BRAGGING RIGHTS
GO WHERE THE FISH ARE:
DESPITE strong winds, a few of the larger charter boats managed to fish the Reef this week with some nice catches reported.
With the boats having to fish behind the reef shelter, the dominant catch has been coral trout in the shallows.
Dragon Lady Charters, fishing out of Port Douglas, provided their customers an enjoyable day’s reef fishing with plenty of great eating coral trout coming on board on Wednesday (see brag board photo) which will be one of several reef species targets for all patient reef fishers praying for a break in the weather.
To the south the wind moderated a little over the weekend which also saw several bigger boats fishing the islands and shipping channel shoals.
The islands were fairly quiet for those targeting spanish mackerel on the troll with the shipping channel shoals fishing much better on spanish, school and spotty mackerel.
The winds look to be lighter south of Cairns this long weekend and several boats will look to do the morning run around the islands and inshore reefs.
With last quarter moon and building tides from Monday this week, the rivers, creeks and estuaries fired back into action with good numbers of fish caught casting soft plastics, prawn imitations and small diving minnows.
Mangrove jacks have been in good numbers in the southern river systems from Cairns to Hinchinbrook. I, along with mate Jason Swan, river fished last Saturday throwing soft plastics before the building tides and, while fishing was slow, still managed a nice 81cm barramundi (pictured) which ate my lure right off the rod tip.
It reminded me that it pays to work your lure right to the boat and not just in the strike zone as fish, particularly barramundi, will follow it right to the boat and strike at any time. I backed up on Monday and fishing exploded into action on the first of the making moon catching mangrove jacks, two barra, tarpon and trevally.
With moderating winds this weekend to the south several boats will be out fishing the shipping channel shoals chasing nannygai and mackerel. Reef fishers will target coral trout up on the sheltered shallow bommies.
Barra and jack will be a target species on the rivers, creeks and estuaries with The Cairns Inlet, Mourilyan Harbour, Murray River and Hinchinbrook Channel all prime spots.
Many families will head west this long weekend camping and chasing sooty grunter and barra also.