HEAD OUT TO BEAT THE WINDS
MODERATE conditions on the water over the past week has still seen plenty of boats heading for the blue water fishing the Reef, islands and wrecks.
With massive tides last weekend the tide changes fished best.
While it may sound like a broken record, large mouth nannygai fishing continues to be red-hot with some excellent size fish being caught both inshore and offshore on the rubble and small rocks.
Offshore, some solid red emperor have also been mixed in with the large mouth and are always a welcome catch.
Coral trout have been a little patchy but some nice barcheek trout have been coming out of the deep water and on the wrecks.
The elbow of Arlington Reef and offshore along the contour lines of Euston Reef have produced good fish.
Spanish mackerel have also been a little cagey with best results on live yakkas, which are the premium bait for most blue water species.
They have still bit pretty well on the wrecks on metal high-speed jigs.
Small billfish have been marking on the bait off Cairns in around the 30m depths, but proving hard to get to rise and induce a strike.
With the Cairns Bluewater Light Tackle Billfish Tournament under way today it will be interesting to see how many billfish the 34 competing boats raise over the three days of fishing.
Barramundi have finally started to bite on live prawns in the Cairns Inlet after consistently being marked on the scanners, but not biting and in lockjaw mode.
Plenty of quality prawns are available for bait in the Inlet and they may induce a good barra bite over the weekend as the quarter moon and building tides start.
Mangrove jacks have also been starting to wake up and become more aggressive, along with a few fingermark in the deep holes.
The southern rivers are also starting to fish better on barras and jacks as is Hinchinbrook Channel, with soft plastic prawns like the Zerek Live Shrimp fishing best.
While, big queenfish have been taking surface lures on the smaller tides in the mouth of the Daintree River, Mulgrave/Russell River and Johnstone River.
This weekend’s tides are perfect to target queenies in the river mouths and around the headlands.
Tomorrow still looks a chance for the small to medium boats to fish the blue water, with winds around the 10-15 knots forecasted, but will increase in strength into Sunday and will turn blustery Monday.
The small tides will be ideal to fish the deep rubble and rocks if the weather allows and again target the ever consistent large mouth nannygai.
Tomorrow’s moon phase should also fire a few trout and Spanish mackerel up on the bommies in current.
Estuary fishing should also improve, especially on the fingermark in the deep holes with the abundant live prawns the premium bait.