Fishing Monthly Magazine | December 2021

Page 44

OLD

A Hinchinbrook Christmas LUCINDA

Jeff Wilton jeffwilton83@hotmail.com

Sitting here typing up this article, it is very clear summer has really ramped up quickly. It’s bloody hot, the humidity is rising each day, and it feels like at any stage a wild storm may brew up – typical NQ weather in December. The fishing has been

great, but to be honest it normally is up here! If you can deal with the heat then it is a great time to be getting out there and chasing a few fish. Barra are off limits for a few more months so hopefully we get some big rainfalls to spark breeding and recruitment. Summer in the tropics is normally left for the locals as most southern travellers give it a miss due to the weather, uncrowded waterways and less fishing

Topwater jacks in the summer heat.

pressure can see some great sessions being had. Let’s check out what should be happening during the month of December. HINCHINBROOK CHANNEL It’s all about mangrove jack as this hot dry weather can make these fish super aggressive. Jacks call the entire system home every creek and mangrove-lined bank will have resident jacks. The secret is to fish for these guys at the optimal times meaning careful consideration of where you will be at certain stages of the tide. Good areas will have current moving out and along the fronts of mangrove-lined creeks. Jacks will take up residence in the best ambush zones of each area, so a bigger snag or branch that sticks out a little further than the rest. Throwing a selection of hardbodied lures or soft plastics will get results, but if you want the chance to do even better then learning the art of skip casting is well worth the time and effort. This cast will allow you to place a soft plastic into areas normal casts won’t allow. This style of fishing is also very handy in the heat of

Australian made, next generation, soft plastic lures. Made with Passion. Made for Anglers.

summer as you can fish shaded areas under mangrove overhangs. Shade lines are often overlooked areas that can hold fish looking to stay out of the direct sunlight plus acts as a great place to hide waiting for food. I have had plenty of sessions where I have skipped plastics deep under overhangs and the fish follow the plastic out and hit it as it is about to leave the shade every time. Summer evenings and nights spent anchored up somewhere chasing grunter and fingermark is a great way to spend some hours. This is a popular time for the locals here as it means you are not fishing in the heat of the day and apart from the odd storm brewing up, it is a very comfortable time to fish. Fresh caught bait will go a long way to getting better results, quality size fish will always choose a fresh or live bait over a frozen alternative. For those new to the area checking out the marine maps and a few hours sounding around will help locate a few spots to try. The well-known areas around the Bluff and Haycock Island do see a lot of boat traffic but for good reason as they always produce good fish. These spots are perfect for those traveling anglers who have no time so sounding around these spots for a few minutes locating some structure, bait and predatory fish before anchoring or deploying the electric. JETTY, ISLANDS AND REEF As I always say, the jetty is worth a fish every day of the year. It is just a magnificent fish attracting area with strong currents and structure, meaning it will hold baitfish and predatory fish. By far the best time to fish the jetty is early mornings or later evenings. Those periods when the sun is lower in the sky means the predatory fish will be hunting a lot more. During the middle of the day these

It always pays to keep an eye on the sounder while fishing. fish seem to go deep and sulk in the pylons not interested in feeding, no matter what you throw at them. Most people will fish for sports fish like GT and queenfish, but it also holds some big fingermark and the odd good nannygai. The Palm Islands will be popular but not really for the fishing. Spending a few hours, a day or even overnighting during the heat of summer is a great idea. The islands offer safe anchorages, clear water to swim and snorkel along with sandy beaches. Best of all, the area is so big that it is not hard to find your own spot away from the more popular spots. Take care during summer and it is best to wear a stinger suit as the chance of an encounter with various stingers is much higher when the waters are warm. The benefit of having several islands all in the same area is dependent on the wind direction – there is always smooth waters somewhere. Overnighting is a very popular past time for locals staying in the boat with a

few rods set and a squid light is lots of fun and can be rewarding with a few fish and tasty calamari as well. The Palms also have several camping locations that need a permit from the national parks to enjoy. Hitting the reef over summer, chasing trout and red fish is always on the cards with a good chance of lighter winds early morning before the northerly sea breeze kicks up around midday. For travellers just be aware that no matter how good the weather forecast is, there will nearly always be a harsh northerly blow up inshore every day. This will extend to about 10km past the islands then potentially glass off, so you can be travelling home in perfect glass to be hit with 20 knots of white caps for the last half of your journey. Not that you should mind especially, if a great day swimming was had and an esky full of tasty reef fish is on board. Cheers to all the readers out there and a Merry Christmas. Bring on 2022 full of more fishy tales.

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Why? Our Jigging Lures next generation soft plastic lures, feel more natural and realistic to a striking fish and in turn, increases the odds of the fish mouthing the lure. Jigging Lures soft plastic lures are practical and can be fished in any depth of water and can manage any retrieval speed. The range of colours designed by Jigging Lures are specific to weather and water conditions and as a result, offer the angler choices best suited to the surroundings.

www.jigginglures.com.au 44

DECEMBER 2021

The Palms offer a great place to relax and cool down.


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Boat test: Arvor 705 Sportsfish

9min
pages 126-132

Freshwater

9min
pages 122-123

Karratha

6min
page 121

Lancelin

5min
pages 118-119

Metro

4min
page 116

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Esperance

6min
page 113

Augusta

6min
page 112

WIRF

4min
page 110

Recfishwest

6min
page 111

Yarrawonga

5min
page 107

Wangaratta

5min
page 103

Shepparton

7min
page 105

Geelong

9min
pages 94-95

Port Phillip West

5min
pages 96-97

Phillip Island

6min
pages 92-93

Canberra

5min
pages 84-85

Albury/Wodonga

5min
page 83

Lithgow/Oberon

6min
page 81

Tathra

3min
page 79

Bermagui

4min
page 78

Illawarra

9min
page 76

Batemans Bay

7min
page 77

Central Coast

7min
page 75

Coffs Coast

5min
pages 70-71

Sydney North

3min
page 61

Sydney Rock

6min
page 60

How sustainable are whiting stocks?

7min
pages 56-57

NEW SOUTH WALES Pittwater

9min
pages 58-59

Hinchinbrook

3min
page 45

Flathead on soft plastics

10min
pages 54-55

Kayaking: Adventure search

10min
pages 52-53

Freshwater

14min
pages 50-51

Lucinda

5min
page 44

Townsville

5min
pages 40-43

Whitsundays

6min
pages 38-39

Mackay

7min
pages 34-37

Advantages of heavy leader

17min
pages 8-11

Brisbane

11min
pages 26-27

Northern Bay

5min
pages 28-29

Starlo’s back to basics

5min
pages 14-15

Sheik of the Creek

4min
page 25

Southern Bay

4min
pages 22-24

Squid: taking on the tigers

5min
pages 12-13

Noosa

5min
pages 30-31
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