SEASONAL FISHING TRANSITION:

AT present fishing along the tropical coast is entering a seasonal transition phase where falling water temperatures sees the summer estuary species like barramundi and mangrove jacks taper off a little.

It certainly doesn’t see them totally shut down: they just seem to go through a transition period until they adjust to the change in conditions.

The winter estuary species such as pikey bream, flathead, trevally, queenfish and whiting will become more prolific in catches as will spanish mackerel around the islands and reefs.

The cooler weather sees bait schools move inshore and the doggy/spotty mackerel will start showing up around the Harbour leads along with queenfish and other pelagic species.

Spanish mackerel will start to school up thicker on the bommies around the islands and reef edges on the bait schools also.

Deep water reef species such as nannygai will slowly start to move onto the inshore shallower reefs as water temperatures decline.

Later as we approach winter large queenfish and giant trevally are commonly caught in the major river mouths on surface poppers and walkers as they feed and look to spawn.

Barramundi will surge again and only really shut down with lock jaw if water temperatures plummet around the 20 degree mark.