Sunshine days and gloomy nights continue

from Fishing Monthly Magazine | March 2023

GEN III

PORT DOUGLAS

Lynton

Heffer www.fishingportdouglas.com.au

As 2023 has progressed, it has become apparent that we’re in for a good old-fashioned wet season. It may sound a bit gloomy, but it’s actually been pretty good, as most of the rainfall has been at night, leaving us with sunshine during the day and quite reasonable sea conditions.

There haven’t been too many obstacles preventing us from completing a good day on the water in the tropics. With tourist numbers dropping during our low season, charters have slowed. However, those charter operators who have headed out have been putting their clients onto some good fish.

Outer Reef

Our bottom fishing efforts have seen smallmouth nannygai and coral trout dominate the red species in handy numbers. Gold spot and tea-leaf trevally have been providing some extra serious punch into the sessions. A big trevally school bite, with fish averaging around 5kg, never disappoints. For the average punter, these fish will leave you somewhat bruised and battered.

Other than that, some some more exotic species have been turning up, including cattle dog cod and barramundi cod (remember barramundi cod are a protected species that must be released). Overall, there have been good results coming from your standard reef charter of late.

There has been more action out wide for the light tackle enthusiasts, with some cracking days on the Spanish mackerel and yellowfin tuna. Anglers travelling to the outer edges of the reef along the shelf have been experiencing some multiple hook-ups from both species. Spanish mackerel to 20kg and yellowfin to 15kg have lit up the scene on occasions. Calmer days on the water have allowed our boats to travel to these greener pastures.

The good numbers of Spanish mackerel, especially for this time of year, has been a highlight in particular. Garfish, wogheads and Halco diving lures have been attracting the most attention. There’s even been the stray small black marlin still out there to 250lb, but they have been difficult to catch using these types of lures.

Inshore

The heavy rains have turned our main rivers and estuaries into a bit of a slurry. When fishing in discoloured water, it’s good to revert to old-school tactics using fresh dead baits such as mullet strips, pilchard and squid. These baits have flushed out some popular target species including grunter across the flats, and mangrove jack amongst the snags. A reduction in rainfall will make it easier to target barramundi, and you would expect trevally and queenfish to be cruising in and out with the tides.

Mud crabbing has been successful along the coastline. The mangrove flats of these systems have been yielding crabs seeking refuge from the amount of fresh water.

Prawns along the beaches will also become a feature this month, with a solid supply of fresh bait distributed along the foreshores.

There’s always something to be angling for in Far North Queensland, so get out there and get amongst the action!