The Coochiemudlo Squire: Reading the Water Like a Local Legend

There are people who go fishing…

and then there’s Michael.

Around Coochie, he’s known as The Coochiemudlo Squire — part fisherman, part tide whisperer, and apparently, part fish psychologist.

Because while the rest of us are still wondering if it’s “a good day for a line,” Michael already knows what the water’s doing, where the prawns are hiding… and whether the snapper have RSVP’d.

When the Water Talks, He Listens

“The water was back to 26 degrees this morning and the snapper were not around.”

That’s not a complaint. That’s a diagnosis.

For Michael, fishing isn’t luck. It’s pattern recognition with a bit of patience thrown in. When the water warms up, the snapper drift off.

When it cools… things start to get interesting.

Case in point: a subtle drop to 23.5 degrees recently had him quietly predicting what came next.

“The snapper will be following the prawns.”

And sure enough… they did.

The Prawn Problem (It’s Not What You Think)

Now here’s where it gets a little spicy.

A conversation sparked online about using store-bought prawns as bait.

Sounds harmless enough, right? Not quite.

There’s a real concern about introducing diseases into Moreton Bay waterways, including white spot — something already lurking in the region.

Michael’s take? Practical, but informed.

He sticks with Australian prawns and avoids imports entirely. His reasoning is simple: know your source, know your impact. It’s one of those quiet reminders that even something as small as bait choice can ripple out into the broader ecosystem.

The Day the Fish Didn’t Show Up… Mostly

Not every trip is a headline catch.

One morning, the tide was perfect. The conditions? Spot on. The prawns? Nowhere to be seen.

“The snapper will be following the feast of prawns.”

No prawns, no party.

Still, one slightly confused snapper did turn up… and, well, let’s just say it didn’t end well for him. Dinner was sorted.

Power, Patience… and a Surprise Fight

Even on a “slow” day, the ocean likes to throw in a plot twist.

Michael hooked a trevally and, for a moment, thought he’d landed something enormous.

Fair assumption.

Trevally don’t just swim, they fight. Hard.

“There are few fish which can compare to the power of a trevally.”

Coming from someone who’s wrangled cobia and Samson fish, that’s saying something.

That same session delivered a sweetlip as well, with a tidy little double hook-up right on the turn of the tide. Not bad for a quiet day.

When It All Comes Together

Then came the session every fisher lives for.

Cooler water. Moving bait. Everything lining up just right.

“I got two snapper in an hour and a half of fishing.”

No drama. No exaggeration. Just results.

(And yes, for the sceptics, there was a tape measure involved… and a couple of selfies with Fletch to prove it. Standard procedure.)

Why This Matters (Even If You Don’t Fish)

Michael’s not just catching fish. He’s reading the rhythms of the bay.

Temperature shifts. Bait movement. Tide timing.

It’s the kind of local knowledge that doesn’t come from Google… it comes from showing up, over and over again, and paying attention.

And maybe that’s the real takeaway here.

Whether you’re casting a line or just walking the beach, there’s a whole world of signals happening around you.

Most of us just miss them.

Join the fishing (fishy?? haha) conversation over on the Coochiemudlo Squire Facebook Page by clicking here.