Burst reaps rewards
ern bluefin tuna. Regarded as an exceptional adversary when hooked on light to mis-size line classes, and a superb table fish when carefully processed, the tuna might be found hunting bait species in shallow waters flanking Paluma Shoals, wide towards the Palm Island group – or anywhere in-between.
The carnage when longtails feed from the surface is unmistakable and a spectacle – birds often wheeling and diving above while strikes at water’s surface can resemble seething mess of white-water and spray.
Switched-on sportfishers will cast surface lures – poppers or stickbaits – to entice savage strikes, or alternatively use metal slugs or jigs combined with high-speed retrieves to fool fish.
Once hooked, longtails never come easy and are rated by well-travelled anglers as pound-for-pound, perhaps the toughest of all tuna species to land.
And when treated right, bled and quickly iced, longtail is regarded highly on the plate – particularly when presented as sashimi.
Otherwise, pan-fried with a macadamia crust is a winner.
WEATHERMAN’S FORECAST
BLUEWATER man Stuart Williams, of Oz Industries Forecasting (formerly Weather Oz), says general weather conditions in the next short while will typically resemble a weak monsoon with a tropical low expected to develop to the north of the top end.
He said this low is expected to drift southeast into the Gulf, a high energy period with very wet signals taking us into the 9th of December while wet and stormy conditions are expected to continue into the 17th.
“The low itself is expected to track southeast into the Gulf and generate areas of very heavy rainfall along the north tropical coast, peninsula and gulf regions,” Williams said.
He added, “The low is expected to generate widespread heavy rainfall into southeast Queensland and into parts of New South Wales. We can expect an increase in storms with conditions becoming wetter into December.” Williams said should the low drift away quicker than anticipated, drying out conditions could be accelerated pre-christmas. Williams, an avid fisherman, has gained plenty of attention throughout recent years with his uncannily accurate long-range weather forecasts, the most recent flood crisis in south-eastern Australia among them.