Swell time on water
WITH an ideal forecast of variable winds below 10 knots from today and into the weekend boat ramps will be overflowing to capacity as eager blue water fishermen hit the water in big numbers.
Building tides also look ideal for all styles of reef fishing targeting coral trout and Spanish mackerel on the bommies, nannygai and red emperor on the deep rocks and rubble or trolling for pelagic species.
Early starts will be required to avoid long delays launching and retrieving boats.
The tides and moon phase will also be perfect to target barramundi in the estuaries and rivers including the Cairns Inlet where the fish have been in great numbers.
Grunter and fingermark will be another target on baits and mud crabs should also be worth targeting with the building tides in pots baited with fresh fish or chicken frames. Looks like a cracker weekend to be on the water having a fish.
Barramundi have again been the flavour of the week despite being in a poor moon phase after the new.
The Cairns Inlet has fished extremely well with plenty of fish caught again this week live baiting the harbour flats with mullet garfish along the mangrove edges.
The occasional threadfin (king) salmon are also taking live baits. Several nice barra have been hooked trolling the rocky headlands.
The creeks of the inlet are also starting to produce barra again as the water cleans with shallow running minnows like the Lead’s Hi-Jackers and top water lures raising some nice fish.
Most of the southern rivers like the Russell/Mulgrave and Johnstone River plus the Daintree River to the north have slowly cleared with barras and jacks becoming more consistent captures on both hard bodied small minnows like the Jackall Squirrel and soft plastics paddle tails and prawn imitations.
The brackish to fresh sections of the rivers are still fishing best around the drain mouths.
Anglers fishing Lake Morris with Copperlode Fish and Kayak have also been enjoying some exciting casting and trolling sessions on quality size barramundi.
Hinchinbrook Channel has fished well on barramundi and some nice fingermark were caught in the deep holes on live baits and jigged soft plastics over the neap tides.
Crab numbers were down with the slow moving tides but should pick up this weekend as the tides build.
Several of the bigger boats have continued to fish the reefs off Cairns and Port Douglas and been rewarded with good catches of mixed bottom fish including emperors, nannygai, coral trout, reef jacks and a variety of trevally species.
Floated pilchards, garfish and live baits like fusiliers have been the top producers.
Heavy duty bait jigs baited with a squid tentacle are highly successful to target live baits on location and great mackerel baits will also attract big bottom species including emperor, nannygai and trout.