PETER Herbst may live at Shailer Park, but he considers Moreton Bay his real home.
He fishes there about once a week and shares his experiences with 9000 YouTube subscribers.
He is also able to combine his passion for fishing during his working hours for a wholesale fishing tackle company, supplying bait and tackle stores at Victoria Point, Ormiston and Capalaba.
“I get to live and breathe something I truly love,” he said.
Herbst’s love of fishing stemmed from growing up on 30 acres on the Albert River.
He said his dream catch was an emotional one when he caught threadfin salmon and barramundi from the Albert River about six years ago.
“Who thought that would ever happen?” he said.
Most of his fishing these days is in Moreton Bay, where he targets jewfish, snapper and seasonal squid, most commonly around Peel and Macleay islands.
He fishes from a five-metre fibreglass runabout boat.
“You don’t have to travel too far. Most of these fish are a few kilometres from the boat ramps at Cleveland and Redland Bay and inside the bar,” he said.
He uses lures and plastics and locates fish using sounders.
For squid, he uses squid jigs specifically designed to catch them.
“Once you’ve caught them, you have to pull them in before the sharks get them. This is getting worse by the year,” he said.
Herbst said he did not know the cause of the shark increase, but he had noticed their behaviour had changed.
“They follow the boats and the crabbers and rely on humans to bring them the fish,” he said.
“They’ve become attuned. I’m no marine biologist, but this is the fisherman’s biggest problem.”
There are times, he said, when he avoids spots he might otherwise fish because of the proliferation of sharks near his boat.
“You wouldn’t want to fall in the water. Nothing will change until a fisherman falls in and gets munched up in front of people,” he said.
Herbst said he enjoyed sharing his fishing experiences and used them as educational material for his followers.
“I show catching fish and provide information on how, where and when,” he said.
With his videos and various talks at different venues, Herbst said he was “talking fishing all the time”.
“I think fishing satisfies a primitive, basic instinct that’s evolutionary,” he said.
“The desire to catch fish is based on survival at its elemental level.
“Fishing is a sport and an art form.
“I appreciate fish, whether I eat them or catch and release.
“It keeps me coming back for more.”
