Autumn adventures abound

COOKTOWN Justin Coventry from the wet so being there for the first lure to make its nervous run around a deep snag will more than likely produce that boofing sound that gets the heart racing. I still can’t find a better adrenaline rush than when a large barramundi but sometimes it’s worth it to push out and get into some reef fish.

The weather has been fining up, but you can never fully expect the wet weather to be gone for long.

Shame, as it’s usually the best time to go fishing and by the time the parks open it’s in May and the weather starts to cool and the winter weather starts to kick in. Fishing is still good but not as ballistic as it would have been a month earlier.

The winter does produce some nice night red fishing when opportunity arises. Having everything ready to go is key, so make sure you don’t miss it when it comes.

The wharf has been producing some nice fish but the bait has been hard to find. Nevertheless, it should improve this month as the river starts to clear. The wharf and rock wall are good spots to cast some lures for trevally and queenfish as they come through the mouth of the river to feed on bait.

The barramundi fishing should also be the best this month after the floods as the water starts to clear. Best times will be around the low tide. Moving water along the rock wall around low tide is the best with pockets of backwater to throw a lure in as this is where they wait to feed on fleeing bait. Smaller lures and plastics work the best.

April is a great month with opportunities to catch some nice fish. Just access to areas is still a problem but worth the effort if you can get there. There should be some fantastic hot fishing sessions on barramundi this month, so looking forward to it! Stay safe but venture out there and get amongst them.

The Easter weekend up this way is almost guaranteed to see storms and rain descend from above and make it a wet weekend. However, the pull to go out and make the most of this month’s fishing makes it too irresistible to pass up.

The creeks are starting to clear and the roads are not impassable so the temptation gets the better of most, but don’t be surprised that conditions can change quickly.

This month the weather, although unpredictable, will be warm and the rivers will be stocked with barramundi. The snags will be home to new arrivals

FISHING NEWS slams my lure and retreats to its home then feel the line tighten. The pressure then produces the eruption as the barrra launches its head and sometimes its body out of the water to try flick that lure from its mouth. It’s so addictive and something that keeps me going back year after year to experience.

It’s worth the risk to try and get into your secret spots as soon as possible but be aware rivers can rise before your eyes at this time of the year. The national parks have learnt over the years that opening early is dangerous and roads get messed up easily, so they err on the side of caution.

Anyway, that’s the world we live in!

The reef has been producing some nice large mouth nannies and red emperor and the coral trout have still been biting well. This month will probably be the last month for calm days out on the water so make the most of the opportunities as it won’t be long until there are months of constant strong SE winds battering the coast.

The calm windows will only be when there is a break, in between one high pressure system moves off the coast and the other one follows. Although it usually only drops a fraction and only for a day