive 22kg Spanish mackerel.
“It happened so fast,” he recalled. “It didn’t really fight. I heard the rod go off and then I whammed it in.
“The fish was just hanging around on top of the water.”
Despite the thrill of the catch, Josh is a conservation-minded angler.
“I am happy to get a feed,” he said. “Plus, I want to keep the fish life around.
When he’s not fishing, Josh enjoys camping, boating and spending time in the great outdoors.
“I like to keep things back to basics. I like simple things,” he said.
A bucket-list dream is to fish the creeks of northern Australia in pursuit of the iconic barramundi.
“I’d love to get in a little tinnie and go up the creeks,” he said.
Josh’s love for fishing started young.
He was about five when his dad first took him and his sister out in a tinnie before dawn.
“I remember Dad waking us up early and going out in the dark,” he said.
“Back then, we were catching bream and flathead and whiting – not what I’m getting now.”
Now, with years of experience and a deep connection to the waters of Moreton Bay, Josh feels grateful to have grown up in Redlands.
“How lucky am I that I have always lived in the Redlands and there is the bay right there,” he said.
