OLD
Clean waters make for great bags CAIRNS
Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com
May is typically a more stable month weather wise, which makes it ideal for fishing the Trinity Net Free Zone. The creeks and rivers are usually running clear and crisp as a result of the drier weather and smaller day time tides. This is excellent news for lure fishers as clean water makes it easier for the fish to see their lures. The other good news is that water temps also start to fall, and they have certainly been scorching hot this year. When the water gets over 30ºC the fishing can be tough, and I really prefer that mid to high 20s when
fishing in the creeks. May usually sees these temps fall into the optimum range, which can also be a big plus. The target species will be jacks and barramundi in most of the Net Free Zone Creeks. The Cairns Inlet has been fishing really well for barramundi with some great captures coming land-based off the Marlin Wharf Pier. Live bait has been producing the best results for landbased fishers with mullet and flicking prawns working the best. For boaties, flicking suspending hardbodies and vibes around the deeper bends has been producing the better fish in the Inlet. Large paddle-tails, like the 140 Molix, have also been finding barramundi casts amongst the artificial
Jacks will be on the chew in May, and working poppers in the shallow systems will be a good way to snare them.
Barra will also be chewing but make sure your hooks are sharp as they tend to swipe at lures this time of year.
Impressive angling in FNQ PORT DOUGLAS
Lynton Heffer www.fishingportdouglas.com.au
As we see the light at the end of the tunnel to what has been a substantial wet season, it has been all ‘beer and skittles’ on the fishing front in recent times. There may be a tad more inclement weather to withstand in the very near future but anglers have already enjoyed the spoils as to how good the fishing can be at this time of year. Right offshore on the light game fishing scene we are still seeing some amazing fish being caught, including wahoo, dogtooth and yellowfin tuna. These have been achieved on the calmest of days but still what we consider ‘out the box’ for this time of year. The raging current from the 38 MAY 2023
north has obviously kept some of these prime species to hang around well beyond their normal time frame. This has been the icing on the cake at the moment. Back on the outer reef, the fishing during the day seems to gather in momentum. Large mouth nannygai, small mouth nannygai and coral trout have been quite formidable at times. In regards to these species, they will be even better days ahead for those targeting them. Add to this, you have a bit of a smorgasbord to expect including gold spot and tea-leaf trevally, a smattering of red emperor, sweetlip and a few more Spanish mackerel have been getting around. There’s always other species that pop up and raise an eyebrow. Now the reef fishing will go to a new level when the current starts to run from the south. The million
dollar question is when will this occur? Mother Nature does dictate but traditionally it can occur late April or more likely in May. That’s when you want to have your skates on if the outer reef is your preference. Closer to home we are ecstatic to report the river and estuary fishing has hit its straps following the wet season. There’s lots of fresh bait around and all the targeted species have come out to play. Barramundi, mangrove jack, fingermark and javelin fish have been all active and true in size. This scene is expected to deliver for quite a few weeks to come so there’s still a good window to play out. We’ve just started to see some big queenfish and giant trevally enter on the incoming tides with a bit of run in the current leading up to the moons. Also, it’s almost time to start planting some mud crab pots on your
structure, especially at night when all lit up. Other systems in the Net Free Zone, like the Barron and Thomatis, have also been producing both barramundi and threadfin salmon. The areas out the mouth of these creeks have also been giving up the bigger fish as well. This spot was once a very seasonal place to chase barra and threadfin but since the NFZ has come in it is now fishing awesome all year round, which is terrific news. The smaller systems like Moon River have been producing the odd mangrove jack and barramundi. They love a surface lure in this shallow system so make sure your hooks are sharp and your drags are tight. If you want to fish sub surface then
Flathead will be feeding hard on the flats. small paddle-tails, like the Molix RT Shads in 3.5 and 4.5”, are working well for these fish. Retrieving them on a slow roll is best and try not to twitch the lure too much as this can put the fish off. The other fish, which will be slowly starting to hunt around in better numbers is the humble flathead. With the cleaner water around, working over the flats with small poppers or plastics is worth the effort. Big long casts over the sand is the best method with a slow retrieve. Finally the mud crabs
will be moving as well so it will definitely pay to be setting a pot or two even if you are only fishing for a small time. The big bucks will be moving so getting a feed this time of year shouldn’t be that hard. In closing, as the Governor of the Cairns Area Fish Stocking Group I would like to thank all those who helped out with the stocking of 4000 barramundi across the Net Free Zone. These stocked fish do help to support our fishery and it’s great to see so many people coming to support the group.
The estuary fishing has been in great form with top catches of barra still around. trips, especially as May approaches. So there is a lot of upside at the moment
for the calm water option. All key performance indicators point to a ‘reel’
positive period if you are coming up to our piece of paradise.
