Various Australian bird species live on a water-borne menu, from inland creeks out to the continental shelf. These waterbirds are baitfish signposts and good indicators of where you might find feeding predatory fish species.

Familiarity with your local bird species, their behaviour and preferred foods will help you identify feeding birds rather than waste time on cruising birds. Scavengers such as sea gulls are not much use because they feed on scraps, but hunters such as gannets and terns should grab your attention.

You don’t have to become a dedicated bird watcher, just be observant and use commonsense to determine what they are doing. If they’re heading in one direction quickly, they’re going somewhere. If they’re moving slowly and holding high, they’re looking around for something, so keep an eye on them to see if they dive at anything. If they’re swooping or diving into the water, they’re feeding on baitfish that have most likely been pushed to the surface by bigger fish. That’s where you want to be fishing.

River birds will stalk the shallows snatching food as they move. If you find any birds feeding in the same section of river for a length of time, fish or gather live baits in the adjacent deep water.