BIG BOATS SUITED BY CONDITIONS
MODERATE conditions on the water over the past week have restricted small boats from fishing the Reef.
Larger charter boats are still fishing for both bottom species and pelagic such as Spanish mackerel.
Coral trout have been on the bite on the bommies with some nice fish caught on most of the inshore reefs off Cairns.
Large-mouth nannygai are also on the chew in the paddocks between the reefs on the rubble and small rocks with Thetford and Arlington reefs fishing well.
Spanish mackerel are being caught on most of the inshore reefs on trolled lures and baits along with floated pilchards while bottom fishing.
The island bait schools are alsoresulting in good numbers of large queenfish caught on surface lures. A few Spanish mackerel have also been caught in the Cairns Inlet recently as they chase the abundant schools of sardines. Several fish have been seen jumping as they feed and one quality fish going around the 20kg mark was caught this week.
School mackerel (doggy) have started to show up in various locations along the coast with Cooktown Harbour, Mourilyan Harbour and the Clump Point Jetty at Mission Beach, all reporting fish being caught on floated pilchards and live baits under balloons.
Once the conditions allow I would suspect the Cairns Harbour lead pylons would also be holding numbers of fish.
Estuary fishing has slowly started to pick up and with the building tides and with the quarter moon today fishing should further improve.
Fingermark, trevally, tarpon and some big queenfish have been caught in the Cairns Inlet and on the harbour flats.
Prawns have been running along the southern beaches and river mouths and have attracted yellowfin and pikey bream into the river mouths.
The freshwater has fished reasonably well with good numbers of sooty grunter recently caught in the Johnstone River (Innisfail) on small deep diving minnows. The drains running into the Tully River are producing a few barramundi with fish caught on live mud cod and lures.
It looks like moderate conditions will prevail again this weekend with SE15-20 knot winds forecast.
The bigger boats will continue to fish the reef chasing coral trout and nannygai. The quarter moon today and the tides starting to build means fingermark, trevally and queenfish should increase as well as barramundi and jack. Bream are schooling up and freshly pumped yabbies or peeled local prawns will produce numbers of fish.