School is over for yet another year and that means packing away the lunch box, pencil case and library bag to reinstate the camping gear, beach rods and wide-brim straw hat. At 3pm today I would expect to see quite a few 4WD's packed to the roof with camping and fishing paraphernalia rolling into the quick pickup zone in the school car park. This is one Queensland tradition that occurs every Christmas holidays and has done so since before I was a school-goer.

The beaches are very popular and should be busy from this weekend onwards and right through to Australia Day's long weekend, especially when the beach fishing is at its best during our long, hot Queensland Summer. Most beach-going holidaymakers respect the beach and dunes, exercise safety while driving and know how to share the beach with others. But there is always someone who doesn't play by the rules and behaves selfishly, recklessly or destructively. This is why an unwritten Code of Conduct must be observed while fishing and camping on our beautiful beaches. For those of you who need a refresher, Swan Boat Hire staffer and beach four wheel driving/fishing enthusiast, Tommy Harvey, has compiled a Top Ten essential guide for safe driving and fishing on the beach:

1. The rules of the road apply to all beaches on Queensland's East Coast e.g. speed limits, drink driving etc and slow down when passing people on the beach
2. Always drop tyre pressure before hitting the sand - it's better for fuel economy, easier to enter the soft sand, lessens the chance of getting bogged and is generally better for the wear and tear of your car.
3. Enter and leave the beaches at designated beach access points only to minimise dune destruction and getting bogged.
4. Use formed tracks only and never make new tracks - look for ruts in the sand, let the car follow them rather than going against them. The car's steering will thank you for this later...as will your arm muscles. If you need to exit a track, turn the wheel quickly and sharply at a lower speed and your tyres should jump up and out of the track.
5. When taking off from a stationary position, reverse a little first as sand builds up in-front of the tyres as you stop. By reversing you not only compact the sand behind you - which aids your take off, but also you will not have to take off over a little mound of loose sand.
6. Prohibited areas are indicated with signs - Noosa North shore for instance and some roads are clearly marked as closed to 4WDs, this is for protection of natural habitats or your own safety.
7. Always carry a pressure gauge together with a pump to re-inflate your tyres before travelling on normal roads.
8. Being prepared will help you get your vehicle out if you get bogged in soft sand. Carry a shovel, tow rope or traction aids - and know how to use them.
9. Avoid the salt water as much as you can. Too many anglers have driven in the small waves find that sometime down the track, they've contracted rust!
10. As an angler, be wary of cars on the beach as this is the same as if you were fishing on the edge of the highway. Drivers will drive too fast, not give way, tailgate and overtake in poorly chosen areas - be sure to educate your children on beach safety as well.

GETTING THERE

Driving on the harder sand between the waterline and the high tide mark will offer the firmest surface. Consider reducing your tyre pressure when driving on soft sand but keep within the manufacturer's specifications. Vehicles should be kept off the sand dunes except at designated crossing points for access to and from the beach. It's best to travel at low tide, or within two hours either side, however fishing is often best either side of high tide so leave this time free for fishing only!

ONCE ARRIVED

Set up camp and get out your deck chair. Find a good elevated position where you can spend some time observing the water. Visually identifying structure is the way to go on a surf beach. Knowing how to identify banks, gutters, drains and rips becomes essential if you hope to regularly catch fish from the beach. Additional observations of swooping birds and for the more experienced, identifying bait fish and the species of fish we wish to target will give you the edge over 99% of other anglers.

With constantly shifting sands due to wind and wave action, the sand banks, gutters and holes are ever changing. Whiting, dart and bream feed in the surf gutter year round. At the moment there are some quality tailor and cobia being taking along the Teewah stretch. Big jew can be caught in the deeper gutters as they cruise through feeding at dawn, dusk and over night. Sand flathead and tarwhine also feed throughout a variety of gutters.

Things to look for in a good gutter can be plenty of white water which fish like dart and tailor like to feed in. Deep entry and exit points also allow fish to migrate through. Bait fish within the gutter, pipi and sand worm in the shallows on low tide also help. Because when bait or food is available for the fish, they are more likely to stay and feed longer. Like all forms of fishing, dawn and dusk are excellent times to try your luck.