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Throughout its reaches it offers a range of habitats from shallow sandy sections, sand and mud flats and banks, sand and gravel bars and banks on the edges of the river at various locations as you move up the river, overhanging mangroves for the lower reaches and trees, scrub and grazing land as you progress toward its headwaters. Not to be underestimated as fish attracting structure on the positive side, but extreme navigation hazards on the negative side, there are difficult to navigate gravel bars, rock bars, drowned trees and large rocks throughout and of course of the river.

If your interested in more details about the Calliope River have a look at this detailed scientific report.

Shore based options

The Calliope can be fished from a number of locations from the bank with perhaps the best being the river directly below the old Bruce Highway bridge but is also a very popular boat fishing option.

Boat launching

There are only two main places where boat/canoe access to the river can be gained:

• The main ramp for the river is located just about 100 meters west of the Power Station. The concrete ramp comfortably handles two boats at a time and is accessible at all tide and has ample parking and a Kiosk.Via Power Station - ramp
• There is also a one lane concrete ramp above Old Bruce Highway bridge. There is a free camping are adjacent to trhe ramp and of course plenty of parking and even a toilet block just 100 or so meters away.

Closed season

Throughout the Queensland east coast a closed season applies to barramundi from midday 1 November to midday 1 February, except in and from waterways upstream of Awoonga, Burdekin Falls, Callide, Eungella, Fairbairn, Fred Haigh (Lake Monduran), Kinchant, Koombooloomba, Lenthalls, Peter Faust, Teemburra, Tinaroo and Wuruma dams.

There are also closed seasons for other fish that you can check out at http://www.daff.qld.gov.au/fisheries/recreational/rules-regulations/closed-seasons-tidal-waters

Services & facilities available

The Calliope river runs into the sea at Gladstone which is a fast growing industrial town with a full range of services. There is also fuel, accommodation and lesser services at Calliope which is basically on the crossroads of the Bruce and Dawson Highways.

Target species

Lower reaches

Upper reaches

Food chain

A major nursery you will find bait fish throughout the Calliope River system which are a dominant element of the food chain from a fishing point of view. There is however a well well balanced phytoplankton and populations of prawns and shrimp as well as a range of crabs and other crustations or also on the menu. Drowned terrestrials including, beetles, hoppers and cicada are significant to the food chain during summer.

Techniques

Choice of rods is important. If you use your trout gear and hook up to a Barramundi your gear will in most cases probability 'explode'. I suggest rods in the #9 or #10 weight range are best suited to fishing the Boyne River unless your fishing small delicate flies to the like of whiting or mullet. If your targeting Bream or Flathead on your #6 to #8 weight gear don't assume that you want get a Barra or a Jack as I have been surprised by big fish taking flies just 50mm long.

Reels and backing are important also and large arbor reels with an efficient drag system and a full complement of backing are certainly the go.

My main fly outfit (and the one I would carry if I could only carry one outfit) is based on an 8 foot 3 inch #10 weight rod matched with a saltwater fly reel. I like modular reels and mine allows me to carry intermediate, floating and T14 shooting head lines each set up on modular spools that can easily be swapped over onto the reel. As well as the line each spool has room for around 200 meters of 50lb braided backing. Each line has a 30cm to 40cm of 40lb leader nail knotted to it with a loop at the business end. For all three lines my preferred leader is generally around 7 foot of 25lb or 30lb Maxima Ultragreen. The leader is connected to the loop knot with a locked open loop. I use a Lefty's loop knot to connect all my flies. Finally, indispensable if you encounter the likes of Spanish mackerel I do carry some 30cm to 40cm shock tips of 50lb maxima ultra green and others that are 50lb wire. In both cases they have a roller swivel at the end that can be connected to my leader and a snap clip at the other end to connect to the fly.

Fly suggestions

My bass EP & perch fly box and salt water fly box will provide you with flies that will cover most fishing options in and around Gladstone.

If I were to narrow it down to just a couple of flies my mud prawn, white clouser minnows and my propeller fly would certainly be included.

Hot spots

The whole river is a hot spot but most of the target species move through different habitats according to the seasons but as a general rule it's a good starting point to fish the structure.

My preferred fishing times are the hour or so either side of dusk or dawn with particular emphasis on when that coincides with the ebb of a middle size high tide or when storms are threatening.

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