Welcome to Gold Coast Estuary Sportfishing Charters & Tuition Services, my goal is to provide you with a great fun experience catching plenty of good fish and teaching you the art of lure fishing here in SEQ, my charters are timed based around the best tides and conditions forecasted for the day as fish are controlled by these conditions and Its best to have an open mind on the fishing we do as fishing and conditions always change and my job is to put you onto the best fishing at the time of your charter and conditions on the day.

The Charter service I provide is lure fishing only out of my Triton 18XS Bass Boat (photo above), we stand up on the front and rear decks fishing so if you’re not physically suitable for this please advise me on booking, but I can accommodate anyone to suit in different areas if need be.

from January 1st 2026 I am allocating 10 charter dates per month to my schedule with 6 dates on the Gold Coast and 4 dates at Redcliffe, I will have extra back up dates available for postponements if needed.

Charter Bookings & Payments

Select a date in the calendar, complete the booking form and submit.
You will receive a booking confirmation by email.
I will send you a SMS text after 5pm on the same day with the booking details and the details for the $150 deposit (non-refundable see details below) needed to secure the date that is to be paid by bank transfer or Pay ID.
Once Deposit has been made your charter date will be confirmed.
I will send you a SMS Text 3 days out from your charter to confirm final details for your charter including meeting location and time to suit the tides and conditions for the day for the best results.
Remaining balance of your charter is to be paid no less then 3 days out after you receive the final detail text, this can be paid by bank transfer or Pay ID

Deposits and Payments Policy.

Deposits and charter payments are nonrefundable for any weather related postponement, if your charter is postponed due to weather related problems as below the deposit or charter payment can be used to rebook at anytime as per my schedule or transferred to someone else.
Full payment at the time of booking is not needed but you want to pay full balance on booking you can but the no refund policy still applies.
If for any reason, I can’t personally do your charter for any reason (not weather related) and can’t reschedule you in within a week of your original charter date a refund will be offered, or another later date offered.
If you postpone or cancel the charter date before the 7 day period of your charter date the deposit can be used can be used as a credit for your next booking but another $150 is needed to secure that new date.
If you have made a final payment 3 days before the charter and have a valid emergency or you become sick, you can use that payment towards another charter date, but you must advise me asap.
If you don’t show up for a charter as agreed no refund will be paid and you can’t use that payment towards another charter (this means of you don’t show up 1 hour from the starting time with no contact)

What to Bring Along?

Bring along any drinks and snacks you require for the charter.
Bring small bags along for the charter as space is limited, no esky or large bags.
Please wear clean shoes or thongs, you can wear bare feet in the boat, but not muddy or dirty footwear is prohibited.
If you’re wanting to keep fish bring along an esky to leave in the car or bags to put fish in after the charter.
If you want to bring your own fishing rods, we limited this to one rod per angler due to space and you must advise us before the charter.
Bring along correct clothing to suit the season of your charter.
Bring along a rain jacket, sunglasses, hat and sunscreen.
If you are bringing a child under the age of 12 you must advise me on the booking, I do have separate life jackets to suit or you can bring your own to suit them, children 12 and above don’t need to wear a life jacket so this is up to you so please advise when making booking.

Charters.

Charter times are leaving the boat ramp and returning back in this time, if you required fish to be cleaned this is also in the charter time.
Each charter is allocated 2 hard body lures per day to use on the charter only (not given as credit or handed to you after the charter), if you want to use more you can at $22 each plus soft plastics and Jigheads are unlimited.
All Fishing reels and rods are supplied, any loss of gear or damage to gear such as rods, reels or boat will be charged retail price to the customer who was using it or damaged it.
Photos for paying clients are provided for free and can be used for future personal reference, any use of business photos is prohibited unless you have the written consent of the owner.
Minimum age to come on a charter is 6 years old.
Children under 16 must be supervised by an adult on any charter as per AMSA maritime law, I can do two children under 16 and one adult on a charter if requested.

Charter Vouchers.

If you purchase a Charter Voucher clear payment will be needed before the voucher is emailed to you.
Charter Vouchers are valid for 2 years from time of purchase.
Charter Vouchers are nonrefundable, they can be transferred to other people, but you must advise me.

Weather & Postponements.

Gold Coast Charters – Gold Coast charter postponements are rare as we have plenty of sheltered areas to fish, I will only look at postponing a Gold Coast charter if the wind forecast the day before the charter is above 25 knots, heavy rain is forecasted 30mm and above or the system is flooded, if there is any concerns about the weather or conditions I will contact the customer the day before the charter to talk about other options or another date and the final call is made by the Captain Scott Butler.
Redcliffe Charters – Redcliffe charters are subject to the wind conditions 3 days out from the charter date, as Redcliffe is located in Moreton Bay the area is an open area and is dangerous in certain wind conditions and the final call is made by the Captain Scott Butler for the safety of customers.

Safety and Medical.

Safety is the most important factor to boating, the boat will be moving and will be rocky at times so you must understand stability is important to the safety to yourself and others on the boat.
Once the boat leaves the dock no refund is paid, if you think you can handle the boat we use or don’t feel comfortable please advise me before we leave the dock.
You must advise us of any medical conditions you have that can put yourself and others at risk while boating, this is a Sportfishing Lure only Estuary Charter that will require you to stand up and cast lures so it’s your decision that you are able to do this safely.
SEQ Sportfishing Services can cancel a charter at any time while on the water if we think that safety is a issue with a client, no refunds will be paid if this happens.
Your fishing guide Scott Butler is the captain of the vessel, any violence, threats or abuse to him or any other persons on the vessel will cause the cancelation of your charter and no refund will be paid.
While fishing in the outdoors you must wear sunscreen and hat.
Sunglasses must be worn to protect your eyes from a stray lure or anything else that may come into your eye while fishing.

Qualifications

Fishing Guide – Scott Butler holds a Coxswain Grade 2 Near Coastal commercial vessel license to carry passengers.
Vessel – Triton 18XS Bass Boat, the vessel is in the Scheme NS and registered for commercial use in all Australian waters for up to 3 people in 2E survey plus has full safety gear requirements for 2E Survey.
This charter business is fully licensed and insured.