
Dave
"Nugget" Downie

mailto: nugget@ausfish.com
Published Articles by Nugget
Born at a very young age
(1958), I was raised in the Snowy Mountains of southern NSW Australia, and learnt to fly
fish before I discovered girls. My father was a Scotsman and mother a 5th generation
Australian. At the age of 24 I married the publican's daughter and moved to her homeland -
Southern Queensland. We currently have three sons although that may vary if they give me
any more trouble! Peter (8), Shawn (12) and Levi (15). As a result of catching more than my
fair share of fish and winning a few estuary angling competitions I was given the
opportunity to write for Bush 'N Beach Fishing Newspaper, an Australian angling
publication.
| A 10 lb Flathead
caught on a gold
Storm lure
at Short Isl
Jumpinpin Qld |
 |
- Since then I have been recruited to
Brisbane radio 4BC 'The Fishing Show' (1116khz) as live reporter between 5 - 6am on
Saturday mornings. I also compare 'Hooked on Fishing' on 101.1 FM at 8.00am Saturday
mornings. I also write a weekly column in the Bayside Bulletin. I have recently been
appointed as a FishCare Education Officer with the Department of Primary Industry
fisheries division. My interests include making (and drinking) home-brew beer, photography
(I have a Canon EOS 5), fly fishing
and fly tying, targeting heaviest of species fish and competing in fishing competitions.
-
 |
A 40lb mulloway
caught on a live
mullet
at Iluka northern
NSW |
-
My boat is a 4 meter
aluminium Stessl Edge Tracker 'Tournament' powered by a 3 cylinder oil injected 25hp
Suzuki. I use Alvey side cast reels for surf and bait fishing as well as a vast array of
bait casters and egg beaters (spinning reels) for sportfishing. I regularly fish the Gold
Coast Broadwater, Nerang River and Jumpinpin as well as Brisbane, Logan and Albert Rivers
and Moreton Bay. In freshwater I fish Sumerset, Wivenhoe, Maroon, Moogerah, Hinze and
Borumba Dams as well as their associated tributaries.
| A 6 1/2lb golden
perch
caught during the
Kirkleigh Klassic
Tournament.
Released alive. |
 |
-
Why Nugget
-
- I was given the nick name 'Nugget'
as a result of a 'live on air' comment I made on the 4BC Fishing Show.
- Ron; "How did you go fishing
last Saturday at the Pin Dave"?
- Dave; "Everything I touched
turned to gold Ron, as a matter of fact if I had a crap in a bucket out here on the water,
I reckon it would have been a gold Nugget.
-

Endorsed Products
After 30 years of
serious fishing I have learnt to have confidence in certain brands of fishing tackle. I
know that by using my favourite products, my catch rate will improve and I will have trust
in my gear. I do not endorse products because I get paid to do so, in fact I do not get
payed by any takle manufacture, I recomend products because I truely believe it is the
best there is. Below is a list of manufacturers that meet or exceed my high expectations.
- KeepAlive Oxygen Infusors

- As a keen competition angler
specialising in targeting the biggest of species, I spend a lot of time using live bait
and the quality of the live bait is the key to my success. If you need to keep bait alive
in the best and most lively condition there is no better product on the face of this
planet than the KeepAlive Oxygen Infusor.
- My KeepAlive system also keeps my
fish alive during tournaments, no fuss, no risk, it just works better than all the others.
-
- Wilson Live Fibre Rods
- Live Fibre rods are blend of kevlar
wrapped butt section and resin tip that gives them the unique ability to have a light tip
and still have plenty of bottom end power without being a heavy rod.
- I use and reccommend the Wilson
'Live Fibre' 10'6 trophy as my main bream rod. This rod has a light sensitive tip and lots
of bottom end power to pull the brutes away from rock ledges.
- I use a 7' Liive Fibre BSX70LJ
6-8kilo 'overhead' as my heavy mangrove jack trolling rod. This rod has tuns of bottom end
grunt with a light sensitve tip that is almost impossible to find in any other rod.
- I use a Live Fibre M10 'Classic' for
offshore and when chasing big jew in the estuaries.
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mailto: nugget@ausfish.com
-
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