Written and compiled by Dave (Nugget) Downie

Born in Brisbane during the 60’s, Fitzy moved about Queensland as an ankle biter before settling back in the Ipswich region. He grew up exploring the local waterways on foot, horseback and bicycle catching whatever fish were on offer, mostly catfish, jew mullet & eels. Coming from a large extended family, he was fortunate enough to have relatives throughout Queensland and every school holidays found him at different places chasing everything from fish like Barramundi, Bass, Murray Cod, Carp, Saratoga and Sooty Grunter to hunting wild pigs and goats with his dogs and guns, earning him a reputation as a good shot as well as a fair angler.

After finishing College, He decided to head off to see the bush where he worked from northern NSW to Nth Queensland as a stationhand, ring barker, welder, jackaroo, stockman, roo shooter, fencer and pig hunter where he enjoyed catching Murray Cod, Yellowbelly, Silver Perch, Barramundi, Sooty Grunter, Saratoga, and Eel-Tailed Catfish in his spare time. Having a knack for trick axe & knife throwing the showman started to come out in Fitzy where he entertained his work mates & others with his stunts, on one occasion almost taking a finger off!

Still in his early 20s he decided there were not enough sheilas in the bush so he headed back to civilization where the fish were plentiful and so were the women. At this time the lakes around south east Queensland were starting to be stocked with fish so he became involved with the local fish stocking group Somerset & Wivenhoe Fish Stocking Association (SWFSA) holding various positions such as President, Vice-President, Publicity Officer and Secretary. From there he has been a member of other groups such as the Queensland Fishcare Volunteer Program, Brisbane Valley Anglers (BVA), Pine Rivers Fish Managent Association (PRFMA), Faust Dam Fish Stocking Association (FDFSA) and is a founding member of both the Freshwater Fishing and Stocking Assn. of Queensland ( FFSAQ ) and the Atkinsons Lagoon Fishstocking Association (ALFA).
Always on the go, Garry is currently working on developing fisheries as many fishless lakes. Current project include Swanbank Lake & Lake Kurwongbah.
He has also pioneered a project to channel funds from fishing / boating industry businesses back into fish stocking projects.

Due to his involvement in these various groups, Garry is very passionate about freshwater fishing earning him a reputation for being outspoken, not pulling punches & tackling issues head on. He is well known for not tolerating fools or show ponies.
A chance meeting in the mid 1990s with Australian angling icon Rod Harrison had Fitzgerald soon under the tutelage of Harro where his angling skills were honed, his knowlege expanded & his abilities pushed beyond the average. The two have developed a life-long friendship & commonly share a boat together to this day.

Being a fishing correspondent for a variety of publications, Fitzy is described as being a “freshwater fishing specialist” but in reality he is commonly found fishing everywhere from the rivers and estuaries to offshore using various techniques. His main style of fishing is lure casting and trolling in rivers & lakes throughout Queensland and Northern NSW although the last few years has seen him waving a flyrod more and more often in pursuit of trophy sized fish. His development of innovative jigging techniques saw him take out the BASS Electric Grand final in 2005. Fitzgerald's regular fishing haunts include lakes Wivenhoe, Somerset, Cania, Maroon, Cressbrook and Barambah with an annual pilgrimage to north Queensland. He is also commonly seen quitely canoeing along the rivers in SE Qld, Central Qld & the NSW/Qld Border Rivers region, more often with a camera in hand than a fishing rod.

His Aquamaster 4.1m Saratoga is ideally suited to "off the beaten track" locations & is used for fishing small water locations both locally & remote.

Fitzy is often in demand at fishing/boating shows entertaining audiences with his trick casting and speaking on freshwater fishing techniques and locations. His energetic stage manner shows off his passion for Australia's country, its animals and fish.

A major sports injury in early 2003 saw reconstruction surgery on a busted achillies tendon & a few months in plaster; the guiding cap got hung up and he has taken full time work with a major marine dealership in Brisbane while continuing to develope his website www.sweetwaterfishing.com.au .

Read what Rod Harrison had to say on Fitzy HERE.

Media Credits
Television:
Cameo- Hooked on Water. Channel 9 Brisbane.
Cameo- Brisbane Extra. Channel 9 Brisbane. Casting demo at Brisbane Boat Show.
Cameo- Brownie's Coastwatch. Channel 7 Brisbane.

Video:
Century Battery promotional video with Rod Harrison
Rod Harrison's Moutains to the Sea
Brisbane River Bass (co-presenter)
In Search of Saratoga (co-presenter) Yet to be released

Radio:
4BC Talking Fishing. 1116AM Brisbane. 5 - 7am Saturday & Sunday mornings.
Squidgies Fishing Show. 88FM. Northern Rivers. Regular Correspondent.

Print:
Bush N Beach Fishing Australia magazine
Queensland Fishing Monthly magazine
Queensland Times Newspaper
Gregory's Guide to Fishing Around Brisbane. book. Co-Author
Bass n Barra Digest

Internet:
Sweetwater Fishing Australia - Founder, Designer & Editor
Australian Fishing Shop- Pro Angler
Fishing-Boating Online
Fishnet Australia

You can email Fitzy at Fitzy[at]sweetwaterfishing.com.au