Barra the prime nab for break
ANGLERS looking for a good haul over the Easter holidays are hoping clear skies will last over the weekend.
Many of the major inland rivers and fishing catchments, such as the Barron River, will be a write-off thanks to flooding, so most will want to look to bluewater fishing out at the Reef.
Cairns Post fishing writer Rob Erskine said it would depend if the rain continued and if a tropical low formed off the Coral Sea over the weekend.
“It’s a bit of difficult situation. The Reef will be fine if we get any more rain, but if a low moves in, it will bring wind with it, and that’s going to limit you to inshore,” he said.
“But if it starts hammering down again on Friday, that’s going to make it hard as well.”
An upside to the rain for bluewater fishers is the flowing water into the Reef will well up wonky holes – freshwater seafloor springs that grow coral and plant life, which in turn attracts large and popular predators.
Red emperor and largemouth nannygai will be the prime catch for deep-sea fishers with coral trout biting nicely in the shallows.
If the weekend forecast is clear, anglers hoping to fish inland should be able to catch some good sized barramundi around the Cairns Inlet.
For inland fishing, Tinaroo Dam will be a popular spot with campsites booked out all around the lake to make the most of the removed speed limit. “Night fishing at the Tinaroo might be your best bet. You get the biggest barra under a full moon, plus there’ll be a lot of skiers out there during the day,” Mr Erskine said.