AT JUST five years of age, Maximus Montebello reeled in a whopping 51cm yellowbelly near Linville at the weekend.

The fish put up a fight but was no match for the young angler who claimed "it was the best day of his life".

Max's dad Jeff said it made him proud seeing the excitement on the kids' faces when they got a bite or caught a fish.

"Reeling in the fish, you could see Max's face light up and he was over the moon to land his first yellowbelly," Montebello said.

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"We ate Max's fish and he reckons it was the best-tasting fish he had ever eaten.

"I have three boys and we all love to go out fishing and love going down to the creeks."

Max caught his fish along the Brisbane River past Linville, a favourite fishing spot for the family.

Montebello said he had been fishing there for most of his life and loved being able to take his sons there now.

"When I was a kid I would ride my push bike down to Linville, camp for a couple of nights, fish and then cook them up on a fire," Montebello said.

"The kids have really only started getting into it in the last few years and they love getting out on the boat and spending time out in nature.

"Linville is a great spot for fishing, the water flows fairly steadily down from the mountains and the water is probably some of the cleanest in the region.

"Besides Linville, we like to fish a few of the little dams in the Blackbutt forestry and once we get a boat we will get into the dams."